Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 100: Alliance

On the third day of Ashina Bisha's return to the Holy City, the royal palace issued an announcement that a grand Xingxiang Festival would be held at the beginning of the next month. Tumoroga would also appear at the puja.

With the upcoming festival coming after the alliance with the Northern Rong, the people in the city were full of excitement. Before the first day of the festival, preparations began everywhere from the royal palace to the common people's homes for the puja: cleaning courtyards and setting up the curtains, an especially lively scene.

The young shami who was teaching Yaoing Sanskrit told her that every year, the Holy City was so crowded that people were often trampled to death.

"Watching the walking elephant can eliminate sins and gather virtue and good fortune. The princess can also go to the puja and make a wish when the elephant passes. It will be much more effective than usual praying!"

Yaoying remembered the Buddha's birthday puja at Taiji Palace last year, her enthusiasm lacking.

The young shami's eyes were passionate: "On the day of the Xingxiang Festival, Buddha's son will return to the Buddhist temple, teach the sutras, and debate with the senior monks from Qiuci, Gaochang, and Shule. This is a once-in-a-century grand puja! I've already talked to my floor sweeper senior brother in the temple and had him save a good seat!"

Yaoying looked surprised: "Buddha's son is going to go before everyone and teach Dharma?"

Ashina Bisha brought back the water anise to ease Tumoroga's suffering, but it had only been three days! In only a few days, recovering a tiny bit from his near-death condition, he actually had been preparing to debate scriptures with other senior monks. This was not only a test of his physical strength but also a test of his mental capacity.

The monks of the Western Regions were all masters of sophistry and arguments. Would he be able to handle it?

The little shami nodded and looked at Yaoying, "Princess, you really want to see Buddha's son debate the scriptures, right?"

The corners of Yaoying's mouth twitched gently. If not in Sanskrit, then Tumoroga and the senior monks would debate scriptures in Hu. She did not understand a word of either, so of course, she did not want to go. She was simply amazed at Tumoroga's perseverance.

A coming storm subsided into nothingness. The people of the Royal Court, full of anticipation for the arrival of the grand event, would never know that their Buddha's son had barely escaped death, suffering and enduring at every moment.

While she was looking emotional, the little shami looked at her several more times, his eyes widening: the princess of the Central Plains was really infatuated with Buddha's son; only a word would make her lost in thought.

That night, rumors spread throughout the palace that Yaoying had been unable to eat or drink for Tumoroga and washed her face with tears.

Yaoying paid no heed to those rumors. Hearing from Mondatipa that the knights of the Central Army had brought back her dowry, she brought her personal soldiers to meet them.

Ashina Bisha went directly to the palace with the water anise. The rest of the carts carrying silks and cloths, books and codices, Buddhist statues and jewels, arrived at the Holy City four days later. The person in charge of the escort was Banruo.

He handed the booklet to Yaoying and said with a pat on his chest, "I ask the princess to check the goods according to the booklet. Except for the water anise, everything else is here."

Yaoying thanked him and without inventorying them according to the list, immediately asked the knights to pull the carts into the royal palace's treasury.