After the Hu merchants escaped danger, they departed with their goods, offering gifts of gratitude before leaving and requesting the Buddha Prince to accept them.
Several monks politely declined the merchants' offerings, offering gentle words of comfort, and even performed Buddhist rituals in Tanmoroqie's name for the deceased merchants.
The merchants were moved to tears of gratitude.
Yaoying and her personal guards were temporarily placed within the Royal Court's central army contingent.
In the Western Regions, the Northern Rong people and other tribes she had seen all wore their hair loose with left-lapelled robes, and most Royal Court cavalry also had shoulder-length braided hair, though their attire differed from that of the Northern Rong.
The central army cavalry wore blue tunics under light armor, draped in white cloaks embroidered with intricate patterns, and carried long sabers and curved bows. Each soldier had personal servants to run errands and perform miscellaneous tasks.
Unlike the fierce and warlike Northern Rong soldiers, they appeared quite well-mannered. Though they clearly despised Yaoying for publicly defiling their Buddha Prince and glared at her angrily, they refrained from openly insulting her.
However, Tanmoroqie's two personal guards treated Yaoying much more harshly, having her horse led away and ordering her to travel with the lowest-ranking slaves.
Most importantly: she was forbidden from speaking Tanmoroqie's name or looking at him even once.
A chubby, round-faced knight pointed at Yaoying and shouted, "Shameless Han woman! Every extra glance you cast at our King defiles him!"
Yaoying gazed toward the front of the procession where a massive snow-white banner fluttered vigorously in the wind. Tanmoroqie rode at the very front - she could only see his slender, receding back.
Amidst the vast army, he alone wore deep crimson Kasaya robes, his figure emanating a cold, solitary austerity.
He appeared divine.
The central army knights clustered behind him, watching his back with fanatical devotion.
The knight followed Yaoying's gaze and turned crimson with rage, positioning himself in front of her while yelling: "Han woman! Don't look at our King! Not even one glance! I'll gouge your eyes out if you look again!"
Yaoying's mouth twitched as she averted her eyes.
The knight glared at her discontentedly before summoning soldiers: "Make them follow at the very rear! Don't let this Han woman get within a step of the King!"
Yaoying led her guards behind the central army, glancing back at the valley.
Dust clouds rolled along the horizon where Haidu Aling had withdrawn with his Northern Rong troops.
Walking at the very end of the central army column, Yaoying found the knight's slaves - all men - regarding her curiously. As a beautiful young Han woman, they treated her with relative kindness.
From them, Yaoying learned they were quite close to Sand City. Tanmoroqie had just sworn oaths with Wahan Khan there, and when scouts reported Haidu Aling ambushing Royal Court merchant caravans shortly after their departure, he immediately led troops to intimidate the Northern Rong.
Yaoying shuddered with delayed fear.
They had only escaped because Haidu Aling went to Sand City, yet after fleeing the camp and getting lost, they had unknowingly headed straight toward Sand City!
They had practically delivered themselves to the enemy.
Fortunately, Tanmoroqie had frightened off Haidu Aling.
The Royal Court army moved swiftly, only stopping to rest at a desolate cliff base after nightfall.
The central army camped around Dharmaraga's tent, while several distinctly uniformed troops maintained perimeter security.
Yaoying distributed the rock-hard dried biscuits she received among the other slaves.The slave, while voraciously chewing on a flatbread, told her that most of the Central Army knights were descendants of Holy City nobles—loyal to the royal family, valuing honor, and obeying only the commands of the monarch. They served as the guard force for the palace and Buddhist temples. The other armies pledged allegiance to several major nobles. The Royal Court had a Regent who handled political and secular affairs on behalf of the Buddha Prince, and all court officials came from prominent noble families. Although Tanmoroqie was the monarch, he was sometimes constrained by the nobility.
When he reached the last point, the slave grew indignant: "The Buddha Prince is the incarnation of Ananda, compassionate and dedicated to delivering all beings from suffering. He is truly a great benefactor who wants to free captured slaves like us and grant us commoner status, but the nobles oppose it."
Yaoying gave the slave a silver coin.
While people in the Central Plains used coins and silk for transactions, gold coins, silver coins, and silk were popular in the Western Regions.
