Mengda Tippo rose to examine Tanmoloqie’s legs, his expression grave.
Bore and two other guards huddled by the bedside, whispering a few words with Mengda Tippo.
Everyone’s face was shadowed with gloom.
In contrast, the gravely ill Tanmoloqie appeared the calmest. His cool gaze swept over them as he issued soft instructions.
Bore wiped away tears while nodding in acknowledgment.
They were speaking Brahmi, which Yaoying couldn’t understand at all. Still, she felt Tanmoloqie’s hoarse, sickbed voice carried an elegant rhythm.
The footsteps that startled her grew closer. A guard lifted the curtain and hurried into the inner chamber, speaking in the Hu language: “Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor and his party have arrived. They insist on entering the hall for an audience!”
Bore and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
“They cannot be allowed in!” Bore stepped in front of the bed, asking, “Where is the Regent?”
The guard replied, “General Su left for Gaochang not long ago and has not yet returned to the city.”
“What about Princess Chima?”
“General Ashina escorted Princess Chima to Yunfu City. They are also absent from the city. Messengers have already been sent to summon them.” The guard’s face was beaded with sweat. “The Grand Chancellor and his men are about to force their way in!”
The guards were at a loss. Mengda Tippo, unwilling to meddle in Royal Court politics, sighed helplessly.
Amid the oppressive silence, the feverish Tanmoloqie on the bed actually sat up. His thin shoulders tensed like a drawn bowstring, yet his pale face showed no trace of panic. He said softly, “Help me to the main hall.”
His voice remained composed as ever.
Bore wiped the corner of his eye and bent to support Tanmoloqie, his movements practiced and fluid, as if this had happened countless times before.
Yaoying stepped forward. “You really shouldn’t be getting up.”
Tanmoloqie lifted his gaze, his deep green eyes resting on her.
His way of looking at people was as detached as his demeanor—seeming to see you, yet also seeing through you, as though all worldly matters were mundane in his eyes.
An intangible aura of authority surrounded him, not sharp, but faintly perceptible.
Yaoying met his gaze for a moment before her eyes dropped to his legs. Frowning, she said in somewhat halting Hu language, “Your legs are swollen like this. You must rest in bed. If you get up now, even with Anxi pills, these legs will be permanently ruined.”
She didn’t know exactly how Tanmoloqie had died from illness, only that during his last public Sutra lecture, he had been carried to the altar by devotees. Seeing his legs now, she guessed they must have been crippled by then.
Bore was horrified, sobbing as he asked, “Your Majesty, should we tell the Grand Chancellor the truth?”
Tanmoloqie looked down at his legs, his eyelashes trembling faintly, and said lightly, “It’s nothing.”
With the Northern Rong watching closely and the court situation unstable, news of his critical illness could not be leaked.
Bore and the guards exchanged glances, not daring to say more, and helped him up.
Yaoying’s frown deepened.
Tanmoloqie showed no regard for his own health—were the people around him truly treating him as a god?
He was human.
According to the slaves, from nobles to commoners, the Royal Court despised the Han—only this monk was compassionate. Not only did he regard all slaves as his people and treat all ethnic groups kindly, but he also encouraged his followers to coexist peacefully with followers of Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism.
As long as this man lived one more day, the Northern Rong could not breach the Royal Court, nor could they divert their main forces to attack the Central Plains.Yaoying's mind raced through several thoughts as she stopped Bore and said, "Your king cannot leave his bed now. Find an excuse to send the Grand Chancellor and the others away."
Bore eyed her warily: "The Grand Chancellor is stubborn. Ordinary excuses won't deter him..."
"I am the excuse."
Yaoying cut off Bore's words, raised a hand to smooth her hair, the corners of her eyes tilting up playfully. Her gaze rippled like autumn waters, like flower buds suddenly bursting into radiant bloom amidst clouds and mist, her dazzling beauty too brilliant to behold.
Instantly, the room seemed filled with spring.
"Go out and tell the Grand Chancellor that the Princess of Great Wei is deeply infatuated, desperately clinging to the Buddha Prince, and he cannot break free."
Bore flushed red and looked down at Tanmoroqie.
Tanmoroqie didn't raise his head to look at Yaoying, his eyes lowered, fixed on the girl's worn-out straw sandals.
During their journey, he had forgotten to instruct his subordinates to care for this Wei princess. She had traveled alongside slaves and likely endured much hardship.
Tanmoroqie coughed lightly and said, "No need. This matter has nothing to do with the Seventh Princess."
Yaoying was surprised to hear him speaking the northern official language of the Central Plains, more fluently than Mengda Ti Po—a native of the Land of Brahma who had long resided in the Central Plains—and without any accent.
It was said he had been precocious since youth, mastering seven or eight languages by his teens. She hadn't expected Chinese to be among them.
