I have guests

Ah Qiu immediately said, "That's better than all of us! We can't do that!"

Although Xue Hongbi had been a member of her family before, she was speechless and said, "Miss, this... Madam probably doesn't know?"

Pei Yu glanced at her sideways, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Instructor Xue, you are no longer my aunt, so mind your own business!"

Xue Hongbi immediately swallowed her words.

Pei Yu was in a good mood, so these words were rather polite. Even if Xue Hongbi was still a concubine in the Pei household, she certainly couldn't control the eldest daughter of the Pei family.

Only Xiao Chang'an and Fan Liancheng remained. Xiao Chang'an, with great manners, smiled and gestured for Fan Liancheng to go first.

This was the first time among the Four Guards of Flying Phoenix that someone had taken the initiative to show goodwill to Fan Liancheng. This was because Xiao Chang'an was not usually in the capital, Shangguan Yuqi was a free spirit, and Pei Yu always kept his distance and would never take the initiative to make small talk.

Fan Liancheng was momentarily stunned by Xiao Chang'an's radiant smile, then leaped onto the drum surface. Although she was young, she was very composed, and only after she had firmly planted her footing did she exert her strength to leap.

Compared to Pei Yu's ability to perform seven or eight somersaults in a row, her leaps and bounds, though steady, were hardly remarkable.

A Qiu watched, realizing that Fan Liancheng was testing the position and force of her footing, because her running speed was getting faster and faster, and after a moment she stopped. At her previous speed, she stopped on the drum surface as soon as she wanted, without any hesitation.

At this moment, Fan Liancheng turned to her and said, "Can you jump onto my shoulders?"

A-Qiu was taken aback, and quickly waved her hand, saying, "I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

Fan Liancheng's eyes, hidden beneath his mask, were extremely bright. He stared intently at her and said, "I am naturally stronger than ordinary people. Come up and try. If I can lift you up, you can leap over a height of one person, with a more obvious difference in elevation. No matter how much that Princess Wansui can jump, she can only dance on the ground. In this way, we will be better than her."

A Qiu was about to refuse when she felt a tightness around her waist. It turned out that Xiao Chang'an had already grabbed her by the waist and casually tossed her towards Fan Liancheng, saying with a smile, "General Fan's kindness is too much for you to refuse, sister."

A Qiu had no choice but to use the momentum in mid-air to turn around and land lightly on Fan Liancheng's shoulder, whispering, "Are you still alright?"

As she moved, it was like a dragonfly skimming the water. Fan Liancheng slightly bent his knees, deflecting her impact. He immediately knew she was also skilled in martial arts, and his worries were greatly relieved. He had been worried that if A Qiu moved through the air, she might not be able to stop in time or find the right position, and would fall and get injured. Since A Qiu knew martial arts, leaping and landing more than a meter high was no problem at all.

She nodded and said, "I'm fine. Try jumping from here to Lord Xiao's side again." She looked up at Xiao Chang'an, but asked in a consultative tone, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Xiao Chang'an deliberately exaggerated, saying, "I am delicate and frail, I'm afraid I cannot."

It should be understood that if a person's entire weight, combined with the force of falling, were to land on an ordinary person's shoulder in an instant, the scapula could be broken.

Pei Yu snorted, crossed his arms, leaped onto the drumhead, and proudly pointed to his shoulder, saying, "Come here."

However, she first bent her knees and squatted down to prepare for the situation, just in case she got injured.

Ah Qiu took a deep breath and gently touched Pei Yu's shoulder before increasing the pressure to give her body time to adjust.

Pei Yu used the force of her fall to slowly straighten up, and said majestically, "I can too."

Xiao Chang'an laughed, "It seems that as the only man, I can't shirk my responsibilities!" He leaped to a spot a zhang away from Pei Yu on the drumhead, hunched over, and said with a smile, "Come on!"

Before A Qiu could exert any force, Pei Yu shrugged and sent her flying, landing her on Xiao Chang'an's back, who was poised to pounce.

Using the momentum, A Qiu rolled over on Xiao Chang'an's back, landed on the ground, and laughed, "That was so much fun!"

Sun Neiren was filled with admiration. These young men and women were not only incredibly skilled in martial arts, but also had excellent teamwork. Their aerial tossing technique alone, a fusion of acrobatics and martial arts, was enough to give them a decisive advantage. No matter how graceful and beautiful the Kucha music and dance troupe of the Princess Wansui was, and how exquisite their entertainment, they could not surpass them in terms of visual appeal.

Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu exchanged a glance, and both said anxiously, "But we can't fly around like A Qiu, what should we do?"

Xue Hongbi already had a plan in mind, and smiled, "I have a brilliant idea." She bent down and picked up two large gold and silver inlaid plates from the side of the Seven Drums on the ground, and flipped them over, saying, "Watch carefully." Then she extended a finger from each hand, making the plates spin around on her fingers. After a moment, she threw one of them at Xiao Chang'an and shouted, "Little Xiao, catch!"

Xiao Chang'an caught the plate with a single finger as it came at him, and the plate continued to spin in his hand.

Xiao Chang'an laughed and said, "I didn't expect Instructor Xue to know this flying disc technique. We martial artists are used to practicing hidden weapons, but we didn't know that the previous generation of dancers also practiced this."

Sun's brows had now completely relaxed as she said, "Besides bare hands, there are also weapons in the dance, but most of them have been lost or have been classified as acrobatics. Among our generation, I know how to use the drum, while Hongbi has learned the frisbee. Now we can't say for sure, we can only use our best tricks to win this round and not let the barbarians look down on our China."

Xue Hongbi said to Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu, "You can't jump high like A Qiu, but you can practice throwing and catching this frisbee. It's a skill that can really impress people!"

