The debate among Buddhist monks on whether the Heart Sutra was a fake sutra did not affect Yaoying, but she felt that some monks were still discussing the matter in private, but they did not dare to argue in public.

Prajna and Yuanjue were also dragged into it, and Yaoying saw them several times in a rage, as if they were arguing with other people.

As she was an outsider, it was not appropriate for her to inquire about the temple affairs, so she returned to the courtyard and buried herself in her own affairs.

Lao Qi took in the Hu woman who came to him for help as instructed, and changed his crops to include strange stone honey and mare's milk bought from the Hu merchant Kang Da. However, Kang Da said that he did not have any Black Pearl grape seeds because this kind of grape tasted sour and slightly bitter, had small grains, was an abandoned variety, and was rare in the Western Regions.

Yaoying asked Xie Peng to pass a message to Lao Qi, asking him to find a way to ask the Hu merchants to go to Gaochang to look for black pearls. This variety of grapes is indeed not as sweet and full as other grapes when ripe, but it is very suitable for making wine.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the fruits and vegetables were in season. Yao Ying and her soldiers could eat all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. In the Central Plains, cucumbers could only be seen at royal palace banquets, but here they were everywhere. Xie Chong ate one every day, and his stomach was full for several days.

On this day, Ashina Bisa's personal soldiers came back on fast horses to report that Bisa would be delayed for a few days before returning. Haidu Aling was too cunning, and he could not find an opportunity to attack him, so he was unwilling to return like this.

Yuanjue told Yaoying that the weather was too hot and it was not a good time to travel. By the time Bisu came back, the weather would be cooler and they would not have to suffer too much on the journey to Gaochang.

Yao Ying estimated the days and added a few more thick leather jackets to her bag. Although it was hot during the day, it was not as hot and humid as Jingnan. As long as she hid in the house or under the shade of a tree, it would be very cool. At night, it was really cold. Even in the hot summer, she had to cover herself with a blanket when she went to bed.

Now she only has her personal soldiers around her, and these grown men are careless. Xie Qing is not a maid, so she has to take care of her own daily life and prepare her personal belongings to avoid any accidents on the way.

After being busy for several days, Yao Ying remembered something. After finishing her morning class that day, she found out that Yuan Jue was in the main hall and went to look for him.

The guards knew her identity and guided her inside. When they arrived at the place, they heard a noise coming from behind the low wall.

Yaoying poked her head in and looked inside.

Prajna was standing in the middle of the courtyard, arguing with several monks. The sun was scorching overhead, making people dizzy. Several people stood in the scorching sun, arguing with red faces, sweat all over their foreheads, spitting, and pulling and pushing each other from time to time.

Yaoying hid in the corridor and stood on tiptoe to look around.

She was surprised when she saw the monks quarreling in the temple for the first time, because in the Central Plains, monks generally would not be so excited and rude in debates. But it was different in the royal court. The monks were very strong in arguments, not only could they mock and ridicule each other with words, but also were allowed to tear each other apart and push and pull each other.

Prajna was no match for the four mouths. After arguing for a while, he was defeated. According to the rules, he should have admitted defeat, but he stiffened his neck and refused to bow his head. His eyes turned red with anxiety.

There were footsteps at the other end of the corridor. Yuanjue came over and saw the scene in the courtyard. He gently scolded Prajna and asked him to admit defeat.

Prajna was silent.

In the awkward stalemate, Yao Ying coughed twice, slowly walked out of the cool corridor, and smiled at everyone: "The heat is unbearable, and it's hard to get cool."

The word "cool" has a profound meaning. Several monks were stunned for a moment, put their hands together in front of her, and walked away.

Prajna stared at the backs of the monks with an angry look on her face.

Yuanjue bowed to Yaoying, who waved to indicate that everything was fine. She glanced at Prajna and said, "You knew you couldn't win the debate, so why didn't you admit defeat?"

Prajna snorted and puffed out her chest: "They are disrespectful to the king, I will never admit defeat to them!"

Yuan Jue cursed him in a low voice: "Since you lost the debate, you have to admit defeat! The king's reputation is not earned by winning a debate."

Prajna was speechless, her face full of grievance.

Yao Ying frowned slightly: "Why are they disrespectful to the mage?"

It would have been better if she didn't mention it. Once she mentioned it, Prajna's eyes became even redder.

"They are disrespectful to the king!"

He pointed in the direction the monk left and roared, then slowly explained the whole story.

The monks in these celestial temples often gathered together to discuss false scriptures, and then they talked about the Sanskrit version translated by Tanmaraka.

Yao Ying asked: "Don't they approve of his translation?"

Prajna's eyes widened: "Wang is proficient in Sanskrit, how could they not recognize Wang's translation!"

