I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 23: Young Master Gu and Her Cherished Maid
Madam Zhou lifted her gaze and saw her daughter still deep in thought, assuming she was unwilling to help. With a sigh, she said:
"Lan, Mother knows you’re troubled. Your identity requires you to enter the Imperial Family, which is difficult for you. If you’re unwilling, just pretend I never mentioned it."
Outside the door, the wind and rain were fierce, with thunder rumbling repeatedly.
The temperature of the summer night cooled, and Gu Lan looked at Madam Zhou’s rain-drenched forehead, her eyes still bright and indifferent.
Her hand took the Dingyuan Marquis’s letter, the envelope bearing four square ink characters: "Wanqing personally opens."
"Rong Yunhao... quite a cute child. I don’t dislike him," Gu Lan lifted her head and said casually.
Lan, does this mean you’ve agreed?
Madam Zhou’s eyes widened, unable to hide her excitement as she nodded, tears glistening in her eyes:
"Lan, once you enter the palace, don’t make yourself suffer. Come back early during breaks, and if you need anything, have Zijin pass the message. Be cheerful; if anyone dares bully you, don’t be afraid—even if they are Princes or Princely Heirs, the Emperor has to show our Marquis Mansion some respect—
If you feel homesick, just return anytime. Mother, Mother is waiting at home."
As she spoke, her voice choked, but the words of advice never ceased.
The dignified and self-restrained lady lost her composure, using her silk cloud brocade sleeve to wipe the tears from her cheeks, then covered her face, avoiding losing her decorum in front of her daughter.
Perhaps thinking about parting with Gu Lan in a few days, Madam Zhou felt more sorrowful, with tears wettening her sleeve.
"Don’t cry."
Gu Lan stood up; she was taller than an average woman and much taller than Madam Zhou.
She thought for a moment, bent down, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped away Madam Zhou’s tears—her actions somewhat clumsy.
"...Mother, don’t cry."
Gu Lan struggled to squeeze out this term of address through clenched teeth.
Madam Zhou’s tears ceased, and she froze, staring blankly at her daughter.
"Lan, Lan..." She suddenly embraced her daughter’s warm body, calling softly, "You haven’t called me ’Mother’ for many years. It’s all our fault—your father’s and mine. Selfishly, we made you suffer this injustice for so many years..."
Gu Lan initially wanted Madame Zhou not to cry, but after comforting her for a while, she cried even more fiercely, soaking a large part of her shoulder.
Women are indeed made of water.
She sighed and didn’t push away, as Madam Zhou’s embrace was warm, her cheeks soft, and she felt no malice.
"When can I return to living as a daughter?"
Upon hearing Madam Zhou mention "injustice," Gu Lan’s eyes flashed, then she slowly, seemingly casually, asked.
Madam Zhou, with reddened eyes, murmured: "The old lady really wants a grandson too much. Father and Mother had no other way; in time, it will surely be possible."
Back then, after she married Gu Chengzhao, she couldn’t conceive for a long time. The so-called greatest filial piety is to have descendants. Though the couple remained affectionate, the old lady wanted to find concubines for her son into the mansion.
It was then that Lan was born. This child needed to be a boy, could only be a boy.
It was Lan who kept the Marquis Mansion as it was, also comforting the old lady’s desire for a legitimate grandson... As for other reasons, she still couldn’t tell Lan.
Gu Lan hadn’t expected that the reason Young Master Gu was disguised as a male was due to the old lady’s pressure on the Dingyuan Marquis couple to bear children.
Unfortunately, the original host never returned to female identity until her death.
After Madam Zhou left, Gu Lan unfolded the letter from Marquis Gu, which contained only a few lines of ink: 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
[Wanqing, on seeing this letter, feel as if I were with you, be comforted.
Bo Cong mentioned in his letter that Yunhao is mischievous and wants Lan to serve as a brotherly companion and guide. What does Lan wish?
All is well in the Northern Territory, no need to worry.]
Bo Cong is Prince Rui Rong Shuo’s courtesy name.
Gu Lan looked at it for a long time, without much emotion, only thinking:
Marquis Gu’s handwriting is indeed ugly!
*
Last night there was a torrential downpour, but the morning brought clear skies again, marking fine weather.
Zijin brought sweet preserves sent by Mrs. Wang from outside, arranging them on plates and speaking mysteriously: "Young Master, I have some good news from today in the capital."
Gu Lan glanced at her, guessed the reason from her gloating expression, picking up a piece of apricot and eating it: "Was a beast struck dead by lightning beneath the bright sun?"
"...That’s pretty close." Zijin twitched the corners of her mouth.
"I heard from Zipei and others that the Young Master Qian who opposed you yesterday met misfortune today!"
"Dead?"
"He had a stroke."
"What a pity."
Indeed, it might barely count as good news.
Zijin was quite pleased, explaining: "Young Master Qian fell into the water yesterday, reportedly catching a cold at that time. At night, the rain poured, and a maid at the Qian Mansion forgot to close the window, chilling him as he was exposed to cold winds all night. This morning when the maid entered, he was on the ground foaming at the mouth and twitching."
Gu Lan swallowed the apricot, satisfied that her night-time window climbing paid off well.
She asked: "What happened to his maid?"
"Minister Qian was furious, intending to sell the maid serving Qian Rui out of the mansion as punishment. Alas, the maid is quite pitiful, enduring this misfortune due to Qian Rui’s bad luck."
"Buy her back, I want her."
Gu Lan licked the sweet and sour from her fingertips, smiling slyly like a cunning lynx.
"Young Master, this..." Zijin looked at Gu Lan in confusion, hesitated for a moment, then her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Young Master, it was you?"
No wonder last night, as soon as it got dark, she was urged to sleep.
"Heaven’s way is karma, not struck by lightning?" Gu Lan said with a smile.
Anyway, she wasn’t the one who opened the window, nor did she press acupuncture points to lie him on the ground.
It’s just a pity the innocent young maid bore the blame, so she had to offer comfort.
Zijin expressed concern: "Young Master, what if that maid realizes later it was you who caused trouble for Qian Rui and led to her being sent away..."
Gu Lan said casually: "Twenty years later, Dingyuan Marquis Gu Lan was assassinated by the adopted daughter Hong, realizing he had fostered an adversary for years. Hong was actually the dormant agent of the deceased paralyzed Young Master Qian Rui, enduring for years, bearing the humiliation and burden—"
"What?"
"That’s how the storybooks write, right? Young Master Gu and his darling maid, grudges and betrayals, turning against each other. Zijin, do you think it’s likely?"
Gu Lan looked at Zijin, her red lips slightly curved, her clear eyes shining brightly with a mischievous glint.
Zijin clutched her pounding heart, unable to withstand Gu Lan’s flamboyant demeanor; if their Young Master were truly male, she would be the first to struggle not to pounce on him.
"How could Hong bear to assassinate you."
"If it’s truly possible, then it would be even more thrilling." Gu Lan’s red lips curved upward.
Zijin laughed and sighed: "Fine, as long as you’re happy."
In a blink, it was the tenth of June, the day when the young prince and Gu Lan officially entered the palace.
