Li Zhongqian met with Yaoying in the afternoon to discuss the withdrawal of troops. In the evening, he conferred with his subordinates, ate some naan bread, and had just lain down to sleep when his personal guard reported that Tanmoroqie had sent over many gifts.
He threw on his robes and rose.
Yuanjue entered the tent with a beaming smile, leading a procession of attendants. Soon, the floor of the tent was filled with chests and treasure boxes of various sizes. The flickering candlelight illuminated the dazzling array of treasures, making the entire space glitter brilliantly.
Li Zhongqian wore a faint, ambiguous smile.
He had long heard of the Royal Court’s wealth, and indeed, it was true. Haidu Aling had promised the tribal chieftains the freedom to plunder the Royal Court to persuade them to join his attack on the Holy City.
Li Zhongqian had not been idle that day. Bā mǐ ěr and several Imperial Guards commanders had accompanied him on a tour of the Holy City. Under the guidance of officials, the citizens were enthusiastically clearing the ruins. Though the devastation was evident, the turmoil had purged many of the scheming noble families, most of whom had perished in the conflict. Those who survived, fearful of being implicated, were now more cautious than ever. A sense of vitality and renewal permeated the city, and the tribal chieftains held genuine reverence for Tanmoroqie. With royal authority consolidated and unity among the people, it was believed that a prosperous capital would soon be rebuilt.
Tanmoroqie had been thoughtful indeed—renouncing his monastic vows during the day to demonstrate the Royal Court’s newfound stability, and sending these priceless treasures by night.
Li Zhongqian’s expression remained impassive as he cast a casual glance over the treasure-filled boxes. But when his gaze fell upon an open black chest, his eyes suddenly froze. A moment later, a complex mix of emotions flickered in his phoenix-like eyes—shock, astonishment, melancholy, and disbelief.
“Why send these things?” he asked after a long silence.
Yuanjue replied with a smile, “Because these are all things the princess liked. Our king remembers everything the princess favored.”
Li Zhongqian stared blankly, lost in thought for a while.
The felt curtain rustled as a personal guard announced, “My lord, the king has arrived.”
Li Zhongqian snapped out of his reverie and said calmly, “Invite him in.”
The felt curtain was lifted, and Tanmoroqie stepped into the tent, surrounded by Imperial Guards. He wore a crimson, knee-length narrow-sleeved robe with a folded collar, embroidered with gold and silver threads and trimmed with brocade. A leather belt studded with gemstones adorned his waist, from which a dagger, a short knife, and a long sword hung. His feet were clad in long boots, and the collar, front placket, and cuffs of his robe were lavishly embroidered with vivid animal motifs, making him radiant and magnificent.
Everyone in the tent bowed to him.
It was the first time Li Zhongqian had seen Tanmoroqie dressed in the Royal Court’s riding and hunting attire, and he couldn’t help but stare for a few moments.
Tanmoroqie carried himself with composure. Even in such opulent robes, he retained an ethereal, noble elegance, untarnished by worldly concerns, yet now exuding a more robust and heroic aura.
Li Zhongqian remained expressionless. He walked to the long table and sat down with one long leg bent, assuming a commanding posture. “What brings the king here so late at night?” he asked.
Tanmoroqie gestured for the others to withdraw and said, “Tonight, I have come to visit the Duke of Weiguo not as the ruler of the Royal Court, but simply as Tanmoroqie.”
Li Zhongqian’s lips curved into a slight smile, his phoenix eyes narrowing as he studied him. He waved a hand and said, “Then, please take a seat.”
Tanmoroqie sat opposite him, straightening his robes and assuming a solemn posture.
Li Zhongqian poured himself a bowl of wine. “What do you want with me?”
Tanmoroqie said, “The Duke of Weiguo once asked me several questions that I could not answer at the time.”
Li Zhongqian took a sip of wine and thought for a moment. “Oh? What did I ask you?”"The Duke of Weiguo asked me if I had developed romantic feelings for the princess."
"Whether I intended to keep it hidden and only meet her in secret."
