The corner gate leading to the hidden place of the beast garden and sand garden of Wang Temple suddenly opened, and more than a dozen knights on fast horses galloped out. The riders on the horses all had cloth wrapped around their heads, and wore light blue long gowns, silver light armor, and snow-white brocade robes. They had long swords and short daggers on their waists, and a piece of gorgeously embroidered colorful silk on their shoulders. They were like arrows shot out, passing through the passage under the cliff and rushing quickly towards the endless snowfield.

At the same time, the commanders of the central army guarding various places in the city received orders and began to act separately.

The avenue in front of the palace was bustling with traffic.

The powerful families, led by the Kang, Xue, An, and Meng families, who were in charge of the military, either rode on tall horses or took luxurious carriages. They left their respective residences surrounded by their private soldiers and drove towards the palace in a mighty and imposing manner.

The chiefs of the thirty-seven nomadic tribes that were affiliated with the royal court were also invited to the palace.

Crowds gathered outside the long street. The wealthy families ignored each other. In order to show their status, each family's carriage deliberately dragged its feet and moved forward slowly. No one wanted to be the most impatient one.

The neighing of horses, the rumbling of wheels, and the sound of hunting flags flapping in the cold wind combined into a huge wave of sound that spread throughout the streets and alleys of the holy city.

The atmosphere was heavy and tense.

The royal court had a tradition of having a regent assist in government affairs. Every time a regent was discussed, there would be bloodshed. The powerful families would engage in a life-and-death struggle. In the worst case, several armies would kill each other and rivers of blood would flow.

The last time a regent was discussed, all four Kangxue families were defeated. Before they had time to engage in internal strife, Sultan Kublai had already taken control of the situation. That time, which was rare, there were no casualties.

This time the four armies were already stationed outside the Holy City. Everyone knew what Prime Minister Sima Zhao was thinking, and a fight between the armies was inevitable.

The people of the holy city hid in their homes, peeking at the scene outside through the cracks in the windows, trembling in fear, and secretly praying that the four armies outside the city would never break into the holy city.

People bowed in the direction of the Royal Temple, chanted scriptures and prayed devoutly.

No matter how the powerful families fight, as long as the Buddha is still the king, they can continue to live a peaceful and tranquil life.

…

Tanmaraka returned to the meditation room.

There was a thin wisp of smoke in the tent. Yaoying was still sleeping, breathing lightly and her cheeks were red.

Tanmaraka stood in front of her, looking down at her.

He knew why someone wanted to kidnap her at this juncture, and the reason he asked Bisa was just to confirm the answer from her.

The moment Bisha reported that she was taken away, Tanmarajiva understood.

A false thought.

The wind is not moving, the flag is not moving, but people's hearts are moving.

He was worried about the future of the royal court and whether his subjects could live in peace and escape the suffering of the chaotic world. This time, he was worried about the safety of a woman.

Princess Wen Zhao was not one of his subjects.

Joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and surprise.

The seven emotions and five desires are normal for human beings.

Those who practice cultivation must observe pure precepts, subdue the five desires, and cut off the seven emotions in order to attain the Brahmacharya and the tranquility of Nirvana.

All appearances are illusory.

All greed is like a dream, like quicksand between fingers.

Tanmarajiva leaned over, picked up the scripture on the table, lowered the felt curtain, retreated to a short table under the compartment window, sat cross-legged, with his back to the curtain, smoothed the paper, picked up the pen and continued to write the scripture from memory.

The wind blows, the clouds move, but the sky does not move.

The water pushes, the boat moves, but the shore does not move.

If the heart does not move, the wind and flag will not move.

There was a soft sound of flapping wings in front of the window, and a black shadow swayed. An eagle flew in front of the short table, its feathers disheveled. It picked up the leather rope tied around its leg in its beak and came towards him in a flattering manner.

Tanmarajiva did not even raise his head, but waved his hand and said calmly: "Your merits will atone for your sins, and I will not punish you today."

The eagle called twice, let go of the leather rope, flapped its wings, landed on the scaffold, and squinted its eyes.

The meditation room was as quiet as a vast expanse of still water, and the gilded incense burner with a curling grass pattern quietly emitted wisps of green smoke.

Tanmarajiva wrote the scriptures slowly and steadily, with a calm expression and serene brows.

The rustling sound of the pen scratching across the paper continued into the afternoon.

After Tanmarajiva finished writing the last sentence, he put down his pen, picked up the sutra, placed it in front of the Buddha statue, put his hands together, moved his plump lips, and muttered to himself.

To stop killing by killing is not advisable.

However, in these troubled times, being lenient and lenient will only cause more innocent people to suffer from war and chaos, and make their lives miserable.

There were footsteps outside the curtains, and Yuanjue walked into the meditation room and whispered, "King, prepare the carriages and horses. The princes and ministers will soon enter the palace."

Tanmarajiva opened his eyes.

About the same time as he expected.

He went to the inner room to change into a monk's robe, and before leaving, he turned back to look at the felt curtain.

