The guard, unaware that Yao Ying had sold the bronze statue, exclaimed admiringly: “No wonder those Persian merchants were singing such high praises. This Buddha statue is truly exquisite – I’ve never seen such a style before.”

Yao Ying closed the treasure box and asked, “Are the tribal chiefs and princesses in the city all collecting treasures now?”

The guard nodded, saying, “Even the silk in our shop has gone up in price, yet they’re still fighting over it!” He stole a glance at Yao Ying, leaving the rest unsaid – the reason for the soaring silk prices was the rumor that Yao Ying had danced for the Buddha’s Son wearing clothes made from material brought from Central Plains.

Yao Ying looked at the treasure box, her eyes glinting as an idea formed. “Send the bronze Buddha back to Old Qi,” she said. “Tell him to give this statue to those Persian merchants and let them sell it – the highest bidder wins.”

Since the Persian merchants claimed the bronze Buddha was rare, why not sell it at a premium while the city’s nobles, chiefs, and princesses all wanted it?

The guard looked regretful but respectfully agreed, then asked, “Then what will the Princess give as a birthday gift to the Buddha’s Son?”

Yao Ying waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that.”

The guard seemed to have more to say.

Yao Ying glanced at him, frowning slightly. “What are you worried about?”

The guard hesitated, then stammered, “Old Qi and the others are afraid the other princesses’ gifts might be better…”

Yao Ying couldn’t help but laugh. “Why compete over such things?”

It wasn’t a gift-giving competition.

“Don’t concern yourselves with this. The merchant caravans from Samarkand, Kashanna, North India, and Tibet will return soon – focus on receiving them.”

The guard scratched his head and retreated sheepishly.

…

At the Royal Temple.

Bisuo hurried to the meditation chamber with Yuanjue. As they passed through the long corridor, they encountered a young man striding toward them, wearing an embroidered cap, a leopard-skin brocade half-sleeve robe, and boots.

As they passed each other, Bisuo noticed the man was as tall as himself and gave him a casual glance.

The man was seventeen or eighteen years old, with sword-like eyebrows extending to his temples, a prominent nose, and strong features. His arms were thick and muscular, the brocade robe taut against his frame. A long, fierce scar marked his cheek, yet this didn’t detract from his handsomeness – rather, it reduced his boyishness and added a mature man’s steadiness. He radiated vigor, tall and athletic – a tribal warrior who had grown up on horseback.

Though young, he showed no fear of Bisuo’s imposing presence. His brown eyes met Bisuo’s directly, like a silver sword slashing through the air, radiating sharp brilliance.

The two exchanged silent nods.

After the man had gone, Bisuo asked, “Who is he?”

Yuanjue answered quietly, “General, this is Prince Mobituo.”

Bisuo suddenly understood. “So it’s him.”

On the night when tens of thousands of noble family troops were stationed outside the Holy City, a cavalry force of ten thousand tribesmen had descended from the heavens. Working in concert with the royal army that had infiltrated the four armies, they had scattered the battle formation, pursuing the demoralized remnants with unstoppable force.

Their young leader had charged fearlessly, striking like lightning and thunder, commanding his tribe with the bearing of a battlefield general. When he finished fighting and led his tribe to bow before Tanmoluojia at the city gates, removing his helmet, everyone was astonished to discover he was merely a youth.

Overnight, Mobituo’s name spread throughout the royal court.

Mobituo’s nomadic tribe was called Ujiri, who had once herded sheep and horses for the Persian dynasty. After Persia’s fall, the Ujiri tribe had fled to the Pamirs region, frequently raiding passing caravans.

The royal court was prosperous, but nomadic tribes along the trade routes often plundered royal caravans. Regent Su Dan Gu led troops to clear the trade routes, nearly reaching Samarkand city east of the Caspian Sea. Within three months, twenty-eight tribes were surrounded and pursued by royal troops with nowhere to escape, forcing them to surrender, including the Ujiri tribe. Thereafter, the trade routes became unobstructed, and royal caravans no longer feared robbery by small countries and tribes along the way.

