"This sutra copy is quite good; the person is sensible and filial."
The old lady took out a pair of ebony plaques engraved with pine and crane patterns from her sleeve and tossed them to the nanny next to her.
"Send the plaque to Fallen Plum Studio and convey my message."
Her cloudy old eyes lingered on Gu Moli for a moment.
From this day forward, Fallen Plum Studio will be closed for quiet contemplation.
Apart from the maid who delivered water daily, no one in the entire household, regardless of their master's or servant's status, dared to trespass even a step.
The voice paused, the last syllable of which was low and deep.
"Break their legs and sell them off immediately."
After saying that, his old eyes swept over Mei Zhongjun's wheelchair.
Mei Zhongjun gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the soft cushions of the wheelchair armrests, not daring to utter a single word.
Gu Moli held her hands out to the sides.
"This humble servant thanks the Dowager for her kindness."
Her wide sleeves hung down, obscuring the barely perceptible smile at the corners of her mouth.
With this ironclad order sealing the courtyard in hand, the gates of Fallen Plum Studio were locked, and the claws of that vicious dog that had reached in were completely severed.
From now on, she can hide whoever she wants in this courtyard and send whatever messages she wants; she can do whatever she wants.
The old matriarch stared at her for a long time, through the wafting incense and through the trembling female relatives in the room.
It's gotten to this point...
Is it really just a case of looking alike?
On the other side.
The sky was so dark it seemed to sink into the river, and a fierce wind whipped up white foam, tearing deep ravines into the muddy surface of the river.
More than ten heavy warships, covered with wrought iron armor, sailed downstream towards Jiangling, taking advantage of the surging river water.
The deck of the main warship was damp with moisture, making it slippery and impossible to stand on.
Inside the most spacious main cabin in the lower deck, the square table, originally riveted shut with iron nails, creaked loudly as the ship swayed.
The river wind forced its way in through the window cracks, causing the windproof oil lamp fixed to the cabin wall to sway violently, casting several flickering shadows on the wooden planks.
A large wave crashed heavily against the starboard side of the ship.
The entire ship tilted violently to its left, as if to throw all the people in the cabin into the river.
"Oh my goodness!"
Zhen Meili, who was bending over and spreading out the nautical chart at the square table, lost her footing.
The bundles of wooden axles and cast iron pulleys he was holding clattered to the ground.
She lost her balance and, following the sloping wooden floor, crashed straight into a thick, load-bearing iron pillar.
Not far away, Shen Ling'er was packaging the medicinal powder that she had been brewing overnight.
The ship tilted, and the three-tiered medicine box filled with life-saving pills slid down along the table.
Shen Ling'er exclaimed in surprise, completely disregarding her own safety, and rushed forward to hug the medicine box tightly.
Her soft-soled embroidered shoes slipped on the spilled medicine, her ankle twisted, and she fell straight forward.
Just as the two women were about to fall flat on their faces, Gu Moran, who had been sitting upright in the armchair, moved.
As the world spun around him, he reached out his long arm.
With his left hand, he grasped Shen Ling'er's belt at the back of her waist in mid-air, and with a flick of his wrist, he steadily pulled the petite girl, along with her medicine box that she wouldn't let go of, into his arms.
He stretched out his right arm, his five fingers spread like iron clamps, and grabbed Zhen Meili's arm as she brushed past him.
He released Pure Yang True Qi from his fingertips, neutralizing her immense force as she charged forward, and forcibly dragged her onto the table, pressing her firmly against his lap.
The two landed steadily, still shaken, and the cabin was filled with disordered breathing.
On the other side, Meng Jiuning was secretly competing with him in the corner.
She was determined to seize every opportunity to win over Gu Moran and demand an explanation from him.
At that moment, she seized the opportunity to build a closer relationship.
She deliberately slipped, letting out a soft, pitiful cry.
"Ouch, I'm going to fall!"
Her whole body was limp and boneless, and using the momentum, she fell towards Gu Moran's knees.
She had planned it perfectly.
The prince had just withdrawn his hands and was busy comforting the two people in his arms when he fell in, landing squarely in their arms.
Seeing that terrified, charming face only half a foot away from the hem of Gu Moran's clothes...
A cold, eerie light pierced through from the side.
It's a sword sheath.
Lin Qingdai moved with exquisitely Wandering Dragon Steps, her figure even more agile than a cat in the violently shaking cabin.
Holding the sword hilt upside down with one hand, the end of the scabbard inlaid with cold jade swooshed and blocked Meng Jiuning's throat three inches away.
Before the sword intent was revealed, the cold, hard internal force wrapped around the scabbard made the hairs on Meng Jiuning's neck stand on end.
She had to abruptly stop her planned fall, her waist twisting awkwardly backward, her feet completely disoriented, and she landed awkwardly on her bottom on the thick wool blanket.
" Miss Lin, you..."
Meng Jiuning bit her lower lip, her eyes quickly welling up with tears, and looked up at the woman holding the sword.
Lin Qingdai didn't even give her a second glance.
He scoffed inwardly.
Even the most clueless person could guess that the relationship between this woman and Gu Moran had changed.
He'd stand there peeking all day long, his face turning as red as a monkey's bottom...
Lin Qingdai used her sword sheath to force the Dali princess back with one hand, while pressing her other hand against the edge of the sliding square table.
His cold eyes were slightly lowered, and his tone was colder than the river wind outside.
"Hold on tight. The cabin is rocking, Princess. You'd better sit firmly on the ground to avoid breaking your neck."
A sneer, undisguised, came from the hatch.
Murong Xue wore a tight-fitting black leather armor, her feet planted apart, as steady as if she were rooted to the deck.
The more violently the ship rocked, the more steadily she stood.
He deftly twirled the scarlet deerskin whip on his wrist and lashed it against the doorframe with a sharp crack.
What did I tell you?
Murong Xue raised her eyebrows and looked unceremoniously at Meng Jiuning, who had fallen onto the blanket, before glancing at Zhen Meili.
"If your chassis isn't stable, don't run around recklessly. If you can't even stand on the waves in this great river, what will you do when you encounter a two-zhang-high surge in the East Sea? You probably won't even have the strength to stand up straight."
She paused, then pouted.
"If you want to gain some respect in front of the prince, you'd better see if your physical skills are up to par."
Meng Jiuning's face turned red and white as she was forced to react to the two blows, but she couldn't utter a single word in her defense. She could only clutch the hem of her skirt in a pitiful manner.
Gu Moran smiled, released his grip on Zhen Meili's hand, and then straightened Shen Ling'er in his arms.
Listening to the sharp words of the women around him, he was just about to say something to tease them.
Deep within his mind, the system's cold notification tone suddenly rang out.
[bite--]
[It has been detected that Gu Moli has successfully hindered the romantic relationship between the destined male lead Mei Zhongjun, and his white moonlight. The original plotline where the two would team up to torment Zhen Meili has been derailed.]
[Small reward distributed: 50,000 taels of silver (already placed in the host's sleeve).]
What? Gu Moli?
Fifty thousand taels?
Gu Moran's eyes widened further.
younger sister?
She's putting up another effort?
No, why would she be in Luoyang?
Good heavens, could she have run away from home?!
Gu Moran tapped his fingers impatiently twice on the hilt of the sword.
She's such a foolish girl, so ignorant of her own limitations; the man beside her Qingwu, is only a Fourth Rank.
What if something goes wrong?