After leaving the Sand City, there is a vast desert in front of you.

The sun was blazing, the heat was high, and caravans, loaded with goods, were heading toward the prosperous holy city. The sounds of camel bells and pipa music echoed in the sea of ​​sand.

Li Zhongqian looked back on horseback at the sand city standing in the yellow sand. The heavy armor of the defenders on the city wall gleamed brightly under the scorching sun.

Outside the city gate, the flames of war spread, and the major forces were intertwined and the chaos was endless.

Inside the city gate, there was singing and dancing, merchants were busy, and trade was booming.

One city gate, two completely different worlds.

Every time you pass through a town, you can see towering pagodas almost everywhere. The people worship them devoutly and regard the Buddha as a god.

Li Zhongqian was lost in thought for a while. In the troubled times, Mingyue Nu left her homeland and fled to a strange country, where she was protected by the Buddhist disciples in the royal court. It was not easy.

He didn't believe in fate or ghosts, he only believed in the law of the jungle, but at this moment, his heart softened a little.

I just hope the world will be kind to her and not let her suffer too much.

Li Yaoying had her hair in a braid, a pearl and jade necklace draped over her shoulders, and was wearing a narrow-sleeved gauze dress that was so gorgeous that it even dimmed the sunlight. She had a veil covering her face. While driving a horse, she discussed with Lao Qi about redeeming slaves and prisoners of war.

Li Zhongqian listened for a while, frowned and asked, "Are you going to redeem the Northern Rong prisoners of war as well?"

Yao Ying explained: "Many of the Northern Rong prisoners of war were civilians forcibly conscripted from various tribes, and they were unwilling to fight for the Northern Rong. When we redeem them, we will not immediately let them return home, but let them guide us on the road and cooperate with us to recover the oases scattered in the desert, and then we will find a way to resettle them. The more people we redeem, the more comrades we will have and the fewer enemies we will have."

"I have already redeemed several groups of people. Those who want to continue their military service joined the Western Army, and those who want to return home were allowed to go back together to herd sheep or farm."

The Western Army still had too few soldiers, and due to the terrain of the Western Region, it was difficult to completely quell all the unrest in a short period of time. The only way was to capture the important towns first and then stabilize the situation. After capturing the important towns, in order to prevent the Northern Rong from counterattacking in the future, the soldiers had to cultivate the land on the spot, rest and recuperate, restore production, supply the needs of the army, and maintain training to prepare for battle.

As the Western Army gradually recovered lost territory, a large-scale population migration would be carried out immediately. At this time, every laborer was precious - pacifying the chaotic world was for the sake of people. If everyone could live and work in peace, there would naturally be fewer wars.

After Gaochang was liberated, Yao Ying ordered Lao Qi to draw up a list and let him start preparing for the resettlement of prisoners of war and refugees to avoid being in a hurry and making mistakes later.

Li Zhongqian nodded slightly.

He thought about the future.

The situation in the Western Regions is complicated. The Western Army cannot rely on the imperial court, let alone fall into the hands of Li De. It must take root locally in order to adapt to changes. Therefore, food and weapons must be prepared by the Western Army itself. Military farming can reduce the food pressure of the army, solve the big problem of long-distance transportation, save layers of checkpoints, and avoid deductions. However, soldiers farming and busy with farm work will lead to a decline in combat effectiveness.

Buying people to fill the border areas and build farmlands is a good idea.

"Do you have enough money?"

Lao Qi smiled and said, "Don't worry about that, Alang. We have enough. We earn a lot of money every day, so we don't have to worry about expenses. The Western Army is supported by the people. When General Yang first raised the banner of the uprising, the wealthy families and the common people all competed to donate money and materials. Before the uprising, the princess found some Sogdian merchants and explained the benefits to them. The merchants also generously donated a large amount of money to the Western Army."

Li Zhongqian raised his eyebrows, thinking of the generations of accumulation of the Xie family.

She had been helping him manage the Xie family's accounts since she learned how to do it. In order to save him, she used half of it to bribe the ministers in the court, and the rest of the unknown industries were enough for him to live a worry-free life for the rest of his life.

Yao Ying sent away the radiant Lao Qi, smiled bitterly at Li Zhongqian, and whispered, "Brother, it is true that the people donated money and food on their own initiative. The wealthy families and Sogdian merchants are the most shrewd. They donated money for future plans. These favors must be repaid in the future."

The noble families and Sogdian merchants hoped that they could control the trade routes and reap profits from them after the trade routes were opened up, which would be a profitable business. When the Northern Rong were strong, they attached themselves to them. When the Northern Rong lost power, they immediately flattered the Western Army. These people wanted to win over the Western Army, but they also had to guard against being sidelined by them in the future.

