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

Chapter 272 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (172)

Lu Liruan still didn't fully understand the relationship between the two brothers.

But since Ji Shumin has said so, Lu Liruan will not comment further. Ji Shumin has his own choice, and originally she had no requirements for whether Ji Shumin would succeed to the throne or whether he would have absolute power. Now that he has agreed to travel with her to fulfill his wish, why should she say anything more?

At first, Lu Liruan thought her mission was to assist an emperor in ascending to the pinnacle of power.

Later, she gradually realized that her thinking was too superficial. As a descendant of an emperor, Ji Shumin was a person with his own life experiences, joys, sorrows, and anger. Lu Liruan was facing Ji Shumin as a person, not the short-lived emperor recorded in history books.

After resting briefly at Lu Liruan's place, Ji Shumin hurriedly left again.

After he left, Zhuang Yuxun, looking furious, walked in and looked around. Seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and asked, "Li Ruan, did the Third Prince tell you about the imperial edict?"

Judging from her expression, Lu Liruan knew that she had already heard the news that the eldest prince would succeed to the throne.

“Mm.” Lu Liruan nodded.

"Why is that..." Zhuang Yu asked halfway through, then shut his mouth with a serious expression.

This matter is not something that a mere official or general like her should interfere with or speak out about.

I was just so surprised when I heard it that I couldn't help but speak up.

“I don’t know the specifics either, but there’s no grudge or conflict involved,” Lu Liruan whispered beside her.

Lu Liruan sensed Zhuang Yuxun's worry.

The news came too suddenly and without warning. Zhuang Yuxun was worried that it was now assumed that the eldest and third princes in the palace were on the same side, jointly opposing the second prince who was trying to coerce them with force outside the palace.

Zhuang Yuxun tentatively felt that Ji Shumin would succeed to the throne, but upon hearing that the eldest prince would succeed, she worried that there might be a rift between the two in the palace, and that a struggle might be brewing...

If that's the case, then we'll be attacked from both sides.

She obeyed Ji Shumin's orders; this trip was to protect Lu Liruan's safety.

The palace is now under martial law, as solid as an iron barrel, as she has just personally inspected. She has very few soldiers under her command; most of her troops are still outside the capital, under the leadership of He Pingyan.

If a fight or riot were to break out within the Forbidden Palace at this moment, she would definitely make preparations in advance to protect Lu Liruan's safety and prevent her from being harmed.

Hearing Lu Liruan's confident words, Zhuang Yuxun breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he still had some questions, he could only suppress them for now.

"Has His Highness the Third Prince said when he intends to confront the Second Prince?" She was anxious to see He Pingyan, as the two had not heard from each other for several days.

"With that imperial edict, it should be soon."

Zhuang Yuxun nodded. Before they returned, they had made full preparations for battle. Although it was in the capital, the Second Prince would do anything for the throne.

If it were truly because there was no imperial edict that they would have to resort to arms at the last moment, they absolutely could not allow the enemy to harm the people of the capital in the slightest, and they absolutely could not allow the people's morale to collapse.

Although they each had their own thoughts, it must be said that the appearance of the imperial edict put their minds at ease a little.

As expected, when the palace gates reopened, the imperial edict was proclaimed to the world, and the second prince, as anticipated, did not approve of it.

He thought he had searched thoroughly enough, but he couldn't find even a trace of it.

The second prince always boasted that he was similar in temperament to his father, the emperor, and he was indeed right. The most similar thing between him and the emperor was their suspiciousness and selfishness.

Therefore, it is true that his perspective in interpreting the emperor's thoughts was somewhat accurate.

Just as he thought: In his final moments, his father still wanted to take the blood of his brothers to prolong his life so that he could live to be a hundred years old and continue to rule the country.

It is absolutely impossible for him to so easily hand over the written edict to Ji Shuqin and pass the throne to him.

This imperial edict must have been forged by Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin themselves. As for the imperial seal printed on it... Ji Shuling just felt that Ji Shumin was more cunning than her and had found and hidden it before her.

If he now believes that imperial edict, then what was the purpose of all his previous scheming and actions?

Could it be... could it be that this imperial edict has already been forged, but the brothers Ji Shumin and Ji Shuqin have been pretending that it doesn't exist, just to lure me into exposing it and making me prepare in secret? Are they trying to trick me into walking into their trap?

