Chapter 32 Thousand Buddha Cave
The victory news from the front line was naturally sent to the Anxi Protectorate as soon as possible and reported to the prince.
Upon learning that the Western Fan army had been defeated, the prince was very pleased. He commended the troops that defeated the Western Fan and rescued Qiuci, and wrote a letter to the court to request rewards for the soldiers.
After everyone had left, he left Qiandeng alone and said to her, "Lingling, your tireless efforts and decisive actions this time have liberated Kucha from the threat of the Western Barbarians and secured long-term security and stability. This is truly a great achievement. When we return to Chang'an, the court will undoubtedly commend you greatly. The Bai family will then be honored once again, and your deeds will be celebrated throughout the world. Your ancestors would surely be delighted and pleased if they knew."
Qiandeng thanked him, but the prince saw that she didn't look happy, so he asked, "Such a great victory, why don't you seem very happy, Lingling?"
Qian Deng said sadly, "Although we won this time, we also suffered casualties on our side. One of my fiancé candidates, Ji Linyou, the Imperial Guards' recorder, was killed in the melee."
"Since he sacrificed his life for his country, the court will naturally provide him with amnesty and compensation for the Ji family. It is an honor for a man to die on the battlefield. You don't have to be overly sad."
Qian Deng looked up at him, and seeing his expression was calm, he silently lowered his head and murmured "yes." He then continued, "But I'm still uneasy, so I'm thinking of going to the Thousand Buddha Caves to pray and pay respects to the deceased. Also, the deceased members of the Kucha royal family are about to be buried on the seventh day after their passing, and I have to go and see them off. I hope that their spirits, along with those of the soldiers who died this time, will be blessed by the gods and Buddhas, free from disasters and misfortunes, and be reborn in paradise."
"Thousand Buddha Cave?" The prince was unfamiliar with Kucha and asked, "Where is it?"
"Not far from the royal city, it was excavated by the people of Kucha for the purpose of practicing Buddhism. There are thousands of caves filled with magnificent statues and murals. Today, many monks and ascetics reside there. It is said that if you worship sincerely, the divine power far exceeds that of ordinary temples."
The prince showed no interest in these things and said, "I see. Then remember to bring more men and horses with you when you go out of the city to worship. The Western Regions have just been defeated, and if you encounter remnants of their army along the way, you might be in trouble."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your advice. Lingling will be careful," Qiandeng sighed. "Although it's risky to go there now, I can't be bothered. After all, according to Kucha custom, all personal belongings of the deceased are burned on the seventh day. Second Uncle Wang once wrote me a very important letter, the contents of which I have some doubts about. I've searched the archives of the Northern Prince's Palace and can't find any such letter. So I wonder if it's among his personal belongings."
The prince's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "What is this letter that is so important?"
Qian Deng looked around and saw that the guards were far away, so he lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, I've been having trouble sleeping since my mother passed away. I always felt that her accident was more complicated than it seemed. Later, I found a letter on the farm. It was written by my second uncle to my mother, and it basically explained my doubts. Originally, when I arrived in Kucha, I just needed to confirm with my second uncle and then I could talk things over. But who knew that he would die under the Glazed Blue Lotus just before our appointment."
At this point, she moved a little closer to the Crown Prince and asked softly, "Your Highness, just when I was about to confirm the letter with Second Uncle, he died mysteriously and someone framed me. Could there be something fishy going on?"
The prince opened his mouth several times, but in the end he only said vaguely, "Perhaps, the person who harmed you didn't know you were going to inquire about the letter. Everything was just a coincidence."
"Perhaps, but I must go to the Thousand Buddha Cave to see Second Uncle off. I heard that Second Uncle is always cautious and always keeps a record of his correspondence. Only if I find the draft of that letter among his belongings will I feel at ease."