Li Zhongqian looked at Yao Ying, who was sweating profusely, with a complicated expression on his face, and said, "It is human nature not to get up early without benefits. It's good that you can distinguish this point. Don't be like Yang Qian, who is only thinking about justice."

Yang Qian was just a young man who was brave but lacked tact and prudence. He thought he could uphold justice and show his ambition with just a sword. If it weren't for people like Yao Ying and King Wei Chi who mediated behind the scenes, he would have been betrayed by other wealthy families long ago.

Yao Ying chuckled: "Yang Qianhun is very courageous. I think he is a good person."

Li Zhongqian raised his eyebrows, thinking: "Yang Qian has not married yet. He is only a few years older than you, which is suitable. He is also good-looking, with a handsome appearance... He is a descendant of a Hexi family, and his status is worthy of you..."

Yao Ying couldn't help laughing: "Brother, do you think I need to get married right now?"

Li Zhongqian said nothing.

Yao Ying whipped the horse and rode side by side with him: "Brother, you used to worry that Li De would marry me off in order to win over other forces. Now he can't force me to marry, and I can decide my own marriage. Brother, you don't have to think about finding a good marriage for me like before. Yang Qian and I are just friends."

Li Zhongqian raised his eyes to look at her, his gaze deep: "I feel more at ease now that you are married."

Yao Ying snorted and wrinkled her nose: "Do you really want me to get married? Will I be able to worry about everything if I get married? What if my husband doesn't get along with me and treats me badly?"

Li Zhongqian's face darkened.

"Then I'll dig out his heart and liver and give it to you as a snack."

Yao Ying laughed: "Then it's better not to get married! I don't want to get married now."

She frowned, glared at Li Zhongqian, and said, "Brother, you have never married, but I have never nagged you."

Since Li Zhongqian was fifteen years old, the old servant of the Xie family advised him to get married as soon as possible and even helped him find several girls from noble families who were well-matched with him, but he flatly rejected it.

"With my status, I could be in trouble at any time. If you were my wife, you wouldn't have a good life for many days. Why would you hurt me?"

The old servant advised him several times, but he remained unmoved. He would rather sleep with flowers and willows, live a dissolute life, and associate with those flower girls who only care about money and not people. He passed through a sea of ​​flowers without getting a single leaf on him.

Most of the concubines in his house were from low-class families. Knowing that he had no intention of marrying, they begged him to take them in. He said, "While I am alive, you can leave if you want. If something happens to me, you can find your own way out."

So when he got into trouble, Yao Ying gave each of his concubines a sum of money as security and let them leave on their own to avoid being implicated. They left cleanly.

"The order of seniority is in order. My brother hasn't married yet, so I'm not in a hurry to get married."

Yao Ying spoke word by word, with a threatening tone in her voice.

Li Zhongqian glanced at Yao Ying, and the corners of his mouth curled up, "Okay, let's not talk about this today."

There are so many young men from noble families in the Western Army, and she can always find a few that she likes.

They continued on their way.

After passing through barren land, undulating sand hills one after another, a towering cliff appeared in front of them. The team crossed the mountains and ridges for a day and a night. The whistling sound of the wind gradually faded away, and the scene in front of them suddenly opened up, with a vast fertile field coming into view.

Under the vast sky, several rivers meander and sparkle. Green trees shade the riverside, cattle and sheep flock to the river, and the river valley is full of greenery, covered with lush greenery, and houses and villages of all sizes are located in it, with smoke rising from cooking.

The wind blowing against my face became cooler.

The mountains and fields are planted with cotton, mulberry and wheat. The fruit trees on the hillsides are laden with fruits. In the vineyards, bunches of grapes hang from the branches, filling the air with the fragrance of fruit.

Li Zhongqian thought to himself, no wonder the royal court is so prosperous. There are deserts everywhere here, but there are also large and continuous fertile oases. There is frequent trade with Persia, India, and Fulin, and the commerce is developed.

The caravan wanted to stay in the market town in the valley to trade with local merchants, but Li Yaoying and Li Zhongqian were in a hurry to get on with their journey and separated from the caravan.

A few days later, the two men and their personal guards arrived at the holy city.

The weather is hot and fruits are ripe. Street vendors push carts in the streets and sell sour plums, cucumbers, apricots and pears, and the shelves are filled with a wide variety of fruits.

Yao Ying and her companions were exhausted, hot and thirsty. When they saw the cargo shelves on the cart, two lights flashed in their eyes.

Everyone dismounted and surrounded the peddler.

Yao Ying brought some fruits to Li Zhongqian to taste: "The fruits here are sweet and juicy. Eat some to quench your thirst, brother."

As she was talking, she saw a basket of amber-shaped, crystal-clear golden fruits on the cart, and she took out her silver coins to buy some.

