That day, Tanmoroqie had two more episodes. Though not as agonizing as the previous ones on the mountain and with his consciousness remaining clear, his body had visibly weakened considerably.
Yaoying, fearing something might happen to him, dared not stay away for long. Apart from a few trips downstairs, she remained by his side the entire time. This time, she didn’t dare doze off. She sat opposite Tanmoroqie all night, pondering how to return to the Holy City quickly and smoothly while also planning for what would come after their return. Whenever she noticed his brow reddening, she would gently wake him.
Tanmoroqie opened his eyes and looked at her, his gaze icy.
Yaoying leaned forward and fed him a pill.
Thinking of how he had endured such suffering all these years and would continue to do so, she grew deeply troubled.
Tanmoroqie calmly turned away, wiped the blood from his lips with an indifferent expression, glanced at the dawn light filtering through the tent entrance, and made as if to rise.
Yaoying quickly grabbed his arm. "When we were in Gaochang, General, you told me to focus on recovering first before discussing the alliance. Why is it that when it comes to you, you’re willing to risk so much for so little? Important matters await, but your health cannot be neglected either."
Tanmoroqie replied flatly, "It’s nothing."
The most difficult night had already passed.
Yaoying frowned slightly. "General, it’s clear something is wrong. Though I know nothing of martial arts, even I can see that."
Tanmoroqie’s brow furrowed, and his gaze settled on her face. She had been keeping watch over him day and night these past few days, and the dark circles under her eyes had not faded.
Yaoying met Luojia’s gaze unflinchingly. "I know you must return to the Holy City, but you cannot completely disregard your health. Right now, you are a patient, and patients must listen and not push themselves too hard."
With that, she pressed him back into a seated position.
Her strength was not great—Tanmoroqie could have easily shaken her off with a slight movement of his arm. But as he tensed, he met her concerned gaze and relaxed again.
Without a word, he sat back down.
"Yesterday, I learned some things from the merchant caravan and thought of a way to smoothly blend into the Holy City. I was just about to discuss it with you, General."
Yaoying brought out a black lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and opened the lid. The room was instantly filled with a golden glow, the air shimmering with treasure.
Inside the box was a gilded bronze statue of Hevajra seated on a lotus. It consisted of four tiers, each shaped like a blooming lotus. Eight Buddha figures, holding spears and vajras, sat cross-legged on the lotus pedestals. The intricate, layered carvings were exquisitely crafted.
"This is a birthday gift for the Buddha Prince. I bought it from a merchant from the Land of Brahma."
Yaoying spoke softly.
Tanmoroqie lowered his gaze, glanced at the gilded lotus statue in the box, and froze.
Unaware of his momentary astonishment, Yaoying continued, "More and more commoners are journeying to the Holy City from all directions to pay homage to the Buddha Prince. We can blend in with them and enter the city together. I’ve inquired—these groups are large and travel in crowds to worship the Buddha Prince. Every year, the inspections for them are the most lenient."
She had not been idle yesterday. Using the excuse of her reverence for the Buddha Prince and her desire to purchase treasures for offering, she had struck up conversations with merchant caravans from various places.
The merchants told her that inspections at checkpoints throughout the city remained strict, with towns closer to the Holy City being even more rigorous.
The Regent was still seriously injured, and she didn’t want him to risk a strenuous journey. After much thought, she concluded that blending into the pilgrimage crowd was the best approach. Not only would it help them avoid inspections, but it would also provide a legitimate reason to approach the Wang Temple."What does the General think of my idea?"
Yaoying widened her eyes, earnestly seeking Tanmoroqie's opinion.
Tanmoroqie was looking down at her.
Their gazes met, and his held a hint of scrutiny.
Unaware of the reason, Yaoying blinked at Tanmoroqie, her dark eyes gleaming like lacquer.
Her gaze was lively and clear as morning dew, without a trace of probing.
"General?" Yaoying called out softly.
