After daybreak, Ashina Bisuo led his central army troops to restore order, checking personnel and horses, gathering scattered soldiers, and arresting the nobles and aristocrats who had participated in the assassination attempt against Su Dan Gu according to the register. Imperial guards wearing yellow silk moved like lightning, simultaneously reaching different important towns to issue imperial edicts. The aristocratic families were caught off guard and, having lost control of the army, chose to surrender after weighing their options.

By the time the great fire outside the city had died down and the holy city’s residents secretly opened their doors to peek at the streets, the court had been completely turned upside down. Bisuo spent the entire day rushing through the city’s streets and alleys, busy without a moment’s rest. In the afternoon, he deliberately detoured to the Princess’s mansion, wanting to see Princess Chima, but before he could get close, he heard loud wailing.

Outside the Princess’s mansion was a dense crowd of kneeling people – bewildered children, noble ladies with jeweled hair ornaments, well-dressed aristocratic youth, and white-haired elders all knelt at the mansion gates, weeping bitterly.

Bisuo frowned and reined in his horse.

“What’s going on?”

The mansion’s chancellor stepped forward, bowed, and said, “General, these people have come to beg the Princess to intercede for them. They’ve been crying all day, and no matter how I try to persuade them, they refuse to leave.”

Tanmoluojia lived in seclusion and had just taken severe measures against the aristocratic families. The royal relatives and nobles in the city didn’t dare to cry before him, so they could only come to Princess Chima’s mansion to beg her to intercede for their family members.

Bisuo raised his horsewhip angrily and said, “The city is under martial law. Neither officials nor commoners are allowed to loiter outside. Who allowed them to kneel here and beg?”

The chancellor replied helplessly, “The Princess forbade us from driving them away, saying to let them kneel and cry here.”

Bisuo rode his horse up the stone steps and cracked his whip harshly. “The King has signed the edict. Before sunrise tomorrow, no one is allowed to go out. Anyone who violates this order will be charged with treason! Return to your homes immediately and do not leave without permission, or you’ll keep company with those who attempted to assassinate the Regent in the prison!”

The nobles wailed loudly, tears streaming down their faces as they glared at Bisuo.

Bisuo patted the sword at his waist.

The nobles, remembering last night’s chaotic battle outside the city, shrank back and finally stood up to leave, filled with resentment.

Bisuo instructed the chancellor, “Tell the Princess that the city is chaotic these days, so she shouldn’t go out.”

The chancellor said quietly, “General, the Princess isn’t in the mansion. She went to the King’s Temple.”

Bisuo’s expression changed drastically. “When did this happen?”

The chancellor hesitated, then stammered, “Just now… When the Princess heard that this morning the King had awarded merits and promoted a Commander surnamed Zhang… she became furious immediately and ordered the gatekeepers to prepare a carriage, then went to the King’s Temple…”

Last night, when the four armies’ camps were scattered, a Zhang family descendant seized the opportunity to shout, persuading his comrades to surrender with him, and lit torches to guide the tribal cavalry that arrived in time, rendering great service. This morning, the Commander who took over the four armies awarded merits to encourage the soldiers, and the young Zhang had been promoted three ranks, becoming an imperial official.

Princess Chima deeply hated the Zhang family. Upon hearing this news, she became furious and went straight to the King’s Temple to demand that Tanmoluojia revoke the order.

She had a bronze token from Bisuo, so the central army guards didn’t dare stop her.

Bisuo didn’t dare delay and immediately turned his horse to chase after her in the direction of the King’s Temple.

…

At the King’s Temple.

Yaoying came down from the high tower, intending to return to her courtyard. She had slept in the meditation room for a night and thought it best to leave quietly while no one noticed, otherwise, it would surely cause more controversy if word got out.

Bamir said troubledly, “When the King left, he instructed me to protect the Princess. The King hasn’t returned yet, and if anything happens to the Princess, I won’t be able to account for it to the King.”

Yaoying felt she was already safe and didn’t need to stay longer, but Tanmoluojia was also considering her safety. Given the numerous affairs of the royal court at present, she thought it best to follow his arrangements.

She returned to the meditation room, sat cross-legged, and glanced at the scriptures on the long table.

