Back then, we fought
Although A Qiu was not as familiar with the inner workings of the dance troupe as Cui and Zhang, she could not possibly be unaware of Huang Chao'an's intention in extorting her privately.
She knew exactly who Huang Chaoan was at a glance.
Taking a beautiful dancer out meant either enjoying her yourself or giving her away, most likely to other officials.
Dancers were under the jurisdiction of the Music Bureau, and being orphans, they were essentially slaves. Even if they died, no one would plead their case.
Sun Neiren made a great decision to risk everything and defy Huang Chaoan's wishes because she knew that she was Shi Changqing's daughter.
She would send A-Qiu there, and find an excuse to accompany her the whole time, and finally bring her back unharmed.
This action was undoubtedly a blatant offense to Huang Chao'an and a public declaration that the dance troupe would not succumb to tyranny.
However, Sun's wife had no other choice but to save her.
Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu exchanged a glance, and both saw determination in each other's eyes.
"Let's go too."
Cui Luzhu said, "There are many of us, so they can't do anything to us."
Zhang Exu also said, "Even if an accident occurs, there will be more witnesses if there are more people."
Lady Sun was slightly taken aback, then sighed and said, "Then let's go together."
She was not unaware that for a powerless and helpless geisha, no matter how many people there were, it was like lambs to the slaughter, or eggs hitting rocks.
However, if the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? If something happens to her, the dancers of the dance troupe will be lambs to the slaughter just like everyone else.
It would be better to seize the opportunity and fight with all our might, which might force Huang Chaoan to back down.
The porch outside the Lezheng dormitory was empty and deserted.
It seems that Huang Chaoan had already informed the others to avoid the situation.
The four women, led by Sun Neiren, first prostrated themselves outside the door, and a soft, cold voice came from inside: "Come in."
The voice sounded more languid than when A Qiu first heard it.
The four exchanged glances, their expressions resolute, then lifted their robes and stepped through the door one by one.
The Huang Chaoan I see now is very different from the one I saw during the first screening test.
At that time, his eyes were clear and serene, and his demeanor was dignified, making him look exactly like a master musician.
At this moment, he was half-lying and half-sitting on the couch, his clothes half-open, lazily playing with a jade cup in his hand. On the table beside the couch were three or four exquisite dishes and a pot of wine.
A Qiu glanced at it and knew that Huang Chaoan's current enjoyment must be beyond the bounds of propriety.
The room was filled with the smell of alcohol, but it smelled fragrant and sweet, so it must be good wine.
The person on the couch had flushed cheeks and a half-drunk look in their eyes.
He glanced at the four people who had arrived, and his displeasure was written all over his face.
"The Shi woman stays. The others may leave."
The dance troupe was indeed in disarray because of Sun's wife. Even a great beauty like Shi's daughter was now made up like a ghost, with vulgar and tasteless makeup. If it weren't for A Qiu's unique figure and temperament, he wouldn't have been able to tell who was who when the four of them stood together.
It's truly unappetizing to look at.
Among the four masked women, the thinner one spoke up: "If Lord Yue wants to see the progress of the Shi family daughter, as her instructor, I should accompany and supervise her. Please do not be disgusted by this."
Oh, so this is Lady Sun, who's wearing lead powder and makeup. At night, her face doesn't look much different from the other three. This heavy makeup isn't without its advantages; at least it can cover up her age and ugliness.
They really don't know their place.
Huang Chaoan spoke slowly, his voice unreadable, "Then what brings the other two here?"
Instructor Sun reported, "These two are the instructors of the Shi family's daughter. They also came to keep an eye on things and prevent Shi Wanqiu from embarrassing herself in front of Yue Zheng."
"It doesn't really matter whether I make a fool of myself or not," A-Qiu thought to herself. She had only been in the dance club for two days, spending the whole day straining her back and legs and listening to "Luo Fu" all day. She hadn't even learned a single dance move yet, so what progress could she possibly make?
And this was something that all five people present were well aware of.
A venomous smile slowly spread across Huang Chaoan's fair face.
