Resplendent – Chapter 573

Chapter 573: Discussing Marriage

“Rest assured! His Majesty’s constitution is even more robust than yours!” Ling Juechen gave him a dismissive glance.

Though the poison in the Fourth Prince’s body had been neutralized, over a decade of toxin erosion had left numerous hidden dangers. While his outward appearance seemed fine now, his internal energy was riddled with holes. If triggered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The Fourth Prince remained remarkably optimistic. Compared to his former existence—confined to bed, every organ throbbing with agony, enduring daily torments akin to being roasted over flames—he now walked, leaped, and enjoyed sharp senses and clear-headedness. Such freedom had once been unimaginable.

Besides, with his future cousin-in-law, a dual master of medicine and martial arts, by his side, he harbors no worries about his health. She assured him that with diligent cooperation and proper recuperation over a year or two, his lifespan would remain entirely unaffected! What else is there to fret about?

“Cousin, I’m just worried about you! Look at yourself. You’re already twenty-four years old. Others your age have children running about everywhere. You? You haven’t even managed to find a wife! You finally found one you like, and you can’t even win her over. Sigh…” The Fourth Prince sighed and shook his head.

Ling Juechen’s icy expression didn’t waver as he coldly replied, “Don’t forget, you’re only a few months younger than me!”

His unspoken message: You talk about me not being able to get a wife, but it’s like you’ve managed to get one yourself. Two old bachelors—neither of us should talk!

The Fourth Prince curled his lip. “My situation’s different! My health won’t allow it, and the doctor ordered abstinence from women, so I had to keep myself pure. But you? Over twenty years without a single woman? You don’t have some kind of problem, do you?”

Ling Juechen’s icy glare shot at the Fourth Prince like daggers. Had he not been the only prince in Yan Kingdom capable of shouldering great responsibilities, he might have already become a corpse—dead or crippled…

“Ahem! Just joking! You know how it is, years of illness and repression. A few playful remarks from this prince won’t hurt anyone!” The Fourth Prince sidestepped, shivering. His cousin’s gaze was terrifying!

“Stop acting like this! You’ll scare the poor girl to tears!” The Fourth Prince was a chatterbox by nature, always worrying about others. “Young ladies usually prefer gentle, refined types with a scholarly air. Cousin, you walk around with that perpetually grim face like a giant iceberg. How could you possibly win a girl’s heart?”

Ling Juechen felt like a swarm of flies buzzing around his ears, their incessant whining driving him mad. He quickened his pace, hoping to shake off the chatterbox prince. Yet the Fourth Prince doggedly followed, droning on about how to win a girl’s favor the entire way. Truth be told, he was merely spouting empty theories—never having any real-world experience himself. Just a bunch of hot air!

After seeing off those two ‘plagues,’ the Duke felt like splashing water on the floor and burning mugwort to purge the bad luck. Seeing this, Gu Ye couldn’t help but smile wryly. Her father truly had not a shred of goodwill toward Prince Ning! 

Brother Chen, you’d better hang in there!

The Duke suddenly turned to his daughter, his voice tinged with concern. “Those two, one is the Emperor of Yan, the other a prince with potential to inherit the throne; are you certain about their circumstances? Are you absolutely sure it’s fine to decline the Fourth Prince’s invitation?”

“Don’t worry, Father! When the old emperor was poisoned, they also sent pulse readings and blood samples to Yan City. I prescribed him antidotes and restorative medicines. As long as he takes them consistently, his condition won’t deteriorate rapidly. As for the Fourth Prince, you saw him yourself; he’s as lively as ever. Nothing will happen to him anytime soon!” Gu Ye’s tone was light, yet it carried a clear intent to reassure her family.

The Duke frowned deeply, pondering for a long moment before speaking. “You once said that healing the sick and saving lives is the sacred duty of a physician and apothecaries. You needn’t suppress yourself for our sake. When we formally recognized you as our child, I told you then: just be yourself. We won’t restrict you…”

“Father, if the old emperor or the Fourth Prince were in critical condition, I’d naturally step up without hesitation. But their situations aren’t that dire now! Even if they summon me, it’ll just be for administering detoxification medicine and initial recuperation. Whether I go or not makes little difference!” Gu Ye knew her father feared it might negatively impact her medical career, so she carefully explained her reasoning.

Seeing the Duke about to speak again, Gu Ye tugged at his sleeve and pleaded, “Father, this is my first year back home. I want to celebrate the New Year with you, Mother, and my brothers, to experience the family warmth I’ve missed for over a decade. Could you bear to send your daughter away from home now, to spend the holidays alone in a foreign land?”

