A Lady's Words
A-Qiu asked very directly.
Music and dance are ways to entertain people, but many musicians are confiscated by the government because of their crimes. Even if they committed crimes, there are many ways to punish them. Why should men and women, who are also born as human beings, be forced to do this kind of work, like caged birds, for others to enjoy?
Punishment is meant to punish evil, but if punishment only leads people to a lower state, what is the point of punishment?
For a fleeting moment, Gu Yi was somewhat dazed.
No one has ever questioned his rule.
Because he established himself through ruthlessness, he had, at the cost of countless lives in the palace, exterminated nearly ten thousand rebels in Hengzhou, and imprisoned and eradicated ambitious powerful clans. This caused a stir in the Jianzhang court and among the people, and all factions were alarmed, suppressing their ambitions and allowing the Xie family's imperial power to be established smoothly.
From then on, even if the representatives of various powerful clans were dissatisfied with his policies, they would only test the waters and speculate on the matter in a roundabout way.
No one knew that Gu Yi was actually not someone who couldn't accept questioning and dissent.
It's just that the literati, born into a prominent family, who loved empty talk and embellishment but lacked the courage to confront challenges directly, had a ingrained psychological shadow on his ruthless decisions.
If possible, he actually hopes that someone can be open and honest with him and speak frankly.
He didn't like the feeling of everyone submitting to his power and coercion.
He heard himself say gently, "First of all, I really can't handle these things."
"Since the establishment of this dynasty, I have spent most of my time stabilizing the situation. The core of this is to eliminate powerful clans, return land to the people, and reduce taxes and military expenditures."
He spoke casually, but every word he uttered was a bloody and fierce battle.
“I have no time to deal with these administrative matters. It wasn’t until this year that I took on the additional post of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. But, A Qiu, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has four departments under its jurisdiction: the Imperial Academy, the Imperial Physicians, the Imperial Calendar, and the Imperial Music Bureau. This is still not a complete system. Among the four departments, the Imperial Music Bureau governs the Music Bureau, and the dance department you belong to is one of the three departments of the Music Bureau.”
He said slowly, "If it were the heyday of the music bureau in the previous dynasty, a single music bureau would have nearly 10,000 people. Among them, there were good and bad people, and they colluded with each other. I couldn't know about them all, nor could I inquire about every single matter."
As A Qiu listened to Gu Yi's detailed explanation, she was somewhat stunned.
His usually cool and stern voice was so gentle, yet it felt familiar. Had someone before patiently talked to her like this, teaching her everything she didn't yet understand about the world?
"Secondly, the reason I want to revive the Music Bureau and summon musicians again is ultimately to prepare talent for the revival of the Taile Department's refined music, not to have musicians entertain people with their looks and to provide entertainment while drinking."
"I think this was also the original intention of the late king in relocating criminals to the music households, so that the daily training and education in music could make the criminals reflect on their mistakes and turn to good, rather than to throw them into the abyss of serving others with their beauty and skills."
What he didn't say was that none of this would be easy. It would be a gradual process of reform and innovation.
It requires systemic change, as well as the geisha's own unwillingness to degenerate into vulgarity.
A Qiu gazed at Gu Yi with her beautiful eyes for a long time, and said softly, "May the young master's ambitions be fulfilled and his success be achieved."
Gu Yi had been looked at with admiration by many people, but he was not used to being looked at like this by A Qiu.
He coughed lightly, changing the subject: "You don't... know where I live, do you?"
A-Qiu blinked, not understanding why he asked that question.
Grand Tutor Gu Yi resided at Jinling Terrace in Chongji Hall, which was located to the right of the Gan Hall, the most important central building in the inner court—a fact she had memorized while studying maps before entering the palace. After all, Grand Tutor Gu Yi was the most important figure in the court; how could she not remember his residence?
When Gu Yi saw that A Qiu's beautiful eyes were moving and she seemed a little slow to react, he assumed that she was just caught off guard by his bluntness. Being a gentleman, he would not press her for answers.
He simply turned his back, seemed to hesitate slightly, but in the end, he took something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
This object was a cast bronze token, with a few strokes of dragon and cloud patterns, as well as the shapes of mountains, cranes, and the moon. Because it had been in his arms the whole time, it still carried his body heat when touched.
Gu Yi said in a low voice, "This is my 'Junior Tutor's Token.' With this, you can freely enter and leave the inner palace and the outer court. However—" His voice became sterner, "You can only use it to find me. You can't use it for anything else. Do you understand?"
A-Qiu took the token in a daze, a thought coming to mind.
Legend has it that Grand Tutor Gu Yi had a group of people who worked specifically for him, called "Grand Tutor's Charioteers," who could enter and leave the palace without fear. Presumably, what they carried was this Grand Tutor's Decree.
The young expert who came in to ask Gu Yi for instructions should be the leader of the Junior Master Charioteers, known as the "Iron Chain Golden Whip" Tianquan Charioteer, Lie Changkong.
But he had made it clear that she couldn't use the Junior Tutor's Decree except to see him, so seeing Gongyi Xiu was out of the question. What else could she do with it? See him for tea every day?
Although A Qiu is adept at expediency, she is also a person who keeps her word. Gu Yi gave her the Junior Tutor Token because he trusted her and told her not to use it for anything else, so she did not.
