Chapter 4: Grace
The visit of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty and the return of the spirit of the King of Changhua were two major events that made the whole country of Kucha celebrate.
Even though the welcoming banquet was over, the noisy music gathered into an ocean after nightfall, echoing outside the palace for a long time.
The Kucha Palace is not big, and under the halls near the palace gate, you can clearly hear the cheers coming into your ears one after another.
The attention of the important people of Kucha who were discussing matters in the hall was attracted. The King of Kucha, the prince, the national teacher, and the important ministers listened attentively to the cheers of thousands of people, and the hall fell into silence for a while.
After a long while, the King of Kucha turned to the white-bearded monk beside him and asked, "In the wisdom of the Imperial Master, is it auspicious or inauspicious for the heir of the Changhua prince to return to Kucha?"
Kucha is known as the Buddhist Kingdom in the Western Regions. Ever since Kumarajiva translated Mahayana Buddhism into the Western Regions and China, he was revered as the national teacher. Since then, this position has been permanently established, and the monks' wisdom and insight have been used to assist the king.
The current Imperial Master was also well versed in Buddhism. He pondered for a long time before saying, "A few days ago, I was meditating at night and felt something in my heart. I seemed to hear heavenly sounds and clouds, and visitors from the East arrived with wind and rain."
As the others were still pondering, the prince was the first to lose his composure and ask, "The visitor from the East, do you mean the Princess of the Great Tang Dynasty? And what do you mean by wind and rain?"
"It's hard to say. It's hard to tell whether this is a good omen or a bad omen. She's the only descendant of Prince Changhua, and she's coming with the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. This is bound to bring a major storm to our country." The Imperial Master lowered his eyes and spoke slowly, "But I don't know whether it will be a gentle breeze and drizzle to nourish our oasis, or an ominous storm of blood and gore."
Yuchi Yiyao, the general who now commands most of Kucha's troops, said, "The arrival of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty and the Prince of Changhua in their attire and spirit tablets must be a sign of the importance Kucha holds in high regard, right?"
"But General, don't forget how Prince Changhua went to the Tang Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent again.
Fifty years wasn't that long ago, and everyone remembered those days. When the young Prince of Changhua was captured for supporting the Tang Dynasty and about to be handed over to the rebel army for execution, it was his mother who risked her life to rescue him, sending him on the road to escape.
His mother fell from the flames of war on the palace grounds, and his brother, who disagreed with him, inherited the throne, which later passed to the current King of Kucha. Meanwhile, King Changhua, having achieved unparalleled feats in a foreign land, turned to dust, leaving only his spirit to return home.
However, this descendant of King Changhua from the Tang Dynasty who came from afar had a weak blood relationship with them, and was like a stranger when they first met. No one in Kucha knew what she was thinking in her heart.
Bai Zhaojue thought about his brief meeting with Qian Deng today and hesitated, "I think this cousin is quite nice. She doesn't seem to be harboring any resentment. Besides, I heard that the Tang Dynasty has already built a magnificent mausoleum for Prince Changhua. If she still harbors resentment about what happened back then, why would she go so far as to escort her ancestors' spirit tablets back home?"
"After all, we are of the same royal bloodline, so let's treat each other well." The King of Kucha thought for a moment and discussed with the Imperial Preceptor, "Welcoming the spirit of the King of Changhua is a major event. Imperial Preceptor, do you think we should treat him with state honors?"
The Imperial Master nodded in agreement, "Of course. I will now bathe and burn incense, and bring forth the three sacred vessels that protect the nation. This welcoming ceremony will be grand and dignified, living up to the expectations of the Tang Dynasty and the people of Kucha."
Qian Deng, who had just arrived, was immersed in the emotion of returning to his grandfather's homeland and had no idea of the various considerations behind the Kucha royal family.
Under the arrangement of her maids, she bathed, changed her clothes, and put on Kucha clothes.
Kucha prefers blue. Amidst the dust and sand of the Silk Road, this deep and clear blue is one of the most dazzling colors.
The clothes prepared for her in the palace were naturally blue. Because she was still in mourning, she did not wear a bright floral skirt like other women. Instead, she wore a pattern of linked beads embroidered with silver thread. The contrast between silver and blue made her beautiful face even more radiant.