He put down the jade cup, then suddenly picked up the wine vessel and smashed it directly in front of Lady Sun. With a "crash," shards flew everywhere, and fine wine splashed onto Lady Sun's heavily made-up face.
Farmers cultivate the land from spring to autumn, and it takes one bushel of rice to produce one bushel of wine. Wine is as precious as grain, or even more precious, because it needs to be stored slowly and fermented in cellars. If it is good wine, it is even more valuable.
Zhang E'xu's large eyes, with her head bowed, were already blazing with anger.
She was not a farmer, and her status was even lower than that of a farmer. But in her distant hometown outside the palace, she had relatives who farmed.
Cui Luzhu remained motionless, her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.
Sun Neiren remained upright, unmoved, despite her prostrate posture on the ground.
Huang Chaoan suddenly sat up from the couch, and after a cold laugh, his originally clear voice instantly turned furious: "Lady Sun, are you deliberately trying to make me look bad?"
By this time, he had mostly sobered up, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with rage, making him quite terrifying.
Lady Sun, who had been kneeling upright, raised her head and said emotionlessly, "I don't know what Yue Zheng is talking about. Yue Zheng wanted someone, so I brought them here. Yue Zheng wanted to see them, so I had the instructor supervise. I don't know where I offended Yue Zheng?"
Huang Chaoan carefully examined Sun Neiren's face, which was stained with wine and streaked with powder. Beneath the washed-away makeup, the marks of time were visible. But on her thin face, her eyes burned with unwavering determination, revealing an indomitable spirit.
Huang Chaoan paced slowly in the hall, as if trying his best to calm himself down. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Lady Sun, do you know who I am?"
Yes. Lady Sun recalled that Huang Chao'an hadn't been in the Music Bureau for very long. She was a former official of the previous dynasty, but Huang Chao'an wasn't. He had only been in the Music Bureau for three years before rising from an ordinary pipa player to the position of Music Master. Lady Sun, on the other hand, had served two dynasties and was over forty years old before finally becoming the head instructor of the dance department.
However, she had always been upright, and the music academy was no longer a fertile and prosperous place, but rather a dark and secluded place. She never imagined that a noble person would even target this place.
She said in a hoarse voice, "I don't know and I don't want to know. As long as Yue Zheng doesn't touch anyone in the dance troupe again, I can pretend that nothing happened in the dance troupe."
Huang Chaoan laughed in anger: "What audacity! You actually dare to threaten me! I underestimated Lady Sun!"
He stepped forward, grabbed Sun's chin and lifted it up, and said in a deep voice, "So that you may know that before I entered the Music Bureau, I was originally a servant of Pei Yuanli, the Grand Marshal and General of this dynasty."
Although Sun's wife's face remained unchanged, her heart was churning with turbulent waves.
Grand Marshal Pei Yuanli is the foremost figure in the army of this dynasty. Nominally, he is also under the command of Junior Tutor Gu Yi, but the Pei family is a prominent clan in the Central Plains for centuries, a representative of powerful and influential families, and controls the most important central army of the Southern Dynasty—the Jianzhang Army.
Huang Chaoan released his grip and said arrogantly, "I can say the same thing to Lady Sun. You left Lady Shi here tonight, and I, the music master, can pretend nothing happened. Lady Sun will still be in charge of your dance troupe, and it's not impossible for her to sit in my position in the future."
The night was deep and dark, with no stars or moon. Occasionally, a crow would fly over the barren trees and caw a few times.
Sun Neiren knelt on the ground, her mind in turmoil, her back soaked with cold sweat as she danced.
Having spent decades in the palace, she was not someone who craved power. Huang Chaoan's promise of future promotions and advancements, which he implied would only make her obedient, did not stir any emotion in her heart.
But for a mere dancer to confront the people of the mansion of Pei Yuanli, the Grand Marshal who commands hundreds of thousands of troops, was not only completely unexpected but also utterly unimaginable.
Even the Junior Tutor Gu Yi and Emperor Xie Lang would probably have to think carefully before going against Pei Yuanli's wishes.
If Shi Changqing were still alive, he could speak directly to the emperor, and no one could touch his daughter.
She was merely an aging and faded instructor of dance and music at the Music Bureau.
