When Yao Ying returned to her courtyard, she looked at the large plate of nang bread and steaming hot soup that the servants had just delivered to her long table, remembering the roasted meat that had passed before her eyes earlier. If she had known that meat wasn’t forbidden, she wouldn’t have had to eat vegetarian food every day lately.

On the way back, Yuan Jue had explained to her that the monks of the royal court did not prohibit eating meat. Most monks in the Western Regions were like this, following the concept of “three kinds of pure meat” and “five kinds of pure meat.” The three kinds of pure meat meant: not seeing the killing, not hearing the sound of killing, and not killing for oneself. The five kinds of pure meat added two more types to this foundation: naturally dead animals and birds’ leftover kills.

In other words, if one hadn’t personally witnessed the animal being killed, hadn’t heard the animal being killed, or heard that the animal was killed for oneself, and if the killing wasn’t done specifically for one’s consumption, then it was considered pure meat and could be eaten.

However, when cooking pure meat, no seasonings could be added. Monks avoided hun xing (strong-flavored ingredients), whereas “hun” referred to ingredients with strong flavors like green onions, ginger, and garlic.

Additionally, if monks fell ill and needed meat or strong-flavored foods, they could make exceptions to eat them.

Yao Ying suddenly understood.

It wasn’t uncommon for precepts to have subtle differences across different regions.

For instance, monks previously had a rule about not eating after noon, meaning they could only eat until midday and wouldn’t eat again until the next day – this was called “keeping fast.” After Buddhism spread to the Central Plains, this rule changed, and many Central Plains monks abandoned the practice of not eating after noon, adopting three meals a day instead, as they couldn’t maintain their strength otherwise.

Buddhism originated in India, with most early monks coming from Indian nobility. Buddhism’s basic principles were closely tied to Indian social relations. When it first spread to the Central Plains, it encountered conflicts with traditional clan ethics and Confucian thought, making it initially difficult to adapt. Later, Buddhism made adjustments according to local conditions, adapting to Central Plains clan ethics, continuously evolving and absorbing common people, which allowed it to spread and become popular in the Central Plains.

The national conditions of the Western Regions differed from the Central Plains, so naturally Buddhism’s development presented a different aspect there. In some Western Region countries, the entire population was believers, monks held extremely high status and maintained close relationships with nobility, and sometimes secular royal power and religious authority could even be controlled by one person.

In short, different regions had different customs.

The Central Plains had strict precepts. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, an emperor once issued the “Text on Abstaining from Alcohol and Meat,” prohibiting killing and requiring monks to abstain from meat. Moreover, Central Plains monks didn’t rely on alms-begging; they received granted fields, cultivated farmland, and grew their food, so they could be self-sufficient without eating meat.

Yao Ying remembered that when Master Xuanzang traveled west to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, passing through the Western Regions, the monks there ate meat. She had thought that since the royal court’s Buddhist teachings showed signs of transitioning from Hinayana to Mahayana, they wouldn’t eat meat. Thinking she should respect the monks and follow local customs, she hadn’t touched any meat since entering the temple. She hadn’t expected that the temple monks didn’t avoid meat.

When she told her guards about this, they were so excited they nearly jumped three feet high – as warriors, eating vegetarian food every day had nearly driven them crazy!

…

Meanwhile, Yuan Jue returned to the meditation chamber and reported this matter to Dharmaraga, smiling as he said, “Your Majesty, the temple master hasn’t neglected Princess Wenzhao. When the princess moved in, she voluntarily proposed to eat only vegetarian food, so the temple master didn’t have other food sent to her.”

Dharmaraga lowered his head to turn the pages of his leather scroll, recalling the young woman’s dumbfounded expression, her round eyes staring at the roasted meat in his bowl with a hint of grievance.

He had thought she felt neglected.

It turned out that wasn’t grievance but pure shock – a “how can you eat meat?” kind of astonishment.

Did she think he could survive on dew and wind?

Dharmaraga’s expression remained mild, his slender fingers lightly brushing his prayer beads.

…

The next day, several plates of roasted meat were added to the meals delivered to Yao Ying’s courtyard.

Unfortunately, the roasted meat wasn’t carefully seasoned, prepared rather crudely with just some salt sprinkled on it.

However, the guards who had been hungry for many days still ate enthusiastically, gnawing the meat until not even bone fragments remained.

After eating, Yao Ying assigned the guards to different tasks.