Amid the maids' admiration, Qiandeng looked at herself in the mirror wearing Kucha makeup, her heart moved slightly, and she felt a sense of familiarity.
After thinking about it, she remembered that when Shangluo disappeared, she took people to the backyard to check the residences of all the men.
At that time, she found a portrait in Xue Xiyang's room, which depicted her wearing Kucha clothes and dancing in front of snow-capped mountains and lakes.
The woman he imagined in his writing was surprisingly similar to her current appearance.
She smiled silently and looked at herself in the mirror, thinking that if her grandparents and her father and mother were still alive, they would definitely be very pleased to see her current appearance and know how enthusiastic the people of Kucha are.
She took out their spirit tablets, wiped them, and straightened her clothes. She was thinking about how to discuss the ceremony with the royal family when she heard a notification from outside that the Princess of the North was coming.
The Queen and the Third Princess have both passed away. The Northern Princess is her second aunt and one of the female relatives closest to her.
Qiandeng stood up to greet her and saw that she came with Bai Zhaosu. When he saw her, although there was still a smile on his face, there seemed to be a slightly strange emotion in his eyes.
The accompanying maids also secretly looked at her. Qiandeng tugged at her dress and was about to ask, but Bai Zhaosu looked up at her in surprise and said, "County Lady, you look like our great-grandmother!"
This sentence broke the complex emotions in the hall and made Qiandeng suddenly understand why everyone's expressions seemed strange.
Princess Bei came back to her senses, took Qiandeng's hand, and said to Bai Zhaosu with a smile, "Now that we're home, you should call each other sisters."
Qiandeng nodded and smiled slightly at Bai Zhaosu. Feeling a little shy, she softly changed her address to "County Lady...Sister."
Qian Deng smiled and stroked her hair. He said to Princess Bei, "I have never seen my great-grandmother in her splendor. I was just preparing the memorial tablets for my ancestors. I wonder how the country will arrange for them to be placed there?"
"I came here to discuss this matter with you. Tomorrow is an auspicious day. The King and the State Preceptor will personally welcome the spirit tablets of Prince Changhua and the Crown Prince to the ancestral temple. To show their solemn welcome, the three sacred vessels will be taken out from the country to accompany the offerings." Princess Bei patted Qiandeng's hand and said with emotion, "The three sacred vessels are the national treasures of our Kucha. Due to the unstable situation, they have not been used for many years. This time, to welcome the heroic spirits of your father and grandfather, we can finally bask in the glory of the sacred vessels together."
Qian Deng didn't know what the three sacred treasures of Kucha were, but seeing how cautious she was, he knew this was a supreme honor for his ancestors. He solemnly thanked the king and the royal family from afar, and then asked Princess Bei about tomorrow's procedures. After carefully memorizing them, he asked a less important question: "When will Second Uncle return?"
"I received a letter from him a few days ago. I will be back tonight or tomorrow. I will definitely be back in time for your ancestors' memorial ceremony."
Qiandeng nodded, thinking about the letter he found in the water pavilion of Zhuangzi.
Although she knew that the letter was most likely forged, and she was even sure about the person who forged the letter, since she was here, she naturally had to confirm it with Second Uncle Wang first.
As the Northern Princess was leaving, she remembered something and pushed Bai Zhaosu closer to her. She said with a smile, "This child has always been curious about you. Now that the county lady is here, let her chat with you for a while. If there is anything you are not familiar with in and outside of Kucha, just ask her."
Bai Zhaosu looked at Qiandeng with a blushing face and some nervousness, as if he was afraid that she would drive him away.
Qian Deng sent the princess away, then turned around and asked her with a smile, "Really? Why are you so curious about me?"
"Because the nanny told me that the county...sister allowed her family to survive." Bai Zhaosu opened his eyes, which seemed particularly big because of his thinness, mustered up the courage, and slowly told it.
She seldom communicated with others, and her narration was not very fluent, but it was enough for Qiandeng to piece together what had happened.
It turned out that the queen had died in childbirth, and the people in the palace disliked the little princess as an unlucky omen, so they did not entrust her to the care of the royal family. Instead, they randomly found a wet nurse from outside and raised her in a remote corner of the palace.
