I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 266 - 192: Jiande!

The envoy from Wei Country, Yuan Lu, bowed to the Emperor of Yan Country, but the Emperor did not dismiss him or offer a seat; instead, he raised his hand and waved gently:

"Play the music." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The next moment, beautiful and melodious music filled Zhonghe Hall.

The eunuchs within the palace served fine wine to the seated civil and military officials, as well as envoys from various regions, one by one. A group of dancers dressed in light purple gowns emerged in a line, looking shy and beautiful, akin to blooming peach blossoms, lightly dancing to the music.

Yuan Lu was almost knocked over by the suddenly dancing performers, leaving him awkwardly standing aside.

He had nowhere to sit and nothing to say.

The excitement was shared by everyone, yet the embarrassment was solely his.

Gu Lan curled her lips: "He thought that coming in with Tang Zhan might help showcase the might of Wei Country, but unexpectedly, Dayan paid him no heed."

Since being transported into this setting, Gu Lan had developed an affection for Yan Country after spending time there.

She liked the people here, which led to her liking the country itself.

Yuan Lu’s pale complexion gave the impression of someone drained by indulgence in wine and meat; he struggled to maintain the dignity of a Wei Country envoy, yet whispers reached his ears.

Yuan Lu recognized Rong Jing’s disdain towards him, and what was even harder to accept was the mocking gazes from those around him.

Even some of the minor country envoys who used to curry favor with him in the Wei court now pointed and sneered at him.

Only Yuan Lang, sitting quietly to the side, regained composure after a brief bout of excitement, even managing to comfort his imperial uncle with his gaze.

Yes, he had grown accustomed to it.

But Yuan Lu evidently had not; unaware of his identity and current predicament, he composed himself, observed the dance, and suddenly exclaimed:

"The music of Yan is noisy, and the dance is coarse. This dance is adapted from the Falling Petal Dance created by the ancestors of our Wei Country’s founding empress. Truly, a failed imitation! This barbaric land cannot compare to the elegance and grace of our mighty Wei!"

Although unable to defeat Yan Country in battle, Wei Country prided itself as the origin of literature and elegance, labeling Yan Country as barbaric.

Rong Jing looked at him coldly: "Oh? Then let Prince Kang perform a demonstration of Wei Country’s graceful and elegant song and dance for us."

— The first cut.

"I am Prince Kang of Great Wei; how could I perform the vulgar song and dance meant for women? The Emperor of Yan dares to insult me so!" Yuan Lu was taken aback and immediately retorted.

Old Prime Minister Su spoke up: "Prince Kang seems quite knowledgeable. I’ve heard there are eighteen beautiful dancers in Prince Kang Mansion. Perhaps your Wei Country is rampant with such indulgent men, leading to repeated defeats."

— The second cut.

"Those are just rumors. I, as the saying goes, am pure of heart..."

Miaoyan scoffed softly and casually threw a gender-based challenge:

"Prince Kang, you just called song and dance vulgar; are you disrespecting your Wei Country’s founding empress or other women? Isn’t it the virtue of Wei to honor filial piety? Should a prince of Wei not respect the Empress Dowager?

Oh, wait. I forgot, the Wei Empress Dowager is not your mother; your mother has passed away."

— The third cut.

Gu Lan nearly snorted her milk tea through her nose.

Tang Zhan slammed the table and, in a deep voice, fumed: "It’s all because Prince didn’t hit you hard enough!"

— The Nth cut.

Marquis Gu was originally dozing off, but Tang Zhan’s loud shout woke him up. He mumbled softly to stop the noise, opened his eyes, and quickly understood the situation, lazily suggesting:

"Prince Kang is so arrogant, should I just kill him for everyone?"

Gu Lan pulled out a long sword from a guard’s waist: "Father, I’m good at this."

Yuan Lu: "..."

In the face of Wei Country, the officials and courtiers of Yan Country were remarkably united, regardless of faction or opposition.

Yuan Lu glanced at the cold, gleaming sword in Gu Lan’s hand. He opened his mouth but did not dare to speak further.

