Don't Raise A Black Lotus Flower; Use The Emperor As A Substitute [Transmigration novel] - Chapter 10

Ji Ruxue remained silent. Lin Ruoxuan did not pressure him; after all, the boy was only fourteen, and there was plenty of time to build their rapport. There was no rush.

As he thought this, he noticed Ji Ruxue’s bowl was empty. He picked up a large tangyuan from his own bowl and placed it in the boy’s, saying warmly, “You are not full yet, are you? Have another one.”

Ji Ruxue hesitated. “Do you have enough?”

“I am an adult, so it does not matter,” Lin Ruoxuan said with a smile. “You are still young and growing, so you naturally need to eat more. I will cook more next time.”

Ji Ruxue nodded without further comment and lowered his head to eat slowly.

Watching the boy eat with his cheeks puffed out, Lin Ruoxuan felt a mix of amusement and affection.

This poor child had no idea that there was an endless supply of snacks at the Lin residence, and even more variety at the restaurants in the city, such as lotus seed and silver ear soup, crab roe dumplings, and dragon beard cakes. It was nothing like this miserable Cold Palace, where having a full meal used to be a luxury until he arrived and improved the diet.

Once there was an opportunity, he would take the boy out to see the bustling capital. The child’s jaw would likely drop in amazement. But for now, he had to remain low-key. Although Emperor Chengwu was obsessed with Taoism and Buddhism and rarely paid attention to Ji Ruxue, it was better to be cautious to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Thinking of this, Lin Ruoxuan hesitated before reminding him, “Early tomorrow morning, you must go to the Shangshu Pavilion to study. It is not like the Cold Palace, so you must mind your behavior and manners.”

Ji Ruxue frowned slightly. “What should I mind?”

Lin Ruoxuan thought of Emperor Chengwu’s attitude and sighed inwardly. Afraid of hurting the boy’s feelings, he did not want to be too explicit, so he said vaguely, “The Emperor believes that you do not want to attend school.”

Ji Ruxue’s hand holding the spoon paused.

He was extremely intelligent and understood everything from that single sentence in an instant.

Everything Lin Ruoxuan had done recently, such as treating his injuries, setting his bones, pushing him out to sunbathe, and providing food and clothing, was likely completely unknown to the high-and-mighty Emperor.

Even the matter of attending school was something Lin Ruoxuan had achieved through certain means, utilizing the Emperor’s extreme hatred for him by doing the exact opposite of what the Emperor expected.

Ha, this is his so-called father, Ji Ruxue thought coldly.

However, did Lin Ruoxuan not realize that with those few words, he had personally handed a lethal knife to him?

If he were to secretly report these acts of disobedience to the Emperor, it would be a capital offense of deceiving the monarch. Even if he survived, he would be severely punished.

If it were in the past, he would have undoubtedly tried every means to kill this eunuch. But now, the sesame filling in his mouth was so rich and smooth, and the warmth in his stomach felt wonderful. He even had an incredibly strange sensation, a lingering feeling of reluctance to lose this.

He had never had such a strange feeling before, whether toward a person or an object.

Seeing that Ji Ruxue did not respond for a long time, Lin Ruoxuan assumed the boy did not understand and patiently explained, “When you are at the Shangshu Pavilion, try to be patient and do not be too conspicuous.”

Ji Ruxue remained silent for a moment before saying sullenly, “I know.”

“But do not let others bully you, either,” Lin Ruoxuan added after a moment of thought.

Ji Ruxue was momentarily stunned and remained silent.

Seeing him like that, Lin Ruoxuan still felt uneasy. He decided, “Forget it. I will accompany you tomorrow.”

Early the next morning, Lin Ruoxuan pushed Ji Ruxue to the Shangshu Pavilion.

It was still early. The young eunuch at the door said the Grand Scholar responsible for the lecture had not yet arrived, but as soon as they reached the entrance, they heard voices coming from inside.

“Eldest Brother, Third Brother, have you heard? Fourth Brother is coming to study today.”

“Eh, why would Father allow Ji Ruxue to study? Eldest Brother, do you know?”

“Tsk, who knows? That damn little beast, is he even worthy?”

Hearing this, Lin Ruoxuan paused and could not help but look down at Ji Ruxue in the wheelchair. Ji Ruxue’s expression was indifferent, not showing a ripple of emotion, as if he were used to it.

Lin Ruoxuan sighed inwardly. It seemed his decision to accompany the boy was correct.

According to the original story, Emperor Chengwu had four sons and two daughters. The two daughters were already married. The four sons were the Crown Prince Ji Ruyuan, the Second Prince Ji Ruhan, the Third Prince Ji Ruhai, and the Fourth Prince Ji Ruxue.

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince were sons of Consort Li. The Li family had held high positions for five generations. Currently, Consort Li’s father, Li Wenbo, was the Chief Grand Secretary, and her brother, Li Zheng, was the Regional Commander of Liaodong, holding significant military power.

Although the Li family’s influence was immense, for some unknown reason, Emperor Chengwu had made Ji Ruyuan the Crown Prince but refused to make Consort Li the Empress, or even the Imperial Noble Consort; she remained only a Noble Consort.

Because of this, Consort Li harbored deep hatred for Ji Ruxue, the only son of the late Empress Duanshu, and she had passed this hatred on to her two sons.

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince had illustrious backgrounds, while the Second Prince, Ji Ruhan, had a mediocre one. His grandfather was only a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and his mother, Consort Chen, was unremarkable, having been granted the rank of Consort only because she was a distant niece of the Empress Dowager.

