Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 212 To Use or Not to Use
Caizhu led the camel, lowering her head to avoid his gaze: "Your Highness, the Western Regions are in chaos right now. I am just a merchant's daughter, and I only ask to do some business peacefully, earn some money, and make a living..."

"I suppose I can't be of much help with the infighting in the royal court. I only hope that Your Highness can turn the tide and achieve your goal. If there are any shortages, or if you want to contact Da Xuan, you can send someone to let me know, and I will do my best to assist you."

“I’m cursing those hypocritical people of Da Xuan. What are you feeling guilty about?” Aisha sneered. “You agreed to pretend to be the king’s sister to facilitate the marriage between our two countries. That was already the greatest favor you could do for me. I’m grateful to you. We’ve been through thick and thin together. I consider you my sister. It’s only right that I escort you all this way. You don’t need to feel indebted to me.”

"Thank you, Your Highness." Cai Zhu'er breathed a slight sigh of relief.

For some reason, she always felt a little nervous whenever she was with Aisha. Even though he was very gentle and kind to her, she inexplicably felt uneasy, as if she couldn't see through his intentions.

“After you go back, you can focus on your business. I can handle the affairs of the royal court myself,” Aisha said. “It’s just that the King of Qin’s warning to you not to get too close to me seems a bit like he’s trying to cover something up. As for the truth about the assassination of Alan’s marriage procession, I suspect he’s keeping some facts from you.”

"What's the truth? Qi Zhengchu was the mastermind behind it all, wasn't he executed?"

“I was in Andu when Qi Zhengchu was convicted. As Alan’s elder brother and the envoy who luckily escaped the assassination, I witnessed the entire spectacle of the confiscation of property and the extermination of the clan, and even saw him being torn apart by chariots. Ah, it was truly gratifying.” Aisha revealed a playful smile. “Of course, I also carefully reviewed his confession and the evidence found. There is one detail that is worth noting both publicly and privately. It is impossible that the dossier given to the Prince of Qin by the Crown Prince did not mention it, but judging from your appearance, he did not reveal a single detail.”

"Details?" Cai Zhu'er subconsciously defended Zhou Wenzong, "His Highness Prince Qin is very busy, perhaps he overlooked it. Actually, for me, as long as my father and brother's great revenge is achieved, everything else..."

"What if I told you that Alan and your father and brothers haven't finished avenging themselves yet?"

"Your Highness, please speak plainly. Don't play games with me."

"When the valley was attacked, you said that the general of the Zhenxi Army led his troops to repel the sand bandits, and then the assassins ambushed them, releasing a special scented sleeping gas that caused everyone in the valley to fall into exhaustion and unconsciousness, leaving them helpless to be slaughtered. Is that right?"

"exactly."

“That kind of sleeping smoke was found in the residence of one of Qi Zhengchu’s henchmen,” Aisha said. “Although I have never experienced it myself, I am a Mohe person and I know quite a bit about spices. With a little attention, I discovered that this sleeping smoke contains a rare spice called ‘Kougu,’ which is unique to the Mohe royal court.”
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"Knocking on bones?" Cai Zhu'er asked, puzzled. "Why have I never heard of this spice?"

"Because the method of making this spice is too complicated and too cruel. The perfumer has to grind dozens of spices into powder, fill it with raw meat and feed it to the sand fox for half a year, so that the spices can penetrate the sand fox's body. Then the throat is cut to draw blood, and the bones are removed and soaked in blood for many days before this exotic fragrance can be obtained."

“Making incense in this way… is truly against the natural order. Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the god Monroe?” Cai Zhu’er was shocked.

“Divine punishment?” Aisha scoffed. “This incense is extremely precious. It was originally used by the academy to worship the god Monroe. Because of its miraculous effect of promoting blood circulation, great physicians would also use it in their medicine. They would use this formula to treat nobles so that they could charge exorbitant consultation fees. You can ask Fufeng. He knows the shady ways of this place best.”

“This fragrance is unique to the royal court, yet it was added to the sleeping gas used in the assassination attempt in the valley…” Cai Zhu’er realized, “So the Mohe royal family may also have been involved, to ensure their assassination succeeded and the marriage alliance failed?”

“Yes, I never expected that the princess would agree to the marriage on the surface, but secretly plotted a murderous move.” Aisha couldn’t help but sigh. “Alan must have sensed something amiss from the sleeping potion and knew that the princess would never let him go, so in desperation he entrusted everything to you.” “The princess saved me with her own life…” Caizhu’er’s expression darkened.

So, with her father, brothers, and the princess still having an enemy to eliminate, how could she possibly remain uninvolved with a clear conscience?
A strong wind blew in, carrying sand and dust, and Aisha pulled up Caizhu'er's veil.

He said, "I'm telling you all this so you know the whole truth, not to drag you into the quagmire of the royal family. The King of Qin clearly knows this, but he refuses to tell you because he's afraid I'll use you and help me seize power without considering the consequences."

Looking up at the endless yellow sand, Cai Zhu'er made up her mind: "How can I sit idly by and do nothing about the hatred for my father and brother, and the kindness of the princess? Your Highness, I will do everything I can to help you."

Aisha quipped, "So, you're willingly letting me use you?"

Cai Zhu'er smiled and shook her head: "I just want to be a person with feelings and loyalty. How can I talk about using or not?"

Aisha said seriously, "I don't know what I'll face when I go back, Caizhu. Don't worry too much. I have my own way of dealing with the political struggles in the court. You just need to do your business well in the city. If we really can't win, I'll ask you to help me ask Da Xuan for help. I believe the King of Qin will not abandon you."

“His Highness the King of Qin… never mind, let’s get down to business.” Cai Zhu’er thought for a moment and then relayed A Lan’s dying words to Ai Sha: “The princess once told me that she hid a royal secret in the portrait of the late Queen in the academy. I suppose I will not be able to go and pay my respects to the late Queen. I will have to trouble Your Highness to retrieve it.”

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Aisha was taken aback. "Alan originally sent you to fetch it?"

“We were both in Da Xuan before, and we didn’t know when we would be able to return. I think it’s best to keep quiet. The princess didn’t say anything, only that if we were to return to Mohe one day, we should remember to retrieve it… Your Highness, is there something wrong?”

“It’s alright,” Aisha pondered. “I’ll go look for it.”

When setting up camp for the night, Caizhu asked Fufeng, "What is 'Kouguxiang'?"

Fu Feng was gnawing on a roasted lamb leg when he heard this, his back stiffened, and he looked at her with a twisted expression: "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Cai Zhu'er gave a rough description of the sleeping gas: "His Highness said you know more about this kind of thing."

Fu Feng swallowed his food with difficulty, and said with a bitter face, "Mentioning this now makes even the meat in my mouth taste bad."

"Tell me about this bone-crushing incense," Cai Zhu'er said, having lost her appetite. "Making incense using methods that abuse and harm sand foxes is truly cruel."

"Sand fox... Hmph, more than just sand fox?"
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Next chapter: The King of Qin, that jinx.