Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 150 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (54)

Lu Liruan felt a pang of sadness at his words. In the quiet night, everything seemed cold and lifeless. Even the warmth under the covers couldn't put Lu Liruan at ease.

"Why does Your Highness say such things?" Lu Liruan took a small cushion from behind to make Ji Shumin more comfortable: "Saying discouraging things is just trying to scare people."

Ji Shumin sensed the anxiety in her voice and gently shook his head: "Alright, I won't say anymore..."

“Since Your Highness is going to protect me, you must live well. Look at me, I don’t look like I’ll die young. If you stay with me, you won’t die young either.”

Lu Liruan coaxed a child in a low voice: "Whether you believe it or not, I'm lucky. If I don't let you die, you won't die."

Ji Shumin smirked: "Yes, the Crown Princess is lucky... Her life will be smooth sailing, no one can live better than you."

He seemed to be speaking to Lu Liruan, but also to himself.

Accompanying patients is never a simple task; without affection, it can feel tedious and boring.

But once feelings develop, it becomes even more torturous. For those accompanying patients, watching them suffer is a process of slowly draining their heart's blood.

They were like lamps running out of oil, their life force exhausted.

During the long night, the two of them huddled together and talked, like two beasts hibernating in a dark cave.

When the first ray of light shone in, it felt like a lifetime had passed, as if I had lived half a lifetime.

Ji Shumin struggled to his feet, barely managing to keep from collapsing. He was panting heavily, so weak that his fists trembled when he clenched them.

In the dim light of the bed, Lu Liruan's sleeping face, with her brows slightly furrowed, appeared restless. Her hand, protruding from the quilt, twitched slightly at her slender fingertips, as if trying to grasp something.

After grasping at empty air, she murmured something, as if she were about to wake up.

Ji Shumin placed his nightgown from the previous night beside her, and sure enough, Lu Liruan caught it and stopped looking for it.

The nightgown carried the scent of incense and herbs that had been absorbed by Ji Shumin, making Lu Liruan feel in her dream that Ji Shumin was still safe and sound beside her.

In the latter half of last night, Ji Shumin's fever did not subside, so he asked the palace servants to brew the medicine again. After taking it, his aches and pains all over his body still did not improve.

After Ji Shumin's broken leg was treated, he was not only unable to stand up, but also suffered from severe pain and cold sweats at the slightest breeze, overcast skies, rain, or change in weather.

Most of the time, she could only endure the pain with painkillers, which Lu Liruan didn't understand at first.

Later, I asked the imperial physician in detail.

The imperial physician said that it was because His Highness the Crown Prince was too badly injured. If it were a normal broken bone, and it was set in time, although there would still be some pain after recovery, he might still be able to walk with a limp.

However, His Highness the Crown Prince's broken bones could not be set at all. Even though the skin and flesh seemed to have healed, the inside... still couldn't heal.

Therefore, not only is it impossible for them to stand and walk, but they also cannot resolve the pain.

The imperial physicians spoke in a very complicated and profound manner, as if as long as they spoke in a detailed and difficult-to-understand way, they could not attribute the Crown Prince's condition to their medical skills.

After Lu Liruan tried her best to understand...

Ji Shumin's condition should be that he suffered comminuted fractures in both legs? The bones inside were not simply broken, but shattered.

That's roughly what it means, right?

Seeing Ji Shumin last night was too unbearable, so after thinking it over, Lu Liruan let Ji Shumin lean on her.

Silently pray that his fever will subside quickly and that the symptoms caused by the fever will gradually lessen.

As Lu Liruan predicted, there was no way to cure Ji Shumin's leg injury with a magic touch, because it was a matter of life and death for Ji Shumin.

The scope of the "golden finger" effect cannot directly change the outcome of life or death.

However, these minor ailments that do not affect the outcome are still effective.

As Ji Shumin's breathing gradually calmed down and the temperature of his palms returned to normal, the cold sweat and trembling from the pain subsided, Lu Liruan breathed a long sigh of relief.

Lu Liruan didn't know when she fell asleep, but she remembered that Ji Shumin had already fallen into a light sleep before she closed her eyes.

"Your Highness...this, these clothes..." After arriving at the outer room, Xiao Xizi held the clothes, her face filled with worry.

"Help me change my clothes." Ji Shumin's tone was slightly authoritative.

"Yes." Xiao Xizi dared not say anything more and quietly helped Ji Shumin change his clothes.

"Don't let the Crown Princess get close to the clothes I wear outside, and don't let her notice anything amiss," Ji Shumin instructed in a deep voice.