"If I were to renounce monastic life for her, would I regret it in the future."
"And if I married her, could I keep her away from troubles and ensure her peace and happiness."
Tanmoroqie repeated each sentence clearly.
Li Zhongqian hadn't expected him to remember so vividly the words he had spoken that day. Putting down his wine bowl, his expression turned serious.
Tanmoroqie looked at him, the flickering candlelight reflected in his eyes, his brows furrowed like mountains, his gaze sharp as shooting stars: "At that time, under different circumstances, I dared not insist on keeping the princess. However, the princess has shown me utmost sincerity. During my time of peril, she disregarded her own safety to stay by my side through hardship. I know I cannot let her go. Now, I can answer the Duke of Weiguo's questions anew: I have romantic feelings for the princess, not merely a fleeting passion. I wish for the princess to remain by my side always, to spend every day with her, to stay together for a lifetime. A single day without seeing her leaves me restless."
He paused briefly, his gaze resolute, "I wish to seek the princess's hand in marriage and become her husband."
His voice was clear and firm, each word ringing with conviction.
Li Zhongqian's eyes widened in surprise.
Tanmoroqie continued calmly, "The princess is the leader of the Western Army. A marriage alliance between two nations should not be taken lightly. Tomorrow, the Royal Court will formally send an envoy to the Wei dynasty with a marriage proposal. The edict has already been drafted. The Duke of Weiguo is the princess's elder brother. As the elder brother stands in place of the father, and the princess holds you in high esteem, I have come first to seek your permission. I hope you will grant your approval."
"If I am fortunate enough to marry the princess, I will respect her, love her, ensure her safety and happiness, and keep her far from trouble."
The tent fell into complete silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of hoofbeats outside.
Li Zhongqian remained silent.
Tanmoroqie was now the ruler of the Royal Court. The people had accepted his return to secular life, and political and religious authority were gradually separating, with religious power no longer overriding royal authority. He had turned the tide, earning the admiration of all, possessing both the compassion of a monk and the decisive, iron-willed majesty of an emperor. Clearly, the questions Li Zhongqian had raised were no longer obstacles between him and Yaoying.
From his determination to keep the Royal Court free from war and his long-term plans for reform and strengthening royal authority, it was evident that his resolve surpassed ordinary imagination. Once he set his mind to something, no one could stop him.
After the great war ended, he had purged the court, resolved the Royal Court's concerns, and now came to propose marriage—swift, decisive, and resolute, demonstrating his determination and sincerity.
Li Zhongqian recalled the days when he had deceived Yaoying into leaving the Royal Court.
Even with injured eyes, she wrote letters to Tanmoroqie every day. He had overheard her multiple times dictating to her maid—letters detailing what she had eaten, where she had been, and urging Tanmoroqie to take his medicine properly.
Yaoying loved this monk.
Li Zhongqian lifted his chin: "The Royal Court and the Central Plains are thousands of miles apart, with different customs and etiquette."
Tanmoroqie replied, "Since childhood, I have studied Han classics extensively and am well-versed in Central Plains customs and etiquette. I would never force the princess to change her preferences or lifestyle."
"What if she misses her homeland and wishes to return for a visit?"
A slight movement crossed Tanmoroqie's brow. "I would dispatch personal guards to accompany and protect the princess."
Li Zhongqian snorted lightly, "I've heard that previous rulers of the Royal Court kept multiple wives and concubines. My Bright Moon Slave would never tolerate such humiliation."Tanmoroqie said: "Though I have left the monastic life, I will still practice asceticism in the future. I admire the princess and seek only her companionship."
Li Zhongqian looked deeply at Tanmoroqie. "Bright Moon Slave dislikes constraints. When she lived in the estate, I never restricted her—she came and went as she pleased. The chancellor advised me that a woman ought to conduct herself with propriety, and that someone as divinely beautiful as Bright Moon Slave should be especially cautious in speech and action. But I indulged her too much. She stirred rivalries among those young noblemen and became the subject of gossip."
