Meeting face to face

This was what surprised A Qiu even more. She searched her memory for any recollection of the Frostflower Vine, but no matter what she did remember, she could only recall the one in Luoyufang.

The reason was that she had been eavesdropping on the conversation of Su Rouhua and the others, and happened to be lying near the Frostflower Vine, listening and glancing at it from time to time, so she had a deep impression of it.

She had seen many climbing vines commonly found in Jiangnan homes, such as Virginia creeper, morning glory, wisteria, and the gourd that Shangguan Yuqi had mentioned, but the frost-flower vine was not one of them that she had ever seen before, which is why it left an impression on her at the time.

But if she were to say that she had seen him in the palace, she truly had no recollection of it.

Lady Sun sighed and said, "Come with me."

He glanced at Shangguan Yuqi, who was following beside A Qiu, and tentatively asked, "Has something big happened?"

Shangguan Yuqi immediately understood that A Qiu was now rarely seen here. At first, Sun Neiren was only focused on answering her beloved disciple's questions, but seeing that she, the leader of Feifeng, had personally accompanied A Qiu here specifically to ask about a vine, Sun Neiren must have realized that this matter was of great importance.

She immediately replied, “It’s nothing serious. It’s just that His Majesty occasionally inquires about certain herbs during his illness, and since we are serving by his side, we must answer him. Please don’t worry.”

Ah Qiu knew that Shangguan Yuqi didn't want his wife to know too much, lest it cause her panic, so he answered casually and gave Shangguan Yuqi a grateful look.

Shangguan Yuqi simply smiled slightly.

Sun Neiren breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. It is often said that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. I heard someone say that during the reign of Emperor Wu, if the palace maids and ministers served him and he asked them any trivial matters and they answered that they did not know, he would immediately get angry and order them to be dragged out and beheaded, because he felt that the servants were deliberately deceiving and cheating, or were lazy and negligent."

As if realizing that her words were inappropriate, she immediately said humbly, "Of course, His Majesty is wise now and would not do such a thing, but no matter what, it is not easy for your palace to deal with this. If you keep asking about flowers today and grass tomorrow, there are probably tens of thousands of flowers and grasses in Jianzhang Palace. Who can guarantee that someone will remember every single one of them? Alas."

The final sigh was naturally for the difficulty of Ah Qiu's job.

A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi exchanged a knowing smile. Shangguan Yuqi suppressed a laugh and said, "A Qiu is now the only Grand Music Master since the founding of this dynasty. In terms of status, she is on par with the former Grand Marshal Pei Gong. She is very prestigious in front of His Majesty, and even His Highness the Crown Prince has to give her some respect. My wife, you can rest assured."

Sun's wife believed her and finally smiled, saying, "In that case, you should go to that place, offer incense to the gods, and thank the elders for their protection. After all, you came from our Music Bureau. If it weren't for the blessings of these ancestors, you wouldn't have had such a smooth life. Don't forget your roots once you've succeeded."

Aqiu asked suspiciously, "That place?"

Sun's wife replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, it is the Temple of Music. The vine I mentioned grows there."

A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi looked at each other in bewilderment.

She already had a pretty good idea of ​​who the owner of this Frost Vine was.

A delicate fragrance rises gently, and the ancient, gleaming Kui dragon statue is hidden behind the smoke, its outline appearing and disappearing, exuding a mysterious and desolate aura.

Only this statue has traveled through time and space, carrying the heartfelt voices and memories of countless predecessors of the Yuefu (Music Bureau).

A Qiu bowed three times to the statue of the Kui Dragon God, silently praying, "Kui Dragon God, if you are truly divine, please bless the Southern Dynasty so that it may successfully overcome this calamity, and that I may serve as the Music Master for a longer period of time, and that those in the Music Bureau who make a living through music may continue to live carefree lives."

If Jianzhang were to fall to the Northern Qiang, even if the nobles and powerful families managed to survive, the musicians and dancers in the palace, as spoils of war, would inevitably suffer a fate of being tortured and persecuted.

Whenever A-Qiu thinks of this, she naturally feels anxious.

For the first time, she experienced the heavy burden on the shoulders of those in power. It was the feeling that, as long as a shred of conscience remained, one could never forget that the lives of others depended on one's own.

Sun's wife was still unaware of the impending crisis. After A Qiu stood up, she said, "Behind this temple, there is a garden. The vine I mentioned grows there."

Ah Qiu finally understood why Sun Neiren was so certain that she had also seen the Frostflower Vine. She broke out in a cold sweat and said, "Master, I never knew there was a back garden here, let alone ever went inside."

In the past, whenever she came to this place, she was always with Sun Neiren, Cui Luzhu, and Zhang Exu, and she usually had something to do and would not wander around aimlessly.

Lady Sun frowned and said sternly, "This shows that you have no reverence for the gods. The saying 'not burning incense in ordinary times, but praying to Buddha at the last minute' perfectly describes your behavior. Those who serve the gods should naturally keep them in their hearts at all times. When there is nothing to do, Master does not need to visit, but how can you forget the essence of the spirit of my Yuefu?"

Ah Qiu repeatedly said, "Master is right," while feeling ashamed inside.

In terms of reverence for music and dance, in the entire Dayan Kingdom, it's hard to find anyone other than Lady Sun. Only someone like her is worthy of serving the gods and spirits with music and dance, performing sacrificial dances.

Shangguan Yuqi smiled wryly and said, "You said it yourself, that you have nothing to do, but since Lord Siyue was promoted to this position, he has truly not had a single day of leisure. Serving the court and abiding by the law, I wonder if that can also be considered another form of sincerity in serving the gods?"