After eating his fill of fruits, the guard took a long breath, wiped his mouth, and clasped his fists, saying, "Princess, shall I go to the royal temple to report the news?"

Li Zhongqian shook his head: "Let's find a place to change clothes first."

It was his first audience with the king. He had to express his gratitude to the Buddha on behalf of Yaoying and also to resolve the issue of the Modanga girl. He could not enter the palace in such a gloomy mood.

"The courtyard of Wangsi must have been cleaned up long ago. Let's go to the silk shop in the market. We have people there."

The crowd rode their horses to the market, which was exceptionally deserted. The owner of a satin shop was dozing off on the second floor, so they went downstairs to greet them attentively.

Li Zhongqian washed himself up carefully, put on a brocade robe with hunting patterns on it, tied his hair into a bun, and wore brocade boots. His hair was as sharp as a knife, and he looked handsome and heroic. He was dressed in bright clothes, wore a long sword at his waist, and a short dagger inlaid with gems was pinned to his leather belt.

He heard from his personal soldiers that in the royal court, the more jewels and jades one wore, the more imposing one looked.

Yaoying also changed her clothes. When Li Zhongqian saw her, he frowned slightly and asked, "Why are you wearing so plain clothes?"

She wore a long grey dress, her long hair was tied up and fixed with a jade hairpin, and she was clean from head to toe, with no other adornments.

Yaoying said, "If we are going to Wangsi, I'd better dress in a simple way."

After meeting Li Zhongqian, she felt relieved, in a good mood, and dressed brightly. Now that she is back in the holy city, she certainly cannot dress like she usually does.

Li Zhongqian frowned and said, "You are no longer the daughter of the Buddha, so don't be shy. Go and change your clothes."

She is not even eighteen years old yet, she should dress up beautifully every day, wearing jewels and jade, just like she did in the Central Plains, without caring about anyone's opinion.

Yao Ying thought about it and shook her head again: "Forget about it today. I'll talk about it after I've officially settled the matter of the Modanga girl."

Li Zhongqian had no choice but to follow her.

After leaving the market, the personal guard who had gone to the Wang Temple to report the news returned and reported, "The Buddhist disciple is not in the temple. Today is a grand ceremony, and the Buddhist disciple is out."

Yao Ying frowned slightly: "No wonder the market is so deserted today..."

She remembered that after the war, Tanmarajiva was going to preside over a ceremony, chant sutras to pray for the souls of the fallen soldiers and to comfort the people.

I wonder if his leg is getting better...

Li Zhongqian signaled his personal guards to lead the way: "Where is the ceremony? Let's go and take a look."

…

The ceremony was held in the square in front of the palace, and a group of people walked towards the palace.

There were more and more people on the road. When they reached the long street, the crowds were so crowded that there was no way to get through. There was a huge crowd under the platform.

The guards in white robes and blue shirts were stationed at several entrances to the long street. Yao Ying and his group arrived too late and were stopped outside the square by the guards.

They stood with other people who couldn't squeeze in and looked out at the square.

The wind was howling, the prayer flags were fluttering, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Although there were many people in the audience, everyone lined up reverently and walked forward. Apart from the monks chanting scriptures, not a single word could be heard.

Yao Ying stood in the crowd, looking up at the platform.

Dozens of monks in gorgeous robes stood on a high platform. One of them was wearing a crimson cassock with half of his shoulder exposed. He led everyone in lighting incense.

After lighting the incense, he slowly turned around, faced the people, held beads in his hands, and recited a string of scriptures with melodious tones and elegant and calm rhythms.

For a moment, the square was filled with Buddhist chants, lingering drum music, and curling incense. He stood there, tall and straight, with calm and indifferent eyebrows and eyes, handsome and cold, and his whole body seemed to be shrouded in Buddha's light, not like a mortal.

In the solemn and dignified atmosphere, the people in the audience were all deeply moved. They put their hands together and chanted the Buddha's name in unison. Some people even sobbed quietly, and the sounds merged into a surging torrent that lingered over the square for a long time.

Li Zhongqian and his personal soldiers did not believe in Buddhism, but when they saw the scene before them, they could not help but feel awe.

The ceremony ended, and the monks and guards escorted Tanmaraka away.

Yaoying stood on tiptoe to look around. There was nothing unusual about his movements as he walked down the platform. He looked like nothing had happened.

Under the command of the guards, the believers began to leave the square one after another, and Yao Ying and Li Zhongqian turned around and left.

"Brother, did you see the Buddha just now?"

Li Zhongqian nodded: "I see...it's really outstanding."

After meeting him, he understood why Yao Ying had been praising the Buddhist all the way.

Yaoying's eyebrows were slightly curved.

As the two were talking, a black shadow suddenly flew across the air and came straight towards Yao Ying.

