Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 131: Eat Meat

Banruo and a few monks stood in front of her with serious looks. He grinned grimly as they held out several sutras: "Princess, have you gained anything from your Buddhist practice?"

The corners of Yaoying's mouth twitched: She had relaxed too early just now. The person randomly checking her homework was waiting here!

Banruo stood in front of Yaoying, his back straight as a poplar tree, and began to recite the contents of Yaoying's sutra.

He coincidentally questioned her on the section that Tumoroga had asked Yuanjue to remind Yaoying to study.

Yaoying was stunned and then laughed: the monk actually helped her cheat.

Although she couldn't understand the deep meaning of the sutras, she couldn't be beaten at memorizing them. She responded readily and neatly.

Banruo frowned, opened another scroll, and continued to question her.

Yaoying continued to recite fluently.

After quizzing her on several books in a row, none stumped Yaoying, so Banruo could not help but be a little annoyed and asked, "Can you understand its meaning?"

Yaoying's eyes narrowed slightly and she smiled, "No."

Without waiting for Banruo to say anything, she answered his question with one of her own, "Do you understand it all?"

Banruo wanted to retort at first, but when he met Yaoying's smiling eyes, his face reddened slightly. He was not a shaved monk, but only a guard following Tumoroga. How dare he say he could understand the scriptures in the book? If he gave an affirmative answer, he would surely be pursued exhaustively!

He could only shake his head.

Yaoying smiled.

Banyu refused to concede and asked, "Is that all Princess has memorized these days?"

Yaoying coughed lightly and said with a straight face, "I have studied a scripture these days."

Banruo looked at her with suspicion: "What scripture?"

Yaoying recited the "Heart Sutra" word for word.

The Heart Sutra, that is, the Heart of Prajnaparamita Sutra, was short and poignant. Tang Xuanzang's translated version was only 300 words in total. Concise and clear, yet infinite in meaning, for it was the essence and fundamentals extracted from hundreds of Buddhist sutras, condensed from millions of words from ancient Buddhist books like the vastness of the raging seas.

Yaoying had thought about it, and this sutra, which was widely circulated in the Central Plains, was enough for her to handle the spot checks for the next few months with ease and no hassle.

She recited it fluently, but Banruo had a lost expression on his face: "What is it that you are reciting?"

Yaoying was even more bewildered than he was: "The Heart Sutra?"

Banruo affirmed, "I have never heard of this sutra before."

Yaoying explained, "I am reciting the version translated by the Chinese monk Venerable Xuanzang, which may be different from what you have studied."

Banruo frowned and exchanged glances with several monks around him, one of whom shook his head at him. Several of them whispered and discussed for a moment, before he said, "Has the princess comprehended it?"

Yaoying pressed her hands together and said, "The sutra is thought-provoking. I have not yet been able to comprehend its true meaning, but after reciting it a few more times, it can make my mood peaceful and calm."