amaotonovel Chapter 246 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (146)
Chapter 246 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (146)
Lu Liruan thought to herself: What's so funny about this? It's clearly a reasonable concern.
Lu Liruan wasn't quite sure if Ji Shumin had any intention of harming others, but it was certainly necessary to be wary of others.
Lu Liruan now clearly realizes that none of those who can stand in the imperial court are easy to deal with. A real fool cannot gain a foothold. Even if some people make decisions that seem inappropriate and ridiculous, it is because doing so is in line with the interests of themselves or the faction they represent.
There is absolutely no such thing as a motiveless act. For their own benefit, they are capable of anything: lying, spouting lies, and turning the tables on others.
Their meeting with the Emperor was simply to... if the Emperor were still lucid, they could whisper in his ear and persuade him to suppress the ambitions of the First and Third Princes...
Now that things have gone as they wished, none of them dared to say anything more, probably because they were frightened by the Emperor's current appearance.
Although Lu Liruan did not see it with her own eyes, she already felt uncomfortable just from hearing the old doctor talk about it, not to mention that they were in close contact and were forced to take care of the emperor.
Even without them actually doing anything, just smelling that unpleasant odor and being forced to stay in the oppressive and terrifying atmosphere of the bedchamber was enough to terrify them. Back in their residence, they were so frightened that they couldn't close their eyes at night...
“I’m not mocking Li Ruan.” Ji Shumin coughed lightly and said seriously, “I just think Li Ruan has such a clever mind. If Li Ruan were a man, she would have studied. If you and I met in the court and fought each other, it would be hard to say who would win or lose. It would be very interesting.”
He spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously, dragging out his words to amuse Lu Liruan.
Lu Liruan sneered inwardly: You're just saying that to make it sound nice. And what's the point... If it were really as you say, and I were to fight you, you definitely wouldn't be the way you are now. You'd be full of a thousand schemes, thinking about how to kill someone so they could never recover.
Let alone a man, even if it were a woman... it would be the same.
Ji Shumin had no such inexplicable tenderness or pity for women.
"Why should I be a man?" Lu Liruan asked casually, her brows slightly furrowed.
Ji Shumin was taken aback.
“I don’t know if you’re just trying to comfort me… but if what I’m saying and thinking is indeed wise and has its uses, then why should I care whether I’m a man or a woman? There are many wise women in the world, and I’m fortunate to be here and have seen a lot. I don’t consider myself particularly bright, but I can still be taught, understand dialectically, and draw inferences from one instance to another.” Lu Liruan said earnestly as she thought about it.
“There must be countless women more intelligent than me. If they could also hear and learn from this, and have someone guide and educate them, wouldn’t they be more useful than me?” Lu Liruan asked sincerely.
She wasn't even questioning; she was certain that women were not inferior to others simply because they were women. It was just that the era they lived in didn't offer them a path to choose from.
"Hmm." Ji Shumin nodded thoughtfully.
“I remember you once said that if women also engaged in production and went out to work, how many more people would be able to work and how much more work could be done?” Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it the same? If women were all educated and knowledgeable, how many more minds would they have to think, and how many more ideas would they be able to come up with?"
A few days ago, when Lu Liruan returned to the Marquis of He'an's residence, Lu Wanqing's letter was delivered.
It says that she can now travel as a merchant on her own, and no one calls her Miss Lu anymore. Instead, they call her Third Manager Lu, while the First Manager and Second Manager are the two young masters of the Lu family.
She sent back quite a few letters throughout the year. Lu Liruan didn't see them all, but she knew the general situation and that it wasn't all smooth sailing.
If she were simply following her two brothers to broaden her horizons and see what was happening, she certainly wouldn't encounter any difficulties. The two young masters of the Lu family have been on this path for more than a year or two and are already very familiar with it. With their sister by their side, they certainly wouldn't let anyone bully her.
But Lu Wanqing was unwilling to do so.
At first, many people were unwilling to do business with her because she was a woman. Some even thought she was weak and that they could take advantage of her, so they began to cheat and deceive her.
In the letter Lu Wanqing sent back, her angry tone practically radiated from between the lines.
“At first, they all said they didn’t want to do business with me because I’m a woman. They kept saying they didn’t want to work with women, that they didn’t trust my credibility, and that they thought I couldn’t make it work… Some even said they didn’t want to bully a young girl?”