Qinghe, who was standing to one side, bowed in response.

"Crown Princess...you're quick-witted, but you should think things through before you act." After a moment's thought, Ji Shumin added.

If Lu Liruan could hear Ji Shumin's evaluation of her at this moment, she might be happy for a moment.

After all, His Highness the Crown Prince is used to being harsh, and he often says that he is slow to understand.

Now that there's something to hide, they're finally telling the truth.

But Lu Liruan was fast asleep in the inner room. She was exhausted from last night and even thunder outside couldn't wake her.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please, please come over after the court session... Would you like to have some food first?" Xiao Xizi asked.

Upon hearing the word "diet," Ji Shumin frowned.

Every medicine has some degree of toxicity. Taking so many medicines will inevitably irritate the stomach and intestines. For ordinary people, eating is a pleasure.

For Ji Shumin, it was nothing short of torture. The taste of vomiting was unpleasant, but to survive, one had no choice but to swallow the food day after day.

The inability to eat irritates the stomach and intestines, which in turn makes it even harder to eat, creating a vicious cycle.

In the past, Ji Shumin would have saved every meal he could. His body was already so damaged; what difference would this make?

Just as he was about to speak as usual, he suddenly remembered that when the pain in his body subsided last night, he vaguely felt Lu Liruan take his hand and wrap it around his wrist.

She was already so sleepy she was practically delirious, and probably wanted to find something to do to keep herself more alert.

Ji Shumin heard her mumble incoherently, "Your arms are almost as thick as mine... If you get any thinner, I might break you if I exert myself too much one day!"

She spoke incoherently yet with great emotion. Ji Shumin wanted to laugh, but he had exhausted his last bit of strength and couldn't even manage a smile.

"Hmm, use some first." His words changed just before he spoke.

Xiao Xizi had already given up hope, but unexpectedly, His Highness the Crown Prince changed his mind and happily went to serve the meal.

Perhaps because he was thinking about Lu Liruan's complaints yesterday, Ji Shumin didn't feel nauseous after eating half a bowl of porridge today. He put down his spoon and looked up at Qinghe.

Qinghe immediately agreed: "I will mention it to the Crown Princess when she wakes up."

Ji Shumin secretly mocked himself: When did I have to fawn over people for such a small thing, like a lapdog standing up and bowing for food?

Thinking this, he did not refute Qinghe.

When it was time for the emperor to leave court, Ji Shumin stepped out of the courtyard and a wave of nausea, not caused by eating, suddenly arose.

When Lu Liruan woke up, she felt a little disoriented, not knowing what year it was. When she asked Qinghe, who had come to her aid after hearing her voice, she learned that it was already afternoon.

Having eaten neither breakfast nor lunch, Lu Liruan was starving. When she sat up, she realized that there was something pressing down on her.

Upon closer inspection, it was Ji Shumin's clothes. Lu Liruan, feeling guilty, stuffed the clothes into the quilt, then realized what she was feeling guilty about.

Lu Liruan's appetite has increased considerably since she was at the Marquis of He'an's residence.

Originally, Lu Liruan only needed two meals a day, but now she wishes she could have three meals a day, and eat on time every time.

Otherwise, they simply couldn't withstand the dual burden of psychological and physical strain.

Lu Liruan found joy in her predicament: It's great, now I can eat whatever I want without gaining weight.

While eating the smooth milk porridge, Qinghe told them that His Highness the Crown Prince had eaten more than usual today.

"Why is His Highness nowhere to be seen today?" Lu Liruan smiled for a moment, then asked.

"His Highness has gone to see the Emperor."

Lu Liruan's expression, which had just relaxed, twisted again. She had asked Ji Shumin why the Emperor had been so close to him lately.

As Ji Shumin looked at her writing, he tapped Lu Liruan's hand with a flower branch he had broken off while sunbathing outside that day, indicating that there was a problem with a certain character she had written.

"Father does things according to his own will," Ji Shumin said casually, clearly not wanting to answer the question.

With the emperor resuming his duties, the tense atmosphere in the imperial court and the inner palace eased somewhat.

A few days ago, even someone as reclusive as Lu Liruan felt the turmoil caused by the Emperor's poor health.

I deeply felt that the entire palace, the court, and even the whole world depended on the Emperor alone.

Now that the Emperor is safe and sound, the palace has returned to normal.

But that's only what it seems.

Ji Shumin's long-term presence by the emperor's side made both the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince wary.

