I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 118 - 87: Magpie Workshop

The vendor, upon seeing Rong Heng’s face, had his pupils shrink and immediately lowered his head, looking at Gu Lan with great respect:

"Young Master Gu, please wait a moment. I will make it right away. What kind would you like? I have the twelve zodiac signs and can also make the sugar painting you desire."

Gu Lan’s eyes flickered. She turned around and saw Rong Heng’s expression was as usual.

Why does it seem like this vendor is more obedient to Rong Heng than to me?

"Your sugar paintings are pretty good, just make a sugar painting."

Recalling Miaoyan’s features, Gu Lan started describing, "A young girl, around fifteen years old, with long hair down to her waist, an oval face, dark eyebrows, a small mole under the right eye corner, serene and elegant demeanor, wearing a pink dress..."

The vendor hurriedly started to prepare the sugar syrup.

Rong Heng’s previously calm face turned suddenly dark after hearing Gu Lan’s words.

Gu Lan even felt a chilling wind blow by, making her sneeze.

Rong Heng clenched his fists, speaking softly: "Who is it that you’re making?"

His noble and stern face was hidden in the dim night, appearing vague and unclear.

Gu Lan looked at him curiously: "Princess Ning’an, she’s a princess who has never left the palace. I promised to bring her back a sugar figure."

So the sugar figure was not meant for him.

Rong Heng had never paid attention to Rong Miaoyan’s appearance. Only upon hearing Gu Lan’s words did he vaguely recall her features.

The little girl in the imperial family studies who always stared at Gu Lan, even more annoying than Rong Baoyi by a hundredfold.

Gu Lan... actually made a sugar figure of Rong Miaoyan’s appearance to give to her.

Rong Heng’s voice became increasingly gentle, as if a cold feather was brushing past, carrying an eerie semblance: "Gu Lan, do you fancy Rong Miaoyan?"

"Did you see him? Thick brows, big eyes, sword-like eyebrows, and starry eyes, quite good-looking, right?" Gu Lan suddenly approached Rong Heng, wrapping her arms around his neck, and took off his bamboo hat. "Can’t see? No worries, now you see, just make it like this."

As the boy said this, a sweet breath suddenly approached, almost touching Rong Heng’s brows, causing him to open his eyes wide.

It was like a sweet and cold icy drink amid extreme heat, instantly quenching the flames of jealousy in his heart.

The bamboo hat was lifted, revealing clear daylight, and pitch-black yet clear eyes reflected Gu Lan’s face, making Rong Heng’s cheeks slightly red.

"Alright, alright, I’ve got a clear look," the vendor said, astonished at the scene.

He never imagined that the master would have a day of being shy, allowing someone else to get close and even remove his bamboo hat.

And that someone was the infamous Young Master Gu in the Capital City...

Seeing the sugar figure vendor start painting Rong Heng, Gu Lan returned the bamboo hat to him, holding the sugar figure of Rong Miaoyan in her hand and asking with a tilted head, "Brother Hang, what were you just saying?"

"Nothing," Rong Heng answered with difficulty.

If Gu Lan making a sugar figure of Rong Miaoyan meant fancying her, then making one of himself? Surely, it didn’t mean fancying him.

He was probably overthinking.

"Why do you want one of my likeness?" Rong Heng asked, unable to hold back as he watched the vendor skillfully crafting a figure of him.

"Brother Hang, with your divine appearance, rarely seen in this world, it’s not too much to make one for worshipping on my bedside daily, is it?" Gu Lan replied with a cheerful smile.

Rong Heng lowered his eyes, then took out two cents, saying softly: "Make one of her likeness for me."

"Alright." The vendor took the copper coin.

"Brother Hang also wants to keep me on the bedside for daily worship?" Gu Lan asked with a grin.

Rong Heng raised his head, his Adam’s apple moving slightly: "No, I just want to eat you."

His brow ridge was pronounced, eyes usually calm but carried an aggressive undertone, that recklessness usually hidden in his cold demeanor.

That gaze made Gu Lan feel as if Rong Heng really wanted to devour her, causing her to instinctively press the corners of her lips down and turn her head away.

When the vendor finished the sugar figure in Gu Lan’s likeness, Rong Heng held it for a while, shook his head, and said: "It doesn’t look like."

Gu Lan started instructing the vendor to make a third sugar figure — in the likeness of Rong Yunhao.

Rong Heng watched as she naturally put her own sugar figure into her mouth.

With a "crunch," Young Master Gu had already bitten off half of the sugar figure.

Rong Heng immediately frowned, seeing Gu Lan telling the vendor to make another of her likeness, saying she had accidentally eaten it, so make another.

She indeed seemed intent on making ten to take back, one bite at a time for Rong Yunhao, one for himself, and yet the previously fiery words of wanting to eat Gu Lan seemed to have dissipated for Rong Heng.

Upon hearing Rong Heng’s query, Gu Lan looked at the several sugar figures in her hand and said: "Princess Ning’an’s likeness is very similar, and the Little Mouse’s too, but yours... sorry, Brother Hang, your head’s gone, let’s wait for the next one."

Rong Heng: ...

