I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 173 - 118: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 173: Chapter 118: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

A team of stern-faced household soldiers burst into the private room, stunning everyone inside.

Moments later, the Second Prince emerged, dressed and visibly furious, whispering angrily, "Gu Lan, we were friends once. It was I who first brought you to the Drunk Flower House. Why do you now insist on opposing me?"

As a prince, sneaking out of the palace was against protocol, and now he had been caught in public.

Gu Lan suddenly realized, "So it was you who brought me to the brothel back then."

"What are you trying to do?!" the Second Prince shouted in rage.

Gu Lan took out a folding fan, waving it gently, exuding elegance and composure in stark contrast to the fuming Rong Qijun.

"Apologies, it was a mistake this time."

Rong Qijun was livid, but due to the many eyes upon him, he said nothing more. Outside the palace, nothing he said would be right, and all he wanted was to escape.

Just as he was about to leave, Wei Chengyuan suddenly appeared, grabbing his collar and setting him aside.

Ever since Gu Lan jokingly said he made the Emperor unwittingly play the father, Wei Chengyuan’s feelings towards the Second Prince and Consort Qian had become particularly complicated.

Today, upon hearing Lanlan say they were going to catch the mastermind behind her assassination attempt, he specifically came to protect her, never expecting the Second Prince to be involved, which gave Wei Chengyuan a bad premonition.

Could it be that the Second Prince is connected to those who harmed Lanlan?

"If the Second Prince wants to leave, he must wait until my master’s search is complete," the leading household soldier said coldly, ignoring the Second Prince’s murderous glare.

The household soldiers of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion were not ordinary servants but elite troops.

Unlike the Rui Prince, who was devoted to defending Dayan, and the old Marquis, who was cautious and loyal to the Emperor, Marquis Gu was different.

He wasn’t as diligent or selfless, so he openly and legitimately transferred soldiers from the army to guard his household.

There weren’t many of them anyway, and it wasn’t illegal.

These household soldiers were fierce and imposing, akin to hardened military veterans.

"Young Master, what do you mean by this? Is there a fugitive here in the Drunk Flower House?" the madam trembled, never having seen such a scene.

The key was that even if there was a fugitive, it wasn’t Gu Lan’s place to apprehend them.

Gu Lan surveyed everyone, observing the stunned men and women, and smiled slightly, saying, "Everyone, don’t move or leave... Once I’ve caught the one I’m after, I’ll naturally let you all go."

A man, with a woman in each arm, shouted sternly, "Gu Lan, under the Emperor’s reign, how dare you be so arrogant!"

The patrons, having their enjoyment disrupted, became agitated one by one.

"Gu Lan, you used to be just a good-for-nothing, but now you even dare to mobilize the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion’s guards for your antics, it’s absurd!"

Gu Lan yawned, pulling out a chair to sit in the center, "It’s laughable, I am still the same youth as before, why are you so shocked?"

"Young Master Gu, do you know who’s behind the Drunk Flower House? It’s Minister Qian! You dare take action here."

"So what if the Drunk Flower House belongs to the Qian Family? I reckon the Qian Family can’t afford to offend the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion either."

The crowd was furious, but dared not speak up.

They suddenly realized that Young Master Gu’s previous reckless behavior was even worse, and just because he became a companion in the palace and calmed down in the past six months, it didn’t mean he had changed.

Some people, considering their reputations, kept quiet until a well-dressed man stepped forward, "Young Master Gu, we are all court officials, yet you hold no official position. On what grounds do you prevent us from leaving?"

She glanced at the speaker, then at the two beauties surrounding him, and said:

"Vice Minister Zhao, at the Mid-Autumn Festival, your wife was seven months pregnant, and is now about to give birth. Is this how you repay her?"

Vice Minister Zhao’s expression changed, a blush of shame appearing on his face.

"Brother Li, hasn’t your father always been known for his frugality? Is there no rice left at home? How do you have money for indulging in flower wine?"

"I..."

"Second Place Chen, weren’t you in the same class as Third Place Qin back in the day? How can you look middle-aged already, suffering from kidney deficiency, yet still visiting brothels? Aren’t you afraid of dying in bed?"

"And you, aren’t you the beggar from Magpie Street with the broken legs? What, can’t even your two broken legs control your third leg? Do you need me to break that one too?"

"..."

These people were mostly the elite of the Capital City, unused to being spoken to this way, yet Young Master Gu’s remarks left them unable to retort.

Gu Lan rested for a moment, crossing his legs, "Say a few words less, and simply bear witness for me without making me waste my breath."

At this moment, Gu Changting kicked open another door and shouted, "Brother Lan, we caught him!"

Everyone turned towards the sound, instinctively moving their steps and craning their necks.

Who could warrant such a large-scale capture led by Gu Lan?