The wet nurse who was called in was Bai Zhaosu's nanny. She had a miserable life: her parents were sick and frail, and her brother died in the war. After she got married and gave birth to a daughter, her husband died soon after, and both mother and daughter were driven out of the house by her in-laws.
After she returned to her parents' home, her family was in dire straits and could barely survive. Fortunately, a relative of hers worked in the palace, so she was asked to come in and become the wet nurse of this ominous princess.
Over the past ten years, she has raised the little princess and used her meager income to support her parents and daughter. As her parents grew older, they were considering their affairs after death and needed a son to take care of them in their old age.
"But, but they don't have the money to raise another boy, so they have to find a relative's child to help with the burial. Mammy's family is Han Chinese, and they call this 'guo...guo...'"
Seeing that she couldn't remember for a long time, Qian Deng asked, "Adopted?"
"Yes, they had to be buried in coffins, and all his belongings would go to the adopted son." Bai Zhaosu nodded vigorously. "Mammy kept crying, but there was nothing she could do. But at this time, the news of my sister presiding over the funeral for my mother spread here, and then the Beiting Anxi police issued a notice. Many women went to the army to collect the remains of their relatives so that they could build tombs and hold funerals for their families. Mammy's parents also told her not to look for that man anymore, and to raise their granddaughter well as a family. It was better than having the whole family and their house eaten up by someone else in the future..."
Qian Deng felt relieved as he listened to her stumbling words and asked, "So, how is your nanny now?"
"Mammy is back home because her daughter is fifteen and getting married. She's marrying a neighbor on the same street. They've been playing together since they were little, and it's a good thing." Talking about happy things, Bai Zhaosu's words became fluent. "Nowadays, married daughters can also preside over the funeral rites for their parents, if they don't have brothers."
Qian Deng smiled slightly and said softly, "Mammy and her daughter will be fine in the future."
Bai Zhaosu opened her arms. "Mammy said they, along with many others, embroidered a large Changhua King flag for my sister. Each of them embroidered a single amaranth petal on the corner of the flag. The entire flag was densely covered with blue flowers!"
"Yes, I received the royal banner."
That was one of the best gifts for her seventeenth birthday, given to her by Ji Linyou.
It turned out that one of the women who embroidered the royal flag stitch by stitch was Bai Zhaosu's wet nurse.
"Actually, what I do is insignificant. If I had the ability, I would also like to be like my father, grandfather, and great-grandmother, and bring more benefits to the people of the world..."
Bai Zhaosu looked up at her, his eyes falling on the scar between her eyebrows. He raised his hand to touch it but felt a little timid.
Qian Deng smiled, then leaned over and let her raised hand touch the scar on his eyebrow: "It's okay, the wound has healed long ago."
"Is this the injury you sustained during the palace coup? I heard that your sister was also thirteen years old at that time, the same age as I am now."
Qiandeng nodded.
That was a turning point in her life. From then on, she lost her grandfather, grandmother, and father, and was therefore judged to have an unlucky physiognomy and no relatives.
The girl in front of her, who was also shrouded in the shadow of fate like herself, made her feel as if she saw another self. They both needed a difficult journey to break free from the web of fate.
Qian Deng held her hand tightly and whispered, "Don't worry, as long as you are not afraid and don't retreat, no matter how many scars we have carried in the past, they will heal."
Bai Zhaosu stared at the scar on her eyebrow and murmured, "Really? But everyone says...that I killed my mother, and everyone hates me...I,I don't want this..."
"Don't listen to their nonsense!" Qian Deng refuted firmly. "Your mother suffered misfortune, but for you, wasn't that the greatest calamity of your life? This is an accident that no one wants to happen. It's not your fault, but fate that is unfair and too cruel to you and your mother. If anyone condemns you for this, they must have sinister intentions that are unbearable to others!"
Bai Zhaosu stared at her blankly, tears welling up in his eyes. Finally, he couldn't help but throw himself into her arms and sobbed.
Qiandeng patted her back gently to comfort her, just like patting himself when he woke up from a nightmare.
And this child with congenital defects hugged her tightly, just like she hugged the cloth tiger that her mother sewed for her every night - that was the treasure that she carried with her all the way and could not give up even after coming here.
At this moment, the same fate made these two strangers lean on each other and hug each other, making it difficult to tell them apart.
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