He couldn't believe it; if he did, all his efforts would be in vain.

He will never have the chance to ascend to that position of supreme power in his lifetime!

Throughout his life, he could only remain in the background, just like when he was a prince, forever watching the back of the noble Crown Prince, the unknown and uncared-for Second Prince...

There might not be a future. Ji Shuling knew perfectly well what he was doing.

He understood the principle that the victor is king and the loser is villain.

Just like today, if he wins, he will never give Ji Shumin a chance to turn the tables. He will crush Ji Shumin into the ground, leaving him with no possibility of resistance.

If Ji Shumin had won, he would certainly not have spared him any chance of survival.

Ji Shuling made up his mind and decided to go down this path to the bitter end!

He has to give it his all!

He was right. Ji Shumin's plan was to lure him into making a move, and then surround and annihilate him once he had revealed everything.

This also took advantage of his impatience. Ji Shumin was good at understanding people's hearts. He knew that when Ji Shumin and Ji Shuqin did not resist but only closed the palace gates and showed a guilty look, Ji Shumin would be anxious to occupy the palace as soon as possible. He planned to win the battle quickly and concentrated all his troops to besiege the palace.

Ji Shumin's plan came after his. Ji Shumin even estimated on which day he would completely lose his composure. Even if the palace lost contact with the outside world, He Pingyan would still arrive on time.

They surrounded his troops after him.

Ji Shumin originally thought war was inevitable, but Ji Shuling's mind was in turmoil, and it was not impossible for a war to break out, especially since he would never easily submit without the emperor's edict.

When the time comes, whoever has more soldiers and the strongest fist will be able to control the current situation and forcibly seize the throne.

But the Empress Dowager's actions immediately turned the tide.

Originally, it was Ji Shumin who rebuked Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin for rebelling and seizing power, which was unacceptable to the people.

His side, on the other hand, was loyal to the emperor and protected him, which made him appear to have both loyalty and righteousness, thus gaining both face and substance.

In Ji Shuling's own opinion, this reason was simply brilliant.

Unexpectedly, just when he had reached the final step, the situation suddenly changed...

Ji Shuqin produced what he called the emperor's will, which clearly stated that the eldest prince would succeed him, and was marked with the imperial seal.

This immediately made him seem absurd, making it appear that his act of sending troops to besiege the palace was the one doing the evil!

This made him unable to stand firm, and unable to maintain his aura...

The army behind them was in disarray, and after the incident with the eldest master of the An family, some of them had already withdrawn.

The rest were hesitant and skeptical...

Now, upon hearing the imperial edict, he felt even more terrified.

Do they feel they've committed a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their families? Forget about charging into battle or attacking the palace; even now, sitting on their horses, they're trembling with fear, terrified of being punished later. None of them will escape; one after another, they'll all be doomed!

Those who resented the Second Prince, those who resented the generals who kept them in the dark, were all now disillusioned with fighting and only concerned with how to escape their predicament.

He was already considering retreating when he suddenly saw General He leading a large group of soldiers behind him, their armor gleaming and their warhorses powerful and imposing, closing in with an unshakeable aura.

They were surrounded, and the chilling, murderous aura pressed down on them, leaving them helpless and convinced that their lives were over.

Ji Shumin had not originally intended to use Consort Liu as a threat.

In a struggle for power, it is utterly despicable to use the lives of women and children as leverage. Moreover, the struggle for the throne is not a battle against barbarians. Even in a bloody conflict, one must maintain an open and aboveboard demeanor. If an emperor were to win the throne by coercing the other's wife, daughter, or elderly mother, he would surely become a laughingstock for all time.

But Ji Shuling's actions had truly touched a raw nerve with Ji Shumin. How could he possibly save face when it came to Lu Liruan's affairs?

Furthermore, Ji Shuling was clearly already showing some signs of wanting to back down. Even if he himself hadn't realized it yet, Ji Shumin was willing to seize this opportunity to prevent the conflict from escalating and to keep the capital peaceful.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager, a thought began to form in Ji Shuling's mind: Could this imperial edict be genuine? Originally, he wholeheartedly believed that the edict was fake, but now... he wavered.

Upon seeing his mother being carried out, Ji Shumin felt a pang of sorrow.

The cold wind felt as if it were hitting his bones directly, causing him inexplicable pain all over his body.

