On the third day after Ashina Bisha returned to the holy city, the palace issued a notice that a grand procession festival would be held at the beginning of the next month, and Tanmaragha would appear at the ceremony.
Having just signed an alliance with the Northern Rong and about to welcome the grand event, the people in the city were excited. Before the actual day, everyone from the palace to the homes of ordinary people began to prepare for the ceremony, sweeping the courtyards, setting up curtains, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
The little novice nun who taught Yao English and Sanskrit told her that every year during the Procession of the Image of Buddha festival, the streets of the holy city were deserted and crowded with people competing for space, so much so that people were often trampled to death.
"Watching the elephants can eliminate sins and gain blessings. Princess can also attend the ceremony. When the time comes, making a wish to the elephants will be more effective than usual!"
Yaoying thought of the Buddha's birthday ceremony held at the Tai Chi Temple last year and lost interest.
The young nun's eyes were full of enthusiasm. "On the day of the procession, the Buddhist disciples will move back to the temple, preach the sutras, and debate with the eminent monks from Guizi, Gaochang, and Shule. This is a once-in-a-century event! I have already made an appointment with the brother who sweeps the floor in the temple, and asked him to help me get a good seat!"
Yao Ying looked surprised: "A Buddhist disciple wants to give a lecture?"
Ashina Bisha brought back the water moss, which eased Tanmaragha's pain, but it was only three days! In just a few days, he had just recovered a little from near death, and he was actually preparing to debate the scriptures with a group of monks. This not only tested his physical strength, but also his mental strength.
The eminent monks from the Western Regions are all masters of debate. Can he handle them?
The little nun nodded and looked at Yao Ying, "Princess, do you really want to watch the Buddhist disciples debate the sutras?"
The corners of Yaoying's mouth twitched slightly. When Tanmarajya and the monk were debating on the scriptures, they were speaking either Sanskrit or nonsense. She couldn't understand a word and of course she didn't want to go. She was just amazed at Tanmarajya's perseverance.
A storm disappeared without a trace, and the people of the royal court were looking forward to the arrival of the grand event, never knowing that their disciple had survived a life-and-death experience and was suffering every moment.
She looked full of emotion, and the little nun looked at her several times, her eyes rolling: Princess Zhongyuan is really obsessed with the Buddhist disciple, and she began to lose her mind.
That night, rumors spread throughout the palace that Yaoying had lost her appetite and cried all day because of Tanmaragha.
Yao Ying ignored the rumors and went to greet them with her personal soldiers when she heard from Mundatipo that the cavalry from the central army had brought back her dowry.
Ashina Bisha brought the water moss directly into the palace. The rest of the carts loaded with silk cloth, books and regulations, Buddha statues and jewelry arrived at the holy city four days later. The person in charge of escorting them was Prajna.
He handed the book to Yao Ying and patted his chest and said, "Princess, please count according to the book. Except for the water moss, everything else is here."
Yao Ying thanked him and did not count according to the list. She directly asked the knights to pull the cart into the palace warehouse.
After handing over the affairs, Prajna immediately returned to the palace. Seeing that Tanmaragha had indeed improved, he chanted the Buddha's name constantly.
The next day, the rumor reached his ears.
Prajna was angry and anxious. She found Yaoying, pointed her finger at her, and trembled all over.
Yao Ying looked puzzled and asked, "But what's wrong with the Buddha?"
Water moss is very toxic and can save lives, but taking too much can also be harmful. The reason why the gel pills she took were expensive was because many medicinal herbs were used to reduce the toxicity of water moss.
The worry on Yaoying's face did not seem fake. Prajna was startled. Thinking of Tanmarajaga's instructions, she swallowed down the reproach that had been brewing in her heart for a long time.
Forget it. Although this princess is shameless, she truly admires the king’s elegance and grace. If it weren’t for her dowry, how could the king have escaped danger?
Prajna said with a straight face, "The king is much better."
Yao Ying looked bewildered, uttered an "oh", and said, "Master, you are blessed by heaven."
Prajna glared at her and said, "I heard that you pestered the monks every day to inquire about the king's condition... Don't go around asking about the king's affairs. It will be bad for the king's reputation if it gets out. If you have anything to ask in the future, come and ask me!"
Yao Ying was speechless for a moment: How could she ask around about Tanmarajiva? Everyone in the palace worshipped Tanmarajiva, and almost every word they said was about the Buddha, so she didn't deliberately ask around.
