amaotonovel Chapter 161 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (65)
Chapter 161 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (65)
Because he was worried that the evidence was insufficient, he even had something placed in the Marquis of He'an's residence!
"Father, your son sent people to investigate and found that some of the stolen goods should be kept in the Marquis of He'an's residence! The people from the Dali Temple have already led people to search it!" The Second Prince couldn't wait to draw the Emperor's attention to the Marquis of He'an's residence.
"My father is having a birthday banquet today. With so many people and so many hands, who knows if someone might take advantage of the chaos to deliberately put things into the Marquis's residence?" Lu Liruan said bluntly, looking at his despicable face.
"Did the Second Prince deliberately choose this day to search because he couldn't find anything at other times?"
"Such a momentous matter is not something an ignorant woman like you can talk about!" The Second Prince felt a sense of unease as Lu Liruan stared at him, because what Lu Liruan said was the same as what he had done.
It was as if she had seen it with her own eyes.
"Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!" Lu Liruan ignored him and turned to the Emperor for his plea.
The emperor's eyes were still on the book in his hand, but no one knew what he saw. His anger intensified, and he slammed the book onto the table.
"How ridiculous!"
He looked at Ji Shumin: "Why didn't the Crown Prince report this at the time! Such parasites are harming the court, yet I was blinded!"
His words were clearly an attempt to justify himself.
Why not report it?
How do I report it?
Ji Shumin clenched his fingers, but his tone remained respectful and reverent: "At the time, I was not certain either. This matter involves a wide range of people. As I am eager to become the Crown Prince, I must share the Emperor's burdens and naturally investigate the matter thoroughly."
The Emperor looked somewhat satisfied and nodded: "The Crown Prince did the right thing. With such a complicated web of connections, it is indeed necessary to wipe them all out in one fell swoop to prevent any future trouble!"
The atmosphere between father and son was relaxed; one dared to speak, and the other dared to respond, while the second prince was left out in the cold, even though he was the one who had started the trouble today.
The more this happened, the more uneasy the second prince felt.
Compared to Ji Shumin's pile of belongings, the robbery of official silver doesn't seem so urgent anymore, after all, it was silver used for fighting in the war back then...
It truly flows like water.
The Second Prince was not so proud at the time. Although he was older than the Crown Prince, he was inferior to the Crown Prince in every way. As long as Ji Shumin was around, no one paid any attention to him.
So he got involved in what happened back then. He did favors for others and got benefits in return. The amount he got was enough to make him, a prince who was not valued at the time, lose his mind.
Even though he felt it was too hot to handle, he still cooperated and accepted everything without any hesitation.
He was part of it all, being pushed forward by others.
He didn't even know how deep the waters were back then, with layers of exploitation at every level!
Even now, he still can't see the whole picture, but the less he knows, the more afraid he becomes.
He didn't even know the extent of his own actions, nor could he know whether he would offend the emperor.
When exactly did Ji Shumin begin to make a fuss about this matter?
Or... has he never stopped investigating since the war against the Western Rong?
How much did Ji Shumin know about what happened back then? How much was he involved in? The Second Prince looked at Ji Shumin's calm and composed profile and felt as if his heart had plummeted to the bottom.
Just how deep is his scheming nature...?
This is also the question in Lu Liruan's mind now.
Whenever he felt he had a better grasp of Ji Shumin, he would reveal an unpredictable and unfathomable depth.
This feeling suggests that he knows everything, is prepared for everything, and will never be defeated.
Regardless of his scheming nature, his attention was now entirely focused on Lu Liruan.
He appeared nonchalant in the face of the Second Prince's aggressive questioning, but answered the Emperor's questions fluently.
But when he looked at Lu Liruan, he unconsciously gripped the armrests of the wheelchair, leaned forward slightly, and stretched his back like a thin but resilient bowstring, just to see her expression.
Cautious, focused, and apprehensive...
Lu Liruan could sense it even without turning her head, but she didn't want to respond to him; she hadn't yet figured out how to face him.
Lu Liruan had originally planned how to gradually bring Ji Shumin's mindset back on track, step by step, subtly and patiently.
But now Lu Liruan felt tired even thinking about it. Why bother? How could she possibly change such a brilliant mind? Even if he was physically weak and disabled, he would always be strong and forever out of reach.
Lu Liruan knew her emotions were inexplicable, but this sense of defeat made her feel disheartened.
Does he really need saving?
Perhaps it's unnecessary.
Even death was something he wanted, something he specifically left for future generations, wasn't it?
"Father, why don't we wait for the people from the Dali Temple to come, and you can ask them yourself?" The Second Prince could only persist in his argument.
"Then call them back," the Emperor said impatiently.
