Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 124 Pretend to be real
The man in the dream was wearing a mask with a green face and fangs, and holding a long sword stained with blood in his hand. He approached step by step from the darkness, and came closer and closer until he appeared in front of her.

The blood dripped onto the hot sand and instantly solidified, emitting light smoke.

He was like a demon crawling out of hell, silent and ferocious, but for some reason, Tan Huaike was not afraid.

The evil spirit stretched out his hand and pulled her out of the deep pool surrounded by flames.

Tan Huaike reached out and took off the mask on his face when he was not paying attention.

It was a mottled and terrifying face.

"This is the second time you've saved me." She heard herself asking, "Why can't you tell me who you are?"
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A few days ago, the marriage team arrived in Fengyi County.

This place is already within the territory of Andu. Normally, they can enter the imperial city after a short rest, but everyone is forced to stay here and wait for the court's next decision.

The reason was simple. Princess Mo He was accidentally poisoned in Louyang City. Coupled with long-term acclimatization problems, her condition worsened. She urgently needed to stop the journey and receive treatment and rest. Otherwise, she might not be able to see His Majesty and the Empress before she died.

Upon receiving this news, Lord Ye Qiyuan of Zuofengyi was also worried. The burden of receiving the marriage party fell on him. What should have been a joyous occasion had become a hot potato. If Princess Mohe died in his jurisdiction, how would he explain it to the court?

Ye Qiyuan had no choice but to take care of every detail.

Before meeting the princess in person, he had heard that she was a renowned beauty, renowned across the border and stunningly beautiful. After seeing her in person, he couldn't help but think, while Princess Alan was beautiful, her sickly face didn't look like she would live to be a hundred years old. Given the situation, it was uncertain whether the marriage between Daxuan and Mohe could go through smoothly.

In reality, they viewed Mohe as merely a small kingdom in the western border. Even if the princess's murder had resulted in the marriage and alliance being thwarted, they likely wouldn't dare to confront Daxuan to demand an explanation. However, this marriage, as it related to the Third Prince's enthronement and the reorganization of the border situation, naturally entangled the power of the Eastern Palace, and was indeed a matter of great concern to the court.

At this time, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was in a delicate position. While granted the power to enforce government decrees by His Majesty, he was simultaneously stripped of his authority over the military. The court officials were divided: some openly supported the Crown Prince, some secretly defected to the Fifth Prince, some wavered, and some remained steadfastly neutral. While everyone appeared harmonious on the surface, their secret plots were unknown. This scramble made this brief marriage fraught with twists and turns.

No matter what Ye Qiyuan had been thinking before, he now hoped that nothing would happen to the Third Prince and Princess Mo He, and that at least he could be sent out of Fengyi County safely. As for what happened later, it had nothing to do with him.

In the spacious and exquisite house, Tan Huaike had been lying on the couch for two days.

Ever since Lou Yangcheng's poisoned bowl of soup had become a reality, she'd felt her health and energy deteriorate day by day. Even when the weather warmed and the spring scenery outside was bright and beautiful, she often felt a biting chill and had to wear a thick cloak. The silver charcoal in the house couldn't be cut off. Her energy was running low, and she had to sleep for ten or so hours a day, which had worn her down to a frail, emaciated state, barely enough to walk.

That day, Tan Huaike really didn't want to lie down, so he got up with Pei'er's help and went to sit in the pavilion in the yard.

Xu Guanbai lived in the room next to her and kept an eye on her movements. Seeing this, he went to talk to her and asked Fu Feng to come and take her pulse and treat her to see how she was doing with the detoxification and recuperation.

The two dismissed the other servants from the house, leaving only Pei'er by their side. Tan Huaike sighed, "I thought I'd be able to see His Majesty and the Empress soon, but who would have thought I'd be stuck here? How long will I be sick? When will the marriage procession enter the Imperial City?"

Xu Guanbai said, "Don't worry. Now that it has come to this, we must remain calm. When the news of your poisoning reached Andu that day, it was the Queen who ordered us to stay in Fengyi County for a while to recuperate. Something like this has happened, and the court will definitely investigate and clean up the mess. This is a place where both the Central Palace and the Eastern Palace can look after us. Staying here will at least protect us from any consequences."

"Is Zuo Fengyi the Crown Prince's man?" Tan Huaike asked curiously.

"I can't say for sure, but if he wants to keep his position secure, he wouldn't dare openly offend the Empress Dowager and the Crown Princess. This mansion is secluded and quiet, and it might be inconspicuous, but it's heavily guarded. Isn't it to prevent anything from going wrong? Even the few servants in the mansion are tight-lipped, working efficiently but not too nosy, which shows how much Master Ye cares."

"That's true," Tan Huaike said, "but it's a pity that I can't fully appreciate the spring scenery in the yard. I've been feeling increasingly listless lately. If this continues, I'll really become a sickly person due to my financial losses."

"Really? Let me see how many days you have left to live." Fu Feng happened to arrive and heard her complaint.

Tan Huaike stretched out his wrist to feel his pulse and jokingly asked, "How is it? Can I still enter the Andu Imperial City alive? This may be my only chance to meet the Emperor and Empress of Daxuan in this lifetime..."

While feeling the pulse, Fu Feng's brows furrowed more and more, making the other two nervous.

Xu Guanbai asked, "Is there anything wrong?" Isn't this just a fake illness created with medicine? It's not like he's really going to die, so why take it so seriously?
Fu Feng retracted his hand and shook his head sadly: "Well, the poison has entered the internal organs and there is no medicine to cure it. Prepare for your funeral."

Tan Huaike was so angry that he laughed: "Speak some human language! You only know how to scare me!"

Seeing through his pretense, Xu Guanbai breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor Fufeng, you're quite skilled. You said at the beginning that the princess should be well cared for. Only then could she withstand the subsequent hardships. Now, it's really as you said. After just a few prescriptions, a healthy person has become weak and deficient. Look at how much thinner the princess has become."

Fu Feng's brows didn't relax. "She looks thin and ill, but her pulse isn't right. I can tell she's fine. I can get away with it for now, but if we really enter the imperial city and the princess becomes seriously ill, the Emperor and Empress of Daxuan will surely call in a famous doctor, right? If I can't demonstrate a pulse pattern that suggests poison has entered her internal organs, how can I gain their trust?"

"So this is what Doctor Fufeng is worried about." Xu Guanbai understood. "If it's really impossible to take a pulse that indicates a severe poisoning, there's no need to worry too much. I can send a message to the Empress, asking her to arrange for an imperial physician to take the princess' pulse. That way, we won't be exposed. After all, the Empress knows everything we do."

"This approach has too many loopholes and could easily leave room for suspicion." Zhou Wencong arrived at the pavilion and joined their discussion. "The Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince will naturally raise no objections, but don't forget that the court is thoroughly investigating who poisoned the princess. They won't be forced to suppress the details of the poison and who might have taken advantage. Others will undoubtedly investigate the princess's condition."

"Then what does the Third Prince think we should do?" Xu Guanbai asked.

"Rather than that, I'd like to ask Doctor Fufeng why you're suddenly so concerned about the pulse? Weren't you so confident before that you only thought it would be enough to make the princess weak and sickly?"

"Ah, it's because..." Since someone asked him directly, Fu Feng didn't intend to lie. He took out a piece of silk from his bosom and said, "This morning, a wax ball suddenly flew into my room and conveyed a message from inside."
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Next chapter: If I can’t make the antidote, how dare I poison you?