If such a person had simply remained a monk devoted to Buddhist practice and philosophy, he likely wouldn't be suffering so much.
Yaoying sighed inwardly, then smiled nonchalantly. "I was in grave danger, and the Buddha Prince saved me from peril. It's only right that I repay you."
As she spoke, she crouched down to meet Tanmoroqie's gaze, her dark, luminous eyes reflecting his pale face.
"With your leg in this state, you shouldn't be moving around."
Before he could respond, Yaoying stood up, untied her hair ribbon, removed her tattered straw sandals, and stepped barefoot onto the carpet. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders as she walked out step by step, each movement graceful as a lotus blossoming, her silhouette enchanting.
Amidst the ornate beast patterns, a pair of smooth, snow-white feet peeked through, subtly exuding a tantalizing allure that left onlookers breathless.
The guards in the room stared, dumbfounded.
Outside the main hall, a group of middle-aged men in their forties and fifties strode up the stone steps.
Leading them was Kang Mo Zhe, Grand Chancellor of the Royal Court. He wore a narrow-sleeved short robe with paired bird patterns, a folded collar, a belt at the waist, long boots, and a Precious saber at his hip. His long hair was tied with colored ribbons at the back. As he walked, he scolded the guards: "The king returned last night. Why weren't the ministers summoned immediately?"
Bore approached and pointed at Li Yaoying, who stood weeping by the hall entrance: "Grand Chancellor, you must understand—the Princess of Wei is threatening to die if she cannot marry the king. He truly cannot break away."
Kang Mo Zhe paused, following Bore's gesture.
There stood a delicate, beautiful profile, vibrant and radiant, her charm surpassing even the wildflowers blooming across the valley in early spring.
With just a brief glance, the men unconsciously held their breaths.
Under their scrutinizing gazes, Yaoying wept softly, her sobs growing more sorrowful.
Kang Mo Zhe had already heard from his private soldiers about the Wei princess proposing marriage before the army. He had thought the soldiers exaggerated, but now, seeing her in person, he realized they hadn't captured half of her beauty.
How could such a beauty be so blind as to fancy an ascetic unmoved by feminine charms?Kang Mozhe's eyes shifted, and he laughed, "There is actually such a peerless beauty in the world."
The others exchanged glances.
The King is the Buddha Prince. Being entangled by a beauty—this awkward moment—should they enter or not?
"We couldn't stop the Wei Dynasty princess," the guards all feigned anxiety. "She's a woman, and a princess from the Central Plains at that. We didn't dare harm her. As soon as the King appears, she follows him relentlessly. The King can do nothing but hide in his bedchamber."
Everyone chuckled knowingly: With such a stunning beauty clinging to him, what could the King possibly do?
If it were them, they would have already taken advantage of the situation. Only the King could resist such temptation.
Bore straightened his back and said, "Ministers, please return. Once the King resolves the matter with the Central Plains princess, he will summon you."
Kang Mozhe narrowed his eyes.
The others had already burst into laughter. The Buddha Prince, who is pure and detached, actually encountering such a situation: "We only came to confirm that the King has returned to the city safely. Since the King is unharmed, we will take our leave."
They winked at Kang Mozhe: "Grand Chancellor, now is not the time for an audience."
Kang Mozhe's gaze lingered on Yaoying for a long time, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, before he turned and left with the others.
Only when their figures had disappeared beyond the palace gate did Bore quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Outside the palace gate, Kang Mozhe bid farewell to the others and called his attendant: "Inform General Xue that a peerless beauty has arrived in the city, and she is a Han woman."
The attendant acknowledged the order and departed.
Bore, confirming that the Grand Chancellor had truly left, returned to the hall entrance, looking somewhat bewildered: "The Grand Chancellor actually left just like that."
Yaoying stood up, brushed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and tied up her long hair.
The ministers showed no concern about whether her presence might harm Tanmoroqie's reputation; instead, they all wore expressions of schadenfreude.
It seemed the Royal Court was unstable—the ruler of the country wary of his ministers, and the ministers harboring their own schemes.
No wonder the Royal Court fell into disarray as soon as Tanmoroqie died.
Yaoying returned to the inner hall. Behind the curtains, it was silent except for the sound of burning candles.
Tanmoroqie had fallen into a deep sleep.
Bore rushed back to the bedside, knelt down, and turned to look at Mengda Ti Po, his face full of hope.
Mengda Ti Po let out a long sigh: "Acupuncture can only alleviate the pain."
Yaoying nodded: "Acupuncture can buy some time, but he won't last long. When will the people you sent to the Central Plains for medicine return to the Royal Court?"