Li Zhongqian was quick-witted and quick-handed, grabbing Yao Ying and retreating.

With a loud bang, a piece of cucumber hit the place where Yao Ying had just stood, breaking into several pieces, and the flesh and juice splashed out.

Yaoying's ears were buzzing, and before she could come to her senses, a voice from somewhere in the crowd shouted, "She is the Han woman who is entangled with the Buddhist!"

"She was just looking at the Buddha!"

The bustling crowd immediately exploded, and countless glances of disgust or contempt turned towards Yao Ying, like thousands of arrows shot at once, capable of turning her into a hedgehog in the blink of an eye.

"Shame on you!"

“Shame on you!”

Soon, curses were heard everywhere, fruits and vegetables were flying everywhere, and the believers clenched their fists and rolled up their sleeves, grabbed fruits and vegetables from the baskets of roadside vendors and shelves, and threw them in Yao Ying's direction.

Li Zhongqian's face turned pale with rage, and he stretched out his arms to protect Yao Ying. His personal soldiers reacted, drew their swords, surrounded them, and raised their swords to block the flying fruits and vegetable leaves.

There were too many believers in the square. Layers of people poured in, blocking the intersection. Some were shouting and cursing, some were asking questions loudly, and the scene was a mess.

Li Zhongqian's muscles swelled and he drew his sword in anger.

Yao Ying quickly held his hand and said, "Brother, don't make a big deal out of this. Let's get out of here as soon as possible."

If things get out of hand, Tanmarajya will be in trouble. She did entangle him and ruin his reputation, so it is normal for these believers to hate her.

Li Zhongqian glanced around coldly, his face as gloomy as water. He held Yaoying's hand and protected her as she left the crowd.

…

Deep in the long street.

The guards in white robes and light armor rode in front of them, and a carriage decorated with seven-treasure corals slowly drove through the alley. Amid the sound of rolling wheels and the clatter of neat hooves, there was suddenly a burst of hurried footsteps.

A guard rushed forward and said to Bi Suo who was guarding the carriage: "General! Princess Wen Zhao is surrounded by her followers!"

Bishomon was startled and pulled the reins hard: "What did you say? Who is surrounded?"

Before he finished speaking, the curtain of the car swayed, and a bony hand pushed aside the curtain. Two cold eyes shot out and fell on the guards.

A shudder ran down his body, and he clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Wen Zhao just appeared in the square to watch you preside over the ceremony. The believers recognized her and surrounded her... Now the square is in chaos. Sergeant, please tell the generals whether to drive the people away?"

Biso hesitated for a moment, looked towards the carriage, and said, "King, I will handle it myself..."

"go back."

The person in the carriage interrupted him directly with a soft voice, his tone was calm, as if he was very relaxed.

The next moment, he said, "Turn around."

It's clearly urging me.

Bi Suo agreed and ordered a U-turn. The carriage sped up and was no longer as slow as before.

By the time they hurried back to the square, the commotion had almost subsided. The guard Bai came running over to report the news, saying, "Princess Wen Zhao was afraid of something bad happening, so she asked her guards to separate and lead away the most excited believers. Now the crowd has dispersed."

Bi Suo heaved a sigh of relief, fortunately nothing happened: "Where's the princess?"

Bai pointed to a corner and said, "The princess is hiding there. She said she would wait until everyone else left before leaving to avoid any more trouble..."

He hadn't finished speaking when his mouth opened in shock.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a crimson cassock swept across the carriage. Tanmaraka walked out directly from the carriage with his brows slightly wrinkled.

Everyone was stunned and hurried to take the golden carpet and other items that were spread on the ground.

Tanmaraka remained silent, his emerald eyes looking around.

The exit of the long street was in a mess, with rotten fruits and vegetables scattered all over the ground.

There are thousands of believers gathered at today's Dharma Assembly. Just now, thousands of people surrounded her...

He clenched the Buddhist beads between his fingers, stepped on the dirty ground with his monk shoes, and walked step by step in the direction that Bai pointed.

In the corner, several bodyguards were guarding a young woman. Her hair was disheveled, and her plain grey dress was stained with melon juice. One of her boots had fallen off, and there was a big cut on one side of her sleeve, revealing her snow-white skin. There were several reddish marks on her elbows.

Hearing footsteps, she looked over and saw Tanmaragha in a monk's robe. She was stunned for a moment and felt a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." She smiled at Roga, "I've caused trouble for the mage."

Tanmarajiva lowered his eyes and stared at her for a while, his gaze sweeping over the red marks on her hands caused by bumps.

Does it hurt?

He wanted to ask.

The prayer flags that had not yet been taken down from the platform were flying wildly.

His chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down, and he said calmly: "Get on the carriage and go back to the temple."