Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 218: Into the Tiger's Mouth Again
Seeing that Caizhu'er's illness was progressing rapidly, Fufeng hurriedly shouted for help: "Help! Guards! Someone is dying!"

However, there was no movement outside. The guards stood at the door like two wooden stakes, ignoring any sounds from inside. As long as the people couldn't escape, who would care about two death row inmates?
After shouting for a long time without getting a response, Fufeng was exhausted.

They left him a medicine box and a sick person, but he couldn't be treated because of the two cell doors. What, were they going to make him watch Caizhu die of illness? This was a punishment worse than death!

He couldn't help but burst into a tirade: "You damned prince! Are you even human?! Just for your own selfish desires, are you really going to push her to this point? What crime have I committed to deserve being locked up in this wretched place?! If I had known this would happen, I should have poisoned you on the way back and killed you! That would have saved me from suffering this injustice!"

After venting his anger in one breath, he felt much better and sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Hearing Cai Zhu'er's heavy breathing and delirious babbling, he couldn't remain indifferent. He wondered if he could give her some stimulant pills to wake her up before proceeding with treatment. Leaving aside how to escape death, he needed to at least determine what illness she had. What if she had been tortured or poisoned during yesterday's interrogation?
Thinking this, Fufeng took out the few remaining pills from the medicine box and aimed to throw them at Caizhu'er's hand.

One, rolled too far; two, too close to reach; three…

"Why did you hit her on the head?" A shadow fell, and Aisha's voice suddenly rang out.

"Oh my god, you scared me to death! You... Your Highness is here, why didn't you say anything!" Fu Feng was too focused on his thoughts and didn't even notice when he arrived.

“I’d like to hear what else you have to say,” Aisha said. “Just your words about poisoning me are enough to sentence you to death for blasphemy against the monarchy.”

"Huh? Did I just say something? No, I didn't!" Fu Feng changed the subject, "I just called the guards to come and rescue her, Your Highness. Look, Caizhu'er has fainted from illness!"

As they spoke, Aisha opened his cell door and then opened Caizhu'er's cell door, saying, "Go and treat her."

Fu Feng hesitated before asking, "Me? You can come out now?"

Aisha frowned and urged, "Hurry up! You're still dawdling after I let you out. Do you want to wait to die with her?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Feng quickly packed his medicine box and went to Cai Zhu'er's cell. He helped her up and carefully examined her pulse. After a while, he said, "It's alright. It should just be a case of wind-cold entering the body, coupled with the coldness of this place, causing a fever. She is not weak to begin with, but she was exhausted from the journey a few days ago, and when she returned, she had to force herself to cooperate with you in confessing your crimes. All the symptoms she had suppressed have now come out."

Aisha nodded: "Give her the medicine immediately."

Fu Feng spread his hands: "I'm out of medicine here. There wasn't much stock in the medicine box to begin with, and the right medicine for the symptoms is even scarcer. I'll have to take the prescription and go out to buy some."

"What did you just hit her with?" Aisha squatted down and placed her hand on Caizhu'er's forehead, immediately feeling its burning heat.

"Those were just medicines meant to wake her up; they're not needed now."

"What use are you, calling yourself a miracle doctor?" Aisha said disdainfully.

"I...she..." Fu Feng was speechless. "I know Your Highness wants me to stay here and take care of her, but I'm just a doctor, not a god. How can I treat someone from so far away?"

Aisha tossed him a waist tag: "Take this. From now on, you can go in and out of the prison to deliver medicine to her. Make sure she gets better."

Fu Feng accepted the waist token: "If the princess's people ask..."

Aisha said, "It's alright. She gave the order herself to burn Caizhu at the stake during the Monroe God's sacrifice. As a sacrifice, one cannot simply die at will."

"Burning at the stake... Your Highness, do you really intend to do this to her?" "It's not that I want to do this to her." Aisha straightened her hair, her eyes dark and unfathomable. "From the moment she received the token from Alan, this was her fate."
-
After Fufeng was released, Caizhu was left all alone in the prison cell.

A few days ago, she was delirious from illness, unable to distinguish between dreams and wakefulness. Sometimes she would fall into a deep sleep, and other times she would wake up and talk nonsense. With the waist token as her support, Fufeng visited her every day under the pretense of offering sacrifices to save her life. He forced her to take several doses of strong medicine and fed her some soft soup dumplings, which finally brought down her frightening high fever and restored her to her senses.

Cai Zhu'er was well aware of her situation and never considered escaping from under the princess's nose, but she also didn't give up on finding a way out for herself. After her condition improved somewhat, she relied on Fu Feng's visits to learn about the developments in the court, hoping to find some opportunity to save herself.

People in the royal family cannot be trusted. Although she cooperated with Aisha's plan as promised, Caizhu learned her lesson and would not place her hopes for survival on the eldest prince's side, regardless of whether the prince's faction won or lost.

To hell with fate, to hell with her sacrifice! It's one thing to play along, but why should an innocent person like her pay with her life?!
She also wants to become a royal merchant of the Great Xuan Dynasty and make money on the trade routes in the western border.

With unwavering determination, and under Fu Feng's care, Cai Zhu'er managed to replenish her energy and vitality in the death row. Ai Sha treated her, this "sacrifice," very well, providing her with ample food and water at every meal, plenty of medicine, clean clothes and accessories for her to change into, and even replacing the dry straw in the cell with soft mattresses.

Fu Feng clicked his tongue in amazement: "If you didn't know better, you'd be burned at the stake, but if you didn't, you'd think you were getting married in your finest attire."

Cai Zhu'er laughed and said, "No, I've had enough of being married in this life."

Her first marriage to Shen Tu Heng's memorial tablet left her an unwitting widow, enduring so much suffering for no reason. Her second marriage to the Third Prince Zhou Wen Cong didn't last long as Princess Qin; she lived in constant fear. If not for these marriages, she wouldn't have ended up in such a perilous situation.

To help her confirm the time, incense sticks were lit in the death row.

As evening approached, Caizhu heard someone arrive and, thinking it was Fufeng, greeted him, "Do I still need to take my medicine today? Didn't you say my illness was almost cured?"

However, it wasn't Fufeng who arrived. Instead, two unfamiliar guards came in, opened her cell door without a word, roughly tied her hands behind her back, and took her out.

Cai Zhu'er's mind raced, and she tentatively asked, "Is it His Highness the Crown Prince who wants to see me?"

no respond.

If Aisha wanted to see her, it wouldn't be in such a way.

Cai Zhu'er continued to guess: "Is it Her Highness the Princess who wants to see me?"

The two guards remained silent, leading her deeper into the palace, and the journey proceeded without hindrance.

Just as Caizhu was contemplating how to deal with the princess's schemes, the guards stopped. They pushed her into a messy palace chamber that reeked of blood, then closed the door and stood guard outside.

Cai Zhu'er was completely confused: Where is this?

At this moment, accompanied by heavy footsteps and the screech of armor, a powerful voice rang out: "I heard the beauty is ill? I will punish them for their negligence in caring for her!"

Cai Zhu'er looked over in surprise: "Little...Little Prince?"

The tall, burly man said displeasedly, "Don't call me Little Prince! How am I little! Call me His Highness Munandon!"
-
Next chapter: As usual, I'll try out what Brother Wang has done.