Yuan Jue knew that Li Yaoying was sleeping behind the felt curtain. She looked at her nose with her eyes and her heart with her nose, and dared not utter a word.

"If Princess Wen Zhao wakes up, ask her to stay and protect her. Unless General Ashina comes in person, do not relax."

Tanmaraka withdrew his gaze and gave orders to his bodyguard Balmi.

Balmi responded respectfully: "I will definitely protect the princess."

The wind was howling and the sky was covered with dark clouds.

The monk soldiers escorted Tanmarajiva out of the meditation room. He stood at the steps, wearing a snow-white cassock with gold patterns. The wind blew his sleeves. His deep eyes scanned the surroundings, his appearance was solemn and aloof, and he was cold and distinguished.

The clouds were hanging low, the wind was blowing louder and louder, the courtyard was crowded with people, but not a single cough was heard.

The guards and monks were fully armed, kneeling on one knee in the snow below the stairs, one hand holding a knife, the other hand clenched into a fist in front of their chest, looking up at Tanmaragha with wild eyes.

Tanmaraka looked down at the crowd and said, "The four armies have already deployed their troops outside the city. Everyone, follow me to the palace. Life and death are unpredictable. If there are cowards, do not follow me."

The guards immediately said: "We are not afraid of death!"

Bishuo, who was kneeling at the front of the line, stood up, drew his sword, and said loudly: "The Central Army Guards will always be the king's most loyal guards and the most heroic servants of the Buddha. The four armies are in chaos and the government is in turmoil. The Buddha is the people's heart and the people's hope. We are willing to die for the Buddha and never give up!"

The other guards followed his lead and swore an oath, their voices resounding like a bell.

Amid the soldiers' roars, loud noises were heard outside the royal temple. The gate was pushed open by the four armies' knights, who had run out of patience. A commander of the Xue family and his subordinates broke directly into the royal temple.

The monks in the temple gathered in the main hall, sitting cross-legged and chanting scriptures, while the cavalry captains of the four armies drove them in.

The commander stood in front of the palace, glanced at the monks with contempt, held a long sword in his hand, and said arrogantly: "All the lords are here, please go to the palace to discuss matters as soon as possible, don't waste time!"

The guards rushed out of the corridor and asked in a stern voice: "Who are you? How dare you speak so loudly in the king's temple? Aren't you afraid of disturbing the king?"

The commander said with a fake smile: "I am just following orders. The king will definitely not blame me."

Just as he finished speaking, a cold and fishy wind blew towards him, and a silver light flashed. The commander was startled and dodged.

There was a sharp and sharp sound, and a dagger was nailed where he had just stood, and the handle of the dagger shook slightly.

If this knife had stabbed someone in the body, the wound would have been so deep that the bone would be visible.

The commander was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat, raising his head.

The guard in a blue shirt and white robe walked slowly down the stone steps, dozens of pairs of eyes stared at him, and behind the crowd, the Buddhist disciple Tanmaraka, wearing a cassock, walked out slowly, his eyes were wise, elegant and calm.

Many of the four armies' knights were of commoner origin and normally had no chance to meet the Buddha. At this moment, they looked up at the legendary Buddha, their hearts trembled, and they stood there in a daze.

Konoe left the temple carrying Tanmaraka.

When the news spread, the people who were wandering outside the royal temple gathered together, knelt on both sides of the long street, and prostrated themselves in greeting.

I don't know who took the lead, but the knights of the four armies knelt down one after another, with respectful expressions and chanting Buddhist mantras.

The commander had not expected that the Buddhist disciple would remain so calm after the death of Sultan Gu. Seeing that the common people and soldiers all loved him, he knew that he could not use his power to show off his authority today. He was stunned for a moment, like a deflated ball, and his domineering aura disappeared instantly.

He rolled his eyes, put on a big smile, and followed the guards.

"Your Majesty, I was sent by General Xue Yan to greet you."

The guards sneered and stopped the commander.

The commander was angry but dared not say anything. He could only follow the team. On the way from the royal temple to the royal palace, he racked his brains to get closer, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Tanmarajaka's robe.

…

In the main hall of the palace, felt curtains are hung high.

The officials and tribal chiefs who had arrived sat in their tents and waited for a while. Then they heard the bells in front of the palace ringing and knew that Tanmaragha had arrived, so they stood up to greet him.

The last time Tanmarajiva made a public appearance was last year. People stole a glance at him through a low-hanging brocade curtain. Although his face looked calm, they all had their own thoughts in their minds.

The tribal chiefs exchanged worried looks.

At this time, in the holy city, except for the royal temple, other places have fallen into the hands of the noble families, and the royal palace has been surrounded by the royal guards commanded by the noble families. Although Fuzi has loyal guards around him, he only brought a few dozen people to the palace. With just these few people, if the noble families make trouble later, how will Fuzi escape?

And there are four armies outside the holy city.

Everyone had different expressions.

The guards came forward to report that all the lords had arrived, except Kang Jia and Xue Yan'na.