"Later, when they started doing business with me, they all thought that because I was a woman, I was ignorant and could be easily fooled. They would ask for high prices and I wouldn't know it; they would give me junk and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'm a woman, I'm not stupid or blind. It's ridiculous!"
Lu Wanqing's handwriting was elegant and flowing. It turned out that at home, she was most skilled at writing small regular script, and she would sit there quietly writing, saying that practicing calligraphy in this way could also help a woman cultivate her mind.
But now her letters seem rushed and hurried, written in a flowing cursive style, appearing unrestrained and free, no longer bound by any constraints or overthinking. She writes whatever she wants, says whatever she wants. Even though everyone bullies her and doesn't take her seriously, she doesn't back down or feel afraid. On the contrary, she is full of fighting spirit and ready to fight them to the fullest!
"Why don't they say they're bullying a woman now? It doesn't matter, I won't let them bully me anyway!"
Sure enough, in her subsequent letters, Lu Wanqing never mentioned anyone bullying her again. Perhaps... she had figured out and resolved the situation?
In this letter, Lu Wanqing said that she was already capable of handling things on her own. Before the Chinese New Year this year, she returned with her brothers and said that she brought gifts for everyone.
She had also witnessed the turmoil in Jiangnan, but it did not affect them as merchants. On the contrary, because some of the tyrannical people who had once run rampant were dealt with, their business actually improved!
Lu Liruan could imagine the tone of her voice, but she was still a little surprised.
Back in the capital, Lu Wanqing was sharp-tongued, yet her smile was infuriating, giving off an unconsciously mischievous vibe. But she had never been so unrestrained and flamboyant before. It was clear that she had indeed found something she liked and wanted to do, and was now achieving some success, enjoying every day to the fullest.
"Look how amazing she is now!" Lu Wanyun said with a smile as she took the letter.
The two sisters had never been separated since childhood. When Lu Wanqing first left, Lu Wanyun was really sad for a while and often shed tears, but she gradually got better later.
She is getting married next summer. Now, when she has nothing to do at home, she embroiders things. Her skills are becoming more and more exquisite. This summer, she even embroidered several pieces of fabric for Lu Liruan's dresses by hand. Every time Lu Liruan wears them, she is careful not to damage them.
"Has Aunt Zhao heard about Wanqing's news?" Lu Liruan asked while turning over the chestnuts that had already split open on the baking rack, the chestnuts so hot that she pinched her earlobe.
"Yes, Auntie read Wanqing's letter..."
Lu Wanyun lowered her voice and leaned closer: "Wanqing also gave Auntie some silver notes."
Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow: "What did Auntie say?"
"My aunt originally said that Wanqing was disobedient and that a girl should not be so unruly... but after seeing that Wanqing returned the silver notes, she gradually stopped saying that."
"What you're saying... I reckon your aunt isn't just not worried because of the silver notes." Lu Liruan flicked her forehead.
Lu Liruan knew that the two of them did not have a deep mother-daughter relationship with Aunt Zhao.
Rather than focusing her attention on her two daughters, Aunt Zhao devoted more of her attention to the Marquis of He'an. In her youth, after giving birth to two daughters, Aunt Zhao was truly distressed for a period of time, constantly thinking that she needed to have a son to gain a foothold in the Marquis of He'an's household.
Madam Gao once sarcastically remarked, "I wonder who it is that prevented her from gaining a foothold in the Marquis's mansion! As the mistress of the house, I am supposed to ignore the important matters and not concern myself with the trivial ones, yet in the end, it seems as if I have mistreated her! I didn't grab a shovel and dig a hole in her feet wherever she went, so how could I have prevented her from establishing a foothold!"
Madam Gao didn't get angry often, especially since she was a second wife. That time, it was because Aunt Zhao was so worried that she didn't even care about her daughter. The wet nurse accidentally spilled hot water on Lu Wanqing's arm, causing a row of blisters.
Later, Madam Gao took the two children to live in the yard next to hers.
In the end, Aunt Zhao did not give birth to a son. She seemed to realize that she had mistreated her two daughters, so she was eager to make up for it. But the past is the past. Although her two daughters did not hate her, they had grown up and could no longer develop deep feelings for each other.
