Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 85: A Thousand Golds for a Channel
The sacrifice continues.

The Kupsu-niro dance originated from Mohe, which was obviously to respond to the joy of His Royal Highness the Third Prince's marriage. It was worth it that the Music Bureau abandoned the previously arranged songs and dances and hurriedly made new preparations. Seeing Zhou Wencong's appreciation, the governor of Chi finally put his mind at ease after a long time.

Zhou Wencong couldn't help but sigh, "I heard that the Mohe Kingdom once occupied some of the richest land in the western border. No wonder they cultivated so many exquisite and beautiful scenery. It's a pity that the Ti Nu cavalry plundered them so brutally. Even the best homeland couldn't be defended in the end."

Aisha said, "In terms of combat prowess, Mohe is indeed not as strong as the Timu army, but we have never surrendered. After leading our people to relocate to the Naxi River Valley, we have been gathering strength and searching for ways to break the resistance, so that we can drive out the bandits and reclaim our homeland."

"Tinuo is ambitious, not only acting recklessly in the western border, but also frequently harassing the borders of Daxuan. We must be on guard. Speaking of which, your merchants from Mohe seem quite friendly towards Daxuan. In recent years, many novelties have flowed into Andu, including silk, incense, gems, and fine horses. Upon inquiry, they all come from your Mohe."

"The caravans from Daxuan traveling west have also helped us greatly. We have always been generous to our neighbors. However, whether it's trade or alliances, trustworthiness is paramount. If there are always some obstructions, it will only damage the harmony between us."

County Magistrate Chi listened to the two people chatting with hidden meanings, not daring to interrupt, and just concentrated on watching the sacrifice.

At this moment, white smoke rose from the incense burners at the four corners of the altar. The Minister of Agriculture came onto the stage, carrying a black pottery urn filled with yellow millet grown in sandy land, white millet planted in dry land, highland barley harvested from the oasis, red millet collected from the river valley, and purple wheat growing on the edge of the pasture. As the priest chanted, the Minister of Agriculture stood in each of the four directions and scattered handfuls of the five grains in offering to the gods.

"The earth bears the five kinds of grain, and the sky nourishes the six kinds of livestock—"

Afterwards, Si Nong threw the horns and bones of horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens into the incense burner. The feet of the incense burner were wrapped with faded five-colored ribbons, looking tattered and very conspicuous compared to the brand new objects around it.

Xu Guanbai asked curiously, "May I ask the Magistrate of Chi, why is that five-colored ribbon so worn? Why isn't it replaced with a new one? The border's year-end sacrifices are so grand, so it couldn't have been neglected, right? Is there some kind of meaning behind it?"

The Chi County Magistrate replied, "The lady has a keen eye and has hit upon the key point. Those are not ordinary five-colored ribbons, but prayer knots hand-woven by the mothers of the soldiers who died during Emperor Xiaowu's Western Expedition. They prayed to the heavens for peace and tranquility at the border, for the soldiers' safe return, and for their children's continued blessings."

Xu Guanbai nodded: "I see, it is the will of the people, irreplaceable."

At the right moment, the Chi County Magistrate stood up and bowed, "As the County Magistrate, I must also go up on stage to pray and announce the county's policies that will benefit the people in the coming year. Please sit down for a moment. I will be back soon."

Soon, the governor of Chi County was seen climbing onto the high platform.

Holding a jade sword, he plunged it into the pile of grain in a black pottery jar and sang: "The Black Water is vast, its waters radiant. Today I offer millet from the snowy mountains as a sacrifice to the Earth Mother, and livestock from the grasslands to the River God. May the winds not destroy the crops next year, nor the rains destroy the border walls, may the Qiang flutes and Han willows bloom together in spring, and may the Hu horses and oxen plow together in vigor."

In response to his prayers, the people prayed for good weather, good harvest and abundant crops in the coming year.

After the ceremony, Chi Jun Shou gestured to Shen Tu Zhuo, who was standing in the audience. Shen Tu Zhuo held a golden tube in both hands and respectfully presented it to him. Chi Jun Shou took the tube, opened the lid, and took out a thick roll of silk.

Tan Huaike suddenly understood what this was and looked at Shen Tu Zhuo in surprise.

