I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 211 - 144: Old Man?

The palace maid glanced at Concubine Yi, her gaze falling on Gu Lan behind her: "And this is——?"

Concubine Yi respectfully said, "This is Gu Lan, a nephew from my maternal family. The other day, she found an ancient copy of the Lengjia Scripture. She plans to give it to me, and since Your Ladyship mentioned this scripture before, I brought her along to present it."

The palace maid, hearing this name, thought for a moment. The Empress has long been devoted to Buddhism, studies Buddhist scriptures, and enjoys collecting rare copies, and indeed has mentioned this scripture.

"Might I trouble you to announce us."

The palace maid hesitated briefly and said reluctantly, "Concubine Yi, it is not that I refuse to announce you, but the Empress specifically instructed no one to disturb her after she entered the Buddhist Hall today."

Gu Lan looked at the palace maid and suddenly remembered that she was the very personal maid of Empress Su that she and Rong Heng overheard in the Yonghua Palace’s side hall, the one involved with the Emperor, Wenyuan.

She stepped forward and said, "As far as I know, the Empress was extremely agitated upon learning of Princess Ning’an’s betrothal."

On the way, Gu Lan had already learned that the Empress, in her wrath, had slapped the Imperial Eunuch sent by the Empress Dowager.

Wenyuan frowned and said, "Indeed displeased, but the Empress has always been calm and composed. After returning from Yonghua Palace, she said she wanted to copy scriptures in peace, not to be disturbed by outsiders."

Gu Lan’s eyes narrowed and asked, "When did the Empress return to the Buddhist Hall from Yonghua Palace?"

"About half a two-hour. After the Princess went to Qianyuan Hall, the Empress returned here."

Gu Lan suddenly turned her head: "Quick, summon the Imperial Physician!"

Having said this, she prepared to walk into the Buddhist Hall.

Wenyuan was taken aback and quickly blocked Gu Lan’s way: "What does Young Master Gu mean by this? Although the Empress is unwell, she seemed fine before entering the Buddhist Hall. Please, do not alarm everyone, especially since this is a place of reverence in the Imperial Palace——"

Concubine Yi reacted swiftly, ignoring Wenyuan and immediately sent someone to the Imperial Hospital.

Gu Lan stared at Wenyuan and took a step forward, saying, "I have no time for your nonsense. If you’re still the Empress’s maid, go in and see how the Empress is doing! Or have you, Miss Wenyuan, forgotten who your master is?"

Her deep and cold gaze was like the sharp glint of a sword, making Wenyuan shiver all over.

In those eyes, it was as if everything about her was laid bare.

Though she had betrayed Empress Su by being involved with the Emperor, Wenyuan still feared something might have indeed happened to the Empress.

She involuntarily took a few steps back, no longer resisting, and entered the Buddhist Hall first.

"Ah——!"

Moments later, a shrill scream erupted from within the Buddhist Hall.

Gu Lan and Concubine Yi rushed in immediately, finding Wenyuan fallen to the ground, her face drained of color, pointing into the distance.

"Im-Imperial Physician! Call the Imperial Physician, the Empress has hanged herself!"

Concubine Yi couldn’t help but cover her mouth, exclaiming in terror.

Three feet of white silk hung from the beam, and suspended alongside was the Empress Su Zhixue, her complexion now a bluish-purple.

Gu Lan lightly tapped her toe and flew up, without hesitation, clasping Su Zhixue in her arms.

A dagger slid from her sleeve; she smoothly cut the white silk around the Empress’s neck, then bent her head to listen closely.

—There was still a heartbeat.

Gu Lan breathed a sigh of relief, gently laying the Empress flat on the ground, her gaze scanning the surroundings as she discreetly tucked a letter from the table into her sleeve, then brushed her fingertip across the envelope’s surface.

Her palm then lightly grazed a jade teacup.

The cup still retained some warmth, the lingering steam slightly scalding to the touch.

Fortunately, they arrived quickly enough; judging by the teacup, Su Zhixue had only been hanging for less than five minutes, and before that, she was likely writing, as the ink on the envelope had not yet dried.

At this moment, commotion outside the Buddhist Hall arose.

Just returned from Qianyuan Hall, Rong Miaoyan burst in, her smile not yet faded, only to be horrified by the chaotic scene before her.

"Mother, what happened to Mother—!"

Rong Miaoyan looked up and saw the white silk dangling from the beam.

The physicians summoned by Concubine Yi hurriedly gathered around to examine her.

Rong Miaoyan watched in a daze as the Imperial Physicians carried off Empress Su, instinctively wanting to follow them.

She...

She hadn’t had the chance to tell her mother that the Emperor had already agreed not to betroth her anymore.

Clearly, she was fine before she left...

No matter what she did, was she never able to protect those she wanted to protect? Rong Miaoyan’s eyes instantly reddened.

Gu Lan stepped forward, taking advantage of the chaos to slip the letter that the Empress wrote before hanging into Rong Miaoyan’s hand.

