"Because the king of the royal court is a Buddhist, I dare to make such an agreement with the Buddhist."

Yao Ying smiled and said softly.

She drew a big cake for Tanmaraka. No one could say whether he could eat the cake or not.

Will Gaochang agree to an alliance? Can they successfully send the message back to the Central Plains? Will anything go wrong when their message reaches the Central Plains?

It's all uncertain.

But as long as they take one more step forward, there will be one more hope.

If the royal court was still controlled by noble ministers like Kang Mozha, Yao Ying would never propose an alliance with the royal court, because people like Kang Mozha who only care about the interests of their family would not care about the Central Plains Dynasty eight thousand miles away. Her proposal would not be taken seriously and would only be ridiculed.

Moreover, if she forms an alliance with Kang Mozhe, she has to guard against being exploited and harmed by the other party.

Tanmarajiva is different. He cares about the lives of the people in the royal court. He has a long-term vision and a broad perspective. As smart as he is, he certainly understands how slim the hope is, but he is definitely willing to give it a try - one more ally means one less enemy. He doesn't know how long he can hold on, so he needs more allies.

Therefore, Yaoying didn't need to say anything outrageous or make any promises.

No matter what the final result is, Tanmarajiva will not make things difficult for her, even if he has no intention of forming an alliance with the Central Plains.

Yao Ying is certain of this.

The man in front of her made her feel at ease. During the past six months when she was stranded in the Western Regions, she was worried every day. Only after coming to the royal court could she finally sleep peacefully without nightmares every night.

He has a pair of deep eyes that seem to see through everything. When facing him, she doesn't need to hide or calculate, she just needs to say what is in her heart.

Yao Ying continued, "The best military operation is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities. To defeat the enemy with your own plans and to win without fighting is the best military operation. Buddhists, with their compassion, will definitely agree with this."

The fifteen-year-old girl was at the age of youth and beauty. Her hair was black and the red silk tied around her hair hung down around her fair and snow-white neck. Her skin was as white as snow and her face was as bright as Shunhua. She was so bright that the entire inner hall was brighter.

Just as it is written in the lyrics, the east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night.

The skylight reflected on the four white walls in the hall flickered slightly, and the golden sunlight shone brightly in front of the long desk. On the desk was an open scripture with yellowed pages.

Tanmarajiva’s eyes fell on the scriptures.

"After the elephant procession ceremony, Ashina Bisha will escort the princess to Gaochang."

A bright smile appeared on Yaoying's face: He agreed!

"This matter cannot be spread outside. Princess Wen Zhao is wronged."

Yao Ying nodded: "Master, don't worry, I know my limits. This agreement is only between you and me."

She let out a breath and smiled.

"I am far away from the Central Plains, with no soldiers or generals around me. The mage is willing to believe in me, I am very grateful, how can I say that I am wronged? If I can return to the Central Plains, I will definitely work hard to promote the covenant."

Tanmaraka brushed the sutra with his fingertips, was silent for a while, and said, "Princess, don't belittle yourself."

Her courage and sharp vision are worthy of his trust.

At the age of thirteen, he led only a few thousand cavalrymen to fight against the invincible Northern Rong. At that time, he had no chance of winning, but in the end he won.

Tanmarajiva coughed and covered her lips with her hands, with a hint of fatigue between her sparse brows.

Yao Ying's eyes flickered across his face and she asked softly, "Master, have you had palpitations or fever these days? Do you sweat at night?"

Tanmaraka raised his eyes and looked at her.

Yao Ying looked worried. She looked at his face carefully, and her concern was evident in her words: "Water moss is poisonous and cannot be taken for a long time. If you feel unwell, you must tell Monda Deva."

Tanmarajiva responded indifferently.

Yao Ying remembered that he was still seriously ill, so she stood up and said goodbye: "Master, you still have to prepare for the debate meeting. I won't disturb your meditation."

There was no sound behind her. She glanced back before leaving the room. Tanmarajika was looking down at the scriptures on the table. His silhouette looked thin and gaunt in the golden light.

Yaoying returned to the courtyard where she lived, took out her dowry, and asked her personal soldiers to find all the Buddhist scriptures and send them to the Buddhist temple.

"The Buddhist scriptures in the Central Plains are slightly different from those circulated in the Western Regions. The master and the monks in the temple will soon debate with monks from various countries. These Buddhist scriptures may come in handy."

In addition to the Buddhist scriptures, she also ordered her personal soldiers to send all the large and small Buddha statues made of gold and jade to the Buddhist temple. The royal court was preparing for the Buddha Procession Festival, and there was no use for her to keep these Buddha statues, so it was better to give them away.

The royal court worshipped Buddhism, and large and small Buddhist temples and stone pagodas could be seen everywhere in the city. The Buddha statues that Yao Ying sent out were not surprising, but the Buddhist scriptures from the Central Plains soon attracted the attention of the monks in the temple. The monks rushed to pass around several Sanskrit manuscripts and debated fiercely about the meaning of the scriptures in the books.

When Prajna heard about this, she was horrified and quickly called the temple master: "Where are the Buddha statues that Princess Wen Zhao sent? Find them all and send them back in their original state!"

The temple master replied, "The Dharma Assembly will be held in a few days. The Buddha statues sent by Princess Wen Zhao are exquisitely carved and have been used to decorate the Dharma Hall. The princess was generous and gave several of the golden statues to the people for worship. The people are very grateful to the princess."

