Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

The night is deep, the front porch of the cave is dark, and occasionally one or two caves show a dim light, and the murals on the porch appear sharp and angular under the halo.

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps broke the silence.

Prajna, the guard of the Royal Court, hurriedly climbed up to the highest level of the grotto, and a dark shadow flashed in the sloping ground. The dark guard in the corner rushed forward, and the cold long knife was in his throat.

"The king is in retreat, and there is no mercy for hard intruders."

Prajna quickly handed out a bronze talisman, "I am a guardian Prajna, this bronze amulet is bestowed by the king, and I have something to report to the king."

The dark guard took the copper talisman and looked at it for a while, took off the lantern and took a picture of his face, put away the long knife, and his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Prajna walked through the empty front porch and came to the innermost cave. He stopped, knocked gently on the stone wall, and whispered: "Prajna, the guardian, begs to see the Buddha."

There was no response for a long time.

Prajna did not dare to urge, and stood outside and waited.

During the retreat of Tamaraga, there was only one guard guarding the Dharma in the grotto, and the rest were not allowed to approach half a step. Even the monks who delivered food and water only put food baskets under the mountain wall to avoid disturbing the Buddha's retreat. Prajna is Tamaragarh's guard, and he also abides by this rule. If it weren't for the bad news of the regent, he would never come to disturb the Buddha.

After a while, the guard's voice came from inside: "The king already knows what you want to report."

Prajna looked anxious: "The news of the death of the regent has spread throughout the holy city, and the people in the city are panic. The princes and ministers will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble. Today the young novice monk found that there are many suspicious-looking slaves of the rich family hovering around the temple, as well as Kang, Xue, Private soldiers of Ann and Mengji's family, will Wang leave tomorrow?"

There was footsteps inside, and the guard seemed to have gone to the Zen room to report. After a while, the footsteps turned back and the guard said: "The king will leave the pass tomorrow, and the order will continue. The monks in the temple will not be allowed to go out from tomorrow. The monks and Zen masters also do the same. For example. If someone dared to forcefully break into the Wangsi Temple, just capture them directly."

Prajna was worried, so he responded and went to share the news with the monastery owner.

The death of Sudan in ancient times means that a new regent must be elected to act as the government. This night, inside and outside the holy city, many people, from princes and nobles to civilian soldiers, will stay awake all night.

In the grotto, the guard sent away the Prajna and returned to the innermost Zen room.

This grotto is very large, and the walls of the cave leading to the square hall have been dug into niches dedicated to the Buddhas, densely packed like honeycombs.

Tamara Gha, who had taken off her mysterious clothes and black gloves, walked slowly along the cave wall, holding a gilt candlestick in her hand, her blue eyes drooping, her expression calm, and the candlelight lit up for the Buddha one by one.

On the felt blanket under the cave wall to the south of the Zen room, Yaoying sat cross-legged, her face still covered with black cloth, a soft warm yellow halo fell on her, her black hair shone with dazzling golden light.

The guard looked embarrassed and looked away, not daring to look at her again.

Whenever the Buddha needs to go out or is seriously ill and unable to show up in front of people, he is the guardian who stays in the grotto to hide his ears. The secret path of the grotto leads to the animal garden, only a few people who trust him the most. .

Not even Prajna knew.

Tonight, the Buddha brought Princess Wen Zhao back from the secret road. The guards were so shocked that they have not recovered yet.

Yaoying couldn't see the flushed face of the guard, and she sat quietly, waiting for Sultan Gu to call her.

There was a faint light swaying on the black cloth. She felt that she should have entered the Wang Temple. There was a faint fragrance mixed with spices in the air. It was not incense, but the smell of books and papers. The scriptures were copied in the temple. The paper is scented Chinese paper and parchment, she remembers the taste.

Yaoying waited for a long time, but she didn't hear any voices. She felt the atmosphere was extraordinarily solemn. She was afraid that Sultan Gu would be disturbed by asking questions, so she didn't dare to speak.

Tamaraga lighted all the lamps, and hundreds of candlelights were cast in a staggered manner. He was bathed in the golden light, folded his hands together, and closed his eyes to read the scriptures silently.

The guards did not dare to make a sound.

After a full cup of tea, Tamara Gha turned around, and his eyes flicked over Yaoying.

Yaoying sat tightly, motionless, although she was blindfolded, there was no trace of panic on her face, she was clever and trustworthy from head to toe.

He raised his eyes, motioned to the guards, and turned to face the niche.

It was the first time that the guard encountered this situation. His face was flushed, and he walked to Yaoying, took off the long knife and handed it in front of her: "Princess, I am the guard of Buddha, Palmy. The princess comes with me holding the knife. The regent ordered me to take you back to where you live, and keep quiet on the way."

Yaoying was taken aback, stood up and asked, "Where is the regent?"

Palmy rolled his eyes and said, "The regent has gone to see the Buddha."

With a cry, Yaoying held the scabbard of the long knife and followed the guard out of the grotto.

The Zen room is brightly lit, the Buddhas are standing, and the Dharma is solemn.

Tamaraga stood under the niche, without looking back, her back alone.

...

