I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 244 - 172: Self-Proclaimed

Jiang Qu, that is originally Jiang Di in the book.

Before the plot of the original book unfolds, Marquis Gu had surely defeated the Qiangrong, leading to the destruction of the Royal Court, causing Qiangrong’s Second Prince, Jiang Qu, to wander outside, later secretly coming to the Southern Border with the help of the Minister of Revenue. Due to his mixed blood, he could cooperate with Wei Country...

Thus, the plot connects.

Gu Lan looked at the red-haired man in front of him, thinking, in the original book, Duoji was most likely dead.

Yan Country wanted to send troops against Qiangrong, and they always needed a pretext. Even the original host would be assassinated by Jiang Qu, and one of the two brothers who came to the Capital City as envoys must inevitably die.

But now, he was still alive.

Duoji couldn’t help but ask, "Uncle, Jiang Qu... wasn’t he captured?"

Gu Lan replied, "He fled, returned to the Snowfield, maybe to reorganize the remnants of the Royal Court’s tribe and prepare to make a comeback. By the way, how many princes does your father have?"

Duoji said, "There are twelve princes in the Royal Court, but only I, Jiang Qu, and the fifth brother, who are adults, are still alive."

He recalled the faces of his brothers in his mind, out of the twelve princes, each having different mothers, with only one or two having a good relationship with him.

And the one he was most concerned about was Jiang Qu, whom he regarded as a brother to protect, but didn’t expect...

"I heard that the old Chanyu valued you the most before."

Duoji nodded: "My mother is the Chanyu’s Mrs. Que, her tribe is very important in the Snowfield, after I was born, the Chanyu made the Left Valley King my mentor. Early on, the Chanyu taught me to ride and shoot, and even hired a teacher from Yan for me."

Mrs. Que is the title for the legitimate wife of the Qiangrong Chanyu, similar to an Empress.

Gu Lan thought for a moment and said, "No wonder... so when the Chanyu knew you were dead, he sent troops."

Duoji lowered his head: "The Chanyu has many children besides me, perhaps he doesn’t care about my life, but my mentor cares, my mother cares, and the Right Valley King also has a deep personal relationship with me. Even if the Chanyu doesn’t want to send troops, the people in the Royal Court would certainly want to avenge me, the Chanyu couldn’t stop it... Your Emperor and the Marquis had precisely predicted this."

"So, unless there’s an accident, you’re the next Chanyu anyway. Gongbu is also nurturing you as the heir."

Duoji looked at his stiff legs, his brown eyes still as a pool of dead water:

"Yes, but now that the Royal Court is gone, what use does the heir to the Chanyu’s position have?"

"I’ve already inquired, except for Jiang Qu’s escape, two of the princes died in battle, the others have all been escorted to the Capital City, including the Chanyu’s Mrs. Que, your wife Zhuoma, and your children. As the Marquis said, you can reunite your family."

Duoji was startled, his gaze becoming increasingly dim:

"Uncle, my current identity is that of a dead man. The fact that you kept me alive and Zhuoma is still alive is enough, I won’t ask for anything more."

Gu Lan said, "Have you forgotten what I told you before?"

A gleam burst forth in Duoji’s eyes, his lips quivered, and his red hair seemed to reignite in an instant.

He certainly remembered.

Gu Lan said,

If the Royal Court is gone, then let him build another one.

"But—"

Gu Lan looked into Duoji’s brown eyes, her own eyes were crystal clear and calm, making Duoji involuntarily believe:

"There’s no ’but’. I only ask you one question: Do you want Jiang Qu to rise as the new Chanyu as the only prince who fled the Snowfield, or do you want to personally end it all and rebuild the Royal Court yourself?"

No one would choose the first.

"Rebuild... the Royal Court?"

*

The next day, Marquis Gu entered the palace and, along with Rong Jing and numerous ministers, discussed how to deal with Chanyu Gongbu.

Gongbu has been the Chanyu of the Royal Court for decades, almost unifying the entire Qiangrong, and held high prestige on the Snowfield.

Killing him, although satisfying, would further disrupt the already leaderless tribes of the Qiangrong, but since Gongbu has already surrendered, killing him would go against the grand demeanor of Yan Country.

At the same time, if Gongbu dies, it may quickly give rise to a new leader on the Snowfield and push some of the still lurking Qiangrong into complete madness—no one knows if Gongbu has other hidden measures.

Not killing, but conferring an Earl’s title, raising him in the Capital City as a mascot might be nice, but Gongbu is like an ungrateful dog, deeply scheming, who once momentarily called Gu Chengzhao his father to endure humiliation, and might return someday.

After two days of discussion in the Royal Court, no specific result was reached.

Marquis Gu was asked, with only one sentence: "Our Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is loyal to Dayan, and we will follow Your Majesty’s arrangements."