Prajna believed that Yaoying was deliberately trying to get close to Tanmarajiva, and warned her: "Don't take the opportunity to get close to the king. The medicine you brought saved the king. The king is very grateful to you, but the king will not be moved by you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuanjue appeared in front of the courtyard gate.
"Princess, the king asks you to go to the main hall."
Prajna was stunned.
Yao Ying stretched out her arms to him and said, "It was your king who invited me."
Prajna was speechless, twisted her neck and said nothing.
Yaoying walked past him and followed Yuanjue to the main hall.
When passing through the vestibule, a golden arc of light flashed in the quiet porch, and the colorful leopard jumped down from the wall silently, raised its claws and pressed down the vines entwined in front of the steps.
Yuanjue stopped and signaled Yaoying not to panic.
Yao Ying had often seen this leopard, which had not yet lost its wildness, in the past few days. She was no longer so scared and looked away, not moving a muscle.
The leopard narrowed its eyes, jumped onto the corridor, lowered its tail, and suddenly walked towards Yao Ying.
Yuanjue's face changed slightly.
"Ah!"
A smiling voice sounded, and the blond-haired, blue-eyed general of the Central Army walked out quickly from the inner hall, stood in front of Yao Ying, and waved his hand at the leopard, "Don't scare Princess Wen Zhao!"
The leopard glanced at him with some disdain, turned around, jumped down the stone steps, and lazily lay down in the shadow of the vines to take a nap.
Ashina Bisu turned around and smiled at Yaoying: "Princess, I didn't scare you, did I?"
Yao Ying looked into his emerald green eyes and shook her head.
Ashina Bisha's mother was a Turkic princess, and his father was a member of the royal family. He was tall and handsome. At a quick glance that day, she thought his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Tanmaraka's. Now that she looked closely, they were not similar, except that their eye colors were similar.
Bi Suo smiled, her smile was as bright and brilliant as the golden light outside the corridor. She was clearly a playboy, but her tone was so sincere that it was almost honest: "If it weren't for the princess's water hyacinth, the king would have been in trouble. The princess is a distinguished guest of the royal court. If Xue Yan dares to offend the princess again in the future, the princess need not be afraid. Just send someone to inform me."
Yao Ying thanked him and entered the inner hall.
Biso stood in the porch, looking at her back, lost in thought for a moment, tilted his head, shook his head and laughed, then continued to stand guard.
The inner hall was spacious and airy. The gold and jade Buddha statues and incense tables had all been removed, but there was still a faint fragrance lingering in the air.
Tanmaraka sat cross-legged on a felt carpet, wearing a snow-white robe with gold patterns, holding a string of beads in his hand, looking clear and elegant.
Two waiters knelt beside him and brought him the medicine soup. He picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, quickly but gracefully.
The waiter retreated with the empty bowl.
Yao Ying's gaze fell on Tanmarajiva's face. He looked much better, his face was like a cold moon, and his eyes were clear. Or perhaps it was because he was too calm and peaceful, it was difficult to tell from his expression that he was suffering from illness.
Tanmarajiva raised the curtain and motioned Yaoying to sit down.
Yaoying knelt opposite him. She was usually lazy, but when facing the Buddha in front of her, she straightened her back unconsciously and sat properly.
Tanmarajava lowered his eyes slightly and asked: "Princess, why don't you go to India?"
His tone was calm, and it was precisely because of this ruthless and desireless calmness that it carried a hint of oppression. Yao Ying sat up straighter and asked instead of answering, "Please forgive me, Master, but why did you send the Regent King Sultan Gu to Gaochang?"
Tanmaraka remained silent.
Yao Ying asked softly, "Master, do you want to form an alliance with Gaochang?"
Tanmaraka's gaze fell on her.
Yao Ying looked at him and said slowly, "Most of Gaochang's rulers and nobles are from the Hexi prominent families and are Han Chinese. Gaochang imitates the rituals of the Central Plains dynasties, Confucianism flourishes, and the rituals and customs are the same as those in the Central Plains. The royal court hates the Han Chinese, so the master can only secretly send the regent to test the intentions of the ruler of Gaochang."
Sultan went to Gaochang alone, and he must have had a secret order. At that time, the Northern Rong were invading the royal court in a large-scale manner. Yao Ying guessed that Tanmarajya might know that he did not have much time left, and wanted to leave a way out for the royal court, so he asked Sultan to go to Gaochang for help.
Tanmarajiva's expression confirmed Yaoying's guess.
She changed the subject: "I guess Gaochang rejected the regent."
Tanmarajiva remained silent, with a hint of strange color passing through his deep blue eyes.
