The statues and murals of Kizil Thousand Buddha Cave are all painted in Zhiti Cave, which is about 300 miles away from Qiuci City. The murals mainly tell the stories of Buddha, marriage and life.
But no matter what, all the murals and statues are meant to represent the various hardships and ascetic days that the Buddha and Bodhisattvas went through in their previous lives.
In this way, all sentient beings can maintain respect for the various deeds of the Buddha and have faith in the Buddha's vast supernatural powers and compassion for the world.
"It is said that in a long time ago, in short, many years before now, there was a craftsman from the Kingdom of Kucha who fell in love with the daughter of the King of Kucha. Then in order to get this beloved princess, he agreed to the request of the King of Kucha, as long as he If a thousand such grottoes are dug on this cliff, the princess will be betrothed to the craftsman, and then the craftsman will dig... chisel... chisel... "
"Then, did King Qiuci agree to the craftsman's request?"
"Can you not be so anxious when listening to the story? How about I tell you the result directly? Do you understand the important process? Do you understand the love of each other?" Li Hong rode on the horse and wrapped himself with a glare. Xiaoxue said, looking like a rice dumpling.
"Then go ahead and I won't interrupt you."
"Then the nine hundred and ninety-nine grottoes were finished. When the thousandth one was dug, the craftsman died of exhaustion. The princess came after hearing the news and saw that her beloved was dead. She also died of tears. It flowed for nine days and nine nights, and the teardrops were threaded together to form this tearful fountain. Look, the spring water is still flowing out." After passing the tearful fountain, Li Hong said to prove the authenticity of his story.
"Why are all your stories like this? I thought this time it would be like Meng Jiangnu crying at the Great Wall last time. This princess would cry down this cliff. Alas..." Banmei didn't know what the reason was in the end. sigh.
"Banmei, what do you mean? If you sigh again, I won't tell you stories anymore." Li Hong was dissatisfied with Banmei's sigh, as if the story he told was not good.
"Hmph, I, the princess of Kucha Kingdom, am not a fool to fall in love with a craftsman like this." Zeluo was also riding on horseback, but after being tortured by lawlessness for a night, he looked haggard, his hair was messy, and his face was still wet. There were patches of blue and purple, and the circles under his eyes were like those of a panda.
"Zero, I think the beating you received yesterday was not enough, right? Why doesn't the princess look down on the craftsman?" Li Hong glanced at him.
Zeluo was also ruthless. When the Tang Dynasty attacked the city, he took the lead in subduing Bai Sunizhi and other family members, and then took advantage of the chaos and imprisoned them in the Kizil Grottoes.
In order to avenge Bai Sunizhi for killing his younger brother, the King of Qiuci was allowed to display his artistic talent here, and his family was imprisoned here to paint murals.
Lawless rushed back from the grassland overnight, but only brought back some of the people, and the rest still stayed on the grassland.
After Li Hong took charge of the Anxi Protectorate and became the Great Protector of Anxi, the place bordering the Qiuci and Ashinadu clans changed.
In the past, it had always been the soldiers and horses of the Ashinadu branch, harassing the border towns and towns of Qiuci in the cold winter, and carrying out bandit-like plunder.
But since Li Hong arrived, this border area, including the depths of the grassland further in, has become a place where soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty graze, patrol, and have fun.
Every day, thousands of cavalrymen roamed the grasslands like lonely ghosts, camping wherever they went. As for food, they had to use local materials or eat dry food they brought with them.
As a result, Ashina Duzhi and Li Zhekai were like shrunken turtles all winter, huddled in the depths of the grassland, suffering from hunger and cold, and not daring to take a step forward.
Under the leadership of Zeluo, the group walked slowly along the foot of the mountain range until they reached a sheltered place. Only then did they see what looked like a small village residence not far away, above the thatched houses. , and now a curl of light smoke is rising.
This small village is backed by green mountains, which can block the cold northwest wind, and the bird's nest-like grotto on the cliff is also very close to here. I think this is the place where Bai Suni was imprisoned.
Li Hong looked at the small village not far ahead in a daze, and unknowingly felt waves of elegance. He couldn't help but think in his heart, if he hadn't been born in the royal family, he would have lived in this kind of relationship like he did in previous generations. It’s not a bad place to have peace of mind.
"The house is built in a human environment, without the noise of carriages and horses. How can I ask you? Your mind is far away and you are biased. Under the eastern fence of the ruling, you can see Nanshan leisurely. The mountain air is getting better day and night, and the birds are flying back and forth. There is true meaning in this, desire. I have forgotten my words. Alas... I am afraid that only this poem by Tao Qian can describe the scene in front of me." Li Hong thought about it for a long time, and he could only sigh deeply, Mr. Tao, You are awesome.
Everyone dismounted at the intersection of the small village. A team of about a thousand people had already alarmed the people in the small village.
Li Hong stood at the entrance of the village. The village only had about a dozen households, and people were walking out of it from time to time.
