Finger power sealed the doors through the air; six beauties gathered with nowhere to flee

Murong Xue below also moved.

He pushed off the bluestone slab with his toes and jumped two zhang high, wrapping his arms around Lin Qingdai's waist.

The weight of his entire body slammed down, forcefully pulling him down from mid-air.

"Let go!"

Lin Qingdai staggered half a step after landing, drew her sword half an inch from its sheath, and the back of the blade brushed past Murong Xue's nose.

Her ears were burning hot, and she was speaking very fiercely.

" Murong Xue, if you don't let go, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"I won't let go!"

Murong Xue clung tightly to her arm, refusing to let go, and raised her voice very loudly.

" The Yue'er was chosen for you, the lot was drawn by Xie Wanqing, and the rules were set by everyone!"

" Lin Qingdai, don't you usually pride yourself on strict military discipline and obeying orders without question?"

"You've drawn the first lot today, so don't even think about going back on your word!"

Su Yao also lent a hand.

She snatched the sandalwood food box from Shen Ling'er's hand and shoved it into Lin Qingdai's arms.

Then, Murong Xue and Lin Qingdai grabbed her shoulders tightly, one on each side, and pushed her towards the door.

" Miss Lin's martial arts are superb, and her internal energy is even more profound than Miss Murong's. It's only right that you go and help the Prince neutralize the effects of the medicine."

Su Yao pushed and laughed, the abacus beads at her waist clanging loudly.

"Hurry inside, don't keep the prince waiting!"

" Su Yao! Murong Xue!"

Lin Qingdai was holding a heavy medicine box and food container in her arms, her arms were being held firmly by someone.

He pushed off the ground with both feet, the soles of his shoes scraping two long marks on the bluestone slab.

She was half-pushed and half-dragged, all the way to the thick felt curtain in the warm pavilion.

Murong Xue abruptly yanked open the curtain.

The warmth and aroma of medicine wafted out from the heated room.

Lin Qingdai stood on the threshold, holding something in her arms, her feet rooted to the spot.

The sound of turning pages came from inside.

The curtain fell down from behind.

Inside the room, two brass braziers with animal-shaped feet burned silver-thread charcoal. There was no smoke, and the glowing red charcoal illuminated the entire inner room.

Lin Qingdai stumbled forward two steps after being pushed, but managed to steady herself by stepping onto the thick Western Regions wool carpet.

She hugged the sandalwood food box tightly, her entire face flushed red.

Behind the desk, Gu Moran sat upright in a rosewood armchair.

She was wearing only a thin, plain white undershirt, and her black hair was loose over her shoulders.

The Turtle Breath and Qi Concealment Method suppressed his qi and blood, making him look no different from a frail scholar recovering from a serious illness.

He held a piece of green jade in his hand, rubbed the surface of the stone with his thumb, and looked around the doorway.

"After arguing for ages, have they finally chosen someone?"

The sound was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears steadily.

Su Yao and Murong Xue exchanged a glance, their faces full of the satisfaction of their wicked scheme succeeding.

He quietly moved backward, preparing to slip away.

Xie Wanqing held the water conservancy map, nodded slightly, and retreated to the side room.

Liu Ruyan lowered her head and turned around with extremely light steps.

Shen Ling'er, carrying the empty medicine bowl, followed them out.

At the bottom of the steps in the distance, Yun Shuyue and Meng Jiuning were already standing on the outside watching the excitement.

Sensing something was amiss, the two of them tugged at each other's sleeves and crouched low as they made their way to the side door.

"Ladies, now that we've arrived at the door, why the rush to leave?"

Gu Moran uttered a sentence.

The index and middle fingers of the right hand overlap, with the fingertips bent.

The jade pebble bounced towards the main entrance.

"Duh!"

The pebble hit the hidden button of the mechanism above the door frame.

The two large nanmu wood doors, covered in copper, closed rapidly under the pull of a mechanism.

The iron bolt fell from the slot, fitting perfectly and locking securely.

The moment the door closed, a series of rapid footsteps came from the side door.

Yun Shuyue and Meng Jiuning scrambled out of the side door.

The two men leaned against the outer wall, panting heavily.

Yun Shuyue patted her chest, her voice trembling.

