At sunset, the market town had already closed down and the long street gradually became deserted.

Inside the inn, however, there was a lively scene of music and singing. The little prince Jinbo occupied the living room, drinking wine while watching the singing and dancing of Hu Ji.

It was a cold winter day with water freezing into ice. Hu Ji was wearing a light gauze dress that slightly revealed her snow-white skin. She danced to the tune of singing and swaying, her long skirt billowing high in the air, her dancing posture gorgeous.

There was a curfew in the capital of Gaochang, and merchants in the post houses were not allowed to go out. They sat in the corners and watched the graceful figure of Hu Ji from afar, cheering from time to time. Those who were smart and shrewd would take the initiative to flatter Jin Bo, curry favor with him, and fawn on him to the utmost.

Jin Bo was drunk, his face flushed, and he looked very pleased with himself. He did not drive away the merchants, but generously invited them to drink with him.

The hall was filled with noise.

Yao Ying was dressed like a man in a short-sleeved brocade gown, with her long hair tied up in a braid and leather boots on her feet. She stood in a corner, staring at the lobby downstairs, and said to Xie Qing and the others beside her: "You keep an eye on the little prince. If anything happens, save his life and don't let him die."

Several people agreed, and Xie Qing asked, "Who would want to kill the little prince? Wei Chi Damo?"

Yao Ying shook her head: "People from Beirong."

…

Prior to this, Yao Ying's several reminders made Wakhan Khan suspicious of Haidu Aling, and several other little princes also began to be wary of Haidu Aling, and the internal conflicts of the Beirong royal family broke out ahead of schedule.

Jinbo was the most doted upon son of Wakhan Khan among all the princes. Unfortunately, he was also the most impulsive and reckless one with great ambitions but little talent. He had always been dissatisfied with Haidu Aling for stealing his limelight on the day of the festival when he was fifteen years old. He repeatedly opposed Haidu Aling and verbally provoked him in front of Wakhan Khan many times.

Haidu Aling's self-torture scheme has been discovered, and the royal family of Beirong must be on the verge of war and undercurrents.

Jin Bo had hated Haidu Aling for many years and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. However, he did not stay in Ya Ting and join other brothers in beating the fallen dog. Instead, he concealed his identity and went north to Gaochang. His purpose was not difficult to guess - he wanted to borrow troops from Yuchi Damo and the Turkish princess Ina to kill Haidu Aling.

When Wakhan Khan was young, he was full of ambition and led his tribe to sweep across the grasslands, quickly becoming powerful and rising. As he grew older, he became more cautious and conservative, especially after his defeat at the hands of Tanmaraga. He became more worried and timid and indecisive. Even though he knew that Haidu Aling was a hidden danger, he could not make up his mind to kill his adopted son, who was like a father to him, in just a few months.

Firstly, Wakhan Khan claimed to be the descendant of the divine wolf. He was arrogant and conceited. He believed that it was natural for the warriors in the tribe to challenge the leader. He believed that the strong preyed on the weak and the strong were respected. As a leader, he could not kill his subordinates just because of his suspicion.

Secondly, although Haidu A Ling was not his biological son, he had fought in many battles in the past few years, had made many military achievements, was ambitious, and was extremely brave, and his reputation was higher than that of other princes. A Ling was respectful to him now, and had not shown any rebellious intentions. If he pushed him too far, A Ling would raise his arm and there would surely be a large number of followers, and it would be uncertain who would win and who would lose. It would be better to be calm first and then look for a good opportunity.

Thirdly, if the Northern Rong royal family encounters internal strife, it will surely fall apart, and the tribes that were forced to surrender will certainly take the opportunity to revolt. By then, smoke of war will spread everywhere, and the princes will kill each other, and the land that the Northern Rong warriors have fought for many years to conquer will be handed over to others.

No one knows his son better than his father. Wakhan Khan knew that his sons were no match for Haidu Aling, nor did they have the ability to lead the tribe to expand the territory.

He wanted to keep his son, but he was the Khan of the Northern Rong. If he had to choose between the glory, stability, and prosperity of his tribe and his son's life, he would choose the former.

Therefore, even though he suspected Haidu Aling, Wakhan Khan could not make up his mind to kill him.