And these people were obviously wearing handcuffs and shackles, wearing thin clothes, and their eyes were dull. Only when they saw Zeluo did they regain some of their sparkle.
"Which one is Bai Sunizhi?" Li Hong asked, looking sideways at Zeluo.
Zeluo was pushed forward by Lawless and began to walk towards Bai Sunizhi's thatched house.
Li Hong followed behind, feeling very lucky that he didn't let Bai Chun follow him. Otherwise, Zeluo would probably have been able to chop Bai Chun into fillings and make dumplings to feed the dog.
Looking at Xiaoxue and others, Li Hong whispered: "You are not allowed to tell Bai Chun about these conditions when you go back. If that girl knows such a tragic situation, she will not cry to death."
"What are you doing here again?" An old voice sounded weakly as Zeluo opened the door and stepped into the courtyard.
"The debt you owe me has almost been repaid, so I will let you go today." Zeluo was also very angry. He did not expect that the thirteenth daughter of Bai Sunizhi, the only one who slipped through the net, turned out to be Tang Dynasty. The famous man in front of His Highness the Crown Prince has an extraordinary relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince.
After confirming Bai Sunizhi's identity, before Li Hong could say anything, Lawless and Xiaoxue, the four girls, had already begun to walk up to them. They helped Bai Sunizhi open his handcuffs and shackles, and at the same time took out the package on the horse. Thick new cotton-padded clothes were immediately draped on Bai Sunizhi and others.
Bai Suni was so thin and stooped that he no longer had the grace of King Qiuci back then. His gray hair was messy and scattered on the top of his head, flying randomly as the wind blew. He watched as his handcuffs and shackles were opened, and a woman wrapped it around him. Putting on thick new cotton-padded clothes, his eyes were full of doubts.
Silent, he forgot to glance at Zeluo, and his eyes were immediately fixed on Li Hong. He looked at Li Hong standing there with dignity and grace. From the perspective of someone who had been in power for many years, he could tell at a glance that this was the leader here. Young master.
"What do you want to do?" Bai Sunizhi asked coldly, not knowing the young master's identity.
As soon as he finished asking, he heard the sound of handcuffs and shackles being taken off sparsely throughout the small village. Bai Suni couldn't help but frown his dry brows, straightened up with great effort, and walked out from the fence that reached the waist of ordinary people. Looking over, I saw that my family members were all having their handcuffs and shackles removed.
"Who are you from the Tang Dynasty?" Bai Sunizhi knew Zero's position in the Tang Dynasty. He was the one who introduced the troops of the Tang Dynasty into Kucha City.
So he won't believe at this moment that these people are here to save him. But looking at Zero's black-eyed blue cheeks and disheveled hair, he became a little confused and didn't know who these people were.
There are only thirty or forty people in this small village. Apart from Bai Suni, they are his sons. As for his daughter-in-law, Zeluo has already taken him as his own.
Li Hong was not at all curious that there were only a few old women in their fifties or sixties in this small village. If they were young, Zeluo would definitely not stay here.
"How many people are there in total here?" Li Hong looked at the people in the village crowding in front of Bai Sunizhi's thatched house, took Bai Sunizhi's hand, and sat down with him on two crude chairs.
"Forty-seven people." Bai Sunizhi glanced at the family members in front of him and replied calmly.
"Quite a few, let's do this. We'll go back to Kucha City first. After you recover from your injuries, I'll send you to Taiyi City. Someone will receive you there. By the way, do you still have any concerns about Kucha City that you can't let go of? Now I have found all the family members I can find, and they are all waiting for you to come back in Qiuci City." Li Hong wore a big white fur coat on his body, looking noble and calm.
Bai Sunizhi looked at Li Hong. This young master was definitely not simple. He thought in his mind whether he might be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, but he rejected it in the second thought.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty! How noble is that status? How could he condescend to come to this place in person and save himself
But there were more and more doubts in his heart. The more he overturned his guesses, the more he wanted to know the identity of this young master.
"With all due respect, who are you?" Bai Sunizhi still couldn't help but feel curious. The traces of time were etched on his weathered old face.
"Li Hong." Li Hong patted his leg and continued: "He is the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty and is now Bai Chun's master."
Seeing Li Hong looking at him with a half-smile but not a smile, Bai Suni felt unnatural on his face for no reason.
In the end, he didn't expect that it was the thirteenth girl who was least respected and least loved by him who saved him.
Bai Chun has been smart, beautiful and generous since she was a child. In Qiuci, at a young age, she was already a beauty known throughout the Western Regions. At that time, I don’t know how many princes from other countries wanted to marry him, but he rejected them one by one.
Because at that time, the borders of Qiuci had been shrinking, and too much territory was occupied by other people. Bai Chun was sent to the Tang Dynasty in the hope of learning some cultural etiquette of the Tang Dynasty and using it to marry the prince of the Tang Dynasty. , even the emperor, but he didn't expect that by some mistake, he would become the prince's slave.
(End of chapter)