TMBM Chapter 129: Set a Trap
Before leaving, Bisha went to a royal palace.
Princess Chima was holding a banquet. Singing and dancing, a scene of drinking and gambling, the palace was full of intoxicated guests. Everywhere the eye could see, the nobles and ministers embraced singers and indulged in pleasure. The sound of the melodious music could not suppress the ambiguous sounds. The debauched and corrupt environment was like a drunken dream.
Bisha found the half-drunk Princess Chima. Pulling away the man who was lying on her, he threw him aside, saying, “Princess, I have to leave for a few days to go to the Northern Rong.”
Hearing the words, Princess Chima instantly sobered up a bit. Sitting up from the couch, her snowy shoulders bare, “You can’t go! It’s too dangerous!”
Bisha said faintly, “I am the general of the Central Army, and I was ordered to go to the Northern Rong. What danger can there be?”
He paused for a moment, looking a little dissatisfied.
“Princess, let me advise you not to do anything stupid that might harm Roga. I will continue to send people to guard you during the time I am away.”
Princess Chima’s face darkened.
“Roga let that Han girl live in the Buddhist temple.” She said coldly, “He was bewitched by beauty, disregarded his family hatred, and broke the five commandments and had sexual relations; he did such a scandalous thing that is not tolerated in the world. All the common people are gossiping about it. Instead of admonishing him, you came to warn me?”
She lifted her head and looked straight at Bisha.
“I know that you all say I am mean, sinister, and stubborn… I am a wicked woman compared with the noble Roga, whose broad-mindedness makes my hatred seem childish and ridiculous.”
“Bisha, watching my family die before me tragically one by one, can I not hate?”
She repeatedly sneered, her fingers pinching deep into her palm.
“Why does he insist on going against me?! Why? When I wanted to kill the Zhang clan, he was compassionate and forbade me from killing innocent people. Fine! I won’t kill innocent people! Now what? Why does he have to be so tolerant of a Han girl?”
Speaking of this, Princess Chima suddenly calmed down, as if in thought.
“Roga always shows mercy to the Han… Does he know something?”
Bisha frowned. He picked up the sarong next to him and draped it on Princess Chima’s shoulders: “It’s not what you think. Roga is just helping her. Princess Wenzhao saved his life.”
Princess Chima smiled coldly.
Bisha sighed long and hard, “The burden on Roga’s shoulders is too heavy. You, don’t add to his mess.”
Fury surged on Princess Chima’s face, her body trembling. She held back her anger and said coldly, “The Northern Rong are cunning and cruel. Take more people with you when you leave.”
Bisha smiled, “No need to worry about me. Wakhan Khan is afraid of Roga. He does not dare to touch me.”
After saying that, he sighed.
“I heard that you have been drinking and having fun with those vermin in the court every day recently. What’s the point? Don’t hurt your health.”
Princess Chima agreed indifferently, her face gloomy. She saw Bisha go out, and immediately called her maids: “Bisha is going to the Northern Rong. Keep an eye on the Buddhist temple. I don’t believe that Roga saved that Han girl just to return a favor! They must have been intimate long ago!”
The maid said with difficulty, “Princess, the palace was not heavily guarded, so we were able to spy… the Buddhist temple is the king’s residence; the guards are all the Central Army guards. Our people will be detected as soon as they approach. And the regent is back. If he finds out…”
Princess Chima’s brown eyes narrowed slightly as she cut off her maid’s words with a snap: “Fools! If you can’t get close, can’t you find someone who can? Even if the temple is heavily guarded, there is always room for oversight! Listen carefully and find the evidence of Roga’s affair with the Han girl!”
The servant girl did not dare to argue any further and kowtowed in response.
Princess Chima stood up, picked up a glass of wine, and walked to the window.
Bisha’s figure hurried across the courtyard with light footsteps.
He was loyal to Tumoroga, and yet Roga sent him on a mission to an enemy country.
Chima’s brown eyes swept over him with a pang of hatred, her fingers clenched hard on the wine glass.
The Tumo family did not have only one prince, Roga. She was the princess of the Tumo family. Since Roga has let her down again and again, she will take back the authority of the Tumo family.
The court ministers will definitely be on her side.
…
After Bisha left, Yuanjue was appointed to protect Yaoying.
“The princess needs a guide when she goes out.”
Yaoying was relieved. Although Tumoroga had assigned her study materials, she was allowed to leave the Buddhist temple to walk around casually after the morning lesson, which was truly open-minded and considerate.
Outside the city, the old man Qi Nian sent her a message that the first batch of silk in the store had been snatched up and asked her when the second batch should be sold.
Yaoying told them not to sell in a hurry and to wait until the goods in the hands of the Hu people were almost sold.
Before he left, Bisha introduced Yaoying to a Suthep merchant. She asked the Suthep merchant to help her buy a large plot of land, and according to the original plan, she moved all the people living outside the city there. She bought several hundred sheep and some seeds and fruit trees so that those who could do farm work could plant berries and melons and fruits.
Qi Nian had been a steward, and everything was managed in a well-organized way.
The merchant team cooperated with Yaoying and promised to help her deliver the news, but Northern Rong deliberately cut off the connection between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. The western trade route was blocked, so they could only go east over the Congling. There was no guarantee that the news could be delivered.
Yaoying was not discouraged. It was always better to have a little more hope.
After dealing with the store, she asked Yuanjue if there were any craftsmen in the Royal Court who were good at carpentry work. Yuanjue recommended some Persian merchants who were exiled to the Royal Court.
Yaoying found those merchants and asked them to help her make the woodwork she wanted.
The Persians did not speak Chinese, and she was not very proficient in the Hu language, so they spoke like ducks to chickens for a long time, but the Persians eventually promised they could make what she wanted.
Yaoying felt that the Persians may not have understood her request, but seeing the other party’s confident looks, she had to settle for it.
After taking care of her miscellaneous chores, she started recruiting guards.
There were many forced exiles in the Western Regions, and these people could brave fire and water for a Sasanian silver coin.
Within a few days, the Suthep merchant recruited a group of guards for Yaoying.
Those men, some with black hair and dark eyes, some with curly hair and brown eyes, and some with red hair and green eyes, came from various overthrown tribes.
Yaoying did not dare to trust outsiders for the time being, so she asked them to either guard the old and weak in Qi Nian’s place or to follow her caravans. The guards could be loyal to her for silver coins, and, naturally, they could also betray her for silver coins.
After a few days of hustle and bustle, Yaoying was so tired that her back was sore and her legs were weak.
She was just about to take a breather when Yuanjue told her that in a few days’ time, Tumoroga would give a sermon in the morning service and asked her to prepare properly in advance.
Yaoying’s heart cried out in agony, “What preparations?”
Was Tumoroga going to spot-check her homework?
Why was he so serious!
She thought the daily practice was just for show; she didn’t remember anything!
Yaoying didn’t dare to retort, so she woke up early every day for the next few days and sat obediently in front of her table and read the scriptures.
Early this morning, she finished her accounts and sat down in front of the table to read the scriptures, when suddenly there was a loud clatter and a bunch of grapes flew in from outside and fell on the long table, before rolling down to the ground.
Yaoying, a little dizzy from reading the scriptures, was startled. She was lost in thought as she stared at the few yellow-green grapes on the table.
Outside the long corridor came the sound of apologizing. Just now, a few soldiers were messing around in the courtyard, picking the grapes and throwing them around, and accidentally threw them into the room.
Xie Qing immediately drew her sword and got up to go out to teach those soldiers a lesson.
Yaoying waved her hand and called out to Xie Qing: “Ah Qing, have you ever eaten raisins?”