Remembering that Gu Yi had composed the music for the last performance of "White Silk," A Qiu asked, "Now that the choreography is almost complete, has Master decided what music to use?"

Upon hearing this, Sun's wife's expression turned serious. She said, "Hongbi and I consulted with Lord An, and he said that if the Junior Tutor has no objection, then we should use 'The Deer's Cry'. But now, I feel that we should change our minds."

The poem "Deer Cry" from the Book of Songs has always been music used by kings to entertain feudal lords. "The deer cry 'yoyo,' eating the wild apples. I have guests, let us play the zither and blow the sheng," is elegant and appropriate, and would be perfectly suitable for a state banquet to receive Li Chongyu.

Xue Hongbi chimed in, "That's right. Lu Ming is certainly appropriate, but what we're competing on now isn't who's more generous and appropriate, but rather who comes up with something new."

Xiao Chang'an, an expert in the field, laughed and said, "It seems that the 'Deer Cry' melody is too regulated and repetitive, leaving us no room to showcase our unrestrained skills."

Music is the soul of dance. If the melody is always peaceful and moderate, then adding difficult technical movements out of thin air will make the audience feel that it is disjointed and forced.

A-Qiu asked, "Has Master thought about how to change this?"

Sun Neiren exchanged a serious glance with Xue Hongbi and said, "I believe that we should invite the Junior Tutor to compose a new melody for our dynasty. Only then will it be worthy of the 'Yanshi Ning' that we, so many of us, have worked together to create, which is both a continuation and an innovation."

"May the world be at peace, may the four seas be tranquil, may the whole world enjoy lasting peace and happiness. May the four seas be at peace, may the world rejoice, may the people be happy and prosperous, may they dance with cups and plates. May the cups and plates dance gracefully, may the whole family live to a ripe old age. May the heavens and the sun be one, turning left and right without ever losing each other."

Given the difference in rank and authority between Consort Sun and Gu Yi in the past, it was impossible for her to simply ask Gu Yi to compose a piece. Even if the request was reasonable, it would at least have been reported to An Daoling first, then passed up through the Music Bureau, and finally submitted to Gu Yi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

If this is done, at least half a month will have passed before Gu Yi finds out.

But the news was relayed by A-Qiu in a very short time.

Gu Yi returned to Jinling Terrace after the morning court session. Upon hearing A Qiu's report, he pondered for a moment, then took down the "Ling Shu" zither from the wall. While playing the zither to listen to the sound, he also wrote down the score and lyrics.

Seeing that he could compose lyrics and music so easily, A Qiu was very impressed and said, "Since Master has composed this piece, will you also play the zither to accompany our dance?"

Without looking up, Gu Yi folded up the score with lyrics and music and handed it to her, saying, "Of course not. The main music for this piece must be bells and drums. The drums are already at your feet, and two more large drums will be added to symbolize the sun and moon. The music will be played with chime bells, and the embellishments will be zithers, se, sheng, and guan."

Ah Qiu thought for a moment and said, "When you live in a temple, you hear the music of bells and drums. In addition, it also means 'I have guests, so I play the zither and blow the sheng.'"

Gu Yi nodded approvingly, then reminded her, "If new clothing is required, you can write it down here and I will give it to Zhao Zhaorong. That way it will be faster."

A Qiu admired Zhao Lingying's "exquisite writing skills" very much, and scratched his head, saying, "Master, why don't you tell Zhao Zhaorong about our personnel arrangement and ask her to draw up the design? The costumes and masks of the four deities are not commonly used attire, and only Zhao Zhaorong can make them in such a short time."

Despite making so many decisions in such a short time, Gu Yi still frowned slightly, showing no sign of triumph.

A Qiu was now extremely sensitive to Gu Yi's emotions. Seeing him like this, she couldn't help but ask, "The overall situation of 'Yan Shi Ning' is settled, and it will certainly not disappoint the world. What else is Master worried about?"

Gu Yi hesitated for a moment, met her gaze, and said, "A Qiu, can I trust you?"

Ah Qiu was closer to him at the moment, and she could smell the fragrance emanating from him, which seemed stronger than usual. Without thinking, she said, "Of course. Whatever Master wants to do, I will fully support him."

Gu Yi asked, "What if it goes against the principles of your Lanling Hall?"

A Qiu was taken aback. After considering for a moment, seeing Gu Yi staring at her intently, she said carefully, "That depends on what it is. If it's a good thing, I'm willing to do it even if it goes against the principles of our sect. If it's a bad thing, then I can't."

Gu Yi, who had been serious, burst into laughter at her words and said happily, "If everything in the world could be so simply divided into good and bad, things would be much easier."

He then asked, "How many men do you have under your command right now that you can actually command?"

A Qiu blinked and said, "I will personally oversee the Thirteen Shadows of the Divine Weapon Hall. In addition, the people of the Eldest Senior Brother cannot be touched. As for the Second Senior Brother, if I make a call, I can also borrow his 'Eight Steeds'."

Gu Yi said in a deep voice, "I need your people to find a way to protect Li Chongyu in the capital."

A Qiu pondered for a moment, knowing that this matter was of utmost importance; otherwise, Gu Yi would not have borrowed her manpower. She hesitated for a moment and said, "I can call upon the Thirteen Shadows and the Eight Steeds, but this matter will be difficult to conceal from my Master Wanqi."

Wan Qiqing's attitude in this matter is extremely crucial. If he finds out and then tries to obstruct it, he will only put Li Chongyu in danger.

Gu Yi said in a deep voice, "Do the people of the Divine Weapon Hall obey your master more than you do?"

A-Qiu said, "If we have to choose one of the two ministers, then this is probably how it should be."

Gu Yi said calmly, "Then it's time to teach them to only listen to you." He added, "I will have Chang Kong go with you."