A glimpse of spring in the medicinal bath, three thousand cavalry seal the mountain passes
Just then, the iron fence of the drainage ditch on the west side of the barbican was pried open from underneath.
Yun Shuyue emerged from the ditch, covered in mud. Her night clothes on her left shoulder were torn and bleeding.
She ran a few steps to the steps, knelt on one knee, and presented a sealed copper tube, about the thickness of a finger, with both hands:
"Your Highness! General Pu led us through the secret passage under the iron warehouse to the outskirts of the Dazaifu's residence, where we intercepted and killed the messenger sent by Shōni Sukemoto!"
Shōni Sukemoto led the main force out of the south gate last night and retreated towards Iwami Silver Mine. Dazaifu is now an empty city!
Gu Moran Kim Seon-a, took the copper tube, and crushed the seal with his fingers, pulling out the note inside and glancing at it.
The note clearly stated that not only did Shōni Sukemoto take away three million taels of silver from Tsukushi and Dazaifu, but he also took away a "Heavenly Number Iron Box" that he had stolen from the Goryeo Royal Palace, and was preparing to transport it back to the Capital Shogunate through the secret passage of the Iwami Silver Mine.
Gu Moran handed the note to Kim Seon-a next to him:
"Look, the entire secrets of your Goryeo royal family are in the hands of this young master."
Kim Seon-a took the note and glanced at it. Her breathing quickened, and her chest heaved violently.
"The number one iron box! It contains the geomantic map of the dragon veins and the key to the royal treasury left by our Goryeo Taejo of Goryeo! We absolutely cannot let the Japanese take it to Capital!"
She whirled around, grabbed Gu Moran Gu Moran's sleeve, and in her haste, pressed herself against him, her breasts pressed firmly against Gu Moran arm.
"Your Highness! I beg you to immediately send troops to pursue Shōni Sukemoto!"
As long as they can retrieve the iron box, Seon-a...
Seon-a can do anything!
Gu Moran looked down at the Goryeo princess who had offered herself to him, then turned to look at Takaichi Nanako, who was squatting on the steps and playing with her toes.
Iwami Silver Mine has a complex terrain.
Shōni Sukemoto led 10,000 main force troops into the mountains; a direct pursuit would definitely result in losses.
But right now, don't we have a Wa imperial prince readily available?
Gu Moran reached out his right hand, pinched Kim Seon-a's chin and lifted it up slightly, his thumb rubbing against her rosy lips:
"What's the rush? With Nanako here, we don't need to chase her all over the mountains. I can have Shōni Sukemoto's men bring the silver and iron chest back to us themselves."
He turned around, knelt down in front of Takaichi Nanako, shook the riding crop in his hand, and gave a gentle smile as if coaxing a child:
" Nanako, would you like a thousand butterflies? From now on, you must obey my orders."
Tsukushi City Prefecture.
Gu Moran took out a dish of osmanthus sugar from his pocket, picked up a piece and stuffed it into Takaichi Nanako's mouth:
"Listen to me, I know you have the best memory. Tell me which mine tunnel in the Iwami Silver Mine Shōni Sukemoto' is hidden, and this plate of candy is all yours."
Takaichi Nanako squatted barefoot on the bluestone steps, her thin clothes already soaked with mud and water, her neckline wide open, revealing a large expanse of her white collarbone and bulging breasts.
She chewed on the candy with her cheeks puffed out, a little bit of glistening sugar syrup dripping from the corner of her mouth, and reached out her dirty little hand to grab Gu Moran's clothes.
Shen Ling'er, who had been waiting under the corridor, stepped forward and placed two fingers on the pulse point of Takaichi Nanako's slender wrist.
Just two breaths later, Shen Ling'er's originally rosy complexion turned pale.
With a flick of her right hand, she knocked over the celadon sugar dish in Gu Moran's hand.
