Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 215 Making the Best Use of Everything
Fu Feng, who was enjoying his meal at the next food counter, suddenly froze. His mouth was full of dried meat that he couldn't chew and didn't have time to swallow, so he had to spit it all out. Seeing that Cai Zhu was about to be taken away, he hurriedly got up and stopped Ai Sha.

He demanded, "What did you do to her?"

Aisha calmly replied, "I gave her a little sedative, the same kind you gave me yesterday. Don't worry, I controlled the dosage; it won't make her feel too uncomfortable."

"No, you drugged her?" Fu Feng asked incredulously. "You asked me to prepare the medicine before, and I thought you were going to use it against the people in the royal court. Why did you use it on her? No, what exactly are you trying to do!"

"Now that you know I'm going to deal with the people in the royal court, don't ask any more questions." Aisha continued walking out.

"No, put her down first, I'll prepare an antidote for her right away!" Fu Feng turned to open his medicine box, deftly taking out several bottles and jars, muttering, "Didn't we agree to let her leave and go off to do business? Why the sudden change of heart? Wait a minute, wait until she wakes up, then you can explain everything to her yourself..."

Before he could finish speaking, Badan knocked him unconscious at Aisha's signal.

Fu Feng also collapsed onto the table.

Aisha reluctantly ordered, "Gather all his bottles and jars, take them with him, and send them to jail. Lock him up for a few days first, so as not to cause any problems."

Badan nodded, easily hoisted Fufeng onto his shoulder, casually hung the medicine box around his neck, and followed Aisha out.

Just as they were bidding each other farewell with wine, the queue outside the restaurant had already changed its appearance.

The caravan members were driven away and their goods were placed near the market. They were told that their owner was accompanying the eldest prince to meet the king and princess, and that they should make their own arrangements.

The camel-drawn cart was converted into a prison wagon, and the unconscious Cai Zhu'er was locked inside. Fu Feng was in an even worse situation; he didn't even have a prison wagon and was carried on the back of a camel by Ba Dan as they continued their journey.

After rounding the last pass of the Naxi River Valley, the towering shadow of the stone wall suddenly loomed overhead—

They arrived at the royal court.

The royal court used whole blocks of bluish-gray rock to build the walls, filling the gaps with fine mud mixed with cinnabar, making them look like blood-red fences from a distance. Cowhide flags planted atop the walls fluttered in the wind, depicting a desert wolf's head holding a radiant sun in its mouth—the emblem of the Mohe royal family, representing the highest authority in this place.

Before the palace gate stood a stone sculpture: three sand foxes knelt with their heads raised, forming a pedestal upon which rested a statue of Monroe, missing his left arm. This statue had been transported from the old capital, originally shattered in the war. The abbey had commanded its followers to carry it thousands of miles and then repair it, hence the many marks of damage and reassembly on its surface. However, the statue's left arm was nowhere to be found; perhaps this was divine intervention, a sign of the decline of Mohe.

Standing beneath the statue, Aisha said to Badan, "I've never understood why so much manpower and resources were wasted transporting this incomplete stone sculpture here. In order to repair it and appease the gods' anger, countless slaves were punished and sacrificed. Those old fogies in the academy are truly incorrigible."

Glancing at the guards around him, Badan advised, "Your Highness, be careful with your words. The faith of the God of Monroe is not to be profaned."

Aisha scoffed, "It has nothing to do with the gods. It's just that they feel their authority is inviolable. Even if the country is on the verge of collapse and the people are suffering, they still want to flaunt the little power they have left."

His outrageous remarks drew the attention of the guards, but since he was the eldest prince, they dared not do anything.

Upon entering the royal court, Aisha did not go directly to pay respects to her father and the princess. Instead, she had someone announce her arrival first, while she led the delegation to rest, bathe, and change clothes. She also imprisoned Caizhu and Fufeng in the dungeon.

Just as he expected, the princess did not rush to summon him, but gave each other ample time to respond.

