A national disgrace
Just then, a woman with a black veil slowly emerged from behind the pillar. Her magnificent robes reached the ground, all in black, and her hair was unadorned, yet they could not conceal her noble and aloof demeanor.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the hall was filled with her cold, weary yet magnetic voice: "May I ask if I may inquire further, who is the Special Envoy's master? With such talent as the Special Envoy, he should not be an unknown figure in the Northern Qiang, so his master must also be an extraordinary person."
When A Qiu saw this woman, her heart skipped a beat. She would recognize Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, even if she were burned to ashes. Strictly speaking, she and Mu Huaying had a blood feud over the murder of her husband, though Mu Huaying was unaware of it at the moment. But given her act of protecting Li Chongyu all the way out of the city, Madam Pei wouldn't let her off the hook, at least not give her a kind look.
At this moment, Mu Huaying was probably still in mourning for her husband, so she wore a black veil and no other decorations, which made her look very plain and even more imposing.
Upon seeing Mu Huaying, Mo Yimingyue's eyes suddenly brightened tenfold, her gaze sharp as a knife as she peered through Mu Huaying's veil, as if trying to see her face clearly. Yet, she said nonchalantly, "In the royal court, I am but an insignificant junior. As for my master, I cannot mention his name without his permission. I ask for Madam Pei's understanding."
Mu Huaying turned her swan-like neck to the side and said in a cold voice, "Does Your Excellency recognize me?"
This question was perfectly reasonable, and even A Qiu found it strange. Whether as Mo Yimingyue of Lanling Hall or Xiao Yue of Beiqiang, Mo Yimingyue should not have met any officials from the Southern Dynasty. Mu Huaying was probably not introduced in the hall just now, so how did Mo Yimingyue recognize her?
Mo Yimingyue met Mu Huaying's sharp gaze without changing her expression and said, "Everyone in the world knows that His Majesty of Dayan has four most trusted women, known as the Four Flying Phoenix Guards. I have already met Lord Lantai, and you cannot be Consort Chen. People say that General Sikong Zhao of the White Horse always wears white robes and silver armor, but you, Madam, are dressed in black. The only person I can think of is Madam Pei, the 'Black Swan'."
This answer was flawless. However, Mu Huaying's gaze lingered on his face, as if unwilling to give up, and she asked, "Judging from your appearance, it seems you are not of Khitan descent. May I ask what your parents' names are?"
In truth, these questions, for an envoy meeting for the first time, could be considered either presumptuous or merely casual conversation. After all, small talk and building rapport often begin with inquiring about family backgrounds, followed by checking if there are any mutual acquaintances. However, with Mo Yimingyue's arrival today, it seems the atmosphere hasn't quite reached that point.
The fact that this question came from Mu Huaying, the former Minister of Justice who was known for his cold-heartedness and aversion to social interactions, was particularly strange. After all, proper social etiquette was the responsibility of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Minister of Justice would only resort to torture to extract confessions if he wanted to know something; he had no patience for beating around the bush.
This question prompted even A Qiu and Gongyi Xiu to secretly prick up their ears.
The reason is that even those who grew up together don't know who Mo Yimingyue's parents are. If Mo Yimingyue were to tell the truth here, it would be unprecedented news for them.
But Mo Yimingyue said nonchalantly, "My surname is Xiao. My father is a member of the Khitan royal family. Although he has some reputation in our country, it is not worth mentioning. As for my mother, she is of low status and would never be of interest to a noble lady like Madam Pei, who is of noble birth and extraordinary reputation."
For some reason, A-Qiu always felt that his last sentence had a deeper meaning and was by no means just simple humility.
After he finished speaking, most of the people in the hall wisely fell silent, and those who knew how to read the situation were already planning to change the subject.
Currently, the Khitan are vassals of the Northern Qiang. It seems Xiao Yue's father isn't some important prince, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his son to serve as an official in the Northern Qiang. As for his mother, she sounds even more wretched. If his mother were the daughter of a high-ranking official of the imperial clan, matching his father's status, Mo Yimingyue would at least be able to mention her surname. Since she isn't even mentioned now, she's likely a servant or criminal.
As is well known, the Hu people are different from the Han people. The Han people still have wives, concubines, and maids, but the Hu people, apart from their principal wives and secondary wives, all other women are considered lowly servants who are often whipped and treated like pigs and dogs.
No one expected that Mu Huaying's question would lead to such an awkward situation. But A Qiu, who was in the middle of it all, had a different kind of feeling.
That's what the second senior brother said, and it's very likely true. No one would deliberately belittle their parents like that, because it's tantamount to belittling their own background.
However, the strategy and strength that Mo Yimingyue had previously displayed had earned him enough respect, and no one in the Southern Dynasty dared to underestimate him because of it.
Just when everyone thought the topic could be dropped, Mu Huaying, hidden beneath the heavy veil, parted her lips and spoke again: "May I ask one more question?" Before Mo Yimingyue could answer yes or no, she asked: "Is your mother, esteemed envoy, a Han woman?"
This question shocked everyone, even Xie Lang and Zhao Lingying's expressions changed. The already awkward situation in the hall became even more embarrassing.
Xiao Yue's father was a member of the Khitan royal family. If he were to marry a Han woman, everyone could imagine the circumstances under which it would be done.
This is a disgrace to the Han people, and a disgrace to the entire nation.
Even if Mu Huaying is clueless about social etiquette, she's not stupid. She shouldn't have asked such an extremely embarrassing question at this moment.