The long knife is cold, and it is far more convenient to hold it in your hand than to pull the sleeve.

Yaoying stumbled behind Barmi. After walking for a long time, Barmi stopped and whispered: "The princess can take off the cloth strips."

She breathed a sigh of relief, took off the black cloth, looked around and found herself standing in an empty promenade, and then bypassing a few earth walls to be her residence in the Buddhist temple.

Palmy tied the saber back to his waist and said, "Your soldiers have stayed in the courtyard during the period when the princess left the temple."

The soldiers who stayed at the Wangsi Temple had long been looking forward to it, waiting for Yaoying and his party to return safely. Today, the news of the death of the regent spread throughout the holy city. They also heard about it. They were all anxious and wanted to go out of the city to find Yao. Ying, remembering her instructions, didn't dare to leave the temple privately, so she could only sit and worry about her, and sighed.

Yaoying suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard. The soldiers were dumbfounded, thinking they were dreaming, wiped their faces, and kowtowed to her.

"Princess, you are finally back!"

Bamier delivered Yaoying safely and turned back to the grotto.

Yaoying watched him walk away, standing in front of the door, looking at the towering cliffs to the north. The night was thick, and the grottoes on the cliffs showed lights. From a distance, it looked like a fairy palace sky lantern floating among the clouds. dust.

She went out for a while, and returned to her room surrounded by soldiers.

"Princess, why are you back alone? How about Xie Qing and Xie Chong?"

"I heard that the regent of the royal court was besieged and killed by bandits. Is it true?"

Yaoying said lightly: "Aqing and the others will be back in a few days, so don’t worry. The regent’s affairs are royal affairs. No matter what happens next, don’t ask too much. The current situation is unstable, these days. Don't go out and walk around."

The soldiers should report to her that more homeless survivors from Hexi had been taken in outside the city this winter. According to her instructions before leaving, they helped the refugees dig out crypts to live in, although this year's snow was better than in previous years. Big, but the refugees have a place to withstand the wind and cold, and they have enough food to survive this cold winter. The refugees were very grateful to Yaoying and vowed to work hard when the weather became warm.

Yaoying sat by the candlestick, flipping through the account books and listening to the reports from the guards one by one. She was secretly moved: These guards were originally rough, but now they have taken other tasks one by one, some with refugees. To build houses, some teach children martial arts, some become teachers, some guard raisins every day, some are savvy, talk to shrewd merchants, bargain and raise prices, and some wander around the market all day. Buying horses, sheep, cattle...After a period of practice, all of them can be on their own.

After the guards rushed to report, one of them remembered one thing, patted his head, his face was angry, and angrily said: "Princess, Princess Fukang is also in the holy city!"

Yaoying raised her eyes.

The soldiers sneered again and again: "The subordinates were wrong. Princess Fukang is now the princess of Beirong. She doesn't know how to become the princess of Beirong. She went to the royal court and named her by name on the first day she came to the holy city. See you!"

Yaoying laughed nonchalantly: "She wants to see me?"

The soldiers nodded: "The envoy of Bei Rong came to the Wang Temple in person and said that the princess was the deceased of Princess Bei Rong and asked to see the princess. The temple owner refused, saying that you prayed for the Buddha in the main hall, and no one saw him."

"They didn't dare to offend the Buddha, they had to do it. But when their subordinates saw the people from the Beirong mission outside the Wangsi, they definitely wanted to bring Princess Fukang to see you when the princess went out."

Yaoying narrowed her eyes slightly.

Why does Zhu Luyun have to see her?

...

Palmy avoided the patrolling monks and returned to the grotto.

Tamara Gha was still standing under the niche, the room was full of candles swaying, he took off his turban, tore open the scars, revealing his true colors, and said: "Go and call for the Mage Tito."

The tone is clear and cold.

Palmy responded, turned and went out. Half an hour later, he led an old man in a gray robe into the grotto and retreated.

The old man's cheekbones were thin, his brown eyes looked dim and dull, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, and he walked to the niche room tremblingly, and said softly: "The poor monk is in the monastery, in charge of the precepts and keep everything in order. The monks strictly abide by the precepts, and the king calls the poor monks to come, what is your order?"

Tamaraga folded his hands together, lifted his robe and knelt down, saying, "The disciple Roga has violated the great precepts and deserves to be punished."

The old monk's eyelids trembled a few times, his hands clasped together, and asked, "What precept did the king violate?"

"Killing."

The old monk sighed, "Amidst the troubled times, it is inevitable to protect the country and protect sentient beings. However, the king is a member of the Shamen. Since he has violated the great precepts, he really has to be punished."

He read a few scriptures in a low voice and raised his staff high.

...

The stick beats one after another.

Palmi stood outside the grotto, hearing his scalp numb, but Tamara Gha didn't say a word.

Half an hour later, when the old monk left, Palmi sighed and walked quickly into the grotto.

Tamaraga stood up, with a calm expression on his face, walked to another living room, took off the **** inner shirt, took the crimson robe on the shelf and put it on, picked up a string of beads, and caged it. On the wrist, it went around a few times.

The oversized robes wrapped his slender body and covered the fresh scars on his shoulders and back.

