I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 22: Brothers?

Late night.

Gu Lan sat at the window, nibbling on his pen, recording the known information using phonetics and numbers.

His inadvertent eavesdropping during the day confirmed his previous suspicions—Yan Country’s old Minister of Rites, Rong Mu, was indeed Rong Heng’s man.

Rong Heng used some method to cure the illness of the old Minister of Rite’s beloved grandson, Yan Qing.

Therefore, the old Minister of Rites mentioned Rong Heng in court, allowing him to move out of the Imperial Court and successfully enter the Imperial Family school.

Gu Lan knew that the Imperial Court was where some palace attendants lived in Yan Country’s Imperial Palace, while others imprisoned sinful concubines and members of the royal family—it’s equivalent to a combination of the Labour House and Cold Palace.

In there, though as a prince, even an ordinary eunuch could easily humiliate him.

Rong Heng’s former days, who knows how pitiful they were, now appearing so thin, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

However, now the protagonist has used his means to re-enter the Yan Country’s court.

But it’s unknown when exactly is Jiande’s second year, when the so-called Wei Country rebelled, Prince Rui died in battle, and the protagonist officially rose.

"Luckily, Rong Heng seems quite polite, except he doesn’t like me helping him move."

Gu Lan stretched lazily.

This unlucky, beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist, adept in both civil and military matters, deeply emotional and strong-willed, she liked him very much when reading books.

Even his only flaw—being a girl killer—wasn’t a problem to her.

Beautiful roses come with thorns, attractive protagonists come with sickness.

Rong Heng is a girl killer; she can take in midnight sad girls who got sharked, they just complement each other, suitable as brothers.

And those villains in the book who lost to Rong Heng were inferior, she never looked at them nor remembered them.

"Tap tap tap—"

A gentle knock on the door sounded; Zijin had already been sent to sleep by her, so there was only one person who could come.

"Lan, can mother come in?"

Madam Zhou’s gentle voice passed through the door.

Gu Lan responded, and Madam Zhou entered the room.

She wore a deep green ruqun, blue-green embroidered shoes, the hem stained with some mud, and the tips of her black hair slightly damp.

"Ling’er, you wait with the umbrella, don’t get wet," it was raining outside, and Madam Zhou stopped her close maid from putting away the umbrella, letting her wait under the eaves.

Madam Zhou was gentle with everyone.

Gu Lan looked towards the door and asked, "Is it raining?"

She had been thinking about Rong Heng just now, unaware it was raining outside.

"It’s a storm, probably raining all night," Madam Zhou said, as a muffled thunder echoed outside.

Unable to hold back, Gu Lan gently curved her eyes, glancing at the corner of the black nightwear peeking from the wardrobe, and discreetly pushed it further inside.

A storm,

That window she opened at Qian Mansion for Qian Rui,

all night, might blow him into an idiot.

Madam Zhou didn’t notice Gu Lan’s smile, paced into the room to the side, and closed the half-opened window tightly.

"Several heavy rains have fallen in the Capital City this year," Madam Zhou remembered Gu Lan disliked bitter tastes, so she said, "In the cold, Lan, remember to close the windows at night before sleeping, lest you catch a cold and have to drink bitter medicine."

Gu Lan quietly watched the scene, her clear eyes slightly shining.

"Why do you come late at night, Madam Zhou?"

Madam Zhou was long accustomed to Gu Lan’s cold demeanor and felt her daughter was much better now than before.

She hesitated, finally pulled out a small letter tube from her bosom, and said:

"Lan, your father has sent a letter."

Gu Lan raised an eyebrow, recalling the descriptions about the Marquis Mansion in books.

Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is full of loyal martyrs, generations guarding against Qiangrong, defending Yan Country’s Northwest Border, even the women are heroes.

It’s said that the current Dingyuan Marquis, Gu Chengzhao, had a cousin before, Gu Lan’s aunt, who died in battle years ago with the old Marquis in the Northern Territory.

When Gu Lan was a few years old, the old Marquis and aunt died on the battlefield, and the eldest son, Gu Chengzhao, took the title to lead troops and suppress uprisings, from then on guarding the frontier hardly returning even once a year.

Hence, the original character saw her father few times she could count on ten fingers in her lifetime.

Once young Master Gu’s sensitive and fragile nature paired with Marquis Gu’s cold and taciturn father, father-daughter exchanges were almost zero.

And now, Madam Zhou even brought her Gu Marquis’s letter to read.

Gu Lan noticed that Madam Zhou took the letter from a slender, sealed tube, typical for carrier pigeons attached to claws.

This means the letter didn’t go through official channels but was secretly a family letter from Marquis Gu.

"Marquis wrote a family letter to you, Madam, what does it have to do with me?" Gu Lan asked.

Madam Zhou replied, "Your... your father, he misses you very much too, there is something in the letter, he and I thought over it, and wanted to ask you."

"Please speak," Gu Lan said with a hint of surprise, then politely.

What matter could make Madam Zhou and Marquis Gu request her?

Suddenly, she recalled the kind glance from Princess Rui earlier in the day, perhaps related to the Marquis Mansion?

Madam Zhou saw her daughter’s detached demeanor, sighed inwardly, and strengthened her spirit, saying: "Lan, Prince Rui, he was your grandfather... the old Marquis’s apprentice."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lan understood Princess Rui’s strange reason.

Turns out everyone is one family, Princess Rui was pleased at heart with her being a little mouse companion reading.

She lowered her eyes without showing much emotion, Madam Zhou continued:

"Likewise, he is also your father’s sworn brother, if willing, you may call him uncle, hence father and mother ask you in the Imperial Family school, please take good care of Yunhao."

Sworn brother?

Gu Lan started calculating, Marquis Gu is Prince Rui’s elder brother, Prince Rui is Rong Heng’s elder brother.

So if she swears brotherhood with Rong Heng, wouldn’t she be on the same level as Marquis Gu.

Gu Lan felt tempted.

This is great, she just didn’t want to recognize anyone as father.

Madam Zhou couldn’t help but recall distant memories.

At that time, whether it was Prince Rui, or Dingyuan Marquis, or herself and Princess Rui, all were young.

Prince Rui was a few years younger than Gu Chengzhao, usually, he was the most calm and taciturn eldest prince among the former Emperor’s five sons, only before her and Chengzhao did he show some youthful vigor and style.

That man would shyly call her sister-in-law.

And his Princess Consort was formerly also a fierce lady from a general’s family and once secretly taught her, a weak woman of merchant descent, horseback archery.

Those past days are gone forever, now the Emperor is wary of Prince Rui, Prince Rui has achieved great victories, if not returning to the Capital soon, his Prince Mansion will be secretly confined.

Dingyuan Marquis lineage remains loyal to the Emperor for generations, the Gu Family dare not openly associate with the Prince Mansion nor let it be known that Marquis Gu and Prince Rui are sworn brothers.

Zhou Wanqing knew that being Yunhao’s companion was already difficult for Gu Lan, if she were asked to take care of the young prince further, she feared she wouldn’t agree.

But, Prince Rui calls Chengzhao elder brother, calls her sister-in-law, she has to consider his child’s safety.