Ah Qiu knew that Shangguan Yuqi was trying to smooth things over for her, and gave him a grateful look.

Even if Lady Sun couldn't know everything A-Qiu had experienced these past few days, having lived in the palace for many years, she could at least glean some insight from what she had seen and make some inferences. Just now, she had only acted out of habit as a teacher, blurting out a reprimand. Now, remembering that A-Qiu was no ordinary musician disciple, and that she had often been in dire straits since succeeding Gu Yi, she regretted her outburst.

His tone softened considerably at this moment, and he changed the subject, saying, "Of course. Qiu'er, you take the Junior Tutor as your role model and work hard for the country. This kind of hard work and loyalty is far better than worshipping and burning incense before the gods every day. Lord Kuilong will certainly not blame you."

He added, “The back garden here is very small, as you can see at a glance. Come with me.”

As expected, A-Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi followed Lady Sun around the altar and throne. Behind the layers of curtains, they saw a four-panel wooden door. Dim light shone through the lattice windows above the panels, making the rear hall less gloomy. A-Qiu then realized that this small temple actually contained a whole different world behind it.

Sun's wife reached out and pushed, and the wooden door creaked open.

The sight they saw in the back garden left all three speechless.

A person stood with their back to the wall, seemingly looking up at the vines covering the rubble and stone wall. The vines were lush and verdant, swaying in the wind.

The three of them were stunned for a moment, but A Qiu was the first to react. She immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord An."

Since Shangguan Yuqi had no master-disciple relationship with An Daoling, and in terms of status she was the daughter of Shangguan, the most outstanding lady of the Southern Dynasty, and the head of the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix, she was no lower than An Daoling. Therefore, she simply said, "Greetings, Lord An."

An Daoling turned around with a smile and said succinctly, "You finally found this place."

But when his gaze fell on A Qiu and the other two, it turned to surprise.

Upon hearing his words, A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi's hearts raced, and Shangguan Yuqi immediately placed her hand on her sword.

An Daoling remained silent, looking at the three people in front of him with a complicated expression.

Even the slow-witted Sun could sense the tense atmosphere. Looking at the highly respected Lord Chenghua, and then at A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi who were on high alert, she was at a loss for what to do.

An Daoling snapped out of his daze and said gently, "Sun Ci, you may leave now, and do not tell anyone about what happened here, understand?"

A-Qiu said softly, "I'm sorry, Master, you should go back first. You've already helped me a lot by bringing me here, and I'm very grateful."

Even if Consort Sun wanted to intervene, judging from the current situation, she knew it was beyond the reach of a mere instructor. A-Qiu had only mentioned finding this vine, nothing else, yet the fact that Chief Fei Feng was accompanying her already spoke volumes. And when they found it, An Gong happened to be waiting there. Clearly, this matter was not as simple as the Emperor casually inquiring about a vine; it must involve palace secrets, unsuitable for her to be involved. Her continued presence would only disrupt their serious conversation.

Sun Neiren gave A Qiu a worried look before closing the wooden door to the back hall and leaving quietly.

In the cramped back garden, only A Qiu, Shangguan Yuqi, and An Daoling remained facing each other.

A Qiu's gaze had already fallen on the Frost Vine behind An Daoling. The shape and size of this Frost Vine were exactly the same as the one in Luoyufang. With just one glance, A Qiu could tell that this must be one of the ten Frost Vine that Mo Yi Bishuang had ordered from the Gongye family through Yuan Si Niang.

But when facing An Daoling, who had always been like a teacher and a father to her, she felt her mind go blank and she couldn't breathe.

Since entering the Music Bureau, she has always received care and support from An Daoling, both openly and secretly. It can be said that her current status is due to Gu Yi's promotion, but it is also inseparable from An Daoling's many silent assistances.

In the music bureau, besides Consort Sun, the person she trusted most was An Daoling.

She simply couldn't connect Mo Yi Bi Shuang with the An Dao Ling standing before her.

The Four Constellations of Tianji were already leaders of the righteous path forty years ago, and were full of integrity. Why would they make a deal with Lady Huachi, who was skilled in social maneuvering and had great power?

An Daoling looked at her, remaining silent as if deep in thought.

It was Shangguan Yuqi who broke the silence first, saying, "Since Lord An is here, it can't be a coincidence. Can Lord An offer some explanation?"

At this moment, A Qiu understood the feeling Shangguan Yuqi had when she discovered the Frost Vine branch in her hand. It was a sense of confusion and weakness, facing her closest relatives with a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, yet feeling helpless to ask them anything.

What should you do if the question you ask is something you have no ability to solve?

At this moment, she was very fortunate that Shangguan Yuqi was with her, so at least she could rationally ask An Gong what was going on.

Unexpectedly, An Daoling calmly replied, "Half an hour ago, I heard the words 'Shuanghua' and immediately rushed here to wait."

Shangguan Yuqi asked in surprise, "Why did you wait for us here all this time?"

Everything discussed in the Yunlong Hall was confidential and would not be heard by the eunuchs. However, A Qiu knew perfectly well that some things would be difficult to hide from the Grand Eunuch Rong Yu. It was likely that Rong Yu knew they were investigating Shuanghua Teng and deliberately leaked the information.

The fact that so many people were involved made A Qiu's brow furrow even more.

An Daoling looked surprised and said, "I didn't know that the Grand Music Master and Chief Shangguan were investigating Shuanghua Teng, nor did I know that it would be you who came."

As A-Qiu gradually calmed down, he said, "So where did you hear the name 'Shuanghua' from, and who are you waiting for here?"