The sons of Wakhan were different. They had long hated Haidu Aling and wanted to eat him alive. When Wakhan Khan took no action, they could no longer hold back.

Jin Bo came to Gaochang to borrow troops.

Yao Ying came to this conclusion based on her understanding of the Northern Rong royal family and her knowledge that the reason Haidu Aling killed the father and son of Wakhan Khan was that the other princes set a trap to murder him. The elite cavalry of the Northern Rong were loyal to the Khan and generally would not participate in the internal struggles between the princes. The princes had to seek external help, and Princess Ina had always been close to Jin Bo.

Before she explained anything to Sultan Gu, Sultan Gu immediately understood what she meant and decided to meet Yuchi Damo in advance.

Jin Bo concealed his identity while allowing his personal soldiers to take orders. He was arrogant and domineering all the way. His whereabouts might have been discovered by Haidu Aling. Haidu Aling was ruthless and rough but meticulous. The turmoil in the Beirong royal family might have been imminent, and all forces had been deeply involved in it, just waiting for it to erupt.

They had to find out what Wei Chi Damo was saying before Jin Bo entered the palace, and they also had to save Jin Bo's life and not let him die at the hands of Haidu Aling.

…

Yaoying looked at Jin Bo, who was hugged by both men in the hall, and shook her head secretly.

No wonder Haidu Aling was able to defeat the enemy with a small force and eliminate all opponents in one battle. Jinbo and several other brothers had already tried to kill him once. They knew that he was keeping a low profile and pretending to indulge in wine and women, but they were still so careless, fearing that no one would know that he had come to Gaochang.

The other princes should have gone to other places to seek external assistance. If they were as inconsiderate as Jin Bo, Haidu Aling would have probably already discovered their plan.

After all, they were arrogant and looked down on Haidu Aling, thinking that he was an orphan without a father or a mother, unworthy of inheriting the throne of Khan, and could not be compared with them at all.

Little did they know that the Northern Rong people's loyalty to Wakhan Khan did not mean that they were equally devoted to Wakhan Khan's son.

The sound of pipa music downstairs was melodious and cheerful. Yaoying withdrew her gaze and turned back to her room.

Xie Qing followed her and whispered, "I will accompany the princess to the Wang Temple."

Yao Ying shook her head: "There is a curfew in the city. It is not safe if there are too many people. Yuan Jue knows the roads in the city well. I will be fine if he escorts me. You stay at the inn and take care of me."

They met with Wei Chi Damo in secret, avoiding being seen and heard, and the fewer people the better.

Xie Qing frowned, and seeing Yao Ying's determination, he responded in a deep voice.

The agreed time for departure arrived. Yaoying packed her belongings, put on a mask that covered her entire face, leaving only her eyes exposed, and followed Yuanjue out of the second-floor window.

Yaoying didn't know Kung Fu, and her feet slipped when she fell off the platform. Yuanjue was startled and reached out to pull her, but it was too late. A figure flashed by under the silver moonlight, stretched out his long arms, caught Yaoying, and quickly jumped down the steep platform while holding her.

It is Sultan Gu.

The wind whistled in her ears. Yao Ying leaned on Sultan Gu's solid chest and looked at his well-defined chin under the mask in the cold moonlight.

She had discovered these days that when she first approached him unintentionally, he was a little stiff - not shy or uncomfortable, but simply uncomfortable, as if he had never touched a woman before. Later, when she was in danger and almost fell on the road, he reached out to pull her up, and his movements became much more natural.

Perhaps in his eyes, she was no different from other bodyguards.

He smelled faintly of medicine.

Yaoying couldn't help but sniff it, but couldn't tell what kind of medicine it was.

She was still distracted when her feet landed steadily on the snow with a slight creaking sound. Sultan put her down and turned to lead the horse with quick and decisive movements.

Yao Ying felt guilty and her body swayed, almost falling into the snow.

Sultan Gu turned around to look at her. In the night, his green eyes were like two pools of clear water, and his gaze on her face seemed to carry some force.

Yaoying felt guilty, her heartbeat quickened, and her cheeks felt slightly hot.

Yuanjue stood under the courtyard wall, looking at Sultan Gu and then at Yao Ying with a confused look on his face.

