Chapter 138: Should Have Been Born Already
The Imperial Garden.
In the end, it was the Regent who carried Wei Wanlan out of the sleeping palace on his back.
It was stuffy indoors, which wasn’t conducive to digesting the food accumulated in his stomach. But he couldn’t remain motionless either, so he had to be taken out.
Thus, the tall and upright Regent carried the Little Emperor on his back.
The Little Emperor lay on the Regent’s broad shoulders, his pointed chin resting in the crook of the Regent’s neckโa pitiful little thing who had just finished vomiting.
However, his two arms hugged the Regent’s neck tightly, very well-behaved and intimate.
“Put Zhen down, okay? Are you tired?”
Even the most exhausted person would be soothed by Wei Wanlan’s concern. Moreover, Wei Wanlan wasn’t heavy at all.
Sugar water bubbled up in Su Jingzhi’s heart again.
He continued to carry Wei Wanlan, letting the slightly cool evening breeze blow over him. The wind blew until Wei Wanlan pressed against his neck, narrowing his eyes, looking very comfortable.
Su Jingzhi wanted to ask him: “Is the indigestion better?”
After vomiting for a while and resting outside for a long time, there was surely some effect.
But Wei Wanlan stubbornly refused to admit to overeating fruit and was still playing the house game: “The cubs say they are very comfortable and have decided not to make trouble in Zhen’s belly anymore.”
Su Jingzhi shook his head, the warmth in his heart growing stronger. He would take it that he was better.
This little fellow, Wei Wanlan, had absolutely no idea what kind of influence he had on him. If he didn’t interrupt him, it made his heart palpitate. If he cruelly interrupted him, his heart felt itchy, wanting to hear more.
To educate a little dummy, one had to use a little dummy’s methods.
Su Jingzhi said, “You should eat less cold fruit next time. Otherwise, before you play this game, our children in your belly will definitely be frozen bad by you.”
Wei Wanlan: “…”
The Little Emperor lying on his back indeed stopped moving.
Wei Wanlan was considering this serious problem, his brain starting to use its rich imagination.
Wei Wanlan felt as if struck by lightning.
He could even see clearly in his hallucination: originally, five little cubs were lying obediently in his belly.
Then, a piece of ice watermelon from the left, a piece of cantaloupe from the right, and iced grapes falling like rain, smashing the five cubs until they were dizzy. The cubs shivered and huddled together for warmth, and finally, all of them were frozen bad. That was why they were making a ruckus in his stomach.
Wei Wanlan’s deer-like eyes turned red instantly.
He admitted his mistake very quickly. Facts proved that fable education was better than verbal criticism.
Wei Wanlan said with a trembling voice, “Then, I’m sorry Regent, I’m sorry babies, Zhen was wrong. Zhen will absolutely never eat indiscriminately again QAQ”
Su Jingzhi: “Mn. Are the Little Crown Prince and Little Heirs satisfied?”
The milky-voiced Wei Wanlan continued to act:
“Satisfied! We forgive Father Emperor this time~”
A minor disturbance dissolved within the game of playing house.
Su Jingzhi felt content. “This Prince wants to discuss a serious matter with you.” Saying this, he put the Little Emperor down and walked side by side with him.
They walked hand in hand along the deep gravel path of the Imperial Garden. The last time the two of them were alone in the Imperial Garden, they were in a subtle, hostile relationship.
This time, holding the Regent’s hand, Wei Wanlan felt the palm was warm. He asked, “What serious matter?”
Su Jingzhi: “During the time you were crouching down to vomit, this Prince received a secret letter from Antang. The letter says Antang wants to pledge loyalty to you.”
Saying this, the Regent handed the secret letter hidden in his sleeve to Wei Wanlan.
The moonlight in the Imperial Garden was clear and bright.
By the cold, clear light of the moon, Wei Wanlan finished reading Antang’s letter.
The letter said that for many years, he had been troubled by his mother being held hostage. Now that Great Wei could help welcome his mother back, he was very happy and grateful. From now on, he was willing to declare himself a subject of Great Wei. The letter ended by wishing the Son of Heaven well from afar.