She glanced at the sugar figure of herself in Rong Heng’s hand, nodding in satisfaction: "Quite like me, but not as handsome and dashing as the real me, though I’m sure it’s very tasty."

He thought it was unlike Gu Lan, as the sugar figurine couldn’t capture her essence. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

No one could capture her likeness.

Rong Heng shifted his gaze and saw an herbal shop across the street. Clasping the sugar figurine in his hand, he said, "Wait here, I’ll go ahead to buy some medicinal herbs."

Gu Lan nodded and continued to watch the vendor create sugar figurines.

After the vendor completed the tenth figurine and the sun had fully set, bright lights were lit up on Magpie Street, but Rong Heng was still not back.

Holding a handful of sugar figurines, Gu Lan walked into the nearby herbal shop.

"What medicine does this young gentleman wish to buy?" Inside the shop, there was only a middle-aged shopkeeper.

"Just now, did a young man wearing a bamboo hat like me come to buy medicine?" Gu Lan asked.

The shopkeeper hesitated and stammered, "This... no, there wasn’t."

In the next moment, Gu Lan had already slammed the Longquan Treasure Sword on the counter in front of the shopkeeper. Her eyes were rebellious and assertive: "Are you sure there wasn’t?"

"There was, there was a young man, wearing a bamboo hat, quite distinguished, but he didn’t come to buy medicine..." The shopkeeper quickly said, pulling out a long jade box from the side.

"Then what did he come for?"

The shopkeeper opened the jade box and said, "He left this sugar figurine here, asking me to take good care of it, saying he would come back for it later."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper inspected the sugar figurine in the jade box and Gu Lan’s face beneath the hat, growing more surprised: "Ah, young gentleman, this sugar figurine seems to be you, could that young man be your brother?"

Gu Lan looked at the sugar figurine placed securely in the jade box, shook her head, smiled, but there was a bit of confusion in her eyes.

She hadn’t expected Rong Heng to care so much about this sugar figurine.

"Where has he gone now?" She closed up the jade box and returned it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper said, "That young man had just placed the sugar figurine inside when someone from Magpie Workshop came urgently to find him. I don’t know what was said, but they left together, and it’s been about an incense stick of time since then."

"Magpie Workshop?" Gu Lan frowned, "Where is that?"

Rong Heng had actually left without even telling her?

The shopkeeper looked Gu Lan up and down, stroked his beard, and asked in a hushed voice, feigning profundity: "Are you, young gentleman, here for the first time on Magpie Street?"

"Speak clearly." Gu Lan grasped the Longquan Treasure Sword, drawing an inch of the sword scabbard, which emanated a cold glint.

The shopkeeper wiped his sweat and immediately said, "Our Magpie Street, you see, wasn’t always called that. It used to be called West Que Street.

At the very back of West Que Street, there stands one of the top brothels in the entire Capital City, known as Magpie Workshop. As the literati and refined guests frequented it, over time, West Que Street just became known as Magpie Street."

"Someone from Magpie Workshop?"

"That’s a guy who works as a servant in the brothel. I can always recognize their outfit, couldn’t mistake it."

Magpie Workshop... the name sounded somewhat familiar.

Gu Lan, putting the sword away, said, "If he returns, no need to tell him I came."

She bought a box from the shopkeeper, packed her sugar figurines in it, placed it in the small bundle on her back, and then walked out of the herbal shop towards Magpie Workshop.

In ancient times, brothels and courtesan houses were different. Most women in brothels sold their art, not their bodies, while the latter was the opposite.

But, how could Rong Heng have some connection with a brothel?

The place was full of women, which made Gu Lan a bit concerned that Magpie Workshop might shut down tomorrow because of hosting the male lead.

As Gu Lan walked further into Magpie Street, she caught a very strong scent of rouge.

Before long, a building resembling a tavern appeared before Gu Lan.

There were no welcoming personnel at the entrance, but a large number of carriages were parked, and it was frequented by men in fine attire.

On her way there, she had already heard mention of Magpie Workshop’s history.

This brothel was established in the bustling Capital City, and within it, the women were proficient in musical, chess, calligraphy, and painting skills, which were their selling points. It was said, unless both parties were willing, no physical business was conducted, and even so, it still attracted many self-proclaimed romantic literati and scholars.

The large gold-gilded signboard had the characters "Magpie Workshop" written in vigorous and flamboyant script, which finally made Gu Lan realize why this place felt familiar.

In the original book, Rong Heng had a mysterious and powerful intelligence organization, called "Crow Building."

Crow Building and Magpie Workshop, both names had the character "magpie" in them, she didn’t believe this was just a coincidence.

Could it be, Magpie Workshop was actually opened by Rong Heng? The predecessor of Crow Building?

Retracting her gaze, Gu Lan removed her bamboo hat and walked straight into Magpie Workshop.

As soon as she stepped inside, two young and beautiful women welcomed her, and a thick, fragrant breeze hit her face, causing Gu Lan to frown slightly.

She had a keen sense of smell, so the scent from these two women was quite pungent to her.

"This gentleman here looks unfamiliar. Is it your first time visiting our Magpie Workshop? How should we address you?"