If it can be proven that the Crown Prince was responsible, the Emperor would be happy to see it happen.
He didn't even glance at Lu Liruan, as if the Marquis of He'an's mansion was completely insignificant in the matter.
Lu Liruan hung her head, feeling only resentment. In the power struggles and infighting within the imperial court, everyone was just an ant. Even if one hid, one could not remain unscathed.
"The Seventh Prince has arrived!"
Suddenly, the voice of a eunuch reporting came again from the entrance of Songjingyuan.
The seventh prince hurried in, looking somewhat displeased. When he saw the second prince, he gave a cold, disapproving smile.
"Greetings, Father Emperor!" He bowed to the Emperor.
"Crown Prince, Second Imperial Brother." He was always arrogant, and his bow was merely a slight bow, as if afraid that others wouldn't notice the poor relationship between them.
"Why does my brother bypass his younger brother when he's handling things?" he asked directly.
He got involved that day, and now that he's been excluded, he's bound to be unhappy.
The second prince thought bitterly: Why are you pretending to care now? You had to get involved, and when you found it was thankless and wanted to get away, now that you think the dust has settled, you want to take a bite out of the pie.
What a greedy woman! She's just like Consort He in the harem. The Second Prince has heard his mother scold her countless times in her own palace.
"When did Second Brother ever let you off the hook? We're investigating this separately. Do you expect me to report to Seventh Brother every time I do something?"
The second prince retorted, implying: What are you anyway?
"Second Brother, you've overstated things, but it seems our investigation directions have aligned perfectly!" He tilted his chin slightly, looking quite confident.
The second prince was surprised that he said such a thing.
These days, he has been preoccupied with biting the Crown Prince and has no time to pay attention to what the Seventh Prince is doing.
It was nothing more than flattery and ingratiation, just like his mother, who was sweet-talking and fawning in front of his father.
A prince who can't get anything done is still a useless good-for-nothing even if he talks a lot. The second prince would love for the seventh prince to do things half-heartedly and inconsistently.
That's how you can highlight your diligence, ambition, and achievements, isn't it...?
"What have you found out?" the Second Prince asked.
If he also finds out what Ji Shumin did, the Emperor would likely trust him more if the two of them were together.
"What are you doing here?" The Emperor asked impatiently, frowning as he watched the two of them arguing.
"Father, although I have not found the mastermind behind the robbery, I have discovered that someone in the palace is practicing witchcraft!"
Lu Liruan's brow twitched. Even when she was outside the palace, she had heard that the emperor was extremely disgusted with witchcraft.
Sure enough, the emperor's eyes sharpened: "What did you say?"
"Third brother, do you know that Father Emperor detests this matter the most?" He didn't even call him Crown Prince anymore, but directly addressed him as Third Brother.
"After one of them finishes spouting nonsense, does the other have to chime in with their own nonsense?" Ji Shumin sighed softly, looking at the Seventh Prince as if he were a child.
The Seventh Prince cried out in anger: "You!"
"Min'er, why do others all speak ill of you?" the Emperor suddenly asked.
That's ridiculous. Why do we have to look for the cause in the person being talked about?
"Your subject does not know," Ji Shumin said frankly.
The Emperor was taken aback by his fluent response: "Witchcraft is absolutely forbidden in my palace. If it is discovered, the perpetrators will be severely punished!"
"What evidence do you have?"
The Seventh Prince clapped his hands: "Bring him up!"
Two eunuchs led a palace maid in. The maid timidly met Lu Liruan's gaze, her head immediately drooping to her chest.
She was a palace maid who had been sent away by Ji Shumin a few days ago.
There were never many servants at Songjingyuan. Ji Shumin liked quiet, and this palace maid was usually clumsy and annoyed His Highness the Crown Prince, so he sent her away.
Lu Liruan even gave her a few cents of silver and instructed the Imperial Household Department to send someone to distribute it properly. How did it end up with the Seventh Prince?
"Speak properly, what did you see!" the Seventh Prince ordered imperiously.
"This servant...this servant found incense ash and talisman paper when cleaning His Highness the Crown Prince's study..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lu Liruan frowned, interrupting her rambling.
The palace maid was scolded by Lu Liruan, and she hurriedly fell silent in fear, kneeling on the ground and trembling.
"Let her talk. I want to hear what else she can come up with." Ji Shumin finally got his wish and took Lu Liruan's hand.
His expression remained unchanged, but Lu Liruan could feel that he was writing a character stroke by stroke on her palm.
After writing it the first time, I wrote it a second time.
Lu Liruan carefully discerned: Buddha.
Suddenly, Lu Liruan remembered what Ji Shumin had done!