While being shocked, A Qiu was also overwhelmed with an indescribable emotion.
She and Mo Yimingyue were from the same school and grew up together. She naturally knew that Mo Yimingyue's appearance was different from that of Han people and that he was of mixed Han and non-Han descent, but she never thought about this question in depth.
And this is indeed a question that cannot be explored too deeply.
She recalled the words her master, Wan Qiqing, had once said to them.
"If your past was happy, you would not be here now."
It will never happen at Lanling Hall.
Mo Yimingyue's expression remained calm, but his hand, hidden in his sleeve, was clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning white from the effort.
Looking from behind, A-Qiu could see that his broad shoulders were trembling almost imperceptibly.
Gongyi Xiu could no longer bear others pressing his junior brother's sore spot like this, so he immediately stepped forward and bowed to Xie Lang, saying, "Today's court meeting is almost over. May I escort the special envoy back?"
His question might have seemed presumptuous, acting on behalf of the emperor and prematurely ending the court session, but no one would blame him at this moment, as the situation was far too awkward and no one knew how to end it. His words made everyone eager for him to immediately take Mo Yimingyue away, allowing them to conveniently end the embarrassing situation.
Xie Lang snapped out of his daze and immediately nodded.
Zhao Lingying also interjected at the opportune moment: "The place we have arranged for Your Excellency to stay is the Lishui Pavilion, which is near the Honglu Temple and is still within the palace grounds. From there, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the winding water corridor that is more than 300 feet long and the Imperial River. The closest building to there is the Jinling Terrace, where the Junior Tutor of this dynasty resides." She smiled and glanced at A Qiu, and continued: "If there are any matters concerning banquets or entertainment that need to be decided, Your Excellency can also go there to discuss them with our Grand Master of Music."
Mo Yimingyue finally caught her breath and cupped her hands, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Magistrate of the Imperial Library, thank you, Left Prime Minister."
He didn't look at Mu Huaying again, and as if nothing had happened, he bowed and left with Gongyi Xiu.
Everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief when they left.
Just as Xie Lang was about to announce the end of the court session, he suddenly frowned and pressed his hand to his forehead.
Zhao Lingying, who was standing to the side, immediately helped him up and said to the assembled officials, "Today's court meeting is over. You may all leave now." But he instructed, "Grand Commander-in-Chief and Lady Pei, please stay." After a slight hesitation, he added, "Grand Master of Music, please stay as well."
A Qiu, who was specifically chosen to stay behind, was quite puzzled. It was normal for Zhao Ling to keep Sikong Zhao and Mu Huaying behind; the former Flying Phoenix Four Guards had always been Xie Lang's most trusted confidants, and now that the Northern Qiang had come to court, it was perfectly normal for her to keep them behind for discussions. But why would she keep herself, the Grand Master of Music in charge of music and dance, behind?
But a moment later, he understood the reason.
Zhao Lingying kept her because she represented Gu Yi.
If Gu Yi were here, such an important matter concerning diplomatic relations between the two countries would certainly not disregard his opinion.
It was also because she had demonstrated sufficient insight and judgment during the court debate that, at least in Zhao Lingying's mind, she was a deserving representative of Gu Yi.
Surprisingly, Zhao Lingying asked her to stay for a discussion, and neither Sikong Zhao nor Mu Huaying objected.
Sikong Zhao had been ordered to intercept her outside Jianzhang City and had even fought her atop Xianyang Palace, so he already knew she was a former Lanling assassin. As for Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, needless to say, A Qiu had repeatedly thwarted her plans and annoyed her; given Madam Pei's vengeful nature, she must have considered her a thorn in her side. Surprisingly, even Mu Huaying didn't utter a sound or even glance at her, treating her as if she were invisible.
After everyone had dispersed, Mu Huaying suddenly stepped forward, knelt down, looked up at Xie Lang, and said in a deep voice, "I have something to report to Your Majesty."
Xie Lang's face was clearly in very bad shape, but he still forced himself to be energetic and said, "There are no outsiders here at the moment, Sister Huaying, please speak frankly."
Even if Mu Huaying hadn't said anything, everyone present, including Xie Lang, would have wanted to ask her why she insisted on asking Mo Yimingyue, the special envoy of the Northern Qiang, such an awkward question in front of everyone.
Especially the last question.
Although Mo Yimingyue left without answering, everyone present could guess that what Mu Huaying said was mostly true. Otherwise, why would Mo Yimingyue have changed color so much? She could have simply refuted it and informed her mother and clan.
Mu Huaying said, word by word, "I strongly suspect that this Northern Qiang envoy, Xiao Yue, is a descendant of one of our Southern Dynasty's greatest adversaries."
When A-Qiu heard this, her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
To be honest, she knew nothing about the backgrounds of her two senior brothers, and the same was true for herself.
Master once said that the disciples of Lanling Hall have no past.
She has always strictly followed this rule, never allowing herself to dwell on issues like the "past".
But now, it seems that even if I don't want to know, I can't.
Xie Lang was first taken aback, then said in disbelief, "As he said, he is a Khitan Xiao family member. Speaking of the Five Barbarian tribes, even the minor branches and minor clans, if you trace them back, they all have a blood feud with the aristocratic families of the Central Plains, and a hatred of national subjugation. But to attribute it all to his Khitan Xiao family is to give him too much credit."
Mu Huaying clearly stated, "If they are from other races, then they are not necessarily great enemies, because they are always from different races and have different positions from the start. What they fear most is their own people."
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