Wei Wanlan: “This should be considered a good thing.”
The Regent made no comment.
Immediately after, Wei Wanlan asked again, “Prince, then Zhen finds it strange. If Antang wants to be loyal to Zhen, why did you leak news about Antang and let Ashina Shali go back?”
As he spoke, his mind flashed back to the martial arts tournament.
It was clearly Su Jingzhi who had leaked the news about Antang, causing the Turkic Khan to fly into a rage. By now, he should have taken the envoys and be on the verge of killing his way back to the Turkic Royal Court.
Just as Wei Wanlan tilted his head, revealing a confused expression, the System’s familiar notification sound suddenly rang in his head:
ใHost has advanced Mission Three…ใ
ใHost has advanced Mission Three again…ใ
ใHost has significantly advanced Mission Three…ใ
The chiming sounds truly made Wei Wanlan’s head buzz loudly.
He considered it for a long time before realizing: “Could it be that Antang isn’t necessarily a good person either? Does Antang also have ambition?”
If they kept Ashina Shali, then Antang, having regained his mother and lost his weakness, would take advantage of the leaderless grassland to lead his army in a decisive battle against the Ashina tribe. Perhaps the Turkic Royal Court would see the rise of another eagle that would be difficult to oppose.
But if they released Ashina Shali, the Turkic Khan would inevitably go to war with Antang. The Turks would only have two eagles pecking at each other.
When the sandpiper and the clam fight, the fisherman catches both.
Su Jingzhi was well-versed in the way of generals. His stratagem could be said to have struck across a thousand miles!
At this moment, he suddenly remembered the first lesson 404 taught him the day he transmigrated:
“As a monarch, you need not consider good or bad, but whether this person can be of use to me.”
Although he still didn’t like seeing war, and was even unwilling to let the enemy bleed.
But the Turks eyed Great Wei covetously. Protecting the people of Wei was one of his responsibilities in coming here; he could figure that much out.
The Regent is so amazing.
Wei Wanlan couldn’t help but be filled with deep respect for the person whose hand he held.
That respect turned into a gaze of worship. His deer-like eyes were filled with sparkling little stars.
Su Jingzhi said, “For over a hundred years, Great Wei has been waiting for an opportunity to pacify the border troubles. This Prince’s father and grandfather were all waiting. However, Great Wei itself was not tough enough and had many problems, so even if there was the determination for a long-distance expedition to sweep away the Turks, it was useless.”
Wei Wanlan suddenly remembered the account reports the National Treasury gave him recently.
Ever since they cleaned up the administration, Great Wei’s treasury had become visibly full, and fortunately, the weather had been favorable recently.
Wei Wanlan asked tentatively, “Are we very tough now?”
Su Jingzhi smiled, though the arc of his mouth was barely noticeable. “You were even able to parade Ashina Shali through the streets of Chang’an.”
“Oh oh oh, that’s right!” Mentioning this, Wei Wanlan clapped his hands happily. Perhaps because he was in the middle of it, he couldn’t feel the obvious changes.
He happily hugged the Regent again, lifting his head from his chest, praising him without sparing any words: “That implies our Regent is amazing too. Zhen’s Regent is the most amazing~ The best man in Zhen’s heart!”
Su Jingzhi: “…”
He was very certain his Little Wan didn’t know that such straightforwardness would be the death of him.
Su Jingzhi hugged Wei Wanlan back, pressing him against the trunk of a thick banyan tree in full summer bloom, holding him tightly.
Banyan flowers drifted down quietly.
He held the little dummy and kissed him gently on the forehead where a flower had fallen.
With the utmost seriousness and devotion, he cupped Wei Wanlan’s small face: “If we wait for this opportunity, and I return from the expedition, you will be the Master of the World, to whom ten thousand nations pay tribute.”
If it were the late Emperor, he would have hated him and preferred to replace him; the Wei ancestors were unworthy.
If it was Little Wan, he accepted it as sweet as candy.
