Stunning beauty

Under this gaze, the one who was most moved and dismayed among everyone in the hall was Emperor Xie Lang, who sat high on the throne.

His usually clear and sharp gaze was now fixed on A Qiu, never leaving her, looking completely lost and disoriented.

It was as if I had fallen into a golden, colorful old dream.

In that dream, there were people and things he deeply cherished, so he didn't want to look away for even a moment.

The first to notice Xie Lang's unusual behavior was the usually dignified and reserved Crown Prince Xie Tiao.

Seeing his father's distraught expression in the palace, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His father was always rational and meticulous, and had never been moved by women. He could tell that even when facing a beauty like Shangguan Yuqi, the joy and pride in his father's eyes were only because Shangguan's daughter was a famous lady of the country, and as the emperor, he desperately hoped that this famous flower of the Southern Dynasty could fall into the imperial family and add more prestige and glory to the imperial family.

The father who was showing signs of wavering at this moment was not the father he knew.

Fortunately, not many people paid attention to this, because almost everyone was captivated by A Qiu's stunning beauty. As her gaze moved near and far, their hearts fluttered and they followed her with longing.

Xie Tiao glanced at his father again and deliberately raised his voice, "I wonder where this leading dancer comes from? Our dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, so we have the opportunity to see such a beauty who can captivate a city with one glance and a nation with a second. She truly has an aura of being aloof from the world."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the few people in front of him to hear.

Consort Chen, the most powerful woman in the inner palace, glanced at Xie Lang's expression and said softly, "This is a newly recruited dancer from the Music Bureau. Her name is Shi Wanqiu. She is indeed highly skilled in dance. However, she has already stood out among the dancers after only one or two months in the palace, and many others are not as good as her."

Xie Tiao said in surprise, "I thought she was just an unknown person, I didn't expect that even the Empress knew her name. It is not easy for a dancer to do so."

Consort Chen smiled slightly and replied, "I was asked by Lady Pei and Consort Zhao to watch the rehearsal of the White Silk Dance, so I am familiar with the performers. However, Your Highness, with Miss Shangguan here, it seems inappropriate for you to inquire about other women's affairs."

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Xie Tiao raised his cup to Shangguan Yuqi, who was sitting diagonally opposite him, and said with a gentle smile, "Indeed, I was impolite. With Miss Shangguan being such a gem, not to mention in this palace, there is no woman in the entire Southern Dynasty who can compare to her."

Shangguan Yuqi remained indifferent, intently listening to the harmonious interplay between Gu Yizhi's zither and Shi Changqing's flute, her eyes fixed solely on the graceful figure of the white-robed dancer. She merely gestured to Xie Tiao, indicating "I don't drink," before immersing herself in the music and dance.

Shangguan Yuqi just performed the sword dance "The Song of Heaven and Earth". In addition to being a master of swordsmanship, she is also somewhat knowledgeable in music and dance.

The dance and music were so perfect, the movements, the breath, the rhythm were all so natural, and the music was so exquisite. It was like a martial arts master exchanging blows, every step was perfectly timed, and every inch more or less would be too much or too little. So she couldn't concentrate on listening to anything else.

The Crown Prince and Consort Chen spoke back and forth, deliberately raising their voices as they said these words. Xie Lang finally came to his senses and realized he had lost his composure. He tried to cover it up by saying, "I think this 'White Silk' dance is even better than that of the previous dynasty."

Towards the end of this sentence, a sense of despondency and melancholy arises.

Zhao Lingying, the magistrate of the Imperial Library, was bringing a wine cup to offer a toast when he heard this. He smirked and said, “Of course. In the past, there were no beauties like the ones dancing on this stage. Only ordinary women.”

As she refilled Consort Chen's cup, she said to herself, "For example, this official, and Sister Lanxiu, are all included here."

Xie Lang was so choked by her that he couldn't say a word. He coughed several times and interrupted, "Lantai Commander, why do you only show respect to Consort Chen and not to me and the Crown Prince?"