The An and Meng families were furious: "The king has arrived, but they still haven't shown up. They really don't respect the king!"

Tanmaragha sat upright on the treasure couch, without making a sound.

The An and Meng families instigated him for a while, but seeing that he remained calm and composed, with no trace of emotion on his face, they stopped talking awkwardly.

After a while, a figure swayed outside the palace gate.

Kang Mozha and Xue Yanna followed closely behind and entered the big tent. They sat down on the golden horse and sword, looked around, and then stood up and hurriedly clasped their fists towards Tanmo Luojia behind the curtain: "I am late."

Tanmarajiva said nothing behind the golden tent, as if he had no way to deal with the two ministers.

Everyone was discussing quietly. The Kang and Xue families were so arrogant. It seemed that the regent today would definitely be chosen from these two families.

The An and Meng families gnashed their teeth in hatred.

"Your Majesty." The Meng family leader's eyes flashed twice, and he stepped out of the crowd and said, "The regent king Sultan Gu is dead, and the government affairs cannot be neglected. We urgently need to appoint a new regent king. Does your Majesty have a candidate in mind?"

The others looked at each other in bewilderment: the Meng family was the first to jump out and urge the Buddhist.

Xue Yanna and Kang Mozhe immediately became alert.

They were determined to get the position of Regent, but there were too many people eyeing this piece of fat meat, and everyone wanted to take a bite. Everyone was an enemy, so the four armies were wandering outside the city. The Meng family and the An family were not as strong as the two families. If they got involved, would they try to take advantage of the conflict between the two families?

Xue Yanna sneered and said, "The candidate for the Regent should be nominated by the ministers in the court! I suggest that we hold a martial arts competition. Whoever has the best martial arts skills will be the Regent. Otherwise, he will not be able to win the support of the people!"

The other three families sneered when they heard this. Xue Yan was in the prime of his life, and his proposal for a duel was simply a statement that he wanted to be the regent!

The Lord of the An Family said, "The Regent King must not only be able to lead troops in battle, but must also manage government affairs and handle state affairs on behalf of the Buddha. A martial arts competition is not feasible."

Xue Yan curled his lips, patted the sword at his waist, and said meaningfully: "If we can't fight, how can we convince all the warriors of the Xue family?"

"In terms of qualifications and contributions to the royal court, I recommend you to be the Prime Minister!"

"The Prime Minister has been in office for many years. Although he has worked hard and made great contributions, he is old and not good at fighting against enemies. He cannot serve as the Regent."

"I recommend Commander An!"

Everyone held their own opinions and argued till their faces turned red and their necks became thick. The Kang and Xue families were even more tense and confronted each other tit for tat.

The Meng family fanned the flames: "The king summoned us here today to discuss the candidate for the regent. The prime minister and General Xue both want to compete. If they can't decide, it will hurt the harmony between the two families. What should we do?"

There was a lot of noise inside the felt tent.

Suddenly, there was a sound of applause from inside the tent.

Everyone gradually calmed down and looked towards the golden tent.

Yuan Jue stood in front of the tent and said in a deep voice: "The king said that before discussing the appointment of a regent king, one thing must be resolved first."

He paused, looking from each face.

"First, we must find out who the real murderer of the Regent is."

As soon as these words fell, everyone was shocked.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise, their eyelids twitching.

Sultan's death was strange, who couldn't see it?

At that time, the aristocratic families were fighting among themselves, and Sultan Gu suddenly appeared and snatched the position of regent. The aristocratic families were dissatisfied and never stopped hunting down Sultan Gu. Everyone in the government and the public knew it well.

During the period when the Buddhist monk was in seclusion, Sultan Kublai Khan died at the hands of bandits. The Kang and Xue families must have been involved in the incident to some extent.

Now that Sultan Gu is dead and Fuzi has lost his arm, he has been out of seclusion in a hurry. He has been staying in the royal temple. Not to mention mobilizing the troops, he may not even have figured out what has happened. Before he can react, the aristocratic families approached the holy city, forcing him to quickly establish a new regent - Fuzi is a smart man who sees the situation clearly and will not confront the aristocratic families head-on. After all, he still has to rely on the aristocratic families to govern the royal court.

Over the years, a delicate balance has been maintained between Buddhist disciples and aristocratic families, and the same is true between aristocratic families.

After all, everyone knows that once the balance is broken, no one can clean up the mess.

Today, Buddhists who are well versed in the art of balance are unwilling to play dumb any longer and are determined to find out the truth for Sultan Kublai.

Isn't the Buddhist afraid that the noble families will get angry and lead their troops directly into the holy city?

Before everyone could recover from their shock, Yuan Jue looked at Xue Yan and asked in a sharp voice, "General Xue, someone has reported to the king that you are the real murderer who assassinated the Regent King. Do you plead guilty?"

Suddenly, the whole room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned.

The author has something to say: "Joy, anger, worry, and thought..."

"All appearances are illusory..."

These sentences quote relevant discussions from Buddhist scriptures.

The line “Water pushes the boat but the shore does not move” is a quote from a folk song.