allendalepharm Chapter 204 The Wolf King Will Defeat Her with Buddhist Teachings
Chapter 204 The Wolf King Will Defeat Her with Buddhist Teachings
Pei Xiang pondered for a moment, then looked at Shen Shixi, "Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort is indeed a master strategist. I believe the people of Beisha will certainly love this wonderful thing!"
Shen Shixi laughed, "Whether he likes it or not, I don't know. Later, our Great Zhou will prepare a generous gift for Beisha, including half a jin of wine, for the Beisha Wolf King to taste!"
puff!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Many people started coughing and choked to death.
The Imperial Noble Consort is truly generous; the national gift she sent to Beisha was only half a jin of Xuepei (a type of fermented rice wine).
Prime Minister Pei laughed loudly, "What the Imperial Noble Consort says is very true. This snow wine is no less than jade dew and fine wine, and its value is considerable. If Bei Sha is interested, he should be willing to pay a high price."
When it comes to the Beisha issue, the Great Zhou naturally needs to unite as one.
After the banquet, Shen Shixi had someone send half a jin of wine to Prime Minister Pei.
The men below wanted to test for poison, but Prime Minister Pei waved them away. Wang Yifang, however, was worried. "Prime Minister," he said, "it's better to be safe than sorry. If there's something wrong with the wine, we could all die."
Prime Minister Pei smiled and said, "There's no need to worry about the things sent by the Imperial Noble Consort. She wouldn't have had them tampered with. Although she and my Pei family are sworn enemies, we are still serving our own masters. I have never admired anyone in my life, but the Imperial Noble Consort is one of them."
Although she is cunning, all her schemes are open and aboveboard. She brought me this half-jin of wine to thank me for my loyalty to her on the matter of Beisha. If a woman can possess such magnanimity, how could I, the Prime Minister, not understand the greater good of the nation?
The next day, the Beisha people arrived and set up tents about ten miles from the Da Zhou camp. They also built a high platform in the middle of the two camps, covered it with a tarpaulin to block the sun, and the meeting was held on this platform.
Shen Shixi got up early in the morning to dress up, wearing a pink cross-collar Confucian robe underneath, a vermilion embroidered gold high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and a wide-sleeved blouse on top. She styled her hair in a peony bun, and wore a red gold and ruby headdress with a plum blossom gold ornament on her forehead. Her face was as radiant as the morning glow.
She possesses an elegant and refined demeanor, and is truly exceptional.
Li Yuanke led her up to the high platform, followed by important officials from the Great Zhou who had participated in the negotiations. On the Beisha side, the Wolf King not only brought his principal wife and ministers, but also a monk with one arm exposed.
The Grand Princess and the Wolf King of the Northern Sands were of similar age and dressed in magnificent ethnic costumes. Although she was no longer young, her eyes were resolute and her demeanor serene and gentle, making her approachable.
The two exchanged a glance and smiled at each other, both showing a strong liking for one another.
The high monk was about forty or fifty years old, with clear eyes, a kind face, and a dignified appearance.
Shen Shixi's heart skipped a beat when she saw this person.
[What do you mean? The Wolf King of the Northern Sands can't defeat me with conventional methods, so he's planning to use divine methods? I'm not afraid of people, so why would I be afraid of a Living Buddha?]
She calmly sat down next to Li Yuanke.
After the two sides' rulers and ministers exchanged greetings, the Wolf Dynasty ruler, upon seeing this, spoke.
"Your Highness, congratulations on your promotion! There is a saying in the Great Zhou Dynasty: 'A day apart feels like three autumns.' Since our last parting, Your Highness, I have not seen you for countless years. It feels like half a lifetime has passed."
The wolf king was over thirty years old and quite handsome, but rather rugged, especially with his full beard and determined look in his eyes, which made Shen Shixi very disgusted.
If Li Yuanke ever dares to grow a beard in the future, I will burn it all down.
Li Yuanke glanced at her and saw that she slightly raised her brocade sleeves, sitting upright, displaying a rare grace and elegance, like a celestial being.
"As expected, the Wolf King is still as ignorant and incompetent as ever! The culture of our Great Zhou is profound and has a long history. If you really can't learn it, don't force yourself, lest you become a parrot and make a fool of yourself!"