The prince nodded. "In that case, you should go to the Thousand Buddha Caves no matter what. But as I said before, the Western Fan people have just suffered a defeat, and I'm afraid there are still remnants of their troops around. How about this? I'll have Wei Fengyang bring a team with you to protect you, so I can rest assured."
Qian Deng declined, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. However, we will be accompanied by the main Kucha army on this journey. Soldiers from Anxi and Beiting will also be accompanying us for protection. The remaining Western Fan soldiers will certainly not dare to approach us."
After saying this, she bowed to the Crown Prince and took her leave. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll be back as soon as I find the letter from Second Uncle Wang and clear up any doubts in my heart."
The prince watched her leave, wanting to say something but hesitant, but in the end he had no way to stop her.
Just as she reached the gate of the mansion, she heard hurried footsteps from behind: "Princess Lingling, please stay."
Qiandeng looked back and saw that the person catching up with him was Wei Fengyang.
"Your Highness has heard that this prayer is not just for the Northern King, but for the entire Kucha royal family. As the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, he should go and burn a stick of incense to express his condolences."
She nodded silently: "So what does Your Highness mean?"
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. He will go to the Thousand Buddha Cave with you."
The Thousand Buddha Caves in Qiuci are about a hundred miles away from the royal city. After trekking across the winding Muzati River, you will see ochre-red cliffs standing on the oasis in front of you.
Atop the serene cliffs, towering Buddhist temples and layers of caves, tower above. For millennia, the people of Kucha have devoutly worshipped the gods and Buddhas, carving out a dense honeycomb-like network of caves within the desert rock face. Within these, they created sculptures, painted murals, and created the magnificent Thousand Buddha Caves, a sacred site that has become a magnificent site along the Western Silk Road.
The Western Fan army was defeated, and the Kucha royal family was about to be buried. The monks of the royal city gathered near the Thousand Buddha Caves and held a grand prayer ceremony for seven days and seven nights.
Such a grand event attracted thousands of residents from the four towns of Anxi. Wei Fengyang, escorting the crown prince here, saw this situation and dared not neglect it. He immediately ordered the guards to be on high alert and protect the crown prince.
Fortunately, although there were good and bad people, the monks were experienced and all the affairs of the ceremony were carried out in an orderly manner.
During the break, the prince expressed his condolences to the royal family of Kucha on behalf of the Tang Dynasty.
The royal family of Kucha suffered heavy losses this time. The king was seriously injured and unable to move, and the only surviving princess was attacked and was still in a coma. Qiandeng was the closest blood relative, so she led the Grand Commandant and other Kucha officials to express their gratitude to the prince and the Tang Dynasty.
The prince consoled him, saying, "The dead are gone, and the living should strive to do their best. I hope that the people of Kucha will rise to the occasion, follow the aspirations of their ancestors, preserve the traditions of their ancestors, and live up to the expectations of the people."
After Qiandeng expressed his gratitude to everyone, they moved to the riverside and burned everyone's belongings.
The royal family naturally had a vast collection of relics. Although Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng had borrowed a few hands, finding the manuscripts belonging to the Northern King and the specific letter among several carts of scrolls was undoubtedly no easy task.
Seeing Qian Deng's hesitation, the Crown Prince came over and said, "I've brought some people who speak Tocharian with me this time. Let them help you find the letter addressed to the Changhua Palace. Otherwise, we might not be able to find it by nightfall, and that would waste time."
As expected, there is strength in numbers. Soon, the clerks came with several letters in hand and presented them to them: "All the manuscripts of the correspondence between the Northern Prince's Palace and the Changhua Prince's Palace are included here. Your Highness, the County Lady, please review them."
The prince looked at Qiandeng, and she pursed her lips, quickly grabbed the letters, scanned them quickly, then held one of them tightly and looked at it intently, her breathing slightly rapid, obviously she was very nervous and excited.
Cui Fufeng reminded in a low voice: "County Lady, check carefully."
