Lady Violet

Hulü Guang replied with a forced smile, "Didn't His Majesty previously order me to take you to the Prince of Ning's residence for accommodation and hospitality before receiving you at the sacrificial ceremony the day after tomorrow?"

Chen Bo raised his head slightly, his cold gaze sweeping over, and Huli Guang felt a chill run down his spine.

Chen Bo said in a gruff voice, "The Prince of Ning's residence is quite a distance from the palace. Marquis Xiao said that if so many people are delayed until the day after tomorrow to enter the palace, it may cause them to miss the auspicious time for the coronation. Of course, he is also afraid that someone might try to sabotage the ceremony and deliberately make His Majesty's grand ceremony look bad."

Hulü Guang immediately shut up and dared not say another word.

Gongyi Xiu smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Great Khan and Marquis Xiao."

He then gave Hulü Guang a meaningful look and said, "Your Highness, let's go."

Hearing their agreement, Uncle Chen said no more, picked up his load, and led the way.

With Uncle Chen leading the way, the previously fierce wolf guards no longer dared to call them "Han dogs" or "Han dogs" so casually. The journey was surprisingly quiet.

As we entered the palace, the scenery improved somewhat, with willows lining both sides of the path, and eunuchs sweeping the palace roads along the way. However, without exception, all those serving were Han Chinese palace maids and eunuchs.

Upon arriving at the Zichen Palace, Chen Boshi said, "Please, Your Highness Prince Ning and Lord Xiao, come with me to report to His Majesty. As for the rest of you, there are other arrangements in the palace. His Majesty will not formally receive you until the sacrificial ceremony the day after tomorrow. Please go to the villa to rest first."

A palace attendant was waiting at the gate to lead them to the villa.

Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. After all, Xiao Chang'an was practically a member of the Northern Qiang royal court, so it wasn't surprising that Huli Jin wanted to see him first and ask for some details.

Before entering the palace, the Wolf Guard had already left, so at this moment, apart from the Southern Dynasty envoy, there was only Hulü Guang.

Gongyi Xiu put one hand on Hulü Guang's shoulder and said with a smile, "I am grateful for the care Your Highness Prince Ning has given me along the way. Please also bear with me when we arrive at the palace. Please remember that everyone has a mouth, it is only a matter of how you speak."

This was naturally a reminder to Hulü Guang not to speak carelessly in front of the emperor.

At the same time, he leaned close to Hulü Guang and whispered in his ear, "The dancers ran away at the last minute because they were afraid of your tyranny. If His Majesty finds out that so many of his beauties have been lost because of your willful actions, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Hulü Guang had considered going to the palace to complain, but after hearing Gongyi Xiu's words, his mind was completely extinguished. He smiled and said, "I understand. If Your Majesty asks about the number of people, I will answer that we encountered plunder by rebel troops along the way, and some people fell ill due to the change in environment. They got separated and eventually arrived in the capital safely."

Gongyi Xiu sneered, while Chen Bo acted as if he knew nothing, simply leading the way. He had probably seen enough of the intrigue and power struggles between various factions, and simply ignored them.

Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Hulü Guang bowed and took his leave. Xiao Chang'an, however, focused his attention on Gongyi Xiu and solemnly whispered, "I entrust these people to you."

He then whispered, "For safety's sake, the remaining person will arrive at the last minute of the ceremony, so you don't need to worry."

Gongyi Xiu said, "Take care of yourself too."

The Chunhua Garden, where the Southern Dynasty delegation was arranged to stay in Zichen Palace, was somewhat similar to the Tangli Yuefu: it was still part of the inner palace, but it was also very close to the previous dynasty.

Compared to the desolation within Luoyang city and the lush flowers and trees along the palace roads, this place is full of vitality, a scene of vibrant reds and greens.

Before even stepping into the garden, one could already hear bursts of laughter from nearby, as clear and bright as silver bells.

But upon closer inspection, it is not Chinese.

