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

Chapter 186 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (90)

Seeing Ji Shumin take another sip without batting an eye, Lu Liruan pursed her lips and blinked her eyes.

In this strange place, I felt a deep affection...

Just as Lu Liruan thought, although this thing was terrible, there was really nothing inside, so it wouldn't make anyone sick. Apart from eating even less at the next meal after drinking it, Ji Shumin had no other reaction.

Feeling guilty, Lu Liruan didn't dare to press him.

After being stared at by Ji Shumin with a half-smile for an entire afternoon, he slunk away and left the kitchen in a sorry state.

The next time she returned, Madam Gao heard Lu Liruan's question and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

"Some people are just like that... Even if they use the same materials, time, and steps as others, the things they make are just... hahahahahahaha!" Mrs. Gao couldn't stop laughing.

Lu Liruan asked with a long, sullen face, "So you mean the kitchen is my bad luck?"

Madam Gao raised her hand and pointed at Lu Wanyun, who was picking up the pieces of music on the side.

"That's why you're sisters!"

Amidst Lu Wanyun's protest, which inexplicably backfired on her.

"Last time, your father was slightly ill, and your sister wanted to be filial, so she came to take care of him. But for some reason, the medicine she brewed was more bitter than what others brewed!"

Madam Gao mimicked how Marquis He'an had acted back then: "You don't need to come anymore... Father is in good health!"

Madam Gao disregarded Lu Wanyun's shame and indignation: "Later, your father told me that he was much more comfortable when she wasn't attending to him than when she was!"

"Mother!" Lu Wanyun was shy and stood up and stomped her feet when she was ridiculed by several people.

"It's alright, we're just born lucky!" Lu Liruan teased her with a laugh.

"Did His Highness say that to you?" Lu Wanqing, who was eating melon seeds, suddenly asked.

Lu Liruan was surprised; how did she know?

Lu Wanqing smiled and said, "Sister, when you said that just now, you sounded just like the Third Prince!"

Lu Liruan touched her face, wondering what she had just looked like.

"That's good, it's because you two are close..." Madam Gao is now very satisfied with the Third Prince.

Although the prince was of noble status, how could his parents only feel respect and not have any other thoughts?

Madam Gao thought Lu Liruan was the most opinionated of her daughters, but she was also afraid that she couldn't compare to the Third Prince, who was born and raised in the palace.

Actually, she wasn't wrong. Even if you beat Lu Liruan, she wouldn't have as much brainpower as Ji Shumin, but the main thing is that the two of them are of one mind, so these aren't problems.

Intimacy and affection cannot be faked, especially among young couples. Their sweetness is almost palpable. After seeing them twice, Mrs. Gao finally felt reassured.

He secretly thought to himself: Sure enough, none of the Lu family's daughters have had a bad life... They are all incredibly lucky.

"I hope the two younger ones can also benefit from this and continue to have good fortune..." Madam Gao murmured to herself.

Madam Gao made a sweet soup and asked Lu Liruan to take it with her when she went back.

Ji Shumin, a first-rank official, put down his spoon and said calmly, "Please thank Madam for me next time."

"Huh? How do you know who made it?" Lu Liruan asked in surprise. She couldn't really tell who made the food and what familiar taste it had.

Ji Shumin did not answer her.

"The things I make..." Lu Liruan wanted to ask, "Can you taste the difference in what I make?"

It was interrupted by Ji Shumin's undisguised sneer.

Lu Liruan twitched her lips, understanding the subtext of Ji Shumin's laughter: it would be strange if you couldn't tell the difference.

Since we've moved to a new house, we should hold a housewarming party.

However, one cannot go to the Marquis of He'an's residence casually, and at this moment, very few people dare to casually enter Ji Shumin's gate.

The Third Prince is clearly not fit to inherit the throne. The other princes who are likely to inherit the throne all have some grudges with the former Crown Prince. If they act friendly with the Third Prince now, it would be bad if they brought up the old grudges no matter which prince succeeds to the throne in the future.

In the end, only Ji Shuqin came, and he was uninvited.

Ji Shuqin had lost some weight, and the winter robes looked a bit too big on him. After losing weight, he looked more like Ji Shumin, and the two could be recognized as brothers at a glance.

There was also a faint air of solemnity about him, different from his demeanor in the mountain temple. It was as if he had lived a carefree life for so many years, and had finally descended from the clouds to the mortal world, landing on solid ground instead of drifting aimlessly.