" Sister Meng... does it take six people to feed him medicine? Has the Prince gone mad?"

Meng Jiuning swallowed hard, glanced at the tightly closed iron gate, and ran away.

"Don't ask! Let's go! It's safer to go back and peel chestnuts than to stay here!"

The soles of two pairs of shoes clattered on the bluestone slabs as they ran further and further away, the sound gradually fading at the end of the corridor.

Inside the warm pavilion.

Gu Moran's lips curved slightly when she heard the commotion outside.

The two little girls ran away, that's all.

Save charcoal.

But those who were supposed to stay, none of them left.

As Su Yao retreated to the threshold, the gust of air from the closing door forced her back two steps, causing her to bump into Murong Xue's back.

Xie Wanqing stood there, holding the scroll, stunned.

Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes and stopped walking.

Shen Ling'er almost dropped the empty medicine bowl from her hand.

Murong Xue reacted the fastest, reaching out to pull on the iron door latch.

The iron mechanism was firmly locked, and no matter how much she shook it, the thick wooden door remained completely still.

"Duh! Duh!"

Two muffled thuds.

Gu Moran flicked his fingertips, and two pebbles hit the latches on the left and right window frames.

The two carved wooden windows closed with a click, and the iron locks fell shut.

It was sealed off on all sides.

The room quieted down, with only the occasional soft popping of the charcoal fire.

Lin Qingdai stood there, clutching the medicine box.

Murong Xue's back was pressed against the wooden door.

Su Yao leaned against the window.

Xie Wanqing held the scroll in her hands.

Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes.

Shen Ling'er stood in the corner with her head down.

Six pairs of eyes were fixed on Gu Moran behind the desk.

"Your Highness... what does this mean?"

Xie Wanqing steadied herself and held the water conservancy map to her chest.

"We are merely here to deliver the medicine. If Your Highness finds the medicine too strong, Qingdai alone can serve you; our presence would be inconvenient..."

"Inconvenient?"

Gu Moran stood up, his white shirt draped loosely over his shoulders, and took a few steps.

Lin Qingdai took half a step back.

Gu Moran walked up to her, took the sandalwood food box from her arms, and casually placed it on the table beside her.

Lin Qingdai froze on the spot, her fingers gripping the knife turning red, wanting to retreat but finding no way to do so.

" Shopkeeper Su just said outside that I have worked hard and made great contributions, but my internal heat is too strong, and I need someone to take good care of me."

Gu Moran turned around, his gaze passing over Lin Qingdai and landing on Su Yao by the window.

" Su Yao, you manage the palace's accounts with meticulous calculations, yet you can't even figure out how many people I need to serve me tonight?"

Su Yao pressed her back against the windowsill, her fingers flying across two abacus beads.

"Your Highness is too kind... I was merely joking with Sister Murong."

She paused for a moment, her words reacting faster than her thoughts.

"Besides, if six people don't sleep well and stay up all night, they'll burn an extra thirty catties of silver thread charcoal, which is equivalent to two hundred and forty coins. Which courtyard should we blame for that?"

She regretted saying it as soon as it left her mouth; didn't that mean she was agreeing to the condition that "six people stay"?

"Hmm, I can afford this little bit of money."

Gu Moran raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze to Murong Xue by the door.

" Xue'er specially changed into this red silk pleated skirt, wasn't it to dance for me?"

Murong Xue shouted fiercely, grabbing the soft whip at her waist and lashing it outwards.

" Gu Moran! Stop playing tricks! If you've got the guts, open the door and let's have a one-on-one fight at the training ground!"

The voice trailed off by half a syllable at the very last word.

"There's no need for the drill ground."

Gu Moran chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Xie Wanqing, Liu Ruyan, and Shen Ling'er one by one.

Xie Wanqing held the scroll without saying a word, her ears turning a light red.

Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.

"I have recently devoted much of my energy to the defense of Jiannan Circuit. You all have been working hard in the inner quarters as well."

Gu Moran stood with his hands behind his back, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"Pushing and shoving will only hurt our harmony. Tonight, no one is leaving. My warm chamber is large enough, the charcoal fire is strong enough, and there's plenty of medicine."

"We'll sleep together under the same quilt, saving me from running around in several courtyards while you all have to hide in several courtyards."