After the Ujiri tribe’s submission, they had expected to be enslaved and killed. Unexpectedly, Tanmoluojia only punished the bandits, not the civilians. He found land for the others to herd and farm. The men, women, young and old of the tribe were moved to tears with gratitude. The Ujiri tribe then changed their faith and converted to Buddhism.

Days ago, upon receiving the falcon’s message, the old chief immediately led troops to the Holy City overnight, joining with other tribes en route. Mobituo accompanied his father on the expedition, volunteering to lead the vanguard, which the old chief gladly approved.

These days during the rewards ceremony, the old chief requested Tanmoluojia, hoping his son Mobituo could stay in the Holy City to broaden his horizons and listen to the Buddha’s Son’s teachings.

Tanmoluojia agreed.

Bisuo thought to himself that Mobituo’s stay in the Holy City was likely aimed at becoming Tanmoluojia’s guard, to smooth his future succession of the Ujiri tribe.

In recent years, almost all submitted tribes have converted to Buddhism. If a succeeding chief could gain Tanmoluojia’s recognition, the tribe would accept them regardless of background, securing their position.

The once proud and unruly tribes had become a force loyal to the royal family under Tanmoluojia’s nurturing influence, protecting the royal court with unwavering devotion.

Was this what Luojia meant by combining benevolence with authority, strength with gentleness?

Bisuo pondered silently as he entered the meditation chamber and bowed with clasped fists.

The long table in the room was piled with scrolls and parchments. Tanmoluojia was writing, bent over his desk. Hearing Bisuo speak, he lifted his chin slightly.

Bisuo understood and stepped forward, picking up parchment from the corner of the table to examine it carefully.

Yuanjue explained from the side: “Your Majesty, General Ashina went out of the city with Princess Wenzhao today and just returned to the Royal Temple, hence the late arrival.”

Bisuo’s eyelid twitched, and he immediately looked toward Tanmoluojia.

Tanmoluojia kept his head down in silence, his writing motion showing no hesitation.

Yuanjue withdrew.

Bisuo felt somewhat uneasy. After waiting a while and seeing Tanmoluojia still hadn’t spoken, he suppressed his thoughts and focused on reading the parchment. When he reached the final lines, his expression changed dramatically.

The Northern Rong had sent a diplomatic letter, beginning with a lot of pleasantries before finally stating that their Crown Prince wished to seek Princess Chima’s hand in marriage to ally with the two countries.

Bisuo said angrily, “What does the Northern Rong mean by this? They know Princess Chima cannot marry outside the kingdom.”

Princess Chima would only marry a royal court noble.

“Khan Wahan is testing us,” Tanmoluojia put down his brush and said, “The four armies have just regrouped and cannot go to war. Send word to the troops stationed in all areas of the Desert City – whether faced with Northern Rong armies or small tribal groups, remain still. Anyone who violates military orders will be dealt with according to martial law.”

Bisuo agreed – with the Northern Rong blocking news, they must be cautious.

After discussing some other matters, Bisuo took his leave.

At the doorway, he suddenly stopped, raised his head to look at Tanmoluojia, and said, “Your Majesty, Princess Wenzhao invited me out of the city today to discuss official business.”

Tanmoluojia remained silent.

Unable to discern whether he cared about this matter, Bisuo stood for a moment before quietly withdrawing.

Incense smoke curled before the brocade curtain.

Tanmoluojia’s brush stopped, his eyelashes trembling slightly. He removed the prayer beads from his wrist, his fingers gently turning them as he recited scriptures.

The wind blew into the meditation chamber through the open door, stirring hidden currents in the room.

A moment later, he slipped the prayer beads back onto his wrist, picked up his brush, and continued reviewing other memorials.

At this time, deliberately lightened footsteps sounded at the door. Guard Banruo bowed outside, his face flushed red with an anxious expression.

“Your Majesty, I accompanied the ceremonial official to receive envoys from various countries and heard some rumors.”

He entered the room, kneeling on one knee, his voice tinged with anger.

“You must control Princess Wenzhao! You cannot continue indulging the Princess’s reckless behavior!”

Tanmoluojia stopped writing and raised his eyes.

Banruo immediately suppressed his anger and complained quietly: “Your Majesty, news of Princess Wenzhao whipping the Northern Rong Princess has spread throughout the Holy City.”