Rong Jing was also very troubled. He knew that Gongbu was more useful alive, but the constant vigilance against an old man was unpleasant.

If Gongbu were to be imprisoned and tortured, it would strip him of his Chanyu aura and negate his role as a symbolic figure.

Just then, news came from the Northern Territory:

After Gongbu’s son Jiang Qu escaped back to the Snowfield, he gathered the remnants of the Royal Court’s old forces. Being the only prince to return to the Snowfield, he gained the support of many tribes.

Ten days ago, Jiang Qu proclaimed himself as the new Chanyu, stating that one day he would return to rescue Gongbu.

"Bang—!"

In Qianyuan Hall, Rong Jing threw a military report at the Minister of War’s head.

"We captured Gongbu, yet there’s this one who got away. And of all people, it’s Gongbu’s son!"

The Minister of War held his head, not daring to speak. Rong Jing rarely showed obvious anger, but the recent discussions on how to deal with Gongbu had been frustratingly unproductive.

Marquis Gu sat comfortably in the Grand Master’s chair, scratching his ear as if oblivious to Rong Jing’s implied criticism of failing to capture Jiang Qu.

Alas, he hadn’t intentionally let Jiang Qu escape. Who would have thought that such a minor Second Prince would have the audacity to proclaim himself?

In the vast Qianyuan Hall, even the much older Prime Minister Su had no seat, only Marquis Gu could sit and rest.

This was an honor Rong Jing gave to Marquis Gu.

In this great victory, Gu Chengzhao’s achievements were enough to earn him a royal title, but as Yan Country had no precedent for conferring royal titles on those without the imperial surname, Rong Jing dismissed the idea.

The Minister of War pulled out another dossier and said:

"Your Majesty, this old minister has verified Jiang Qu’s identity. He is Gongbu’s second son, with a mother from Wei Country. Given his rapid reorganization in the Snowfield, Wei’s assistance cannot be ruled out. We must thoroughly investigate the border to sever their connections."

Rong Jing said coldly, "Is there any point in saying this now? Jiang Qu has already proclaimed himself the new Chanyu. Am I to send Marquis Dingyuan on another northern expedition?"

"Your Majesty must not," Lu Bingxin advised, "This summer’s floods have left the treasury empty and provisions inadequate. The Ministry of Revenue simply cannot muster the funds for war."

As he spoke, he sighed heavily.

Recalling the young man with snake-like eyes he had once met, Lu Bingxin was secretly annoyed.

He hadn’t expected that sparing a life then would become Dayan’s current torment.

Marquis Gu finally stopped scratching his ear and looked leisurely around at the officials, asking slowly:

"Wei Country and the Snowfield are thousands of miles apart, unable to offer much help. Furthermore, the military report states that Jiang Qu’s swift rise was due to the support of many of the Royal Court’s old forces. Who do you think orchestrated this?"

His words brought silence to Qianyuan Hall.

At this moment, the hall was filled with high-ranking figures, with even the Crown Prince present; the lowest-ranking was a Vice Minister.

Rong Jing, rotating a ring on his thumb, narrowed his peach blossom eyes and said word by word: "His father, Gongbu."

Lu Bingxin also quickly realized that even though Jiang Qu was initially disregarded by Gongbu, as the only one who escaped back to the Snowfield, Gongbu had staked everything on him.

Prime Minister Su stroked his beard and, suddenly enlightened, said:

"I understand, Gongbu may have been captured, but Jiang Qu escaped. This old fellow placed his hope in his son, surely providing him a list of loyal Royal Court tribes before he fled, to help Jiang Qu rise quickly."

Rong Jing clenched a fist, his eyes dark:

"Convey my decree in Gongbu’s name to the Snowfield, stating that Gongbu is the only Chanyu of the Royal Court. Jiang Qu’s self-proclamation as Chanyu is usurpation, and whoever follows him betrays their Royal Court!"

Xie Yun stepped forward, frowning:

"Your Majesty, I believe that since Gongbu instructed his confidants to follow Jiang Qu in reshaping the Royal Court, issuing such an order now will not be heeded by these tribes, as the whole world knows Gongbu has been captured." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Crown Prince weakly agreed, "Vice Minister Xie is right."

"Unless..." Old Prime Minister Su hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Unless Gongbu is sent back to the Snowfield. Once he’s back, Jiang Qu will naturally lose support."

The situation at this time was akin to being a Monarch captured, only for the Second Prince to quickly ascend and quell the unrest with the Monarch’s support.

If this Monarch was sent back, the so-called new Emperor would become false and collapse automatically.

Rong Jing’s peach blossom eyes were full of coldness: "Absolutely impossible, I might as well kill Gongbu and let the Snowfield know this is the fate of supporting Jiang Qu!"