amaotonovel Chapter 239 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (139)
Chapter 239 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (139)
With the southern factions now broken up and purged, who in the capital is most anxious?
Actually, the second prince was the most anxious!
When the Second Prince returned from the south, he took advantage of the official silver to smuggle the bribes he had received back with him.
Unexpectedly, the subsequent events led to the case of the robbery of official silver falling into the hands of the Dali Temple. The Second Prince was too busy keeping a low profile to dare to make any rash moves.
Later, when the eldest prince returned to the palace, he was confused and didn't know how, but this matter became related to the third prince, which exposed the shameful things the second prince had done.
Although he became the deposed crown prince, it was clear to everyone that His Highness the Third Prince had not lost the emperor's favor. Not only was he not neglected by the emperor, but he was also granted special permission to leave the palace and establish his own residence. This was an unprecedented event in several generations of the court!
On the other hand, the second prince not only lost the emperor's favor but was also imprisoned. He suffered two losses in the same matter, which was simply...unlucky.
Now that the Emperor is seriously ill, the Second Prince has been released.
He had already been punished, and it was the Emperor himself who ordered his release, so this matter... should be considered over.
Although no one said it aloud, all the officials in the court knew it in their hearts.
The reason why the regent was the eldest prince was not only because he was the eldest son according to the order of seniority, which was the most reasonable, but also because of other, more subtle reasons. These included the neutral faction and those who did not align with the southern faction. Knowing what the second prince had done, they were naturally unwilling to elect him.
Otherwise, if this continues, and he becomes close to the southern faction and promotes them more in the future, what will happen to the officials in the capital? Wouldn't they be voluntarily handing over power to others?
He's not as good as the eldest prince, at least for now, he seems impartial and doesn't favor either side.
Although the Second Prince had won over many ministers, not all of them were on the side of the First Prince. It was just that they were less willing to see the Second Prince become regent than the First Prince, which made their numbers seem larger...
This was a loss he had to swallow in silence. Ji Shuling had been so frustrated these past few days. Originally, his closeness with Nanfang should have been done in secret. But now, even though the connection wasn't as close anymore, people still thought that way and linked him to Nanfang's faction!
If it were just this, Ji Shuling wouldn't be so furious!
When Ji Shuqin first became regent, although he was dissatisfied, he still wanted to compete with him. Although he, Ji Shuqin, was the eldest son and had the right to the throne, he had been immersed in the court for so many years and knew the ways of the world. His elder brother, who had returned from the mountain temple, was naturally not as good as him.
They each have their own advantages, but Ji Shuqin has only temporarily gained a slight advantage. In the end, it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious.
And Ji Shuqin couldn't do anything to himself.
They were both sons of the emperor, brothers, so no matter what, Ji Shuqin dared not be too harsh on himself, otherwise it would be unreasonable!
But he never expected that Ji Shuqin would launch an attack in this direction!
He didn't do anything to himself, or even mention himself, but as long as the news from the South reached the court, people would naturally think of him and focus their attention on him. His every move would be watched, and he was practically tied down!
He originally wanted to rebuild his connections in the court and gradually fade the impression of his ties to the southern faction, but just as he was about to put his plan into action, Ji Shuqin not only brought him back to reality, but now it seems like he's being repeatedly roasted on a fire...
It's like a soft knife killing without drawing blood!
How come I never realized before that Ji Shuqin was such a scheming person?
The Second Prince was indeed anxious. Now that Ji Shuqin was in power, many people who were originally neutral had their minds turned towards him, and... he was so good at stirring people's hearts!
Every single thing that has happened these days, every single one of them, is in line with the people's wishes, and every single one of them is an attempt to build momentum for themselves. Ji Shuling can see it all, but he is powerless to do anything about it and can't change anything.
This familiar feeling of powerlessness...
When Ji Shuling heard Ji Shuqin mention Ji Shumin today, the hairs on his body stood on end! In that instant, only one thought remained in his mind: that ghost will not go away!
These tactics are clearly the work of Ji Shumin!
Even from a distance, you can smell a unique scent that belongs to Ji Shumin!
Over the years, Ji Shuling has suffered countless losses at the hands of Ji Shumin. Ji Shumin may seem to act arbitrarily, but no matter what he does, he always seems to have his own reasons.