The eunuch led the group to the gate of the villa, where a tall woman emerged, loosely dressed in a wide golden silk robe. Her skin was fair, but her eyes were dark blue. Her hair was tied up with a golden crown, which was studded with various gemstones. In addition, her earrings and bracelets jingled, all inlaid with gemstones and pearls.

It can be described as stunningly beautiful and exuding an air of nobility.

A Qiu glanced at the woman once before immediately lowering his head to hide his gaze.

Her heart was already churning with shock.

I never imagined that I would see the Princess of the Hidden Moon Clan here, and I have no idea why she would enter the harem of the Northern Qiang Emperor.

She first met Princess Wansui when Marquis Li Chongyu of Guannei came to pay homage to the emperor. He sent a troupe of music and dance from Kucha, whose leader, Princess Wansui, claimed to be the princess of Kucha and tried to enter the Southern Dynasty's harem to stay by Emperor Xie Lang's side. However, Xie Lang sternly refused, and the others also helped to stop them, thus completely eliminating this possibility.

At the time, she expressed how much she admired the superior nation and how much she longed to stay in the Southern Dynasty. Xie Lang's reply was that she could settle in Jianzhang as an ordinary woman, but not within the palace, and certainly not as the emperor's concubine.

Immediately following the banquet was the duel between Pei and Li, and A Qiu then covered Li Chongyu's escape from the palace, no longer paying attention to the Princess Wansui.

The next time A Qiu met Princess Wansui was while eavesdropping at Luoyufang in Jianzhang West Market. Princess Wansui, representing the Yinyue Clan, demanded that Yuan Siniang side with the Yinyue Clan and betray intelligence about the Southern Dynasty to them, which Yuan Siniang resolutely refused. At that time, A Qiu guessed that Princess Wansui was probably acting as the Yinyue Clan's agent in the Southern Dynasty, and had indeed been secretly infiltrating Jianzhang all along.

She had also heard from Yuan Si Niang that the Northern Qiang Emperor had members of the Hidden Moon Clan lurking around him, which was why they could receive many messages before the Southern Dynasty. At the time, she wasn't particularly surprised, because she had personally seen the Hidden Moon Clan leader, Su Rouhua, who was also the birth mother of Princess Wansui, and knew very well that she was in this line of work.

But when A Qiu actually entered the Zichen Palace of the Northern Qiang and saw Princess Wansui appear before him in this way, he still felt a sense of disbelief.

Princess Wansui, adorned in such extravagant attire, must be a concubine of the Great Khan Hulijin. Even though Aqiu had never been to the Northern Qiang court, she could guess that neither female officials nor dancers could be so covered in gold, silver, and jewels, as they were all servants and slaves.

Only the mistress of this palace can be so unrestrained and flamboyant.

In any case, Princess Wansui and she were both dancers and assassins, and she was also the younger sister of her sworn brother Li Chongyu. When Aqiu saw that she had really succeeded in climbing into the palace, she couldn't describe her feelings. She just felt complicated and inexplicable emotions.

She lowered her gaze, trying to avoid revealing her face and emotions. She forgot that everyone except Gongyi Xiu was wearing a mask, so there was no need to worry about the Princess recognizing her.

Princess Wansui glanced at the group of people, her eyes lighting up before settling on the handsome and dashing Gongyi Xiu. She lazily asked, "Where did they come from?"

The eunuch respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, they are dancers from the Southern Dynasty who have come to perform for the enthronement ceremony the day after tomorrow. His Majesty has instructed that they be placed in your care."

Then, he said to Gongyi Xiu, "This is Lady Zilu, who is in charge of teaching dance and music in the royal court. All the musicians and dancers are managed by her."

A Qiu then realized that His Majesty's current status in the Northern Qiang royal court was not that of a concubine.

To be precise, she did not receive a formal title or honor.