Tanmoroqie raised his eyes and spoke word by word: "The princess is innately radiant, pure as snow and without guile. There is nothing improper in her conduct."
To Li Zhongqian’s ears, these words were immensely pleasing.
He had no wish for Yaoying to marry a rigid, conservative monk.
Li Zhongqian then raised another concern: "You are the ruler of the Royal Court, and she leads the Western Army. She cannot remain in the Royal Court indefinitely."
Tanmoroqie nodded and said, "I will manage the affairs of the Royal Court so she need not worry about them. She will remain the leader of the Western Army."
Li Zhongqian stroked his chin. "Suppose one day Bright Moon Slave changes her heart, falls for another, and wishes to return to the Central Plains. What would you do? Let her return, or kill the man and force her to stay by your side?"
Tanmoroqie’s expression shifted slightly. He remained silent for a long moment, closing his eyes briefly.
"I do not know."
Not even the Buddha could dissolve the obsession in his heart. He had never considered this possibility.
Li Zhongqian frowned thoughtfully. Tanmoroqie was sincere. If he had claimed without hesitation that he would magnanimously let Yaoying leave, Li Zhongqian might have suspected his proposal was insincere—a ploy to coax Yaoying into joining him in Buddhist practice.
Both fell silent, and the tent grew quiet for a while.
The candlelight cast deep shadows across Tanmoroqie’s face, accentuating his features. He broke the silence: "There is one more matter I wish to confess to the Duke of Weiguo."
Li Zhongqian raised an eyebrow. "What matter?"
Tanmoroqie met his gaze calmly. "The cultivation method I practice is peculiar and requires elixirs to suppress its effects. Over the years, the illness has taken root deeply. Not long ago, I fell gravely ill. To return to the Holy City, I recklessly consumed several bottles of elixirs to sustain myself. I have been holding on without dissipating my power, but I do not know how much longer I can last..."
Li Zhongqian was taken aback, his expression turning solemn. "Are you saying you do not know how long you have left to live?"
Tanmoroqie nodded serenely. "Yes."
Li Zhongqian’s brows furrowed tightly. "Then how dare you propose? How could I agree to marry Bright Moon Slave to a dying man?"
Tanmoroqie gazed at the flickering candle flame in the tent. "I once thought the same—how could a dying man dare to ask the princess to stay?"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I once lied to the princess and deceived her into leaving. I told Bi Suo that after my death, he should bring me to her side... Later, during the turmoil in the Royal Court, I had resolved to die. When the princess appeared before me again, I thought it was an illusion..."
He rushed down from the city wall and held her tightly, as if wanting to embed her into his very flesh. He told Yaoying that his days were numbered, and she said, "Then let us cherish the time we have left."
"In that moment, I wanted to live."
Meeting Li Zhongqian’s scrutinizing gaze, Tanmoroqie’s lips curved slightly. "In this life, how fortunate I am to have met the princess. Duke of Weiguo, I do not know how long I will live, nor what tomorrow may bring. I only know that I will cherish each day before me."Life and death are but part of the cycle of reincarnation, everything is like a dream, bubble, or shadow. But in this lifetime, Yaoying wished to grasp it tightly, fighting for each day she could.
Li Zhongqian’s expression darkened as he sneered, “Why tell me the truth? Aren’t you afraid I’ll firmly oppose it?”
Tanmoroqie replied calmly, “The princess once told me that she and the Duke of Weiguo have relied on each other since childhood. In this world, the Duke of Weiguo is her most important family. Keeping it from him would put her in a difficult position.”
He did not want to cause Yaoying any more distress over anything.
Li Zhongqian shot him a cold glance, his expression softening slightly.
Tanmoroqie raised his hand and pushed a jeweled box toward him, opening it.
Li Zhongqian looked down. Inside the box was a gold and silver crown inlaid with jewels and gemstones, similar in style to the crown Tanmoroqie wore during the day but smaller. The crown was adorned with intricate patterns and draped with strings of pearls, agates, and coral beads.
“This is the crown of the Royal Court’s queen.”
