Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 310 Buddha's Fate
"This monk is a bit weird..."

Zhu Shenzhui did not dare to look down on Master Sangge now. He was even more unsure whether what Master Sangge had just said was true or false. If it was just a casual remark, it would be fine, but if it was the other party's sincere words, Zhu Shenzhui, to be honest, felt a little afraid of Master Sangge.

Everyone had their own thoughts, except Tenger, who didn't care about anything. As a child, he stared at Master Sangge with his round eyes, as if he was particularly curious about this monk.

He had never seen anyone dressed like this before, wearing a monk's robe and a tall yellow monk's hat, which was completely different from the people he saw every day. In particular, Master Sangge was holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, which aroused Tenger's interest. He stared at it for a moment, suddenly grinned, stood up, and staggered towards Master Sangge.

"Tenger!"

Tenger ran away from Tana and headed straight for Master Sangge. Seeing this, Tana was shocked. She was worried that Tenger had offended Master Sangge and was also worried about her son's safety. She wanted to get up and bring Tenger back, but she was concerned about the status of the master. While hesitating, Tenger came to Master Sangge in a few steps and stood there grinning.

Master Sangge smiled at the child Tenger and said something. The monk beside him quickly translated it to Tana, "Don't worry, Alia. The master said that Taiji has a connection with him. It's okay."

Hearing this, Tana was relieved, but she couldn't help but worry again. What did Master Sangge mean when he said he and Tenger were destined to be together? Could it be that he wanted to accept Tenger as his disciple? How could this be possible? Tenger was the taiji of the tribe, a Wanhu and Jinong appointed by the Khan, and a Longhu General appointed by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The entire tribe depended on Tenger. If Tenger followed Master Sangge, what would happen to the tribe? What would he do?
No! Absolutely not! Tana would never allow Tenger to become a disciple of Guru Sangge. Although she respected the Guru and believed in Buddha, her son and the survival of the tribe were the most important. No matter what, this result could not happen.

Thinking of this, Tana couldn't help but get up and bring the child back, but before she got up, Zhu Shenzhui on the side stopped her, signaling her with his eyes not to be impulsive for the time being and to wait and see what happens.

Just when Tana was getting anxious, Tenger, who was standing in front of Master Sangge, had been looking at Master Sangge. Somehow, Tenger suddenly raised his right hand, clenched his fist, extended his index finger, and pointed at Master Sangge.

Master Sangge smiled immediately, and his smile was very happy. He raised his right hand like Tengger, and then stretched out his fingers, and then slowly extended his fingers forward, and finally his fingers and Tengger's fingers gently touched each other.

When their fingers touched, Tengger's small body seemed to tremble slightly, and then the smile on his face became even wider, and he started to giggle.

Tenger was laughing very happily, and so was Master Sangge. The two of them, one old and one young, a monk and a child, a master and a taiji, just smiled at each other. This bizarre scene really left everyone confused.

Master Sangge took off a string of Buddhist beads from his wrist and handed it to Tenger. Tenger took it without thinking, looked through it happily in his hand, and then held it the same way Master Sangge held the Buddhist beads.

Seeing this, the smile on Master Sangge's face softened, and he spoke a few words.

The monk nearby translated, "The master said that Taiji is a very blessed person. Buddha will bless Taiji. Meeting Taiji on the grassland is the great gain of the master's trip."

"This..." Zhu Shenzhui and Tana looked at each other, not knowing whether this was a good thing or had other deep meanings. At this time, Tengger had already come back. He snuggled up to his mother Tana and sat down, still holding the string of Buddhist beads in his little hand and shaking them to show off. Zhu Shenzhui's eyes subconsciously fell on the Buddhist beads. This was a string of Buddhist beads with a long history. If I guessed correctly, it was a personal item blessed by Master Sangge for many years, not an ordinary Buddhist bead.

He stood up and bowed to Master Sangge, expressing his gratitude for giving the beads to Tenger. Master Sangge returned the bow with a smile and spoke again.

The monk translated, "The master said that you don't have to worry. Taiji is a very blessed person. It is the grassland's luck to have a blessed person like Taiji. He is also obeying the Buddha's will by doing this."

“Thank you, Master…” Zhu Shenzhui finally felt relieved after hearing the answer. Tana, who was standing beside him, also felt relieved. The two of them bowed to their master once again.

Master Sangge did not let Zhu Shencui and his disciples stay with him for too long. After chatting for a while, the conversation ended. Zhu Shencui originally planned to give his big tent to Master Sangge and his disciples to live in, but Master Sangge declined. Master Sangge said that they, as monks, did not care about these things. Coming to the tribe had already caused trouble for the tribe. He only needed to help them find a place to settle down. When they were outside, let alone living in a yurt, they would often eat in the wind and rain, which was also a kind of practice for them.

Seeing that Master Sangge insisted, Zhu Shencui did not force him and personally led people to make arrangements. After settling the master, Zhu Shencui returned to the tent and found that Tenger had fallen asleep. Tana accompanied Tenger and sang a ballad. The little guy slept very soundly, and in his sleep he tightly held the string of Buddhist beads given to him by Master Sangge.

