amaotonovel Chapter 223 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (123)
Chapter 223 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (123)
“You can make the wrong seem right, but the wrong is still wrong. Over the years, have you ever really thought that what Father Emperor did back then was right?” Ji Shuqin brought up the past without any hesitation, looking directly into the Empress’s eyes.
Ji Shuqin understood the situation perfectly, but he never wanted to think of his mother with such narrow and dark motives.
So he kept running away, trying to close his eyes and plug his ears so that he could not see, hear, or ask anything.
He felt guilty when facing Ji Shumin, and he was even more unable to express his emotions when facing the Empress.
Even though he hadn't done anything wrong, Ji Shuqin ended up feeling unable to face anyone, tormenting himself until he was completely exhausted.
Through repeated contemplation and questioning, Ji Shuqin gradually realized that it was precisely because of his indecisiveness and hesitation that he had become what he was today, and the emperor's mad behavior finally awakened Ji Shuqin.
But now, he can no longer remain uninvolved or distance himself from the situation. His actions affect many people and many things, and he can no longer delay; he must make a decision…
After a long and uninterrupted conversation, Ji Shuqin finally released all the pent-up frustration in his heart, leaving him standing there, his body trembling uncontrollably.
His throat was constricted and rubbing, and his voice didn't even sound like his own.
Ji Shuqin couldn't determine how his mother viewed him or what she hoped for in his childhood...
However, it is undeniable that without the Empress Dowager, I would not have survived to this day. The Empress Dowager's meticulous care for me day and night without ever taking off my clothes or closing her eyes is genuine.
No matter what she did wrong, or how she treated others, she was absolutely a loving mother to him, and Ji Shuqin had no way to repay her. At this moment, he had to break with the Empress, which made Ji Shuqin not say a word, and his inner pain increased.
"Mother... Your son is not a puppet to be manipulated by you." Ji Shuqin closed his eyes tightly, suppressing all his complex emotions.
The Empress was still stunned. Whether it was Ji Shuqin's recent estrangement or the struggle and avoidance she had witnessed, she simply assumed that Ji Shuqin was indecisive and hadn't made up his mind about the path she had laid out for him.
I never imagined that one day Ji Shuqin would rebuke me so seriously and bluntly, with such harsh words.
If Ji Shumin were here, he might be quite happy to indulge himself. He had no affection for the Empress, and while he could understand Ji Shuqin's thoughts and feelings, he could not empathize with them.
One man's meat is another man's poison. Ji Shumin would not criticize Ji Shuqin's ideas; everything was up to Ji Shuqin's choice.
But Ji Shumin was also happy to see the expression on the Empress's face at this moment.
If Ji Shumin had said these words, the Empress probably wouldn't have felt anything...
But if these words were spoken by Ji Shuqin, the eldest son she cherished and believed would never rebel and would always be obedient, the one who even walked with a swaying gait and was led by her, the Empress would surely be greatly shocked.
"Qin'er, what are you saying!" The Empress was speechless. After a long while, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, but her still beautiful eyes widened, and the years left indelible marks on her face.
Life in the mountains was far more austere than life in the palace.
The Empress was also extremely thoughtful; she did not spend each day and night in the mountain temple in peace and tranquility.
Even when facing gods and Buddhas, reciting and copying Buddhist scriptures, and kneeling on the prayer mat to kowtow again and again, her heart could not find peace for a moment.
Countless thoughts filled her mind, which was probably why, despite her age, the Empress appeared much thinner and older than Consort Rong, who was only a few years younger, and other concubines and noble ladies in the palace.
Judging from the appearances of the two princes, Ji Shumin and Ji Shuqin, one can imagine that the Empress must have been stunningly beautiful in her youth.
Both princes had eyes similar to hers, but while they resembled each other in appearance, they did not share the same spirit.
If the mother and her two children were not deliberately compared side by side, no one would notice that there were so many inseparable connections between their appearances.
Even though the Empress is dressed up in her finest clothes and tries her best to conceal it, she still cannot completely hide the white hairs on her forehead.
She stood up abruptly, glaring at Ji Shuqin: "If I were controlling you, how dare you speak to me like this?"
"Qin'er, everything your mother has done is for your sake..." she said plaintively.
"I've poured my heart and soul into this, risking my life to be with you until now, and this is how you repay me?"
