Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 112 Arriving in Wuwei
Aisha's injury has healed greatly, and the marriage team has rested in Zhangye County. It is time to set off.

Meanwhile, Tan Huaike had organized a small caravan, selecting from his own shop and the market five large boxes of carefully selected goods, representing both Western Border characteristics and Daxuan customs. These included Yangma lacquerware and gold jewelry, Mohe spices and gemstones, Khotan white jade, Wuxu craftsmanship, as well as Yanzhisi's unique culinary recipes, Zhiyun Weaving Workshop's silk woven with techniques from outside the Great Wall, and Fufeng's medicinal pills, which he had somehow concocted at the herbal medicine shop.

In order to conceal her tracks, Tan Huaike deliberately set out two days earlier than the marriage team, taking Pei'er and four hired bodyguards to escort the goods out of the city. Then she quietly returned and will leave the city again today in the county magistrate's mansion as Princess Mohe.

Shen Tuzhuo had been busy digging the Qianjin Canal in the county these days, and it was a critical moment, so he was really too busy to spare any time. As he had expected, he would not be able to say goodbye to her on the day of his departure.

That night, after eating the jar meat for the ceremony, he joked that if he really wanted to see Tan Huaike off, he would have to do it twice: once at the gate of Shentu Mansion to see his sister-in-law off to do business, and once at the gate of the County Magistrate's Mansion to see Princess Mohe off to marry. In this way, no matter how much sadness he felt, it would be completely dispelled by these absurd things.

On the day the marriage party set out, the county governor's mansion was in a state of chaos.

Tan Huaike had been in and out of the city for two days straight, and she was exhausted. As the Princess of Mohe, she had to dress meticulously and attire for every trip, so she was woken by Xu Guanbai before dawn. She first had Fufeng disguise her, then had her maids put on her makeup, and then put on the heavy golden crown and various intricate jewels. Finally, she sat in the spacious and luxurious carriage, pretended to casually lift the gauze curtain, nodded to the people who came to see her off, and slowly left the city with the marriage procession.

After finishing all this, Tan Huaike almost fell asleep in the carriage.

Xu Guanbai and two maids rode with her. Seeing that her slender neck could no longer support her heavy head and her golden crown kept hitting the window frame, making a rattling sound, they helped her take off the golden crown and stuffed a soft pillow behind her neck so that she could sit more comfortably.

Tan Huaike forced his eyelids open and thanked her.

Xu Guanbai smiled gently and said, "Thank you for your hard work. You only got back to the mansion at dusk last night, and then the county governor and us kept nagging you for most of the night. And now you have to deal with so many things this morning. All in all, you only slept for an hour. Even a strong body couldn't stand it. Take advantage of this free time and rest up."

Even though she had pretended to be a princess more than once, Tan Huaike still found it difficult to adapt. She always felt that after putting on this noble and gorgeous appearance, her heart was like being burdened by a thousand-pound boulder. Every move she made took energy, and even her breathing had to be cautious, for fear that someone would discover any flaws and cause all their efforts to go to waste.

With Xu Guanbai by her side, she felt a little relieved and rested for a while against the soft pillow, but woke up again after two incense sticks. Now her mind was much clearer, so she refused to slack off again.

Tan Huaike straightened up and said, "The road has been bumpy, and I can't sleep well. I'd better drink some tea to wake myself up." Without waiting for the maid to serve her, she took the hot tea on the table and drank it. She said, "Pei'er and my small caravan are waiting at the post station twenty miles away. According to the pace of the marriage party, we should be able to meet them tonight."

Xu Guanbai said: "Don't worry, this is an official road. The four escorts you hired are all capable men under General Lingchuan. They will definitely be able to protect your goods."

Tan Huaike said embarrassedly, "I'm not worried about that. I just feel a little guilty. I carried those five large boxes of goods on my own business trip, but I had to trouble the soldiers of the Zhenxi Army to escort them for me. It's really a waste of their talents."

"It's alright. When the two teams meet up tonight, your goods will be escorted together with the boxes and crates of the bride's party. The four escorts can also return to their teams. It's all the same, isn't it? We originally asked you to take such a risk because we felt sorry for you. We should provide you with some convenience. Don't take it to heart."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble."

