coobybook Chapter 135 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (39)
Chapter 135 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (39)
Ji Shumin listened carefully to Lu Liruan's words, and then suddenly laughed.
Lu Liruan had always known that he was good-looking, but even when he smiled, his expression was sharp and sarcastic.
As if triggered by a stress reaction, Lu Liruan felt that his smile made her think he was about to cause trouble again.
But at this moment he smiled very gently. The sedan chair was dimly lit, probably because they had passed through a street with a lot of people and some noise around them.
As if filtered through a lens, the once aloof and revered Crown Prince, like a fallen god, blends into this ordinary and mundane world.
His tone was gentle, and the scented sleeves of his robe fell onto Lu Liruan's skirt, the black and red colors overlapping, solemn and rich.
“You are the first person to say this to me.” He held Lu Liruan’s wrist, his fingertips affectionately stroking the protruding wrist bone.
Didn't you tell me to say it?
The thought that popped into Lu Liruan's mind was instantly replaced by another strange feeling of pity.
Ji Shumin, standing before him, seemed deeply pleased by such a simple sentence, even though he had asked someone else to say it.
His Highness the Crown Prince only gets what he wants after asking for it. But if he doesn't ask, can he get it?
"How could that be?" Lu Liruan murmured. In all your years of noble and glorious life, is there anything you haven't been able to obtain?
“Because no one wants to be the closest person to me…” Ji Shumin sighed, as if mocking himself: “People usually say that husband and wife are one, so the Crown Princess is the closest person to me, right?”
Lu Liruan wanted to ask, "Aren't the Emperor and Empress brothers and sisters?"
But as soon as she thought of this, Lu Liruan herself felt puzzled...
She knew too little about Ji Shumin.
From the very beginning, Lu Liruan felt that her mission was to enable Ji Shumin to ascend the throne, live a longer life, and rule a glorious career, becoming an emperor who would be remembered in history.
As a result, she overlooked many things, such as why he was so extreme and suspicious, why he was so sinister and sharp, and what the reasons were. She didn't bother to find out.
From their very first meeting, Ji Shumin treated her with an overbearing, eccentric, and even somewhat mad demeanor, which made Lu Liruan more wary of him.
Later, Lu Liruan felt that he was meticulous, shrewd, and witty. She began to examine him, analyze him, and even learn from him.
After all, stupid people are probably of no use to him, and Lu Liruan doesn't want to be used as a pawn or a tool without even realizing it one day.
Therefore, she never trusted him. Although it wasn't intentional, Lu Liruan subconsciously placed him on the side of resistance, and thus, she further overlooked the fact that he was a living, breathing person with flesh and blood and a past.
At that moment, Lu Liruan felt very sorry. After learning that Ji Shumin's body might be at its limit after taking the pill, her sadness reached its peak.
She hadn't helped him at all. Ji Shumin seemed to be learning how to be her husband, but she hadn't taken it to heart.
“Yes, that’s right.” Lu Liruan nodded. “They’re right.”
Ji Shumin seemed a little surprised. He leaned forward, and since the space inside the sedan chair was small, he draped half of his body over Lu Liruan.
"Is the Crown Princess sincere, or is she deceiving me?" He held Lu Liruan's hand and made her place it on his heart.
"Don't be like this... I don't think I've ever lied to you, have I? It's all because of you..." Lu Liruan wanted to say that it was all because of you lying to her.
But then he thought, Ji Shumin hadn't lied to him; he had just... schemed against him?
Is it a scheme?
"How am I?" Ji Shumin narrowed his eyes and pressed her for an answer.
"You schemed against me, using me as a pawn." Lu Liruan pushed his shoulder, but couldn't push him away. She could only tilt her head slightly to avoid Ji Shumin's overly focused and unwavering gaze.
"Oh? How come I didn't know?" Ji Shumin drawled, placing his other hand on the back of Lu Liruan's head, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"The matter of the wedding dress..." This was the beginning of Lu Liruan's wariness of Ji Shumin.
Ji Shumin was taken aback. The reason he had reacted today was indeed because he realized that Lu Liruan did not seem to be genuinely getting along with him.
His Highness the Crown Prince has never liked people whose thoughts he cannot fathom. Although he has few people he thinks highly of, it is not because he cannot understand them, but because he sees them too clearly.
Driven by profit, filled with malice, harboring evil intentions, and gloating over petty people... those in high positions will witness even greater dangers when they fall into the mire.
Ji Shumin was never afraid or backed down, but when he heard that someone had chosen him, even though his heart was filled with doubt and distress, he still held a sliver of hope that he himself did not understand.
Come keep me company...
Despite his sarcastic remarks, Ji Shumin had indeed made thorough preparations for the wedding.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Ji Shumin raised an eyebrow. “The Crown Princess’s wedding dress was personally tailored by me.”
Lu Liruan's eyes widened: "Huh?"
"You do not believe?"
"How come you know how to make clothes?" Lu Liruan was surprised by his skill.
"What's so difficult about that?" Ji Shumin's fingertips traced the pattern on Lu Liruan's collar: "If the Crown Princess likes it, I'll make you another one..."
Lu Liruan thought to herself, "That's not what I meant, but that wedding dress was really beautiful."
"Is it pretty?" Ji Shumin pressed her.
"It looks good," Lu Liruan said honestly.
"What else is the Crown Princess dissatisfied with?"
"Wasn't that fabric stolen from the Imperial Concubine? Didn't His Highness the Crown Prince use me as a pawn to provoke the Imperial Concubine's anger so that she would be punished by the Emperor?" Lu Liruan asked directly.
"Hmm?" Ji Shumin's expression darkened: "Is that what the Crown Princess thinks of me?"
If I don't think of you this way, how else would I? It's all so intricately planned, one thing after another. You're so meticulous even with something so small.
"What, Your Highness doesn't admit it?" Lu Liruan said, getting a little angry. Although Lu Liruan admitted that her attitude was strange, it was ultimately... partly due to Ji Shumin.
"Heh, I just think that the fabric is so beautiful, it should be worn by the Crown Princess, not just ruined by someone else." When the Imperial Concubine was mentioned, a hint of disdain flashed across Ji Shumin's expression.
“Then you…” Lu Liruan was beginning to believe that Ji Shumin just thought the fabric would look good as a wedding dress.
"Why would my Crown Princess be used as a pawn for such a trivial matter?" Ji Shumin exuded an air of condescending arrogance.
"What I'm telling you is simply that as long as you don't break those complicated rules and regulations in this palace, whatever the Crown Princess wants to do, I will protect you from trouble."
Ji Shumin lowered his eyes, looking at Lu Liruan with an almost affectionate gaze.
"What I meant at the time was that if the Imperial Concubine dared to make things difficult for you, you didn't need to be afraid to deal with it..." He pressed his lips to Lu Liruan's ear and half-pulled her into his arms.