She hesitated and looked at A Qiu. At that moment, A Qiu was looking at him with a pair of beautiful eyes that were clear and bright, seemingly full of trust and respect.
As she gazed into those beautiful eyes, a faint melody suddenly echoed from the depths of her memory.
That sound came from Tangliyuan and Yangetai many years ago.
"With colorful sleeves, she diligently holds up the jade cup; in those days, she risked her flushed face in a drunken stupor. The dance is low, like the moon shining on the willow-lined pavilion; the song ends, like the breeze beneath the peach blossom fan."
Since we parted, I recall our meeting; how many times have my soul and dreams been with you? Tonight, I'll light the silver lamp again, still fearing our meeting is but a dream.
She did have some connection with Shi Changqing.
A clear song is sung for the broken willow branch.
Back then, at the "Qinggehui" at Yange Terrace, singers and musicians bustled about, laughing and shoving each other, competing in singing and dancing, creating a lively and extraordinary atmosphere.
The winner has to drink. No matter who toasts them, they must drink it.
Such a grand event even attracted the participation of Empress Shangguan, the most talented woman of the dynasty, a master calligrapher, and a woman living deep within the palace.
Surrounded by beauties on the palanquin, the Empress's graceful figure was like that of a celestial being, so radiant and dazzling. She personally inscribed the words "Joy is the voice of the heart" as a prize for the winner.
What did the Empress say back then?
"Virtuous sounds are called music."
Musicians should cultivate themselves through virtue and art, and use the finest qualities and temperament found in music to touch people's hearts.
Everyone knows that the empress at that time did not have a good life.
The late emperor favored his close ministers and indulged in extravagant entertainment, leading to a decadent and dissolute harem. During those years, the empress was almost completely ignored.
However, the empress, who was of noble birth, never looked down on these singers and dancers, nor did she ever regard them as the cause of the country's downfall.
Her expectation for them was that their virtuous words would spread and their refined tastes would be cultivated.
The winner was Shi Changqing.
On that day, he, who had never sung in the palace before, threw away his jade flute, stepped onto the stage with a flourish, and sang a long song in front of a crowd of cheering people.
The song he sang was not the desolate and majestic Northern Qiang tune that he was good at, full of exotic flavor, but this song "Partridge Sky" which is full of tender feelings and delicate longing.
With colorful sleeves, she diligently held up the jade cup, her face flushed with intoxication back then.
His voice is not perfect; it lacks the meticulously honed tone and expressiveness of professional singers in traditional Chinese music academies.
But at that moment, everyone was captivated by his voice, which was both deeply affectionate and innately wild and unrestrained.
No one knows where Shi Changqing came from. But at least from then on people knew that in addition to being skilled in the Qiang flute, Shi Changqing was also proficient in the Qing Shang music of the Han region.
Changqing drank wine, accepting all who came.
When Empress Shangguan Wen's calligraphy, inscribed with "Joy is the voice of the heart," gracefully descended from the high platform and was calmly tucked into Shi Changqing's sleeve, the atmosphere reached its most enthusiastic peak.
Some shouted "Long live the Empress!" and others shouted "May the Great Huan Dynasty last for thousands of years!" But the name shouted the most was Shi Changqing's.
"Shi Changqing!" "Shi Changqing!"
Singers, dancers, palace maids—almost all the girls in the palace jumped up, shouting Shi Changqing's name with abandon.
Of course, she was among them, Sun Ci from the Qing Shang Dance Department.
That day was the only time she could disregard the opinions of the world, the constraints of palace rules, and the shyness of a young girl, boldly call out his name, and look directly into his eyes with fervor.
After that, years passed, and she could only murmur that name in the dead of night when she was dreaming.
No one knows how much wine Shi Changqing drank that day.
We welcome all comers.
Was Shi Changqing happy or melancholy at that time?
She had gazed into his eyes beneath the black bird mask amidst the lamplight and crowd. They were eyes that were both extremely deep and intensely passionate. They seemed to be smiling, yet she sensed the deep melancholy and boundless affection buried beneath them.
Then, he took the glass of wine she handed him through the crowd and drank it all in one gulp.
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