Beauty is a curse
Gu Yi said, "Firstly, she is the daughter of Marquis Yongding, Fan Ying, and the young General Fan, Fan Liancheng."
His words caused an uproar among the court officials, who realized that he was indeed the most suitable candidate.
General Fan Liancheng, also known as Little General Fan, was the adopted daughter of Marquis Fan Ying of Yongding in the northwest, and the current successor of the Fan family spear technique. She often fought in place of her mother in the army, accumulating numerous military achievements. Due to her young age, she repeatedly declined the imperial bestowal, thus holding no military rank. However, out of respect, both the northern nomadic tribes and the Han people of the borderlands habitually addressed her as General Little General Fan.
In any military unit, whether it was the Central Jianzhang Division, the Northwest Division, or the Shuofang Army under Marquis Li Chongzhao, the name of Marquis Yongding, Fan, was spoken of with utmost respect. This was a reputation built up by generations of Fan's ancestors who risked their lives to guard the borders for the country.
The Fan family motto states that women of the Fan family should never vie for power, seize influence, marry, live out their lives alone, take the country as their home, and exist solely to safeguard the peace of the nation's borders.
Because of the prohibition against marriage, each generation of the Fan family spear-wielding successor is not actually a member of the Fan family by blood, but rather an orphan adopted by General Fan on the battlefield. Throughout the Great Yan Kingdom, everyone knows General Fan, and in the military, General Fan is the heart and soul of all soldiers, whether on the frontier or in the capital.
As for why no one remembered him just now, it was naturally because—the emperor was far away, and even close relatives were distant; the border troops had no representatives in the court. Even if everyone in the land remembered General Fan, the civil and military officials in the court were busy with their own affairs and might not always remember that this person existed.
In theory, the person who should remember General Xiao Fan the most in the court should be Marquis Dongguang, Pei Yuanli, since he is nominally the Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief, in charge of all the military forces in the country, and all military personnel are under his jurisdiction.
Before everyone could process what he meant, Gu Yi immediately added, "The other person needs to be recruited from Sect Master Li of the 'Hidden World Sect' in Dayuan Mountain, Western Shu. Let him choose a loyal and skilled disciple from his own sect."
Li Wujiu, the leader of the Hidden World Sect, is a representative figure of the reclusive faction in the martial arts world. He has always been indifferent to worldly affairs and has often assisted the imperial court in pacifying the people of the southwest. He can be considered the most important supporter of the imperial court in the martial arts world.
In this way, the new Flying Phoenix Four Guards have a powerful force that includes both civil officials and military generals; both the central army and the border troops; both powerful clans and martial arts circles, making it a very balanced and comprehensive combination.
Even a young and brilliant strategist like Gongyi Xiu had to secretly admire the keen insight of the Junior Tutor Gu Yi. With just a few words, he had already determined the most secure future for the Crown Prince and for the Great Yan Empire.
Only someone as selfless as him could have such a clear understanding of the intentions and movements of all parties, and make appropriate choices.
Xie Lang nodded, and Pei Yuanli, Shangguan You, and others had no objections either. The list of the "Four Flying Phoenix Guards" for this generation was thus finalized.
With a major matter resolved, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed slightly.
At this moment, Kong Heng, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, presented the ceremonial list for the Mid-Autumn Festival Moonlight Banquet to the emperor.
After handing over the ceremony list, he stole a glance at Gu Yi and said hesitantly, "As the Junior Tutor suggested, a new item has been added to the ceremony: before the start of the palace banquet, the Dance Department of the Music Bureau shall present... the 'White Silk Dance' of the previous dynasty."
Gu Yi's expression remained unchanged, but most of the court officials had already changed color and immediately began whispering among themselves. After a while, the officials' expressions became even more agitated, almost to the point of uproar. This was a stark contrast to their silence when the matter of the assassin was raised earlier.
Although Gongyi Xiu was a young man and unaware of the history of the previous dynasty, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he observed the expressions of the crowd: this must be another topic where one could demonstrate their abilities and virtues simply by engaging in lofty discussions and expressing opinions without spending any money, effort, or thought. Therefore, everyone wanted to chime in.
He was, of course, keeping a low profile and remaining silent, and would not express his opinion until he understood the situation.
Among this group of people, only the Left Prime Minister Shangguan You remained completely unmoved and composed.
Emperor Xie Lang's expression shifted from initial surprise to a calm and composed demeanor.
After the murmurs subsided, Gu Yi calmly asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Kong Heng secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
In fact, Gu Yi had finished revising the agenda overnight and sent it to someone else, and he felt it was inappropriate as soon as he read it. However, since the Junior Tutor Gu Yi had facilitated this matter overnight, and the person who sent the document was the highest-ranking Junior Tutor, Lie Changkong, he thought that the Junior Tutor might have made his own decision, so he dared not say anything more and could only bring it to the court for public discussion, so as not to make him take the blame if something went wrong.
At this moment, he broke out in a cold sweat and said, "Reporting to the Junior Tutor, this 'White Silk Dance' does not seem to be an auspicious dance... It seems inauspicious to use it at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet."
The murmurs among the officials suddenly intensified several notches.
"This is more than just an auspicious dance! It's downfall music! A decadent dance!"
"A dance that can topple cities, a dance that can destroy nations—this is the dance we're talking about!"
"A dance in troubled times, a sound that brings ruin to the nation!"
Gu Yi remained calm, but the expression on the face of the Left Prime Minister Shangguan You grew increasingly grim.
Gongyi Xiu thought this was a rare sight, because Shangguan You was always mature and steady, never showing his emotions. Moreover, the Shangguan family had been upright and famous officials for generations, and he himself was a gentleman, so it was rare for anything to make him change his expression.
