Yaoying came out of the meditation room and went straight back to the yard.

The guards stepped forward and saluted, telling her what had happened in the past two days. They followed her instructions, and people inside and outside the city strictly abided by the rules and no one caused trouble.

Xie Chong clasped his fists and said, "Princess, after the situation in the city was stabilized, the Northern Rong delegation handed in their letter of credence and was eager to leave. I heard that the royal court had already released them. Xie Yan just sent back a message, asking him what to do next."

Yao Ying sat at the desk, frowning and thinking. She tapped her fingers twice and said, "Let him figure out a way to continue following Zhu Luyun and deal with the situation as it happens."

Xie Chong agreed and left.

Yaoying lowered her head to write a letter when a shadow loomed over her. Xie Qing walked to the desk, sat down with legs crossed, and stared at her with an expressionless face.

She smiled, continued writing, and asked, "Ah Qing, how is your injury?"

Xie Qing said: "Just a few scratches."

After saying that, he continued to stare at her, his face tense.

Yaoying stopped writing and asked, "Ah Qing, what do you want to tell me?"

Xie Qing looked at her and said, "The princess slept in the Buddhist monk's meditation room for two nights."

Yao Ying nodded. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions. Now that everything is fine, I'm back."

Xie Qing frowned slightly: "Princess, why would the ministers of the royal court think of abducting you to threaten the Buddha?"

Yao Ying lowered her head and wrote a letter while saying, "They all regard me as the daughter of the Buddha, General Ashina mentioned to his subordinates that he wanted to send more people to protect me. I thought I was as important as Princess Chima, so I decided to take the initiative before the additional people arrived."

Whenever the situation in the city was turbulent, Bisu would go to protect Princess Chima. This time, when Bisu and his subordinates mentioned protecting her, the ministers of the royal court thought of abducting her.

Xie Qing's face remained expressionless as always. He asked, "Princess, does the Buddha know that you have no feelings of admiration for him at all?"

Yao Ying smiled, "Of course the wizard knows."

Tanmaraka never believed her nonsense from the beginning.

Xie Qing was silent for a while, then said, "Princess, you have been in the same room with the Buddhist disciple these two days... You are young and beautiful..."

Yao Ying guessed what she was going to say, and was stunned for a moment, then laughed dumbly, and interrupted her, "Ah Qing, don't worry, the master is an enlightened monk, he cares about the world, he is not tainted by worldly things, and he doesn't differentiate between men and women."

Dammaraka was so noble. In his eyes, she was no different from Arhat and Prajna. How could he possibly have such thoughts?

Xie Qing was silent.

Yaoying finished writing the letter and put down her pen. "Ah Qing, you never care about this kind of thing. Why do you want to tell me about this today?"

With Xie Qing's personality, let alone the fact that she was forced to live in the same room with Tanmarajiva due to her safety, even if she kept eight or ten lovers, indulged in wine and women every day, or deliberately seduced monks, Xie Qing would not even blink an eye.

Xie Qing said, "Princesses from various countries have come to the Holy City and sent people to inquire about your deeds. There are more and more rumors in the city. I have heard some of them."

Judging from her tone, those rumors were definitely not good things.

Yao Ying pondered for a moment, "It's all because of me that the mage's reputation has been affected."

She was distracted for a while and then handed the letter to Xie Qing.

"Ah Qing, I've had you study military books and learn skills from the generals in the royal court. What have you learned?"

Xie Qing replied: "I learned some things about troop deployment and military discipline."

"How is your study going?"

Xie Qing thought for a moment and said, "I have memorized all the military books that the princess gave me, but I have never used them in actual combat, so I dare not say that I have learned them."

Yao Ying nodded. "It's easy to talk about military affairs on paper, but it's different on the battlefield."

Xie Qing held the hilt of the knife, raised his head and chest, and stood straight.

"Princess, my family has served the Xie family since our great-grandfather, and the children of our family have followed the young master to the battlefield. Although I was unable to inherit the family tradition, as long as the princess gives the order, I can rush to the battlefield immediately!"

Yaoying felt a warm current in her heart and she nodded.

"Ah Qing, please deliver this letter to Yang Qian in person. Take Xie Chong and the others with you and leave immediately. Yang Qian should have received the letter sent by the eagle earlier. He will be waiting for you near Yangma City."

She looked serious and bowed to Xie Qing.

"Ah Qing, we have been through a lot during this period of exile, and you have seen it. If we want to return to the Central Plains, we will inevitably have to fight the Northern Rong in the future. You must follow Yang Qian and gain experience."

Xie Qing stood up, saluted Yao Ying in return, and took the letter. His face was still expressionless, but there was a strange look burning in his eyes, and his gaze was firm.

She was born with supernatural powers and her qualifications far surpassed those of her brothers, but her father never taught her the art of war because she was a woman and could not go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

Now, she has to fight for her princess and for herself.