"What about the Master...?" "Don't worry, everything has been settled." Zhu Shenzhui said as he sat down next to Tana.

"The master's status is not ordinary. When you are a guest in the tribe, you must not let anyone bump into them." Tana reminded.

Zhu Shenzhu nodded to show that he knew. He told Tana that he had made all the arrangements. Master Sangge's temporary residence was not far from the big tent, and he had also sent people to guard the periphery. In addition, given Master Sangge's status and position, the people of the tribe were so respectful to him that there was no possibility of any conflict. He told her not to worry.

"That's good." Tana breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the sleeping Tenger and suddenly asked Zhu Shenzhui, "Tell me, what did the master mean by what he said just now?"

Zhu Shenzhui shook his head slightly: "I can't explain it clearly, but the master should have no ill will towards the child. He also gave the child Buddhist beads and said that our Tenger is a very blessed person. It should be a good thing."

"Yeah, I think so too." Tana snuggled in Zhu Shenzhui's arms and said with some worry, "Just now I was really worried that the master said that Tenger and Buddha had a connection and wanted to convert him to become a monk... If that's the case, I really don't know how to answer."

"Silly girl, the master is a man of great wisdom, how could he say such a thing? Besides, Tenger is the leader of the tribe, how could he become a monk? Not to mention you, I can't bear to let you go."

Zhu Shenzhui's words made Tana feel relieved. Although Master Sangge said that Tenger was a blessed person, he had no intention of saving him. Talking about Master Sangge, they soon talked about Elbegji Taiji who came with Master Sangge.

The Elbegji Taiji tribe, like the Tengger tribe, is one of the Tumed tribes, but the two tribes did not have much contact with each other. On the one hand, the Elbegji Taiji tribe was quite far away from the Tengger tribe, and on the other hand, the Elbegji Taiji and Shunyi King Bushitu had always been close.

The predecessor of the Tenger tribe was the Ashitemur tribe. Ashitemur had always been a loyal subordinate of Ligdan Khan. Now Ashitemur has passed away, his successor also died in the northern desert, and his other two sons lost their lives in the civil strife. As the grandson of Ashitemur, Tenger has the blood of Ashitemur and ascended to the position of tribal taiji with the support of Zhu Shencui.

It is precisely because of this reason that the Elbegji Taiji tribe and the Tenger tribe did not have much contact on a daily basis. Even when Tenger was canonized by Ligdan Khan, the Elbegji Taiji tribe only sent an envoy.

And this time, Elbegji Taiji actually brought people to the Tenger tribe in person. Although he ostensibly came to escort Master Sangge, Zhu Shenzui felt that the other party's real intention would definitely not be so simple. Although Master Sangge was of noble status, as a tribal Taiji who was far away from the Tenger tribe, could it be that he was a devout Buddhist and came all the way here to escort Master Sangge?

Zhu Shenzhui had guessed about the purpose of Elbegji's visit when he was talking to Master Sangge, but he didn't find a chance to ask. When Zhu Shenzhui arranged Master Sangge's group, Elbegji also asked the tribe to set aside an area in the camp for him and his subordinates to live temporarily. For this reason, Zhu Shenzhui agreed to the other party and asked someone to make arrangements. Now the two of them didn't have time to talk in detail, and for a while they were not sure what the old guy was doing.

"Master!" At this moment, Wang Hai's voice came from outside.

"Come in!" As soon as the words fell, Wang Hai entered the big tent.

When they got into the tent, Wang Hai saluted Zhu Shenzhui and Tana, glanced at the sleeping Tenger, and then lowered his voice and said, "My lord and mistress, Elbegji Taiji and his people have been settled."

Zhu Shenzhui nodded slightly and said nothing, continuing to wait for Wang Hai to continue.

Wang Hai said: "I have inquired about it. The people under Elbegji Taiji told me that Elbegji Taiji came to the tribe for two purposes this time. One is to escort Master Sangge to the east, and the other is for the trade between our tribe and the Ming Dynasty."

"About trade?" Zhu Shenzhui was a little surprised to hear this. This was something he had not expected. As the tribe was going to start trading with the Ming Dynasty in a few days, the news had already spread around the tribe. In order to win over other tribes, the Tengger tribe also joined forces with several good tribes and obtained a lot of supplies from them for resale.

Although this kind of resale is not as profitable as direct trade, it is a golden opportunity for those tribes without connections, so there is no reason not to agree. However, among the tribes that cooperated, there was no Elbegji Taiji tribe at all. The reason is very simple. As mentioned before, the Elbegji Taiji tribe is far away from the Tenger tribe, and it is inconvenient to travel. Secondly, the Elbegji Taiji tribe has a good relationship with Bu Shitu. The two sides are in different camps. Considering the attitude of Bu Shitu tribe towards the Tenger tribe, the Tenger tribe has no intention of cooperating with the other party.

(End of this chapter)