Osmanthus sugar was scattered all over the ground, and porcelain shards splashed onto the edge of Gu Moran's combat boots.
"Husband, don't touch her!"
Shen Ling'er took a step forward, spreading her arms to block Gu Moran, her chest heaving with rapid breathing.
" The Onmyōryō's Meridian-Severing Powder within her body was activated by that frantic run just now, and the poison is seeping out through her pores!"
Gu Moran withdrew his hand and raised an eyebrow:
" The Shōni Sukemoto is even willing to kill his own royal princes?"
Meng Jiuning, dressed in Miao ethnic silver ornaments, quickly walked over, squatted down, pinched Takaichi Nanako's chin with her left hand, and used her right thumb and forefinger to pry open her eyelids for a quick look.
Nanako's eyes were covered with dark purple blood vessels, which were throbbing and spreading towards the center of her pupils.
Meng Jiuning let go of his hand, took out a silk handkerchief, and wiped her fingertips:
"It wasn't just the Meridian-Severing Powder '; this girl was fed datura and lead powder as food from a young age."
Now that the two poisons have collided, we must immediately use thirty-six gold needles to seal her heart meridian acupoints, and then soak her in a herbal bath for a full six hours to draw out the poison.
If it's too late, she won't live more than seven days."
Six hours?
Standing at the bottom of the steps, Kim Seon-a's breathing suddenly became heavy.
She strode up the steps and turned to stare at Shen Ling'er:
" Physician Shen, the top-tier iron box contains a geomantic map of the dragon veins of our Goryeo King!"
Shōni Sukemoto had been running all night. If he waited another six hours, he would have already disappeared into the deep forests of Iwami Silver Mine!
Don't you pharmacies carry any potent drugs that can instantly make someone sober and talk?
"Why don't we just force-feed her and find out the route?"
Instead of retreating, Shen Ling'er took a half-step forward, her slender body blocking Takaichi Nanako's path.
There is no such thing.
Because of her short stature, she had to tilt her head back to meet Kim Seon-a's menacing gaze, refusing to budge an inch.
"Her meridians are as fragile as paper now; even a small dose of strong medicine would cause all her blood vessels to burst on the spot."
"If the princess is so eager to exchange a corpse for your Goryeo blueprints, then I'll just stab her to death right now. I'll admit I don't know anything about medicine."
Kim Seon-a clenched her molars so hard they made a grinding sound, her full breasts heaving violently against her white silk dress.
At that very moment.
A warm, large hand reached out and pressed directly onto the hilt of Kim Seon-a's sword, then pressed down three inches.
Gu Moran walked between the two women.
"Enough! How dare you speak to my beloved concubine like that, Princess? Are you plotting a rebellion?"
Kim Seon-a's body went limp, her eyelashes drooped, and her voice trembled:
"Your Highness, Seon-a is only worried about missing the opportunity to fight..."
"With three million taels of silver and ten thousand infantrymen, Shōni Sukemoto faced muddy mountain roads; even if he had wings, he couldn't fly out of Kyushu Island."
Gu Moran released her hand and turned to look at the door.
"By order of the King, Pu Yunshan shall personally lead three thousand light cavalry to set off first and block all three mountain passes Iwami Silver Mine with rolling logs and boulders, not even a fly shall be allowed to pass!"
The guards outside the door clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and ran off.
Gu Moran around and glanced at Shen Ling'er and Meng Jiuning's pale faces:
"You'll have to work hard. But I'd like to hear this girl speak as soon as possible."
At noon, in the bathhouse in the backyard of the prefect's residence.
The door was tightly shut, and the windows were all nailed shut with thick cloth. The room was hot and filled with a strong, bitter smell of Sichuan lovage and mugwort.
Takaichi Nanako's poison-stained undergarment had been stripped clean and burned to ashes in the brazier in the corner.
She was soaking in a large camphor wood tub, the dark medicinal broth covering her collarbone, with only her rosy little face visible above the surface.