A Qiu had heard early on in the Southern Dynasties that, unlike the Han Chinese imperial harem with its clear hierarchical system, the Northern Qiang emperor only had five principal consorts, each backed by a powerful tribe. The rest of the women were merely playthings and slaves.

This is probably why His Majesty was so determined to get into Jianzhang Palace back then. He chose the lesser of two evils.

The Emperor seemed to immediately realize something. His gaze swept over the group again, and he suddenly asked in Chinese, "Isn't there a stunningly beautiful court musician in your Southern Dynasty's Music Bureau? Did she come this time?"

A-Qiu was taken aback when she was suddenly asked about him.

Fortunately, Gongyi Xiu was completely unaware and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Madam, but Shi Dianle has already left the palace, so no matter the Northern or Southern Dynasties, we will never see her again."

Upon hearing this, Princess Wansui's deep blue eyes showed surprise as she asked, "She dances so well, why did she leave the palace?"

A Qiu was surprised that His Majesty, his former rival, was so concerned about him and wanted to ask the Southern Dynasty delegation about the whereabouts of a minor court musician.

Gongyi Xiu was silent for a moment before finally replying, "Perhaps she has thought it through and feels that there is plenty of freedom in the world, so why spend half her life serving others with her beauty and skills? A person with ability can live a good life even if they leave the palace."

Princess Wansui was in the Southern Dynasty at the time, and her mind was focused on Emperor Xie Lang, so she might not have known Gongyi Xiu. However, as the first performer of the Kucha Dance Troupe, her dance "Heavenly Palace Music" was indeed watched by all the officials present, including Gongyi Xiu.

Furthermore, Gongyi Xiu himself had a profound understanding of music and beautiful women, so it was impossible for Princess Wansui not to leave an impression on him.

However, in the brief moment they met, the Emperor was no longer dressed as a glamorous dancer as before, but as a noblewoman from the Northern Qiang. Gongyi Xiu, who had seen countless beauties in his life, could not recognize her.

But when she asked about A Qiu, Gongyi Xiu immediately remembered who she was. Since the Hu woman who had interacted with A Qiu was probably the only one left, Wan Sui, was among them.

Gongyi Xiu had witnessed the entire scene of the Emperor's dance performance that day, and being a clever man, he understood everything upon seeing the Emperor's appearance now.

The Empress Dowager's true intention was to make things difficult for this Southern Dynasty delegation once she came out to greet them.

Because she lost the dance competition to the Southern Dynasties' Yuefu piece "Yanshi Ning" that day.

Because she was publicly rejected by the Han emperor of the Southern Dynasties, it was an unbearable humiliation for a beautiful woman.

Because the once high and mighty Southern Dynasty court has now become a prisoner of the Northern Qiang, and its status is only ten times lower than that of her, a Semu person.

But after this gentle-looking man from the Southern Dynasty answered her in this way, she suddenly felt that there was no point anymore.

The person who wanted to humiliate him was no longer there; instead, he had already resigned from his post and gone far away, abandoning this struggle for right and wrong.

The eunuch said softly, "Madam?"

The Empress Dowager, now fully conscious, calmly said, "You can take them inside and settle them in."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

The eunuch asked in surprise, "Didn't Madam say before that the people of the Southern Dynasty don't understand the etiquette of our Northern Qiang court and need to be properly trained and instructed before they can perform a dance in the palace after you have reviewed and approved it?"

His Majesty had lost his patience and shouted, "There are only two days left, what's the point of lecturing them? Our royal court doesn't have any complicated etiquette to begin with, where do you expect me to conjure up some etiquette to instruct them on?"

The eunuch was rebuffed, thinking to himself, "Didn't you say it yourself?" He was confused but dared not contradict him, so he could only nod and bow as he watched the emperor leave.

He then turned to Gongyi Xiu with a fawning smile and whispered, "Your Excellency is very lucky. Lady Zilu is known for her bad temper, and she is too lazy to bother with you. This is truly a blessing for you all."