I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 348 - 266: Long Time No See
"I want a pound of orange candy, a pound of plum candy, and a pound of lychee candy."
"These three choices, dear customer, are the signature items of our candy shop. Are you familiar with our reputation?" The candy shop clerk, seeing someone come to buy candy, immediately puffed out his chest with pride and began to discreetly promote the products.
He looked at the two youths in front of him who wore bamboo hats that obscured their faces, finding them somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had seen them before.
The one who spoke seemed normal enough, with a clear and pleasant voice. Dressed in white without a speck of dust, her thin lips were very attractive. Behind her was a man dressed in light blue clothes, wearing a peculiar silver mask, holding a short sword in his hands.
"Reputation? Isn’t it just that the candy tastes good, but the preserved fruit is a mess?" Gu Lan muttered under her breath.
The candy shop clerk, who was using a scoop to weigh the candy for Gu Lan, furrowed his brow upon hearing this and cleared his throat:
"Hey, how could you say such things, dear customer? Our candy shop is a century-old establishment. Previously, Pingnan General... Well, you know Young Master, the Heir of Duke Dingyuan, Gu Chengzhao, who defeated Wei Junzhuo in the Southern Border. Before she became a general, she was very fond of our candy shop’s, uh, uh, uh—"
Before he finished speaking, a breeze blew by, and Gu Lan narrowed her eyes, lifted her head, and softly asked:
"What do I like most about your place?"
The clerk, upon seeing her face clearly, dropped the wooden scoop into the vat of candy, and with a "thud," knelt to the ground, knocking his head in remorse.
"Mercy, Young Master Gu! I was wrong—"
Gu Lan removed the bamboo hat, revealing her unparalleled, handsome face.
Her white attire was three shades brighter than snow, her dark hair and eyes glistened, and a light red ribbon highlighted her beautifully shaped nose with a playful smile on her lips.
The treasure sword at her waist was sheathed, the hilt adorned with a fiery red sword tassel fluttering in the wind. On the other side, an ink bone folding fan made of Xiu jade was tucked in.
"Why are you shouting so loudly? It’s not like I don’t intend to pay."
After saying this, Gu Lan placed an exact handful of copper coins on the counter, turned around, and vanished from in front of the shop.
The townsfolk, drawn by the clerk’s calls, hadn’t even gathered before Gu Lan was nowhere to be seen.
The masked man who looked like a guard following behind her, naturally disappeared along with her.
"Did you just say that Young Master Gu was here?"
"Today is the day Young Master Gu returns to the Capital City! How could she possibly come here to buy candy?"
"Indeed, I heard that Young Master and Junior Minister Gu are returning to the capital, and half the lovestruck young ladies in the city have run to the city gates!"
"What about the other half of the city’s young ladies?"
"They’re waiting by the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion entrance!"
The citizens of the capital, congregating around the candy shop, began to discuss Young Master Gu’s return to the capital today.
Nowadays, Gu Lan has become a legendary figure in the hearts of the capital’s populace and the first goldmine in the hearts of storytellers!
Just like how Gu Chengzhao’s popularity once surpassed Prince Rui, Young Master Gu’s popularity naturally also surpasses the newly appointed Prince Rong Heng.
A surname like Rong naturally carries a sense of distance, making people hesitant to gossip. But the other, once a notorious scoundrel in the streets, went to the Southern Border, achieved victory, and became a young general.
And along with Princess Changle, they galloped across the battlefield, creating an epic tale—
The latter part is a fabrication by the storyteller, but that’s the gist of it.
On the corner of the street, the extremely low-profile Young Master Gu, dressed in a bamboo hat, was waiting for the old master to make a sugar figure while listening to the exclamations and discussions of the crowd.
Gu Lan took out a plum candy from the paper bag and handed it to the masked man behind her.
"The capital is really lively today. It seems the decision I made was indeed correct. Who would’ve thought that Baoyi would be so captivated for so long... captivated by her own story. Did you see when we passed by the bookstore? The book with my story is now the best-seller in the capital."
"It seems Yan Qing isn’t capable..."
"What’s wrong with Yan Qing?"
Before Gu Lan had a chance to get a clear answer, a group suddenly rushed over from the distance, shouting as they ran. She quickly tucked her face under the bamboo hat, turned her back to the street, and avoided being seen.
"Latest news, only Junior Minister Gu entered the city on a chestnut horse. Pingnan General has disappeared!"
"Latest news, Young Master left the group five miles outside the capital, reportedly for a rendezvous with Princess Ning’an!"
"Nonsense, it was clearly for a rendezvous with Magpie Workshop’s Oiran Du Ruo."
