Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 94 Don’t want to accept fate
"Of course it will be beneficial," Tan Huaike soothed. "Your brother will also be able to avenge his great hatred. You have made great contributions in the marriage. If you return to Andu in the future, your official career will be much smoother. Shen Tuheng saved my life in the river valley. This is a return of favor, which can be considered as repaying his kindness."

"Do you and me two brothers have to calculate everything so clearly?" Shen Tu Zhuo felt more and more depressed when he heard her consider it so carefully. He always felt that she was going to leave at any time and they would have no intersection anymore.

"Uncle, Third Prince, you should have noticed that these two assassinations may look similar, but they were actually carried out by completely different people. The incense used in both attacks was the same recipe, but the incense was made by different people, so the smell is slightly different. The assassins who carried it out were not the same group, and the weapons they used and the tone of their speech were also different."

Zhou Wencong was stunned for a moment, unable to conceal his surprise. "She even noticed all this. Madam, having experienced adventures twice, she is still able to observe so meticulously. It is truly admirable."

Tan Huaike said, "It was only after I arrived at the Juyan Oasis and calmed down that I finally figured it out. The first group of assassins killed Princess Alan with their own hands, but they failed to find the accompanying Mohe envoy. However, they believed that their goal of preventing the marriage had been achieved, and so after that, the four Hexi counties enjoyed peace for several months.

"The Zhenxi Army discovered the massacred marriage procession but kept it secret. The second group of assassins appeared after the Third Prince and Guan Bai Niangzi arrived in Zhangye County. It seems they weren't entirely certain of the princess's death, or perhaps they believed the marriage was still progressing smoothly, so they acted rashly during the year-end sacrifice."

"The two groups of assassins may be fighting independently, or they may be secretly colluding. But no matter what, if the 'Princess of Peace' is welcomed into the city and sent all the way to Andu right under their noses, they will inevitably lose their temper and expose more flaws, giving us a better chance to counterattack and seek revenge."

"This is indeed an excellent strategy, and it's also the response we had in mind earlier. But, Madam, I must remind you of one thing," Zhou Wencong asked her tentatively, "What happens after you pretend to be a princess? Have you ever thought about how it will end? Not to mention the dangers lurking in the court, are you really willing to be my princess?"

"She's the princess, why not?" Tan Huaike said jokingly, "I can be considered to have become a phoenix after flying onto a branch."

"No!" Shentu Zhuo objected vehemently. "What's so good about being a princess? There are so many rules and regulations, and every move is watched by others. It's so annoying that it's going to make me die. Besides, covering up for them for a while is one thing, but do I really have to sacrifice my whole life for it? What if I get exposed?"
"Huai... Sister-in-law, you're not really interested in Song Shu, are you? I'm telling you, he looks righteous, but he's actually full of bad habits. He's rigid and loyal, hesitant and self-proclaimed a gentleman. But he's been betrayed countless times since he was a child. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been involved in such a marriage, and in the end, he has to take the blame for the Eastern Palace..."

"Well, Zhongqi, you're going a bit too far." Zhou Wencong finally couldn't bear it any longer and interrupted, "Okay, madam, please don't provoke him. He used to look quite smart, but now he's become a fool out of his wits."

Seeing Shen Tu Zhuo about to jump up and down, Tan Huaike sighed, "After all, I'm not the real Princess Mo He, and I don't want to sacrifice myself completely, so we just need to pretend and ruin their plans, and then find a way to get out of this."

Zhou Wencong: "How are you going to get out of this?"

Tan Huaike knelt and saluted him: "That depends on whether the Third Prince is willing to cooperate."
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The three of them temporarily decided on the follow-up plan. Zhou Wencong's injury had not yet healed, so he went to bed early. Shen Tu Zhuo has been frowning since then, as if the whole world owed him money.

Because of the arrival of this group of people, the originally peaceful and quiet Juyan Oasis became much more lively.

The Zhenxi Army and the imperial guards set up camp there, and the marriage troop, disguised as a Wuxu merchant caravan, also stopped here to rest. War horses grazed alongside cattle and sheep in the pastures. Bonfires lit by the reed marshes, millet porridge steaming from pots, and the aroma of barbecue wafted across the air, attracting children from all over the neighborhood to join in the fun.

The hunters in the village had no idea what these people were doing, but they could tell they were either military officers or high-ranking officials, so they hunted even harder, handing them the hides and meat they'd brought back in exchange for money. The Pu family was also bewildered. They had assumed they were just ordinary, wealthy siblings, but they hadn't expected so many soldiers to arrive overnight. They felt incredibly constrained, fearing they might offend a powerful figure. They eventually moved in with their children to live with relatives next door, leaving their entire house to them.

Tan Huaike strolled along the lakeside, Shen Tuzhuo following beside her with his arms folded, occasionally snorting loudly, as if afraid that she wouldn't know he was irritating her. After hearing the eighth snort, Tan Huaike suppressed a smile and asked, "What's on my mind, little uncle?"

Shen Tu Zhuo said, "I just can't understand why it has to be you."

"Oh, can you think of a more suitable candidate?"

"I..." Shentu Zhuo was speechless.

"What should I do? I can't figure it out, and neither can the eldest prince or the third prince. Perhaps this is fate? I often wonder if Princess Alan anticipated this day when she gave me the sapphire beads."

"Okay, okay, this fate is too interesting." Shen Tu Zhuo laughed in anger, "You pretended to be my brother's bride, and then pretended to be Song Shu's bride. What about me? Am I destined to be nothing more than an uncle? I can't advance or retreat. I don't want to accept this fate!"

"Then what do you want to do?" Tan Huaike stopped and looked up at him.

"Tan Huaike, don't push me." The winter sunlight reflected in Shentu Zhuo's eyes, like two balls of hidden fire. He said seriously, "Ever since my father-in-law was convicted and demoted, I've known that people's hearts are treacherous and they no longer care about worldly ethics. If you push me to the limit, I'll force you to marry my widowed sister-in-law and be labeled as a brother's successor. As for Song Shu, you and him are just playing a show anyway. After the show, I can still snatch you, the 'princess', away from me."

"I know you don't care about worldly ethics, and I also know you wouldn't do this to me."

"How do you know I won't..."

"Shentu Zhuo, I'm pushing myself," Tan Huaike said. "I'm pushing myself to abandon my former naiveté, cowardice, insignificance, and humbleness, and to find a new way of living in this world. And you...

"You are the one who came to save me in this life."

Under the setting sun, they stood side by side and heard the sound of the thin ice breaking.

Knowing that there are turbulent undercurrents ahead, two people who do not want to accept their fate step onto the same boat together.

The boat sails away from here, and becomes a place to spend the rest of my life.
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　Next chapter: Then you are Her Royal Highness the Princess.

　　(End of this chapter)