The black smoke from the bow of the " Nihon Maru " ship had not yet dissipated in the afternoon.
Once Gu Moran activated her Eye of Detection, the truth was already revealed.
With his left hand around Kim Seon-a's slender waist, he casually slipped the secret letter, sealed with the Nine Phoenix Golden Seal, into his own pocket.
Kim Seon-a was pulled so hard that she slammed into his breastplate, and pushed him backward with both hands against his chest.
The thin Goryeo silk robe from Goryeo had long been soaked through by the sea breeze, and the silk vest underneath, wrapped around her full curves, felt soft and warm even through the iron armor.
Gu Moran didn't let go; he lowered his head, opened his mouth, and bit her earlobe.
Kim Seon-a's body went limp, a soft groan escaped her throat, her legs cramped, and her hands, which had been pushing him away, instead gripped the edge of his armor.
Gu Moran gently rubbed her earlobe with his teeth, his tongue sweeping across her earlobe, and spoke in a muffled voice:
"I will investigate this matter thoroughly when I return to the capital. The Empress has long been deposed and confined to the Cold Palace, and the Empress Dowager now holds the Phoenix Seal of the Empress."
"The Empress Dowager is my own grandmother, would she really collude with the Japanese pirates to harm her own grandson?"
Kim Seon-a turned her head away, trying to avoid his hot breath on her neck. Her chest heaved rapidly, and the large expanse of her snow-white collarbone at her neckline was dazzling.
"Then this seal... it couldn't have fallen from the sky."
Gu Moran released his arm around her waist, letting her take a half step back.
He slowly pulled the secret letter back from his pocket, his thumbnail aimed at the dark red sealing wax on the edge of the envelope, and with a snap, he pried off a piece, handing it to Kim Seon-a's eyes:
"The cinnabar clay used by the Great Yan has always been mixed only with beeswax from Luoyang, without a trace of pine soot."
Smell this resealed sealing wax; it contains the unique, century-old pine resin of your Goryeo Gaegyeong royal family.
Kim Seon-a's breath hitched for a second.
She held out two fingers to take the piece of sealing wax, then brought it to her nose and sniffed it.
That familiar scent of bitter pine filled her nostrils, draining all color from her face. Her jawline taut, yet she still stubbornly tilted her head back.
"The tribute warehouse in Gaegyeong Palace was emptied out long ago by that old scoundrel Choi Seong-min!"
This must have been a fabrication he made before his death to sow discord between us. Now that Choi Seong-min is dead, the Goryeo court is completely clean, with absolutely no traitors within!
"Yeah?"
Gu Moran didn't even lift his eyelids, turned his head and shouted towards the stern of the boat.
" Qingdai, bring your things over here for the Princess to take a look at."
Lin Qingdai walked out of the rear cabin carrying a sword, along with a short sword about a foot long.
She walked up to the two men, flicked her wrist, and threw the short sword onto the dark deck with a clang.
The sharkskin scabbard of the short sword was worn through, revealing a section of bronze hilt. The inside of the hilt was turned upwards, and a private seal the size of a thumb was engraved on it.
Lin Qingdai took a step back, sword in hand.
"This was just found on the body of Kuki Yoshitaka's lieutenant."
Kim Seon-a looked down, her gaze falling on the private seal, and she froze on the spot.
That was the private seal of Kim Seung-hwan, the military governor of Gyeongsang Province in Goryeo.
Kim Seung-hwan was her father's cousin. He commanded the only remaining 10,000 troops stationed in southern Goryeo, both by land and naval forces, which was also the only fully organized military force left in Goryeo.
Kim Seon-a's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she held the broken pieces of sealing wax, and when she tried to pick up the short sword, she couldn't muster any strength in her fingertips.
He had just lifted the short sword half a foot high when it clattered back to his feet.
Gu Moran a step forward, his boot tip landing directly on the short sword. He lowered his head and stared intently at her, their noses almost touching.
"How long will the eldest princess continue to deceive herself?"
Choi Seong-min is just a target in plain sight; there's more than one rat in your Goryeo royal family who wants to sell out the country for personal gain.
Kim Seon-a opened her mouth, but her throat was dry, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.
"I'm putting my words right here."
Gu Moran extended a finger, lifted her cold chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Once the Great Yan Navy sets sail and withdraws to Dengzhou, within a month, your good cousin will be able to take your father's head and offer it to the Wa as a pledge of allegiance."
"At that time, you, the eldest princess, will probably only be able to wash the feet of Wa ronin."
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from the deck stairs behind.
Mei Boqian strode forward, his left hand pressed against his tightly bandaged left shoulder, blood still seeping through the gauze, while his right hand carried a dull-edged waist knife.
"Your Highness, what should we do with those captured Japanese pirates? Should we chop them all up and feed them to the fish, or...?"
He was speaking when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that Gu Moran was lifting Kim Seon-a's chin, the two of them so close that not even a breeze could pass between them.
Mei Boqian paused, immediately turned around, kicked the buttocks of a Japanese pirate corpse beside him, and shouted curses at the Luoyang private soldiers below:
"Have you all not eaten yet! You're taking so long cleaning the deck, hurry up and throw these damn dogs into the sea!"
"You're blocking my way!"
He was cursing and swearing with his back to the bow of the boat, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot and he didn't move an inch. His neck was tucked back and his ears were perked up.
Gu Moran completely ignored that clown, grabbed Kim Seon-a's cold right hand, pulled her two steps forward, and slammed it heavily onto the bronze cannon barrel that had just been set up at the bow of the ship.
The cannon barrels, still scalding hot from the recent battle, made Kim Seon-a flinch, but Gu Moran's large hand held her firmly, rendering her immobile.
Gu Moran pressed against her back, his chest against her shoulder blades, his hand sliding down the back of her hand and between her fingers, their fingers intertwining tightly.
Two paths.
First, follow my fleet across the sea to wipe out the Wa Emperor's stronghold.
As long as my cannons are still pointed at the East Sea, your cousin on the shore will have to tuck his tail between his legs even if he farts, and won't dare to have the slightest guts to rebel.
He paused, then chuckled, biting her earlobe:
Article 2,
You should stay in Incheon now with your ten dilapidated turtle ships and fulfill your filial duties.
Tomorrow morning, I will pack up the living Kuki Yoshitaka and send him to Gyeongsang Province, to be handed over to your good cousin.
"Guess whether he'll go and kill your father first, or take Kuki Yoshitaka to Wa to claim credit?"
Kim Seon-a's molars ached from grinding, and she closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently a few times.
When she opened her eyes again, she didn't struggle anymore. She pulled out her left hand, raised it to her hair bun, and yanked off the phoenix hairpin.
She pinched the sharp end of the hairpin and slashed it across the tip of her left index finger.
Blood beads immediately gushed out.