But accepting the order of the Junior Tutor would mean owing Gu Yi a favor for nothing.
In fact, I owe Gu Yi more than just this one favor today.
He rescued her from her duel with Sikong Zhao, brought her to Jinling Terrace, and quietly postponed the crisis in the dance troupe for her, even being stabbed by her in the process. Now, if she wants to take his Junior Tutor's Order, that would be the fourth favor she has done for him.
As the head of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall, A Qiu had never owed so many favors in a single day.
Not only did I feel embarrassed... but I also felt a lump in my throat. It was a very strange feeling.
She didn't know how to thank him.
So, A-Qiu decided to follow his nature and instincts.
She gently hugged Gu Yi from behind, rested her head against him, and rubbed against him.
As she grew up, she rarely needed to express gratitude to anyone. But when she was a child, she often clung to the monkey king and her fellow disciples in this way.
The disciples of Lanling were as close as brothers, and since they were all children at the time, they would huddle together if they were beaten by their master.
Gu Yi trembled violently, and almost incredulously, he was about to turn his head away.
However, he controlled himself and let her hold him.
My heart was in turmoil, a mixture of astonishment, confusion, and even a tiny bit of joy.
He could sense her almost instinctive attachment and trust in him.
But is this... appropriate...?
Before he could figure out whether it was appropriate or not, A Qiu had already left his body.
She really just wanted a hug.
Just like when I was a child.
He heard her voice softly say, "Could I ask you to do something for me instead of the Junior Tutor's Decree?"
Gu Yi still felt somewhat dazed, as if in a dream. She didn't want the Junior Tutor's Decree, but instead wanted him to do something… How could she be so foolish? With the Junior Tutor's Decree, couldn't she have asked him to do so many things…?
He heard his own voice muffled as it asked, "What is it?"
A-Qiu said with difficulty, "I am currently trapped in the palace and cannot report my safety to my senior brother. I would like to ask you to find someone to deliver a message to the Ministry of Personnel on my behalf."
Gu Yi's eyes suddenly lit up like lightning, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, completely sobering him up. He smiled wryly and said, "What message are you trying to convey?"
Her senior brother used to work in the Ministry of Personnel. Gu Yi went through all the officials, young and old, in the Ministry of Personnel in his mind and had guessed the candidate to be most or least certain.
Ah Qiu said, "Just say 'okay' and that will be enough."
Gu Yi asked, puzzled, "Just by saying 'okay,' he knows it's you?"
A-Qiu nodded with a smile: "He will know. When we were little, we played rock-paper-scissors together, and the secret code we agreed on was 'good' or 'bad'. As long as I said that, he would definitely know it was me."
Thinking of Gongyi Xiu, and recalling how she was harassed by Huang Chaoan in the dance department, beaten by Instructor Sun, and fought with Sikong Zhao in Xianyang Hall, while the Right Chancellor Gongyi remained seated as still as a mountain, A Qiu suddenly felt a surge of malice and said fiercely, "No, we should still pass on 'bad' to him."
She was already having a hard time. Very hard time. The only good thing was because of—Gu Yi.
She looked again at the silent figure in black standing before her, and a feeling of extreme trust, extreme warmth, and... strange sweetness welled up in her heart.
Gu Yi was filled with mixed feelings.
He was meticulous and intelligent by nature. After comparing the facts, he understood why A Qiu did not want the Junior Tutor's Order, but instead asked him to deliver the message.
She risked running away tonight, probably intending to go to the former Ministry of Personnel to find her senior brother.
After all, there are different levels of familiarity, and he, a stranger she had only met once or twice, was naturally not her first choice for seeking help.
He misunderstood.
He turned around, about to refuse, but met her clear and trusting eyes, and for a moment he couldn't bring himself to say no.
What he actually wanted to say was that letting Gongyi Xiu know that she had a relationship with Gu Yi might not be a good thing for her.
Gu Yi finally sighed and said, "Alright." Then, he casually put the Junior Tutor Token back into his pocket.
With Gongyi Xiu looking after her, and given the word "bad" attached to her name, Gongyi Xiu would surely find a way to protect her, so he wouldn't need to worry about her anymore.
A Qiu bowed solemnly to Gu Yi, her bright, beautiful eyes sparkling, and said, "Tonight, A Qiu mistakenly injured the Young Master with an attempt to 'assassinate Qin,' and repeatedly troubled the Young Master with his help. A Qiu will remember this kindness. One day—"
She bit her lip and said, "In the future, Young Master can make a request to my Divine Weapon Hall. Whatever the request may be, my Divine Weapon Hall will definitely fulfill it for you."
Gu Yi suddenly felt a little uncomfortable seeing her so reserved and serious.
Knowing that she hadn't actually come to see him, he also felt a strange sense of self-mockery.
So he bent down, suddenly facing her, a strange smile playing on his lips, and stared at her, saying, "You want to repay me, don't you? Then, how about leaving the flower on your forehead as a token?"
At the same time, he reached out and plucked it from her forehead.
If it weren't for the "flower of love" he planted years ago under the flower ornament on her forehead, he wouldn't have been so aware of all her movements, leading to this misunderstanding tonight.
He didn't know if there was any way to remove it. But he wanted to see for himself what the mark looked like now.
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