Gu Moran remained silent.
The drizzle pattered on the stone steps, making a soft, rustling sound.
Shen Ling'er took two steps forward and leaned over.
"My husband..."
She lowered her voice.
"If there really is sea poison, then the detoxification formulas commonly used by the Imperial Medical Bureau probably wouldn't be effective."
Upon hearing this voice of support, Meng Jiuning promptly kowtowed again.
"Your Highness, I am willing to go to war with the army."
"To serve as an interpreter in the army, and to assist Sister Ling'er!"
Gu Moran stared at her for a moment, then reached out his hand.
He pinched the roll of sheepskin between two fingers and pulled it out lightly.
He spread his hand out and glanced at it.
The patterns on it are drawn crookedly, the handwriting is old, and the ink has long since seeped into the texture of the sheepskin, so it cannot be faked.
He closed the parchment and casually tossed it into Uncle Fu's arms.
"Then pack your things, and we'll set off tomorrow."
Meng Jiuning suddenly raised her face.
He slammed his head hard against the stone slab.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
On the official road south of the city, horses' hooves pounded the mud, splashing up muddy water that was half a person's height.
Pu Yunshan lay on the horse's back, his face pale and his eyes sunken deep.
His leather armor was covered with crisscrossing knife marks, and several deep wounds that exposed bone, though wrapped in coarse cloth, had already dried and scabbed over with the oozing blood and black mud, sticking hard to the flesh.
Pu Yunshan tumbled off his horse, his feet landing on the blue bricks, his kneecaps groaning in protest.
He gritted his teeth and pressed his hand against the nicked steel longsword at his waist.
At the end of the sword hilt, the jade tassel that Qin Hongxiu had woven herself had long been stained dark purple with blood, and the tassels were tangled up.
At the main gate of the drill ground, the command flag for troop deployment was fluttering in the wind.
Gu Moran was checking the marching route when she heard heavy footsteps behind her and turned around.
Pu Yunshan knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse from heavy breathing.
"Your Highness, the remnants of the Tubo in Bronze Gorge have been wiped out, and the supply lines are secure!"
Gu Moran glanced at the dried bloodstains on his body and raised an eyebrow.
"The order to pacify the Japanese pirates has been issued; the army will set off for Qi and Lu tomorrow."
"Are you going back to Mount Qingcheng, or will you come with me to the East Sea?"
Pu Yunshan gripped the sword tassel at his waist tightly with his fingers, his knuckles turning bluish-white.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes revealing a rare stubbornness.
"Your Highness, please grant me half a day's leave. I am willing to accompany Your Highness to the East Sea, but I wish to see..."
"Granted." Gu Moran didn't ask any further questions, and waved his hand. "Go, go, go."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Pu Yunshan suddenly stood up, ignoring the twitching in his leg muscles, and ran wildly towards the Foot Care Hall in the south of the city.
Spring rain moistened the bluestone alleyways in the south of the city.
In the backyard of the Foot Care Hall.
Two large iron pots were bubbling and steaming, and the air was filled with the strong, bitter aroma of mugwort, clematis, and rehmannia.
Qin Hongxiu was carrying a brass basin and was walking out of the side room.
She wore a simple, light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with no jewelry around her waist. She looked noticeably thinner, but her face remained bright and beautiful.
The courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open with great force.
The wooden door slammed against the earthen wall with a loud crash.
Qin Hongxiu looked up in astonishment and saw a young man covered in mud and reeking of blood staggering across the threshold.
Clang!
The heavy copper basin slipped from her hands, spilling the medicinal soup onto the ground and wetting her embroidered cloth shoes.
Qin Hongxiu stood there blankly, her gaze fixed on the shattered armor and dark red blood clots on Pu Yunshan's chest. Her lips instantly turned bloodless, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
" Yunshan..."
Pu Yunshan stopped awkwardly two steps away.
He looked down at his mud-covered boots, then at his blood-stained hands, and instinctively put his hands behind his back, afraid of soiling the woman's clean clothes.
" Hongxiu, I... I'm fine, it's all someone else's blood."
Qin Hongxiu bit her lower lip tightly, and two lines of clear tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, hitting the muddy ground.
"You... aren't you going back to report?"
"What are you doing here?" Her voice trembled, choked with sobs, yet she stubbornly turned her head away.
"I only have stinky medicinal soup here; I can't possibly entertain you, young master."
Pu Yunshan panicked and took half a step forward, splashing mud from his boots onto her skirt.
I have half a day off!
He shouted, his breath coming in ragged gasps, " Prince Yi is going to lead an expedition against the Japanese pirates in Qi and Lu and Lu! I'm going with him!"
Qin Hongxiu turned around abruptly, her eyes filled with shock and anger.
"Are you crazy?! Wasn't surviving your last brush with death enough? You want to risk your life at sea?! Do you really think you have nine lives?!"
I'm not crazy!
Pu Yunshan looked directly into her eyes, his expression unusually firm.
He raised his wrist, revealing the blood-stained tassel of his sword.
"I've inquired about it. This campaign against the Japanese pirates is no small matter. As long as one makes a great contribution, one can earn a hereditary title from the imperial court!"
His voice was hoarse, and each word was as sharp as iron.
"Once I return with the imperial merits, I will ask the prince to grant you an imperial decree! At that time, you will be a woman of the highest esteem!"
Qin Hongxiu froze on the spot, tears streaming down her face.
Looking at this fool in front of her, who would blush even if she were just touched, she felt as if something had slammed into her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Without saying another word, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Pu Yunshan's blood-stained arm, forcefully dragging the young man, who was a head taller than her, into the inner room.
"Bang!"
Qin Hongxiu slammed the heavy wooden door shut with her other hand and bolted it.
The room was dimly lit and filled with a faint scent of feminine fragrance and herbs.
Qin Hongxiu grabbed the scissors on the table, her hands trembling, but she resolutely cut open the tangled leather armor rope on his chest.
The bloodstained pieces of armor were peeled off piece by piece, revealing a network of crisscrossing wounds underneath.
Warm water was poured onto the wound, bringing out a layer of pinkish water stains.
Pu Yunshan grunted, his muscles tensing instantly, and he instinctively tried to back away. " Hongxiu, dirty..."
Before he could finish speaking, a pair of warm, hot lips pressed against his chapped lower lip without warning.
Pu Yunshan was struck dumb, his mind went completely blank.
Qin Hongxiu stretched out her arms and tightly hugged his broad back. Tears mingled with their breaths, spreading silently in the narrow, dimly lit room.
"Fool..."
The woman murmured softly near his lips, her voice trembling with a sense of desperation.
"Who cares about some damn imperial decree... I just want you to live."
A gust of wind squeezed in through the cracks in the window, causing the oil lamp on the table to tremble slightly.
The crimson curtains slowly slid down in the shadows, sealing all the bloodshed, anguish, and life-or-death pacts within this warm little space.
At the same time, in front of the stables.
A very strange smell filled the air—the spiciness of garlic mixed with the rich aroma of braised meat, clashing violently with the stench of horse manure.
"Horses, get out of the way! Don't touch my precious sisters-in-law!"