Qiandeng nodded, took a deep breath, took out a letter he had brought from his sleeve, looked around, and walked into the Buddhist temple behind him.
Cui Fufeng was about to go forward to help her, but was stopped by a monk from Kucha who was standing next to him. The monk asked him to inquire about the funeral arrangements of the Tang Dynasty and how to arrange Ji Linyou's body.
He had no choice but to discuss with the monks first. Before leaving, he looked at Qiandeng's figure in the temple and looked at the prince worriedly.
The prince understood, nodded to him, and stepped into the temple.
There are countless Buddhist caves in the Thousand Buddha Caves, all of which are carved into the mountain. Although there are door beams and eaves on the outside, when you go inside, you will find that they are actually caves that have been excavated and then renovated and painted.
The cave was dark, with only a narrow beam of sunlight coming through the small window above for ventilation, illuminating the thousand lamps kneeling quietly in front of the Buddha statue, and also illuminating the two letters spread out in front of her.
They were two letters with very similar contents, but one had many traces of corrections, while the other was neatly copied and stamped with the seal of the King of Kucha.
The prince's gaze paused on Qiandeng's face. Seeing that her expression was slightly sad, but still calm, he felt a little relieved.
Looking up, they found that this was the Hall of Rebirth. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sat on the Diting Hall, looking down at them with compassion.
In the pool of relief and grudges in front of the Buddha, incense burns quietly, curling up and spreading over the murals of flying celestial beings and musicians on the four walls of the cave.
The celestial maidens were dressed in brilliant Kucha blue gauze, faintly swaying in the mist, as if alive, swirling around them accompanied by a rain of flowers in the sky.
The prince was in a trance for a moment, staring at the pool of relief and grudges. Something in his mind was fluctuating, urging him to recall some not-so-good memories.
Qian Deng's voice echoed softly in the cave: "Your Highness, do you remember? One of my fiancé candidates, my childhood sweetheart, Shi Jingning, died in front of the Wangsheng Hall of Jianfu Temple."
The prince paused, as if he didn't understand why she suddenly brought up this matter at this moment: "Really? I don't quite remember it."
"Your Highness's memory is not very good. You were also in Jianfu Temple that day. When Shi Jingning died, you were right next to him. Moreover, you and I both witnessed his tragic death with our own eyes."
Her voice was obviously not high-pitched or sharp, but that calm tone made the prince feel a slight chill down his spine for some reason.
He stared at her intently and murmured, "Lingling, this happened so long ago, why are you suddenly bringing it up to me now?"
"Long ago?" Qian Deng repeated his words, feeling as if the scene was still playing out before his eyes. "The rabbit he wrote on my palm, the word 'well fence' he spat out in blood, are all still before my eyes and in my ears. It's just that I didn't understand why at that time."
There was an indescribable sharp light in her eyes as she looked at him, which made him feel guilty and panicked.
He was about to turn his head to avoid her gaze, but Qiandeng had already raised his head and looked at the vaulted ceiling of the cave above him. He raised his finger and pointed at the pattern above and said, "Your Highness, look."
The blue diamond grid divides the top of the Thousand Buddha Cave into multiple pictures, each of which depicts a vivid yet terrifying story.
The woman in the picture remarried four times, lost her children three times, and her parents were burned to death. After being buried alive, she came back to life and went to ask the Buddha why she had to endure such a fate?
The Buddha showed her the karma of her past life. It turned out that in her past life, she had killed her husband's concubine's son out of jealousy and cursed and swore that if she killed the child, her family, husband, and children would die, and she would suffer the most painful fate in the world. Therefore, everything she experienced in this life was retribution for her past life.
"Your Highness, everything in this world has its cause and effect, and retribution is inevitable. Some will have to wait for their next life, but for most, it arrives immediately in this life." Her voice was vague and light, carrying a sense of illusion, just like the smoke in the cave. "No matter who or how high their status, no one can escape retribution when it's time."
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