With a faint sound, a soft handkerchief slipped out from between the sleeves of the shirt he took off.

Bamier leaned over and picked up the soft handkerchief, stunned: the soft handkerchief is soft and smooth, the material is fine, the embroidered landscape pattern is exquisite and rich, the mist is vast, there is a warm and sweet fragrance, and it is embroidered with square blocks of Chinese characters and poems. At a glance, I knew it was not something the Buddha used.

Princess Wen Zhao is a Han girl, and this veil must be hers. It is said that the princess knows a superb technique and taught her people. Now everyone in Wang Ting knows that the fabrics sold by the Han caravan are the most exquisite.

Bamier's face was so red that he could bleed, and the kerchief on his hand seemed to be heavy and hot.

Tamaraga looked down and looked at the soft handkerchief in Bamier's hand.

He is hot and cold, Yaoying guards him from morning to night, wiping sweat from his neck, using this veil. When he is hot, the veil is cold, and when he is cold, the veil must have been baked on charcoal fire.

She said she couldn't help, but just wanted to make him more comfortable.

I don't know how this square veil was on him.

Tamara Gha was silent.

Just when Bamier felt that Ruan Pa had countless thorns, which made him feel uncomfortable, his palm suddenly felt light.

Tamara Gha took away the soft handkerchief.

Bamir quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Tamara Gaya's eyebrows were calm, he put the soft handkerchief to one side and said, "Knock the bell."

Bamier lifted his spirits, and respectful should be.

...

In the small courtyard, Yaoying and the soldiers were still sitting in front of the lamp discussing matters.

Knowing that Yang Qian was training the Volunteers in secret, the soldiers were enthusiastic and volunteered and asked to help him.

Yaoying already has a suitable candidate in her heart. Yang Qian is full of pride and will not look back even after hitting the south wall. The people sent to him must be smooth and modest, otherwise it is not cooperation, but enmity.

Several people were sitting and talking, one of the soldiers frowned suddenly and made a hissing gesture to everyone.

Everyone calmed down immediately.

In the quiet night, a loud and melodious bell came from afar, and the rumbling sound reverberated and circled in the cold winter night, and the reverberation was heavy and long, resounding throughout the temple.

The soldier stood up, opened the door, listened for a moment, and said, "Buddha is out!"

The whole temple was awakened by the bells, and more and more people opened the doors and windows, listened to the echo of the bells, and recited the scriptures aloud with excitement.

The news of Tamaragarh's exit soon spread to every corner of the holy city.

The next morning, before dawn, the front of the Wang Temple was full of traffic and hustle and bustle, and the narrow passage to the temple was crowded.

Most of the people who entered the monastery were dressed in brocade robes and luxuriously dressed. They were the sons of the ministers of the court and the nobles of the royal court. The ordinary people who had traveled from thousands of miles to visit Luojia were barred from the outside and could not enter the monastery.

Tamaragarh did not meet those noble children. After leaving the customs, he needs to chant in the temple for seven days to save the dead Sultan.

The ministers couldn't wait and kept urging him to choose a new regent, but he refused. The minister took a step back and demanded that a new regent should be appointed immediately after seven days. He did not veto this time.

As the ministers pressed closer, the situation in central Korea became more and more erratic. Private soldiers from the wealthy family continued to flood into the holy city from everywhere, and the entire temple was heavily besieged.

In order to compete for the throne of the regent, there were constant frictions and contradictions among the families.

No matter how arrogant and arrogant the minister was, Tamaraga never showed up, and a rumor spread like wildfire: After losing the regent, the Buddha was once again emptied by the family.

Yaoying heard the monk in the temple mutter privately: Is the Buddha really being emptied?

She knew that Tamara Gha would never sit and wait for death, unlike the monks in fear.

When the situation was tense, the Bei Rong delegation took advantage of the monks in the temple to be unsure, and asked her to send a letter before Yaoying's case, asking her to see Zhu Luyun.

The letter was written in Zhu Luyun's tone. The affection was long and the words were pearly. First, he repented and asked Yaoying for forgiveness. Then they said that they were both Han Chinese and lived outside. They should support each other. I hope she can reconcile with Zhu Luyun. . Finally, it hinted that if she can make peace with Zhu Luyun, Haidu Aling would never dare to offend her again.

The soldiers were furious and cursed.

Yaoying stopped the soldier, smiled, crumpled the letter paper, and said: "Okay, since it's an old friend, it's time to recount the past."

A few days ago, she could not reveal her identity, so she naturally wanted to avoid Zhu Luyun. Now that she has returned to the holy city, she doesn't have to worry about it anymore, and can reminisce about the past with Zhu Luyun.

Yaoying asked her soldiers: "Have the princesses of other tribes arrived in the holy city?"

The soldier replied: "It's all here, and now they are all living in the post, and only Princess Tianzhu lives in Princess Chima's mansion."

Yaoying nodded, took up a pen, wrote a letter, and handed it to the monk to forward it to Tamaraga.

In the afternoon, the monk returned to the courtyard and said: "The Buddha invites the princess to the main hall."

Yaoying got up, followed the monk, and headed to the hall.