Yaoying's hand holding Tanmarajya's gradually became stiff. The cold wind mixed with flying snow blew on her face. Even though there was a layer of veil between them, her cheeks were still chilled.
She is not afraid of Zhu Luyun.
The Helan survivors, led by the Yuchi clan and the Yang clan, have already established an alliance with her. They trust her, not only because she is a princess of the Wei Dynasty, but also because they want to please Tanmarajiva. Zhu Luyun is a princess of the previous dynasty. She cannot recruit a large number of troops and does not understand the conflicts and entanglements between the tribes. No matter what her purpose is in appearing here, Yuchi Damo will not be instigated by her.
Zhu Luyun has nothing to fear.
The person Yao Ying was afraid of was Li Xuanzhen.
Zhu Luyun appeared in a foreign land thousands of miles away from Chang'an. In the book, Li Xuanzhen could do all kinds of incredible and crazy things for her. If he found out that she had come to the royal court, he would definitely drop everything and chase after her.
No matter how many difficulties and obstacles they encounter, these two people can always turn danger into safety.
It’s a different story for those who are unfortunately implicated.
Being associated with them is usually not a good thing.
The reason why Yao Ying and Li Zhongqian had such a hard time in recent years was because of the anger of Li De and Li Xuanzhen. Tang was dead, and in the eyes of the father and son, everyone had to be buried with Tang, regardless of whether they were innocent or not.
After Xie Wuliang's death, Yao Ying, Li Zhongqian and Xie Manyan could have returned to Jingnan to live a peaceful life, but Li De did not allow it, and Li Xuanzhen would not let them go.
Even if Li Zhongqian did not fight, he would have no way out.
Li Zhongqian did not fight. He was in a daze and lived a dissolute and unrestrained life. Yao Ying understood that he did not fight because he knew that if he fought he would only die faster, and he did not want to implicate her and Xie Manyan.
He thought that everything would be over with his death, but he didn't know that in Li De's eyes, they were his children and his subjects, destined to be exploited and used by him all their lives until nothing was left of them.
The entire Xie family died in battle for him, but Li De just sighed for their loyalty.
The emperor is ruthless and unreasonable.
Yao Ying knew very well that if she could return to the Central Plains safely and reunite with Li Zhongqian, the brother and sister would still have to face Li De and his son. This time, she and Li Zhongqian would not exchange their lives for tolerance.
Before that, she had to reunite with Li Zhongqian first.
But now Zhu Luyun suddenly appeared in front of her as if she had fallen from the sky, so Li Xuanzhen must not be far away.
Where is Li Zhongqian now? Does he know that she is in the royal court?
Would he be in danger if he met Li Xuanzhen?
A strong feeling of uneasiness came over Yaoying's heart. She felt cold and her heart trembled slightly.
Melodious camel bell sounds came to my ears, and hawking voices mixed with Hu language, Turkic language, Persian language, and Sogdian language came one after another. The earthen wall facing the street was filled with hot steam. A Hu man with a high nose and deep eyes lifted the lid of a huge stove, reached into the bright red furnace with pliers in his hand, and quickly hooked out steaming naan one by one. After a while, the naan, which was as long as an adult man's arm, was piled up like a mountain.
The aroma of the freshly baked naan fills the air.
Yao Ying came to her senses and found that she had been standing in front of the restaurant staring at the pancakes. She shook her head, raised her face, and looked at Tanmarajiva. She was about to say a few witty remarks, but when her eyes met his, she was slightly stunned.
He was wearing a light-colored headscarf, revealing a pair of green eyes that looked at her quietly, as if he could see through all her fears.
The gaze he gave her was calm and gentle, yet it had the power to soothe people's hearts.
Yao Ying looked at Tanmarajiva, her heart gradually calmed down, she swallowed all her jokes, and said softly: "General, I just saw someone I knew in the Central Plains."
After saying that, he added, "I don't want to see her... But it's good to see her. The sooner I know that she appeared in the royal court, the sooner I can be on guard against her and the prince."
After sorting out her thoughts, Yao Ying let out a light breath, straightened her slightly raised chest, and regained her spirit. The worry that had suddenly appeared between her brows just now disappeared completely.
She let go of Tanmarajika's hand, walked quickly to the restaurant, and bought a few thin naan breads sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Only when you are full can you have the energy to figure out how to deal with it.
Tanmarajiva stood there, staring at Yaoying's slender back.
Yaoying bought the cakes and returned to Luojia, but did not share any with him. The two went to an inn in the city, still using the identity of Akbaryan, but were told that the inn, which was usually not full, was already full.
We moved to another hotel, but it was also full, and even the cellar was occupied by businessmen.
After changing several posthouses in succession and still finding nothing, Yao Ying couldn't help but ask Tanmo Luojia: "Is there any festival in the royal court recently?"