The wolf king laughed heartily, understanding the meaning but not taking it to heart, finding it amusing.
Li Yuanke then said, "Beisha has repeatedly and sincerely invited me to a meeting. But after seeing you today, it seems the Wolf King doesn't want to see me for state affairs, but rather wants to exchange pleasantries with my wife and me!"
Prime Minister Pei coughed lightly, clearly bothered.
The Wolf King looked at Shen Shixi meaningfully and smiled, "I've heard that according to the etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only the Empress and the Emperor are considered husband and wife?"
Li Yuanke was about to speak when Shen Shixi interrupted him.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do! This platform is built within the territory of Beisha, but didn't the Wolf King say that the ruler of Beisha can marry three principal wives? His Majesty was afraid that following the etiquette of the Great Zhou would offend the Grand Consort, so he elevated me. The Wolf King's words sound like he's trying to sow discord, which is quite impolite!"
The Wolf King laughed again. "I like talking to the Imperial Concubine, just like a little wolf on the grassland. Great monk, this is the daughter of the Shen family of the Great Zhou that I told you about. If you have any questions, ask them quickly, because I will have to discuss state affairs with the Emperor of Great Zhou in a little while."
The high monk thanked the wolf king, uttered a Buddhist chant, and said, "This old monk is being presumptuous, but may I ask, where does this female benefactor come from, and where is she going?"
What does the old monk mean? A soul-searching question?
Shen Shixi couldn't help but feel nervous. She had already transmigrated, so she still had to believe in some mystical things.
Naturally, this tension did not escape the wolf king's notice. Sure enough, this woman was no ordinary person.
Li Yuanke took her hand and gently squeezed it.
Shen Shixi smiled faintly, "Great Monk, your question is rather naive and I truly do not understand! Well, Great Monk, I come from the Great Zhou Dynasty in the East, on my way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures!"
The old monk smiled, showing no anger at Shen Shixi's teasing, and asked again, "May I ask who this female benefactor is?"
Upon hearing this question, apart from Li Yuanke, both the emperor and his ministers on both sides stared intently at Shen Shixi.
She was so nervous that her palms were sweating, and Li Yuanke gripped her hand even tighter.
Nie Yunshen stood guard behind the two, his fingers already gripping the hilt of his sword.
"What do you mean, Great Monk?" Li Yuanke asked. "Wolf King of Beisha, is this the proper etiquette you should have in Beisha?"
He finished speaking and was about to get up and leave when Shen Shixi stopped him, saying, "Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler. Great monk, what about you? Who are you?"
These words dispelled everyone's doubts. Oh, so the two of them were exchanging veiled insults!
Apart from a few, many of those present were well-read and learned, and upon hearing this, they all perked up their ears.
At this time, Xuanzang had not yet gone to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures, so many Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhist scriptures had not been transmitted back, including the Diamond Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, and other scriptures that are well-known to later generations. They were not available at this time.
The abbot nodded approvingly, "All phenomena are without self!"
He then asked, "May I ask what brings you here, benefactor?"
[What's wrong with this old monk? Isn't he annoying? Looks like I need to give him a good talking-to. What's with this pretentious act of a high-ranking monk in front of me? He's only read a few Buddhist scriptures, yet he acts all high and mighty!]
Shen Shixi said, "Great monk, there is a saying that one should abide nowhere and yet give rise to the mind. All conditioned phenomena in the world are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; they should be viewed in this way. Where do these phenomena come from? And where does the concept of 'no-self' come from?"
[Heh, I don't understand any of this. You can ponder it yourself. A monk is supposed to be detached from worldly desires, yet he still got captured by the Wolf King of the Northern Sands and used as a laborer. What an unlucky fellow!]
These are words from the Diamond Sutra. Shen Shixi heard an old monk tell them to her mother in her previous life, and she had memorized them.
This eminent monk had never heard of him before. Overjoyed, he was filled with admiration for Shen Shixi. "Benefactor, you possess profound wisdom. Though not a member of our Buddhist community, your understanding of Buddhist teachings is exquisite. I deeply admire you! May I ask if you have any intention of becoming a monk?"
Li Yuanke was stunned; he never expected the Wolf King of Beisha to have such a tactic.