Logically speaking, they shouldn't be so worried about the crown prince who is completely crippled. After all, with healthy princes like them around, it's impossible for Ji Shumin to sit on the throne.

But Ji Shumin...

In their hearts, he will always be an insurmountable presence, his oppressive power over so many years like a mountain.

It seems that no matter what dire situation he faces, he always has the ability to make a comeback.

Only by completely destroying him!

This was the thought that simultaneously crossed the minds of the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince after they realized that Ji Shumin had regained the Emperor's favor.

It all depends on who makes the first move...

But none of them could figure out what Ji Shumin had been doing all that time he spent with the Emperor!

These days, the Emperor's manic and agitated state caused by his headache has improved considerably. Although he still experiences frequent pain, he manages to bear it without affecting his normal court affairs and daily life.

The Imperial Medical Academy also dared not remain idle. Ever since the Emperor said that being with His Highness the Crown Prince could alleviate his headaches, they devoted themselves to studying the medicine His Highness was currently using.

We hope to develop a harmless one for the Emperor to use.

Consort Rong has recently regained her favor. As if to make up for the neglect she had suffered in the past few days, the Emperor bestowed a series of gifts upon her and even stayed overnight in her palace for several days in a row.

However, only the Imperial Concubine and her personal attendants knew that when the Emperor came to the Imperial Concubine's place, he did nothing and always went to bed early.

The Imperial Concubine carefully inquired and finally learned that the Emperor's headache was serious.

She hurriedly told the Seventh Prince about it. The mother and son faced each other and both felt that something was amiss. If it was just a simple illness, why would the Emperor keep it so secret?

Consort Rong once served the Emperor during his illness, so why isn't even she being told this now?

Unless... this illness is so serious that it might affect the Emperor...

The mother and son remained tight-lipped, but their eyes both gleamed with barely suppressed ambition.

One was the emperor's favorite concubine, and the other was the emperor's own son. Yet, in this situation, neither of them showed the slightest worry or distress.

"Mother, I'll need your help with this matter." The Seventh Prince's eyes gleamed.

"Don't worry, my son, I know what I'm doing." Consort Rong removed her finger guards and gently touched the Seventh Prince's cheek.

"In this palace, only you and I, mother and son, can rely on each other."

"I will definitely make sure my mother lives a good life..." the Seventh Prince said cryptically.

He focused his attention on the Emperor's headache, while the Second Prince remained oblivious.

His mother didn't have much influence with the Emperor, so naturally she couldn't help him like Consort Rong.

Even though he knew, the Second Prince couldn't care less these days; he was still focused on the case of the stolen government silver.

Some time had passed by then, and some of the officials and gentry in the south who had private dealings with him had already written secret letters to inquire about the matter, but he had no clue whatsoever, let alone any secret efforts to recover the money.

Especially the father and son from the Dali Temple got involved... They were so meticulous and impartial, their seriousness almost drove the Second Prince crazy.

What should I do!

How can I do!

The second prince felt like he was burning with anger. When he was angry, he even became ruthless. Even if he couldn't get it back, he had to find out who did it and he absolutely couldn't let him get away with it!

In the past few days, the investigation, which had been without any progress, has suddenly made some strides.

The direction of the progress was completely unexpected, even unbelievable!

The information uncovered during the investigation surprisingly pointed to someone within the palace...

It points to Ji Shumin!

"Impossible!" He Pingyan frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and interrupted his subordinate's statement.

Since the founding of this dynasty, there has been a supervisory agency. During the reign of the previous emperor, the supervisory power was too great and was therefore reduced. Now, in addition to the censors in the open, there are also secret spies who exist only for the sake of the royal family.

They do not monitor all officials, but if the emperor wants to investigate someone, he will do so in secret.

Privately, the Emperor entrusted a team of inspectors to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, ordering him to use any means necessary to find out who was behind it all.

Apart from the few people involved, no one else knew this information.

In this situation, the direction actually pointed to His Highness the Crown Prince...

"Why is General He reacting so strongly? Could it be that your relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince is so deep?" The Second Prince spat out these words through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with venomous resentment.

Ji Shumin... Ji Shumin!

“His Highness the Crown Prince is not such a despicable person!” He Pingyan said stiffly.

"Ha, the facts are right in front of us..."

"It has not been confirmed that the Crown Prince was behind this!" He Pingyan interrupted the Second Prince, completely unconcerned about the Second Prince's angry expression.

“Pingyan!” He Diaoyu exclaimed.

"Continue the investigation," he declared decisively.