Tanmoroqie continued, “Duke of Weiguo, as long as I am here, the alliance between the Royal Court and the Western Army will remain strong. Even after I am gone, the succeeding king will honor the alliance according to my decree. However, if the Emperor of Wei and the Crown Prince harm the princess, the Royal Court cannot easily interfere in Wei’s state affairs…”
Li Zhongqian frowned. Tanmoroqie had touched upon one of his concerns. As long as Li De lived, he could never rest easy. That beast Li Xuanzhen had harbored such vile intentions, and Li De would inevitably find out. Given Li De’s nature, he might very well harm Yaoying for Li Xuanzhen’s sake. Li Zhongqian planned to return to Chang’an once things stabilized in the Western Regions.
Tanmoroqie’s tone shifted: “If the princess becomes the queen of the Royal Court, even after I am gone, the entire court will respect and protect her.”
Li Zhongqian abruptly looked up, staring at Tanmoroqie in astonishment, his heart stirred.
So this was another layer of Tanmoroqie’s intention in proposing marriage. If Yaoying became his queen, the Royal Court would forever shelter her. His reputation as the Buddha Prince still resonated across nations, and as his wife, tribes that had received his kindness would not abandon Yaoying in her time of need.
This man had thought of everything.
He had saved Yaoying, saved him. His time was limited, and Yaoying would never abandon him. If forced apart, should anything happen to him, Yaoying would suffer for a lifetime.
Rather than letting her live with regret, it was better to let her be with the one she loved.
A queen’s crown, for Yaoying, meant an extra path of retreat.
Li Zhongqian pondered for a long time, weighing the pros and cons. His phoenix-like eyes swept around, lingering on the scattered trunks and cases before finally resting on the black lacquered box. He sighed deeply in his heart.
“Bright Moon Slave has grown up. Her marriage is her own decision. But remember my words: she has a gentle nature and doesn’t like to fuss, but I cannot tolerate even a speck of dust in my eyes. If you dare let her suffer the slightest grievance, I will not hesitate out of fear for the alliance between the Royal Court and the Western Army.”
Li Zhongqian’s expression turned stern, and for a moment, a fierce, intimidating aura emanated from him. He spoke word by word: “If you betray her, regardless of her consent, no matter how ill you are, even if you are on the verge of death, I will take her away immediately.”
Tanmoroqie breathed a slight sigh of relief, straightened up, and pressed his palms together: “Thank you, Duke of Weiguo, for your understanding.”
Li Zhongqian rolled his eyes skyward: Still a monk!He felt deeply unsettled all over and suddenly pointed at a black lacquered box, his tone fierce: "Why did you give this to Bright Moon Slave?"
Tanmoroqie was about to leave when he heard this. He paused, glanced at the black chess box, and replied: "I once allowed the princess to freely choose anything she liked from the treasury. She only selected one luminous jade."
Yaoying enjoyed collecting luminous jades. Every time merchant caravans returned from the Land of Brahma, Fu Lin, and other places, she would ask the Hu merchants if they had acquired any fine luminous jades.
Li Zhongqian snorted coldly and waved his hand impatiently.
After Tanmoroqie left, he stood up, walked over to the box, picked up a luminous jade, and his expression turned complicated.
Luminous jade was also called Bright Moon Pearl. This particular piece was one he had given to Yaoying.
Yaoying had treasured it deeply, keeping it with her at all times. Later, when she went to the Yelu Tribe for a marriage alliance and fell into Haidu Aling's hands, she lost all her possessions except this luminous jade. In the end, to escape the camp, she gave it to a Hu woman.
After Li Zhongqian reunited with Yaoying, she mentioned the luminous jade several times, wanting to retrieve it. He comforted her, saying it was just a pearl—if it was gone, it was gone.
Unexpectedly, after all its journeys, this luminous jade had ended up in Tanmoroqie's hands. Knowing Yaoying's fondness for luminous jades, he brought it to give to her.
The jade had returned to its rightful owner.
Perhaps this was simply fate.
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