Tanmoluojia’s writing was in Sanskrit, which she couldn’t understand.

She remembered something and asked Bamir for paper and a brush. Dipping the brush tip in ink, she wrote a brief letter to Xie Qing and the others, asking someone to deliver it to the courtyard.

Just as the monk-soldier who delivered the letter left, shouting came from the adjacent room, mixed with a woman’s furious scolding.

Neither Yuanjue nor Bore were present at this time. The monk-soldier asked Bamir for instructions: “Princess Chima wants to see the King. I told the Princess that the King wasn’t in the meditation room. The Princess doesn’t believe it and insists on barging in.”

Bamir hesitated and said, “I’ll go explain to the Princess.”

After speaking, he looked back at Yaoying.

“Princess Wenzhao, please go to the inner room temporarily. If Princess Chima barges in and… sees you here…”

Yaoying understood and retreated to the inner room.

The inner room of the meditation chamber was where Tanmoluojia resided. The room’s furnishings were simple and elegant, with a bed and a short table, Persian wool carpets on the floor, golden silk curtains hanging low, a falcon perch under the window, and bookshelves packed densely with scriptures against the walls. Sunlight shone through the high window, golden dust floating in the air, and the whole room was permeated with a thick, slightly bitter fragrance.

Yaoying didn’t touch the scriptures on Tanmoluojia’s table and shelves but sat cross-legged on the wool carpet for a while. Heavy footsteps came from the long corridor outside.

Bamir knocked on the door frame, indicating that Princess Chima had left.

Yaoying stood up to go out and was startled to see who had walked into the meditation room alongside Bamir.

Bisuo, carrying a helmet under his arm, smiled at her, looking tired. He turned to instruct Bamir, “If Princess Chima comes again, send someone to inform me.”

Bamir agreed and scratched his scalp, saying, “General, Princess Chima is truly unreasonable when she loses her temper. Only you can persuade her.”

Bisuo gave a bitter smile. This time Chima was truly angry, and it had taken him quite a while to persuade her to return.

“The Zhang family matter is troublesome…” he muttered.

Yaoying’s heart stirred. “What happened with the Zhang family?”

Bisuo sighed and told her what he had witnessed at the Princess’s mansion, finally saying, “The King ordered military reforms, with promotions based on merit. A Zhang family descendant rendered great service and received rewards and titles, but Princess Chima couldn’t accept it for the moment.”

Yaoying furrowed her brows slightly.

Bisuo looked troubled and said, “Zhang Xu is a direct descendant of the Zhang family. Understandably, Princess Chima is dissatisfied with Zhang Xu’s promotion.”

Yaoying pressed her lips together and asked, “Who told Princess Chima about this? There were many officers promoted this morning, why did only the news of Zhang Xu’s promotion spread so quickly?”

Bisuo was stunned, thought for a moment, and said, “Those aristocratic relatives kneeling outside the Princess’s mansion might have told her.”

Yaoying raised her eyes and said in a low voice, “General, you’d better have someone follow Princess Chima. If she can’t see the Master and has nowhere to vent her anger, what if someone instigates her to confront Imperial Guard Zhang directly? It might be difficult to handle the aftermath.”

Bisuo’s eyes widened as he realized the implications, his expression suddenly darkening. “Thank you for the reminder, Princess.”

He turned and strode away quickly.

Yaoying watched his anxious figure disappear into the distance and sighed softly.

The aristocratic families’ counterattack had come so quickly.

By having the elderly, weak, women, and children kneel and cry publicly, they were seeking sympathy and condemning Tanmoluojia’s cruelty toward the aristocratic families.

Telling Chima about the Zhang family descendant’s promotion was meant to sow discord and serve as a warning to the Zhang family.

If conflict erupted between Chima and Commander Zhang, whom should Tanmoluojia side with?

If he favored Chima, the newly risen nobles would surely be discontented.

If he favored Imperial Guard Zhang, would the royal relatives led by Chima accept it quietly?

They were like parasites that could not be eliminated, always waiting to exploit Tanmoluojia’s vulnerabilities to instigate trouble.

It was impossible to guard against everything.