What pained and resented Ji Shuling the most was that he could clearly see what Ji Shumin was doing, and most of the time Ji Shumin didn't even hide his actions from anyone...
Even if he is seen and known by others, they will still be completely confused and will not know what he is planning to do. By the time they realize what is happening, Ji Shumin will have already finished.
It left others beating their chests in despair, lamenting why they hadn't seen it at the time...
Ji Shuling was the one who couldn't see through it.
But he wasn't the only one who couldn't see it; the seventh prince, Ji Shulie, who was also a competitor at the time, couldn't see it either, even though the two of them didn't get along.
In Ji Shuling's view, Ji Shulie was only able to compete because of his powerful maternal family and his mother's favor with the Empress. He himself was just an arrogant, ignorant, and conceited fool.
At that time, although Ji Shulie didn't say anything, Ji Shuling could sense it and felt slightly more at ease.
When Ji Shulie and Consort Rong fell from grace, Ji Shuling felt a sense of relief and satisfaction, but also a strange sense of unease, though he quickly dismissed this unusual feeling...
But now, amidst his anger, he also feels... a little lonely.
It seems like I'm the only fool left.
He stood in the court, listening to the sounds around him, but his mind was wandering.
Until he heard Ji Shuqin mention that Ji Shumin should return to court to participate in political discussions!
"This matter... is far too sudden."
"Your Highness, please reconsider! The Third Prince... he is, after all, the deposed Crown Prince!"
"Yeah yeah--"
The voices of those speaking and responding rose and fell, but most of them were vague and evasive.
"What is there to think about?" Ji Shuqin asked, his brows furrowed slightly, puzzled.
"Although the orders were all issued by me, my third brother contributed a great deal of effort. How can that not be considered as contributing to the government and having merit? Instead of me listening to his opinions alone, it would be better to have him speak to everyone in the court so that everyone can participate in the discussion." Ji Shuqin spoke with reason and composure.
The crowd exchanged glances, none of them having imagined that one day the deposed crown prince would have to continue attending court. This wasn't just unprecedented; it was simply...
“But, where has a deposed crown prince ever participated in court affairs again?” an official spoke up first. In the past, it was usually the case that after a new emperor ascended the throne, the other brothers would move out of the palace, establish their own residences, and become idle princes. Unless they gained the new emperor's trust, they might not be entrusted with important responsibilities…
The deposed crown prince has already moved out. Doesn't that mean he will no longer participate in court affairs?
“My third brother was trying to share Father’s burdens by asking him to remove him from his position as Crown Prince. Father, out of compassion for his son, allowed him to leave the palace to build his own residence and recuperate. Isn’t that a wonderful story?” Ji Shuqin asked him in return.
"The princes you mentioned who were deposed and reprimanded were not allowed to participate in politics because they were punished for doing wrong. What wrong did my third brother do? Has Father punished him and prevented him from participating in politics?"
When Ji Shuqin said this, he truly had no ulterior motives whatsoever...
Unfortunately, it's impossible for others to interpret things on their own.
The Third Prince has indeed never been punished by the Emperor; it is someone else who has been personally punished by the Emperor for wrongdoing. If it is said that princes who have been punished or disliked by the Emperor are not allowed to participate in politics, then the one currently barred from attending court is not Ji Shumin, but rather…
For that cripple, Ji Shuqin dared to humiliate himself like that!
It's really too much!
“But one must maintain a dignified appearance when attending court…” someone else said.
Those who could enter the court as officials were certainly not ugly or vulgar. Those who passed the palace examination naturally had to be favored by the emperor, like the saying "the third-ranked scholar who wore flowers in his hair".
People are not judged by their appearance. Just as people with disabilities, large moles on their faces, or unattractive appearances cannot become officials, this has been the case throughout history.
Those who opposed the Third Prince attending court all nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
They couldn't honestly say that the Third Prince Ji Shumin wasn't handsome enough... Even if you compared all of the Emperor's sons together, to be honest, none of them could match his looks. "Handsome" was practically the most ordinary compliment you could give him.
But he was indeed physically disabled and unable to walk, so what good was his handsome face?