The slave looked pleasantly surprised, accepted the silver coin, and after a moment’s thought, cautioned Yaoying: "You are Han Chinese—it’s best to stay with the Central Army and never venture out alone. The Central Army knights follow the King’s orders and won’t mistreat Han women."
As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to glance at her face.
"A beauty like you would surely catch the eye of Royal Court nobles. Their subordinates, eager for rewards, often seize beauties from various tribes during campaigns. You must be careful."
Yaoying showed surprise and asked quietly, "Does the Royal Court despise Han people?"
South of the Tianshan Mountains, north of the Kunlun Mountains, and east of the Pamirs lay vast, boundless deserts and arid wastelands with a scorching, dry climate—almost uninhabited except for oases formed along rivers originating from the Tianshan. This narrow oasis belt hosted tiny states clinging to riverbanks, dotted with city-states and tribes ranging from a couple of thousand to hundreds of thousands in population.
Yaoying had some knowledge of the Northern Rong royal family but was entirely unfamiliar with the tribes of the Western Regions. She only knew the Royal Court was a Buddhist kingdom devout in its faith, destined to fall under Northern Rong’s iron hooves within a few years. Had she not known roughly of Tanmoroqie’s life, she wouldn’t even have remembered the Royal Court’s name.
After being captured by Haidu Aling and brought to the Western Regions, she had been confined to the camp, surrounded by Northern Rong soldiers, with no chance to learn about the Western Regions’ nations.
She knew the Northern Rong viewed all conquered tribes as lowly subjects but hadn’t realized the same applied in the Royal Court. Moreover, from the slave’s hints, it seemed the Royal Court people particularly despised Han Chinese.
The slave lowered his head to polish the silver coin and said, "Both the nobles and commoners of the Royal Court despise Han people. Long ago, we were subjects of the Central Plains dynasty, but when they abandoned us to our fate, other tribes took control of the Western Regions. Here, Han people have become the lowest of the low."
Yaoying frowned slightly.
She hadn’t expected Han people’s status in the Western Regions to be so degraded after the region’s fall.
Come to think of it, Tanmoroqie was also a Royal Court noble—a royal prince—which allowed him to serve as both secular and religious leader. If everyone from nobles to commoners in the Royal Court despised Han people, then the words she had shouted publicly might not only be useless to him but could even be taboo in the Royal Court.
Why did he help her?
Only two explanations:
First, Tanmoroqie wanted to form an alliance with the Wei Dynasty.
Second, as a monk compassionate by nature, Tanmoroqie couldn’t bear to see her captured by Haidu Aling.Yaoying weighed her options. No matter what, as long as she could temporarily escape Haidu Aling's clutches, there was a possibility she could return to the Central Plains.
From Helong to the Western Regions, no matter where she fled, Haidu Aling could always capture her. Only by escaping to the Royal Court could she catch her breath.
She would take it one step at a time.
Tanmoroqie seemed eager to return to the Holy City. The very next day, before dawn, the camp was packed up and the journey resumed. They traveled until complete darkness fell before stopping to set up camp again.
By the fourth day, the central cavalry split from the other troops, leaving the heavy baggage behind as they pressed onward.
After several days of relentless travel, they passed only one small oasis. Everywhere else was an endless expanse of Gobi desert and gravel. The majestic mountain range on the horizon appeared perpetually distant, its snow-capped peaks shrouded in clouds all day long.
The further north they went, the hotter the weather became. Yaoying and her guards had no spare clothing and could only continue wearing their thick felt robes.
The medicine she had obtained from the Royal Court cavalry with silver coins was running out. Xie Qing's injuries showed no improvement. With the scorching days and freezing nights, her wounds were gradually showing signs of festering.
Yaoying grew anxious.
Since rescuing her that day, Tanmoroqie seemed to have forgotten about her entirely. He neither sent anyone to verify her identity nor indicated how she would be dealt with.
The central cavalry brought her food daily. When she requested an audience with Tanmoroqie, the cavalryman immediately sneered and scolded her for her wishful thinking: "Why would the Buddha Prince meet a Han woman like you?"
Yaoying had to think of other ways.
Her silver coins were exhausted, and Tanmoroqie showed no intention of paying her any attention.
It seemed the monk had no plans to form an alliance with the Wei Dynasty and had only saved her out of compassion.
