I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 274 - 200: Wei

"No, Brother Hang, listen to my explanation, it’s not what you think, I just spoke too quickly!"

Gu Lan hurriedly explained to Rong Heng, even pitifully extending a hand in front of him.

"I get it, Young Master Gu just likes Yuan Lang," Rong Heng sneered, staring at her hand with a frown, "What’s this?"

"I just like good-looking ones..." Gu Lan murmured, opening her snow-white palm to reveal a few freshly peeled hazelnuts.

"Do you think a few hazelnuts can buy me off?" Rong Heng retorted indifferently.

He didn’t even like hazelnuts; she’d have been better off giving him candy.

Gu Lan immediately clenched her fist: "Take it or leave it, this is the first time I’ve peeled hazelnuts for someone."

The next moment, Rong Heng pried open Gu Lan’s palm and gathered the hazelnuts into his own hand: "Seriously, the first time?"

Gu Lan: "When have I ever lied to you."

The first time she peeled chestnuts was for Zijin;

The first time she peeled a pomegranate was for Madam Zhou;

The first time she peeled shrimp was for the little maid You’er...

So indeed, this was the first time she had peeled hazelnuts for someone.

While they were talking, Yuan Lang felt extremely lonely.

At this moment, the unconscious Yuan Lu moved his fingers, and Young Master Gu promptly punched him again:

"Brother Hang, why not just throw Prince Kang at the gate of the Magpie Workshop, saying he freeloaded, and when he returns to Wei Country, Wei Junzhuo will take care of him—saves us from dirtying the Magpie Workshop."

Rong Heng, gripping the hazelnuts in his palm, coldly countered: "Is Young Master Gu now treating the Magpie Workshop as his own property, getting better at ordering others around?"

Gu Lan replied with a smile: "Aren’t we like family? What’s yours is mine, no need to be so polite, Brother Hang."

Family.

Rong Heng pressed his lips together, trying hard to suppress the upward curl of his lips, then stepped out of the private room, calling for You Ying to throw Yuan Lu out.

Gu Lan was confused; how did her playful remark just hit the mark with the protagonist?

Out of the Magpie Workshop, Gu Lan indeed saw the knocked-out Prince Kang lying at the entrance, while Xiang Yuan was embellishing his story to passers-by.

Learning that Prince Kang from Wei Country had not paid at the Magpie Workshop, every passer-by gave Yuan Lu contemptuous looks.

On the way back, Yuan Lang was immersed in sorrow, while Rong Heng, munching on the hazelnuts Young Master Gu peeled, was in a much better mood.

In Gu Lan’s mind, she thought, the joys and sorrows of people indeed do not intertwine.

The three of them returned to the Imperial Palace openly.

Yuan Lang, whose heart was already dead and made no mind of being caught leaving the palace, had Rong Heng and Gu Lan with him on the pretext of finding Su Zixiao and inspecting the City Defense Army.

Yuan Lang’s living quarters were not far from Xiefang Palace, and seeing the Crown Prince of Wei Country with reddened eyes on the verge of tears, Gu Lan was a bit worried that if he broke down completely and died, it would be too awkward.

So, she personally escorted Yuan Lang back.

As a hostage, Yuan Lang’s life in the palace was far from pleasant. Although there were four or five palace attendants as soon as they entered the courtyard, Gu Lan could tell at a glance that the mud from melting snow was naturally formed on the ground, meaning those palace attendants didn’t even bother to sweep the snow, serving in name, but in fact, monitoring.

"Your Highness, you’ve finally returned!"

A eunuch who looked familiar to Gu Lan came running, and upon seeing Gu Lan and Rong Heng, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"This servant greets Young Master Gu and Fifth Young Master Rong."

Gu Lan remembered that this was the little eunuch who always delivered meals to Yuan Lang at the Imperial Family studies, seemingly brought by Yuan Lang from Wei Country.

Yuan Lang bowed and said: "I invite Young Master Gu and Fifth Young Master Rong to come inside for a cup of tea before leaving."