Yao Ying's scalp tingled at the look in Sultan Gu's eyes. She quickly stood still, looking calm and composed. She walked a few steps to the steed, saddled herself and mounted the horse. She moved so quickly that she suddenly felt a little dizzy and quickly tightened the reins.

After a few moments, she felt Sultan's eyes move away from her.

The three of them rode out of the long street at night, and then walked. Yaoying didn't know the road, so she followed closely behind Yuanjue. They turned around for a long time, and the terrain seemed to be getting lower and lower. Half an hour later, they finally arrived in front of a narrow alley. Yuanjue knocked on the door, and someone answered it. The two whispered a secret code in Sanskrit, and the door opened from the inside.

Yuanjue led Yaoying in. When she looked back, she found that Sultan Gu was gone.

This man is always elusive.

She suppressed her doubts and went into the temple with Yuanjue.

The Wang Temple is spacious, with bluestone paved floors and bright candles. There are faint silhouettes under the cage, and in the dark night, the murals on the walls look eerie.

Yaoying discovered that the layout of Wangsi was very similar to that of the Central Plains.

The two followed the guide through the long corridor and several empty courtyards, and came to a quiet meditation room. The guide bowed and made a gesture of invitation, and whispered to Yuanjue: "The king said that the guests of Buddha are his guests. Please wait for a moment, the king will be here soon."

Yuanjue and Yaoying walked inside. Just as they stepped onto the stone steps, Yuanjue's ears suddenly moved. He stopped abruptly and grabbed Yaoying's arm.

At this moment, a burst of rapid and sudden screams suddenly rang out, like cold water poured into an frying pan, instantly breaking the silent night.

The air froze for a moment.

Then, the whole temple was awakened. Night birds were startled and flapped their wings to fly high into the sky. Shouts were heard everywhere and there were sounds of footsteps in all directions. Guards and monks rushed out of the rooms and rushed towards the direction of the sound. The twinkling torches gathered into several giant dragons and quickly surrounded the yard.

Yuan Jue was furious. He grabbed the guide and strangled him: "Is there an ambush?"

The guide came to his senses and hastily denied: "The king has always respected the Buddha. The king was overjoyed to see the Buddha's envoy coming. How could he do such a despicable thing? The temple is under strict discipline tonight. I don't know what happened!"

Yuan Jue didn't believe it, so he quickly left the courtyard holding the guide.

The two men quickly left the yard. In front of them, they heard faint footsteps and a figure flew towards them. From the sound, they knew it was a master. Seeing the figure getting closer and closer, Yuan Jue broke out in a cold sweat. He stood in front of Yao Ying and was about to take the guide as a hostage when the man jumped down the corridor. The moonlight fell on his face, reflecting the Yaksha mask.

Yuanjue breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt his mind return to normal. He whispered a few Sanskrit words.

Sultan Gu replied and directly pulled Yao Ying up.

Yao Ying knew the situation was urgent, so she followed him without saying a word.

Yuan Jue thought so and grabbed the guide and asked, "General, what should we do with him?"

The guide trembled and begged for mercy, "I swear by the Buddha! Our king never set a trap! You are the Buddha's messengers, how dare our king frame you? Good men, spare my life! The Buddha is merciful, you have killed a good man by mistake, and the Buddha will definitely blame you when he finds out in the future!"

There were footsteps behind me, and someone shouted "There's someone over there" and chased after me, with a flash of knife.

Sudangu picked up Yaoying and said, "Take her away together."

Yuanjue nodded, grabbed the guide and flew to the top of a courtyard wall, then disappeared into the night.

On the other side, Sultan Gu carried Yao Ying across rows of roofs, easily shook off the pursuers, and landed in a quiet and narrow alley. The shouts and screams could no longer be heard. There was a horse tied next to the well. He took Yao Ying on the horse, and the two of them rode together, galloping through the deep alleys and stopping at a street corner.

Not far away there was a bustling crowd and flames rising to the sky.

Yao Ying followed Sultan Ku's line of sight and felt her hands and feet go cold: That's the direction of the post house!

The author has something to say: Thank you for your concern. It's late again tonight. I will update twice tomorrow to make up for it.