Tanmoroqie averted his eyes and said, "This bronze statue is unsuitable."
Yaoying was taken aback. Picking up the gilded bronze statue for a closer look, she asked, "What is improper about this Vajra statue?"
Not only was this Vajra statue exquisite and ingenious, but it was also uniquely crafted. It was said that only artisans from the Land of Brahma could carve such a style. When the merchant from the Land of Brahma presented it yesterday, the merchants in the hall were awestruck and rushed to bid. If she hadn't learned a few clumsy phrases of Brahmi from Bore and secured the deal with the merchant first, it would have been snatched away by others.
She had thought the statue was precious—with its dazzling gold and flawless craftsmanship, didn't it resemble the Buddha statues on the altar during the Royal Court's procession festival?
Tanmoroqie paused and said, "One volume of the Scriptures is enough. There is no need for extravagance."
Realizing she might have made a mistake, Yaoying felt no embarrassment since she was facing the Regent. She smiled and said, "Thank you, General. I have learned my lesson."
With that, she immediately picked up the box, stood up, covered her face with a veil, and hurried out, her figure disappearing at the door. Soon, footsteps returned, and she stood by the door pulling on her boots, leaning halfway into the room.
"I'll be back soon. Please rest well, General."
Half an hour later, Yaoying returned carrying several golden Scriptures. The Scriptures were made of parchment, adorned with vivid and exquisite illustrations.
"I resold the bronze statue," she said, sitting cross-legged and patting the Scriptures. "Are these Scriptures suitable as an offering to the Buddha Prince?"
Tanmoroqie nodded slightly.
It seemed her actions were unintentional.
...
Downstairs, the merchant who had just bought the statue from Yaoying was overjoyed. He carried the statue back to his room.
His companion asked in surprise, "This statue is exquisitely crafted and beautifully styled. It's a pity a rug merchant from the Sheep and Horse City snatched it up first. How did it end up in your hands?"
The merchant stroked his beard, beaming with delight. "The merchant from the Land of Brahma who sold the statue didn't know its value, and the young lady who bought it didn't either. She thought it was just an ordinary statue. I offered fifty more silver coins, and she happily resold it to me!"
His companion looked envious. "What luck! This statue is a rare treasure from the Land of Brahma. If you resell it to the nobles of the Royal Court, you're sure to make a fortune!"
The merchant laughed heartily. "A fortune? It's more than that!"
He deliberately paused.
Knowing he was building suspense, his companion urged with a smile, "What's so special about this statue? Tell me quickly."
"It has many wonders!" the merchant lowered his voice, set down the statue, and after feeling around for a moment, found a hidden mechanism. With a gentle twist—
Click—the gilded lotus at the very top of the statue suddenly opened, its petals unfurling one by one like a blooming flower, shimmering with golden radiance, breathtakingly beautiful.
The companion gasped in admiration.
The next moment, he was struck dumb with amazement.Within the unfolding lotus slowly emerged a seated vajra statue adorned with a jeweled crown. The vajra was depicted unclothed, with multiple faces, six pairs of long arms, a waist adorned with pearl strings, and ritual implements in hand. Its primary arms embraced a gilded goddess, who was also unclothed, tightly clinging to the vajra's neck with her legs wrapped around its waist, forming an intimate embrace.
Their companion flushed crimson.
The merchant laughed heartily: "This is a yab-yum statue transmitted from the Land of Brahma. I've heard there exists a sect of monks in Brahma who practice dual cultivation through male-female union to attain the realm of great bliss. Having seen such statues during my travels in Brahma, you're right - this is indeed a rarity. The noble lords of the Holy City would certainly offer more silver coins in exchange."
He had struck gold!
...
Yaoying remained completely unaware of the conversation taking place downstairs.
The following day, she continued gathering information while keeping watch over Tanmoroqie, preventing him from circulating his energy.
At night, the falcon returned with a reply.