"You're welcome. When we get back to Andu, we'll find you a good place to stay. Once everything here is done and you've opened your shop, we'll be at ease."

Tan Huaike lifted the gauze curtain and looked at the sky. "It's still early. I'm going to face many tests after watching White Lady. I'm still a little nervous. Can you tell me more about the palace etiquette so that I won't show my fear in front of others?"

Xu Guanbai said: "Okay, this is what I, a female historian, should do. We will arrive in Wuwei County the day after tomorrow. The court may send more officials to meet us. Right now, we don't know which forces will come, so it's better to make more preparations." In the evening, the marriage team met with the small merchant caravan at the post station and headed for Wuwei County the next day.

When they entered the city, the prefect of Wuwei County and the guest Cao of the Secretariat came to welcome the third prince and Princess Mohe and his entourage.
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It is still an unavoidable banquet.

The room was filled with distinguished guests, and County Magistrate Lin Yanfu couldn't afford to offend any of them, so he toasted everyone one by one at the start of the meal. He noticed that Princess Mo He only touched her lips with the wine cup, didn't touch the food in front of her, and kept supporting her forehead with her hand. Her face seemed pale and she looked listless.

Lin Yanfu asked with concern, "Your Highness, is the food not to your liking? If you are not used to it, please tell me what you want to eat and I will ask them to change it."

Tan Huaike shook his head and forced a smile, saying, "Master Lin, don't worry. I've been feeling a little unwell lately. I've asked a doctor to see me, and he said I'm not acclimatizing to the local climate and need to recuperate slowly."

"Can't adapt to the climate here? Your Highness the Princess grew up in the western border. It is natural for her to feel uncomfortable in Andu. But now she is still in the four counties of Hexi, not far from Mo He. How could she suddenly feel uncomfortable with the climate here?" Cao Caichang, a guest of the Secretariat, had been paying attention to the developments here. When he heard that Tan Huaike was ill, he immediately raised his doubts.

"It's not that your sister suddenly became ill due to the climate here. She's been feeling unwell since back in Zhangye County," Aisha said. "We traveled a thousand miles to reach the Daxuan border. The journey was exhausting, and your sister didn't get enough rest, so it's inevitable that she's fallen ill."

"The doctor said that acclimatization issues aren't just about changing places, they're also often related to your state of mind," Tan Huaike said weakly. "I think it's because it's my first time away from home, and I'm worried and anxious. That's what's causing my headaches, my inability to eat or sleep."

"I see." Cai Kecao did not dwell on this matter any more. In his opinion, the princess in front of him was probably feeling uneasy and distracted, and she deliberately used the excuse of not acclimatizing to the local climate so that she could leave early and avoid exposing more flaws.

He came here on orders to expose this trick of using someone else as a substitute.

As far as he knew, the real princess had already...

The Yuefu songs and dances started again. Seeing that the princess was becoming more and more listless and exhausted, and looked like she was about to leave at any time, Cai Chang knew that the time had come, so he raised his wine cup and rushed to the dancers.

He pushed aside the musicians playing the harp, started to twirl and sang loudly: "Aidamu, Aidamu, Puduluer, Nalinyi... Mizarlu, Mizarlu, Yasusi, Kaduni..."

County Magistrate Lin was stunned on the spot. He never expected that this guest official would suddenly go crazy due to drunkenness.

Cai Chang sang with increasing interest. After a few twirls, he stumbled over to Tan Huaike, burped, and asked through drunken eyes, "Your Highness, is this your Mohe's song to summon the gods? I heard that it's only sung by the high priest during royal family ceremonies. I've only learned a few lines, so how should I sing the rest? Your Highness, please feel free to give me some advice."

Aisha slammed the table in anger, "Don't be rude to my sister! Is this how you treat foreign guests in Daxuan?"

Tan Huaike raised his hand, indicating that it was all right. "Brother Wang, Master Ke Cao is a sentimental man. He must be yearning for the scenery of our Mohe, so he wants to learn to sing our ballads. However, this song to summon the Monroe God..."

By now, they all knew clearly that this Lord Ke Cao must have been sent by the faction that opposed the marriage.

The purpose of using such a trick was nothing more than to test the truth about this "princess who was married to a foreign country" who should not exist.
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　Next chapter: Assassination? What assassination?
　　(End of this chapter)