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

Chapter 148 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (52)

Ji Shumin smiled faintly as he heard her call his name.

Lu Liruan felt her head was heavy and she was a little dizzy. She rested her chin on Ji Shumin's leg for support and looked up.

Ji Shumin stared into her clear, watery eyes: "What do you think of my name?"

After calling out once, Lu Liruan continued to mutter, her words unclear, "Ji Shumin..."

“It’s a very nice name,” Lu Liruan replied casually.

"Not good at all." Ji Shumin patted her head and tenderly wiped away the little bit of heart crumb from the corner of her mouth.

"Why...why?" Lu Liruan asked, puzzled. She genuinely thought the Crown Prince's name sounded beautiful.

"The word 'min' means pity." Ji Shumin's expression was cold; "I was born because my father pitied my mother..."

Even though Lu Liruan's mind wasn't quite working properly, she wasn't completely drunk. Ji Shumin's words left her unsure how to react.

She had never thought about it in that direction.

mercy……

The way the Emperor and Empress quarreled back then was truly unsightly. The imperial couple were irreconcilable, and their family was no longer functioning. If the quarrel had continued, it would likely have destabilized the court.

It is truly unreasonable for the Emperor to punish the Empress for the sake of a concubine, causing her immense humiliation.

So the emperor allowed the empress to have another child, not to reconcile with her, but to appease her family and let the world know that there was no discord between the emperor and empress.

The Empress gave birth to the third prince.

The emperor bestowed upon him the name Ji Shumin.

Lu Liruan didn't know what the Empress was thinking at the time, but from Lu Liruan's perspective, she felt very uncomfortable and even nauseous.

Thunder and rain are both blessings.

Lu Liruan couldn't do it, and neither could the Empress. Even if she outwardly submitted and acquiesced, how could she not harbor resentment in her heart?

Especially their own children, who are brazenly named as the Gift of Mercy...

What kind of blessing is this!

Lu Liruan had only seen the Emperor a few times, and she couldn't even remember what his face looked like, but it was just a vague image.

At this moment, it seemed as if a layer of sticky, black fog had been shrouded in it, emitting a disgusting odor.

Everything was because of his stubborn and wrong actions.

But because emperors are infallible, even his ridiculous attempt to appease the situation earns him gratitude from others.

What does this name mean to Ji Shumin?

He must have known his origins from a young age, and there must have been people gossiping behind his back. Although he was the crown prince, he was isolated and helpless.

Lu Liruan's doubts deepened at this moment: Does the Emperor... truly favor the Crown Prince?

What kind of feelings did he truly have for the Crown Prince?

How does the Empress view her child?

“My elder brother was named Qin by our father, who hoped he would be diligent.”

Seeing that he was becoming more and more excited, Lu Liruan subconsciously reached out and poured him another glass of orange wine, pushing it to his side.

He was being gestured to calm down.

Ji Shumin was pulled back to his senses by her sudden movement: "What, are you afraid I'll lose my temper? I won't, I haven't cared about that for a long time..."

Lu Liruan thought to herself: You say you don't care, but I feel like you care a lot.

"Why must Your Highness be indifferent?" Lu Liruan poured herself another glass of wine to calm herself down.

Not to mention Ji Shumin, even she was angry!

"Ok?"

His Crown Princess always advised him to cultivate his character and would mutter something like, "Don't get angry, don't get angry, no one can take your place if you get angry."

Why are your lips pouting now?

Ji Shumin couldn't control himself and pinched Lu Liruan's mouth into the shape of a duck.

“What… what’s going on here?” Lu Liruan was about to look up to express that she also felt this was going too far when Ji Shumin grabbed her arm.

Lu Liruan looked at his expression, which was as dark as a stormy June day. Just moments ago, his face was clouded with worry, but now he seemed to be looking at her with great interest and smiling.

"The Crown Princess is so adorable," Ji Shumin remarked.

Lu Liruan stared wide-eyed, her face flushed even more, and she exuded a faint fragrance of wine. She leaned forward warmly, half of her body resting on Ji Shumin's lap.

Lu Liruan supported herself by holding onto the armrests of her wheelchair.

After Ji Shumin let go of her mouth, she said seriously, "It's not that you have to not get angry, but that you have to not care to grow up."

She speaks slowly, enunciating each word carefully.

“What do you mean by growing up…” Ji Shumin was stunned by what she said.

"You cared about this a lot when you were little, didn't you?" Lu Liruan asked directly, emboldened by the alcohol.

“I am a little concerned.”

"Some people criticized you because of this, and some even said that you wouldn't last long in the position of Crown Prince?" Lu Liruan could almost imagine how many kinds of attacks Ji Shumin would be surrounded by at that time.