“Will there be risks?” Wei Wanlan pouted. “Zhen watched the match this afternoon and saw General Tang fighting Aruqi. It felt quite dangerous… Will the Turkic people on the battlefield all be that fierce, even if you have the male lead halo?” His voice got smaller and smaller toward the end of the sentence.
The little dummy was feeling heartache for him.
Su Jingzhi said with certainty, “No. They cannot beat this Prince. You said it yourself, this Prince is the most amazing.”
Only then did Wei Wanlan relax a little.
He rubbed his belly, which had finished digesting. The bulging stomach had actually flattened quite a bit.
But he hadn’t had enough of acting. He used his milky voice again, this time voicing the chirping sounds of a nest of little cubs:
“The cubs’ Father King is the most amazing~”
Su Jingzhi leaned in and said coolly, “So flat, they should have been born long ago.” He took Wei Wanlan’s hand and guided it all the way down.
Wei Wanlan’s dragon claws were still sore when he returned to Zichen Hall. “A part of the Regent” was far superior to “a part of the Little Emperor.” The tactile sensation remained on his palm, and his finger joints had completely lost their strength.
Before going to sleep, he glanced at the Nine-Dragon Mirror. Once again, he dared not look directly at the Regent in the mirror. His face burned so hot it felt like he was about to cook himself.
He closed his eyes carefully.
Tonight, before entering his dreams, his ears were filled with the System’s accompaniment:
ใHost is advancing Mission Three.ใ
ใHost advanced Mission Three again.ใ
ใHost advanced Mission Three once more. System Reward: “Original Manuscript Fragments of The Regent of Great Wei“.ใ
Perhaps doing Missions Two and Three first was the wisest move he had made in his life.
Mission Two, he could advance with a bit of effort.
This Mission Three, tsk tsk, who knew one could reap results just by lying on the kang? How refreshing! Could this be the legendary “lying down to win”?
Listening to the notification sounds in his head, he had a guess.
He asked the Regent, pulling at Su Jingzhi’s collar under the quilt: “Is Antang fighting very fiercely with Ashina Shali?”
Su Jingzhi held him close. “Probably.” He paused, then added, “If they fight a bit more fiercely, this Prince will go there and bring back the Khan’s Golden Book for you.”
Their conversation didn’t last much longer.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door outside the dragon bed.
Normally, An Ruyi wouldn’t disturb them during sleep. But precisely because of this, An Ruyi suddenly knocking meant the matter was urgent.
The dragon curtains were not opened.
Su Jingzhi called out, “Enter and report.”
An Ruyi trotted in hurriedly. Tang Tuan actually stumbled in behind him. Both were also very sleepy, having been suddenly woken by war reports from the border:
“Ashina Shali rode swiftly by starlight to the Royal Court to stabilize the situation. Antang had long laid a trap to take his life!”
“The Turkic tribes are now split into two factions, each siding with one of the brothers. They are fighting inextricably. Ashina just lost his eldest son, and Antang’s father-in-law was trampled to death by horses. Both sides are fighting to the death. The Turkic situation is in chaos…”
“Our intelligence reports are coming in like snowflakes. The Turks rarely fight when their water and grass are lush. They are destroying themselves. Prince! This is a god-sent opportunity for war!!!”
Tang Tuan almost howled these words out.
It wasn’t just Tang Tuan. Those in the city who received the intelligence included the Secretariat and the Ministry of War… Every court official who could get the news was outside Zichen Hall, wanting to report this major event to the court.
“Your Majesty, Prince, do we send troops, Prince?”
Su Jingzhi answered: “Wait.”
“Wait?” The officials and generals were shocked.
Logically, even a child understands the principle of the fisherman catching the profit. Opportunity must not be lost. Since Great Wei had been waiting for this chance, the Regent definitely should have seized the moment to act.
Why did he give such an answer from behind the bed curtains?
The hearts of the officials and generals beat like drums.
However, the Regent always had a plan. Even if they were confused, they dared not ask more.
Wei Wanlan didn’t sleep well that night either.
His dreams were intermittent.
Recommended Reads
![Enemies on a Narrow Road [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/enemies-on-a-narrow-road-214x300.jpg)