However, he also knew perfectly well that these officials were only relying on Gu Yi's consistently magnanimous attitude towards these Confucian doctrines. Since the founding of the nation, he had never heard of Gu Yi killing anyone for uttering a few extra words.
It was Emperor Xie Lang who interrupted the discussion. He bowed to Gu Yi and asked, "There were many dances and music in previous generations. I wonder why the Grand Tutor specifically wanted to present the 'White Silk Dance'?"
Oh, it's just because years ago, he once saw a woman dancing on the Yan Ge Terrace under the moon, accompanied by someone playing the flute. The song was called "White Silk," and he thought it was very beautiful, giving the feeling of a goddess treading on water, her wide sleeves brushing against the clouds.
Gu Yi had never been interested in female musicians. He had only seen one once in all his years in the palace, but he remembered it vividly and recognized it as the Qing Shang music and dance of the Han region. This time, he was trying to protect Instructor Sun of the dance troupe, so he made it clear that it had to be Qing Shang music and dance, because currently only Instructor Sun in the dance troupe was well-versed in Qing Shang music and dance, and no one else could replace her.
When Xie Lang asked, Gu Yi replied, "I am not familiar with music and dance. Although there were many dances and music in previous generations, I seem to only remember this one. Therefore, I think it is more important among all the dances and music."
Before Gu Yi could finish speaking, someone clapped his hands and laughed, "Although the young master humbly says he doesn't know anything about music and dance, in my opinion, the young master is the one who truly knows music and dance."
"At least, compared to those who spout empty words of loyalty and righteousness but do nothing when their country dies and their ruler perishes, instead blaming others for a mere dance performance, they are far more sincere!"
At least half of the people in the hall changed color. Most of the people in the court were old officials left over from the previous dynasty. Even Pei Yuanli and the current emperor Xie Lang were officials of the previous Huan dynasty. However, since neither of them had criticized Bai Zhuwu, the words were not directed at them.
Gongyi Xiu and other younger generations had not experienced the chaos of their predecessors' downfall, so these words did not apply to them and were of no concern to them. Naturally, they were happy to watch the show.
These words were startling. Emperor Xie Lang said in a deep voice, "The Imperial Library Commander!"
No one expected that the person who offended everyone with those words was none other than Zhao Lingying, who was usually impeccable and diplomatic. She smiled, arms crossed, but her expression conveyed a sense of "you deserve it."
Left Prime Minister Shangguan You could no longer tolerate it and shouted, "Although the White Silk Dance was indeed created by Empress Wen of the previous dynasty, it was adapted from Wu songs and Western tunes. It was originally a song for women washing clothes. It is still popular in the Wu region of Jiangnan and can be often heard and seen by water lanes and bridges. How can it be the sound of a country's demise?"
Oh, so it was created by the former Empress Shangguan. That Empress Shangguan, in terms of seniority, was probably Shangguan You's cousin or something like that. No wonder even a composed person like Shangguan You changed color so drastically.
To say that the White Silk Dance is the sound of a nation's downfall is tantamount to saying that Empress Shangguan was a femme fatale.
Gongyi Xiu pondered in his heart, the only thing he didn't understand was why Zhao Lingying, who never listened to anyone, would get involved in this mess.
Gu Yi repeatedly checked his memory and finally confirmed that the woman he saw dancing with a white silk robe under the Yan Ge Terrace might indeed have been Empress Shangguan.
However, her dance was elegant and ethereal, profound and moving, leaving a deep impression on him. It had no seductive or alluring qualities and was by no means a lament for the downfall of a nation. This was why he took notice of the dance at the time.
However, not wanting to cause trouble or start a debate over such a trivial matter, he said, "If the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and everyone else feel it is inappropriate, then we can change it to another one, as long as it is Qing Shang music of my Han ethnicity." After a moment's thought, he added, "Because the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival to worship Chang'e, it is obviously inappropriate to use music and dance of other ethnic groups."
Kong Heng, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said with a troubled expression, "...I just don't know what pieces the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices' music bureau can currently arrange? Why don't you tell us all the pieces you can present, so that we can choose from them?"
Because the matter concerned the Taichang Temple, Kong Heng changed his way of addressing Gu Yi. Gu Yi concurrently held the position of Taichang Temple Minister, and was of equal rank to him in matters concerning the temple, but he couldn't very well say, "Master Gu, please give me a list of the music repertoire so that we can discuss it together."
In fact, he knew perfectly well that Gu Yi couldn't possibly handle these details, but asking respectfully was the proper attitude.
This question truly stumped Gu Yi. He was well-versed in the refined music passed down from the previous six dynasties, but he was unfamiliar with the female musicians who had recently appeared at banquets. Moreover, even if he casually mentioned some popular tunes, the dance troupe, with its current limited manpower compared to previous dynasties, might not be able to choreograph them.
If the Music Bureau cannot refuse and has to reject the application for re-evaluation, leading to repeated changes, A-Qiu's side may not be able to withstand it.
Gu Yi was still pondering when Xie Lang's voice rang out from the dragon throne.
"There is no need to choose again. My mind is made up. For the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, let us use the Midnight Song of the previous dynasty, accompanied by the White Silk Dance."
Xie Lang and Gu Yi have worked together for many years, and judging from his expression, it's clear that the Music Bureau is currently short-staffed, making the music arrangement challenging. He had seen the Midnight Song and the White Silk Dance in the palace during the previous dynasty, knowing that they required few people, were simple and elegant, and could be produced in a short time.
And he also had his own selfish motives.
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