Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 107: Xingxiang Festival

Yaoying was indeed frightened by Sultan Gu. These days at night, she always dreamed of him cutting off the head of a bandit with a single slash. That lean and upright back was full of ruthlessness, a cold killing aura, just like a yaksha.

She was roused from her dream and had a question in her mind: after Tumoroga's death, the Royal Court was destroyed. Where did Sultan Gu, who was the Regent, go? He was in charge of the military and political power, so why did he disappear without a sound?

Could it be that he was assassinated by the nobles and the ministers?

Yaoying was puzzled no matter how she thought about it.

Sultan Gu was too mysterious. His whereabouts were secretive and he seldom showed his face. When his ugly and malevolent face appeared in front of the public, it was time for him to go on a killing spree.

She asked probingly, "How old is the Regent?"

Bisha's fingers rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, and said, "The Regent is a few years older than the king and I. He is our senior brother."

It turned out that Sultan Gu was Tumoroga's senior brother.

Yaoying was looking pensive. When she heard the second half of the sentence, she said in astonishment, "General and Buddha's son were once fellow students? General is also a member of Buddhism?"

Ashina Bisha was a descendent of the Turkic royal family. His name Bisha was taken from the Sogdian language, meaning colorful person. His mother believed in Zoroastrianism. How come he did not believe in Zoroastrianism like his mother?

Bisha smiled and spread his hands towards Yaoying with a carefree attitude: "I don't look like a Buddhist son at all, do I? In fact, I was also sent to study Buddhism when I was a child. This was also the case for all the noble children of the Royal Court. We grew up studying the scriptures with our elders. Only the most intelligent and talented were qualified to continue to follow our master's practice, and the king was the smartest one among us. He had extraordinary talent, and master said that compared to him, we were just a bunch of lambs who merely bleated all day long."

Speaking of this, Bisha laughed lightly.

"The king learned everything quickly. He could speak four languages when we were just starting to learn the Sogdian language. When he and the master discussed Buddhist doctrines, it was like we were listening to another language."

Yaoying remembered the legends she had heard these days, "I heard the little shami say that when the Buddha's son was born, a vision came down from the sky in the Holy City and the whole city saw it."

Bisha was silent for a moment, the corners of his mouth drawn into a smile: "Yes; on that day, clouds filled the entire city's sky. The sky above the royal palace seemed to be cast in a Buddhist aura. There was also a faint chanting of the Buddha scriptures. Master said that it was because the world was in turmoil, so a divine Buddha was reincarnated as a physical mortal, descending to the world to experience calamities, enlighten the people, and universalize all beings."

Yaoying smiled.

Whether Bisha's words were true or not, the people of the Royal Court were certainly believers.

That night, Yaoying changed into the dress that Bisha sent her. The clothes were indeed made to her size and fit her well. She didn't know where Bisha got her measurements from.

In the middle of the night, she was drifting off to sleep when the sound of people moving around came from outside the window. She woke up with a start.

Xie Qing entered the room and whispered, "Princess, it's the commotion over at the main hall. Buddha's son is moving to the Buddhist temple."

Tumoroga usually lived in the Buddhist temple. This time, it was unclear why he had been staying in the royal palace to recuperate. Tomorrow, the puja would be held in the Buddhist temple, so he had to move back.

Yaoying laid down and went back to sleep, thinking: monks always seemed to move in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Bisha, dressed in a brand-new military outfit, with a brocade belt around his waist, cut a dashing figure when he came to the door. Holding a large handful of fresh flowers, he stood in front of the courtyard door, his golden hair shining.

Yaoying changed into the attire of the Royal Court. All her black hair was combed into a braid. Her braided hair was tied with colored ribbons and decorated with various gemstones. She wore a red beaded-lapel brocade robe with a nature pattern, the sleeves of the robe decorated with beads, and gold boots on her feet. Following the trends, a dagger embedded with precious gems hung from her waist. Descending the stone steps, she tilted her face, exposing a faint smile.

It was as if all the bright starlight had fallen from the clouds, all enveloping her body.

Bisha stared dumbstruck at Yaoying, in a daze for half a day. It was not until she walked up to him and waved her hand that he came back to his senses.

"Princess is so beautiful."

He racked his brain but could not think of any words to praise the princess, all of the sudden losing his eloquence.

The corner of Yaoying's lips curled lightly. Covered with a veil to hide her face, she looked at Bisha who was slightly flustered in front of her, suddenly remembering the group of playboy youths in Chang'an who spent their days chasing her on horseback.

The time in Chang'an was like a lifetime ago.