Yaoying and her guards exchanged their felt robes with other slaves for some medicine, changed into slave clothing, and managed to hold on for two more days.
That evening, a crimson sun set half the sky ablaze with brilliant red. Suddenly, cheers erupted throughout the marching procession.
A slave pointed at the distant towering cliffs and said to Yaoying, "Han woman, this is our Holy City!"
Yaoying looked up, expecting to see a magnificent capital city. Instead, she saw only a vast expanse of towering black earthen cliffs. Below the cliffs flowed a river dozens of zhang wide, which split to the north and wound around the cliffs, forming a natural barrier.
Before she could examine it closely, a rider galloped from the front to the rear of the procession, loudly announcing that they would stop to rest.
Yaoying was puzzled: judging by the pace of their journey these past few days, Tanmoroqie was clearly in a hurry to return to the Holy City. Why would they stop to rest right at its doorstep?
Wasn't he afraid they wouldn't make it back to the capital before dark?
True to being the most loyal troops to the royal family, no one in the central cavalry uttered a single complaint about Tanmoroqie's order. Even with the Holy City so close and everyone eager to return home, the procession immediately came to a halt.
As the sunset withdrew its last golden rays, the night breeze blew, and it suddenly turned cold. Yaoying and her guards shivered uncontrollably.
Just when she thought they would be spending the night in the Gobi desert, the procession suddenly started moving again.
Guided by the cavalry in the darkness, Yaoying and the others hurried along. She thought to herself: So Tanmoroqie wants to enter the city after dark. Is he trying to avoid disturbing the capital's citizens?She had never been to the Holy City before and couldn't recognize the route. After what felt like a long journey, they seemed to cross a lengthy plank bridge, followed by a series of steep stone steps. After climbing for a long time, they reached the cliff top, then descended a sandy slope.
It appeared the Holy City was situated in a river valley, surrounded by waterways and steep earthen cliffs...
It was a naturally defensible terrain, difficult to attack—no wonder the Northern Rong had never managed to capture this city.
In the darkness, only the dim glow of torches held by the cavalry provided faint illumination.
Yaoying couldn't see anything clearly. After what seemed like a long descent, the path suddenly opened up ahead, with howling winds whipping through.
The cavalry separated her and her guards from the slave procession, confining them in a stone prison.
The stone cell was dry and chilly. Yaoying and her guards stared at each other in the darkness for a long while before she said, "It's still better than camping in the Gobi Desert. Let's get some rest first."
The round-faced cavalryman left the prison and hurried back to the palace.
Tanmoroqie had secretly returned to the palace. The main hall was lit with lamps as several monks rushed in, spoke with him for a while, then withdrew.
The cavalryman bowed respectfully to the monks.
One brown-eyed monk asked, "Bore, did you bring back a Wei Dynasty princess this time?"
The round-faced soldier's face flushed dark red as he grumbled, "Yes, that shameless Han woman claims to be the Seventh Princess of Wei, titled Wenzhao."
The monk's expression shifted slightly. "Where is the Seventh Princess now?"
Bore replied, "In the stone prison. She defiled the Buddha Prince—her crime is unforgivable! Tomorrow I'll ask the Regent to punish her!"
The monk frowned, pressing his palms together. "The Seventh Princess is a destined one. She must not be treated so discourteously."
Bore stared in astonishment, mouth agape.
Just as Yaoying had settled down to sleep, hurried footsteps echoed outside.
Several Royal Court soldiers opened the cell door and said respectfully, "Seventh Princess, please come with us. The Dharma Master wishes to see you."
Yaoying was led out of the prison to a side hall in the palace.
An elderly man in a Full Robe stood before the stone steps. Seeing her, he pressed his palms together: "Seventh Princess."
Yaoying's gaze fell upon the elder's aged face. After a long pause, she finally recognized those brown eyes.
Emotions surged within her, leaving her speechless for a long moment. Slowly collecting herself, she pressed her palms together and smiled. Though disheveled and bedraggled in slave's clothing, her demeanor remained dignified: "Dharma Master, it has been long since we parted in Chang'an. I trust you have been well?Mengda Ti Po looked at the young woman who maintained her composure despite her disheveled state and smiled gently: "By the princess's grace, I have fulfilled my lifelong wish.""
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