Naturally, in the original story, all three of these princes were eventually killed by Ji Ruxue.

Ji Ruxue’s later psychological transformation was likely linked to these three brothers. Thinking of this, Lin Ruoxuan patted the boy’s back as if to comfort him. “Do not be afraid, Your Highness. I am here.”

Ji Ruxue replied softly, “Mm.”

When Lin Ruoxuan pushed Ji Ruxue into the room, the people who had been gossiping fell silent.

Lin Ruoxuan understood immediately. They were likely planning how to bully Ji Ruxue, never expecting that he, the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, would personally accompany him to class.

There were only six or seven people in the room. The arrogant one was surely the Crown Prince, Ji Ruyuan; the pale, refined one was the Second Prince, Ji Ruhan; and the dull-looking one was the Third Prince, Ji Ruhai.

Besides them, the Crown Prince’s study companion, Lu Heng, was present. The Second and Third Princes did not have companions and only brought personal attendants.

Lin Ruoxuan bowed slightly. “Greetings, Crown Prince. Greetings, Second Prince. Greetings, Third Prince.”

Ji Ruyuan, roughly seventeen or eighteen years old and quite handsome, ignored Lin Ruoxuan entirely. He frowned and appraised Ji Ruxue in the wheelchair, then gave a soft, malicious chuckle. “Why is the little beast limping?”

Ji Ruxue pressed his lips together. Lin Ruoxuan also ignored the Crown Prince and pushed Ji Ruxue toward an empty table at the back. Just as they passed Ji Ruyuan, a loud crash occurred.

“BANG!”

A heavy, large inkstone smashed onto the ground right in front of Ji Ruxue’s wheelchair. The black inkstone shattered into pieces, creating a mess. Dark ink splashed all over Ji Ruxue, instantly ruining the clean, light-green cotton robe he had just put on. His fingers tightened involuntarily on the armrests.

Ji Ruyuan raised an eyebrow. “Fourth Brother, you knocked over my inkstone. How do you intend to compensate me?”

That damn Crown Prince! It was clearly he who did it on purpose! Lin Ruoxuan forced down his anger, not wanting to cause trouble on Ji Ruxue’s first day. He took a deep breath, took the purple gold inkstone out of his bundle, and prepared to offer it as compensation, planning to say a few soft words to smooth things over for now.

At that moment, Ji Ruxue suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Ruoxuan’s wrist tightly.

Lin Ruoxuan was stunned and asked, “What is it?”

Ji Ruxue’s voice was very soft, but every word was clear. “This is my inkstone.”

The implication was clear: it could not be given to the Crown Prince.

Lin Ruoxuan blinked, confused. What is wrong with Ji Ruxue? This child usually endures everything; he is not usually so impulsive.

Ji Ruyuan laughed in anger. “Little beast, who cares about your inkstone?! I order you to pick up the shards on the ground, piece by piece! No one is allowed to help him!”

Ji Ruxue was in a wheelchair, and the inkstone was shattered across the floor. Ji Ruyuan was clearly making things difficult for him.

Lin Ruoxuan said in a low voice, “Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince’s legs are not convenient.”

“What does it matter to me if he is a cripple? If he is a cripple, he can crawl like a dog and pick them up slowly! I have the patience!”

Ji Ruxue’s fingers tightened on the armrests, his knuckles turning white, but his expression remained unchanged. He only stared coldly at Ji Ruyuan.

The entire room fell silent; the atmosphere was stifling.

Lin Ruoxuan endured it, knowing that offending the Crown Prince was inevitable today.

He did not hesitate, leaned close to Ji Ruyuan’s ear, and lowered his voice. “Crown Prince, about the General’s Banquet you hosted recently, I heard from my people at the Eastern Depot that it was quite lively, but three peasant children died. Does the Emperor know about this?”

Ji Ruyuan was momentarily stunned. His eyes turned cold, but his voice involuntarily dropped. “Lin Ruoxuan, are you threatening me?”

“This servant would not dare,” Lin Ruoxuan said, looking down. “It is just that the Emperor is a devout Buddhist, and next month is the Empress Dowager’s sixtieth birthday. If the Emperor and the Empress Dowager find out about this, it might not be good for you, Crown Prince.”

He emphasized the words Empress Dowager. After all, the Second Prince’s mother, Consort Chen, was a distant niece of the Empress Dowager. If a major scandal broke out involving the Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager would likely use the opportunity to suggest replacing him with Ji Ruhan.

Ji Ruyuan’s expression changed.

Lu Heng, standing nearby, quickly tugged on Ji Ruyuan’s sleeve. “Crown Prince…”

Ji Ruyuan yanked his sleeve back, his chest heaving, and gritted his teeth. “Lin Ruoxuan, although you have been more restrained lately, do not think I do not know about the good deeds you have done in the past!”

Lin Ruoxuan remained calm. “In that case, we can only go before the Emperor and ask him to decide.”

Lin Ruoxuan did not know how Emperor Chengwu would react, but he knew that those with nothing to lose were not afraid of those with everything. As the Crown Prince, Ji Ruyuan definitely would not dare bring such disgraceful matters before the Emperor.

Ji Ruyuan’s teeth chattered as he gritted them. He looked from Lin Ruoxuan to Ji Ruxue, his eyes burning with fury, but in the end, he dared not act. He spun around and slapped his own attendant fiercely. “Base slave, how are you serving me?! Did you not see that my inkstone broke?! Drag him out and beat him, beat him hard!”