Chapter 476 — Interested in the Princess?
And that faint smile at the corner of her lips; he couldn’t shake the feeling that the little girl’s smile held a trace of mischief.
Baili Yunji lowered his head to check his attire for today. There didn’t seem to be anything improper about it. How strange!
After all the pharmacists of various ranks had entered, it was time for the performances presented by each nation. There were breathtaking dances, thrilling acrobatics, and even fire-breathing and sword-swallowing acts. For the young ladies who seldom left their boudoirs, it was naturally fascinating.
But Gu Ye was nearly falling asleep, propping her chin up in boredom. Compared to the performances she had seen on television in her previous life, these were child’s play—truly dull.
On the Yan Kingdom delegation’s viewing platform, Ling Juechen quickly spotted the little girl he missed so dearly. Using the Fourth Prince’s body as cover, he subtly peeked in her direction. Today, his little girl wore a cherry-pink ruqun embroidered with spring begonias. Her hair was styled into two delicate bud-shaped buns, with straight bangs framing a pair of bright, sparkling eyes… Dressed like this, she looked even more petite and charming.
“Cousin Muqing, what are you looking at?” The Fourth Prince followed his line of sight and first saw a girl in a fiery red liuxian long dress. She looked about fourteen or fifteen, her hair styled into a liuxian bun with a blooming pomegranate flower pinned to one side. Her cheeks were like red lychees, her lips like red tassels—radiant and stunning.
Huh? Could it be that the mighty War God of their Yan Kingdom actually liked that type of girl?
When it came to arranging a marriage for his aunt’s only son, the emperor had practically turned half-white with worry. He had fretted endlessly over it. Now that his cousin finally seemed to have met a young lady he liked, he absolutely had to help bring the match to fruition!
The Fourth Prince tapped his fan against his palm and teased him, “Cousin, so you’re actually interested in Prince Qing’s daughter, Princess Anya? I’ve heard she has a straightforward personality and quite the temper. Only someone like you could tame such a little firebrand!”
“Who? Who is Princess Anya?” Ling Juechen was focused entirely on his little girl. She looked utterly bored and listless. Clearly, these performances didn’t suit her taste.
The Fourth Prince chuckled: “Cousin, stop pretending. Can you swear you didn’t just look at that girl in the red dress? The girl in red is seated next to Prince Qing, right beside the Defender Duke of the State’s family. The Defender Duke has six sons and no daughters. Then it can only be Princess Anya of Prince Qing’s Manor!”
“…” Ling Juechen shot him a look of pure disdain, leaving him to figure it out himself.
The Fourth Prince was stunned. “It’s not? Impossible!”
He looked again in the direction of Prince Qing’s seating area, then suddenly his jaw dropped wide open as he stared in disbelief. “Don’t tell me… it’s that tiny little one next to Princess Anya?! Oh my God! So that’s your preference?!”
He then stared rigidly at the War God of Yan with an expression that clearly said ‘I never imagined you were that kind of person.’ The icy demon god turned out to be a pedophile? It was too shocking!
“If you want your eyes to remain intact, take back that filthy look!” Ling Juechen ground his molars.
His little girl was already thirteen! Among some tribes beyond the passes, girls that age could already be married! She only looked young—her face was just a bit babyish.
To preserve his eyesight, the Fourth Prince hurriedly withdrew his gaze. Then, cautiously, he looked again at the tiny girl. Hmm! She looked quite adorable—skin fair as snow, big dewy eyes, bright and wet like… the little deer he raised in his back garden.
But no matter how he looked at her, she seemed so young. Was she even ten yet? Are you sure you don’t have a thing for children, Cousin?
With him staring so blatantly, how could Gu Ye not notice? She glanced toward the Yan Kingdom envoys. A young man she didn’t recognize, his pale face tinged with green, was looking like a sickly scholar who had just recovered from a long illness. And those dead-fish eyes were actually staring at her? Did he not want his eyeballs anymore?
The Fourth Prince bit his handkerchief dramatically: Waaah waaah, you little couple are bullying me. Both of you have this habit of threatening to dig out people’s eyes. Bad, bad people!
The moment Gu Ye looked over, Ling Juechen swiftly hid behind the Fourth Prince and solemnly warned him, “Hurry up and look away. Staring at your future cousin-in-law; what are you thinking?”
“Tsk-tsk-tsk! Your name inquiry hasn’t been done yet, and you’re already calling her my cousin-in-law. I never knew my cousin was this kind of person!” The Fourth Prince’s eyes rolled mischievously. His cool, aloof cousin rarely showed interest in any girl. Should he give things a little push from behind?
“That tiny one… cough-cough—my future cousin-in-law, is she from Prince Qing’s manor or the Defender Duke’s manor?” the Fourth Prince asked, pretending it was casual.
Ling Juechen originally didn’t want to respond, but he did want to assert his claim over his little girl, so he said, “She’s the young daughter the Defender Duke’s household just recovered.”
“Wow! You even found out about this; truly attentive of you. Clearly, Cousin, you’ve been eyeing that little girl for more than just a day or two. When did you meet her? How did she catch your eye? Tell me!” The Fourth Prince’s curiosity was burning like wildfire.
Ling Juechen gave him a cold glance and leaned back in his chair, having no intention of replying. The Fourth Prince felt a pang of disappointment, rubbed his chin, and kept sneaking glances at his future cousin-in-law.
“Who’s that sickly-looking guy over there? His gaze is so creepy!” Gu Ye couldn’t stand his stare and whispered to Princess Anya in complaint.
Following Gu Ye’s glare, Princess Anya looked in that direction, frowned slightly, and said, “That’s the Yan Kingdom envoy. I heard their Fourth Prince has just recovered from a long illness, and he’s accompanying the envoy to obtain medicine for his health. The Second Prince was punished to guard the imperial tombs, the Third Prince is useless, so Emperor Shengde pinned all hopes on this sickly Fourth Prince.”
The Fourth Prince? It seems Brother Chen sent someone to fetch the antidote for the Fourth Prince. The old emperor and his son in the Yan Kingdom have been extremely unlucky, both poisoned…
That Second Prince was truly a sinister villain—Brother Chen almost got trapped by him! Guarding the imperial tombs? That’s way too light a punishment!
“I heard the Fourth Prince’s frail body is because he was poisoned as a child! The Second Prince’s mother had a hand in it… He’s lucky, though, because he recently found the antidote. Otherwise, how could he have survived such a long, bumpy journey?” Princess Anya gossiped about the Yan Kingdom royal family’s secret.
This matter wasn’t exactly a secret in the Yan Kingdom, but she hadn’t expected it to spread all the way to Fanjing.
“Haha! The Fourth Prince keeps staring at you. He hasn’t taken a fancy to you, has he?” Princess Anya nudged her and whispered teasingly.
“Him?” Gu Ye snorted.
Does he think he’s long-lived? His poison wasn’t fully neutralized, but his lust was already showing. If the Fourth Prince actually dared to have improper thoughts about her, she’d make him taste a far more potent poison and regret ever being born!
With that in mind, she provocatively lifted an eyebrow toward the Fourth Prince, bared her teeth, and raised her middle finger.
TL Note: Please see some translation changes with the noble title from now on. I’ll try to change some of them in previous chapters.
Duke Zhen/Duke of Zhen = Defender Duke of the State or just Defender Duke
Duke Zhen’s Manor – Defender Duke of the State’s Manor, Defender Duke’s Manor, or just Duke’s Manor
Peek-Aboo 
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