Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 222 Strength to Lift a Cauldron
"Strength enough to lift a cauldron?" Mu Nandun scoffed. "Hmph, they can do it, and so can I." With that, he walked toward the golden cauldron on the training ground, rubbing his hands together in preparation.

“Brother, please don’t act rashly,” Aisha said, dragging his injured leg as he stepped forward to dissuade him. “You have already won the duel and have exhausted too much energy. Why push yourself now?”

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because his words only made Mu Nandun more indignant. He sneered, "A mere Golden Cauldron, what can it do to me? You can't even lift it yourself, so you think the warriors of the Great Xuan are so great. Today I'll show you just how big the gap is between you and me, the number one warrior!"

Aisha tried to persuade him again, but Munandon shoved him aside and went to lift the tripod himself.

A courtier glanced at the princess seated high above, asking with his eyes whether they should forcibly stop the attack. The princess frowned as if hesitating, but seeing the nobles, soldiers, and commoners cheering and encouraging her, she lowered her slightly raised hand and shook her head at the courtier.

Murnandon's prestige still needed to be built up. He had previously defeated two generals in contests, yet this had drawn some criticism. Rumors circulated that one of the generals had intentionally let him win out of respect for his princely status; others said that the other general had just recovered from serious injuries, making Murnandon's victory unfair; still others said that he possessed only brute strength but had never fought on the battlefield and lacked courage.

Princess Wang Ji naturally knew that it was a rumor deliberately spread by the eldest prince to annoy her and her son, but she still couldn't swallow her anger. Moreover, Aisha had brought back the support of Da Xuan, and the royal court had been in turmoil lately, with many secretly turning against them. It was time to let them know that the so-called warriors of Da Xuan were nothing special, and to see clearly who was the strongest and true master of Mo He.

So the princess decided to let Munandon display his power.

Munandon rubbed his hands with yellow sand, then bent over and grasped the beast-head pattern on the golden cauldron, his bronze muscles bulging out in a swollen outline.

He confidently exerted his strength: "Up—"

With a loud shout, the moment his feet left the ground, his knees suddenly sank, and the golden cauldron pressed down on him like a mountain, making him unsteady and staggering three or four steps before he could finally stand. However, before he could even lift the golden cauldron above his head, his legs began to tremble slightly.

Munandon's face was flushed, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He had to admit that he had been too careless; the golden cauldron was much heavier than he had expected.

The cheers outside the arena fell silent as everyone held their breath, waiting for him to lift the cauldron. Mu Nandun gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his neck, and suddenly bent his knees, bracing the cauldron's belly against his shoulders, his spine curving into a dangerous arc. He roared again, straining to raise his arms high. When the golden cauldron finally trembled and passed above his head, his eyes were bloodshot and sweat poured into them.

"Look!" Murnton shouted, "I did it!"

"Good! Your Highness is mighty!" A courtier led the cheers, and the crowd came to their senses and cheered for Munandun. However, they vaguely felt that the little prince looked a little strange.

Munandon taunted Aisha: "How about it!"

Aisha flattered, "Truly worthy of being the number one warrior of Mohe! Alright, brother, I see you seem... you should quickly put down the golden cauldron, don't push yourself any further! Although that Great Xuan warrior..."

He hesitated, prompting Munandon to press him: "What about the warriors of Daxuan?"

“It’s nothing,” Aisha said. “That warrior from Daxuan tried to lift the cauldron with one hand, but he failed.”

"One hand..." Whether it was because he had gotten used to the weight or because his body was gradually becoming numb, Mu Nandun felt a little more relaxed. Bathed in the admiring and amazed gazes of the crowd, his competitive spirit was once again aroused. "Hmph, what they can't do, I can do too! Lifting a cauldron with one hand, what's wrong with that!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Wang immediately stopped him, saying, "That's enough, Munandon! Put down the golden cauldron!"

Munandon gazed up at the distant sky: "Mother, do you also think I'm not good enough?"

Wang Ji stood up: "You are Mo He's future..." In her haste, she almost blurted out "Crown Prince," but fortunately she caught herself in time. "The future pillar of the nation, there's no need to be provoked or act rashly..."

However, Munandon did not want to give up. He knew his mother's good intentions, but he also wanted to seize this opportunity to prove himself to her, to prove that he didn't need constant care and protection, that he could also charge into battle and become a king whom everyone admired. So he shouted, "I am the greatest warrior of Mohe! Behold, I lift the cauldron with one hand!"

Having said that, Munandon withdrew both hands.

In the instant the tripod tilted and fell, he managed to hold up the immense weight of the object with just one arm.

Aisha exclaimed, "Brother, no!"

His shout was swallowed by the booming of the cauldron, and Munandon's right arm muscles trembled like a fully drawn bowstring, before bursting out with a teeth-grinding tearing sound.

The next moment, he let out a desperate roar.

With a sharp crack as his shinbone broke, he suddenly knelt down, leaving cracks in the rammed earth platform.

The princess's eyes widened in horror: "No!"

As the golden cauldron crashed down, disbelief filled Munandon's eyes—that once invincible body was now like a withered, broken poplar trunk, crushed under the burial vessel he himself had lifted.

And so, the young Prince Mohe collapsed from exhaustion and was crushed to death by the golden cauldron in full view of everyone.
-
After hearing Fufeng's description, Caizhu sighed deeply.

She lamented, "Munandon didn't die from the golden cauldron, but from his own stubbornness, arrogance, and recklessness. He was too eager for quick success, which led to this accident..."

She suddenly paused at this point.

An accident? Was this really an accident?

The Little Prince died suddenly, right at the height of the succession struggle? Just days before the Monroe festival? After she was nearly humiliated and bullied?

Hearing the sounds of whipping and screams of pain coming from next door, Caizhu asked, "Who are those people locked up in that cell?"

Fu Feng chuckled: "You also find it a bit strange, don't you? Princess Wang also finds it strange. Those were all slaves and concubines set up by Mu Nandun. They drank and indulged in debauchery with him the night before the martial arts competition, partying all night long. In other words, Mu Nandun was probably still drunk and hadn't slept well before he went on stage to compete. In her great anger, Princess Wang naturally wanted them to pay with their lives."

"Then why torture them?" According to the style of the Mohe nobles, these people should all be sent to their deaths. Why keep them alive to torture them for confession?

“Because these people cannot dispel the princess’s suspicions,” Fu Feng said. “With Mu Nandun dead, Mo He’s prince is left with only one son, and the position of crown prince is immediately under great pressure. Who is the biggest beneficiary at this time?”

“Aisha…”

“Yes, everyone is suspicious of him, but everything he has done these past two days has been aboveboard. The court officials, soldiers, and common people present all saw with their own eyes that it was Munandun who provoked them first, and that he insisted on lifting the tripod. The eldest prince even tried to dissuade him several times, at least on the surface... How can this be blamed on him?”

“I understand. The princess wants to interrogate these slaves and concubines to find out if Aisha did anything to Munandun before the martial arts tournament, such as poisoning him. She wants to find evidence that he harmed his brothers,” Caizhu said. “Even if she can’t find evidence right away, she can still smear Aisha by forcing a confession.”

"That's what they say, but I'm afraid the princess might not get what she wants."

“Yes, this was her only option.” Cai Zhu’er looked at the flickering firelight on the prison wall. “Because she lost her biggest bargaining chip, Mo He’s prince… in the end, there was only one left.”
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Next chapter: Was Murnton's death truly unrelated to you?