"It was a rendezvous with County Princess An Rou—"
"It was a rendezvous with Princess Changle!"
"Princess Changle is in Yinzhou!"
"Who knows if she’ll return with Young Master Gu or not, ..."
The gossip in the capital was rife, but no one knew that at this moment, the Magpie Workshop’s Oiran, Princess Ning’an, and the rumored lovers of Pingnan General were all gathered in one place.
From the private room at Magpie Workshop came the sound of a zither, playing the Great Compassion Mantra.
Rong Miaoyan sat with regal magnificence in the main seat of the room, her beautiful and bright face darkened with a frown, wishing to cover her ears.
If it weren’t for Gu Lan sending word that he needed to first hide at Magpie Workshop, she wouldn’t have set foot in this place!
She, Rong Miaoyan, with the esteemed status of a Princess of Dayan—if word got out that she was waiting for someone in a brothel, where would her dignity be?
"Does your brothel only let guests listen to the Great Compassion Mantra? Is this a brothel or a Buddhist Hall?"
After a long while, she could no longer endure the tune played by the zither girl and asked through gritted teeth.
Duo Ruo, who was attending her, gave a bow to the princess, then carefully said:
"You finally couldn’t endure it, actually I couldn’t either for a long time, but this piece is played by Qing Dai, and no one dares to make her change it."
Qing Dai’s fingers didn’t pause in the slightest, calmly saying to Rong Miaoyan:
"Your Highness, it was your maid Zisu who instructed that if you insist on coming here, I should only play the Great Compassion Mantra."
Duo Ruo: "Your Highness, Qing Dai only plays this piece when she’s drunk. Your visit has really brought radiance to our humble Magpie Workshop, making her overjoyed."
Rong Miaoyan took a deep breath and said, "I order you to change the piece, yet you listen to my maid’s command? Who really is the master here?"
Duo Ruo: "Princess, the silver tael for booking this Sky Number One Private Room... was paid by Maid Zisu, fifty taels of gold for a night."
Poverty left Rong Miaoyan without a rebuttal.
She bit her lower lip, continuing to listen despairingly to the Great Compassion Mantra: "I really don’t know what Gu Lan sees in you all."
Just then, with a bang, the door of the private room was pushed open as Young Master Gu burst in dramatically.
"Sky Number One Private Room, the Great Compassion Mantra, Immortal Drunk—still the familiar formula... Miss Duo Ruo, Miss Qing Dai, let me hide here quickly, everyone in the city is looking for me."
Upon entering, she swiftly closed the door, speaking urgently but without panic, even greeting the two ladies with a bow, before placing wrapped candies and other items on the table.
"Young Master Gu has forgotten us."
"Gu Lan, you dare ignore me!"
Two familiar voices rang out simultaneously; Gu Lan’s eyes narrowed, her neck shrank, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
The next moment, in came Nian Xia in a white dress with wide sleeves, curvy and seductive, wearing half a silver mask, carrying a plate of fresh fruits.
Sitting on a chair in the room, Miaoyan in a bright red dress stepped forward, her smile enchanting, her eyes gentle as she gazed at her.
Facing the unflinching Young Master Gu, who wouldn’t retreat even against ten thousand foes, she involuntarily stepped back half a step.
Her adam’s apple moved, her gaze sweeping across the room, she smiled and waved, "...So many beauties gathered, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Young Master Gu."
The women responded in unison, even Qing Dai paused her playing of the Great Compassion Mantra.
"Continue playing, don’t stop."
Gu Lan whispered, goosebumps rising on her arm beneath her clothes.
She steadied herself, telling herself not to panic, it’s just a small scene.
Then, Young Master Gu cast a pleading glance at the masked man behind her.
It had been a while since she faced such a grand scene and Gu Lan didn’t quite know how to respond at once. She had been leaving all the brainwork to Rong Heng lately, and this time was naturally no exception.
The whole world thought that Prince Xiang now commanded the Southern Border, stationed with the border army in Yinzhou to resist Wei Country.
Yet no one knew,
clad in white entering the Capital City, there was also Rong Heng.
How could Fifth Young Master Rong let his favorite troublemaker, Young Master Gu, return to the Capital alone? He feared that if left alone for three days, Young Master Gu could find himself three hundred concubines—especially since Gu Lan relinquished her military power to enter the city in white, obviously intending to self-sabotage.
A decent person wouldn’t visit a brothel on the first day back in the Capital.
Rong Heng, holding a sword, quietly sat in the corner, his voice low and enticing, repeating what these ladies had just said:
"Long time no see, Young Master Gu."
Gu Lan: "..."
This group, this house, is a bit dangerous.
Could she still return to Yinzhou in time?