"Ling'er! Your mother is fine! If anyone bullies you, do whatever you want, don't worry about your mother!"

Consort Liu's tears streamed down her face, but because of the presence of those around her, she couldn't raise her hand to wipe them away. Through her teary eyes, she looked at her child on horseback.

She knew she had no real abilities, and her family offered no support. From childhood to adulthood, she hadn't even been able to come up with a plan for how to help Ling'er…

I have considered fighting for my child in the palace.

But she's not cut out for it.

Later, the emperor barely even glanced at her. Her title of concubine, bestowed upon her for giving birth to the second prince, was utterly useless. Even though no one bullied her in the palace, she was treated coldly by Consort Liu.

Later, as Ling'er grew up, I was even less able to help him. When I had time to say something heartfelt to him, I didn't know what to say.

Consort Liu knew her son was ambitious, and she was initially afraid—what would he use to compete with the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince? But Consort Liu dared not tell Ji Shuling, and could only watch silently.

Unexpectedly, my Ling'er really lived up to expectations. Later, she was actually able to stand on equal footing with the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince, and was able to show her face and do things in front of the Emperor!

Consort Liu was happy, not because she was happy for Ling'er, but because she felt she would be more respected in the palace...

Instead, she felt that her child would do just fine even without her. This gave her, as a mother, some peace of mind.

So she could only support whatever the child did. Consort Liu felt that she was playing to her preferences so that Ling'er would talk to her more and make her feel better!

She always listened to Ling'er and encouraged him, so whenever Consort Liu saw Ji Shuling, she would only say what he wanted to hear.

She still wasn't quite sure what the current situation was.

But it seemed that Ling'er was at a disadvantage and being bullied, and he was even dragged out to threaten Ling'er.

Consort Liu, however, was not afraid. She had spent half her life worrying about her child, and she would be willing to die for him.

But she didn't want her Ling'er to get hurt.

"Come at me if you have a problem! Don't bully Ling'er!" Consort Liu shouted hoarsely, then turned to the Dowager Consort, wanting to kneel down before her, but the two maids on either side were too strong, and she couldn't kneel down.

"Your Highness, you are Ling'er's elder, please don't let anyone bully Ling'er!" she cried out.

Lu Liruan turned to look at Liu Fei and saw that she looked panicked and haggard, appearing somewhat pitiful.

"Ji Shumin! Release my mother!" Ji Shuling was furious upon hearing Ji Shumin's words.

"If you dare to harm my mother, Ji Shumin, I will make you pay with your life!" He glared at Ji Shumin with hatred from afar.

“Min’er…”

Ji Shuqin couldn't bear to watch this scene of mother and son protecting each other, and with a frown, he called out softly.

Ji Shumin did not answer.

Perhaps he was indeed cold-hearted and indifferent, or perhaps it was because he had never experienced the mutual tenderness between mother and son, so when Ji Shumin saw this scene, he only felt that it was a bit noisy.

If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?

The rivalry between Ji Shuling and him was not a recent development. Ji Shuling was fond of using scheming and underhanded tactics, and if he couldn't find a way to counter them...

"What, brother, do you think it would be better if we were the ones crying and arguing instead?" Ji Shumin said sarcastically.

“What he did was what he did, and there was no need to involve Consort Liu…” Ji Shuqin looked at Consort Liu and felt that she was somewhat undignified and too miserable.

"You should surrender first," Ji Shumin said calmly to Ji Shuling. "Wasn't it for your mother that you were willing to do anything?"

Before Ji Shuling could speak, the soldiers behind him threw down their weapons and fell off their horses.

"Your Highness the First Prince! Your Highness the Third Prince! We surrender!"

"We were all deceived by treachery; it was not our true intention! We beg Your Highness to have mercy!"

"Yes! We have no intention of rebelling! We respectfully obey the late emperor's edict! We are willing to support His Highness the First Prince to succeed to the throne!"

Once one person shouted it out, the others followed suit, and the entire group quickly fell apart.

"Your Highness! I am willing to impeach and expose the treacherous person who has deceived us!"

"I do too!"

-

Ji Shumin sat on the horse, slowly closed his eyes, raised his head, and listened to the commotion behind him.

The tide has turned—

He then looked in the direction of Consort Liu.

He took off his armor and threw it forcefully to the ground!

"Ji Shumin, I surrender! I have lost!"