They thought this reason would be enough, but to their surprise, the Crown Prince's calm expression suddenly turned serious after hearing their words!
"Are you making unauthorized comments about the prince's appearance?" he asked coldly.
Everyone quickly fell silent, having just thought the eldest prince would have no way to refute the matter, and thus became somewhat smug.
"Those who are not good-looking or physically disabled are not allowed to serve as officials. What does that have to do with the prince? Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Father Emperor has never disliked my third brother because of his injured leg. On the contrary, he has comforted and cared for him. What is your status to criticize my third brother like this?"
These words sent a chill down everyone's spines; the Crown Prince had just hurled a serious accusation at them.
Yes... those who are not good-looking or have disabilities cannot serve as subjects, but no one has ever made such a demand of a prince! There was an emperor in the previous dynasty who only had one son in his entire life. That prince was not particularly ugly, but he was extremely short. After reaching adulthood, when he stood up straight, he only reached the ribs of an average man...
Although he was short in stature, he was very intelligent. After ascending the throne, he was diligent in governing and loved the people. Later historical records documented his extraordinary qualities, but they mostly praised him, and no one ridiculed him.
They came up with several reasons, but each one was refuted by the Crown Prince with sound reasoning and evidence. For a moment, no one knew what to say next.
Some of the Second Prince's faction secretly turned their attention to him.
Ji Shuling's face was grim, but he couldn't say anything. He even suspected that Ji Shuqin's rebuttal to the crowd was something Ji Shumin had planned out in advance and taught him to say in court.
After all, he first suppressed him, preventing him from getting angry, and then used classical allusions to create an awe-inspiring and unapproachable demeanor... making him feel that even before Ji Shumin had attended court, he had already seen Ji Shumin's demeanor and style in the imperial court! He could clearly see a resemblance between Ji Shumin and Ji Shuqin's face!
But this time, he was definitely wrong.
Ji Shuqin suddenly brought up this matter. He had debated with a group of scholars in the court and left them speechless. Ji Shumin was unaware of this. Even when he found out, the usually eloquent and composed Third Prince was speechless and quite taken aback, not knowing what to do.
Lu Liruan, who was listening from the side, was also confused. When she turned her head and saw Ji Shumin's expression, she couldn't help but chuckle.
Did Ji Shumin ever not, lying lazily in his warm bed, reminisce about his past winter court sessions? Since he stopped attending court, things had truly been...
Unexpectedly, Ji Shuqin has now decided on his behalf that he should return to court.
"Hahahahahaha—" Seeing Ji Shumin open his mouth as if he wanted to say something but didn't, Lu Liruan couldn't hold back her laughter and laughed so hard she almost fell over.
"Good, good, good! Your Majesty is truly thinking of you! I never imagined Your Majesty had such a majestic side! Those words were so well said, leaving no room for argument!" Lu Liruan became more and more amused as she spoke.
Ji Shumin shook his head. It wasn't exactly being schemed against... Anyone could see his elder brother's good intentions, but...
It's truly both laughable and infuriating.
"Yes, this is the first time I've heard that my brother has this ability."
In the afternoon, Ji Shuqin arrived after a long absence. Lu Liruan kept her face as tense as usual, but in her heart she was thinking: Usually he writes letters, but today he came. Does His Highness the First Prince think that he has done something good and is deliberately showing up in front of Ji Shumin?
While it was all just for fun, Lu Liruan felt that Ji Shumin wouldn't refute Ji Shuqin.
Ji Shuqin must have his own reasons for doing this, but it's unclear whether the two brothers are thinking the same thing at this moment.
As expected, Ji Shumin agreed. During the meal, Ji Shuqin seemed much happier than his younger brother, glancing at Ji Shumin every now and then with a smile, as if he had done something very satisfying.
The morning court session usually took place at 5:00 AM. Since people entered the palace from outside, they naturally had to get up even earlier to wash and dress.
Lu Liruan was still half asleep when Ji Shumin's voice wasn't loud.
The days are getting shorter in the north now; at this hour, it's almost dark outside. Candles burn in the room. Ji Shumin sits before the mirror, his hair, which is usually styled however he pleases, neatly tied up. He wears a deep red official robe, a look Lu Liruan has never seen before.