“If possible, I would rather stay in the mountain temple now. I once told my mother that I want to travel all over the beautiful mountains and rivers in my lifetime, and I want to leave the high place of the temple and go to the far away of the world, not for anything else, but for freedom, and for my true self…” Ji Shuqin felt that his words were becoming more and more powerless, as if he was the only one speaking, but no one was listening.
"Why is my mother forcing me onto a path that is not meant for me, a path that I have no interest in and do not want to take?" Ji Shuqin stood firm at this moment, having wanted to express these words solemnly for a long time.
It seems that his thoughts and demands have always been ignored.
Ji Shuqin, in the past, did not pay attention to this matter. He was used to interpreting obedience as filial piety and being manipulated without his own opinions as obedience.
Even so, from the day the Empress returned to the palace, her former mother seemed to have disappeared.
Ji Shuqin felt that his mother was becoming more and more unfamiliar and distant each day.
Ji Shuqin even felt a chill and fear in his midnight dreams.
It was like the deep palace courtyards, with their red walls and black tiles, that truly could devour people, slowly, bit by bit, consuming the Empress Dowager...
Perhaps it wasn't eaten now, but rather many years ago, when she was already devoured and assimilated.
All that remains now is a shell of resentment.
Ji Shuqin didn't know if his mother had any other expectations or joys...
This was the only thing on her mind all day long.
It was as if this was her backbone.
Ji Shuqin couldn't even imagine what would happen if he actually complied with her wishes and became the puppet who sat on the throne, and his mother got the result she wanted.
She harbored resentment and discontent because the suffering she had endured over the years could not be proven, there was no resolution, and no one would reflect on or apologize to her for it.
After all, no one said the Emperor was wrong about anything he did...
She was deeply dissatisfied with this, but the reason she was determined to put Ji Shuqin in that position was precisely because of this right that would never be wrong.
She kept saying that she felt Ji Shuqin was kind and generous, and therefore suitable for that position.
It's said that Ji Shuqin wouldn't make mistakes, but ultimately, what could someone in that position possibly do that constitute a mistake?
When people harbor resentment and hatred towards something for too long, they gradually lose their minds.
The Empress desperately wanted to possess that supreme power; she was right, she was supreme, and she never made a mistake.
She wants to get what she wants and take revenge on all those who caused her loss and pain.
And now, she has achieved most of it...
Ji Shuqin sometimes wondered what would happen if his mother really had the power to do anything without being wrong.
When the time comes, will I be able to protect my younger brother, or will I push him into an even more unfortunate situation?
The Empress Dowager hated the Emperor, and she hated her younger brother just as much.
Ji Shuqin couldn't figure out how the intertwined hatred and resentment had turned his mother into this.
They were both her own children, but the Empress Dowager resented her younger brother. How did she treat her own child?
Ji Shuqin couldn't help but ask: Doesn't the Empress Dowager harbor even the slightest resentment towards me?
Her past illness caused her pain and made her feel helpless day and night. Was her mother really so devoted to her, only caring for her because she was her child?
She so clearly separated herself from her brother, inciting him to the opposite side.
Doesn't the Empress Dowager know that she too will feel sad and be held back by this unbreakable bond of brotherhood?
Does she really not understand?
Or perhaps they simply don't bother to understand...
She forced herself to return before she even returned to the palace, so that she could confront her brother directly.
To her surprise, she and her brother did not glare at each other with hatred.
Ji Shuqin felt that the younger brother his mother spoke of was not Ji Shumin at all.
The Empress Dowager never understood that child, yet she had already defined him. Wasn't that the same for herself?
During these days, Ji Shuqin was constantly thinking.
The more he thought about it, the less he found the answer. Now, standing before the Empress, confronting her with her sharp questions, Ji Shuqin couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart.
He couldn't even look the Empress in the eye; this was the most insurmountable and insurmountable obstacle he couldn't overcome...
Children need to break free from their parents, develop their own thinking, and do what they believe in.
"Qin'er, although I have my own thoughts, how can you criticize me like this?" The Empress appeared somewhat fierce but weak.
Once a person is seen through, they will unconsciously feel inferior. The Empress always felt that Ji Shuqin could only obey her.
Now, suddenly being questioned like this by her most obedient son, the Empress was momentarily speechless.
"To what extent does Mother Empress have some of her intentions? Does 'some of her intentions' refer to her wanting Father to be involved in the so-called path of immortality, which led to his current predicament? Or does it refer to the fact that every prince in the palace has been either injured or rendered mentally impaired?"