She had asked Yuan Jue and learned that the royal court had vast vineyards, with most grapes being harvested for wine production. Gaochang’s grape wine was famous far and wide, selling well along both eastern and western trade routes. The royal court’s wine wasn’t as mellow as Gaochang’s, but it had the advantage of being able to be preserved for a long time without spoiling.

The land Yao Ying had bought happened to include several vineyards.

Previously, Qi Nian had mentioned he knew how to make grape wine, so she asked him to try making some first since she wasn’t counting on them to make money anyway. Shepherding and tanning were labor-intensive jobs, and most of them had been sold because they couldn’t do heavy work, so she had been thinking about how to find them lighter tasks.

Teaching them to dry raisins?

This thought flashed through her mind, and Yao Ying ordered her guards to go to the market to buy some raisins and learn about local methods for drying grapes.

The guards acknowledged the order.

Yao Ying sat in front of the courtyard, gazing at the clusters of grapes hanging heavily from the flower-covered wall, lost in thought for a while.

She had once quarreled with Li Zhongqian because she wanted to drink grape wine.

In Chang’an, grape wine was expensive.

When the Tang army conquered Gaochang, they brought back Gaochang’s horse milk grape variety and wine-making methods to the Central Plains. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin planted grapes in the royal gardens, personally made grape wine, and bestowed it upon his officials to share. Later, grape wine spread to the common people and became common in marketplaces, but due to years of warfare, fresh grapes became rare, grape-making methods were lost, and naturally, grape wine became even harder to obtain.

Once, a royal physician said that drinking grape wine in moderation was beneficial for women. Yao Ying happened to be craving it and insisted on having a few cups, but Li Zhongqian scolded her with a stern face. She had been taking Ninglu Pills, and the divine physician had warned that she should avoid alcohol while taking the medicine.

Thinking of this, Yao Ying suddenly remembered something.

Dharmaraga was now taking water mango – did he know about this dietary restriction?

She thought for a while, then shook her head with a smile: Dharmaraga was a monk, how could he drink alcohol?

At night, the guards returned with several packages of raisins and spread them on the table.

Yao Ying could tell at a glance that these brown raisins weren’t of superior quality.

However, the guards said, “Princess, these are the best raisins in the city. The marketplace people say they supply these same raisins to the royal palace. The Hu merchants say that the royal court has hot and dry weather in summer and autumn, long hours of sunlight, and little rain, so after they harvest the grapes, they can dry them directly in the sun without needing any other processes.”

Yao Ying picked up a few raisins, examined their color carefully, smelled their aroma, tasted a few, and pondered for a moment. It seemed the current method of drying raisins was very crude.

She instructed the guards: “Tomorrow, go out of the city and tell Old Qi not to spare any of the fruit-bearing grapes. Dig them all up and replant all the gardens with Qishi Mi Shi, Ma Ru, and Black Pearl grape varieties. If he can’t buy grape seedlings, tell him to go find the Hu merchant Kang Da in the south of the city and give him more tea leaves and silk.”

The guard acknowledged this and brought up another matter: “Old Qi said he’s contacted some Shazhou people who have fled to various places. Most of them have no food or clothing, and he asked me to request your permission – could we take them in?”

Yao Ying frowned.

The royal court was only providing temporary shelter for them after all, and they couldn’t bring trouble to the royal court. As more and more people were taken in later, they couldn’t all be brought to the royal court.

“The number isn’t too large now, so take in those we can accommodate. Remember to tell Old Qi to prepare a proper registry, don’t miss a single person, so I can pay taxes according to the registry later.”

The royal court ministers were greedy, and if she paid taxes per person, it wouldn’t draw too much criticism. Having a registry would also facilitate management and screening of the population, laying a good foundation for training soldiers.

The guard nodded and noted everything down, then hesitated before asking, “Some of the Shazhou people… Old Qi wasn’t sure whether to take them in or not.”

Yao Ying asked, “If they’re from Shazhou, why can’t we take them in?”

The guard replied, “They’re not Han people, they’re all Hu women who fled to the Western Regions and were resold several times by merchant caravans, finally ending up in the royal court. They heard that Old Qi was taking in many people from Hexi, so they came to ask for shelter too.”

Yao Ying frowned, gave the guard a look, and called all the guards over, her gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces.

Her expression was somewhat stern, and Xie Chong, Xie Peng, and the others didn’t dare joke around, each standing at attention.

Yao Ying spoke deliberately: “Shazhou and Guazhou both belong to the Hexi region. The local people, whether Hu or Han, are all subjects of the Great Wei. Have you remembered this?”

Everyone responded solemnly.