Yao Ying's mouth twitched.

Prajna glared at her for several times, and then continued, "They said that the king was familiar with the scriptures and could have achieved greater success, either writing or translating, but the king did not do so, and he neglected his practice."

It turned out that the monks in the temple believed that Tanmarajiva was a man of great talent, knowledge and wisdom. A senior monk once predicted that he would become a great figure in Buddhism. However, he was unable to concentrate on studying the Buddhist scriptures. Not only was he distracted by managing the secular affairs of the royal court, sometimes he even led troops to fight. He also relied on and tolerated the cruel and vicious regent, which only increased the killing and was a thankless task. He was unable to accumulate merit and bring blessings like he would by promoting Buddhism, and his wisdom was wasted.

Yao Ying seemed to be thinking about something.

The monks' words hit upon a question that had been lingering in her mind.

There are many Buddhist sects. People in different regions have different understandings of the scriptures, or for the purpose of promoting their own ideas, they organize their own theoretical systems based on Buddhist teachings, which then give rise to different branches and sects, such as the Zen Sect in the Central Plains, the Tiantai Sect, the Sanlun Sect, the Faxiang Sect, and so on.

For a monk who believes in saving all sentient beings, he must hope to write down what he has learned in his life into scriptures, establish a school of thought, provide guidance for the world, and help more people escape from the sea of ​​suffering and reach the other shore.

Tanmarajiva had a great reputation and was a prince of a noble family. With such an identity and status, why did no of his writings circulate in the world?

He was famous in the Western Regions during his lifetime, but after his death, he was like a wisp of smoke before the Buddha, without a trace.

Nothing is left.

Yaoying sat next to him that day and watched him translate the Chinese scriptures on the spot. Judging from the reactions of other monks, he not only translated quickly, but also translated very fluently, so much so that the monks believed that there was indeed an original Sanskrit version.

She believed that he could have started writing a treatise long ago if he had wanted to.

After he turned thirteen, he broke free from the control of the nobles and took control of real power. No one dared to stop him from practicing.

Yao Ying thought about it for a long time and felt that there was only one explanation that made sense: Tanmarajiva had too heavy a responsibility on his shoulders. He took it as his mission to save the people and naturally had no time to write scriptures or discuss them.

Apparently the monks thought the same thing, so they talked a lot and complained that he was not living up to expectations and wasting his wisdom.

After Prajna finished her argument with the monks, she sniffed, "How can they criticize the king like that?"

Yuan Jue sighed and said, "Don't argue with them in the future. The king won't care about these things."

Yao Ying came back to her senses, looked at Prajna, and said, "I heard that your name was given by a master?"

She suddenly changed the subject. Yuanjue and Prajna looked confused, and the latter nodded.

Yao Ying sneered: "Prajna means wisdom in Sanskrit. Your name is not very good."

Prajna was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed red when she reacted.

Before he could speak, Yao Ying smiled and said, "The monks say this about the Master because they have high hopes for him. You are a lay disciple and you should not argue with them on Buddhist principles. You cannot win the argument with them. They do not understand the Master's pursuit, so naturally they do not understand the Master's choice. No matter how eloquent you are, they will find reasons to refute you."

Prajna raised her eyes and looked at Yaoying with suspicion: "Princess, you said that... Does that mean the princess recognizes our king?"

Yao Ying nodded generously and said, "Next time you argue with a monk, don't hold on to Buddhist principles. Whether to leave the world or enter the world is a personal choice. Living away from the world and staying away from the mundane world can certainly help you practice Buddhism, but if everyone only seeks self-liberation, what will happen to the royal court? What will happen to the people? The master is a great monk and also the monarch of a country. He cares about the people and does not care about his own gains and losses. What he seeks is the liberation of all living beings, not his own reputation."

"The various countries have been in turmoil for decades, the people have been displaced, and human lives are worthless, but the royal court is stable and peaceful, the people of all ethnic groups live and work in peace, the streets and markets are bustling with people, merchants gather, and goods from all countries are dazzling..."

Yao Ying stood in front of the corridor, her eyes dark and bright, and said word by word: "These are the Master's interpretation of the Dharma, and these are the Master's achievements!"

In the troubled times, Tanmarajiva protected all living beings.

Yaoying will always admire such people because she knows how it feels to struggle for survival in troubled times.

Yuanjue and Prajna were shocked and stared at Yaoying's pretty face in silence for a long time.

After a while, the two looked at each other and sighed, "But the monks in the temple don't think so."

Yao Ying couldn't help but sigh.

Those who carry firewood for the people must not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow.

However, the fact is that heroes remembered by the world are often lonely and isolated.

