Like an egg striking a rock

A Qiu answered, word by word: "A Qiu is indeed the daughter of the Shi family. Her father was Shi Changqing, a musician from the previous Xianshao Academy."

When she uttered those words, she had already made up her mind.

Regardless of whether Shi Changqing had any favors or grudges with her in the palace, she would bear the consequences as his daughter.

She was using the identity he gave her, so these were things she was supposed to do anyway.

Sun Neiren's originally bright and cheerful appearance, and her dazzling eyes, suddenly dimmed when she heard A Qiu's words.

Like a piece of unadorned jade, its hidden brilliance fades and loses its luster in an instant.

She murmured, "I should think of... who else among the musicians of the past could have given birth to such a daughter besides him?"

A Qiu was utterly astonished. Could it be that she really looked like Shi Changqing's daughter?

Do she and Shi Changqing look alike?

Sun's wife's voice trembled as she slowly asked, "How is your father these days?"

Every word was spoken with such care, as if afraid that even a breath might disturb or frighten away the person who had returned to me in my dreams over the decades.

Remembering his master's words, A-Qiu carefully said, "My father has passed away. He spent his last days with my mother, living a harmonious and loving life. He was very happy in his life."

The glistening tears in Sun's eyes finally slid uncontrollably down her cheeks.

She laughed in a hoarse, tearful voice, "Okay, okay!"

No one remembers the glorious days of the previous dynasty's music bureau. Back then, songs and dances lasted from day to night, with music and strings bursting forth everywhere, and dancers laughing and scattering flowers as they went about their business.

Among the dancers of that time, who wouldn't recognize the elegant musician Shi Changqing, dressed in white and wearing a black bird mask?

Even though he never shows his true face, who can ignore his languid yet powerful, tall and upright figure, his unrestrained and free-spirited movements, and the beautiful yet desolate flute music full of exotic charm and passionate feelings?

The elegant and refined yet wild Shi Changqing can ignore anyone, but no one can ignore him.

Just like before, she was nothing more than one of the hundreds of courtesans in the Qing Ministry of Commerce, silently watching him.

Not the most beautiful, nor the most talented. She doesn't attract anyone's special attention.

That's why she's still alive today.

But at least now, she can do one thing for his daughter.

When A Qiu saw Sun Neiren suddenly burst into tears, even though she didn't understand the relationship between men and women, she felt that Shi Changqing probably had a close relationship with Sun Neiren. Otherwise, how could Sun Neiren, who was usually so strong and self-controlled, have lost her composure like this?

She asked cautiously, "Teacher, did you know my father before?"

Lady Sun looked up, wiping away tears from her cheeks with her sleeve, and said with a sorrowful smile, "Shi Changqing is a symbol of an entire era to everyone in the Music Bureau." Her voice gradually became more impassioned: "Back then, in the Tangli Music Bureau, and even in the entire Jianzhang Palace, who didn't know Shi Changqing!"

She suddenly lowered her head, covering her face with her sleeve, and said sadly, "What I miss is not only him, but also the entire era that belonged to him. It not only contains my youthful days, but also the most glorious memories of an entire dynasty."

In a time of peace and prosperity, a talented individual, seemingly a celestial being, descended to earth. Dressed in white and holding a flute, he moved with an air of superiority throughout the palace, above all power.

When Sun's wife led Aqiu into the corridor where the steward of the Music Bureau lived, the covered bridge and pavilions across the water were already shrouded in darkness.

The last rays of the setting sun on the water had already sunk deep into the depths.

The dancers' steps echoed through the empty corridor, creating a series of undulating sounds. A group of four, dressed in black and white costumes, moved slowly along the long corridor.

Candles burned in the vermilion palace lanterns under the corridor, their dim light flickering, making the four figures walking among them appear even more desolate and uncertain.

The woman leading the way, Sun's wife, stood ramrod straight.

In A Qiu's heart, she felt that even in middle age, Lady Sun was still a beauty. Perhaps she wasn't as stunning and dazzling as Consort Chen, but she possessed a timeless and unyielding spirit.

Cui Luzhu and Zhang Exu followed on either side of A Qiu, walking quickly to surround her in the center without getting ahead of Sun Neiren.

The gait they are using now is called the "flowing water gait," which is characterized by small, quick, and meticulous steps, like flowing clouds and water.

Each step will not extend beyond half the ball of the foot, ensuring that each step connects seamlessly without leaving a trace.

It is a gait used when summoned by a superior, indicating respect and an immediate willingness to obey.

The steps of a maiko are incredibly beautiful and varied.

Regarding why Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu also came here, Lady Sun only said one sentence at the time.

The sentence was: "After dark, Huang Chaoan will come and take Aqiu out."

Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu's originally pale faces immediately showed expressions of horror.

Sun's wife said again, "I have tried my best to refuse once, but judging from the situation, it is ultimately unavoidable."

On A-Qiu's first day at the dance troupe, Huang Chao-an specifically asked to promote her, but Sun's wife refused, saying, "She has only just started learning and has nothing for the distinguished guest to appreciate. She is currently practicing diligently."

Sun's original idea was to delay as long as possible, hoping that Huang Chao'an would forget about this person after a while.

However, that very night Huang Chaoan sent someone to urge him, saying that A Qiu must come to the corridor where Le Zheng was staying no later than tonight.

Otherwise, he would come to the dance department in person to take people away first thing tomorrow morning.

At that time, it would probably be more than just A-Qiu who would be mentioned. Moreover, Sun Neiren would also be punished for obstructing the internal affairs of the Music Bureau, stripped of her authority, and possibly even flogged in court, depending on Huang Chao'an's explanation to his superiors.

Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu were certainly ignorant of matters between men and women, and they also did not know why Huang Chaoan had taken Aqiu out alone.

But having grown up in the music academy, there was something they knew.

That is, any dancer who was singled out by Huang Chaoan either died or disappeared within a year and a half.

Seven people are missing, and several others died of illness or by hanging.

These people, whether dead or missing, often sobbed and wept uncontrollably before their deaths. They wouldn't answer other people's questions or practice their martial arts. Gradually, they became solitary and emaciated, and were often called away by Huang Chao'an.

Finally, one morning, everyone might find that the dance club has an empty tatami mat again.

The legend of the ghostly courtesan began to circulate privately from that time onwards.

During the heyday of the Yuefu (musical bureau) of the previous dynasty, ghost performers were actually just legends, and no one had ever actually seen them.

At that time, stages and pavilions were lit with candles that burned all night long, and pear trees were burned with oil to keep the sun shining. The sounds of people were deafening. The ghost stories were just tales used by musicians in the music bureau to scare children after they finished playing their instruments late at night.

But when the previous dynasty fell and the palace was in turmoil, people in Tangli began to actually see ghostly figures appearing.

With a deathly pale face, shuffling in wooden clogs and dragging a long black and white dance costume, he swayed precariously among the barren mountains and ruins.

At that time, ghost performers did not appear very often.

Therefore, after nightfall, the musicians of the Music Bureau dared not wander around the Pear Garden. From that time onward, the Pear Garden had a tradition of curfew.

However, after the establishment of the new dynasty, although the Music Bureau had not regained its former vitality, it began to resume its duties.

At this point, ghost performers began to appear frequently.

Whether it's a full moon or a stormy night, you can always hear someone sighing loudly in the corridor.

Someone once saw a ghostly figure by the pond, weeping sadly at his own shadow under the moon.

Furthermore, when the steward of the Music Bureau came to the Dance Department at night to collect official documents, he unexpectedly encountered a ghostly entertainer face to face.

He was walking along the corridor carrying a lantern when he suddenly heard the sound of wooden clogs tapping on the ground.

The deacon turned pale and immediately turned to leave.

Behind the pillar directly opposite him, a woman suddenly appeared without a sound, her black hair flowing freely, her face pale, her dance costume trailing behind her.

She seemed to be smiling, her gaping maw wide open, as she approached the deacon.

The deacon cried out, and the lamp in his hand fell to the ground, burning the dossier as well.

The woman drifted away in the night like wisps of smoke, disappearing into the darkness.

The next day, people found a rotten wooden clog lying in the corridor where the ghost had disappeared the night before. It had been soaked in water for too long.

After returning home, the deacon developed a high fever and began talking incoherently.

After that, no steward dared to wander into the dance department at night.

Even when Huang Chaoan was so eager to get Aqiu, he only dared to ask his wife to send her out, or he would come over the next day.

Rumors circulated among the people that the ghostly dancer was the spirit of a dancer who had died earlier, and that she was still wandering in the Pear Blossom Garden, searching for a replacement.

The seven missing geisha, the geisha who died of illness in the dance troupe, and the geisha who hanged themselves were the result of the ghost geisha searching for substitutes everywhere.

Otherwise, how can we explain the disappearance or death of these young, vibrant girls in the prime of their lives, who are not elderly people?

But Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu, as the heads of the dance troupe, were well aware of one thing.

The missing and dead dancers were all dancers whom Huang Chaoan had mentioned in private, and were not the result of ghostly interference.

Because the dancers in the dance troupe observe a curfew at night, their presence outside must be recorded by the two of them.

They had no chance of encountering ghostly apparitions.

The last geisha disappeared six months ago. After that, Sun Neiren was promoted to head instructor of the dance troupe.

She began to strictly order the dancers that, whether practicing or occasionally performing at government banquets, they must wear heavy makeup and be fully dressed, and that rehearsals must be done with strict rules, with no room for transgression.

From then on, the dance music presented by the dance troupe was often said to be lifeless and lacking in originality.

Some officials even complained that it was like ghost music used for funerals, and that it was disgusting to watch at a banquet.

Huang Chaoan also complained to higher authorities about Instructor Sun's teaching methods.

However, when the complaint reached the head of the three departments of the Music Bureau, an eunuch from the Taiyuan Palace, the former head of the Xianshao Academy, and the Chenghua Ling An Daoling, he simply said indifferently, "This dynasty has never valued the Music Bureau; even the emperor doesn't use female musicians. Only Lady Sun in the Dance Department is a former official of the previous dynasty and is somewhat knowledgeable. Let her teach however she wants."

As long as the department still exists when the emperor or the Minister of Ceremonies inquires, that's fine.

Thus, among the three departments of the Music Bureau, the Dance Department became the infamous and nauseating "Ghost Department." This is also why, when A Qiu was assigned to the Dance Department, Huang Chao'an spoke highly of the department's bright future, while the other stewards had subtle expressions.

However, Huang Chaoan's private solicitation of dancers has finally subsided in the past six months.

Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

And A-Qiu is the first dancer that Huang Chaoan plans to take away from the dance department in the past six months.

It was probably her lively and quick-witted behavior during the selection process that attracted Huang Chaoan's attention.

Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu knew the reason behind it, so it was impossible for them not to be nervous.

Sun's wife slowly glanced at the two of them and said, word by word, "I plan to accompany A-Qiu myself."

At that moment, A Qiu suddenly understood why Sun's wife wanted to confirm that she was Shi Changqing's daughter.