The Duke felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. His daughter had been sent away shortly after birth, deprived of parental affection from infancy. Unbidden, a vision arose in his mind: while her adoptive family gathered together for the New Year, she was left alone, hiding in the kitchen to eat cold leftovers. Sometimes, she couldn’t even get those scraps…

The Duke’s heart twisted as if struck by a knife. Forgetting his daughter was grown, he pulled her shoulders close, his voice slightly choked with emotion. “Fine! We won’t go anywhere. This year, we’ll celebrate the festival together as a complete family! I will take you to set off firecrackers. I will make you a lantern with my own hands. I will give you a huge red envelope to make up for all the past thirteen years!”

“Yay, yay! Dad will give me a huge red envelope to make my brothers green with envy…” Gu Ye chimed in, feigning lightheartedness.

“Don’t worry, your brothers won’t be jealous of your red envelope! We’ll give you New Year’s money too!” Chu Xiaoliu walked over, ruffling his sister’s hair. Never before had he anticipated the Spring Festival with such fervor.

Gu Ye blinked, her eyes twinkling with a sly little fox smile. “Sixth Brother, will you give me all the red envelopes you get too?”

“Yours! All yours!” Chu Xiaoliu didn’t hesitate for a second. The other four brothers also promised to give her their red envelopes.

“So I’ll get seven red envelopes this year? Just thinking about it makes me so excited!” Gu Ye beamed with a greedy expression, looking utterly adorable. Her five brothers cherished her so deeply they’d pluck stars from the sky to crown her head.

The Duke was immensely pleased with his sons’ behavior. Now that was how brothers should act! Watching the harmonious warmth between siblings, his face softened into the smile of a doting father.

Suddenly, as if something occurred to him, his brow furrowed once more. After a long hesitation, he finally asked, “Ye’er, tell me honestly. What do you truly think of that Prince Ning?”

The scene in the orchard of Xiang Mountain lingered relentlessly in his mind. His daughter, straddling Prince Ning’s neck, wore a smile brighter than the evening glow. The genuine joy in her eyes and the unspoken harmony between them haunted him.

From the brief exchange between the Fourth Prince and Prince Ning moments ago, he pieced together that Prince Ning had once fallen into the trap set by the Second Prince of Yan Kingdom, who plotted rebellion. He had been poisoned with the deadly Seven Deaths Powder. Fortunately, his daughter had rescued him and nursed him back to health by her side…

He could vividly imagine the scene during that convalescence: a strikingly handsome, valiant young man, and a young girl just awakening to love, innocent and naive. If Prince Ning truly harbored feelings for his daughter, how could she possibly resist?

Gu Ye paused in surprise. She hadn’t expected her father to bring this up himself. Yet she didn’t evade or conceal anything, replying frankly: “Prince Ning? He’s quite good! Tall and imposing, exceptionally handsome, a sight to behold. His martial prowess is formidable; he’s a war god in the army, exuding a strong sense of security. His background is respectable too. He’s like ours, from a distinguished military lineage. You’ll have no troublesome mother-in-law or difficult younger sister-in-law to contend with. He fits every ideal criterion a young woman could seek in a husband…”

Though her daughter’s assessment was objective, the Duke felt a pang of envy. Truthfully, she was right. 

Prince Ning’s lineage and personal qualities made him the perfect son-in-law. That is, if one disregarded the fact that he was a prince of another kingdom.

“And you? Do you also consider him the ideal match?” the Duke asked, his voice tinged with unease.

Gu Ye didn’t blush and stammer like most young girls would. She fidgeted with her fingers, glancing up at her father, unsure whether to speak the truth.

Reborn into this life, she carried many secrets too profound to share. Yet here was someone willing to bear and share those burdens—someone who had loved her across two lifetimes. What reason did she have not to choose him? Moreover, she knew she loved him too, and had already made up her mind!

The Duke sighed bitterly to himself. The very thing he had feared had finally come to pass. Exhaling slowly, he said, “You needn’t hold back any reservations. Speak your truest feelings. Ye’er, you must understand that as long as you find happiness, your father and mother will never go against your wishes…”

This topic was clearly not something the Chu brothers wished to confront either. In their minds, their sister was still so young. Finding a husband for her could wait several more years, so why pressure her now to confess her feelings for someone? Prince Ning really had to go and pluck someone else’s cabbage! Why did he have to choose their sister?

“Father, she’s only thirteen. Even noble ladies in the capital often wait until eighteen before discussing marriage! She’s just been found and hasn’t even had a few days to enjoy family happiness and warmth. Why rush to marry her off?” Chu Mutong fanned himself rapidly, his agitated movements betraying his unsettled state.

“Exactly! Exactly!” Gu Ye jumped on the bandwagon. “Third Brother speaks my mind. Even if I were to take a fancy to Prince Ning, I couldn’t marry him immediately! Such a weighty matter should wait until your daughter is older. Perhaps by then, having matured, I’ll realize this so-called affection is merely youthful confusion and infatuation. Worrying about this now is premature!”

“Is that truly how you feel?” Was her daughter’s affection for Prince Ning merely a fleeting infatuation? The Duke’s intuition told him she was merely appeasing him.