Resplendent – Chapter 492

Chapter 492 — Are You Messing With Me?

The rapid clatter of hooves struck against the bluestone streets. Pedestrians hurriedly stepped aside, whispering among themselves, trying to guess what could have brought this troop riding through the streets at full gallop.

The man leading the troop pulled on the reins in front of the post station hosting the Yan Kingdom envoys and leapt down from his horse. The others dismounted in turn.

The Duke saw the guards sprawled on the ground, able to move only their eyes, and it confirmed his suspicions. He strode up the steps, crossed the threshold, and headed straight into the relay station. The Chu brothers and more than twenty guards followed closely behind.

On the street, a figure in red—Gong Lishang—arched an eyebrow and muttered to himself, “The Defender Duke? What’s he doing at the post station? Is he here to settle accounts with someone named Ling? This should be interesting!”

A devilish smile appeared on his face as he began walking slowly toward the station. His own guards followed tightly behind. 

Was their master planning to provoke Prince Ning again? Hadn’t he suffered enough already?

Inside the post station, the Duke and his entourage froze in astonishment. The courtyard was filled with bodies lying in all directions. 

Well… their eyeballs were still moving, so they couldn’t really be called corpses—barely ‘living dead,’ maybe.

“This has to be my sister’s doing!” Gu Ming shook his head slightly, a trace of helplessness on his face.

The Duke quickened his pace. Dealing with ordinary guards might be easy, but Prince Ning was another matter entirely! 

Their daughter’s only advantage was the medicine in her hands. Against a peerless expert, she might not even get a chance to use it.

Sure enough, when he entered the main hall, the Duke saw his daughter being ‘restrained’ in Prince Ning’s grasp, held high in the air… Could it be that he was about to throw Ye’er to her death? Panic surged in the Duke’s heart, and he shouted, “Prince Ning, have mercy!”

Gu Ye, snuggled in Ling Juechen’s arms and playfully pinching his chubby earlobes, froze at the familiar shout from her father. She quickly looked around, saw nothing unusual, and asked curiously, “Prince Ning? Where is he?”

“Ye’er, let me explain…” Ling Juechen knew he couldn’t hide it any longer. Feeling a little guilty, he looked at her, unsure how to begin.

“Prince Ning, my daughter is young and has offended you. Please, show mercy. If you are angry, take it out on me instead!” The Duke fixed his eyes on the scene. 

His daughter was cradled in the arms of that tall, handsome man. He felt a mix of worry, anger, and… a twinge of jealousy. 

His daughter had grown up, and he had never held her like that, yet some other man had beaten him to it!

“Ahem… There are differences between men and women. Please, Prince Ning, put the young lady down first!” She was sitting on another man’s arm with her tiny bottom supported by his large hand; the Duke couldn’t stand it any longer and had to add this admonition.

Gu Ye lowered her head. Her sparkling eyes darkened into a gathering storm. The smile on her face slowly vanished, and her voice carried a dangerous edge: “Prince Ning? Brother Chen… how do you explain the fact that you’re Prince Ning?”

“Ye’er, after returning victorious from the border, I was granted the title of Prince Ning because of my outstanding military merits. I didn’t spell it out in my letters because I wanted to give you a surprise…” Ling Juechen’s heart was in complete chaos as he hurriedly explained. 

From his experience, the little girl was truly angry this time!

“Surprise? Are you sure it’s not a shock?” Gu Ye stared down at him from above, her voice heavy and deliberate. “You made a decision on your own and suggested to the emperor that I be sent for a political marriage. What part of that is a surprise? You played me like a fool, watching me panic, get angry, feel hurt, feel wronged. Did you think it was funny? Did it give you a great sense of accomplishment?”

“That’s absolutely a misunderstanding! The proposal for the political marriage was the Fourth Prince acting on his own. I had no idea! If I wanted to ask for your hand, how could I possibly use such despicable means? You know very well that without earning your family’s trust and approval, I would never act rashly. Back in Yan City, didn’t everything prove that already?” Ling Juechen said anxiously.

But Gu Ye had no intention of listening to him now. Her face was cold as she said icily, “Put me down. I don’t want to talk to you right now. I’m afraid that if I lose control, I might poison you to death on impulse.”

“I’m not putting you down! I won’t let you go until this is explained clearly!” Ling Juechen tightened his arms around her, lifting clear, beautiful eyes to look at her pitifully. His handsome face was full of urgency and tension.

Gu Ye looked at him expressionlessly and said coldly, “I don’t want to hear your explanation right now.”

The moment she spoke, Ling Juechen felt his entire body stiffen, unable to move. The little girl in his arms slowly slid down, inch by inch leaving his embrace, and he was powerless to stop her.

His elegant brows furrowed slightly, his large, beautiful eyes misty, and his rosy lips parted as he spoke in a sorrowful tone, “Ye’er, could it be that in your heart, Brother Chen is the kind of person who would willingly let you feel hurt and sad? I’d rather endure a hundred times more pain myself than let you suffer even a fraction. I just hope you can calm down and let me explain everything to you carefully, alright?”

The Fourth Prince and the Duke’s family, seeing the cold and taciturn Prince Ning suddenly resort to the tactics of a handsome man, couldn’t help but drop their eyes in shock. They inwardly wondered: Could this Prince Ning have been switched with someone else?

Gu Ye pressed close to Ling Juechen as she slipped out of his arms. She didn’t dare look up at him, afraid that seeing his flawless face would soften her heart. She lowered her head to adjust her red dress, paused for a moment in silence, and then said:

“I want to calm down too. But the moment I think that Brother Chen actually teamed up with others and just stood by, watching me like I was some sort of entertainment… I just—You say you didn’t know what the Fourth Prince did, but surely you knew I sent Yin Mei to poison you. How could you not understand the full story? And yet you let rumors spread that the Fourth Prince had been poisoned and cured! At that time, why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you explain?”

“I didn’t want to interfere with your exams. I originally planned to appear only after you completed all your pharmacology tests, to celebrate for you…” Ling Juechen knew the little girl had trapped herself in a mental dead-end. 

No matter what he said now, she wouldn’t listen. But he still didn’t want her to misunderstand him, didn’t want her to feel sad because of him!

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear another word from you!” Gu Ye looked at him quickly, then turned and walked away.

“Ye’er, you can blame me, punish me, do whatever you want, but please don’t make yourself sick from anger,” Ling Juechen called softly toward her back, his voice trembling slightly, carrying a pitiful, almost heart-wrenching tone.

Gu Ye knew he was playing the pity card and ignored him, resolutely walking toward the hall exit. Outside, she didn’t notice when the wind had stopped, and the clouds above had grown even darker. 

Ling Juechen couldn’t help but speak with concern: “Ye’er, it’s about to rain. Take an umbrella and be careful not to get wet…”