"I'm hitting you for a good reason!" Shi Minglong was so angry that his face turned pale. The hand he had raised high couldn't stop trembling.
This good - for - nothing brat! Why did he have to provoke Gu Ruobai?
When his servant came back and told him that Gu Ruobai had come and claimed that his princess, Su Mingyu, had been kidnapped by his son, Shi Minglong didn't believe it.
He even swore to Gu Ruobai that it must not be his son, Shi Jian, who had done such a thing.
But when he nervously led Gu Ruobai to the backyard, he saw at a glance Shi Jian directing a large group of men to surround Su Mingyu.
Shi Minglong's heart sank instantly.
Not only was it true that his son had kidnapped the princess, but he even wanted to do something to Su Mingyu! This was simply courting death!
At this moment, Shi Minglong didn't even dare to look at Gu Ruobai's face. Just from the cold look in his eyes, Shi Minglong knew that he had really been badly hurt by this bastard son this time!
Shi Jian covered his face. Seeing his father's extremely ugly expression and then looking at Gu Ruobai, he suddenly realized, "Th - th - this woman is actually the princess?"
Shi Jian pointed at Su Mingyu in front of him in disbelief. "But, but isn't Prince Ruixian not married yet?"
As he said this, Shi Jian suddenly remembered something. "Su Mingyu! You're Su Mingyu!"
No wonder no matter how he asked, no one knew who she was. She was actually the daughter of Su Zhengyi.
He had always hated Su Zhengyi and his group, so he never bothered to ask about her identity. He never thought it would be Su Mingyu!
The woman that Prince Ruixian liked so much that he had asked the emperor for her hand in marriage in front of all the court officials.
The woman who had shocked the capital with her literary talent and then won the first place in the autumn hunting. Even the emperor had taken a fancy to her. She was at the height of her popularity and fame. And he had actually provoked such a person!
Shi Jian's legs went weak and he suddenly knelt on the ground. He looked at Gu Ruobai, whose face was as black as coal, with a pleading look, and stammered, "Prince Ruixian... Your Highness, I'm just a fool who didn't recognize your status. Please don't take it to heart..."
Gu Ruobai didn't even glance at him. From the moment he entered, his eyes had almost always been on Su Mingyu. Now, Gu Ruobai was looking at Su Mingyu with a deep look in his eyes and said coldly, "Next time something like this happens, inform me earlier."
Feeling a little scared under his intense gaze, Su Mingyu touched her nose and quickly said in a humble tone, "This was completely an accident..."
Then Su Mingyu carefully looked at Gu Ruobai and whispered, "Are you... angry?"
Gu Ruobai gave her a faint look. There was only deep concern in his beautiful eyes.
Gu Ruobai then turned to Shi Minglong and said coldly, "Kidnapping a royal relative, Shi Minglong, you're really bold."
Shi Minglong immediately knelt on the ground with his head bowed low. "Please forgive me, Prince Ruixian. I was completely unaware of this matter before."
"However, no matter what, it's my fault for not teaching my son well. I just hope that Your Highness will consider that my son is a first - time offender and didn't know her identity... Please be lenient."
As he said this, Shi Minglong knocked his head on the ground. "In the future, if Your Highness ever has any use for me, just say a word and I will do my best!"
Hearing Shi Minglong trying to downplay this matter as a childish prank in just a few words, Su Mingyu couldn't help but find it funny. This man really had a silver tongue that could talk a dead man back to life.
Gu Ruobai glanced at him. His eyes were still cold. "As an important official in the court, you, Minister Shi, should naturally do your best for the affairs within the court. This is only natural. Are you telling this prince that you haven't been serving the court before?"
With just one sentence, Gu Ruobai had elevated Shi Minglong's actions to the level of national interests.
Hearing this, Shi Minglong was so scared that his whole body went limp. He quickly kowtowed. "I wouldn't dare, Your Highness! I've always been diligent and have never slackened off."
"I should think not!" Gu Ruobai's face was gloomy. "Now, Master Shi Jian, can you tell me why you had someone kidnap my princess?"
Shi Jian had thought this matter was over, but he didn't expect Gu Ruobai to start dealing with him now.
He pursed his lips and couldn't say a word for a long time.
How could he say it?
Should he tell Gu Ruobai that he had just gotten drunk and accidentally stumbled into a private room?
That he had seen Su Mingyu inside and, out of lust, had intended to do something improper to her, but instead had been outwitted by her? And that now he was just trying to get revenge?
Even a fool could tell that if he said so, he might die even faster.
Seeing Shi Jian being so silent, Gu Ruobai suddenly slapped the table hard. "Don't you dare not confess honestly!"
That low growl was extremely terrifying, making Shi Jian tremble involuntarily. "I... I, please forgive me, Prince Ruixian! I'm a fool who didn't recognize Miss Su's status. I'm willing to apologize to Miss Su..."
Before Shi Jian could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Before he could react, he was sent flying.
Shi Jian covered the place that had been hit and looked at Gu Ruobai in disbelief. He blurted out, "Your martial arts aren't ruined?"
Shi Minglong was also stunned. The palm that Gu Ruobai had used to hit Shi Jian clearly contained full - fledged inner strength, which was enough to prove that Gu Ruobai was not a useless person as the outside world had rumored.
"When did this prince ever say that all my martial arts were ruined?" Gu Ruobai looked coldly at the two people kneeling on the ground. "What's ruined is this prince's legs, not his hands. It's more than enough to deal with a playboy like you."
"That's not right!" Shi Jian jumped up from the ground. "Prince Ruixian, I have something to say."
Shi Minglong saw that his son was still talking to Gu Ruobai in such an arrogant tone. He was so anxious that he tugged at the corner of Shi Jian's clothes. "Jian'er, stop talking."
But Shi Jian didn't listen at all. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Su Mingyu with a sarcastic look, then at Prince Ruixian. "I admit that I drank too much and didn't recognize Miss Su Mingyu, so I made improper advances towards her."
"But!" Shi Jian gritted his teeth and pointed at Su Mingyu. "As everyone knows, Prince Ruixian hurt his leg and can't walk. And when I saw Su Mingyu that day, she was alone with a masked white - robed man in a private room."
"There was no one else in the whole private room except them. Prince Ruixian! This woman is clearly fickle and not worth your anger."
Shi Jian said this with great indignation, as if he was really thinking about Gu Ruobai.