Rong Heng, having eaten hazelnuts all the way, was feeling a bit stuck, and Gu Lan, having peeled hazelnuts all the way, just happened to have dirty hands.

Gu Lan said, "Then I’ll go wash my hands."

Rong Heng, still in a good mood, followed Gu Lan into Yuan Lang’s chamber.

"This servant will take leave." The little eunuch closed the door for the three and bowed out.

Gu Lan surveyed the room; it was much smaller than Xiaoxiang Palace, but because of its size, it somehow felt more lived-in.

The usually zoned out Yuan Lang snapped back to his senses upon returning to his quarters.

He lowered his eyes, steadied himself, and with a thud, knelt in front of Gu Lan and Rong Heng, bowing deeply.

"Yuan Lang sincerely thanks you both for saving my life!"

Gu Lan, in the middle of wiping her hands, was startled to see him suddenly on his knees.

"Didn’t I tell you, it was just a small favor," Gu Lan glanced at Rong Heng before correcting herself, "mostly thanks to Brother Hang’s kind heart."

Yuan Lang raised his head, his pale forehead showing faint traces of blood, earnestly saying to the two:

"Earlier, it was to thank you for saving my life. Now, after listening to Young Master Gu, I suddenly realized that I still don’t know my mother’s situation in Bian, so I wish to ask Young Master Gu to help find out about my mother’s whereabouts.

If she is in trouble, I do not ask Young Master Gu to save her, only to inform me...so that, alive or dead, I am not kept in the dark."

Behind the screen earlier, Gu Lan had listened to the exchange between Yuan Lang and Yuan Lu, aware that all of Yuan Lang’s forces within Wei Country had mysteriously lost contact, rendering the esteemed Crown Prince of Wei less informed than the spies of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.

Most likely, Wei Junzhuo had eradicated those forces.

Perhaps Uncle Li’s men being pursued across a thousand miles was due to a misunderstanding of being Yuan Lang’s allies.

Gu Lan thought for a moment and said:

"Now, the entire Wei Country is under the control of the Wei siblings. Wei Junzhuo holds all military power, including the Guard Army, while Wei Liuyu controls the Martial Virtue Bureau. Your financial power is in the hands of several Imperial Uncles. Unfortunately, your father trusted the Wei siblings too much."

Mentioning this, she couldn’t help but compare it to Rong Jing.

Being both emperors, though Rong Jing didn’t control much military power, at least the 20,000 imperial guards were firmly under his command, and the most crucial departments, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, were also in his grip. He didn’t heavily bestow titles on princes, nor did he assign various authorities to the Prime Minister.

In contrast, Wei Emperor Yuan Zhen handed over the entire military strength of the nation to Wei Junzhuo alone... well, Wei Country indeed had only Wei Junzhuo who was a force to reckon with.

Yuan Lang’s eyes, clear and shallow like glass, showed traces of sorrow as he bitterly said:

"Father didn’t trust them, it was more that he believed in his own witchcraft."

Gu Lan pulled up a chair and motioned for Rong Heng to sit with her: "Go on, tell us more."

So, Yuan Lang related the story of Emperor Taizhong of Wei Country, who became the State Preceptor of Wei Country and then used witchcraft to seize power from the rightful Imperial Family.

"This matter is actually well-known among many in Yan Country, but in Wei Country, we absolutely do not acknowledge this. Emperor Taizhong, who was the State Preceptor at the time, even married a princess of Wei Country to barely wash away the crime of a subject usurping power."

Gu Lan straightforwardly pointed out: "So, your Yuan family is essentially like a prince consort usurping the government?"

Yuan Lang: That hurts.

"...Young Master Gu is right."

Rong Heng mercilessly ridiculed: "Wei Country prides itself as the origin of the civilized world, yet it was a kingdom gained through usurpation, tsk tsk tsk."

Yuan Lang had already resigned himself: "Yes, our Yuan Family is not the rightful Imperial Family of Great Wei; we rely on witchcraft and other dubious means. And what I wanted to talk about is the lineage of Wei Junzhuo.

His surname is Wei, as in Great Wei—"