Aisha, dressed in magnificent princely attire, went to the dungeon to visit Caizhu, who had just awakened.
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In a daze, Cai Zhu felt a dull pain spreading from her temples, as if fine needles were pricking her head. Each slow recovery brought a slight soreness and stinging. After fully waking up, she used her limp arms to support herself and sat on the pile of licorice, lost in thought.

Where am I? Why am I here?
It took Cai Zhu'er a long time to realize that she had been tricked by the Crown Prince and was currently imprisoned in the dungeon. But why would he do this? Hadn't she already promised to help him? Was it to force her to ask Da Xuan for help?
From the dungeon opposite came rustling sounds, accompanied by a few groans. Cai Zhu'er realized that someone she knew was being imprisoned there.

She tentatively asked, "Fufeng?"

The person opposite replied groggily, "Huh? How did I end up locked in the royal dungeon? Caizhu? You're here too?"

"You know this is the royal dungeon? Fufeng, are you familiar with this place? Have you been imprisoned here before?"

“How can you talk like that? What kind of good person would be locked up in this lousy place? I’ve only been here a few times before, bringing serious criminals here to test drugs at a big hospital.” Fu Feng observed for a while and said, “This is a solitary cell, at the deepest part of the dungeon, guarded by special personnel. It’s usually only used to hold death row inmates… but it seems like it’s just the two of us right now.”

"Yes, what kind of good person would be locked up here?" Cai Zhu'er said, both amused and exasperated. "So what crime have we committed?"

"..." Fu Feng was silent for a while, then finally remembered what had happened in the restaurant. He angrily cursed Mo He and said, "We were tricked by the eldest prince! He used the sleeping potion I made to knock you out, then had the guards knock me out, and then locked us up here. He must have some wicked intentions! I knew it, you can't believe a word the royal family says!"

"I don't understand, what exactly is Your Highness planning?" Cai Zhu murmured.

“My plan is very simple,” Aisha’s voice came from afar, answering her question, “It’s about making the best use of everything.”

"What do you mean by making the best use of everything? I don't want to be used by the royal family anymore! Release me right now!" Fu Feng stood up and hugged the dungeon bars, complaining to Aisha, "And Cai Zhu'er, she wanted to help you, and this is how you treat her?"

"She said it herself, that she willingly let me use her. Right, Caizhu?" Aisha stood in front of the cell door, saw the person sitting against the wall inside, and frowned. "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale?"

Cai Zhu'er closed her eyes and rubbed her temples: "Wait a minute, I still have a bit of a headache. This sleeping potion has quite a strong aftereffect."

Aisha said to Fufeng through the fence, "What's wrong with your medicine? Didn't you say it wasn't toxic? I just wanted to make her faint, not kill her."

Fu Feng was furious: "You're asking me? I should be asking you! Who knew you'd use it on Cai Zhu'er! Wasn't it supposed to be used to drug the royal guards when necessary? Well, I figured the more deeply they were drugged, the easier it would be to carry out my plan, so of course I went all out when preparing the medicine. After all, those guards had made things difficult for me before!"

Cai Zhu'er said uncomfortably, "Stop arguing, it's making my head hurt even more."

Aisha lowered her voice: "The medicine box is right next to you, hurry up and prepare the antidote."

Fu Feng was surprised: "Huh? Why did you leave the medicine box with me?" There was a clattering sound from the other side. After a while, he prepared the antidote and handed it to Aisha, saying, "She's already awake. You don't need to give it to her. Just burn it and let her smell it."

Aisha fetched a flint and lit the antidote next to Caizhu'er's cell. After inhaling the smoke, Caizhu'er felt much better and her mind became clearer.

She continued from where she left off, asking, "How do you want to make the most of these resources?"

Aisha said, "You impersonated Princess Mohe to go on a political marriage, and I want you to take the blame for that."
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Next chapter: Why should she take the blame for you!