Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

TMBM Chapter 134: Change in Plans

The monks’ debate over the authenticity of the Heart Sutra did not affect Yaoying. However, she felt that there were still monks discussing the matter privately, but they did not dare to argue in public anymore.

    Banruo and Yuanjue were also implicated. Yaoying bumped into the two of them several times looking slightly aggressive, as if they were arguing with others.

    She was an outsider and could not ask questions about temple affairs, so she went back to her courtyard and immersed herself in her own business.

As she had instructed, Lao Qi took in the Hu women who came seeking asylum. They planted several stones of the honey feed and horse milk he bought from the Hu merchant Kang Da, but Kang Da said he didn’t have any black pearl grape seeds. They were sour, slightly bitter, produced small fruits, and were a discarded variety that was uncommon in the Western Regions.

    Yaoying asked Xie Peng to send a message to Lao Qi, asking him to find a way to send a Hu merchant to Gaochang to look for black pearl grapes. It was a variety of grapes that was indeed not as sweet and plump as other ripened grapes, but it was very suitable for making wine.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter. It was time for the fruit and melon harvest, so Yaoying and her personal soldiers could eat all kinds of fresh fruits every day. These foreign fruits that could only appear at palace banquets in the Central Plains, could be found everywhere here in the Royal Court. Xie Chong overindulged and had an upset stomach that lasted several days.

    On this day, Ashina Bisha’s personal soldier came back on a fast horse to report that Bisha would not be able to return until a few days later. Haidu Aling was too cunning; he could not find a chance to act and was unwilling to come back unsuccessful.

    Yuanjue told Yaoying that the weather was too hot and it was not a good time to hurry. When Bisha returned, the weather would be cooler, so they would not have to suffer too much on the way to Gaochang.

    Yaoying estimated the day and added a few more thick coats to her bags. Although it was scorching hot during the day, it was not as sultry and humid as Jingnan. It was cool as long as she hid in the house or under the shade of a tree, but it was really cold at night. Despite the intense heat of the day, at night, she had to cover herself with blankets.

    Currently, she only has her personal soldiers around her. These big men were casual and Xie Qing was not a maid, so she had to take care of her own everyday needs. She had to prepare her personal things properly, so as not to have any troubles arise when they set off.

    After a few days of busyness, Yaoying remembered something. After her morning class this day, she found out that Yuanjue was in the main hall and went looking for him.

    The close guards knew who she was and guided her inside. When she arrived, there was a lot of racket from behind the low wall.

    Yaoying peeked inside.

    Banruo stood inside the courtyard, in the middle of arguing with several monks. The sun overhead was so vicious that it made people dizzy. Several people were standing in the hot sun, arguing until they were flushed with anger, sweating, spit flying, and occasionally pulling and shoving each other.

    Yaoying hid in the long corridor and stood on tiptoe to peep.

    The first time she saw the monks arguing in the temple, she was surprised. In the Central Plains, monks did not usually get so excited and rough when they disagreed. The Royal Court was different; the monks argued very intensely. Not only did they taunt each other with words, but pushing and hitting were also allowed.

    Banruo’s one mouth could not beat four mouths. After a while, he was defeated and should have conceded according to the rules, but he refused to yield with his neck stubbornly jutted and his eyes red with anxiety.

    The other end of the corridor echoed with the sound of footsteps. Yuanjue came over. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, he softly chided Banruo, telling him to concede.

    Banruo’s mouth remained shut.

    In the awkward stalemate, Yaoying coughed twice, slowly emerging out of the cool corridor. She smiled at everyone: “The summer heat is unbearable. It is rarely pleasant here.”

    The word “pleasant” has a deep meaning. Several monks were stunned and pressed their palms together before walking away without speaking any further.

    Banruo stared at the monks’ backs with a face full of indignation.

    Yuanjue cusped his fist at Yaoying, who waved her hand to indicate that it was not a big deal. She swept a glance at Banruo: “You know you cannot beat them. Why don’t you concede?”

    Banruo gave a light hum and stuck out his chest: “They have disrespected the king. I will never concede to them!”

    Yuanjue scolded him in a low voice: “Since you lost the argument, you have to concede! The king’s reputation does not come from you winning a debate.”

    Banruo was speechless, grievance flashing across his face.

    Yaoying’s eyebrows lightly knitted: “How did they disrespect the Venerable Master?”

    It was better if she hadn’t mentioned it. When she did, Banruo’s eyes grew even redder.

    “They are simply disrespectful to the king!”

    He pointed to the direction the monks left and snarled, slowly telling the cause and effect.

    These days, the monks in the temple often gathered to discuss the matter of the forged scriptures and then would mention the Sanskrit version Tumoroga translated.

    Yaoying asked, “Do they not approve of his translation?”

    Banruo’s eyes widened: “The king is proficient in Sanskrit. How could they not approve of his translation!”

    The corners of Yaoying’s mouth twitched.

    Banruo glared at her several times and continued, “They said the king was well-versed in the scriptures and could have accomplished more, either by writing or interpreting, but the king did not, and he is delaying his practice.”

    It turned out that the monks in the temple thought that Tumoroga was gifted and knowledgeable. A senior monk had predicted that he would become a great talent in this generation for Buddhism, but he could not single-mindedly concentrate on studying the scriptures. Not only distracted from managing the secular affairs of the Royal Court, he sometimes even led troops to war. He also relied on the regent who condoned cruelty and viciousness. He added to the sin of killing and squandered his wisdom by not being able to accumulate merit by promoting Buddhism and receiving karmic rewards.

    Yaoying was thoughtful.

    The monks’ words hit on a question that was lingering in her mind.

    There were many different sects of Buddhism, and people from different regions had different interpretations of the sutras. For the purpose of spreading their personal ideas, they arranged a set of precepts of their own theoretical ideas based on Buddhist teachings. Consequently, different branches and sects arose, such as the Zen, Tiantai, Three Treatises, Yogacara, and more in the Central Plains.

    For a monk who believed in the universalization of all sentient beings, he must hope that he could write down what he has comprehended and gained in his life into scriptures to establish a sect to guide the people and help them get out of the sea of worldly suffering and reach the other shore.

    Tumoroga had long had fame and was a noble prince. With his identity and status, why hadn’t his views and ideas been compiled and circulated around the world?

    He was famous in the Western Regions during his lifetime, but after his death, he was like a wisp of smoke before the Buddha, leaving no trace.

    Nothing was left behind.

    That day, Yaoying sat beside him and watched him translate the Chinese scripture on the spot. Judging from the reactions of the other monks, not only did he translate quickly, but he also translated so smoothly that the monks believed that there was indeed an original Sanskrit version.

    She believed that he could have set out to write a doctrine on the scriptures long ago if he had wanted to.

    After the age of thirteen, he broke away from the nobles’ control and grasped real power. No one dared to stop him from practicing.

    Yaoying pondered for a long time and felt that there was only one explanation that could barely make sense: Tumoroga had too much responsibility on his shoulders, and he was so committed to saving all the people that he naturally had no time to document his views on the scriptures.

    Apparently, the monks felt the same way, so they murmured and complained that he did not live up to their expectations and wasted his wisdom.