Only then did Yao Ying instruct the guard who had asked the question: “If they’re from Shazhou and have come asking for shelter, find a way to take in those we can accommodate.”

She added, “If there are any unruly people, show no leniency and drive them out immediately. We can only help others after helping ourselves first. Tell Old Qi to be careful and avoid causing any trouble.”

The guard acknowledged the order.

After several busy days, Yao Ying estimated that Ashina Bisuo would return soon and began preparing for the journey to Gaochang. Previously, Dharmaraga had said he would have Bisuo accompany her on the diplomatic mission to Gaochang.

During this time, she persisted in attending morning lessons every day. Although she couldn’t understand the lectures, she could still sit quietly for half an hour, following along as the monks recited the scriptures.

Dharmaraga had helped her, and she couldn’t let his earnest efforts go to waste.

The monks couldn’t communicate with Yao Ying, but seeing her reverent and respectful attitude, and that someone so young and beautiful could wash away her makeup, appear without cosmetics, and rise early every day for practice, their attitude toward her became much kinder than before.

However, still, no one dared to speak with Yao Ying. Wherever she passed, all monks immediately averted their gaze, not daring to look at her more than necessary – some closed their eyes to recite scriptures, some meditated, and others turned away to avoid her.

Prajña was exasperated: Clearly, these monks lacked sufficient self-control, their hearts stirred by Yao Ying’s beauty, which was why they avoided her like a fierce flood or savage beast!

He secretly complained to Yuan Jue: “Every time Princess Wenzhao passes by the front hall, those young novice monks’ eyes nearly pop out of their heads! What are we going to do if this continues?”

Yuan Jue smiled, “The Princess only comes to the hall to recite sutras during morning lessons, and never moves about the temple at other times. She hasn’t deliberately tempted anyone, nor has she gone around flaunting herself ostentatiously. The noble ladies of the city often come to the front hall to listen to the masters’ lectures, all of them heavily made up, wearing strings upon strings of gold and jade ornaments on their heads and bodies, afraid of being outdone by others, and they have to bring four or five serving maids. With so many women coming to hear the lectures, why do you only target Princess Wenzhao?”

Prajña was speechless. After a moment of silence, he stamped his foot in frustration: “Princess Wenzhao has divine beauty, she’s more beautiful than all of them!”

Yuan Jue found this both amusing and helpless, “The Princess’s beauty is a blessing, not a sin. This is also Buddha’s test for the young novices and others. If they can pass the test, it proves their hearts are devout. If they’re constantly distracted by thoughts of her, it shows their devotion is not yet sufficient, and this is a good opportunity to temper them.”

He paused for a moment, then said solemnly, “The same applies to His Majesty.”

Prajña thought about it and had to agree this made sense, so he let it go.

Yao Ying didn’t know that Yuan Jue truly considered her to be Buddha’s test for Dharmaraga as she dutifully attended morning lessons each day.

Usually, she came and went alone, but on this day, several monks stopped her after the lecture ended, immediately launching into a long string of Sanskrit.

She didn’t understand and looked completely bewildered.

The monk then spoke another string of words she couldn’t understand in a foreign language, while another monk beside him, dissatisfied, pulled at him and began arguing heatedly. As the two argued with increasing intensity, several nearby monks joined in, quickly drawing the temple master’s attention.

“What’s going on?”

The temple master hurried over to mediate.

The arguing monks didn’t lower their voices; instead, they grew louder, pulling at each other and patting each other’s shoulders, arguing until their faces turned red.

The temple master was furious, but after he understood what they were arguing about, he didn’t rebuke them. Instead, he frowned and said, “I cannot make this decision; it must be determined by the Master.”

Before Yao Ying could hear what the monks were arguing about, she was taken along with the disputing monks to Dharmaraga’s meditation chamber by the temple master.

In the courtyard, the silvery-white flowers of the jujube trees had almost all fallen, covering the ground with petals.

Dharmaraga was handling official business, wearing a bare-shoulder kasaya, his honey-colored shoulder smooth and lustrous.

The temple master first respectfully bowed and reported to the guards. When Yuan Jue signaled him to enter, he immediately led the monks into the meditation chamber to report what had happened.

After hearing his report, Dharmaraga raised his eyes to look at Yao Ying standing at the doorway.

Yao Ying understood and walked in.

Dharmaraga instructed Yuan Jue: “Bring paper and brush.”

Yuan Jue brought over a small writing desk with paper and brush, placing it to Dharmaraga’s right.