When Lu Liruan saw him talking to Ji Shumin, he finally revealed that familiar expression, and she didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

When Lu Liruan heard Ji Shuqin spouting his self-righteous notions of good and evil, she wished she could shove all that filth into his brain, make him open his eyes and see what kind of miserable life Ji Shumin was living, and stop talking without understanding the pain. His naive appearance made her want to smash him.

But now...

Lu Liruan felt that he was a little pitiful.

Ji Shumin was also pitiful; the two brothers each had their own reasons for being pitiful.

At the time, he was filled with righteous indignation, but Ji Shumin, who was involved, was not very angry. He watched it with a cold eye.

Looking back now, Ji Shumin probably foresaw this day sooner or later than I did. They were in the same boat, so why be angry?

Ji Shuqin had once again sincerely apologized to Lu Liruan, leaving Lu Liruan at a loss for words.

"I was ashamed of what I said back then," Ji Shuqin said with a slight bitter smile.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to apologize.” Lu Liruan waved her hand.

“Although it wasn’t my intention, I was actually pleased with myself for upsetting you all at the time, acting like an elder brother and thinking that I had done the right thing. I was so shallow and arrogant. I can’t rest easy if I can’t apologize.” Ji Shuqin spoke frankly and sincerely.

He hasn't changed; he remains meticulous and unreserved in what he insists on and believes in.

Do what is good, and correct what is wrong.

The two brothers have very similar personalities at their core.

They grew up in different environments and experienced different things. One went through hardships first, while the other suddenly faced the world. Yet they still had similarities, which Lu Liruan found amazing.

“You and your elder brother are actually alike.” Lu Liruan once spoke earnestly with Ji Shumin.

Ji Shumin put down his pen, pondered for a moment, and suddenly smiled: "We are brothers, so it should be like this."

Lu Liruan understood that although Ji Shumin did not show it, he was never annoyed by Ji Shuqin's closeness. Ji Shuqin was one of his rare blood relatives and one of the few people who were truly sincere to him.

The Third Prince may seem to have a lot, but what he truly desires is very little.

Looking at Lu Liruan's sweet soup recipe, the eldest prince showed an air of ease and quickly cooked everything in, and after a while, a sweet aroma wafted out.

Seeing his younger brother and sister-in-law both sticking their heads to the pot, Ji Shuqin said honestly, "This soup is simple."

Lu Liruan: ...

There were no guests at the housewarming party; the three of them sat together peacefully.

Ji Shumin listened to Lu Liruan and Ji Shuqin arguing earnestly about the differences in their soup-making steps. Inside the house, the charcoal brazier burned warmly, while outside, snow began to fall, and icicles fell from the eaves with a soft "plop" sound.

He closed his eyes, fueled by a bit of alcohol. He had never felt so full before, so full that it seemed to both wear down his fighting spirit and give him a crutch so that he could keep going.

"The matter that Father Emperor ordered me to investigate, Min'er, if you find out..." Ji Shuqin hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

“How you choose is your own business,” Ji Shumin said, offering no advice.

He wanted to see what Ji Shuqin would choose.

After finishing their meal, Lu Liruan pushed Ji Shumin to the courtyard to enjoy the snow.

Several plum trees that always bloom well were transplanted into the yard.

Outside the capital city lies a sea of ​​plum blossoms, a gathering place for literati and poets every winter. Lu Liruan had visited it several times, but in the words of Ji Shumin, a man of such exquisite eloquence, the plum grove seemed even more beautiful than seeing it with her own eyes.

Lu Liruan then had a few plants moved over, which Ji Shumin could see as soon as he opened the door.

Seeing the deep affection between the two, Ji Shuqin sighed twice.

“When will you marry, my brother? Treat her well, and you will be repaid with such sincerity,” Ji Shumin said quietly.

But a look of surprise and bewilderment flashed across Ji Shuqin's face.

"Your Majesty, you don't really want to become a monk, do you?" Lu Liruan asked, puzzled, seeing his unawareness that he could marry and have children.

I wonder what the Crown Prince is really thinking.

After he left, Lu Liruan gently sipped the warmed flower wine: "Yes, why didn't Her Majesty the Empress make any arrangements?"

"Perhaps they can't afford to..." Ji Shumin said calmly.

Why couldn't they care? Lu Liruan wondered.

After drinking, Lu Liruan would not sleep well and would toss and turn.

Half asleep, Lu Liruan suddenly heard a muffled groan in her ear!

Lu Liruan, who was already a light sleeper, woke up immediately. Upon closer listening, she could hear that Ji Shumin's suppressed breathing in the darkness had subsided, as if he was enduring something.