In fact, Yuanjue and Prajna also somewhat agreed with the monks' views, so they lacked the confidence when arguing with the monks and naturally could not refute the other party.

They were the most loyal guards around Tanmaraka, but they could not understand Tanmaraka.

Although a person as cold and rational as Tanmarajiva certainly does not need to seek understanding from ordinary people, Yaoying still feels sorry for him.

She looked at Prajna and said, "You can refute other monks from another angle. When they talk about you next time, ask them, who led the central army to defeat the northern barbarians ten years ago? Who saved the people of the royal court? Who protected the Buddhist temple? Who provided them with food, clothing, shelter and transportation? The Buddha is compassionate, can you watch them die without helping them?"

Yao Ying blinked.

"We have a saying in the Central Plains: Pick up the bowl to eat, put it down to curse your mother."

Prajna's eyes lit up.

Yao Ying continued, "If the monks say that all this is false and that the sutras are the ultimate salvation, then you should ask them to think about Master Munda Deva."

Buddhism originated in India, but due to various complex reasons, and the fact that its teachings failed to adapt to the changing times, it gradually became out of touch with the people's needs. What was the result? Buddhism in India gradually declined. It was because of this that Mondadeva traveled thousands of miles to Central China and the Western Regions to explore the truth that made Buddhism last forever.

Prajna nodded in agreement, hesitated for a moment, turned sideways, and whispered to Yuanjue in Sanskrit with a serious expression. As he spoke, he looked up and glanced at Yaoying a few times.

Yao Ying smiled and said in nonsense: "Why, is Master Prajna saying bad things about me again?"

Prajna blushed, snorted, turned around and ran away.

Yuan Jue clasped his hands together respectfully towards Yao Ying and said, "Prajna just said that since the princess moved into the Buddhist temple, she has cleansed herself from all evil, practiced diligently, and considered everything for the king. This shows that she is sincere to the king. He was wrong to blame you before."

Yao Ying was stunned, shook her head and laughed, saying: "What a pity, I have been studying Sanskrit hard these days, and learned a few curse words. I was preparing to have a Sanskrit debate with Prajna."

Yuan Jue chuckled: "How could a princess who is so noble learn such vulgar words?"

Yao Ying shook her head and said seriously, "Master Yuanjue, Jinwei and I learned Sanskrit so that we could understand when Prajna scolded me, and then we could retort on the spot."

Yuanjue laughed out loud.

The flower wall was lush and green, covered with vines. The two walked down the corridor while talking and laughing, when suddenly a golden arc of light flashed in the corner.

There was a low gurgling sound from under the shade of the trees.

Yuanjue immediately stopped, raised his arms and stood in front of Yaoying.

A golden light flickered in the shadows, and a colorful leopard jumped out from the earth wall. It had a sturdy posture, shiny fur, and its pupils reflected the bright sunlight.

Yuan Jue's face flashed with surprise. He quickly looked around and smiled as he comforted Yao Ying in a low voice: "Princess, don't be afraid. Ah Li will not hurt anyone without reason."

Yao Ying said softly: "It's okay, this leopard saved me."

That night, Sultan and the leopard suddenly appeared and rescued her from Haidu Aling. Now when she sees the leopard, she is not as scared as before.

The leopard hunched its body, wagged its tail, and slowly circled around the two of them, looking very lazy, as if it was patrolling its territory.

Yaoying lowered her eyes and didn't look at it.

The leopard glanced at her, not knowing whether it thought she looked familiar, but suddenly it leaned forward, hooked its claws around the hem of her skirt, and rubbed its furry head against her skirt.

Yuanjue let out a light cry, clenched his fists, stared at the leopard nervously, and a few beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Yao Ying's body became rigid, she held her breath and concentrated, not daring to move.

The dry wind blew, and the hair on her temples fell down, brushing against her cheeks, making her feel a little itchy.

Yuanjue shook his head at Yaoying: Princess, don't move.

The leopard came closer and closer, so close that she could hear its breathing. A shiver ran through Yao Ying's body. She gritted her teeth and let the leopard get closer to her.

Just when she was about to give up, the leopard suddenly shuddered, looked back, sniffed the air, and leaped lightly towards the earth wall.

The flower vines rustled, and the colorful leopard disappeared into the shadows.

Yao Ying persisted for a while, making sure that the leopard did not turn around, and then she let out a long breath.

Yuan Jue gave her a gift as compensation: "I didn't expect Ah Li to hide there. I'm sorry to scare the princess."

Yaoying smiled and indicated that it was nothing.

Yuanjue sent her back, watched her back as she walked away, then immediately turned around and walked quickly through the corridor.

There was a flash of golden light ahead. The leopard walked gracefully across the courtyard, climbed gently up the corridor, walked towards a man with its tail wagging, raised its head, and rubbed the man's leg.