"I will do my best, leaving everyone in the dust... In that case, who can shake my position as Crown Prince?" Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow, tacitly acknowledging Lu Liruan's guess.

His tone was confident and revealed a hint of arrogant arrogance. He was a man of his word, and he had been sitting firmly in the position of Crown Prince for many years!

"You're amazing!" Lu Liruan gave a thumbs up and nodded vigorously.

"Why are you so sweet-talking?" Ji Shumin was surprised by her frank praise, as the Crown Princess was usually so serious.

Despite being a young girl, she sometimes appears prematurely old, and her words are more earnest and eloquent than those of a doctor.

Now her hair was loosely tied up, her outer garment was haphazardly hanging down her shoulders, and her eyes were watery and sincere as she looked at him, seemingly oblivious to everything else, as if listening to him was the most important thing.

Ji Shumin did not miss the sadness and helplessness that flashed across Lu Liruan's face just now.

What are you sad about? Is it because you're lonely?

He was concerned about what others were concerned about, and he grieved for what others grieved for. Ji Shumin did not believe this before.

How could he possibly empathize with others? Ji Shumin was used to being cold-hearted and indifferent; he couldn't even articulate what joy or sorrow was.

But after living with Lu Liruan, he began to believe it.

The Crown Princess thought she had done it very discreetly, but several times, after Ji Shumin fell asleep at night feeling unwell, he closed his eyes, and Lu Liruan thought he was asleep.

Like a little mouse, it scurried out of the blanket and snuggled over to me, first observing me carefully.

Then, carefully, I placed my finger in front of my nose to check my breath...

Only after sensing the presence of the person did she breathe a sigh of relief, tuck herself in, and then lie back down contentedly.

Whenever this happened, Ji Shumin would pretend to be fast asleep. He couldn't see, but his ears were exceptionally sharp at night.

The sounds of the clothes and blankets rubbing against each other, and the sound of hair on the pillow.

She breathed softly, and sometimes murmured, "You must live well..."

Ji Shumin felt that he would never expose her, and sometimes he would even pretend to fall asleep before her.

The Crown Princess's quiet care and concern comforted him day after day.

Ji Shumin appreciated the sentiment.

Lu Liruan felt an overwhelming urge to protect him under his soft and focused gaze.

“Then you can be very powerful outside, and come back and tell me if you’re unhappy…” Lu Liruan’s vision was a little blurry, and she could only vaguely see Ji Shumin’s face smiling at her.

I've never heard such a heart-stopping laugh.

Lu Liruan didn't hear his reply; after saying that, she was completely confused.

The last thought was: How much alcohol is this?

When I regained consciousness, it was already broad daylight.

Lu Liruan looked at her soft silk pajamas, and there was no smell of alcohol on her hair or body.

If Lu Liruan didn't still have her memories, she might have thought that drinking with Ji Shumin last night was just a dream.

"Hiss—" Lu Liruan tried to sit up, but as soon as she lifted her head off the pillow, she lay back down in pain.

"I have a high alcohol tolerance..." came a voice from the side, pretentious and affected.

Lu Liruan turned her head, rubbing her temples, and saw that Ji Shumin was already dressed and leaning against his wheelchair, repeating what she had said yesterday.

"It's better than your sugar water!" Lu Liruan retorted, a little embarrassed, like a defeated rooster.

"My drinking capacity is far superior to yours," Ji Shumin said disdainfully. He held his brush with his wrist suspended and was writing large characters, which he had finished making into a calligraphy practice book for Lu Liruan.

Ji Shumin was very interested in teaching Lu Liruan to write and draw. Perhaps it was because the student was talented that the teacher was so enthusiastic in teaching her.

Lu Liruan already had a good foundation, and now that she has met Ji Shumin, a teacher who excels in both calligraphy and painting, she is learning with great interest.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince's teaching method emphasizes one thing: if you don't understand it, it's because you're stupid.

But it must be said that he taught very well, and Lu Liruan felt that she had gained a lot of insights.

"When you're better, let's drink together! Don't just talk the talk! What's the point of armchair strategizing?" Lu Liruan was truly unwilling to admit defeat.

Even though she knew she looked ridiculous and had to turn over slowly to keep quiet, her head was throbbing with pain, she still refused to shut up.

Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow: "Alright, wait... when I'm better, let the Crown Princess see that my alcohol tolerance is five times yours."

This was the first time Ji Shumin had uttered the words "after I recover" since he became disabled.

Ji Shumin was ruthless enough to himself that after learning about his physical condition, he never even fantasized about recovering.

