Gaochang is located deep inland, in a strategic location, straddling the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and is home to many ethnic groups.

As a small oasis country in the desert, it once belonged to different separatist regimes and had a hard time surviving in the gap between many powerful forces. When the Central Plains Dynasty became powerful, it tried every means to attach itself to the Central Plains Dynasty. Later, it was incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty and became an important outpost of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions. Its etiquette and customs, policies and laws, official writing, and people's language are the same as those of the Central Plains.

The Central Plains was in chaos and wars were frequent. Helong was lost, and the various states in the Western Regions were isolated. The Western Region became Gaochang. Many prominent families and common people in Hexi and Longxi migrated westward to Gaochang for refuge. Han, Turkic, Sogdian, Tiele and other tribes settled here, with Han people being the majority.

The Yuchi clan was originally a prominent family in Longxi. After moving to Gaochang, they intermarried with the local royal family and eventually replaced them and became the king.

The current ruler of Yuchi State is named Yuchi Damo, who once married Zhang, a woman from a prominent family. A few years ago, the Northern Rong army invaded Gaochang and Gaochang surrendered to the Northern Rong. Yuchi Damo then married the niece of Wakhan Khan and became a vassal of the Northern Rong.

The royal city of Gaochang was built along a river in a strategic location. A few dozen miles outside the city was a desolate wilderness. As you approached the city walls, the sound of people suddenly became denser. Facing the dry north wind, caravans from different city-states traveled back and forth in the quicksand. The melodious sounds of camel bells echoed in the air, and long lines of camel merchants waiting to enter the city formed.

Yao Ying and her group dismounted and waited to enter the city.

They had already prepared the paperwork, so they didn't have to worry about being checked, but they couldn't reveal their identities.

While waiting in line, Yuanjue talked quietly with Yaoying. He was one of the few people in the team who knew the purpose of their trip.

He glanced at Sultan Gu at the front of the team, scratched his head, and whispered to Yao Ying: "Princess, there is one thing I don't understand. The king of Wei Chi is called Bodhidharma. It can be seen that the royal family of Gaochang are all Buddhists. Most of the people of Gaochang believe in Buddhism. Their people respect the king very much. Every year, many people go to the holy city to listen to the king's preaching, and the princes and nobles compete to make donations. As long as we say the king's name, won't they agree to an alliance? Why does the princess have to come to Gaochang in person?"

Yao Ying smiled and said, "The royal family of Wei Chi migrated from Hexi and was deeply influenced by Confucianism. The customs here are slightly different from those of the royal court, and I appear more sincere if I come here in person."

Yuan Jue looked a little nonchalant.

Yaoying didn't explain much to him.

Gaochang also worshipped Buddhism, and the king of Wei Chi presented wine to the royal court every year, but the royal power was more important. This was once a prefecture of the Central Plains dynasty, with the majority of Han people. The official school taught children to study Confucian classics, the Five Classics, and various histories. Although the official school was abolished in recent years due to the situation, and like other small countries that vassalized the Northern Rong, they followed the customs of the barbarians and spoke the barbarian language, the influence of the Central Plains for many years was deeply rooted.

When Master Xuanzang returned to the Central Plains after his pilgrimage, he was treated with great courtesy by Li Shimin and Li Zhi, father and son, and had frequent contacts with the royal family. He was a very smart monk who knew that he had to rely on the royal family to promote Buddhism and Taoism. He once made two requests to Li Zhi: to put Buddhism before Taoism, to abolish the law that convicted monks and nuns of crimes the same as laymen, and to give monks certain privileges.

Although Li Zhi admired Master Xuanzang very much, he rejected his request outright. In the Central Plains, monks were both worldly and detached, and always obeyed the imperial power. As an emperor, Li Zhi would not be foolish enough to agree to Master Xuanzang's request.

Similarly, no matter how much Yuchi Damo respected Tanmarajiva, when it came to the issue of alliance, he would still weigh the pros and cons from the perspective of Gaochang's interests and would not act on emotion.

Yuanjue and the royal guards grew up in the royal court and were fanatical worshippers of Tanmarajiva. They believed that it was natural for the princes and nobles to submit to the Buddha, and no matter how much Yaoying explained, it was of no use.

The reason why Tanmarajiva has been able to shock evil spirits and monsters in recent years is not just because of Buddhism!

Yaoying's heart suddenly moved.

Judging from Yuanjue’s performance, one can imagine how arrogant the attitude of the royal envoys sent to Gaochang would be. Was the last time the Sultanate failed in its mission to Gaochang because of this?

She glanced at Sultan Kumar and shook her head and laughed.

Although Sultan Kublai was full of anger, he was not the kind of person who would be arrogant and rude. However, he was a man of few words and was definitely not a suitable person to be sent on a diplomatic mission. Why did they send him on a diplomatic mission to Gaochang when Tanmarajava was seriously ill?

Obviously, Ashina Bisha is the most suitable candidate for the envoy...

The cheerful sound of a pipa interrupted Yaoying's thoughts. There was a movement of people in front of her; it was their turn to enter the city.

When everyone entered the city, the sound of the wind suddenly died down a lot. The wind blowing on their faces was warm, mixed with all kinds of worldly smells.

Yaoying had a veil on her face and was carefully observing the people passing by on the road with a slight frown on her face.

Along the way, no matter men, women, old or young, no one wore Central Plains clothing. Men and women all wore short-sleeved robes, with their hair braided and hanging down their backs. Men wore daggers at their waists, and women adorned their braids with pearls and jade necklaces.

This is the homeland of the Central Plains.

Yao Ying was walking in a daze and didn't notice that the person in front of her suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at her, and then she bumped into him.