Yao Ying warned Xie Qing: "Yang Qian is loyal and brave in battle, but he is wild and a little reckless. He has always believed that the Northern Rong people are barbaric and rely on brute force to march and fight, and do not understand strategy. He thinks that as long as they have a similar number of troops as the Northern Rong people and everyone is brave and fearless, they can easily win. When you go to Yangma City, remind him to be careful to hide his tracks. It is not easy to recruit volunteers. Once they are discovered by the Northern Rong people, they will be in danger."

Xie Qing should be.

Yao Ying summoned the other personal soldiers and told them a few things. The personal soldiers took the order and went back to their rooms to pack their bags.

Xie Peng was a little hesitant and said worriedly: "What will happen to the princess if we all leave? I will stay."

Yao Ying shook her head: "I have enough people around me. You all have important tasks to fulfill. You must be careful and not act rashly."

Those who were good at accounting stayed behind to take care of the accounts, and those who were suitable for business had already gone to the caravan. She had carefully selected the candidates, and kept all of them by her side to protect her, wasting the abilities of these personal soldiers.

She needs guards, but even more so, she needs a general to lead the troops.

The guards responded in unison and rode away.

After seeing Xie Qing and the others off, Yao Ying returned to her room and looked through the account book that Lao Qi had sent over. Her personal guard came to report that Ashina Bisha had arrived.

Yaoying put down the account book and walked out of the house.

Bi Suo smiled at Yao Ying, still as charming and dashing as before, but there was a deep gloom between his brows, he seemed absent-minded, and his golden hair was a little darker than usual.

He came to apologize to Yao Ying. His subordinates had previously wanted to abduct her. Now that the matter has been settled, he has dealt with those subordinates.

"I was careless for a moment. Please forgive me, Princess."

Yaoying indicated that everything was fine and looked at Bisu's face.

"General, are we friends?"

Biso grinned, "Of course."

Yaoying looked up at the sky outside the courtyard. The sun was shining brightly, the cliffs in the distance were covered with thick snow, and the sky was as blue as the sea.

"I wonder if the general has time to go for a ride outside the city to relax?"

Bi Su was stunned for a moment and nodded.

The two men rode out of the royal temple. Order was slowly returning to the city. The long streets were covered in snow, the city walls stood tall and majestic, and there was no trace of the turmoil any longer.

After leaving the city, there was an endless stretch of snowfield along the way, and the river water had not yet thawed. If it were in the Central Plains, it would be the season of spring flowers blooming, but spring has not yet arrived in the royal court, and it has been snowing from time to time these days.

Yaoying was wearing a short-sleeved jacket with a hunting pattern of linked pearls and a veil on her face, and she was riding a horse up the hillside.

Bishā followed her.

The personal guards were trailing far behind, and the wind was howling on the hillside.

Bisalle stopped his horse and asked, "What does Princess Wen Zhao want to talk to me about?"

Yao Ying held the reins tightly with one hand and held her veil with the other, and said softly, "General, I am not from the royal court. I am acquainted with you under the protection of the Buddha. Logically, I am just an outsider and should not interfere in the affairs of the royal court."

Bi Su smiled and said, "The princess and I have similar temperaments. You don't have to be so formal with me."

Yao Ying looked at him and said, "Then I won't be so distant with the general."

She changed the subject.

"Why doesn't the general ask to marry Princess Chima?"

Bi Su was stunned for a long time, with a bewildered look on his face. He was stunned for a long time, and said with a smile: "Princess, did you hear something? Princess Chi Ma and I have no such relationship. Princess Chi Ma is older than me. I treat her as a sister, and she just treats me as a brother."

Yao Ying saw that he was sincere in his words, and there was no force in them. She frowned slightly and said with a smile, "I misunderstood you, General. Please don't blame me."

Bisha waved her hands to indicate that everything was fine.

Yao Ying looked into his emerald eyes and asked, "General, do you disagree with the Buddhist's promotion of Zhang Xu?"

Bisuo shook his head. "No, I understand the king's intention. He has far-reaching motives in doing this."

Yao Ying said slowly: "Zhang Xu has made great contributions, so he should be rewarded. Otherwise, the new military system will be a dead letter. His promotion can make more grassroots soldiers understand the military reform. When people see that the Buddhist disciples can even promote him, the morale of the army will be greatly boosted, and the remaining soldiers in other towns will also surrender voluntarily. The aristocratic families will compete to report Xue Yan, and the situation will soon be stabilized..."

She paused for a moment and asked, "The general is loyal to the Buddha and understands his considerations. Why did he favor Princess Chima this time?"

Bi Suo smiled bitterly, "Princess Chi Ma was deeply traumatized when she saw her people die tragically. Even after she took revenge, she still couldn't forget that past. Whenever she encountered something related to the Zhang family or the Han people, she would fly into a rage and wouldn't listen to any words of advice. I could only go along with her and coax her. When she calmed down, the matter would be over. Otherwise, she would keep making trouble..."

Yao Ying concluded: "Princess Chima is irritable and needs to be coaxed, but Fuzi doesn't care about these things. He is rational, calm and sober, so you should persuade Fuzi to obey the princess."