After reading the letter, Tanmoroqie fell into thoughtful silence. The impatient falcon lightly pecked his arm, prompting him to stroke its feathers and signal its departure.
The next morning, they blended into a pilgrimage procession leaving the city, heading toward the Holy City.
Just beyond the city gates, they encountered a troop of soldiers wearing long swords who came galloping on horseback. The soldiers shouted curses while reading proclamations from their saddles, immediately detaining any young man traveling alone for interrogation.
Soon, sounds of beating and scolding echoed behind them as solitary men were taken away.
With lingering fear, Yaoying lowered the carriage curtain and glanced at Tanmoroqie sitting cross-legged beside her in meditative repose. His injuries showed signs of worsening, hence their carriage journey today.
After several miles, the thunder of hooves approached from behind, spraying snow in all directions. A contingent of Northern Rong soldiers arrived in winding formation, surrounding a large wagon tightly covered with felt curtains. Judging by the foreign maidens seated at the front, the occupant was undoubtedly a woman.
Amid neighing horses and shouted curses from pedestrians forced to yield, the procession charged ahead without slowing.
Complaints rose from both sides of the road.
"The noble lady in that wagon is a Northern Rong princess - such airs she puts on!"
"These Northern Rong people are truly savage and uncouth."
...
Through the curtain crack, Yaoying watched Zhu Lvyun's wagon disappear into the distance.
Having steadied her nerves, she no longer deliberately avoided Zhu Lvyun but instead focused on tracking the other's movements to deduce what had transpired in Northern Rong and why Wahan Khan would send Zhu Lvyun to the Royal Court.
Since arriving at the Royal Court, Zhu Lvyun had frequently visited markets, apparently seeking treasures to curry favor with court nobles, showing no other unusual behavior. The Northern Rong envoy remained as arrogant and contemptuous as ever.
Yaoying pondered endlessly: Haidu Aling and Wahan Khan's sons were locked in mortal struggle, brothers turning against each other in continuous conflict, yet Northern Rong appeared completely undisturbed.
She calculated that when Zhu Lvyun departed from the Northern Rong court, Haidu Aling and young prince Jin Bo shouldn't have fallen out yet. But now Jin Bo had already informed Wahan Khan of Haidu Aling's conspiracies - why was Northern Rong still inactive?
Yaoying pressed her lips together.
Yang Qian possessed military talent capable of training and commanding righteous armies, but he lacked skill in deploying spies and training scouts.The Regent had told her that the Northern Rong possessed an elusive scout force. Their territory was vast—traveling slowly from the central court to the smaller tribes could take months. Without well-trained scouts, a single command might take half a year to disseminate. With a powerful scout network, they could swiftly gather intelligence from various kingdoms, devise strategies, and launch surprise attacks.
Yaoying needed such a force herself.
Then she wouldn’t have to endure the daily agony of waiting for news from Gaochang.
Old Qi and his merchant caravan were ideal candidates for scouts. Before arriving at the Royal Court, they had lived for years in the Western Regions, frequently interacting with various tribes. Moving about as merchants wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
However, they were untrained civilians after all, unable to discern which fragments of information were useful and which were not.
Lost in thought for a while, Yaoying snapped back to reality when she heard Tanmoroqie’s breathing grow heavier beside her. She poured a bowl of hot Medicinal Soup and handed it to him.
As Tanmoroqie reached out to take it, she pulled back, picked up a stiff naan bread, and used it as a fan to gently waft the steam rising from the hot ceramic bowl.
"Wait, it’s just been brewed and is still very hot."
No matter how strong or bitter the Medicinal Soup was, Tanmoroqie drank it in one gulp as if he had no sense of taste, without even furrowing his brow. Yaoying feared he might scald himself by drinking it all at once.
After fanning it several times and deeming it cool enough, she finally handed him the bowl.
Tanmoroqie took the bowl without a word.
Yaoying tossed the naan aside and asked, "General, has there been any news from the Northern Rong these days?"