The man lowered his head, his eyes deep blue.

The leopard raised its head and looked at him expectantly.

The man leaned forward, his palms spread out, and on his wrist was a string of beads wrapped in several circles.

The leopard rubbed his palm, purred coquettishly, lay down contentedly at his feet, and began to lick its paws.

Yuan Jue followed him into the courtyard and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, Princess Wen Zhao just came."

Tanmarajiva raised his eyes and hummed. He was wearing a light grey monk's robe, which made his figure look particularly tall and straight.

"Why is Ah Li here?"

Yuan Jue said, "I don't know, maybe the person who was guarding it was lazy for a moment and let it sneak out."

Tanmaraka looked calm and said, "Send it back to the zoo. Don't let it scare people."

Yuanjue understood that Tanmarajika had seen the leopard teasing Princess Wen Zhao just now, and responded respectfully.

Tanmarajiva raised his hand, shook the beads lightly, and made a hand gesture.

"Ah, go."

The leopard got up meekly and followed Yuan Jue down the corridor.

Yuanjue led the leopard and walked out of the yard quietly. Suddenly, he heard Tanmarajiva's voice from behind.

"What is Princess Wen Zhao doing here?"

Yuan Jue was startled, turned around and said, "Princess Wen Zhao said... that night when the Regent Prince rescued her, she seemed to be injured. She didn't know if the injury had healed. She has been thinking about it. If the doctor thinks the medicine she sent is useful, she can send some more."

Tanmaraka frowned slightly: "What medicine?"

Yuan Jue whispered, "The princess was worried about the regent's injury, so she asked General Ashina to send some medicine over... The general may have forgotten about it."

Tanmarajiva said nothing, his face calm and indifferent.

Yuanjue waited for a while and saw that Tanmarajya had no other instructions. When he was about to leave, Tanmarajya stopped him and said, "Tell the princess that there is no need to send any more medicine. Thank you for her kindness."

"yes."

Yuanjue agreed and led the leopard out of the courtyard.

As he walked along the corridor, he suddenly stopped in front of the flower wall, looked back at the lush and dense vines on the wall, and frowned slightly.

When Princess Wen Zhao and Prajna were talking, was the king standing behind the flower wall?

Did the king hear what Princess Wen Zhao said?

Princess Wen Zhao said that the monks in the temple did not understand the king. Who understood the king?

Yuan Jue was stunned for a while, and the leopard slapped him impatiently with its claws. He laughed and scolded: "You scared the princess again today!"

A man and a leopard left the Buddhist temple through a rarely traveled path and headed straight for the zoo.

…

Ever since Yaoying taught Prajna how to refute other monks, Prajna changed her attitude towards her and came to her from time to time to ask for advice.

He developed a strong interest in Chinese, especially after he learned from Yao Ying how to curse people in Chinese without using profanity, he became even more eager to learn.

Yaoying taught him patiently at first, but later she became fed up with it, so when Prajna came again, she sent her personal soldiers to teach him how to curse.

Prajna was furious and puffed out her chest and said, "Isn't the princess learning Sanskrit? I can teach you Sanskrit! Teach me the slang of the Central Plains, and we can trade fairly! I will definitely teach you well."

Yaoying thought about it for a while, felt that this was a good deal, and agreed to continue teaching Prajna.

The two became each other's master and disciple. After a few days of study, Prajna learned a few simple Chinese sentences, and Yaoying also learned a few Sanskrit curse words.

When the people of the royal court picked the last batch of ripe grapes and prepared to dry them in the sun, the guards of Sand City sent back a message: Bi Suo, who was on a diplomatic mission to the Northern Rong, had returned in a carriage.

Yaoying immediately checked her bag, added some supplies, and set off as soon as Bisu came back.

On the day Bisha returned, Yuanjue went outside the city to greet him and did not return to the temple until night.

He brought back bad news: Bisha's leg was injured, so he returned home in a carriage.

Yao Ying frowned: Is the trip to Gaochang going to be postponed again?

Before she had time to discuss the matter with Biso, Yuanjue sent several good horses for her and her personal soldiers to choose from.

"Princess, take these two days to count the people and prepare your luggage. We will set out in three days."

Yao Ying asked in surprise, "Has General Ashina's injury healed?"

Yuan Jue shook his head: "General Ashina was injured in the thigh and cannot ride a horse for a month... The king said that there is no time to delay and he will send the regent and the princess to accompany him."

Sultanahmet?

Yao Ying was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Sultan Gu had been to Gaochang and was familiar with the route, so it would be great to have him accompany her.

Although the ancient Sultan was a fierce and evil god, she was not afraid of him at all.

He is not a bad person.