She was caught off guard and staggered, but the other person was as solid as a wall and did not move.

Yuan Jue next to him widened his eyes.

Yao Ying rubbed her forehead, raised her face, and met Sultan's deep blue eyes.

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling seductively. Her face was covered by a veil, so her expression could not be seen, but her eyes looked particularly charming.

Yuanjue's face looked strange.

When Yao Ying stood still, Sultan Gu said, "Three days later, Wei Chi Damo will go to the Wangjia Temple to worship Buddha."

Yaoying understood and nodded. Three days later they would meet Wei Chi Damo.

"General Su, I want to go to the market these days."

Yao Ying thought for a moment and added, "I want to get some information so that I can have a better chance of winning the negotiation with Wei Chi Damo."

Sultan Kumar hummed.

Yao Ying heaved a sigh of relief. Although Sudan Gu looked ferocious, he was actually very easy to talk to. If she had anything to discuss with him along the way, as long as she gave the reason, he would seriously consider it.

They first found an inn to stay in, and the innkeeper warmly welcomed them: "Sir, you must be exhausted from the journey. Please come in and sit for a while."

A stove was lit in the hall, and everyone, tired and hungry, sat around it drinking soup to keep warm.

Yaoying was also exhausted, so she drank a bowl of hot soup, ate a few cookies, and went back to her room to rest. The waiter brought a hot tub, and she immediately became energetic. She took off her clothes covered with dust and mud, and soaked in the warm and fragrant soup, feeling so comfortable that she didn't even want to move a finger.

All the people traveling with her were men. She didn't want to be a burden, so she ran all the way with gritted teeth. When she was hungry, she ate cold and hard dry food. When she was cold, she put on a few more layers of clothes. When she was tired, she slept in her clothes like everyone else. During this period, let alone taking a shower, even using hot water to wipe her body was a luxury. Fortunately, it was winter now, so she could endure it.

After soaking in the hot water for a while, her stiff limbs gradually relaxed. Yao Ying felt drowsy from the soreness and pain. Suddenly, there was a noisy noise of people and horses downstairs. Someone was yelling at his employees and horses were neighing loudly.

There were footsteps on the stairs.

Yaoying immediately stood up, hurriedly wiped her wet long hair, casually tied her hair into a bun, and put on her clothes.

There were several knocks on the door, and Xie Qing's voice was heard.

"Come in."

Xie Qing entered the room, frowning, and whispered, "The little prince of Beirong is here."

Yao Ying's heart skipped a beat. "Did he find us?"

Xie Qing shook his head. "They didn't know us, and they just happened to live in this inn. There were eighteen of them, and they were blocking the yard downstairs. Yuan Jue asked the Regent for advice, and the Regent said that we should remain unchanged in the face of all changes."

Yao Ying frowned.

It was enough for enemies to meet on a narrow road once. She thought she had gotten rid of the little prince of Beirong, but she didn't expect that as soon as they moved in, the little prince bumped into her.

She pondered for a moment and said, "The Regent is right. We should remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing situations. We have just moved in. If we change to another posthouse without any reason, the Northern Rong people will be suspicious. It is better for us to continue living here. We know their identities, so we can take this opportunity to find out their purpose for coming to Gaochang."

This inn was a stronghold of the royal court in Gaochang, otherwise Sultan Kublai and his men would not have moved in. The little prince had a very good eye and picked the most dangerous place at once.

Xie Qing agreed and went out to tell Xie Chong and the others to be careful and not to go out unless necessary. They were Han Chinese and would be too conspicuous.

The little prince and his companions were domineering and arrogant. They had been shouting orders at their servants since they entered the hall. They also drove away other travelers, occupied the stove, and called a group of singing Hu girls to sing and dance for them in front of the hall. The sound of the pipa was sometimes passionate and sometimes sad, and occasionally the Hu girls' laughter and curses could be heard, either fierce or gentle.

The merchants at the posthouse had traveled far and wide and were accustomed to the ways of the world. As soon as they saw the little prince and the guards' clothes, they knew that they were either rich or noble, so they dared not say anything but be angry.

Yao Ying and the others were exhausted, so they went back to their rooms to rest early and did not leave.

The laughter showed no sign of stopping until midnight.

The little prince had a loud voice, which made Yao Ying toss and turn and unable to sleep. It was not until the second half of the night that the little prince finally quieted down. She fell into a daze and suddenly woke up from her dream. She was stunned for a moment, then got up and poured herself a bowl of cold water.

A dark shadow stood in front of the window, motionless, like a ghost.

Yao Ying was startled and the pottery bowl in her hand fell to the ground.

There was a shattering sound, the black shadow moved, opened the window, and a face wearing a Yaksha mask appeared in the darkness.

Yao Ying's arms were covered with goose bumps, her body was stiff, and she was sweating. When her eyes met the other person's green eyes, she was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "General Su?"

Sultan Gu looked at her face without saying a word, his eyes slowly moved downwards and glanced at the broken pottery bowl on the ground.

Yao Ying whispered, "I was thirsty, so I got up to drink some water and accidentally dropped the bowl."

Sultan Gu hummed, turned around and left without saying a word.

Yao Ying watched him walk away, found another bowl, poured herself a bowl of water, drank a few sips, sat back on the bed, was distracted for a while, then lay down and continued to sleep.

After a while, the sound of deliberately light footsteps came from outside the window.

Yao Ying immediately opened her eyes. In the night, her eyes were shining brightly. Her eyeballs rolled around. She sat up carefully, got out of bed, tiptoed to the window, and pushed it open with a swish.

There was a dark shadow in front of the window, and the green eyes under the mask were staring at her calmly.

Yaoying couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. It seemed that he knew she was not asleep.