"This should be a letter left by the Empress. She’s still alive, so you should keep it safe." Gu Lan said with calm composure, her voice steady and slightly grave, as if it could soothe one’s heart.

Rong Miaoyan gripped the letter tightly, stopping in her tracks, her empty eyes blankly looking at Gu Lan: "Still alive?"

"Yes."

Gu Lan nodded solemnly.

Rong Miaoyan knew that Gu Lan would not deceive her.

After a long time, she gradually regained her composure.

"Gu Lan, thank you."

Rong Miaoyan’s voice was hoarse, and after saying this, suddenly, her tears fell like broken pearls, her tear mole trembling, and her lips quivering.

The emotions that had been suppressed burst out completely at this moment.

Rong Miaoyan cried like rain as she embraced Gu Lan, gripping her sleeve tightly as if holding onto her last pillar.

She had seen Gu Lan’s outstanding figure in the midst of a torrential storm, amidst life and death;

She had once, at this moment of despair, gazed at Gu Lan’s steadfast brow and eyes.

Gu Lan comfortingly stroked her hair: "Don’t be afraid, it’ll be alright." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Rong Miaoyan’s tears soaked her shoulder.

Gu Lan couldn’t remember how many women had cried on her shoulder.

"I... I will protect her... I will also protect you... I surely will, from now on, I certainly will."

After an unknown amount of time, Miaoyan’s choked voice came, intermittently, but Gu Lan understood what she wanted to express.

"I trust you." Gu Lan earnestly responded.

The news of Empress Su hanging herself quickly spread throughout the East and West Six Palaces.

Rong Jing also rushed to the Imperial Hospital in shock, but did not enter the room to see Su Zhixue, who was still unconscious and being rescued, instead turning to order the Inner Supervision to seal all information, ensuring that this matter would not leave the Imperial Palace.

Even Crown Prince Rong Qichun, who came to visit, was blocked outside the palace.

But Gu Lan was still able to stay with Rong Miaoyan, with no one caring about these two young individuals.

After the Inner Supervision executed five gossiping palace attendants, the night fell silent, with no one daring to discuss the matter any further, yet Su Zhixue still had not awakened.

Gu Lan sat on the threshold outside the Imperial Hospital, beside her, Rong Miaoyan still clung to her arm without releasing her grip, leaning on her shoulder.

Gu Lan raised her head, the sky full of bright stars, and with a slight breath, she could exhale white mist in the winter night.

If it weren’t for her thick clothing and having cultivated inner strength through the Gu Family Spear Technique, using it to protect Rong Miaoyan, the two of them would have been frozen in the yard.

At one point, she considered leaving—

Gu Lan slightly shifted her aching shoulder.

With her movement, Miaoyan instinctively tightened her grip a bit more, like a startled bird.

The young person before her was her last reliance.

After a while, Miaoyan suddenly asked, "Gu Lan, how did you guess that Mother would have an accident?"

Gu Lan explained: "Empress Su had no real power in the harem, and if she wanted to stop the Empress Dowager from arranging your marriage, she only had her own life."

"So that’s how it is, at the time I was just focused on finding the Emperor, never realizing Mother’s determination was so deep. If not for you, I might never have seen her again, but luckily you saved her..."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, looking at Gu Lan’s handsome profile.

Gu Lan’s brows and eyes were very attractive, with slightly upturned corners, like a cunning fox. Her high nose bridge and delicate lips were perfect and flawless, clear and captivating.

And in her eyes, there always lay a sparkle of fire, the most mesmerizing feature.

"If only you didn’t like men..." Rong Miaoyan murmured softly.

Gu Lan didn’t hear clearly: "What?"

Rong Miaoyan pursed her lips and said loudly, "If you didn’t like Rong Heng, that would be fine!"

Previously, the Gu Family refused the Second Miss Lu, and the Young Master Gu even stated he liked men, causing quite the stir in the city. How could Rong Miaoyan not know? Upon further consideration, the only man familiar with Gu Lan was Rong Heng, with whom Gu Lan seemed to have an unusual relationship.

Gu Lan’s expression slightly changed, she steadied herself and righteously said:

"I do not! My relationship with Brother Hang is merely profound brotherhood, saying I like him was just a temporary measure... But Princess, I indeed like men; see, from now on, can we be... uncle and niece?"

Rong Miaoyan broke into a smile through tears, wiping her eyes and scolding, "Get away, you."

Gu Lan stood up: "I really should get away—"

Miaoyan immediately became tense, her tearful eyes at the tear mole looked brimming with tears: "Gu Lan, are you leaving? Mother hasn’t woken up yet."

"Precisely because the Empress hasn’t awakened, I will find an extremely skilled doctor who might wake her, and he may also treat the Empress’s illness to some extent."

"If even the Imperial Physicians can’t heal her illness, who can?" Though Miaoyan trusted Gu Lan, she couldn’t help but ask.

Gu Lan pondered, how could she explain this...

"An old man! Over a hundred years old, famous throughout the world—"

"Old man?"

A cold, indifferent voice sounded from the side.