…

Bisuo hurriedly chased out of the King’s Temple and discovered that Princess Chima was indeed going to confront Zhang Xu. Terrified, he stopped her carriage and directly confiscated the bronze token from her servant.

Chima lifted the carriage curtain, her face full of anger: “What are you doing?!”

Bisuo looked at her, his tone containing anger: “Chima, I shouldn’t have given you this bronze token.”

From nobles to commoners, no one in the city could come and go freely. He had worried about Chima having urgent matters and specially given her a bronze token for travel, but unexpectedly this almost led to a major mistake.

If he had ignored it and let Chima go make a scene at Zhang Xu’s place, it would have dampened people’s spirits. The aristocratic families would then seize the opportunity to sow discord between Tanmoluojia and the newly surrendered four armies, inevitably causing unrest among the troops.

“Zhang Xu has already been appointed as an Imperial Guard, he’s a soldier loyal to the King. Don’t go cause him trouble.”

Chima’s face darkened as she raged, “There are so many loyal soldiers, why did Luojia have to promote Zhang Xu? I accepted when he spared the Zhang family descendants, but now he’s putting Zhang family members in important positions, and the Zhang family will rise from the ashes again. How can I sit by and do nothing? The Zhang family and I cannot coexist!”

Bisuo signaled the servant to turn the carriage back to the Princess’s mansion and said gravely, “Everyone is the King’s subject… Chima, you only see hatred, while the King sees the stability of the royal court.”

Chima snorted coldly, “He doesn’t care about anyone. The Tanmo family means less to him than the Zhang family.”

Bisuo frowned and escorted her back to the Princess’s mansion. He instructed the chancellor to watch over her, confiscated the mansion’s bronze tokens and seals, and said, “If anyone comes to visit the Princess during this period, send them all away. The Princess is not to see anyone.”

The chancellor agreed.

Chima’s face was dark, “Bisuo, are you putting me under house arrest?”

Bisuo dismissed the chancellor and heaved a long sigh, “Chima, I can only do this. I can’t indulge your reckless behavior anymore.”

Chima had already failed to stop Tanmoluojia from promoting Zhang Xu and was burning with anger. Hearing these words made her even more furious, “Why do you always side with Luojia? Is my request so unreasonable?”

Bisuo rubbed his brow and said helplessly, “Chima, all along, the one I’ve been siding with is you. If I hadn’t repeatedly made excuses for you, Bamir and the others would have forcibly sent you back long ago.”

The anger didn’t leave Chima’s face.

Bisuo still had matters to attend to and had no desire to say more. His tone softened somewhat, “Behave yourself and don’t make trouble. When I’m done with my work, I’ll take you to see the Kucha dance performance in the market.”

With that, he hurriedly left.

Chima was furious and knocked over a table with a loud crash.

This couldn’t go on.

…

After leaving the Princess’s mansion, Bisuo found Yuanjue and asked, “Where is the King?”

Yuanjue answered, “The King returned from the palace and went to see Master Tido.”

Master Tido was the temple’s disciplinarian, in charge of enforcing rules.

Bisuo hurried to the disciplinary hall. It was nearly dusk. The hall was located underground, dimly lit, with footsteps echoing in the silent corridor, sounding somewhat eerie.

He walked through the passageway and quickly approached the penitence room. Just as he was about to knock, several muffled sounds came from inside.

The dull thuds came one after another.

Tanmoluojia was being punished.

Bisuo stood still, his hands slowly clenching into fists.

…

More than ten years ago, Bisuo had also stood here when he first saw the imprisoned Tanmoluojia.

At that time, the Zhang family controlled the court. Tanmoluojia grew up in the temple, and the Zhang family wouldn’t let him leave or allow ministers to see him. They only permitted the elderly Boluoliuzhi to teach him Buddhism.

Boluoliuzhi always praised Tanmoluojia’s wisdom, which made Bisuo very skeptical. From a young age, he had wanted to meet Luojia.

That year, during a Buddhist ceremony at the temple, he and several other aristocratic youths secretly snuck into the disciplinary hall.

The thin Luojia wore a gray kasaya, sitting in his cell reading scriptures. Several beams of light fell into the hall, dappling his face and illuminating his deep-set features. In the summer’s blooming flowers and scorching sun, a cold radiance seemed to emanate from him.