But Aunt Zhao was not one to cause trouble. She was extremely gentle and weak, and all she thought about in her life was how to find someone to rely on and how to make herself feel like a drifting duckweed.
In the end, he had very weak kinship ties with everyone.
Lu Wanyun pouted: "I know..."
“Auntie was worried that Wanqing wasn’t doing well outside. Seeing the banknotes she sent back, she knew that Wanqing wasn’t short of money and was doing quite well, so she was relieved.” Lu Wanyun sighed, “I don’t mean to blame Auntie, it’s just that… Auntie always worries about things that are out of the ordinary.”
Lu Liruan understood what she meant, but Aunt Zhao was just like that in this life, and she felt that this was all she could do, so others could only let her be.
"Forget it, let's not talk about Auntie anymore," Lu Wanyun changed the subject.
But as Lu Liruan spoke to Ji Shumin, she couldn't help but think of Aunt Zhao: if she hadn't thought that way, and had known how others thought, would things have been different?
Women should be able to walk the path they want to walk, but ultimately, there should be a path for them to walk.
If we only demand things of women without considering their current situation, wouldn't that become unwarranted criticism, and in the end, it would still be a form of discipline for women?
Lu Liruan wanted to do everything in her power to give women more options.
Ji Shumin did everything thoroughly. After ordering the historians to record the emperor's events in his bedroom, he even had the records circulated among the ministers in the court.
While everyone laughed and said that those who served the Emperor were loyal and righteous, they each had their own thoughts. But the only thing they had in common was that they were once again certain that the Third Prince was truly not someone to be trifled with!
"Isn't Your Highness being too sharp and aggressive?"
"After all, he and His Highness the First Prince are brothers, but even if they are brothers, they are still..."
People were talking about it privately.
"If you ask me, the one with the aura of an emperor is definitely the Third Prince!"
"Shh—what nonsense are you talking about? Once your words come out of your mouth and enter my ears, that's it. We shouldn't get involved. If gods fight, we'll all suffer!"
Some people said it aloud, while others kept it to themselves.
Indeed, His Highness the Third Prince seems more like the one who can control his ministers and rule the world! The former Crown Prince's demeanor still lingers in everyone's hearts!
Since those people went to the Emperor's palace to attend to his illness, Ji Shuqin tried to avoid seeing them. He still had some lingering resentment, but since things had come to this point, there was really no better way.
Therefore, the matter was entirely entrusted to Ji Shumin.
But on this day, Ji Shuqin casually flipped through the records that the historians had submitted every day.
Upon scanning, I was surprised to see the names of the An family members listed.
But the one above is not the eldest master of the An family, but the second master of the An family and his eldest son.
How come...they got involved too?
Before Ji Shuqin could even ask Ji Shumin, the An family was already as anxious as ants on a hot pan over this matter.
The reason was that their salaries were also cut. The An family originally had General An, but now there was no successor. With the Empress and the Emperor having such a relationship, the General's Mansion naturally declined.
But they still received their salaries all these years, and no one deliberately mistreated them. But now, the First Prince has issued an order that their salaries will be reduced. How can they accept this?
After so many years of being timid and hesitant, they finally thought that with the Empress's return to the palace and the Crown Prince taking power, their good days would finally arrive. But instead, they were not only punished and lived in constant fear, but the Empress also ignored them.
Chen boasted that she had made her point to the Empress, but in the end it was all for naught, so she held a grudge. After all, they still regarded the Empress as a young lady of the An family. As her elder brother and sister-in-law, how could they be treated so disrespectfully?
The matter from last time isn't completely over yet, and now they want to cut salaries?
This time, they didn't come to see the Crown Prince either; instead, they joined the commotion caused by the noble families.
The eldest master did not go himself, but sent the second master instead.
He harbored resentment in his heart, and he wanted everyone to see it. Even the An family did not support the eldest prince's decision, so he passed on his dissatisfaction to others.
Unexpectedly, the one in charge of this matter was not the eldest prince, but the third prince!
During their years in the capital, knowing that their sister disliked this son, they never even visited him. It wasn't that they didn't want to get to know the Crown Prince, but rather that His Highness the Crown Prince never considered them as his maternal family!