Resplendent – Chapter 387

Chapter 387: The Thick-Skinned Prince

The speeding horse was heading straight for the dazed young girl in white standing in the middle of the street. A chorus of shocked gasps sounded around her. 

The young man on the horse didn’t expect someone to stand in the middle of the street, seemingly seeking death. His flushed face showed a mixture of surprise and anger. He yelled loudly and immediately pulled on the reins. 

However, it was already too late. The horse’s hooves were about to step on the white-clad girl.

At that moment, two figures suddenly moved. A young girl in blue rushed forward, grabbed the young girl in white, and spun around, using her body to shield the girl from the horse. 

A young man in black then leaped up, grabbing the horse’s neck, taking a deep breath, and with a powerful surge of strength, he forced the galloping horse to the ground.

The fine horse, clearly of great value, crashed heavily to the ground, flailing its hooves in an attempt to get up, but it remained sprawled for quite a while. The young man on the horse was also thrown to the ground with a heavy thud.

When Gu Ye snapped back to her senses, everything was over. 

Yue Yuan stood with her back to the horse, holding the girl tightly in her arms. Her brother had forced the horse to the ground and, amid the astonished gazes of the crowd, asked his sister if she was hurt.

Yin Mei, who had been delayed for a moment by the guards at the city gate, looked at her with a mixture of fear and self-blame in his seductive eyes. 

Jun Qicheng hated that he couldn’t fight and had been unable to help. At the back of the group, Gu Xiao quickly stepped forward, and upon seeing that his grandchildren were unharmed, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

The man in luxurious clothes, who had fallen from the horse, was supported by his attendants as he limped over, cursing angrily, “Do you want to die?  Do you know who I am?  How dare you block my path, you…”

“Shut up! Drunkenly riding a horse through the streets, disregarding the lives of others, nearly causing a major accident! What gives you the right to shout like that? Just because you have some money?Just because your father holds power?” Gu Ye looked at the young man coldly, showing an expression of disdain and contempt. 

So, this was what they call the young rich men of the capital, huh? She ran into one as soon as she entered the city—what a stroke of bad luck!

The young man had drunk a bit too much, but after being startled, he sobered up somewhat. He hadn’t expected that someone in the capital would dare openly criticize him. His eyes widened in anger, and he shook off his attendants’ support before swaggering in front of the bold girl, smirking crookedly and saying:

“Little girl, you’ve got quite the nerve to yell and wrangle at this County Prince! You want to know what gives me the right? Let me tell you—it’s because I am Prince Tai! And because my father is the Iron-cap Prince—Prince Rong! What do you think? Scared now?”

“Pfft!” Gu Ye sneered coldly, “How dare you yell so loudly? I bet the reputation of Prince Rong has been completely ruined by you, his disgraceful son! And besides, a prince’s crimes are no different from commoners! What’s more, you’re just a mere figurehead prince?”

“Your Highness, it seems your reckless cousin has run into a tough opponent. This family looks unfamiliar, but I wonder what support this little girl has, daring to speak so harshly in front of a county prince?” From a tavern on the street, a handsome young man in a green robe winked at the poised and noble-looking young man across from him, signaling him to look below.

The Crown Prince, dressed in a moon-white long robe, saw Gu Xiao behind the little girl, his eyes flashing with realization. He smiled slightly and said, “Let’s just watch and see. The real drama is still to come!”

Hearing the girl’s words, Prince Tai suddenly felt a pang of guilt and remembered his father’s whip, making his back burn with phantom pain. He glared at the family opposite him and tried to reassure himself that they were not people of the capital. His bravado immediately returned.

“Little girl, insulting members of the royal family in public is a serious offense! But since you’re young and it’s your first time, apologize to me now. I, the benevolent Prince Tai, will let it go and not lower myself to the level of a child!” Although Prince Tai was quite lecherous and spoiled, he wasn’t truly malicious. He assumed his magnanimity would make the girl weep in gratitude and beg at his feet.

However, the girl merely laughed coldly, mocking him: “Now I finally know what’s the sharpest thing in the world!”

“What?” Prince Tai, clueless, took the bait and fell into Gu Ye’s trap.

“It’s your beard, Prince Tai!” Gu Ye smirked. Seeing his confused expression, she kindly elaborated, “For it to pierce through your skin with such a thick face, it truly is the sharpest thing in the world!”

The bystanders burst into laughter. A man in a green robe upstairs clapped with laughter, and even the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, amused.

It finally dawned on Prince Tai that the girl was mocking him for having a thick skin. He flew into a rage and swung a hand at her.

Gu Ye stopped her brother, who was about to intervene, with a look and caught the prince’s wrist with just three fingers. Prince Tai struggled with all his might, but to no avail—he couldn’t move an inch.

Gu Ye placed her fingers on his pulse, assessed it carefully, then with a stern expression and a calm voice, said, “Your pulse is deep and faint, showing signs of extreme depletion of kidney yang. Tell me, do you often have cold extremities, sore lower back and knees, dizziness, ringing in the ears, fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, and… difficulties in your marital bed?”

The chubby Prince Tai initially glared angrily, struggling to free himself from her grip. But as he listened to her words, especially when she mentioned ‘trouble in the marital bed,’ his shock grew.

“H-How did you know?” he stammered, momentarily forgetting to struggle.

“Your condition indicates severe kidney yang deficiency,” Gu Ye said. “If left untreated, it might affect your future offspring. Young man, in your youth, you played recklessly without caring for your health, and now you regret it, don’t you?” She released his wrist, sighing dramatically like an old sage. 

Prince Tai’s round face turned from red to purple with embarrassment, but he restrained his anger. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Little girl, I am still a prince. Could you not embarrass me in front of everyone? Since you could diagnose me so quickly, you must have some skill. Can… can this condition be treated?”

Just as Gu Ye had said, Prince Tai had fallen into bad habits as a teenager when he was led astray by disreputable friends, indulging in the pleasures of brothels to excess. His youthful vigor had masked the toll it took on his health until the problem worsened.  

Once his father, Prince Rong, discovered it, he severely punished him and forced him to cut ties with those friends. 

However, Prince Tai continued his indulgence within the confines of the family estate, taking liberties with his concubines. Prince Rong’s busy schedule meant he couldn’t monitor him closely, and his mother’s doting further enabled him, causing his health to deteriorate.

When this guy finally met someone he truly cared for, gave it his all to marry her, settled down, and wanted to live a good life with his wife, he realized that he… couldn’t do it anymore!