Tanmaraka shook his head.
A Hu merchant who was nearby also had not found a place to stay. He passed by them and, upon hearing what they said, he grinned and asked, "Are you not from the royal court?"
Yao Ying replied, "My husband and I are from Yangma City."
Yangma City is a Han Chinese settlement, and it used to be a place for stationing troops and raising sheep and horses.
Hu Shang smiled and said, "No wonder you don't know. The beginning of next month is the Buddha's birthday. In order to go to the Holy City to pay homage to the Buddha before his birthday, people from hundreds of miles around are rushing to the royal court. There aren't many people these days. When the weather gets warmer, the streets will be full of believers going to the Holy City to worship Buddha! That's when it's really lively. The city can't accommodate them. Many people carry blankets on their backs and sleep on the roadside when they are tired."
Yao Ying looked stunned and looked up at Tanmarajiva. He grew up in the royal court, but he didn't even know about such an important day?
Tanmarajiva frowned slightly.
Yao Ying turned around and continued to ask Hu Shang.
She was wearing several layers of leather jackets, but one could still see her slender and well-proportioned figure and her long and charming eyes. It was obvious that she was a young and beautiful girl. She spoke politely and had a sweet voice. Hu Shang was very happy to show off his knowledge in front of her. He answered whatever she asked and told her everything he knew.
Yaoying chatted with Hu Shang for a while, and then something suddenly occurred to her, so she asked casually, "I just saw the Northern Rong people at the city gate. They were carrying a very impressive sedan chair. Are they also going to the Holy City to worship Buddha?"
The soldiers escorting Zhu Luyun had their hair in braids, wore curved swords on their waists, and were wearing what appeared to be northern military uniforms.
Hu Shang nodded: "You must be talking about Princess Beirong."
Yao Ying's mouth twitched: How come Zhu Luyun became the Princess of Beirong again?
Hu Shang proudly twirled his beard and continued to show off: "Wakhan Khan of Beirong was frightened by our Buddha. Hearing that Buddha's birthday was coming soon, he sent an envoy to send congratulatory gifts to him. The Beirong princess came with the envoy. It is said that the Khan brought a princess from the Chinese land..."
At this point, he coughed a few times, and his expression suddenly became ambiguous, "This Princess Beirong is also a Han woman, just like Princess Wen Zhao of Fozi."
The two words "Han woman" are pronounced with particular emphasis.
Yao Ying's eyelids twitched when she suddenly heard her own name. She remembered the rumors she had heard in Gaochang and felt guilty for no reason. She quickly changed the subject, chatted with Hu Shang for a few words, and then pulled Tanmarajiva away.
Half an hour later, Yao Ying finally found an inn with a vacant room. She immediately asked the waiter for a can of clean water, filtered it, and boiled it on the stove in the room. She also asked the waiter to buy a few round, thick naan breads without any grease or fillings, put them on a plate, and handed them to Tanmarajiva.
"General, please eat some food and have a good rest."
Yaoying learned this from Yuanjue; she remembered his taste.
Tanmarajiva did not sit down. He watched Yaoying busying around. His eyes fell on the back of her left hand, motioning her to stretch out her hand.
Yao Ying reached out her hand.
Tanmarajika gently took off her leather gloves, and the marks seemed to have faded a little. He picked up a clean cloth, cleaned the wound with clean water, wiped off the water droplets, applied medicine to her again, and put on the leather gloves.
"Princess, please take a rest."
His tone was cold and his face expressionless, but he was very gentle when applying the ointment to Yaoying. He deliberately used less force when his slender fingers brushed across the back of her hand.
The colder he was now, the more gentle he was just now.
It's like a pool of spring water accumulated in an ice block.
Yao Ying's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Tanmarajiva doubtfully, uttered an "oh", and moved to the opposite side of the stove, sitting down cross-legged.
Tanmarajya ate some naan and continued to practice qigong and regulate his breathing.
Yao Ying held her chin with both hands, thinking about her own things while watching over him. She chose the best room in the inn and set up a felt tent next to the stove. It was warm without wearing a fur jacket, which was much more comfortable than being in the ice and snow on the mountain.
Before I knew it, the sky was getting dark.
Yaoying went outside, ate something, and returned to the stove to continue watching over Tanmaragha.
As the night deepened, a few strange owl calls were heard outside the window.
Tanmarajiva slowly opened his eyes.
The dim candlelight flickered. Yao Ying sat opposite him, supporting her chin with one hand. She looked tired, her bloodshot eyes wide open but lifeless. She shook her head every once in a while, trying to stay awake.
Tanmarajiva glanced at the candlestick, and saw piles of candle tears that had already solidified into blocks under the short table.
She watched over him for another day.