He once showed Lu Liruan several Buddhist scriptures, which were handwritten by someone. The handwriting was beautiful, unlike Ji Shumin's. Through that person's handwriting, one could almost glimpse his detached nature from the world.
Lu Liruan asked who copied this.
Ji Shumin closed the Buddhist scripture and said softly, "A person who has attained enlightenment on his own."
Lu Liruan, touched by his words, seemed to understand, whether it was a tacit understanding between them, that these were Buddhist scriptures brought down from the mountain.
"Why should I give it to you?"
“Using this as a path, using Buddhism as a pretext, to seek something else.” Ji Shumin glanced at the Buddhist scriptures and saw that Lu Liruan was still flipping through them, admiring the words inside.
He snorted coldly, took the item from Lu Liruan's hand, and casually tossed it aside: "Stop looking at those pretentious things; it's bad for your health if you look at too much of them."
"If you didn't want to look at it, why did you keep it?" Lu Liruan was puzzled, feeling that he was hard to figure out and she couldn't figure out what his attitude was.
"I'll just keep it to do something for someone else; keeping it will only bring bad luck," Ji Shumin said casually.
This thought flashed through Lu Liruan's mind.
“Min’er, you…” The Emperor looked over, his gaze falling on Ji Shumin’s legs with suspicion.
"Go ahead and search, it's already turned out like this." Ji Shumin actually laughed, his expression causing the Emperor to narrow his eyes, his face complicated.
"With just a word and a palace maid, you've rushed to condemn me. If I don't uncover some truth today, I'm afraid I won't be satisfied."
Lu Liruan sensed the sarcasm behind Ji Shumin's words, and wondered if it was just her imagination, but there was also a hint of sadness in them. Lu Liruan thought she must have misheard. How could Ji Shumin be like that?
"Third brother, there's no need for this. It would be better for you to get to the bottom of this, wouldn't it?" The seventh prince sneered. "If your witchcraft is aimed at the Emperor and your brothers, then even if you kill the wrong person, you cannot let them go. If you have nothing to hide, you don't need to keep it to yourself, do you?"
The Emperor glanced at the Seventh Prince with a gloomy expression; the prince's words had stirred something in the Emperor's mind.
When his headache flared up, he summoned the Crown Prince, which provided some relief. The Imperial Physician said it was caused by the Crown Prince's medication, but this explanation sounded very mysterious. The Emperor was suspicious, and upon hearing about witchcraft, he immediately became suspicious.
Throughout history, such evil arts have wreaked havoc in the palace. Lu Liruan didn't believe it, but she knew that people in this era would.
"what ever."
Ji Shumin looked like he had given up on himself; his face was pale and sickly, and his expression was bleak.
The palace maid pointed out that the place where she saw the ashes and incense sticks was actually in this study.
The seventh prince stepped into the secret chamber and ordered his men to continue searching along the walls. Finally, they discovered another hidden door inside.
Lu Liruan: ...
Not knowing what to say, but after Ji Shumin gave her a hint, Lu Liruan was not worried about anything going wrong. Instead, she suddenly had a feeling.
How come... you're not even careful when setting traps for people? You won't even change the location. You're so cunning, with layers upon layers of schemes, why is the escape room even more complex? Are you afraid that people will have to walk a few more steps to find it?
Have you turned the nesting dolls into sentient beings?
Ji Shumin watched coldly, then suddenly turned his head and asked the Emperor in a respectful yet stubborn tone, "Father, don't you believe your son either?"
Before the emperor could answer, the light in Ji Shumin's eyes dimmed and went out completely as the door opened.
The scent of incense wafted through the air, and inside, an ever-burning lotus lamp sat atop the steps.
Above the niche, the Buddha statue has a compassionate expression, with its eyes slightly lowered, seemingly looking at everyone standing in front of it without any joy or sorrow.
Beside the quietly burning candlelight, there was a neat stack of scriptures.
There were signs that someone often sat on the prayer cushions on the ground.
The entire room was devoid of any sinister or eerie atmosphere associated with witchcraft.
The emperor saw a thumb ring on the stack of Buddhist scriptures, which he had once given to the crown prince.
"How could... how could it be a Buddhist hall!" The Seventh Prince was incredulous. Ever since he learned that Ji Shumin was acting secretly, he was even more certain that he was doing something shameful!
"Why are you hiding a Buddhist temple?!" The Seventh Prince lost his temper, his eyes blazing with anger!
"Min'er..." The Emperor seemed somewhat moved, but he also asked, "Why did you hide her?"
Ji Shumin squeezed Lu Liruan's palm, signaling her to fetch the things for him.
He took the Buddhist scriptures and handed them to the emperor: "It is not that I intend to be barbaric, but Your Majesty, please... take a look for yourself."