A clash at the prince's family banquet, a sister refused to yield in defending her brother

The two of them stepped back simultaneously.

Inukami Jusaburo's gaze fell on the corner of the dark room, where a wooden box sat, containing smoke bombs and spare kerosene.

We have to run fast, or my life will be in danger if those bastard's henchmen come.

Park Roejang charged forward again, his curved blade whistling as it slashed towards his shoulder.

Inukami Jusaburo raised his sword to block, but the hilt was jolted out of his hand, and he immediately took a blow to the shoulder.

The curved blade slashed into flesh, and blood trickled down the sleeve.

He gritted his teeth, kicked Park Roejang away, grabbed a smoke bomb from the wooden box, and smashed it on the ground.

Grayish-white smoke spread rapidly, and a pungent medicinal smell filled the nostrils.

Park Roejang covered his mouth and nose and chased after them toward the door.

" Inukami Jusaburo, you can run away for a day, but you can't run away for the fifteenth!"

The stone door to the dark room was pushed open, Inukami Jusaburo, clutching his shoulder, crawled into the culvert.

Park Roejang chased after him to the door, slashing his curved sword against the stone door, the blade going numb from the impact.

Only the sound of footsteps remained in the culvert, fading into the distance.

He stood in the smoke, looking down at the bloodstains on the ground, then at the East Sea liaison map soaked with alcohol.

Southern Goryeo has fallen into the hands of the Japanese army.

Wa will not stop.

However, Goryeo is currently unable to retake the port on its own.

Park Roejang sheathed his scimitar and wiped the blood from his palm.

Let's just go find the King! Let him order a request for the Great Yan!

He mounted his horse and headed towards the Goryeo capital.

On the other side.

Anyang City.

At the end of the official road, a troop of cavalry emerged from the morning mist.

The horses' hooves rolled across the wet ground, splashing mud and water onto their bellies. In the middle of the procession stood a black royal banner with gold patterns.

Zhou Huaili was standing on the city wall inside the city.

The guard beside him asked, "Sir, the royal flag has arrived outside the city. Shall we open the gate?"

Zhou Huaili nodded.

"Open the door, the Empress Dowager's decree has been issued."

Zhou Huaili handed the token in his hand to his personal guard.

"No military equipment, ration books, or military tallies may be kept privately."

The guard took the token and asked in a low voice.

"Then, Your Prince An..."

"His Highness is currently unable to handle affairs."

Zhou Huaili turned and went downstairs.

"Let him recover his health first."

The south gate of Anyang slowly opened.

Gu Moran rode his black horse to the city gate and saw that the guards on the gate had already laid down their weapons. He raised his hand to signal the troops behind him to stop.

Zhou Huaili walked out of the city gate alone, wearing an old blue robe and with the token of the Prince An's Residence hanging at his waist.

He walked up to the horse and cupped his hands in greeting.

" Zhou Huaili, a strategist from the Prince An's Residence, is hereby ordered by the Prince An to hand over the defenses of Anyang to His Highness Prince Yi."

Gu Moran did not dismount.

How is my elder brother's health?

Zhou Huaili's fingers tucked into his sleeve.

"Your Highness is seriously injured and cannot get up for the time being. The Empress Dowager's decree has been issued, and our Prince has also instructed that if Prince Yi arrives in Anyang, he will do everything in his power to assist you in attacking the Japanese pirates."

Gu Moran glanced at Zhou Huaili from horseback, then looked at both sides of the city gate.

The merchants, residents of Anyang, and soldiers guarding the city stood quietly at the corner of the city wall, watching this scene in silence. Many of them looked tired and their clothes were incomplete.

These days have been tough for Anyang City.

With grain prices rising, shops are taking advantage of the chaos to raise prices, and ordinary people have to queue for half a day to buy a bag of coarse grains.

Gu Moran took the troop deployment token, glanced at it, and then handed it to Gu Moli behind him.

"Take it."

Then he glanced around the city.

"I've encountered quite a few refugees from Anyang along the way. If grain prices aren't brought down soon, I fear Anyang will descend into chaos."

Zhou Huaili's throat bobbed.

"Your Highness is absolutely right."

Gu Moran dismounted and handed the reins to Tuoba Mang.

"Open the private vault, buy grain first."

Zhou Huaili looked up.

"Your Highness, won't you check the accounts first?"

"The accounts need to be audited, but the people also need to eat."

Gu Moran walked into the city gate.

Upon hearing this, the previously suppressed murmurs among the townspeople gradually began to spread.