In that instant, Bisuo and the other noble youths hardly dared to breathe, afraid of disturbing their King.

When they saw that the scripture Tanmoluojia was reading was in Sanskrit, they had to admit defeat. The master wasn’t showing favoritism to Luojia; Luojia truly was his most intelligent student.

Later, Bisuo became one of the guards serving the Buddha’s son.

He knew better than anyone what Luojia had endured over these years.

In his childhood, the imprisoned Luojia lacked food and clothing, never saw daylight, yet still studied diligently.

Even after witnessing the massacre of the Tanmo clan, he maintained his Buddhist heart, unlike Chima who became gloomy, irritable, and unreasonable.

He practiced dharma, endured pain, used asura methods to protect all beings, and accepted punishment alone.

All these years, Bisuo had never seen Luojia smile.

Not once.

Luojia seemed to understand the responsibility on his shoulders from birth. Born as king and showing early wisdom, he not only had to promote Buddhism and carry the people’s hopes but also shoulder the dynasty’s burden.

Being both Buddha’s son and asura, could he maintain his current determination and clarity?

…

Thinking of Tanmoluojia’s reactions after losing control of his dharma power the previous times, Boluoliuzhi’s dying words surfaced in his mind again.

“Don’t let Luojia become a second General Saisang’er…”

Bisuo closed his eyes briefly, burying his concerns in the deepest part of his heart.

After waiting for a while, the sound of beating stopped in the penitence room. Following some slow talking, the door opened from inside, and Tanmoluojia walked out. His loose kasaya concealed his figure as he walked steadily with a calm expression.

Bisuo composed himself and went forward, first apologizing, then quietly reporting about Princess Chima.

“Your Majesty, I have already advised Princess Chima. The Princess was instigated and acted rashly out of righteous indignation. Please forgive her.”

Tanmoluojia glanced at him and said, “Watch over her.”

Bisuo’s face reddened slightly. Luojia knew about Chima’s volatile temper and had reminded him to watch the Princess’s mansion. If he hadn’t privately given the bronze token to Princess Chima, she wouldn’t have had the chance to leave the mansion.

“I understand, I won’t let Princess Chima trouble Zhang Xu again. The Princess’s actions are understandable. Once we drive away those who instigated her, she’ll settle down.”

Bisuo’s face was full of remorse. Tanmoluojia’s eyes gazed at the pitch-black night sky, and he said nothing more.

…

That night, Tanmoluojia didn’t return to the meditation room until dark.

Bamir faithfully carried out his duty and wouldn’t let Yaoying return to her courtyard. Seeing how dark it had become, she stood up and occasionally lifted the felt curtain to look outside. She didn’t know how long she had waited when finally, amidst the flickering shadows in the corridor, came a series of footsteps. Tanmoluojia slowly approached the meditation room surrounded by guards in blue robes and white garments, his figure straight and tall, a soft glow on his gold-patterned kasaya.

Yaoying let out a long breath – he had finally returned.

Bamir lifted the felt curtain, and Tanmoluojia stepped into the meditation room.

“Master.”

A gentle call, as Yaoying went forward to greet him.

Tanmoluojia was slightly startled, his gaze falling on her smiling face.

Yaoying’s lips twitched – had he forgotten she had been waiting in his meditation room all this time?

“Master, please rest well. I’ll go back now.”

Yaoying withdrew from the meditation room.

Bamir scratched his head awkwardly, “Princess… it’s almost midnight, and the gates to the outer courtyard have been locked. If you go back now, you’ll disturb everyone.”

Yaoying’s steps faltered. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Then are there any empty courtyards in the temple?”

After all, she could return to her courtyard at dawn; she just needed to find a place to wait for a few hours.

Bamir shook his head.

As they were both at a loss, a hand with distinct knuckles brushed aside the felt curtain.

Tanmoluojia stood at the doorway, his jade-green eyes looking at Yaoying, deep weariness between his brows.

“Come in.”

He said flatly, without a trace of emotion.

Yaoying’s leg, which had stepped out, involuntarily drew back.