Tanmaraka grew up under the expectations of everyone, and every step he took was carefully considered. He was strong and rational and would not make mistakes.

Princess Chima lost her people and had a bad temper. People sympathized with her and were tolerant of her.

Whenever conflicts arose between the siblings, Bitsa and the others would often choose to side with Princess Trima, because Tanmarajiva was powerful enough and, as a high-ranking Buddhist, he would not care about such trivial matters.

Bisha let out a long breath, looking tired.

The horse's hooves stepped on the thick snow, and the creaking sound echoed in the wind.

Yao Ying patted the horse's neck and said, "General, please forgive me for being frank. If something like this happens again, Princess Chima will be instigated by someone again next time."

Bi Suo raised the corner of her mouth and smiled bitterly: "She made a fuss, but she never brought up anything serious. Everyone knows her temper and no one will bother with her."

Yao Ying said nothing, but gently pinched the horse's belly and turned the horse around.

After walking a distance, she turned around and looked at Bisha.

"General, what is Princess Chima's grudge against the Buddha?"

Bishomon was startled and raised his eyelids suddenly, his eyes gleaming like lightning.

Yao Ying met his scrutinizing gaze and said slowly, "General, from what I see, Princess Chi Ma hates the Buddha, not just because he stopped her from killing innocent people, she has a grudge against him."

The royal family was in decline. Without Tanmaragha, Princess Chima would have never been able to avenge her people. Her brother was her only support. Why did she hate him so much?

There must be a reason for this.

Bi Suo's pupils shrank, and shock, fear, and suspicion flashed across her eyes.

"What does the princess know?"

His tone was cold.

Yao Ying shook her head. "General, I'm new here and I don't know anything, but I can see that you know what Princess Chima's heart knot is."

Bisa remained silent for a long time.

Yao Ying looked at him calmly and said, "General, you are caught in the middle and are in a dilemma. I'm sure you have your own difficulties, but if this continues, the hidden danger will not be resolved in the end."

Bisha looked away and asked, "Princess, why are you telling me this?"

Yaoying gazed at the majestic Wang Temple at the foot of the cliff in the distance. The tops of the pagodas were covered with a layer of white snow, looking solemn and dignified.

"Because I am worried about the Buddha."

Even though Tanmaraka might not need her concern at all, she still wanted to do something for him to the best of her ability.

Bisa remained silent even longer this time.

After a long time, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and the confusion that had been plaguing him for the past few days suddenly disappeared, and his mood suddenly became clear.

"Thank you for your reminder, Princess." Bisha said word by word in a steady voice, "Princess, you can rest assured. I, Ashina Bisha, will always be loyal to the Buddha."

The golden sunlight poured down, and the snow on the cliffs reflected rays of light. He looked at the Wangsi Temple at the foot of the mountain with a firm expression on his face, clear eyes, a faint smile on the corners of his mouth, and his golden hair flashed with dazzling luster.

Yaoying breathed a sigh of relief.

…

The two went down the mountain and returned to Wangsi.

Yuan Jue was getting anxious, and when he saw them coming back together, one tall and handsome, the other bright and radiant, he frowned and quickly came forward to greet them: "The king has something to discuss with the general, and has been waiting for a long time."

Bi Suo said goodbye to Yao Ying and immediately went to the meditation room.

Yaoying returned to the house.

The personal guard came over and said, "Princess, Lao Qi just sent a treasure box over, saying it was a birthday gift prepared for the Buddha."

Yao Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly: "What birthday gift?"

The guard replied, "The Buddha's birthday is coming soon. A few days ago, the people who came to pay their respects crowded the streets. Now that the Buddha has taken over the military power, his prestige is even greater than before. The ministers in the court, the tribal chiefs, and those foreign envoys and princesses want to please the Buddha even more. Lao Qi said that the treasures collected by the Persian merchants will definitely increase in price! So he took the initiative to collect rare treasures for the princess. The treasures were selected by him personally. They are exquisite and generous. They are also things that the Buddha likes. They must be a hundred times better than other princesses' gifts!"

Yaoying became interested, "What treasure? Let me see."

She thought that sending a few sutras was enough, and she had not thought about giving Tanmarajiva another gift. He did not seem to be someone who liked to celebrate his birthday. She asked Yuanjue and Prajna, and they said that every year many believers came from all over the west to celebrate his birthday, but he was indifferent and would not attend the ceremony on that day.

But Lao Qi and his friends didn't think so. They insisted that she should find a rare treasure so that it would surpass the gifts of other princesses.

The personal soldier turned around and went out. After a while, he returned with the treasure box and opened the lid.

Suddenly, the room was ablaze with golden light and filled with precious aura.

The bodyguards looked expectant.

When Yao Ying saw the treasures in the treasure box, the corners of her mouth twitched.

"How much did Lao Qi spend on it?"

The bodyguard reported a number.

Yao Ying felt a pang of pain: when she sold the bronze statue, she only asked for a few dozen silver coins more! When Lao Qi bought it back, it was ten times more expensive!