Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 204 Infiltrating the Caravan
The owner and leader of the Fengtai caravan saw Caizhu and that slippery porter named Azhuo return.

They brought back five large cartloads of wine jars. After arriving at Tazichang, the convoy stopped to rest. Caizhu, the owner, took charge of checking the goods and settling the wages of the workers who had made the trip.

After working for a while, she said to her farmhands, "Alright, send the rest to Zhangye, someone there will take over." Then she turned to the temporary workers she had hired, "The wages have all been settled, everyone go home, disperse."

Two porters said, "Master, we've also provided you with a camel..."

Cai Zhu'er suddenly realized: "Huh? Haven't we paid for the camels yet? Look at my memory, I've been so busy I forgot. Here, take this, this is the price we agreed on, right? You can lead your own camels back yourself."

Thanks to the businesses of Yan Zhisi and several other shops, Salan Trading Company was already a long-time supplier of goods to and from the Western Border. However, Cai Zhu'er rarely showed up in person before, but recently, in order to expand her business in Dunhuang County, she has been staying here for a long time and has become a familiar face in Tazichang. Her caravans usually take the safest trade routes, which are not very risky, and she never mistreats her workers. In addition, she is always generous and quick to pay wages, so many porters are eager to take her jobs.

Soon after, all the other guys left, but Ah Zhuo stayed behind.

He still had that slick look on his face, and said with a fawning smile, "So, boss, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Cai Zhu crossed her arms and glanced at him: "I didn't expect you to be so capable. You managed to save me from paying for two cartloads of wine. It's clear you have some powerful connections."

Azhuo rubbed his nose, beaming with pride: "That's my own uncle, he really has the power! Just a few days ago, I led a Yangma caravan to transport felt blankets, with two boxes of jewels hidden inside. I had my uncle put in a word, and the city defenses let them through without even glancing at them."

Cai Zhu patted his shoulder, took out a bag of specially prepared reward money from her sleeve, and secretly stuffed it into his hand: "Okay, I'll come to you again next time I need this way."

Azhuo weighed it in her hand, then smiled broadly: "No problem, I'll have to rely on Master Salan a lot in the future."

After the half-real, half-fake performance, Cai Zhu'er gracefully left the stage. Shen Tu Zhuo, however, remained in the market, chewing on a blade of grass and wandering around, seemingly searching for his next prey.

The owner of the Fengtai caravan was very cautious and did not believe their one-sided story. He had already sent someone to stake out the border to witness the entire process of Caizhu'er's caravan entering the country. Now that the person had returned, he whispered a few words in his ear, confirming that the Salan caravan had concealed the fact that two carts of wine had run out of stock.

He then gestured to the team leader with his chin, indicating that he should test A-Zhu.
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The team leader approached Azhuo and asked if he would take on the role of "guide" for the silk trade route. Naturally, this meant providing specialized guidance. They quoted a hefty price, assuming Azhuo would readily agree. However, Azhuo instead bombarded him with questions: which caravan they were from, what goods they were transporting, which route they were taking, and why he had been chosen in particular.

The team leader said impatiently, "Just do your job for the money, why ask so many questions!"

Azhuo spat out the chewed grass root and said, "How can we not ask? Some paths are feasible, while others I wouldn't dare to take even if I had ten lives. Take my previous client, for example. She ran a legitimate liquor business, which was nothing more than a hands-off affair. But she wanted to do the salt and iron business, which was explicitly prohibited by the imperial court. My uncle and I wouldn't have enough heads to lose!"

"I already said it's a silk business, isn't that a bit improper?" the team leader scolded.

"It's true that I'm not very familiar with your caravan. Before my uncle took this lucrative job, I was just starting out as a guide and porter. Hehe, I see you've been stuck in Tazichang for several days now, so I'd better ask around to find out more."

"Tch, don't you even know? Fengtai is a well-known merchant house in Dunhuang. If it weren't for the King of Qin replacing all the border guards and us having a batch of silk that we urgently need to send to Wuxu, we wouldn't need you as our guide." The leader put on airs and lifted a corner of his cargo box to show him. "What are those few jars of wine from the Salan caravan? This is silk from Jiangnan. If we can get the connections right, you can decide for yourself how much profit we can make."

"Oh dear, I was blind to your greatness." Azhuo glanced at the smooth and beautiful fabric inside the cargo box, his eyes gleaming, and he quickly fawned over her, "Please don't be offended, boss. I'm a coward. I only went to take on a job because I heard that Salan's boss was generous with wages. If I had known I had such a powerful backer like you, would I have cared about those little favors?"

As the conversation progressed, Azhuo became their "guide" for this business trip. Not only did he accompany them across the border, but he also delivered the goods all the way back across the border. The wages and bribes were also agreed upon, which made Azhuo very happy.

After several tests, Fengtai's owners were reassured about the man. If he had agreed without hesitation, they would have found it suspicious. Now, he seemed to be just a cunning and timid old fox who had gained power. If they used him properly, their path through the western border would be unobstructed again. When they were no longer needed, they could simply be disposed of.

And so, Shentu Zhuo finally managed to infiltrate the caravan.

The next day, the Fengtai caravan made its final rest at Tazichang. The leader handed Azhuo a water bag and asked, "How is it? Have you taken care of everything before leaving the pass?"

Ah Zhuo patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I guarantee there won't be any problems."

The team leader nodded, watching the workers count the boxes as he said, "Do a good job, and if you pass this test, you'll get your share of the rewards."

Just then, a porter with a scaly face carrying a large box came by and accidentally bumped into Ah Zhuo.

Ah Zhuo stumbled and cursed, "Watch where you're going! Don't you have eyes?!"

The scabbed-face man struggled to lift his head and uttered a few muffled words.

Azhuo was about to curse again when the team leader stopped him and said, "Forget it, don't bother with him. This guy is called Asha. He's ugly and mute, but he's hardworking and strong. Hiring him is like hiring two laborers."

"Does being mute give you the right to bump into people? You're not blind." Azhuo dusted off the spot where he had bumped into someone and said disdainfully, "Tsk, what bad luck."

"Mmm." Asa meekly stepped aside.

The two brushed past each other, their eyes only briefly meeting.

Shen Tu Zhuo secretly rejoiced that his elder brother had also successfully infiltrated the group.

With Cai Zhu'er as a decoy, and with the prince, their "own uncle," smoothing things over, the Fengtai caravan passed through the checkpoints with remarkable ease, and Shen Tu Zhuo gained their trust.

Right now, he's getting exceptionally good treatment in the caravan. He doesn't have to do any dirty or tiring work, and he doesn't even have to lead the way. He can eat and drink all day long and earn wages for nothing.

In comparison, Shen Tu Heng's situation was far more tragic.

He disguised himself, and to make it more convincing, he had Fufeng temporarily poison him to make him mute. Every day he had to do the heaviest work and be mocked and bullied by the other workers. But to him, none of this mattered.

Three days after they ventured deep into the western desert, Asa went to move goods while Azhuo supervised the work, giving the two brothers a chance to be alone.

Shentu Zhuo handed over the water pouch and said abruptly, "She knows you're in the caravan too."

Shen Tu Heng paused, put down the cargo box, took the water bag and drank a few sips of water, then asked with his eyes and gestures: How did she know?
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　Next chapter: The Crown Prince's secret order, I will carry it out.

　　(End of this chapter)