Instead, he secretly told himself: because he wouldn't live much longer, he had to finish everything he needed to do as soon as possible.

My life may end, but in history, I will live on forever.

After finishing writing the calligraphy for Lu Liruan, Ji Shumin prepared to leave.

Lu Liruan groaned as Qinghe rubbed her throbbing head while she drank the sour hangover soup.

"Where is Your Highness going?"

"Go and pay your respects to the Emperor."

Lu Liruan recalled that last night, Ji Shumin, under the flickering candlelight, spoke without sorrow or joy about the origin of his name.

Now, upon hearing the Emperor's question, he frowned almost imperceptibly: "Father, what's wrong?"

The Emperor, understanding Ji Shumin's physical limitations, usually exempted him from his daily greetings.

"Father is unwell today," Ji Shumin said casually, as if he were talking about someone unrelated to him.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lu Liruan hadn't heard any news about the Emperor.

But it seems... that the princes and princesses did mention it briefly when they dined together last time.

Although Lu Liruan is the Crown Princess, she usually lives a secluded life and is rarely seen in public.

As long as the Crown Prince remains in his position, no one will dare to mistreat or disrespect him, at least not outwardly.

So they would invite Lu Liruan every time, and Lu Liruan would occasionally go to listen to their conversations and hear a lot of things she didn't know before.

People, regardless of their identity or status, all love to gossip and enjoy the drama.

The women in the palace were bored on weekdays, and as long as they didn't break any taboos, they loved to talk and listen.

Lu Liruan got along quite well with the wives of the fourth, fifth, and sixth princes. This was probably because none of the princes had any ambition to seize power, so the wives were easygoing and respectful towards Lu Liruan.

Lu Liruan has a good personality; she can integrate into any group whenever she wants, and the atmosphere when they are together is very harmonious.

The Seventh Prince's Consort is younger than all of them; perhaps Consort Rong simply prefers girls with strong personalities...

This was the Fifth Prince's wife's secret complaint, which made everyone who heard it burst into quiet laughter.

"You're so accommodating!" The Fourth Prince's wife reached out and tapped the Fifth Prince's wife on the forehead: "Be careful not to get yourself into trouble!"

"You're all laughing! None of us can tell anyone." The Fifth Prince's wife feigned fear.

This means that the Seventh Prince's consort was chosen by Consort Rong. Because of her noble family background, the Seventh Prince's consort was young and always looked down on others.

Lu Liruan's displeasure was written all over her face.

Lu Liruan disagreed, but felt that the Seventh Prince's family was just too ostentatious.

The seventh prince, who considers himself the emperor's favorite son, can hardly hide his ambition.

Consort Rong, relying on the Emperor's favor, has received annual allowances that are essentially equivalent to those of the Empress, which she accepts without question.

Daughters-in-law are also chosen from among the most distinguished.

Lu Liruan thought to herself, "When things are good, it's a blessing. But if the Emperor gets tired of you one day, then the current favor will be evidence of overstepping his bounds. I wonder if Consort Rong can understand this?"

Lu Liruan had only met Lu Yushi once before she entered the palace. Lu Yushi always compared herself to Lu Liruan, but she never expected such a big difference after entering the palace.

Lu Liruan is the legitimate Crown Princess, while she is merely the Second Prince's concubine. She thought she could use her beauty and scheming to embarrass Lu Liruan.

She was surprised to be hit hard soon after entering the palace. The princes' wives ignored her and her attempts to befriend them were futile.

She used to think that Lu Liruan was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of He'an's family, and that she couldn't compare to Lu Liruan, so she harbored resentment.

Now it's even worse; there seems to be a huge gap between her and Lu Liruan in terms of status, which makes it even more unacceptable to Lu Yushi.

Lu Liruan, however, was completely unaware that she was comparing herself to someone else...

Even if Lu Liruan found out, she would only say: "Boring."

Ji Shumin shook his head as he watched his Crown Princess act as if it were none of his business.

Some things need to be done ahead of schedule. Ji Shumin must have had this thought in mind.

Ji Shumin spoke lightly, but in reality, the emperor's illness was already quite serious.

When he was young, the emperor suffered a serious illness, which left him with a persistent headache.

Things were fine in previous years, but they gradually worsened after the beginning of spring this year.

Now his headaches flare up almost every day, making it impossible for the emperor to attend court and focus on reviewing memorials.

During this period, imperial physicians came and went in the emperor's palace, but none of them could do anything about it.

When Ji Shumin arrived today, the emperor was leaning back in his chair with a bag of buckwheat on his head and bloodshot eyes.

He opened his eyes, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Ji Shumin was cold and disgusted, fleeting and so quick that it was imperceptible.