Ji Shuqin recalled all the events that had happened inside and outside the palace that year.
The previous dynasty was in turmoil, and the inner palace was in unrest.
And these were just some of the small efforts the Empress made to get what she wanted.
If the Empress Dowager thinks these things are nothing—harming lives, spreading witchcraft, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices—if these are not considered anything, then what is? Ji Shuqin gave the Empress no room to defend herself.
“I am the Empress Dowager’s son, but I am also the eldest prince, and Min’er’s elder brother. Why does the Empress Dowager think that I would disregard everything else for your selfish desires?”
"I disregarded my father's safety, and the lives of my brothers. I was indifferent to court affairs and even ignored the border battles. All for what you call a little scheme..."
I recall the stacks of unprocessed memorials piled up on the Emperor's desk.
The urgent border situation, the endless stream of greetings and inquiries, and the rumors circulating among the people.
Ji Shuqin remembered everything, saw everything, and would never forget it.
The Empress had not expected Ji Shuqin to think so much. She was just about to comfort Ji Shuqin as she had done before, using their past relationship as a pretext to prevent him from criticizing her.
But Ji Shuqin's proposal was not just about the relationship between him and his mother, but rather about a broader and more distant perspective.
"How long are you going to keep this farce going?" Ji Shuqin asked from the bottom of his heart.
"Mother, you are also the daughter of a military general. When I was young, I heard you talk a lot about my maternal grandfather's battles. But do you care about them now? Do you even care anymore?"
"You keep saying that I'm suitable for that position. But what am I capable of? Unlike Min'er, I haven't been trained by high-ranking officials, nor have I honed my mind by leading troops on expeditions or inspection tours southward. Nor have I ever participated in court politics or spoken my mind. What do you think I can do well?"
Ji Shuqin was not being self-deprecating. Through his various interactions with Ji Shumin, he deeply felt that his younger brother was no longer the stubborn and tenacious child he once was, but who always seemed like a pitiful little boy.
In different environments, he grew up to look completely different from himself.
He doesn't need to protect himself; it doesn't affect him at any time, whether he is able-bodied or disabled, healthy or ill.
Former Crown Prince, now the Third Prince, his own younger brother... all identities are just titles. Ji Shumin is Ji Shumin.
The steadfastness and perseverance that Ji Shuqin felt from him also inspired him to take this step today.
The Empress stared at Ji Shuqin, speechless, as if she had never known him before.
She didn't understand what made Ji Shuqin start to rebel against her. To this day, she still believes that Ji Shuqin's obedience to her was because he was really easy to manipulate.
Not only Ji Shumin, but also Ji Shuqin.
The empress was so engrossed in her own thoughts and hatred that she never even bothered to learn about her own child.
Over the years, she even felt that Ji Shuqin was exactly like Ji Shuqin, and Ji Shumin was exactly like Ji Shumin. Always under her control, always within her expectations.
On the day Ji Shuqin went to the side hall to rescue Ji Shumin from the Emperor's grasp, the Empress still felt that victory was in her grasp.
Your own child will understand that only by following the path you have paved for him can he protect the people he wants to protect.
The Empress didn't care that he was willing to protect Ji Shumin, after all, he was her own child.
The empress did not intend to kill him.
Before the gods and Buddhas, the empress even secretly boasted about her own thoughts, feeling smug and pleased with herself for being kind-hearted.
To outsiders, it is utterly ridiculous.
During a confrontation between Ji Shumin and the Empress, the Empress blurted out, "Didn't I still let you live?"
At that time, Ji Shumin was still unable to completely shake off the influence of the Empress.
Upon hearing this, he was both furious and amused.
The turmoil in his chest left him with nowhere to vent, and he felt an urge to tear apart and smash everything around him.
Even if he did that, it wouldn't make him feel any better; he would feel restless and suffocated.
They actually think that just being alive is a blessing!
Ji Shumin had known for a long time that the emperor and empress were essentially the same kind of people.
They feel superior and think their own feelings are the only valid ones, while the feelings of others are disregarded.
He cannot bear the slightest grievance, yet the lives of others are at his mercy.
To expect gratitude from him while he's alive, and to hold him in limbo even in death—this kind of self-distinction from others is utterly absurd and utterly arrogant.
Now, the Empress is finally getting her comeuppance.