Dharmaraga asked Yao Ying: “Princess, can you write from memory the Heart Sutra you previously recited?”

He looked at her, his eyes like pools of clear water, cold yet gentle.

Though he showed no intentional effort to comfort, he could immediately make one feel calm and peaceful.

Yao Ying collected herself, nodded, walked to the small desk, sat cross-legged, picked up the brush, and began writing from memory.

The room was completely quiet except for the soft rustling of brush against paper.

Soon, Yao Ying finished writing and handed it to Yuan Jue, who delivered it to Dharmaraga’s desk.

Dharmaraga scanned ten lines at once, first sweeping through it once, then reading it again from the beginning, this time very carefully.

After finishing, he put down the paper.

“Princess, do you have a Sanskrit version of the Heart Sutra?”

Yao Ying shook her head. The original versions of Buddhist scriptures were mostly in Sanskrit, followed by various translations. Her dowry included many Sanskrit versions of Buddhist texts, but not the Heart Sutra in Sanskrit.

When the monks heard this, they began whispering among themselves, with one looking particularly agitated.

Dharmaraga gave him a cool glance.

The monk’s face turned red, he stopped arguing and lowered his head.

Dharmaraga had Yuan Jue bring more paper, pick up the brush, and begin writing while referring to Yao Ying’s Chinese version.

Yao Ying was somewhat curious and watched as he wrote, discovering he was writing in Sanskrit, which she couldn’t understand.

Was he directly translating what she had recited?

She watched for a while, still not understanding, when Dharmaraga suddenly looked up, his gaze meeting hers.

Yao Ying was startled, then smiled at him, her eyes curving slightly, black pupils bright and shining.

Like flowers on a branch, blooming brilliantly and beautifully, full of youthful pride, her eyes filled with trust.

Not holding his meat-eating against him any more?

Dharmaraga lowered his gaze, pointed to a sentence on the paper, and softly asked about a line Yao Ying had written.

Yao Ying came back to herself and answered quietly.

Dharmaraga made a sound of acknowledgment, picked up his brush to modify what he had written earlier, and soon asked another question, which Yao Ying answered seriously.

They spoke in Chinese, which the guarding warriors and monks couldn’t understand. Unable to join the conversation, they could only hold their breath and watch intently, observing their expressions.

Yao Ying sat beside Dharmaraga, he asked one question, and she answered one.

She glanced at the monks who were watching tensely with anticipation and said honestly: “Master, I don’t fully understand the sutra’s meaning either. Perhaps you should ask others?”

Dharmaraga kept his eyes lowered and said: “No need, Princess only needs to recite the original text.”

Who knows how much time passed before he finished translating, copied it onto another sheet of paper, and then handed it to Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue gave the paper to the waiting monks, who eagerly passed it among themselves, arguing again in their foreign language, finally bowing to Dharmaraga, apparently waiting for his judgment.

Dharmaraga said a few words.

The monks were stunned for a long while, showing thoughtful expressions – some looked enlightened, others still somewhat confused. After a moment, they all pressed their palms together in respect to Dharmaraga and withdrew.

Leaving Yao Ying sitting bewildered at the desk: What had happened?

She looked at Dharmaraga and asked quietly in Chinese: “Master, have I caused you trouble? Why were they arguing about the Heart Sutra?”

Dharmaraga shook his head slightly, indicating it was nothing, and said: “They had never seen the Sanskrit version of the Heart Sutra and couldn’t find any record of it in their search through the texts. They suspected it might be a spurious sutra, hence the argument. It has nothing to do with the Princess.”

Yao Ying looked surprised, thought for a moment, and then decisively said: “Then I won’t recite it anymore.”

Buddhist sects were numerous, and the Buddhist teachings in the Western Regions were more deeply influenced by India, while also blending with local customs and traditions, incorporating many things she didn’t understand. She didn’t want to inadvertently offend others.

Dharmaraga looked down at the Heart Sutra Yao Ying had just written from memory and said: “Princess need not worry. Whether the Heart Sutra is genuine or spurious doesn’t depend on their recognition, nor on whether there is a Sanskrit original, but on the Buddhist principles within the text. Since Buddha’s nirvana over a thousand years ago, various sects have interpreted the sutras and written Buddhist texts as vast as smoke and clouds. Are all the texts they haven’t seen spurious?”

Yao Ying suddenly understood. Earlier, those monks had each insisted on their views about the Heart Sutra’s origin and asked Dharmaraga to judge – this was his answer.

No wonder all the monks had been convinced.