"The token of authorization is a symbol of trust."
The Empress Dowager has decreed that there is no need to wait for a written document. Do you perhaps suspect that the document I possess is fake?
"Of course not."
Eunuch Shuangxi stared at Gu Moran for a couple of moments, and seeing that he readily agreed, he nodded.
That's good.
"Your Excellency has endured a rough sea journey and has been frightened. I have ordered a banquet to be prepared in the side hall to welcome you back and wash away the dust of your journey. Please!"
Gu Moran gestured with his hand, his left hand behind his back, and quickly made a throat-slitting and searching gesture towards Lin Qingdai in the shadows.
Lin Qingdai understood and handed the Takaichi Nanako in her arms to Xue Huan, who had just arrived.
They slipped out silently through the back door and headed straight for the inn where the imperial envoy was staying to search for details.
Looking at the beautiful, porcelain -Takaichi Nanako, Xue Huan felt a little flustered.
Takaichi Nanako in front of him was still drooling, looking quite uncomfortable.
Enough. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.
He carried the woman and ran all the way to the army's encampment.
He waved his hand at his brothers.
"Line up!"
A side hall of the prefect's residence.
The table was laden with freshly sliced braised beef, steamed sea bass, and warm Shaoxing wine.
Eunuch Shuangxi sat in the guest seat, a pair of ivory chopsticks in front of him, but he didn't even touch them.
The four imperial guards behind him stood like four iron towers at the four corners of the room, swords at their sides, and they didn't even drink the hot tea that the servants brought them.
Gu Moran raised his wine cup three times, subtly inquiring about his father's current condition.
How did the Chancellor and the Grand Commandant express their views in court?
Eunuch Shuangxi deflected all the criticisms with the official phrases "Heaven's might is unpredictable" and "This servant dares not presume to discuss state affairs," leaving no room for error.
The atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.
Gu Moran down her wine glass, her eyes darting around as she glanced at Eunuch Shuangxi's unyielding face.
Trying to play the deep and mysterious card with me, huh?
Fine, let's see how long you can keep up this act.
Gu Moran suddenly sneezed, tightened his coat, and shouted at the top of his lungs towards the door:
" Tuoba Mang! Where the hell are you?"
Can't you see how cold it is in the side hall, like an icebox? Go to the kitchen and bring in a charcoal brazier to warm up Eunuch Shuangxi!
Tuoba Mang's muffled reply came immediately from outside the door.
Just now in the corridor, when Gu Moran kicked him, he had already given his general instructions with his eyes.
Before a cup of tea could be brewed, Tuoba Mang strode in, carrying a red-hot earthenware charcoal brazier.
He was covered in sweat from running, and his body reeked of a strong stench of body odor.
"Father-in-law, I'm just a rough man, and I offended you with my words just now. I apologize and will warm you by the fire!"
Tuoba Mang grinned and chuckled, then slammed the charcoal brazier down on the open ground less than three feet from Eunuch Shuangxi.
Immediately afterwards, the rough-looking man didn't go out; he plopped down on the low stool next to the charcoal brazier.
"Damn it, I've been in the sea all day at the dock, and these combat boots are full of mud. They've rubbed my Old Tuo's feet raw!"
Tuoba Mang muttered curses under his breath, completely ignoring Eunuch Shuangxi, whose face had turned pale, sitting in the main seat.
Gu Moran laughed heartily.
"This can't be delayed, quickly dry your feet. Luckily there's a fire here, let's warm them up."
"Huh? So I can grill here? Isn't the Imperial Envoy here?"
"It's alright, go ahead and grill it."
Eunuch Shuangxi agreed.
Seeing this, Tuoba Ming bent down and grabbed his leather combat boots, which he hadn't washed for half a month.
With a ripping sound, he forcefully tore off both combat boots and tossed them aside.
Immediately afterwards, he pulled down the two layers of yellowed and blackened sweat towels wrapped around his feet, revealing a pair of nine-inch (size 45) black feet covered in black mud, calloused, and emitting a strong, sour stench.
It was firmly placed on the edge of the wire mesh of the charcoal brazier and roasted!
Sizzle--
The muddy water from the soles of their feet dripped into the charcoal fire, making a soft sound.
An extremely strong, pungent smell of stale foot sweat mixed with the sour stench of rotten mud, carried by the rising heat from the charcoal brazier, suddenly filled the enclosed side room!
Murong Xue, standing behind Gu Moran, turned green instantly. Without saying a word, she held her breath, took three steps back, and turned to step out of the side hall.
Gu Moran almost choked on the smell and her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly picked up the teacup on the table and covered her mouth and nose tightly.
Only Eunuch Shuangxi, sitting in the guest seat, seemed to have been struck by lightning, frozen in his chair.
His right hand, which had been resting on his knee, suddenly gripped the ivory chopsticks on the table so tightly that the chopsticks bent into an arc.
"This... truly is a crude and uncouth brute!"
Eunuch Shuangxi shouted in a shrill voice, but his voice trembled noticeably.
His triangular eyes were completely out of control, staring straight across the table and fixed on the soles of Tuoba Mang's large feet, which were being roasted over charcoal fire and had black mud stuck between his toes.
The heatwave baked the sweaty feet, making the smell increasingly pungent.
Eunuch Shuangxi's nostrils flared violently, and his breathing suddenly became so heavy it sounded like a bellows.
A strange flush appeared on his neck and the base of his ears, which were covered in white powder!
Gu Moran put down her teacup and stared at the system panel above Eunuch Shuangxi's head.
Only the mental defense line value on the panel, which was originally as high as [95],
Under the impact of this overwhelmingly sour stench, it plummeted like a flood bursting its banks, dropping to [60] in just a few breaths.
It's still pouring down!
The time is right.
Gu Moran leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table. Staring at Eunuch Shuangxi's almost drooling eyes, he spoke seemingly casually:
"Did Eunuch Shuangxi travel by the Luoyang waterway this time when he left the capital?"
"When I passed by a temple on the outskirts of the capital, didn't that young master hiding inside ask you to bring me a string of Buddhist prayer beads?"