Children of Loulan

Chapter 429 In a Dream

Then, even the king and queen personally stepped in and repeatedly advised him to let go of his grief and rest well, but these words were like wind on the ears and had no effect on Hawule at this time.

When everyone was at a loss, Muzepal appeared. He knew that his elder brother could not give up his love and respect for the queen mother, so he revealed a piece of news to him.

It turned out that a monk from the Tang Dynasty had recently arrived at a temple not far from their academy. This monk was famous for spreading Buddhism everywhere, and the rituals he presided over were known for their efficacy. Muzepal suggested that if this monk could be invited to the palace to hold a grand ritual for the queen mother, it might comfort the queen mother's spirit in heaven and let her rest in peace.

Hearing this suggestion, Hawuer's originally dull eyes instantly flashed with a glimmer of hope. However, it was not easy to successfully invite this monk.

It is said that the eminent monk is a famous and enlightened monk in the Tang Dynasty with a respected status. If one wants to invite him out of the mountain, the person who goes there must first bathe, change clothes, burn incense and cleanse his face, and then go to invite him with the most pious heart and the cleanest attitude.

After hearing this, Hawuer stood up quickly without saying anything and walked towards the room with a slightly heavy step. As he had not closed his eyes for several days, his body was exhausted to the extreme. As soon as he returned to the room, he could not wait to take a bath, hoping to wash away the fatigue and dust accumulated in the past few days.

However, when he just stepped into the warm tub, a wave of fatigue came over him like a tidal wave. Before long, he could no longer resist the invasion of sleepiness, his eyes gradually closed, his head drooped involuntarily, and he fell into a deep sleep in the tub.

Muzepal, who had been following him, saw this scene and felt a pang of pain in his heart. He knew the pain his elder brother had endured these days and felt even more distressed at the moment. So he gently signaled to Adi, and the two of them walked carefully to the bathtub, fearing to wake up the sleeping Hawul.

They worked together, gently and slowly, and slowly lifted Hawul out of the bathtub. Although Hawul was tall, they successfully placed him on the soft and comfortable bed with their efforts. Muzepal carefully covered his elder brother with a quilt, then stood quietly by the bed, staring at Hawul's haggard but still handsome face, secretly sighing that his elder brother was a real man.

The next morning, the first ray of sunlight shone through the window onto Hawule's face. Perhaps it was the stimulation of the light that made him suddenly startled and instantly woke up from his sleep. After opening his eyes, he was still a little confused and didn't know where he was for a moment.

At this moment, Adi, who had been guarding the bed, came forward and comforted him softly, "Your Highness, you are awake." He was worried that Hawul would immediately want to invite the Tang monk, so he said tactfully:

"Your Highness, it's still early. How about we eat something before we set off? After all, our destination is not too far from here. If we go too early, the temple will not be open and we will have to wait outside the gate."

Hawul turned his head and looked at Adi. Adi's face was full of worry and his eyes were full of concern. He nodded slightly, indicating that he agreed with Adi's proposal, and said, "Okay."

Hearing that Hawule was willing to eat, Adi immediately showed a happy smile on his face. He quickly turned around and shouted to the door: "Quick, serve the food!"

As Hawul had not eaten or drunk anything for several days, Hanguli was worried that he would suffer from indigestion due to the sudden food intake, so she quickly ordered the servants to cook some meat porridge and carefully prepared two appetizing and easily digestible side dishes.

When Hawuer saw the food, he devoured it without any hesitation. He quickly finished the full bowl of meat porridge, and even the two appetizers were eaten up. After eating and drinking, he carefully tidied up his appearance, as if he was ready to face the next thing in the best condition.

Everything was ready, and Hawul, Muzepal and Adi walked out of the palace together to invite the respected monk. Adi originally thought that Hawul would want to get to the temple as soon as possible, so he had already prepared three vigorous horses and a spacious and comfortable carriage, but Hawul had a different opinion.

"Anyway, the carriage runs slowly. Even if the three of us ride fast horses to reach the destination first, we still need to wait for the carriage to catch up before we can return together. It would be more convenient to call another carriage." Hawule said.

Although Adi was a little surprised, he still did as he was told. Then, Hawul boarded one of the carriages. Not long after he sat down, he felt sleepy like a tide. His eyelids became heavier and heavier, and soon he fell asleep.

This scene made Muzepal and Adi look at each other in confusion. No matter how they persuaded him, Hawul refused to eat or drink, let alone rest or sleep. However, at this moment, he suddenly changed like a different person, took the initiative to ask to ride in the carriage and fell asleep peacefully.

Although they were full of doubts, they didn't want to disturb Hawuer because he was sleeping soundly. After all, after so many sleepless days, it might be a good thing for him to have a few moments of sleep.

So, on the way back, Muzepal couldn't suppress his inner concern and curiosity. After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Brother, are you... okay?"

Hearing this question, the two eyes that had been staring at the road ahead slowly retracted and fell on the two people beside them. Hawule's originally resolute and calm face now revealed a trace of fatigue and sadness that was difficult to conceal, and when his eyes met Muzepal and another person's worried eyes, he sighed softly, as if he wanted to release some of the heaviness in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Hawuer slowly spoke: "After I fell asleep last night, I dreamed of my great-grandmother. In the dream, she was still as kind and gentle as before, with her eyes full of love and care for me. She told me that since I was just one year old, she began to teach me how to identify talents and properly employ virtuous people; guided me to read various historical books and classics, and to absorb the essence of governing the country from those ancient wisdoms; not only that, she also taught me all kinds of exquisite and profound strategies without reservation. However, the only thing she never taught me was how to learn to care for myself."

At this point, Hawul slightly lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked at the faint clouds in the distant sky, and continued to speak softly: "Grandmother Wang said that when she saw me kneeling in front of her coffin, not eating or drinking, and not sleeping, she felt extremely guilty. She deeply regretted why she didn't teach me to make sure I was safe before dealing with anything."

"Finally, she earnestly hoped that I would take care of myself first, no matter what difficulties, obstacles or major decisions I faced in the future. Because only in this way can I better shoulder the mission and responsibility of the entire Loulan and realize the ambitions that my ancestors failed to accomplish."