Resplendent – Chapter 477

Chapter 477 – Before Going Onstage

Seeing the little girl make such an indecent gesture, Ling Juechen, hiding behind the Fourth Prince, covered his face, not knowing what to say!

The Fourth Prince, however, looked rather intrigued. “What does that gesture from my future sister-in-law mean? Judging by her expression, it doesn’t seem like she’s pleased. Could my future sister-in-law have misunderstood me?”

Ling Juechen shot back, “If you were a little girl and some man kept staring at you lecherously, would you be happy?” 

He knew this little girl was vindictive. If she ever decided to take action against the Fourth Prince, with his current frail body, a single mishap could be disastrous. Yan Kingdom would be in trouble!

The Fourth Prince protested, “I’m not being lecherous, okay? Even if I had the courage, I wouldn’t dare look lustfully at the woman you fancy. If my future sister-in-law has misunderstood, should I go over and explain?”

“If you go now, I can’t guarantee you won’t get beaten!” Ling Juechen nodded toward the six tall, burly, glaring brothers of the Defender Duke’s Manor, worrying for his own future. 

Marrying his wife would be a long road; his comrades need to stay sharp!

The Fourth Prince smiled. “You worry too much, brother. I am the Fourth Prince of Yan Kingdom, a proud Yan Kingdom noble. Dongling is our vassal state. Who would dare lay a hand on me?”

Ling Juechen glanced at the little girl’s older brothers. The sons of the Defender Duke, along with Gu Ming, were huddled together, whispering something head to head.

Not long after, the Fourth Prince took a few bodyguards to the outskirts for some fresh air, only to be ambushed by a group of masked men in black. The masked men were highly skilled and agile, but they clearly had no intention of causing serious harm. If he hadn’t borrowed a few experts from Ling Juechen’s side, he would have been beaten badly. Even so, the Fourth Prince’s face was bruised and battered. It seemed as though the attackers deliberately targeted his face; his body might have been hit a few times, but most of the blows landed on his face.

With his cheeks swollen and eyes bruised, the Fourth Prince had no face to appear in public, and he missed the spectacular events of the upcoming Great Pharmacists Convention.

When Gu Ye learned of this, she found her brothers and asked, slightly exasperated, “Was it you guys? Aren’t you a little too bold? That’s the Fourth Prince of Yan. This could have sparked a dispute between our nations!”

The cunning strategist, Chu Mutong, chuckled as he ruffled his sister’s hair and said, “Don’t worry. They have no evidence, and the Fourth Prince wasn’t seriously injured. Besides, the Yan Kingdom just finished a war with Li. They won’t raise an army over something so minor. This matter will just have to be left unresolved!”

Chu Xiaowu waved his fist and snorted coldly: “Dare to covet my sister? I’ll beat him until even his own mother won’t recognize him!”

Chu Xiaoliu said worriedly, “Sister will need to take more bodyguards with her whenever she goes out, in case that Fourth Prince doesn’t give up and things get messy.”

Gu Ye shook the pharmacist’s robe on her shoulders and laughed: “If he doesn’t want to make the entire pharmacist world his enemy, then let him come. I’ll make him wish he were dead!”

The next day of the convention was the assessment for the uncertified pharmacists. At dawn, Lady Jun went to her daughter’s courtyard and found her lying face down, sleeping soundly. She shook her head: this child really has no fear!

Groggily awakened by her mother, Gu Ye let the maids help her get dressed with her eyes still closed. Beneath the pharmacist robe, she wore a crimson red, tight-sleeved ruqun, over which she donned a newly made moon-white pharmacist robe made of ice-shark gauze.

Legend says ice-shark muslin was made from the hair of the East Sea mermaids, like silk but not silk, transparent and snow-bright, soft and smooth to the touch. Wearing it was cool, breathable, and comfortable.

Hua Hao brought over a basin of warm water and moistened a cloth to wash her lady’s face. She had arrived in the capital the day before the convention. She had suffered badly from severe seasickness and fell seriously ill after landing, which caused a delay of several days on the road. Fortunately, she hadn’t missed the most important moment for her lady.

Lady Jun looked at her precious daughter—fair and rosy-skinned, with dark eyebrows and curled lashes. Her eyes, still a little sleepy from just waking, were bright and moist. Her black hair flowed down her back, lips red, teeth white, looking like a little fairy straight out of a painting.

She couldn’t help but smooth her daughter’s hair and asked, “Are all your things ready?”

“There’s nothing much to prepare. The assessments in the next few days are all child’s play for me, so don’t worry,” Gu Ye replied. After washing up, she felt much more awake and stretched her limbs inside the room.

Looking down at the crimson red clothes beneath her pharmacist robe, she half-laughed, half-grimaced: “Mother, why did you pick such a red outfit for me? Are you afraid I won’t stand out enough?”

Originally, the girls attending the pharmacist assessment were already noticeable enough. She was trying to stay low-key, but her mother seemed determined to make her the center of attention.

Lady Jun smiled and adjusted the collar: “Wearing red for an exam is called ‘good fortune ahead’! You’re also wearing the moon-white pharmacist robe over it, so it’s not as flashy as you think.”

Seeing her daughter’s hair tied simply into a high ponytail, she picked a blood-red floral crown from the jewelry box to adorn the base of the ponytail. Nodding with satisfaction, she said, “This is perfect!  I don’t know what material it’s made of, but the fiery red is crystal clear—just right for this outfit.”

Gu Ye glanced at it and said, “It’s a thank-you gift from a patient. It should be jadeite, I think? I’m not really sure myself.”

“Jadeite? Now that I’ve heard of. I think only the Pagan Kingdom has it, and it’s not cheap. But I’ve always heard jadeite is either colorless or green. Blood-red jadeite is unheard of. Your patients are really generous.” She adjusted her daughter’s floral crown, then put on matching blood-red jade earrings, nodding with satisfaction. Her precious girl was so beautiful it was impossible to look away.

Gu Ye, unflinching and calm, continued to downplay it, “Compared with life and health, these material things aren’t worth mentioning.”

Lady Jun understood and nodded. She knew well that when one has been seriously ill, even an entire household’s fortune could feel like a small price for health and recovery. Only those who’ve faced severe illness can truly appreciate the value of health.

Yue Yuan and Hua Hao were busy nearby, making sure nothing was overlooked. In fact, for the junior assessment, raw materials were provided and a few herbs had to be processed. The uncertified pharmacists didn’t really need to prepare anything.

But today the weather was hot and sunny.  Knowing their young lady disliked the heat, the two maids prepared oil-paper parasols, fans, small bags of ice-cold mung bean soup, cooling pills, and tiny folding stools. For the junior assessment, apprentices were not allowed to bring medicine boys or any assistants.

After breakfast, Gu Ye, surrounded by her family, entered the assessment arena.

The arena was located at the very center of yesterday’s observation platform. The circular stands were packed with people—one glance and the crowd seemed like a sea of black heads. Yesterday, Gu Ye had been part of the audience; today, she was the one being watched, and her feelings were a mix of excitement and nerves.