Zhao Ling responded fluently: "Oh, this humble official is old and ugly. I'm afraid that my old face will disturb His Majesty and the Crown Prince's enjoyment of the beauties."

Xie Lang, who had been lost in a jumble of emotions, was now so angry that his face turned pale, yet he remained speechless. Even Crown Prince Xie Tiao was embarrassed and dared not utter a word.

In terms of status, the Crown Prince is certainly more important than the Imperial Library Director, but Zhao Lingying is capable of saying anything. With Shangguan Yuqi present, if he were to say another word, he feared Zhao Lingying would retort and cause him to lose face.

Zhao Lingying kept calling her a beauty, her voice neither loud nor soft, and Gongyi Xiu heard her clearly. Gongyi Xiu was already worried about himself and his master, and this added another layer of displeasure to his heart.

Ah Qiu was, after all, his junior sister and the head of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall. To be pointed at and criticized like this, as the senior brother of Lanling Hall, he really couldn't feel ashamed.

His expression involuntarily darkened. This change was noticed by Gongye Fusu, who was opposite him. Gongyi Xiu had previously asked him to convey a message to Aqiu in the guise of Duan Shaoan, so Gongye Fusu roughly knew that the relationship between the two was not ordinary.

He gestured slightly with his chin toward Gu Yi in the center of the room, while facing Gongyi Xiu through the screen.

Gu Yi, whose eyes were covered by a white silk ribbon, turned slightly to the side. Between strokes of his zither, his right hand flashed out with lightning speed, picking up a bronze wine cup from the table and sending it flying toward Zhao Lingying's face.

Zhao Lingying reacted quickly, immediately opening her mouth to bite the bronze jue, using the "Iron Bridge" technique to deflect the force, taking several steps back, and then shaking off her clothes to stand up.

Gongyi Xiu deliberately clapped his hands and said, "Consort Zhao is quite skilled! She is no less than any dancer!"

He then smiled and said, "Young Master is toasting you!"

Zhao Lingying knew perfectly well that he was deliberately mocking her. She spat out the bronze cup onto the table in front of Gongyi Xiu and said coldly, "On behalf of the Junior Tutor, I'll offer you, the Left Prime Minister, a toast!"

This alone demonstrates Gu Yi's high level of martial arts and Zhao Ling's quick response.

The bronze goblet, after being thrown by Gu Yi, thrown backwards by Zhao Lingying who held the cup in his mouth and then spat it out, finally landed in front of Gongyi Xiu. Surprisingly, only a small amount of wine was spilled, and most of the cup was still slightly rippling.

Gongyi Xiu felt that Gu Yi had vented his anger perfectly for him and A Qiu, and smiled as he slowly pushed the cup in front of Zhao Lingying, saying, "This is the sentiment of the Junior Tutor, Consort Jing, and I dare not accept it."

Gongyi Xiu was also unlucky. He was closest to Zhao Lingying, and he just happened to come to join in the fun. So Zhao Lingying spat in front of him and vented his anger.

Otherwise, even if she dared to defy her superiors, she would never have vomited in front of the emperor or the crown prince.

This was the second time Zhao Lingying had publicly and openly bestowed upon him the "favor of a beauty" since the night A Qiu and Si Kong Zhao fought on the top of Xianyang Palace, when he was watched by Zhao Lingying all night.

Consort Chen smoothed things over, saying, "The Grand Tutor is dignified and respectful. He is now personally providing music for the White Silk Dance, and he does not even look at beautiful women. Our open discussion of the dancers is also disrespectful to him. He only threw down his wine cup as a warning, which is already a light punishment."

Xie Lang looked even more embarrassed. He paused for a moment before saying, "I was not so captivated by the dancer. I was only watching 'White Silk'."

Having said that, he sighed again.

A former general, now an emperor, having spent decades in the palaces of two dynasties, and now sitting on the dragon throne for the past ten years or so, does he also have an irreparable void and regret in his heart?