Lu Liruan's heart tightened, and she quickly sat up!

In the dark, he skillfully lit the candle by the bedside, squinted and looked over, and saw Ji Shumin's eyelashes trembling, his jaw clenched, trying to swallow the words squeezed out of his throat, and a little sweat on his forehead.

"What's wrong! Is it a headache? Or is something else bothering you?" Lu Liruan thought it was because he had taken too little medication and the reaction had worsened.

Things have been going smoothly these past few days, which has gradually given Lu Liruan confidence. Since his reaction to reducing the medication isn't severe, maybe the withdrawal process will be less painful...

Lu Liruan covered Ji Shumin's head and hurriedly hugged him in her arms.

Then they heard Ji Shumin say something in a low voice.

"Ah? What did you say?"

Lu Liruan hurriedly put her ear to his mouth, trying to hear clearly.

"Hiss—" But Ji Shumin bit her earlobe quite hard, and not only did he bite, he also pulled back a little.

Lu Liruan rubbed her ears and finally heard clearly from his pale lips: "You... don't step on my leg."

Lu Liruan looked over suddenly and found that she was indeed pressing half of her body onto Ji Shumin's leg. The loose trouser leg was pushed up by her, revealing a section of Ji Shumin's pale, bloodless calf.

"I wasn't paying attention!" Lu Liruan straightened up instinctively. "Did I touch your leg just now?"

After the words were spoken, Lu Liruan, who had just woken up, suddenly came to her senses, her mind still foggy and confused.

"You...you can feel your legs now?"

Ji Shumin had no feeling in his legs.

He couldn't feel anything below his knees at all.

From the knee up to halfway down the thigh, there is a slight feeling, like numbness, and occasionally a slight swelling, but the pain is not very clear.

But now, he was sweating profusely because of the pain in his legs.

Lu Liruan raised her hand, unsure whether she should touch his leg.

"It started hurting this afternoon. I only really felt it when Li Ruan pressed down on me just now." Ji Shumin adjusted his breathing, his voice hoarse.

He hadn't felt his legs for so long, and now he felt strangely uncomfortable.

The pain was excruciating, as if the agony of my bones being torn apart was being relived.

There was pain, but I still couldn't move an inch...

The pain felt like it was drilling into the bones and then emerging from the skin, coming in waves.

The torment was so intense that even breathing became disordered. Even someone as patient as Ji Shumin could endure it all, at this moment, only wanted to curl up and resist.

Lu Liruan didn't know what to do, but a thought popped into her mind: This isn't a bad thing!

His legs have no feeling at all, which means there is no possibility of a cure.

In Lu Liruan's understanding, the nerves had completely died, but now that he could feel, did that prove that the nerves had reconnected?

What exactly is going on?

"Should we have someone prepare some painkillers?" Lu Liruan tried to slip her hand inside his trouser leg, her warm palm touching his always-cold skin, and gently rubbing it.

“No,” Ji Shumin said softly.

"Li Ruan, rub it for me..." He calmed down a bit, moved closer to Lu Li Ruan, and put his arm around her waist.

Because of the intense pain, he had no strength left. His fingers clung tightly to Lu Liruan's clothes, and he murmured, seemingly unsure of what to do, relying on Lu Liruan.

"Don't worry." Lu Liruan rubbed his leg with one hand and touched his sweaty temples with the other.

"This is a good thing...we're getting better slowly, that's amazing, stay strong." Lu Liruan coaxed him like a child.

"Let's ask the doctor to come and take a look again tomorrow. Maybe I'll be able to walk again... Then we can go hiking together and travel around. I'll go wherever you want to go." Lu Liruan said some gentle words to comfort him and distract him.

"If I can't leave, does that mean Li Ruan won't come with me?" Ji Shumin asked softly.

"Go, go, we'll go no matter what you look like." Lu Liruan tenderly kissed his bony knees: "I'm strong, I can push you anywhere."

Ji Shumin didn't use his eyes to see, yet he clearly felt Lu Liruan's kiss.

Starting from that spot, his skin and flesh gradually became scalding hot, burning intensely from the inside out, as if someone were shattering his bones again. But Ji Shumin somewhat enjoyed this pain.

Long-term use of elixirs can inhibit bone growth, prevent healing, and gradually lead to loss of sensation. However, this is a sign that he is recovering and that his true body is making progress.

Ji Shumin had never cared about his health before.

But after promising Lu Liruan that he would live well, Ji Shumin was so overjoyed that his breathing became rapid and shallow:

It seems he can live a few more days with Li Ruan.