Resplendent – Chapter 519

Chapter 519 – Satisfaction

“No, no! Mother, guess again!” Prince Tai crouched in front of the consort like a little puppy, his eyes sparkling as if begging for a bone.

“Xiao Qi, what are you making your mother guess for?” Prince Rong, his big belly leading the way, strode in from outside like a dragon among tigers. He raised an eyebrow at his youngest son and glared. “How old are you, still whining in front of your mother? What a spoiled habit!”

“Who are you talking about?” Princess Consort Rong frowned, her face long with displeasure. “Now it’s my fault for spoiling him? Where were you all this time? You, as his father, have you done your duty? Dragon begets dragon, phoenix begets phoenix, the mouse’s son knows how to dig holes: that saying isn’t wrong at all. Your son has been spoiled by you!”

When Prince Rong was young, he had been charming and handsome, leaving behind a trail of romantic entanglements. Fortunately, he had some sense and could smooth things over afterward. Despite having many concubines, he always respected and cherished his legal wife. Only in recent years, with age, had his heart settled down.

Prince Rong glanced at his daughter-in-law sipping tea quietly nearby in embarrassment and said, “Why are you bringing up old trivial matters? The young ones are still here… Right, Xiao Qi, what exactly did you make your mother guess? Let me help too.”

“Mother, think about it. Who in the capital has been searching for a child all this time?” Prince Tai noticed his mother’s expression darken and quickly tried to redirect the topic, inwardly frustrated that his father had arrived at the wrong moment.

Prince Rong didn’t even need to think. “Guess? Isn’t it the Defender Duke’s Manor? They lost a daughter years ago and just found her. Their daughter somehow got herself, what’s it called… a ‘bicycle.’ Every time he goes to court, he doesn’t even ride a horse anymore, strutting around on his bicycle. A simple two-wheeled thing, and he shows it off everywhere like it’s treasure. Honestly, what a lack of taste!”

“Father, you didn’t go borrow the bicycle and got refused, did you?” Prince Tai asked, hitting the sore spot.

Prince Rong’s face immediately darkened. “Who said I borrowed it? I already spoke with the shopkeeper at Yinzhen Pavilion. If a second one comes in, it’s mine. I’ll pay double! I really have no idea how that guy’s daughter got it from there in the first place!”

Prince Rong’s mind was full of that two-wheeled, fast-pedaling bicycle. But Princess Consort Rong focused on the real point: “The daughter of the Defender Duke’s family was found? Son, are you telling me that the long-lost daughter of the Duke is the mysterious pharmacist behind Gu Pharmaceutical?”

“What? Gu Pharmaceutical? What does that have to do with the Duke’s family?” Prince Rong furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.

His consort glared at him impatiently. “Stop interrupting and listen to your son!”

“Mother, you’re way too smart. You guessed it right on the first try!” Prince Tai grinned, his eyes squinting in delight.

Seeing her son so happy, Princess Consort Rong couldn’t help but laugh along. But upon thinking it over, something seemed off. “The Duke’s daughter… she was sent away before the family’s troubles, right? Isn’t that girl only thirteen this year? Son, are you sure she’s really the pharmacist behind Gu Pharmaceutical? Are you not mistaken?”

“No doubt about it! She was taken in from a young age as the last disciple by the Sage Apothecary. Grand Pharmacist Jiang is her senior brother, and even my Brother Jiang, whom I had been trying so hard to befriend just a few days ago, has sincerely called her Little Aunt Master!”

Prince Tai conveniently forgot the ugly incident of him following Jiang Zhongtian and calling someone ‘Little Aunt Master’ over and over. Thanks to his wife, Miss Ye even called him Brother-in-law! He knew he couldn’t let that continue casually, there was a generational gap to respect! 

“That little girl really is talented. She is so young and already a Level 7 Pharmacist…” Princess Consort Rong couldn’t help but marvel.

Prince Rong was completely confused and finally found a chance to interject, “What exactly are you talking about? I don’t understand. How is the Duke’s daughter related to Gu Pharmaceutical?”

Princess Consort Rong rolled her eyes at him and continued discussing with her son: “The Duke had six sons before finally having this one daughter, who grew up away from home. Naturally, he wouldn’t want her sent back to Yan City. So… the talk about moving Gu Pharmaceutical’s factory to the capital isn’t baseless.”

“Of course! Do you want to guess where Fei’er and I went before returning home?” Prince Tai was enjoying teasing them.

“Don’t tell me you went to the Duke’s Manor? And they didn’t beat you out with a big stick?” Princess Consort Rong teased. The Duke’s older sons were all accomplished men. They would never get along with her youngest son. It was unlikely they would welcome him, much less when he barged in so boldly.

Prince Tai exclaimed, “Of course not! Have you forgotten my mother-in-law’s relationship with the Duchess? When Fei’er was born, she almost snatched her to raise as her own daughter. This time, your son got lucky because of the wife you helped me choose!”

The story between Prince Tai and Shangguan Fei was a long one. Back then, he had fallen head over heels at first sight on the polo field, captivated by Shangguan Fei’s heroic and graceful demeanor. To win her heart, he had put in quite a bit of effort.

However, to get past his mother, he had devised a little scheme, making her believe that only by marrying a strong-willed and capable wife could he be kept from running wild outside. It was at that time that Shangguan Fei was chosen by Princess Consort Rong.

Of course, thinking back on the hardships he endured just to marry her, Prince Tai couldn’t help but shed a bitter little tear for himself. His father-in-law and elder brothers-in-law were truly formidable!

Princess Consort Rong also recalled that the Marchioness of Yongning and the Duchess of the Defender Duke had been friends since childhood. With Shangguan Fei visiting in the capacity of a junior relative, the Duchess would certainly not have turned her away.

“The medicine I later took was also obtained by Fei’er personally going to the Duke’s Manor to petition for it on my behalf. So, when I said the medicine was absolutely genuine, I meant it,” Prince Tai said, boosting his wife’s favor in front of his mother.

As expected, Princess Consort Rong cast a satisfied glance at Shangguan Fei. She had indeed chosen a good daughter-in-law. Although Fei was still a bit far from being completely steady, generous, and virtuous, a gentle and virtuous woman wasn’t necessarily the right fit for her youngest son. Since marrying her, her son rarely indulged in reckless behavior outside, and his friends who had been a bad influence were cut off. He was no longer causing trouble.

Despite her son having a chronic condition, his wife had never despised him; instead, she had borne many grievances for him. Time and again seeking medical help and facing repeated disappointment, without her encouragement and comfort, who knows what her son would have become?

Now, once again, she petitioned tirelessly for medicine on her husband’s behalf. How could Princess Consort Rong not be moved?