I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 270 - 196: Yuan Lang in Danger

"Our network relayed two pieces of news. One is that indeed within the harem of the Wei Emperor, there is a concubine who is pregnant, but it is not Princess Consort Jin, Wei Liuyu, rather it is Concubine Qi. Concubine Qi entered the palace only two years ago, and her family holds just a seventh-rank official position, yet because of her youth and beauty, she receives much affection from the Wei Emperor."

"The other news is that the Wei Emperor’s health has considerably declined recently, to the point he even fell asleep during court sessions, which many people are aware of."

Uncle Li, having finished speaking, found this strange himself and his voice was low:

"A concubine being pregnant isn’t a huge matter; why did they go to such lengths to assassinate the messenger delivering these news to us from thousands of miles away?"

Gu Lan asked, "Uncle Li, do you know who pursued the marquis mansion’s informant?"

A flash of pain appeared in Uncle Li’s eyes as he said with a heavy voice:

"The messenger told me the matter last night before he died of severe injuries. He said that initially the pursuers were the Wei Guard Army, led by Wei Junzhuo, and on his way back out of Bian, the pursuers then became the Martial Virtue Bureau of Wei."

"Last night, in order to save him, I tangled with three Martial Virtue Bureau agents ambushed in Mu City for quite a while and got injured, but all three are now dead."

The Wei Guard Army is the equivalent of the Yan Country’s capital imperial guard, led by Wei Junzhuo, responsible for the safety of the Wei Imperial Palace and Bian.

The Martial Virtue Bureau is the espionage network of Wei, mostly composed of eunuchs, similar to the Inner Supervision in the Yan Country. Coincidentally, the head of Wei’s espionage network is Wei Junzhuo’s sister, Wei Liuyu.

The Wei siblings are deeply trusted by the Wei Emperor. For Wei Liuyu to lead the whole Wei espionage network as a woman attests to her extraordinary ability.

"The fact that both the Guard Army and the Martial Virtue Bureau are in the hands of the Wei siblings, pursuing our informant so fervently indicates that Concubine Qi’s pregnancy is very important to them, and they don’t want outsiders to know," Gu Lan analyzed.

Uncle Li nodded, saying:

"Young master, you previously mentioned for us to watch whether Wei Liuyu is pregnant, so this time we were able to discover the anomaly in the Wei harem.

With the power the Wei siblings hold in Wei, if Wei Liuyu were to have an imperial successor, the childless and wifeless Wei Junzhuo could possibly go on to support his nephew. By then, Prince Yuan Lang, who is in Dayan, would no longer have any constraints or checks against Wei."

But now, it’s not Wei Liuyu who is pregnant, so why do the Wei siblings act this way? Could it be, they don’t want Dayan to know of the Wei Emperor’s illness? Or do they think we might harm the imperial successor?"

"The poor health of the Wei Emperor is known to the world, so that can’t be it," Gu Lan felt a surge in his mind and asked, "Uncle Li, how long has it been since Wei Liuyu entered the palace?"

Uncle Li thought for a moment and said: "It’s been thirteen or fourteen years. Back then, after jeopardizing the mistress, she fled back to Wei and quickly entered the palace as a concubine, being granted the rank of concubine immediately because she is the Great General’s sister."

Uncle Li did not know Gu Lan was disguised as a man but he knew of the incident where Wei Liuyu infiltrated the marquis mansion, gained the old madam’s trust, and almost caused harm to the mistress.

Gu Lan then said:

"Considering she has been married to the Wei Emperor for over ten years without any imperial successor, it is likely that there’s an issue with her health...

I was overthinking it before, in fact, Wei Liuyu doesn’t need to actually give birth to a child, she just needs a nominal imperial successor."

"You mean to say, adoption?" Uncle Li immediately grasped the idea, "Wei Liuyu intends to adopt the child in Concubine Qi’s womb as her own?"

Gu Lan nodded: "Just as the Crown Prince is not the biological child of Empress Su, but he was raised under her name, and remains the legitimate prince.

The current six princes of Wei are all at least fourteen years old and have their biological mothers, making them unsuitable for Wei Liuyu’s care. In these circumstances, Concubine Qi’s child becomes the best candidate. At Wei Liuyu’s age, having a prince to rely on is likely her most ardent wish."

Uncle Li suddenly understood: "What you say is quite logical, and there is evidence to support it. Besides us and the Wei siblings, even the Wei Emperor is not aware of Concubine Qi’s pregnancy!

It seems Wei Liuyu intends to keep it secret from everyone, both ensuring the child’s safety and waiting until the last moment to decide based on the child’s gender. Though she’s just a concubine in the Wei harem, her means are extraordinary, and with control over the Wei Martial Virtue Bureau, it’s not difficult to deceive others."

"That matches up. If the Wei Emperor is no fool, he would know that once a prince is adopted by Wei Liuyu, the Wei siblings might well dethrone him and the other princes for this child, following the typical plot of palace intrigue novels," Gu Lan murmured. The fact that Wei Liuyu hasn’t had children for so many years might very well be due to the Wei Emperor’s machinations.

Without offspring, the Wei siblings, no matter how high their positions, can only remain as the Emperor’s loyal enforcers for life, unable to rebel.

It is precisely because the Wei siblings have no descendants nor retreat route that the Wei Emperor trusts them so deeply, granting all military power to Wei Junzhuo and letting his concubine oversee the Martial Virtue Bureau.

"How many months pregnant is Concubine Qi?" Gu Lan asked.

"Counting the time, when the news spread it was about four months, so now it’s been over five months."

"There’s not much difference between that and being near birth."

Gu Lan felt a stir within, narrowing his eyes as he turned to look in the direction of the capital city.

"Do you think Yuan Lang knows he’s about to have another brother or sister?"

The fragile and delicate face of Yuan Lang floated before her mind’s eye.

Having spent more than half a year in the Imperial Family, Gu Lan still was not familiar with this man, but... Yuan Lang was exceptionally good-looking, the most handsomely beautiful man she had ever seen; if he were gone, it would be a loss to the world.

Uncle Li said: "The Wei Country’s Crown Prince definitely doesn’t know, as the child hasn’t been born yet. If it turns out to be a girl, Yuan Lang remains the Wei Emperor’s most beloved and favored Crown Prince. If it’s a boy, Yuan Lang might find it hard to sleep soundly."

Gu Lan remarked: "That Prince Kang, Yuan Lu from Wei, hasn’t been back yet, right? Uncle Li, do you think he knows about this?"

"Logically speaking, before Yuan Lu was dispatched to Dayan, Concubine Qi was already pregnant, but Wei Liuyu has sealed this matter, so most likely, he doesn’t know either."

Gu Lan softly said:

"Then let them both know that they are about to be sold by Wei." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Uncle Li was taken aback: "Do you mean... to tell Yuan Lang and Yuan Lu about this?"

Gu Lan pondered for a moment and said: "In any case, start by monitoring Yuan Lu. I’m not yet sure which side this Prince Kang stands on, whether it is the Wei Emperor’s side or Wei Liuyu’s side."

If he stands on the Wei Emperor’s side, and is simply there to visit Dayan, then he’s just an unfortunate soul.

If he belongs to Wei Liuyu, then once Concubine Qi’s child is born, if it’s a boy, Yuan Lang will be in danger.

"I understand."

"By the way, what is the Wei Emperor’s real name?"

"His surname is Yuan, and his given name is Zhen."