Mengda Ti Po shook his head with a pained expression: "The Regent, fearing the leak of information, could only secretly send people disguised in caravans heading east to seek medicine. He sent over twenty people in total. Now, with the trade routes cut off by the Northern Rong, caravans to the Central Plains have vanished without a trace. The only caravan that returned safely detoured to Tubo, and that guard brought back no useful medicine."
Yaoying recalled what she had seen along the way—the Royal Court caravan that the First Prince, Ye Lu, had slaughtered likely included guards sent to find medicine for Tanmoroqie. With the Northern Rong blocking the path between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, it was extremely difficult for the Royal Court to bring back medicine smoothly. Those guards were likely in grave danger.
And there wasn't enough time.
Yaoying said, "I know where to find Water Mang Grass in the Western Regions."
Bore and Mengda Ti Po's eyes lit up with hope simultaneously.
Yaoying looked at them: "In Haidu Aling's camp."Born with a constitutional weakness, she had been recuperating for many years and could never cease taking medicine. One of the ingredients in the Concentrated Dew Pill was Water Mang Grass. When she married into the Yelu Tribe, her dowry included a large quantity of rare medicinal herbs and pre-prepared pills. When she escaped from the Yelu Tribe with her personal guards, she only brought some Concentrated Dew Pills with her, leaving the entire dowry behind in the tribe.
And the entire Yelu Tribe eventually fell into the hands of Haidu Aling.
Yaoying said with certainty, "I've inquired—the treasures Haidu Aling plundered have been transported back in batches and are hidden in his camp."
The son of Wahan Khan would not raid Haidu Aling based on mere rumors. His camp was stocked with treasures and silks brought back from the Central Plains.
Mengda Ti Po was stunned.
The medicine that could cure the Buddha Prince was in the Northern Rong?
"The Northern Rong won’t kindly send us the medicine, and we cannot let them know how crucial it is to our King," Bore stood up, his face clouded with worry. "We also cannot seize it by force. The Royal Court has just formed an alliance with the Northern Rong—we cannot attack them."
Mengda Ti Po remained silent. When it came to matters of state and military affairs, he never spoke up.
Bore paced anxiously back and forth. "Of all times, the Regent is away! General Ashina is also absent! There’s no one here to make a decision! What should we do?"
Yaoying glanced at Tanmoroqie lying on the bed and said, "The Royal Court need not attack the Northern Rong. That is my dowry."
Bore turned to look at her.
Yaoying walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and wrote a letter on a piece of silk. "In my capacity as a princess of Great Wei, I demand that the Northern Rong Khan return my dowry."
She paused, raising her eyebrows to look at Bore.
"Whether the Northern Rong will obediently return my dowry depends on who delivers this letter. If it is sent by the Royal Court’s central army, the Northern Rong Khan might personally oversee Haidu Aling’s return of the dowry."
Bore understood the implication behind her words.
If the Royal Court demanded the Northern Rong return the dowry on behalf of the Wei princess, wouldn’t that be equivalent to announcing to the world that the Buddha Prince had accepted the marriage proposal from the Wei princess?
Then wouldn’t this Han woman have a legitimate reason to stay indefinitely?
"Impossible!" Bore shook his head decisively.
Yaoying spread her hands. "Right now, the Buddha Prince’s life hangs by a thread. The only medicine that can save him is within reach. I have no soldiers or generals at my disposal. The Northern Rong won’t return my dowry just because of a letter from me. The decision is yours to make."
After all, she was not the one in need of the Water Mang Grass.
Tanmoroqie’s life was at stake, and the ministers had only just been dismissed. In a day or two, they would demand an audience with the monarch again.
They had no way out.
Bore’s expression shifted between anger, worry, and hesitation. He turned to look at the unconscious Tanmoroqie, struggled for a long moment, and finally took the letter from Yaoying.
"Han woman, do you dare swear that everything you’ve said is true?"
Yaoying smiled and looked at Mengda Ti Po. "Venerable One, I speak nothing but the truth."
Mengda Ti Po pressed his palms together. "This humble monk believes the princess."
He then nodded to Bore and spoke a few sentences in Brahmi.
Bore clenched the letter tightly, his fingers twisting with force. Lifting his chin, he declared, "Fine! I will go to Yunfu City to consult Princess Chima and General Ashina. If the princess and the general agree, I will personally deliver this letter!"
Gritting his teeth, he turned and rushed out.
The other guards escorted Yaoying to a side chamber and kept her under watch. Mengda Ti Po apologized, "I hope the princess will understand. The news of the Buddha Prince’s critical condition must not spread."Yaoying understood his concerns and shook her head with a smile, signaling that everything was fine.
They were now in the same boat, and she also hoped that Tanmoroqie could overcome this difficulty.
Her hope of returning to the Central Plains from the northern route of the Western Regions rested entirely on him.
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