Prajna fell to the ground with a sigh, scratching her ears and cheeks anxiously: "Where are the scriptures that Princess Wen Zhao sent? Did you accept them all? Return them quickly!"

"The sutras sent by the princess are full of beautiful words and profound meanings. The monks in the temple have been so busy studying the true meanings that they have lost their appetite. The Zen master has not taught Zen for several days."

Prajna looked desperate: "How many other things did you take from the princess?"

The abbot thought for a moment and replied, "The day before yesterday the princess sent a cart of satin material to make robes for the monks to be used in the ceremony... Yesterday the princess's guards brought it as alms..."

In short, the money was collected, the Buddha statue was used, the book was read, and the robes were cut.

What, go back?

The abbot clasped his hands together and shook his head shyly.

impossible.

Prajna felt dizzy and staggered several times, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Now, not only did the king use the water moss in the princess's dowry, the Buddhist temple also accepted the Buddha statues, scriptures, and silks given by the princess...even the people in the royal court took the princess' dowry!

Prajna returned to the palace in a hurry and stepped into the inner hall with heavy steps.

"Your Majesty, Princess Wen Zhao has ulterior motives. Her dowry has almost been given away! I suspect she did this on purpose. She wants to rely on you for the rest of her life!"

Tanmarajiva was wearing a snow-white cassock and sitting in front of the window reading a Buddhist scripture. Upon hearing this, he raised his head and frowned slightly.

"Princess Wen Zhao, please come over."

Yao Ying thought that Tanmarajiva wanted to discuss going to Gaochang with her, so she entered the inner hall, but saw many people standing in front of the hall. Ashina Bisha and the chief steward of the royal palace were there. Several of them stood with their hands hanging down, with a look of shame on their faces.

Prajna, Yuanjue and other personal soldiers stood in front of the door, and the atmosphere in the hall was solemn.

On the treasure couch, Tanmaragha was reading a scroll of scriptures in his hands, his movements were graceful and leisurely.

His Highness and his men were sweating profusely.

The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

When Bi Su saw Yao Ying coming in, she let out a sigh of relief, scratched her head, clasped her fists towards her, and said, "Princess, I was negligent and didn't take good care of you."

The chief steward of the royal palace also bowed to Yao Ying.

Yao Ying looked confused and did not return the greeting.

Bisha turned around and looked at Tanmaraka on the treasure bed, and said, "Your Majesty, the treasure book that the princess brought from the Central Plains is still there. The treasures that were given away cannot be returned. I will take the princess to the storehouse now. Please choose the treasures in the storehouse at will. I will not let the princess suffer any injustice."

Tanmarajiva said nothing and waved his hands.

Bi Suo and others saluted him respectfully, winked at Yao Ying, and took her out together.

"Princess, this way please."

Bi Suo took Yao Ying to the palace treasury.

"Princess, just tell me how much the gifts are worth. The water moss and herbs must be valuable, right? And the precious scriptures and exquisite silk. In the Western Regions, a piece of Central Plains silk is worth a hundred gold. The princess's dowry will always belong to her and should not be used by anyone in the royal court. The king has just punished me and the palace steward."

Yao Ying didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Please tell the Master that the palace steward didn't neglect me. I gave away those scriptures and silks voluntarily. It has nothing to do with the steward."

Bisu smiled and said, "The king knows that the Buddha statues, scriptures, silks and alms were given by the princess voluntarily. No one forced the princess."

Yao Ying was startled: "Why did the wizard punish the butler?"

Bi Suo's face was filled with smiles. "The princess is alone in a foreign country, and she is deeply worried. She gave away her dowry so that she can live more comfortably in the royal court."

Yao Ying nodded, then shook her head: "If it weren't for the royal court's help, how could I have taken back those treasures? I gave away the scriptures and Buddha statues not only to make good connections, but also because I was grateful to the Buddha. There was absolutely no difficulty in doing so."

Bi Suo raised her eyebrows slightly, "Princess, are you really willing to give it up?"

Yao Ying chuckled: "I am very grateful that I was able to save my life."

There were indeed people in the royal court who coveted the cartloads of treasures that the central army brought back from the northern barbarians. She gave away her dowry in a high-profile manner. In addition to being grateful to Tanmarajiva, she also had her own considerations and had no embarrassment at all.

It would be more beneficial for her to send it away.

Bisha showed admiration in her eyes: The princess is indeed smart.

When carts loaded with treasures and jewels drove into the palace, who knows how many eyes were staring at the storehouse every day. Money is tempting, and sooner or later someone would want to take advantage of the dowry. The princess took the initiative to donate the dowry to the king's Buddhist temple. Who dared to take advantage of the temple?

In this way, she could not only protect herself, but also win a good reputation, making it difficult for greedy ministers in the court to find an opportunity to take action, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Bi Suo clapped his hands and said, "I admire your decisiveness! But the king said that the princess is a guest of the royal court and should not be allowed to make such a decision. Moreover, the king used the princess's medicinal herbs, so he should make compensation."

He signaled the butler to open the palace storehouse.

"Princess, feel free to pick whatever you like!"

Yao Ying followed him into the warehouse, and saw a flash of golden light and a sense of preciousness before her eyes.

Even though she was used to the wealth and extravagance of the world, she still couldn't help but be stunned.

Monks are so rich!