AWB Chapter 111 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (15)
Chapter 111 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (15)
Lu Liruan didn't know what Ji Shumin was thinking. After all, a marriage without love... is just a mess.
LOL, Lu Liruan thought this marriage was forced upon her and completely absurd.
Fortunately, this Crown Prince doesn't seem to be doing too well.
It's not just not quite right, it might be completely impossible.
If you can't, then it's a sunny day.
In the original storyline, the new emperor had no concubines or children by the time he died.
Although the courtiers were forced to witness the ascension of a disabled monarch, they raised the issue of succession almost daily after his accession, hoping that the new emperor would adopt a son to stabilize the foundation of the country.
However, in Lu Liruan's view, the new emperor Ji Shumin at that time was completely indifferent to what would happen after he died, and he carried out sweeping reforms in an attempt to cut the corrupt dynastic politics in half.
He's gone a little crazy...
Lu Liruan thought to herself: It's good that it doesn't work out. I can put all my energy into building my career. How could I possibly fail?
If he had also been in good health, he could have truly become a renowned monarch with a strong and decisive rule.
Because the wedding was arranged in haste, everyone in the Marquis of He'an's residence was also in a rush.
They hastily stuffed good things into Lu Liruan's hands.
Madam Gao carried box after box of jewelry and headwear into Lu Liruan's courtyard.
"Mother, even if I had ten heads, I couldn't cover them all..."
"If you can't wear them all, just display them for looks. Oh, my poor child..." Madam Gao covered her face and wailed.
"Life in the palace isn't so easy, is it? If you're feeling down, just take out all these gold, silver, and jade items and play with them one by one, and your mood will improve a lot. I always use this method after your father and I have a fight!" Madam Gao shared her experience earnestly.
Lu Liruan: ...
If we disregard personal feelings and focus on the money, we can just endure it and things will be fine, right?
Yes, that is a beautiful, tolerant, and correct set of values.
“Mother is right, then I’ll take them all with me.” Lu Liruan humbly accepted the suggestion. Even a fool would know that the Crown Prince was not easy to get along with, so it was better to be prepared.
The eldest and second sons of the Lu family, who had once again traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, received a personal letter from the Marquis of He'an, delivered by express courier.
The two felt sorry for their sister's hasty wedding and sent back 100,000 taels of silver to express their deep love for her.
Lu Wanyun and Lu Wanqing worked together to raise five thousand taels of silver and even had a new gold cage made for the parrot, inlaid with various gemstones, making it extremely exquisite.
Lu Liruan: Why does everyone like to solve problems with money? What kind of habit is this?
Oh my, of course it's a good habit, they're all so thoughtful!
The Lu family was busy and chattering away, and the palace was in complete chaos, with people and horses tumbling about.
The officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs dared not speak out against their anger.
Although everyone knows that His Highness the Crown Prince's position is not going to last long, who dares to show it?
The Emperor has granted the Third Prince special permission to marry as the Crown Prince, which shows the Emperor's care and protection for the Third Prince.
Just then, the other princes angered the emperor, and in comparison, the emperor felt even more sorry for the crown prince who had no chance of competing with him. The emperor would ask about the wedding every few days.
Who would dare to mess with that!
They must have prepared diligently, they were so busy they were practically running around like headless chickens. The people from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs all had bloodshot eyes and were walking unsteadily.
But there's no stopping it, His Highness the Crown Prince keeps causing trouble!
Which prince is getting married and personally inquires about the fabric for his bride's wedding dress?
His Highness the Crown Prince ordered his men to bring the Crown Princess's ceremonial robes to his palace so that he could unfold them and examine them closely.
From fabric to style, from embroidery to tailoring, they scrutinized every single detail!
Not only that, he also had a sudden inspiration and personally designed the wedding dress for the Crown Princess.
The eunuch in charge of the wedding attire was almost in tears: "Your Highness, this is against the rules!"
He looked at His Highness the Crown Prince, who was personally cutting out the cloth pattern with scissors, and his forehead was covered in sweat, his voice trembling.
"How is it against the rules?" Ji Shumin cut the cloth with his scissors, threw the cut piece aside, and asked casually.
"How can you do such work? If you have any requests, just let the tailors and ladies-in-waiting do it..." The eunuch watched Ji Shumin's actions with his heart in his throat. If His Highness the Crown Prince ruined the fabric with a single snip, where would they find the same brocade?
This kind of fabric, which is a tribute from the southwest, is so rare that even the concubines in the palace usually cannot get a size big enough to make two sets of clothes.
The moment His Highness the Crown Prince opened his mouth, all of this year's red allowances were gone; they were all used for the Crown Princess! The ladies in the palace didn't get a single drop of this vibrant color.
In previous years, all of this red fabric went into Consort Rong's palace.
The Empress was away from the palace for many years, and Consort Rong was spoiled and loved beauty, so the Emperor doted on her.
Although the matter of establishing an empress was never settled, she wore bright red dresses in the palace, and neither the emperor nor the imperial concubines dared to say anything, nor did anyone dare to say that she was "not in accordance with the rules."
This fine tribute satin became a symbol of Consort Rong's favor. Unexpectedly, before the Crown Princess even entered the palace, she had already overshadowed Consort Rong.
The key point is that the emperor actually agreed.
Fearing they would be disliked by both sides, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs reluctantly reported this trivial matter to the Emperor.
The Emperor simply said, "I told you, the Crown Prince must not be wronged. Don't you understand?"
"Yes Yes."
With a single sentence from the Emperor, it was decided that no matter how outrageous the Crown Prince might be afterward, they would have to tolerate it...
The palace is the place where people fawn over those in power, especially the servants who serve the nobles, who are very good at reading between the noses and the mouth.
Ha, I wonder how long this Crown Prince can be so smug. He has a long road ahead of him!
The eunuch bowed his head and said, "You are the Crown Prince, how can you do such womanly work for the Crown Princess?"
"What's wrong with me personally sewing the Crown Princess's wedding dress? What, does it give a servant like you the right to tell me how much I love and care for the Crown Princess?"
The eunuch knelt down with a thud: "This servant wouldn't dare! This servant wouldn't dare!"
"Someone without roots dares to look down on women's skills? Besides deceiving superiors and flattering subordinates, what else can he do?" Ji Shumin sneered coldly with a dark face.
He flung the scissors straight at the eunuch, the tips of which pierced his body, but he was not injured because of his clothes.
Ji Shumin brushed his hand against the blade, and bright red blood gushed from the wound, startling all the servants around him!
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness..."
Xiao Xizi rushed forward to help Ji Shumin, only to find that His Highness the Crown Prince was staring at his hand, lost in thought for a moment.
It was pressed directly onto the bright red brocade.
The blood stained a piece of fabric at the hem of the skirt a dark color, making the color appear even more vibrant and intense.
"Ah—" The eunuch who was poked by the scissors turned pale with fright. The prince wanted to punish him but ended up hurting himself instead. This was enough to kill him!
Furthermore, brocade is inherently delicate and difficult to clean, and His Highness the Crown Prince's blood got on it...