Yao Ying met his gaze and said, "Gaochang is a small country with few people. The way to establish a country is to play both sides and submit to every powerful dynasty in exchange for survival. Now that the Northern Rong are strong, Gaochang is a vassal of the Northern Rong. Although the royal court is prosperous, it has limited military strength after all. Gaochang will not risk offending the Northern Rong by forming an alliance with the royal court."
Gaochang is connected to the Central Plains in the east, the Western Regions in the west, the Silk Road in the south, and the grassland in the north. With roads crisscrossing and various tribes living together, its geographical location makes it attackable but not defensible. From ancient times to the present, this oasis country on the ancient Silk Road has been struggling to survive in the gaps between various political powers and forces.
The Central Plains dynasty once established a prefecture and county in Gaochang and left soldiers to garrison it. Later, the Central Plains was in chaos and had no time to look west. The Western Regions fell into chaos, and Gaochang and other small countries in the Western Regions could not communicate with the Central Plains and could only govern themselves.
Yao Ying had already inquired about it. The current ruler of Gaochang was named Wei Chi, a descendant of the famous family of Longxi. Gaochang was subject to the Northern Rong, and the ruler Wei Chi married the niece of the Northern Rong Wakhan Khan two years ago.
She looked at Tanmarajiva, smiled, and then began to answer his question: "Master, I will stay in the royal court and can serve as an envoy to Gaochang."
I don’t know what kind of incense was burning in the hall, but a faint fragrance was floating in the air.
Tanmarajiva looked at Yaoying with deep eyes and a slight daze.
Yao Ying said solemnly, "Gaochang was once a prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains. The ruler and nobles still have their hearts set on the Central Plains. I am the princess of the Great Wei. I have a better chance of success as an envoy to Gaochang than as the regent king."
Gaochang was unwilling to offend the Northern Rong, but Gaochang would not truly submit to them either. Their ruler and nobles always hoped to restore ties with the Central Plains dynasty. She was a princess of the Wei Dynasty, and if she were sent as an envoy to Gaochang, the ruler of Gaochang might consider Tanmarajiva's proposal this time.
Yao Ying paused for a moment and continued, "Perhaps I cannot convince the ruler of Gaochang, but at least Gaochang will not become an enemy of the royal court. Right now, from Liaohai in the east to Xihai in the west, from Helan in the south to Beihai in the north, they are all subject to Beirong. The power of the royal court alone is not enough to contend with Beirong. No matter what Gaochang's answer is, the Great Wei is willing to form an alliance with the royal court to jointly resist Beirong."
Tanmarajiva stared at Yaoying for a long time.
The girl's voice was gentle and soft, and her tone was calm, and she seemed to have no idea what her words meant.
From east to west, Dawei, Wangting, Gaochang... and many more small countries that want to return to the east. If this alliance is really achieved, what will change is not the fate of Wangting, nor the pattern of the Western Regions, but the general situation of the world.
Tanmarajiva recalled the time when he was thirteen years old and the Northern Rong cavalry invaded the holy city. The yellow sand was swirling all over the sky. He silently recited scriptures in his heart and led the central army to face the enemy that was coming like a torrent.
From that moment on, he was destined to carry the country on his shoulders until his death.
He is a Buddhist and a monarch, but the princess in front of him is just a delicate and beautiful girl who is stranded in a foreign land with an uncertain future.
Tanmaraka shook the bead in his hand and asked softly, "Why does the princess want to form an alliance with the royal court?"
Yao Ying's lips curled up slightly, her eyes fixed on Tanmaraka, and she smiled and said, "Because of you."
Tanmarajiva was startled.
The author has something to say: The description of Gaochang's geographical location refers to relevant literature.
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Looking at the comments, everyone focused on describing the scenery in the previous chapter. Yaoying's psychological activities are very important. What she saw, heard, thought and felt during these days in the royal court were all the basis for her to develop a liking for Luo Jia (it is just a liking for the time being, not a romantic relationship).
When the guards saw those unbridled nobles, they thought that the foreign lands were indeed not very civilized and did not value propriety, righteousness, loyalty and trustworthiness very much.
What Yaoying was thinking was: It must be so hard for Luo Jia to be in power and still have to fight against these people.
When the royal guards saw the capital, their thoughts were: Wow, this place is so prosperous and there are so many people!
Yaoying's psychological activity is: This is the stability that Luo Jia has exchanged for his whole life.
What she saw was not the scenery of the holy city, but Roga's lonely life unfolding before her.