Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 126 Basil's Lantern Festival
The Hundred Victories Festival of Da Xuan has arrived, and the entire Andu is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. The curfew has also been lifted during the festival.

When Emperor Taizu quelled the years-long war, he entered Andu on this day and thus established the Hundred Victories Festival to demonstrate the majesty and benevolence of the imperial family and to share the joy with the people.

The Hundred Victory Festival lasts for three days. The emperor will offer sacrifices to Taiyi at Ganquan Palace, and each prefecture will hold its own local festival. Private festivals will also be spontaneously organized by the people. Every household will keep their lamps lit all night, illuminating all the streets. Small vendors and large merchants will prepare enough goods and ingredients to sell during the celebration. People will also wear Nuo masks, dance and play, creating a very lively atmosphere.

The mansion on the outskirts of Fengyi County was also lit up. Originally, lanterns were also to be hung on the old, shady trees outside the courtyard, which would not only look festive but also illuminate the path and create a beautiful reflection in the lake. However, due to the wax pellet incident, those trees have all been cut down and can no longer be used to hang lanterns.

Having confirmed that the poison had entered his internal organs, Tan Huaike naturally stayed at home to recuperate.

Fortunately, Fufeng cured her vomiting and diarrhea, making her feel a little better. Otherwise, if the poisoning hadn't exhausted her, the rotten pancake would have sent her to her death prematurely.

However, to everyone's surprise, on the first day of the Hundred Days' Festival, someone from the palace came and said that Her Majesty the Empress had secretly summoned Princess Mohe and sent an inconspicuous carriage and four coachmen and guards to hurriedly bring her to Andu.

Arriving near the imperial city at dusk, they changed from carriages to sedan chairs in a secluded spot, which were then carried to the central palace by the four guards.

The summons came too hastily; Tan Huaike hadn't had time to prepare anything, and even Pei'er couldn't accompany him, so he was inevitably uneasy. Fortunately, Xu Guanbai was a lady-in-waiting in the Empress's palace, so he could rightfully accompany her.

After the carriage was replaced by a sedan chair, Xu Guanbai accompanied her all the way, talking to her, explaining the origin and customs of the Bashomon Festival, and reminding her of the various etiquettes after entering the palace, which finally calmed her down.

The sedan chair was cramped and narrow, and Tan Huaike felt stifled. He couldn't help but lift the curtain and peek outside.

As night fell, the streets were brightly lit. Just then, a procession of people performing a private religious ritual passed by, playing lively drum music. The dozen or so people all wore various Nuo masks, some resembling beasts, some flowers and trees, and some gods and ghosts. They rang the bells on their wrists, chanted blessings, and danced and twirled to the beat of the drums.

Tan Huaike was so engrossed in watching that if she weren't unwell and in a hurry to enter the palace to see the Empress, she would have loved to get off the sedan chair, put on a Nuo mask, and mingle with the crowd to celebrate the festival with everyone.

Because the curfew was lifted, street vendors and shops were still busy doing business even at their usual closing time.

She could smell the enticing aroma of delicious food every now and then, see a dazzling array of novel artifacts, and enjoy various entertaining acrobatic performances. At this moment, the Nuo mask stalls were doing the best business. She saw several in the bustling city, and one of them had a long queue in front of it, clearly more popular than the others.

Tan Huaike couldn't help but ask, "Why is that stall of Lady White Snake doing so well?"

Xu Guanbai glanced over there and smiled, "Because most Nuo mask stalls get their goods from artisans and come here temporarily to sell finished products, the styles they display are all very similar. But that stall owner has his own skills. If you look closely, he only displays three or five of his own unique and exquisite Nuo masks; the rest are just simple pre-made molds. The stall owner can modify the shape on the spot according to the customer's preferences, and he can also let the customer color the carved Nuo masks themselves."

"Then his business must be extremely time-consuming. The stall next door has sold more than a dozen, while he's only managed to close one deal." "That's right, otherwise there wouldn't be such a long queue in front of his stall." As the sedan chair passed by the Nuo noodles stall, Xu Guanbai pointed there and said, "But you don't need to worry about that stall owner. He's made a lot from this one deal. It's probably more expensive than several Nuo noodles from the stall next door combined."

"Huh? Is his skill really that exquisite? His Nuo noodles are so valuable?"

"It's not that his skills are particularly superb, but that he understands the value of rarity and that his business is different from others. Other stall owners only sell Nuo noodles, but he sells more than that."

“I understand.” Tan Huaike figured out the key point. “He can modify a Nuo mask to suit the customer’s taste on the spot and let the customer experience the fun of coloring it by hand. These are the things he is really selling.”

"That's right. Don't be fooled by how busy he is. He doesn't actually put in much effort. If you try it yourself, you'll find that there are many kinds of simple molds that are made, and almost all the popular styles are included. He usually doesn't need to make any modifications. Unless the other party asks for an extremely high price or orders in advance, there's no need to make the Nuo mask that he displays. It's just a gimmick."

"But many people fall for his tricks." Tan Huaike didn't forget to learn from his business experience.

“Andu is different from other places; it is full of high-ranking officials and nobles,” Xu Guanbai said. “They don’t care for ordinary things that can be found everywhere; they prefer things that are different from the norm.”
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The noise gradually faded away, and they entered the imperial city.

Upon reaching the central palace, the sedan chair and guards were left outside. Palace maids came to greet them and led the two of them through the corridor.

Countless lanterns hung in the palace, far more exquisite and beautiful than those outside, but Tan Huaike had no interest in appreciating them. A sense of panic washed over her again. She pulled her cloak tighter, forcing herself to maintain her weak and ailing body, and adopted the demeanor of a princess, her face becoming increasingly expressionless.

She had asked Xu Guanbai earlier in the carriage, "What kind of person is the Empress?"

Xu Guanbai comforted her, "There's no need to worry. You are Princess Mohe, the princess consort chosen by His Majesty for the Third Prince. The Empress is kind and knows all the hardships and difficulties of this marriage alliance, so she will definitely not make things difficult for you."

Walls have ears, and there were some things they couldn't say too bluntly, but Tan Huaike understood. The Empress was the birth mother of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, and had supported this marriage alliance from beginning to end. She shouldn't be detrimental to her or hinder their actions.

"Then what is the purpose of this secret summons?" Princess Mohe's condition had already been reported to the Empress by the imperial physicians. The sudden summons, along with the change of carriages and sedan chairs to conceal the truth, left Tan Huaike unable to figure out the reason.

"The situation in the court is unclear, and the marriage procession has already arrived; we can't keep delaying. Perhaps Her Majesty the Empress wants to meet you in person before making a decision," Xu Guanbai said, lowering his eyes. "Some things, if brought up during a formal audience, will be irreversible and irreversible. Making things clear early might leave room for maneuver..."

The palace lanterns swayed, and the corridor finally came to an end.

A short while later, they met the Empress.
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Next chapter: If you do not take what Heaven has given you, you will suffer the consequences.