Today, when Banruo went to the guest houses to appease envoys from various countries, he was surrounded by servants of various princesses asking endless questions. Overwhelmed, he also heard a rumor.

On the day Yao Ying met Zhu Lüyun, she deliberately left spies behind. These spies witnessed her seizing Zhu Lüyun and her guards without even exchanging pleasantries, torturing them on the spot, and finally threatening Zhu Lüyun. Shocked, they hurried back to report to their masters – who were the various princesses from different countries.

Banruo, with an expression of exasperation, said: “Now the rumors have spread everywhere. They’re saying Princess Wenzhao is arrogant and tyrannical, cruel and merciless. They say she fears other countries’ princesses might steal you away, so she captured the Northern Rong Princess and forced her to return home, conveniently timed with the Northern Rong delegation’s departure. All the other princesses believed it!”

His voice rose slightly as he continued: “Those princesses asked me if Princess Wenzhao is really as the rumors say – charming and obedient before you, but as poisonous as a snake, with a vicious heart. They’re saying that whoever gets close to you, Princess Wenzhao poisons their looks. For your sake, they say she’ll stop at nothing, capable of any evil scheme…”

Finally, Banruo shook his head, “The Princess is too indulged. The rumors are getting more and more exaggerated. How will the royal court’s subjects view you? Your Majesty, you must control Princess Wenzhao.”

Tanmoluojia put down the memorial and called Yuanjue, asking if he had heard these rumors.

Yuanjue replied: “Yes, I have. The common people are saying… saying that Princess Wenzhao was jealous and that’s why she forced the Northern Rong Princess to leave just after arriving in the Holy City.”

Tanmoluojia’s brows furrowed slightly.

…

The uprising was quelled without bloodshed, and the court situation gradually stabilized. The Buddha’s Son Tanmoluojia’s birthday and the gathering of princesses from various countries once again became the most common topics of conversation among the common people.

After martial law was lifted, the Holy City’s streets and alleys were bustling with endless streams of devoted believers coming to worship.

Amid this peaceful atmosphere, Zhu Lüyun and her party left the Holy City in disgrace.

Zhu Lüyun had been forcibly sent to the royal court by her aunt, Princess Imperial Yiqing, and was eager to leave early.

Her guards, however, didn’t want to leave like this. But the royal court directly sent troops to escort them back, leaving no room for negotiation. With no options left, they could only return empty-handed.

When they came to the royal court, they had traveled by day and rested at night, staying extra days at post stations during snowstorms. On their return, the royal court soldiers constantly urged them forward. Unable to transmit messages to inquire about the next steps of their plan, they had to abandon their large carts. Everyone rode horses, traveling day and night without rest, quickly reaching the border.

After completing the paperwork to pass through, Northern Rong border guards suddenly detained several people.

The guard angrily said: “We were on a diplomatic mission to the royal court and now need to hurry back to Yi Prefecture to report. Here is the imperial decree, written by the Judge himself. By detaining us without cause, aren’t you defying authority?”

The soldiers burst into laughter but did not explain. They checked everyone’s travel documents and, after confirming everything was in order, gave orders to proceed – but not back to Yi Prefecture.

The guard was bewildered and tried to ask the escorting soldiers where they were being taken, but the soldiers remained silent.

Three days later, the uneasy group was delivered to an earthen fort used for sentinel duty. The guard happened to know some of the fort’s defenders and sought help from his acquaintance.

When the defender heard they wanted to return to Yi Prefecture, he said: “You don’t know – the Khan’s camp has already left Yi Prefecture! The Judge and Princess Imperial Yiqing might have followed the Khan to Ordo. If you try to return to Yi Prefecture to report, you’ll find it empty.”

The guard was dumbfounded: After Zhu Lüyun arrived in Yi Prefecture, Princess Imperial Yiqing’s husband had sought a princess title for her, after which the Princess Imperial had sent guards to escort her niece to the royal court. When they left Yi Prefecture, the Northern Rong had been peaceful. Later they lost contact with the Northern Rong, which they had attributed to the long distance without thinking deeper. It turned out that during their diplomatic mission, the Northern Rong had been turned upside down – the Khan had gone to Ordo!

