Chapter 92: Scandal
“We can’t stop the Wei Dynasty’s Princess.” The guards all wore anxious expressions, “She is a woman. Moreover, a princess of the Central Plains. We dare not hurt her. As soon as the king appears, she will follow him every step of the way. The king can do nothing to her, with no other choice but to hide in his bed-chamber.”
Everyone lightly laughed with tacit understanding: when such a stunning beauty was chasing, what could the king do?
If it were them, it would have been a done deal. Only the king could resist such temptation.
Banruo straightened his back, saying, “I ask all the ministers to return. The king will summon you when he has settled the matter of the Central Plains’ princess.”
Kang Mozhe’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The others had already laughed out loud. The Buddha’s son, with his six pure roots, had actually encountered such a thing: “We merely wanted to come to make sure that the king is safely back in the city. Since the king is safe and sound, we will take our leave now.”
They winked at Kang Mozhe: “Great Minister, this is not the right time for an audience.”
Kang Mozhe rested his gaze on Yaoying for a long time, a cold light flashing in his eyes, before turning to leave together with the others.
Only when their figures went out of sight, turning past the palace gate, did Banruo exhale quietly.
Outside the palace gate, Kang Mozhe said goodbye to the others and called his personal follower: “Tell General Xue that a beautiful woman has come to the city, and she is a Han woman.”
The follower accepted the order and left.
Banruo made sure that the Great Minister had really left and returned to the palace door, looking a little bewildered: “The Great Minister actually left just like that.”
Yaoying stood up, brushed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and pulled up her long hair.
The ministers were not at all worried about whether her presence would tarnish Tumoroga’s reputation. Instead, they all showed rejoicing expressions.
It seemed that the Royal Court was not stable; the monarch of a country was actually guarding against the ministers in the court and their secret thoughts.
No wonder the Royal Court became a scattered mess once Tumoraga died.
Yaoying returned to the inner room. Beyond the hanging screen was silence, with only the sound of burning candles.
Tumoroga had fallen asleep.
Banruo ran back to the couch, bent down on his knees, and looked back at Mondatipa, his hopefulness apparent on his face.
Mondatipa let out a long sigh: “Acupuncture can only ease the pain.”
Yaoying nodded: “Acupuncture can only delay for a period of time, and he will not last long. When will the people you sent to the Central Plains for medicine return to the Royal Court?”
Mondatipa shook his head with sorrow: “The Regent was afraid that the news would leak out, so he could only secretly send people to mix with the caravans heading East to wait for the opportunity to find medicine. He sent a total of more than twenty personal soldiers, but now, the trade route was cut off by the Northern Rong. The caravans sent to the Central Plains are nowhere to be found. The only caravan that came back safely went to Tubo, and that personal guard did not bring back any useful herbs.”
Yaoying thought back to what she had seen along the way. The Royal Court caravan that Eldest Prince Yelu had killed probably included the personal guard who was looking for medicine for Tumoroga. The Northern Rong territory was in between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, cutting off transportation. It would be difficult for the Royal Court to bring back medicine from the Central Plains. No good news would be coming from those personal soldiers.
And it was too late.
Yaoying said, “I know where there is water anise herb in the Western Regions.”
Banruo and Mondatipa’s eyes rose to meet hers in surprise in unison.
Yaoying looked at them, “In Haidu Aling’s camp.”
She was born ill and had been recuperating for many years, and had not been able to ease off her medicine. One of the herbs in the Ninglu Pill was water anise herb. When she married to the Yelu tribe, the dowry she brought contained a large number of rare herbs and pills that had been prepared. When she and her personal soldiers escaped from the Yelu tribe, she only brought some Ninglu Pills, the dowry left behind in the tribe.
And the entire Yelu tribe ended up in the hands of Haidu Aling.
Yaoying said with certainty: “I have inquired. Haidu Aling’s plundered belongings have been transported back one after another, hidden in his camp.”