He feared that any further argument would result in being killed with a single sword stroke by Young Master Gu.

The singing and dancing continued, while Tang Zhan stepped forward to speak privately with Rong Jing about the famine in the Southern Border.

Although many well-informed people were aware of the famine in the Southern Border, discussing internal issues like famine in front of foreign envoys was considered inappropriate.

No one knew what Tang Zhan said, but after a while, Rong Jing ordered a mobilization of grains from the richest prefectures of Dayan, assigning Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Xie Yun, with the Emperor’s decree, to accompany Tang Zhan to the Southern Border for disaster relief.

Rong Jing did not send Su Zixiao to the Southern Border, so naturally, Rong Heng could not accompany him either.

Tang Zhan returned to his seat and quietly approached Gu Lan: "Young Master Gu, my prince asked me to convey a few words to you."

Gu Lan: "What does Prince Rui want to say to me?"

Seeing Gu Lan, Tang Zhan recalled the last time he was nearly infuriated by her. With a dark expression, he said:

"This is what the prince said: Thank you, Young Master Gu, for taking care of the Princely Heir. The Longquan Treasure Sword is now yours. The prince will prepare a new sword for the Princely Heir. The prince also said..."

Tang Zhan glanced at Gu Chengzhao beside them: "This matter needs to be known by Dingyuan Marquis. Gu Lan of the Gu Family, is my brother, Rong Shuo."

Marquis Gu suddenly woke up: "Why is my son using Rong Shuo’s sword? Also, who declared themselves as brothers with Rong Shuo? Is Rong Shuo hoping to acknowledge me as his father?"

Gu Lan hadn’t expected Prince Rui to be so generous, gifting her the Longquan Treasure Sword, a sword she wielded gracefully for everything from chopping vegetables to slaying enemies.

So, Young Master Gu lightly slapped Marquis Gu’s face: "Say less, Marquis, remember you previously called me ’father.’"

Marquis Gu: "..."

After suppressing his thoughts for a while, he finally growled: "When we return tonight, I will give you the ancestral Azure Gold Spear of the Gu Family. Hahaha, what’s so special about that little sword of Prince Rui’s, we don’t care."

Gu Lan asked: "What will you use then?"

Marquis Gu snorted: "I do what I please because it makes me happy—see, your father is good to you."

Gu Lan nodded, internally grateful to Prince Rui.

After several rounds of toast, Han Ande, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Personnel, and others began to discuss Yan Country’s military achievements from the past year.

The great victory of Prince Rui in the Southern Border brought the fall of seven cities and two prefectures of Wei Country. Wei Country was forced to send Crown Prince Yuan Lang to Yan Country as a hostage;

The great victory of Dingyuan Marquis in the Northern Territory led to the collapse of the Royal Court, capturing the Chanyu, reorganizing the Snowfield, and securing ten years of peace in the Northern Territory.

At this point, several envoys from minor countries came forward to offer congratulations, even the old Chanyu Gongbu tremblingly knelt down, uttering auspicious words.

Only Yuan Lu, the envoy from Wei Country, listened to the words of pride from the Yan people, feeling increasingly frustrated, his complexion worsening.

Within Zhonghe Hall, as Han Ande spoke, the atmosphere gradually intensified, especially among the military generals, whose blood boiled, eager to dash to the battlefield to achieve merit.

Finally, Han Ande finished speaking, bowed down, and said:

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the achievements are monumental, your might commands the universe; truly a blessing for our Dayan! At this moment when mountains and rivers share prosperity, and the sun and moon shine brighter, this humble minister wishes the Empress Dowager a long life like the pine and crane, with blessings extending for a thousand years!"

Gu Lan slightly raised her brow, feeling that although Han Ande’s string of words concluded with blessings for the Empress Dowager’s birthday, in reality, they all highlighted Rong Jing’s achievements.

Rong Jing smiled slightly and, under the gaze of civil and military officials, declared loudly:

"Starting from today, Dayan will adopt the new era name ’Jiande!’"