Gu Lan walked over and saw Gu Changting with a solemn expression, holding a long sword, the blade resting on the man’s neck.

"Minister Qian—" someone exclaimed towards the middle-aged man.

"Uncle, why are you here too?" The Second Prince squeezed in and was momentarily surprised upon seeing the man, then coldly shouted, "Gu Changting, are you mad, pointing a sword at the current minister!"

Gu Changting shook his head; his expression was extremely serious, devoid of his usual nonchalance, and he said word by word:

"My sword only points to those who collude with the Qiangrong and betray the country."

As the words fell, it was as if a stone stirred up a thousand waves.

"What do you mean?" Rong Qijun’s pupils contracted as he carefully examined the other people in the room.

Beside him, Jiang Qu was tied to a pillar in the room. Duoji was untying him, his deep voice choking, "Brother, this prince finally found you, you have suffered so much because of Basang!"

Gu Changting shook his head with a complex expression and continued, "Brother Lan, the one who wronged you is not the Qiangrong, but Minister Qian, which I never expected."

Gu Lan raised an eyebrow, meeting the gaze of the middle-aged man, and calmly said, "So you are Mr. Qian, I have long heard of you."

It turns out that the mastermind behind Jiang Qu’s assassination attempt on her really was the Qian Family.

The man Gu Changting pointed his sword at was the head of the Qian Family, Minister of Revenue Qian Zhen, who was also Consort Qian’s brother.

"Junior Minister Gu, Young Master Gu, this is a misunderstanding!" Minister Qian looked into Gu Lan’s eyes with a flash of deep hatred, then bowed his head and hurriedly began to explain.

"I, today..." He intended to say that he was merely having a meal with Jiang Qu today, and that he didn’t know what Jiang Qu had said upon seeing Duoji, which led to Jiang Qu being tied up by Duoji before he could react, as Gu Changting had barged in.

However, he absolutely could not say this.

The entire Capital City was searching for Jiang Qu; if he spoke the truth, wouldn’t it be admitting to harboring a Qiangrong individual!

Minister Qian steadied his mind and said, "I originally discovered this Qiangrong person’s whereabouts and specifically came to capture him! That’s why I tied him up, and it just so happened that the Eldest Prince appeared, this is a misunderstanding."

Gu Lan pointed to another red-haired Qiangrong who had already been subdued by household soldiers and asked, "And what about this person? You tied up Jiang Qu, why didn’t you tie him up?"

Minister Qian’s face changed, having no choice but to explain, "He is just Jiang Qu’s guard—"

Duoji, with reddened eyes, interrupted him with a roar, "Uncle, I know him, his name is Basang, he is a traitor of our Royal Court! When I entered, Jiang Qu was unconscious, and this gentleman was talking with Basang!

Basang’s tribe was annexed by our Royal Court years ago, and seeing his young age, I let him be Jiang Qu’s guard. Little did I expect he turned against Jiang Qu, it was him and another master of disguise who impersonated Jiang Qu to command our Qiang and Rong Warriors to assassinate you! Afterwards, he abducted Jiang Qu, causing Jiang Qu to be missing for so long."

These words were a pre-arranged excuse between Gu Lan and Duoji.

Gu Lan promised him that, as long as they caught those collaborating with Jiang Qu, Jiang Qu’s life would be spared, allowing Duoji to use his eloquence to wash him clean.

The Basang Duoji spoke of as betraying them was actually a loyal guard to Jiang Qu. He was merely fabricating a story to bolster the truth of this event.

It was true that Minister Qian collaborated with Jiang Qu, but Duoji reached Jiang Qu first and convinced him to act with him, with the purpose of publicly exposing Minister Qian, leaving him no grounds for escape.

Now, the person cooperating with Minister Qian had become "Basang who betrayed the Royal Court," not only cleansing Jiang Qu but also not affecting the current peaceful relations between Yan Country and the Qiangrong.

Everyone looked towards the booth, seeing an unfinished meal with two sets of utensils. Clearly, Minister Qian was dining with someone else.

This Eldest Prince Duoji was here to find his brother,

and in this room,

his brother was tied up,

while Minister of Revenue Mr. Qian Zhao, was conversing and drinking with another Qiangrong individual.

Many people knew that when Gu Lan was attacked a few days ago, the Eldest Prince Duoji’s claim was that his brother was impersonated and conspired against by rebels on their Royal Court’s side, leading to his disappearance. This scene seemed to confirm that, as it was indeed an impersonation, given that the person was tied up.

He was tied up by the traitor Basang mentioned by the Eldest Prince.

Why was this rebel staying with Mr. Qian?

To the people of Yan Country, regardless of whether Basang was truly a traitor to the Royal Court, he was, nevertheless, an Alien Clan member.

But Minister Qian was harboring an Alien Clan individual, conspiring against Young Master Gu.