Wakhan Khan’s son would not secretly raid Haidu Aling because of a few rumors. His camp has hidden a lot of treasures and silk brought back from the Central Plains.
Mondatipa was stunned.
The medicine that could cure Buddha’s son was in Northern Rong?
“The Northern Rong will not be kind enough to send us the medicine, and we cannot let them know how important those medicines are to the king.” Banruo stood up, looking miserable, “We also cannot make a move to rob them, either. The Royal Court has just made a covenant with the Northern Rong; we can’t attack them.”
Mondatipa went silent. When it came to military matters, he never opened his mouth.
Banruo paced back and forth in anxiousness: “But the Regent is not here! General Ashina is not here either! There is no one who can make a decision! What should we do?”
Yaoying glanced at Tumoroga on the couch and said, “The Royal Court does not need to attack the Northern Rong. It is my dowry.”
Banruo looked back at her.
Yaoying walked to the desk, put her pen to the brocade silk, and wrote a letter, “In my capacity as the princess of Great Wei, I ask the Northern Rong Khan to return my dowry.”
She paused for a moment and raised her eyebrows to look at Banruo.
“As to whether the Northern Rong will honestly return my dowry, it depends on who sends this letter. If the person who sent the letter was the Royal Court’s Central Army, the Northern Rong Khan might personally urge Haidu Aling to return the dowry.”
Banruo understood the meaning within her words.
The Royal Court asked the Northern Rong for the dowry on behalf of the Wei princess. Was that not the same as telling the world that the Buddha’s son had agreed to the Wei princess’ marriage proposal?
Then, wouldn’t this Han girl be able to stay out in the open?
“Out of the question!” Banruo shook his head decisively.
Yaoying spread her hands: “Now that Buddha’s son’s life is at stake, the only medicine that can save him is right in front of our eyes. I have neither troops or generals; Northern Rong will not send back my dowry just because of a letter from me. When all is said and done, what to do is up for you all to decide.”
After all, she was not the one who needed water aniese grass.
For one thing, Tumoroga’s life was hanging by a thread. The ministers had only just been sent away, and in a couple of days, they would request to meet the monarch again.
They had no other way.
Banruo’s expressions were ever-changing: angry one moment, worried the next, hesitating another. Looking back at the unconscious Tumoroga, he struggled for a long time then took the letter from Yaoying.
“Han girl, do you dare to swear that what you say is true?”
Yaoying smiled and looked at Mondatipa: “Venerable Master, I speak the truth in every word.”
Mondatipa pressed his palms together: “The poor monk believes in the princess.”
Saying that, he nodded towards Banruo and said a few words in Sanskrit.
Banruo clutched the letter tightly, his fingers exerting so much force that the letter distorted. He raised his chin: “Fine! I will go to Yunfu City to discuss with Princess Chima and General Ashina. If the princess and the general also agree, I will personally go to deliver this letter!”
He gritted his teeth, turned, and rushed out.
The other personal soldiers sent Yaoying to a room in the side hall to keep guard. Mondatipa said apologetically, “I hope the princess will forgive me. The matter of the Buddha’s son’s critical illness cannot be spread.”
Yaoying understood his scruples and shook her head with a smile, indicating that it was no matter.
They were now in the same boat. She also hoped that Tumoroga could get through this difficulty.
Her hope of returning to the Central Plains through the Western Regions’ Northern Road rested on him.
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Hi all! I didn’t realize that this would be such a very hectic time in my life as midterms have been happening this week and next. I’ll see if I can find some time to translate before Sunday, but don’t have too high of expectations. I will more than likely (fingers crossed!) have two chapters next week, so do look forward to that :)
On a separate note, I don’t know if this is true, but it seems that TMBM has been picked up by a studio to be filmed?? It would definitely be a year or two before it’ll actually air if so, but it’s really exciting news to see this great novel being brought to the screen. I hope that they do the novel justice and stay true to the actual plot. I will say though that I can’t imagine how they’d cast for those in the Western Regions (Tumoroga especially as he’s somewhat of a god in my mind).