Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 4: The Long Night
Tan Huaike entered the Qinglu carrying the tablet, and soon the servants brought the coffin in. The place where the bed should have been was now used to place the coffin.

The Qinglu could only accommodate the couple, and Pei'er was placed in the adjacent servants' quarters, responsible for sweeping and cleaning the courtyard, as well as providing for his wife's daily needs. The old lady claimed that everything was taken care of, but in reality, they only had one elderly servant assigned to their compound. Her legs and feet were weak, and her hearing was poor, so she couldn't do any work. She could only speak loudly, so she could only use her mouth to order Pei'er around.

Pei'er is an honest child. She doesn't mind the hard work. What she can't stand most is the gloomy atmosphere here.

Perhaps it was because there was a coffin parked in the Qinglu, and because of the shadows of the trees in the yard and the white curtains and green veils fluttering everywhere, Pei'er always felt that there was an eerie atmosphere and was afraid that he would run into the Black and White Impermanence when he went out.

There was no banquet at the Shentu Mansion, and everyone had dinner as usual.

Pei'er went to the kitchen to get the food and came back, timidly bringing it to the door of Qinglu: "Young lady, come and eat."

Tan Huaike responded, pushed open the door, reached out to take the lunch box, sat down at the table and opened it, only to find that there was only a steamed bun and two plates of vegetarian dishes inside, which were already cold.

Through the door, Pei'er said aggrievedly, "My apologies, young lady. I didn't know when dinner was served, and I didn't hear the chimes ring. When Aunt Liao asked me to go to the kitchen, I had already missed the time..."

Tan Huaike said, "It's okay. It's good to have something to eat. You should eat more too. Don't treat yourself badly."

"I, I've eaten..." Pei'er stammered.

"Here, this is for you." Tan Huaike pushed open the door again and handed out half a steamed bun and a plate of vegetables. "This is the meal they gave me. I guess they didn't leave any for you at all? You've been busy all day, you can't go hungry."

"That's all. Eat it yourself, little lady."

"It's not some rare delicacy, so let's stop pushing it back and forth. If all else fails, I still have some fruits and snacks here, including dates, sour apricots, peanuts, and chestnuts. Don't worry, I won't starve."

"That, that's a sacrifice! Young lady, you stole the sacrifice? Aren't you afraid, aren't you afraid..."

"What are you afraid of? Who said these are sacrificial offerings? Isn't it a good omen for a Daxuan wedding? If you ask me, these are all good wishes for my husband and I to have a son soon, so why can't I eat them?"

"Pfft," Pei'er couldn't help laughing, "Young lady, you are really reckless."

As the master and servant were talking, Old Lady Liao shouted in a loud voice, "The Lady said that since we are keeping vigil, we must not eat meat. The bride can only be a vegetarian for the next few days. Do you understand?"

Tan Huaike rolled his eyes from inside the door and said meekly, "I understand."

Old Lady Liao yelled at Pei'er again, "There's no water in the yard's jar. Can't you see with your eyes? Go get some water and fill it up! Where did the Tan family find this country girl? She knows nothing and is lazy and gluttonous all day long!"

Pei'er was used to being scolded, so she ate her steamed buns and side dishes in a few bites and hurried off to work. Inside the Qinglu, Tan Huaike finished his dinner and knelt before the memorial tablet and coffin, gazing at the curling incense on the table. He felt his heart finally calm down.

She had been through so much recently, and when she thought back on it, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Half a month ago, she was clearly still in the caravan heading east from the Mohe Kingdom to Daxuan, and was a carefree merchant daughter.
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Her real name is Caizhuer, and she is the daughter of a merchant from the Mohe Kingdom.

To expand into the western part of the Qi River, the Great Xuan Dynasty repeatedly dispatched envoys to explore and visit various states, even reaching the even more western kingdom of Sindhu before returning. At the time, these smaller states were also experiencing significant turmoil. Mohe was considered a prosperous and stable nation among them, but within a few short years, the Tiluo Kingdom, relying on its vast military and cavalry reserves, grew in strength, rapidly annexing several of the surrounding smaller states and intent on encroaching upon Mohe's fertile lands.

The previous ruler of Daxuan was a martial man, always wary of the forces in the western border and harboring ambitions for this vast territory. After receiving a report from his envoys westward, he saw that the Kingdom of Tiryu was poised to unify the other states in the western border. He immediately ignored the opposition and ordered an expedition to the west, hoping to strike first.

However, the military move was too hasty, and Daxuan's coffers were depleted from years of war. The army suffered repeated defeats before even entering the territory, forcing them to temporarily withdraw and negotiate. During the lengthy negotiations, the Daxuan monarch died, and a new one ascended the throne.

The current monarch is well aware that Daxuan needs to recuperate and does not intend to waste manpower and financial resources to confront the increasingly arrogant Tiluo Kingdom head-on. Instead, he adopts a softer and roundabout attitude and begins to win over the western countries. Mohe Kingdom is one of the countries being won over.

After a long period of conflict between the Mohe and Tilu kingdoms, their power declined significantly, and the royal family was even driven from their original capital. Thanks to the support of Daxuan, they were able to relocate to the Naxi River Valley. To protect themselves, King Mohe decided to unite with Daxuan to fight against the growing power of Tilu.

From this point on, communication between Daxuan and the western border became more frequent. Besides the Zhenxi Army's frequent patrols deep into the Gobi Desert, there was also a wealth of private trade. Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang were collectively known as Daxuan's "Four Hexi Commanderies." Merchants from these four commanderies often journeyed to the western desert to make a living. However, Daxuan traditionally viewed commerce as a lowly occupation and levied a high "suanmin tax," making life difficult for these merchants.

The journey to the Western Territory was long, plagued by banditry, and faced unrest in various states. It was extremely dangerous, so merchants formed caravans and traveled together to minimize losses. Even so, many merchants and travelers became separated and fell behind. Some died in the vast Gobi Desert, some returned to Daxuan, and some chose to remain in the Western Territory to make a living.

Caizhuer's mother was a woman from Daxuan who stayed in Mohe Kingdom.

Caizhu'er remembered her mother as a gentle and talented woman. She and her brother, Saruge, were taught the Daxuan Mandarin and calligraphy by her mother. They also learned a wealth of poetry and listened to countless stories. For a time, she believed all the women in Daxuan were capable, knowledgeable, well-traveled, worldly-wise, and capable of everything.

Her father, Harang, was a Mohe merchant who initially traded groceries in the old capital. After relocating to the Nashi River Valley, his business declined, but he was still able to make ends meet. However, the previous year, his beloved wife died, leaving Harang devastated. He lost interest in business and was nearly wiped out by a jeweler who blackmailed him.

Knowing this wasn't going to work, Caizhuer and her brother persuaded Aung, saying that since their mother often reminisced about her hometown, it would be wise to send her belongings back to Daxuan for burial, thus fulfilling her longing to return to her roots. Furthermore, Aung's cousin had gone to Daxuan as a Hu merchant and was said to have made a lot of money, so they could go and join him.

Harang finally got over the pain of losing his wife. He took his two children and all his belongings, set out from the Naxi River Valley, and followed the small caravan to Daxuan.
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　Next chapter: Mohe Orb.

　　Thanks to Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Han for the recommendation vote~

(End of this chapter)