Is it at this moment?

As if he felt something, the man on the stage looked back at her with a spirited smile.

He had been hiding his abilities for several years and planning for a long time, and this day had finally arrived.

He had never mentioned this matter before, and she thought it had been delayed and not completed, but it turned out that he had already discussed the result with the county magistrate, and it was to be announced on such an occasion.

Tan Huaike knew that this person had put in so much effort and finally had the long-awaited moment of fame.

At this point, no one could stop him.

The falling snow left specks of dust on the silk. Fortunately, the silk had been coated with a layer of wax after being copied, making it impervious to water and soil. Chi County Magistrate said, "The Black River is our veins, the Yangguan Pass is our bones. In accordance with Your Majesty's decree, Zhangye County must relocate its inhabitants to the border, dredge the river, and divert water for irrigation. This is a map of the diversion canal for Zhangye County, drawn by Mr. Shentu Fuzhongqi."

The people in the audience suddenly became agitated.

A canal map! Much of the land in the county is extremely dry and hard, making it difficult to cultivate. If we could divert water for irrigation, we would be able to greatly expand the arable land, ensuring a bountiful harvest in the future!
Tenants from surrounding counties and towns were even talking excitedly about it, saying that they often saw Master Zhuo wandering back and forth along the banks of the Black Water River, and that he would always dig in the soil at the edge of their own fields. Someone once mistook him for a thief who was stealing grain and vegetables and almost caught him and beat him up.

Others said that Master Zhuo had put a lot of effort into this painting, saying they had seen him painting on a ridge, and that he was even blocked in his yard because a canal had to be diverted. Someone else laughed and said, "That's right. I heard Master Zhuo once fell into a manure pile and got himself into a stink."

Tan Huaike laughed to himself. Regardless of anything else, it was not the fault of the canal map that he fell into the manure pile.

The Chi County Magistrate sang another prayer: "Drawing the Heavenly River to irrigate the Gobi Desert, digging the earth's veins to nourish the people. The day this canal is completed will be the day our Zhangye County will be revitalized. In accordance with the will of heaven and the wishes of the people, this is named."

Shentu Zhuo helped hold up an empty plaque.

Chi Jun Shou picked up the golden pen and wrote three words on the plaque:

Qianjin Channel.
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Yuefu songs and dances are making a comeback.

As the year-end sacrifice was drawing to a close, a sudden strong wind blew up, bringing heavy snow in people's faces, making it impossible to open their eyes.

In this whistling wind, Tan Huaike smelled an unusual scent.

She tried to look around, but she could only feel her heart pounding.

Where did the scent of incense come from? It was too faint, too far away, and mixed with the odor of the burning stove on the altar. She couldn't smell it clearly enough and didn't dare to judge it. The smell was quite similar to what she remembered, but slightly different.

Another gust of wind came, and this time the smell was even stronger.

Tan Huaike immediately turned to the southeastern warm room and rushed from behind the scenes to Shen Tuzhuo, who had just stepped down from the platform, and said urgently, "Quick, send someone to the warm room! There's danger over there!"

Feeling her clutching his sleeve tightly and her body shaking like a sieve, Shen Tu Zhuo held her wrist and asked, "Don't panic. What happened in the warm room? Why did you say that?"

"Incense! I smell the incense wafting from the warm room. It's very similar to the smell in the valley that night..."

"Chi Jun Shou! Guard the warm room! Quick! There's an assassin!"

Shentu Zhuo did not hesitate to remind the governor of Chi.

He had no doubt about Tan Huaike's sharpness. Even if there was only such a tiny clue, even if Tan Huaike himself was not quite sure, it was related to the safety of the people in the warm room. He would rather find out that it was a false alarm in the end than ignore it.

The Chi Commandery Magistrate did not hesitate. He immediately drew the jade sword from the altar and shouted, "Protect the warm room!"

The year-end ceremony was so grand, and with the Third Prince and the eldest Prince Mohe in attendance, a heavy guard had already been arranged. Having learned from the previous experience of the marriage alliance, they had already formulated a plan for response.

At this moment, the sound of weapons was heard in the warm room.
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　Next chapter: Shocking changes in sacrifice.

　　(End of this chapter)