Tanmaraka wiped his sleeves lightly, extinguished the candle, and said, "Princess, please settle down."
Yao Ying shuddered, subconsciously sat up straight, eyes wide open, and lied: "It's okay, I'm not tired."
As he spoke, he yawned.
The candles went out, leaving only a faint light from the stove. In the dim light, there was a slight rustling sound in the room. A black shadow flashed before Yaoying's eyes, and the tall and straight figure of a man suddenly appeared in front of her.
She was stunned for a moment, her hand stopped in mid-air.
Tanmaraka stood in front of her, held her wrist, and slowly leaned down, with his face covered with wounds getting closer and closer to her.
The fire was dim, and the room was filled with a thick, impenetrable darkness. His tense body pressed down on her, like a towering mountain looming over her, with an icy breath.
Yao Ying had a bewildered look on her face. She held her breath as she met those calm green eyes.
So close, his steady breathing fanned against her face.
Yaoying stepped back a bit, and Tanmarajya moved closer.
Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation on his neck. He held her with his left hand and gently lifted her collar with his right hand, and put his fingers inside. He didn't know when he took off the black leather gloves. His dry fingertips pressed on her warm and smooth skin, occasionally.
Yao Ying's body shuddered twice. Before she could open her mouth to ask, she didn't know where his fingers touched. A wave of fatigue surged over her. Her whole body felt sore and weak. Her eyes went dark and she fell into Tanmaragha's arms.
Tanmo Luojia caught Yaoying and continued to press the acupoints with his fingers. When he heard her breathing become longer and longer, he withdrew his fingers, held her shoulders and helped her lie down, then pulled the felt blanket over her and gently pressed down the corner of the quilt.
The fire was reflected on half of Yaoying's face. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, with a circle of light blue around her eye sockets.
Tanmaraka returned to the stove and continued to meditate.
The wind howled outside the inn. An hour later, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out in the silent night sky; someone was walking on the tile roof.
Tanmarajiva opened his eyes and glanced at Yaoying who was across the stove. She had turned over under the felt blanket, facing him, and was sleeping soundly, with no signs of waking up.
He stood up and left the felt tent, closed the tent, left the room, and opened the outermost window.
A dark figure groped his way into the house, stopped, saluted him, raised his head, and said, "Regent, General Ashina has arrived at Sand City. Following the Regent's instructions, the general set up traps in Sand City and captured three waves of killers. Most of them were young men captured from various tribes, and some were from the royal court."
Tanmaraka asked, "How is General Ashina?"
The man replied in a low voice: "General Ashina was well prepared. He was only slightly injured. He was cut on the arm. The bleeding has stopped. He is not seriously injured."
After that, he asked, "General, please ask the Regent how to deal with those killers?"
Tanmaraka took out a parchment scroll and said, "Tell him to act according to the plan and there is no need to torture the killer."
The visitor respectfully took the parchment scroll and put it in his arms.
Tanmarajiva stood by the window and suddenly asked, "Did the Northern Rong send an envoy to the royal court?"
The man hurriedly said, "I was just about to report this. The king's birthday is coming soon. In addition to the delegation sent by Beirong, delegations from other countries have also arrived in the Holy City one after another... Not only Beirong sent a princess, but there are several princesses in the Holy City now. I heard that several princesses are as beautiful as flowers, but they have not yet been engaged."
Tanmaraka hummed lightly.
The visitor bowed and left quietly.
Tanmarajiva frowned slightly and stared into the night sky, lost in thought for a while.
There was another creaking sound at the window, and a figure climbed and groped cautiously, entered the house, rolled on the ground, stood up and saluted Tanmaragha.
It was Yuan Jue who was ordered to inform the guards of each city lord.
"Regent, I have asked around, and the city lords said there is nothing unusual in the city, but there have been manpower changes at the horse farms and the garrison stations. Because it was freezing cold, many herdsmen's cattle and sheep froze to death, and they didn't have time to send people to investigate in detail. The list of garrison transfers this year has not been drawn up yet. Only the lord of Yuexiao City is drafting a list of recommended guards this month, and has recorded the changes in the officers and soldiers on duty in several places. I have brought the draft document back."
Tanmarajya took the document.
Destiny lights the candle.
Tanmaraka opened the document, read it quickly in the dim candlelight, and raised his eyes.
The relationships among the five armies of the royal court, the major families, and the garrisons of all city-states and towns were complicated and intertwined. There were more than a dozen rolls of parchment recording the annual changes and rotations. However, he was well-informed and had always kept these things in mind. He only needed to take a look at the list of Yuexiao City to know which transfers were abnormal.
With a calm expression, he instructed Yuanjue: "You don't have to go to Yuexiao City anymore. Go directly to Sand City and tell Ashina to be careful of the Xue family."
Yuan felt his heart tighten and he responded in a low voice.