Some people peeked out from the shop doors, some carried children to the side of the street, and an old man selling steamed buns carried an empty bamboo basket, moving forward with the line.

When Prince Yi entered Anyang, the people spontaneously made way for them, bringing out broken stools from their homes to watch the soldiers who had come from the southwest pass by.

A child pointed to the dried garlic cloves hanging from Tuoba Mang's waist and asked in a low voice.

What's that?

Tuoba Mang heard it, and then heard the baby's stomach growling. He reached out and tore off a string of pieces.

"Garlic, do you want some?"

The child shrank back.

The woman next to him quickly pulled him back.

"Don't take the soldier's things without permission."

Tuoba Mang stuffed the garlic into the child's hand, then took out a large flatbread from his pocket.

"Here you go. Garlic with pancakes is delicious, but it'll make your breath smell bad afterwards. That's a good thing, haha, bad guys won't dare come near."

Zhou Huaili followed Gu Moran, explaining the situation in Anyang City one by one.

There are three grain merchants in the city. The two largest have close ties with overseas shops, while the third is a local merchant who has stopped supplying grain in recent days.

"Why?"

"We should wait until the price is at its highest to sell."

Gu Moran looked at the grain shop on the side of the street.

A half-finished wooden sign hung at the entrance of the grain shop, reading "No rice today."

The shop door was tightly closed, but the smell of rice bran wafted out from under the door.

Is there no law anymore?

Tell them that if they don't release the grain, they'll donate it all to me.

Zhou Huaili was taken aback.

The grain merchant had just been robbed by Gu Mochen and was barely recovering.

Is Prince Yi up to his old tricks again?

Why do these two brothers act like bandits?

Gu Moran raised his hand and pointed to the grain shop.

"Pass down the order: open the granaries and sell the grain first. The price will be based on the average price in Anyang over the past six months. Anyone who dares to raise the price will have their shop shut down."

Zhou Huaili clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

"Furthermore, all overseas shops in the city are to be closed today; all personnel must be registered and all goods sealed."

Zhou Huaili raised his eyes. "Including Wa shops?"

"Especially Wa shops."

The banquet at Prince An's Residence's mansion was held in an open pavilion. Bamboo curtains hung down to the ground, blocking out the wind. The underfloor heating was burning brightly, and the occasional soft crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard.

Gu Mochen was nestled in a rattan chair with a thick cushion beneath him, his complexion even worse than the white porcelain bowl on the table.

His arm rested on the armrest, his fingertips were weak, and he even needed a maid's help to hold the soup bowl.

Prince An's Consort Lady Lü sat beside him, wearing a set of palace-made pearls and jade on her head. The pearls clinked together as she moved, and the sound could be heard throughout the room.

Gu Moran took his seat with Gu Moli, Shen Ling'er, Lin Qingdai, Murong Xue, Yun Shuyue, Meng Jiuning, and Zhen Meili.

Zhou Huaili personally stood at the table to set out the dishes, his face always displaying his usual impeccable politeness.

Prince An's Consort glanced at Shen Ling'er's medicine box, then at Gu Moli, and finally fixed her gaze on Gu Moran.

" His Prince Yi is in high spirits, going to the East Sea to enjoy the breeze and fight, and he even brought along a courtyard full of delicate flowers."

She raised her hand to straighten her cuffs, and the jewels jingled again.

"If people outside didn't know the situation, they would think His Highness went to the beach to choose a concubine."

The open pavilion fell silent.

Gu Mochen kept his eyes closed, as if he hadn't heard those words.

The spoon in Zhou Huaili's hand touched the rim of the bowl, making a soft sound.

Seeing that no one responded, Gu Moli chuckled, put down her chopsticks, wiped her lips with a silk handkerchief, and turned to look at Lady Lü.

"There's nothing I can do. My third brother's wives, just like you, are the ones who know how to cherish their men the most."

She spoke slowly and softly, as if she were praising someone.

Lady Lü's eyebrows twitched; she hadn't expected her to follow up on that statement.

Gu Moli continued.

"My third brother's wives insisted on coming along. After all, who doesn't know that something happened to my second brother? They couldn't even smell the poison in the Bliss Pills, which shows that Prince An and his wife have been overworked and their noses are worn out."

She folded the silk handkerchief and placed it on the table.

"That's why Third Brother brought a few more people, especially someone who knows medicine, just in case we repeat Second Brother's mistake and become a laughingstock."

Lady Lü's face flushed, and she twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a ball.