“What happened in Yi Prefecture?”

The defender’s expression changed slightly as he lowered his voice: “I’m just a small soldier, I don’t know what happened… I heard that several princes had a dispute with Prince Haiduo’aling. Haiduo’aling tried to assassinate the Khan, who was severely wounded. Somehow after that, they moved camp to Ordo. Now Yi Prefecture is in chaos. The ones escorting you are the Crown Prince’s men – they’re taking you to Ordo.”

The guard listened with mounting terror, his clothes soaked with sweat.

The Judge and Princess Imperial Yiqing were Haiduo’aling’s teachers. With Haiduo’aling attempting to assassinate Khan Wahan, Princess Imperial Yiqing must be involved. The Judge and Princess Imperial might have already been executed by the Khan. Falling into the hands of Haiduo’aling’s rival, the Crown Prince, wouldn’t they be like sheep entering a tiger’s den?

Growing increasingly anxious, the guard went back to discuss what to do with the others.

When they heard about Haiduo’aling’s assassination attempt on the Khan, everyone was terrified. They said: “This Han princess’s title was requested by the Judge, who is Haiduo’aling’s teacher. If we escort the Han princess to Ordo, we’ll surely be treated as Haiduo’aling’s people. The Crown Prince won’t spare us.”

“We were ordered to protect Princess Fukang, and now the Princess has returned to Northern Rong unharmed. We’ve fulfilled our duty to the Princess Imperial. We can’t accompany the Princess to Ordo to die.”

“Right! Haiduo’aling’s rebellion has nothing to do with us! We must plan!”

“Princess Fukang doesn’t manage anything. Following her will get us killed sooner or later!”

The guard captain pondered for a while, then sighed: “The Princess Imperial ordered us to protect Princess Fukang. No matter what, we can’t abandon her. If we’re going to escape, we must take Princess Fukang with us.”

The others exchanged glances but said nothing.

The next morning, the guard captain found the tent empty – his subordinates, fearing the Crown Prince, had fled during the night when the watch was light.

The guard captain sighed deeply, counted the remaining people and horses, and continued toward Ordo under the soldiers’ supervision.

Days later, they finally reached Ordo.

Ordo’s sentries were strict, with scouts patrolling back and forth along the way. Cavalry came and went, their hoofbeats like thunder. Under the distant rolling mountains lay a dense sea of tents – roughly twenty thousand people appeared to be camped there.

The guard had no time to survey the surroundings before being bound and taken to a tent, trembling at the harsh sounds of weapons clashing outside.

Soon after, a pair of fair hands lifted the tent flap, and a beautiful woman with braided hair wearing a sheepskin-lined robe entered.

The guard stared at her in surprise, then became so excited he could barely speak coherently, kneeling and saying: “Princess! We thought something had happened to you!”

The Princess Imperial’s brows were tightly knit as she asked: “Why are only these few of you left?”

The guard’s face reddened as he explained what had happened: “They thought the Princess and the Judge had lost power, so they fled in the chaos.”

The Princess Imperial gave a cold laugh.

The guard said shamefully: “Princess, I failed to complete the mission. Please punish me.”

The Princess Imperial waved her hand, looking weary. She had someone untie the guard and said: “Sending Yun’niang to the royal court was primarily to avoid disaster, and secondarily to test that Princess Wenzhao. Yun’niang was useless, but you did well. No need to ask for punishment.”

The guard hurriedly said: “Princess, the rumors were true – the royal court’s Buddha’s Son does favor Princess Wenzhao! Also, Princess Wenzhao isn’t the frail woman Princess Fukang described.”

The Princess Imperial raised an eyebrow and made a sound of acknowledgment: “It seems Haiduo’aling concealed some things from me initially…”

She paused.

“You’ve come back at the right time. There’s someone I need you to identify.”

The guard asked: “Who might that be?”

A mocking smile appeared at the corner of the Princess Imperial’s lips as she said: “You went to Wei to gather intelligence and stayed in Chang’an. Did you ever see their Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen?”

The guard nodded: “I saw him from afar a few times.”

The Princess Imperial clapped her hands. “Very good. Go to the dungeon and see if that person is Li Xuanzhen.”