I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 149 - 102: My Business Has Nothing to Do With You (2)
As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the bundle on the ground, lightly patting the dust off her clothes, her voice cheerful:
"I’ll go back to Xiaoxiang Palace with you later. Didn’t Gu Lan give you a set of clothes that made Jiu very envious? I also gave him a set as a thank-you gift for saving me before."
Rong Heng said quietly, "County Princess Changle, there’s no need."
"It’s necessary. Although I didn’t sew this outfit myself, it was made stitch by stitch by Embroideress Li from the Prince Mansion on my request. It’s very warm, and Jiu will definitely like it."
Rong Baoyi looked at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, yet she was still trying hard to smile.
Rong Heng: "It’s the master who turns the page, but it’s the servant who gets punished."
"You... don’t joke. Isn’t it enough if I call you Uncle Wu?" Rong Baoyi’s voice was thick with tears as she choked up.
"So it’s like this, hehe. This morning, I heard from the little desk that an eunuch violated palace rules. Zhang Fengcai, under the Emperor’s orders, personally carried out the punishment, but unexpectedly beat the person to death."
Rong Qijun looked at Gu Lan and finally understood. No wonder Rong Heng spoke to Gu Lan like that today; these two actually fell out over a servant, and judging by the situation, Rong Heng didn’t appreciate what Gu Lan did at all.
His words seemed like the last straw that broke the camel’s back, causing Rong Baoyi to tremble all over.
"Baoyi sister, why feel sad for a servant?" Rong Qijun smiled to comfort her.
Rong Baoyi clutched her chest, holding the cotton-padded clothes tightly in her arms, as if doing so could ease the chill in her heart.
Why is it so cold?
Letting the tears fall, she raised her head and stared at Rong Qijun with a fierce look: "He’s not a servant, Rong Qijun, shut up!"
"Fine, I’ll shut up," Rong Qijun said dismissively, looking at Rong Heng. "Isn’t all this caused by Rong Heng himself? A master makes mistakes, and his... subordinates are punished. Someone like him should have died with those from the Xiao Family seven years ago..."
"Where’s Jiu?"
After asking this, Rong Baoyi started taking big, gasping breaths. Her once lively eyes now filled with desolation, tears gushing out as if she were a puppet that had lost its soul.
Even though it’s clearly autumn, she felt it was so cold here, cold enough to seep into her bones.
Rong Heng said, "He had no family. Most likely, his body has already been taken to the chaotic burial mound outside the capital."
Stumbling back a few steps, Rong Baoyi ran out in a daze, tripping and colliding along the way.
The cold wind struck her, and her steps became slower and slower, eventually stopping altogether, as she half-knelt on the hard ground, her spine bending low.
She wanted to smile because she remembered that Jiu loved to smile the most. No matter when, he always had a warm smile on his face.
Rong Baoyi tried hard to stretch her mouth into a smile and wiped her tears, yet the more she wiped, the more they flowed.
The autumn wind rustled, yellow leaves swirling all over the sky, and the vermilion palace walls seemed stained with blood, the sunlight carrying a chilling coldness along the endless corridor. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
In the end, she collapsed to the ground, clutching the cotton clothes in her arms, unable to hold back her sobs.
...
Gu Lan stared dazedly at the brush on the table. As she lifted her hand, she suddenly remembered the days she spent learning to write in Xiaoxiang Palace, with Jiu and Zijin taking turns serving her hot water and tea.
That pretty face always had a mischievous smile, but there was a kindred spirit about him. He would also sneak some of Rong Heng’s snacks, which greatly annoyed Rong Heng.
Just two days ago, he was still alive, riding horses and leaving the palace together with her...
Clearly, the plot hadn’t even started yet. According to the original story, Jiu was supposed to die in battle much later. How could he have died so easily now?
If only she hadn’t persuaded Rong Baoyi to leave the palace, Jiu and Rong Heng wouldn’t have openly gone out, even though they had snuck out countless times without being discovered before. But now, she had provided the Emperor with an opportunity to punish.
She had changed Rong Baoyi’s fate, allowing her to join the military early, only to cause the death of Jiu.
Is this the price to pay for altering the original plot of the story?
She refused to believe it!
Gu Lan closed her eyes. Rong Heng’s cold face was still vivid in her memory.
After all this time, she had done so much, thinking that Rong Heng had become her good friend through trials and tribulations. Yet, he still had not forgotten about being tortured in the Imperial Prison, and now, adding Jiu’s life to the account.
No matter what, she seemed destined to offend the male protagonist and be resented by him.
Could it be that the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is also doomed to be unable to escape the fate written in the original story?
She wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.
During lunch, today’s Imperial Family school was especially oppressive.
The young prince had taken leave for unknown reasons, Baoyi had left, and Rong Qijun, full of himself, remained quiet for fear that Gu Lan, brimming with anger, would take it out on him.
In the air, there was only the sound of a few people eating, accompanied by Yan Qing’s occasional coughs.
The food knocked over by Rong Heng had already been cleaned up, but Gu Lan felt that she would no longer like red bean porridge in the future.
She lethargically took the lunch brought to her, and upon opening it, found a plate of Osmanthus Cake with lotus seed paste—Rong Heng’s favorite dessert—that Zijin had prepared.
However, the man behind her, after uttering a string of harsh words, had fallen completely silent.
Rong Heng exuded an aura of isolation and ruthlessness after Jiu’s death. He said he had accepted his fate, but Gu Lan did not believe it.
Yet, ultimately, Rong Heng had still pushed her away.
Young Master Gu furrowed her brows, angrily stuffing a plate of Osmanthus Cake into her mouth all at once.
She chewed vigorously, nearly choking, but the expression drew Yan Qing to shiver. Young Master Gu seemed to want to tear apart the pitiful Osmanthus Cake, piece by piece, to swallow it down.
Yan Qing shook his head, timidly handing a cup of water to Gu Lan, saying, "Young Master Gu, eat slowly."
Before he could finish speaking, he started coughing weakly first.
Gu Lan looked up, seeing Yan Qing’s pale and frail face, and suddenly, a gleam of light appeared in her grim eyes.
That’s it.