Consort Chen, who had known him since childhood, said softly, "I know this. We... we all know."

When she said "we," she was facing the direction of Zhao Lingying.

But after Zhao Lingying spat out that mouthful, she turned around and left without even offering a toast to Consort Chen.

Meanwhile, Madam Pei, seated at the head of the officials and their families, looked in this direction. When her gaze met that of Consort Chen, and then swept over Xie Lang, she appeared even more preoccupied.

"A graceful young woman dances before the emperor, her beauty radiant and captivating."

For you, she hesitated, her gaze lingering, her smile unspoken.

With long sleeves brushing against my face, my heart is filled with anguish; I wish you continued youth and vitality.

As the flute music reached this point, it became low and mournful, its tender and poignant emotions reaching deep into the heart. A-Qiu moved her feet in response to the music, leading the dancers in a winding procession, her sleeves splashing freely towards the sky.

The atmosphere in the hall underwent a strange change at that moment.

With a zither, a flute, and a chant, the graceful figures of the dancers become clear and transparent.

Everything around is fading away, except for the falling flowers, which flutter down like snow.

A-Qiu stood alone amidst the flower shadows, like a white silk spirit.

A subtle fragrance emanated silently from the hall, permeating the night air illuminated by candlelight.

The sound of the flute gradually faded, becoming increasingly mournful and painful.

The hall was completely silent, with only the night wind rustling through it.

A-Qiu suddenly became alert.

The master's flute playing was off.

She was very familiar with her master's flute playing. His flute playing carried the desolation of a lone desert in the wind, as well as the romance of spring clouds and rosy hues. In that flute music lay his usual solitude and contemplation, his longing and passion.

If Gu Yi's zither playing is ethereal and transcendent, then his master's xiao (vertical flute) is filled with the ultimate emotion.

But right now, the sound of the flute is clearly getting out of control.

If music can be corrupted by passion, then the emotions expressed in the master's flute playing have clearly spiraled out of control.

As the unique fragrance "Summer Dream Memories" created by Gongye Fusu spread with the geisha's flower-scattering movements, this scent, imbued with strong memories, gradually seeped into the hearts of everyone present.

Whether it's fragrance, music, or dance, the essence is the human sense of smell, hearing, and sight. And with these sensations, emotions naturally arise.

With the three masters of the present era echoing each other, coupled with the magic of the previous generation's "White Silk" and the fragrance of Gongye, the most affected are actually the performers themselves.

A Qiu was less affected by him. Firstly, with Gu Yi's help, she already had experience entering and leaving the country, so she was not influenced by him. Secondly, she was still young and did not have the heartbreak, deep-seated, and unforgettable love she had felt.

Even so, she heard a soft, ethereal voice.

Is there someone you can't forget?

It was the voice of Ah Xiu, the girl I had seen repeatedly in my dreams.

A Qiu was in a daze. She took a step to the left and made a gesture of dancing with her hands hanging down, answering in her heart: "No. The cultivation of the Lanling Assassins is to leave no trace after passing by. We will not, and cannot, leave the imprint of the past in our hearts."

It felt as if I had returned to the Qiwu Palace that night. The white veil in front of me faded away, and Ah Xiu's familiar and beautiful figure was revealed.

So, is it that you don't know how, or that you can't?

"Ah Qiu, do you have the courage to face your true feelings?"

"What exactly have you forgotten? Don't you want to know?"

A-Qiu's mind was in turmoil.

The sound of the flute had become an obsession.

At this moment, almost no one in the hall noticed anything unusual.

Because almost everyone is drawn into their memories, into the deepest regrets hidden in their hearts.

It was a strange feeling.

On the one hand, even though I know I am here and now, smelling fragrance, hearing music, and seeing dance, there are still distant memories from another time and space echoing in my mind.

It's like an overlap of time and space. The past and the present converge in the present moment.