Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 129 A Midnight Meeting
So this whole farce was just to deliver this wax pill to her?
Tan Huai Ke looked at the beggar again. He saw that the beggar had stopped coughing and wheezing, and was no longer rolling on the ground. He stood up unsteadily and said to the unfortunate noblewoman, "Young lady, how can you drive a carriage like this? You made me lose a tooth. Ugh, ugh, my mouth tastes like blood. You have to pay for my tooth!"

The guard driving the carriage asked him, "Didn't you just say your stomach hurt? Doesn't it hurt anymore?"

The beggar rubbed his stomach and acted like a child, saying, "My stomachache is from eating something bad, it has nothing to do with you. The real problem is that I knocked out my tooth. Hurry up and give me some money. I need to go to the toilet and then see a doctor. I vomited so much blood, I need to take good care of myself. Don't worry, if you give me enough money, I won't delay your journey."

The guard snorted coldly, "Bad luck."

He reined in his horse just in time when the beggar rushed out, certain that he hadn't hit anyone. Seeing the beggar clutching his stomach and groaning in pain, he assumed the boy was trying to extort a large sum of money. He figured that once the officials arrived, the boy wouldn't dare go too far, so he changed his story from internal injuries to a knocked-out tooth.

Tan Huaike put away the wax pills and took out a bag of silver coins to give to him: "Be more careful when you walk in the future, and be more careful when you eat."

The beggar weighed the item in his hand and said, "Young lady, you are a kind person. You will be rewarded!" After saying that, he left satisfied. At first, he pretended to walk slowly, but after walking a short distance, he was walking briskly, as if he had not been injured at all.

They thought it was going to turn into a fatal accident, but it turned out to be just another case of a car accident leading to extortion. Since they had already paid to avoid further trouble, they decided to let it go. The beggar couldn't extort much money, and since the driver was a relative of an official from the capital, and it was a holiday, they figured it was better to avoid trouble. The officials waved their hands and didn't pursue the matter further, simply telling the driver to "travel safely."

The crowd dispersed, and they continued on their way.

Tan Huaike returned to the carriage, cracked open the wax pill, and saw the writing on the silk inside. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Upon reaching the west of the city, she suddenly called for the carriage to stop and said to the guards, "Four officers, I am ill and cannot withstand this kind of exertion. The night is chilly, and even with the charcoal brazier in the carriage, my hands and feet are still numb with cold. There's no rush, so could we find a place to rest first, and return to Fengyi County tomorrow?"

The guards were in a dilemma.

The Empress's decree was to send her back as soon as possible, and they wanted to complete their mission quickly. However, she was, after all, a princess who had come for a political marriage, and they couldn't afford to neglect her on the way. If her condition worsened as a result upon her return, they couldn't bear the responsibility.

Tan Huaike continued, “It’s the Hundred Victories Festival, and there are many people and eyes on this road. It’s easy to encounter trouble like what just happened. Why don’t we find a place in the city to have a good meal and rest for the night? I’ll cover all the expenses. You just need to conserve your energy. We’ll set off early tomorrow morning. It won’t take much time, and it might even be more efficient.”

The four discussed it and agreed that it made sense, so they stayed at the Lanshan Inn in the west of the city.

Tan Huaike had a single room in the upper room, while the guards lived in the two rooms next door.

He didn't dare eat much at the Empress's place, and Fu Feng's treatment had made him weak and cold. Tan Huai Ke ordered some hot soup and food for himself and sent it to his room. He also asked the shopkeeper to send some to the guards so that they could eat comfortably.

Then she waited for that person to arrive.

The reason was that the silk scroll inside the wax ball read: "Inn in the west of the city, 3:45 PM."
-
After the beggar had swindled money from Tan Huai Ke, he went to a dark alley to collect another reward.

The man who gave him the money was wearing a red Nuo mask commonly seen during Basah festival.

The beggar licked his missing tooth and said happily, "I got it loose in a fight not long ago. It's a good thing it died today, and I can use it to exchange for money."

Nuo masked man: "..."

The beggar boasted, "If I hadn't acted so convincingly, it wouldn't have been easy to lure that young lady over. Her servants seem quite formidable, each one looking fierce and menacing."