Tanmoroqie finished the Medicinal Soup, glanced at her, and shook his head.
He had been holding his forces in place, also waiting for news from the Northern Rong. Knowing she feared Haidu Aling, he hadn’t mentioned it to her.
Yaoying sighed, suspecting that Haidu Aling might have killed Wahan Khan and his son, just as in the book, and taken control of the situation, which would explain the Northern Rong’s silence.
She needed to prepare in advance.
Leaning against the carriage wall, Yaoying silently calculated.
After drinking the Medicinal Soup, Tanmoroqie felt a wave of pain slowly spread through his body, with a dull ache deep in his bones. He closed his eyes and sat quietly, waiting for this wave of suffering to pass before opening his heavy eyelids.
A handkerchief was offered to him. Yaoying looked at him, her dark eyes filled with concern.
These days, whenever Tanmoroqie opened his eyes, he could see her.
Sometimes she sat there lost in thought, her expression serious, as if pondering important matters. Sometimes she stared at him unblinkingly, her face lighting up with joy when his complexion improved, and frowning with worry when his injuries worsened. Sometimes she propped her chin on her hand, dozing off while sitting, only to straighten up immediately at any sound, rub her face, widen her eyes, and try to appear alert and energetic.
Without her care, he could have returned to the Holy City.
But in that case, he might have collapsed in some desolate corner, enduring the pain alone. It wouldn’t have been like this journey, where someone attended to him meticulously throughout.
Tanmoroqie took the handkerchief, warmth quickly spreading from his icy fingertips.
The handkerchief had been kept warm on the charcoal stove.
He felt somewhat unaccustomed to it and waited for it to cool slightly before using it to wipe away his cold sweat.
…They continued westward, their pilgrimage procession swelling in size. Alongside wealthy families accompanied by robust servants and camel caravans were far more common folk. The main road was filled with devout believers carrying felt blankets, their faces weathered by journey.
These followers were not wealthy—many couldn't even offer decent congratulatory gifts—yet their devotion ran deep. Throughout the journey, they earnestly chanted Scriptures, praying for Tanmoroqie.
Traveling alongside them, Yaoying listened to their repeated accounts of Tanmoroqie's benevolence, profoundly feeling the people's reverence for him. She finally understood why Tanmoroqie clashed so severely with the Royal Court's nobility.
Tanmoroqie protected all common people regardless of status, while the nobles treated their subjects as private property. His vision extended to establishing lasting stability for the Royal Court, striving to make it strong enough to prosper without relying solely on him. This pursuit was misunderstood not only by the nobility but even by the beneficiaries themselves.
As merchants had warned, the closer they got to the Holy City, the stricter the inspections became, casting a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Beyond the daily decoctions she had to brew, Yaoying purchased expensive herbs at every market town. She boiled several pots of medicine daily until the carriage interior and exterior reeked of sour bitterness, even the curtains saturated with a lingering pungent odor.
When fellow travelers inquired, Yaoying explained her husband was gravely ill, and she journeyed to the Holy City seeking the Buddha Prince's healing. Seeing that Tanmoroqie never left the carriage, required daily medication, and received all food and drink from her hands, they believed her completely, regarding her with both sympathy and admiration.
An elderly foreign woman, noticing Yaoying's exhaustion-darkened eyes, sighed: "Though your husband is useless now, you remain steadfast. The Buddha Prince will surely bless you!"
Yaoying's eyelid twitched—she had never claimed the Regent was useless.
During subsequent soldier inspections, believers would explain on her behalf before she even lifted the curtain. The guards remained particularly vigilant toward lone young men, but seeing Yaoying's complete travel documents and hearing about this delicate woman journeying thousands of miles with her critically ill husband, they never harassed her.
The journey proceeded peacefully until they reached a star-city near the Holy City. Here, the guarding soldiers were replaced by armored cavalry from noble families, their presence foreboding like an approaching storm.
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