The masked man didn't say a word, gave him a few more coins, and waved for him to leave.

The beggar wasn't in a hurry to leave. After putting away the money, he teased, "That young lady is beautiful and kind-hearted. You've gone to such lengths to send this message. You're not planning to elope with her, are you?"

The masked man flicked a pebble from his fingertip, which hit the beggar right on the forehead.

The beggar covered his head and wailed, "Ouch! I was just saying, why are you getting so worked up!"

At three quarters past 9 PM, the masked man climbed through the window and came to Tan Huai Ke's side. Tan Huai Ke was already very tired and was dozing off on the couch. He was startled awake by the faint sound and opened his eyes to a hideous red mask.

Suppressing his gasp, Tan Huaike clutched his chest and complained, "Do you have to scare people like that?"

The masked figure awkwardly took two steps back: "..."

Tan Huai Ke stood up and looked him over: "Did you use the wax pill to send a message to Fu Feng, reminding us that the imperial physicians were coming to examine my condition? Who are you? Why are you helping us? Do you know our plan?"

Nuo masked man: "..."

"What are you trying to tell me this time? Why didn't you send the message from the villa in Fengyi County?" Tan Huai Ke kept pressing him for answers. Seeing that he still didn't speak, he suddenly realized something and said in surprise, "You can't speak? You...you're the masked man who saved me in Zhangye County?"

"..."

Tan Huaike brought over a pen, ink, and a silk handkerchief: "If you can't express it, then write it down."

The masked figure did not take the pen.

He answered one of the questions first: "The villa is heavily guarded, and all the trees around it have been cut down, so I can't use a slingshot to throw wax pellets. I have no choice but to take the risk here."

After all, it was near Andu, and the defenses there were much more thorough than those in Louyang City, so he couldn't disguise himself as a servant to sneak in.

The person's voice was somewhat low and hoarse, and sounded quite unfamiliar.

Tan Huaike paused, then asked, "You're not mute... are you that masked man?"

The masked figure nodded.

Tan Huai Ke said, "So you've been following us all the way to Andu, constantly gathering information. Whose subordinate are you? The Third Prince? The Crown Prince? The Empress?"

The masked man didn't answer, but directly stated his purpose: "This time I want to remind you that the antidote the Empress gave you is fake. Those medicines may seem to neutralize some of the poison, but they are actually another kind of poison catalyst. Taking them will kill you instantly."

"How could that be? Is it the antidote or poison? Couldn't Fufeng tell the difference?"

"That poison was originally made by a wandering alchemist. It was a mixture of various tonics and poisons, making it truly difficult to cure. Otherwise, Fufeng wouldn't have been unable to figure out the formula and antidote for so long. The art of alchemy is extremely complex. Sometimes it is medicine, sometimes it is poison, and different catalysts can lead to different consequences. Fufeng's knowledge of the medicines and poisons of the Central Plains is limited, and he is easily misled."

"But why would the Empress want to harm me?"

"The Empress Dowager wants to use you to resolve the trouble of the marriage alliance and consolidate the Crown Prince's power. But for these powerful figures, once the matter is over, you, the princess whose true identity is hard to discern, will become their biggest weakness. Rather than keeping such an uncontrollable variable around, it's better to make you disappear completely, leaving no evidence. In their eyes, killing you to silence you is the simplest way to cover it up."

Tan Huaike found it almost unbelievable.

The Empress was such a gentle and kind person, and she earnestly advised her to stay and be a princess. Could it be that all of that was a test, and only this bottle of poison was her ultimate goal?

After the huge tremor, she quickly calmed down.

Once you let go of pointless thoughts and detach yourself from them, you can often see things more clearly. Tan Huaike suddenly realized that the Empress keeping her as a princess was actually another way of controlling her. Perhaps if she was willing to stay as a princess, she could live a few more days, but it would only be a few days of living on the fringes. Her resolute refusal would only earn her this bottle of "antidote" that had eradicated the root of the disease.

The masked man said, "If you are willing to believe me, there is another way to cure the poison."
-
Next chapter: Then let me see your face.