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The atmosphere inside was heavy, like a thick haze. Hulü Guang dared not utter a sound, knowing that his life or death hung in the balance with just a single word.
Based on the strength shown by the Southern Dynasty at this moment, of the eight riders from Yanyun he brought, seven were dead and one escaped, leaving him all alone here: A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi have recovered their mobility, and A Qiu alone could take his life, not to mention the person sitting motionless in the chair, and outside the door, Lie Changkong has completely taken control of the situation in Bifu Pavilion.
His current situation is like that of a fish caught in a net, and Ah Qiu is clearly not someone to be trifled with.
When she faced the Northern Qiang King's army that had offended her at the entrance of the post station, she didn't even blink, raising her hand to decapitate them instantly, blood splattering everywhere. Just thinking about it, even someone as hard-hearted as him had to admire her swift and decisive sword strike.
As expected, A Qiu stared at him sharply, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said, "In my opinion, this person doesn't need to be kept alive. Let the Northern Qiang send another prince to negotiate!"
He then asked, "The Great Khan of the Northern Qiang must have more than one brother, right? Or at least, at least one son?"
Her question was obviously not directed at Hulü Guang, and it clearly implied that she considered him a dead man.
The one who answered was Lie Changkong outside the door. He said loudly, "It is good for the young master to know that the Northern Qiang Emperor Huli Jin has fifteen brothers, all of whom represent the royal court and are distributed among various tribes. Among them, three of them are particularly powerful, including His Highness Prince Ning. In addition, the emperor has five adult sons and seven minor sons."
Upon hearing that Lie Changkong had such a clear understanding of the background of his Northern Qiang royal family, Huli Guang felt a chill run down his spine, and beads of sweat appeared on his nose.
He is currently the undisputed second most powerful figure in the Northern Qiang territory after his elder brother, Hulü Guang, but that doesn't mean he has no enemies in the Northern Qiang royal court. Indeed, all his brothers and nephews are watching him closely, hoping he will make a mistake so they can take his place.
A Qiu's mocking gaze swept across his face again, and she said leisurely, "Then, you can go die now."
Hulü Guang watched helplessly as an ancient-looking dagger was plunged into his ribs. A bone-chilling cold followed, and blood seeped out from under his brocade robes. The intense pain made him both shocked and frightened. He staggered backward and almost lost his balance and fell.
Seeing that he was still able to hold on despite the oppressive aura of the "Assassination of Qin" campaign, A Qiu felt a bit of admiration for him. However, he just smiled and pushed the dagger forward a little further, twisting and turning it once in his hand.
The tip of the "Assassination of Qin" blade had countless tiny sharp points, invisible unless viewed closely. As A Qiu twisted and writhed inside his body, Hulü Guang felt countless military energies invading his body. He screamed in agony, his vision went black, and he fell backward.
Shangguan Yuqi watched as A Qiu calmly put away his dagger, his expression undisturbed. He only frowned slightly and said, "Although this man did not die unjustly, you killed him here like this. The court will need to put in a lot of effort to quell the subsequent turmoil."
Ah Qiu laughed and said, "I didn't kill him, I just made him faint from the pain."
He then said coldly, "If we don't teach this man a lesson and thoroughly crush his arrogance by humiliating him like this, he will only become complacent and think that we can do nothing to him."
Shangguan Yuqi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He certainly deserves to die, but not now. This is the most appropriate way to deal with him."
He then said with a headache, "He's unconscious here, what should we do next? Should we send him back to the inn?"
The image of her senior brother, Mo Yimingyue, flashed through A Qiu's mind. She thought that if she could hand this person over to him and subject him to cruel torture to break down his psychological defenses, that would be the best outcome. Previously, she hadn't understood why Lanling Hall had a separate branch dedicated to using harsh torture to extract confessions and eliminate enemies and traitors, but now she suddenly realized the necessity of Xingfeng Hall's existence.
Because there are vicious and wicked people in the world, they will not obediently submit simply by reasoning with one party or by using force to suppress them.
A-Qiu calmly asked, "Is there a dungeon here?"
Outside the door, Lie Changkong replied, "Bifu Pavilion is an elegant place meticulously crafted by the Gongye family head, and there is no place like this that spoils the view. However, I do know of a suitable dungeon that is not far from here."
A Qiu glanced at Huli Guang, who had already fainted, and said, "Then throw him in there for a day and a night. Don't talk to him or give him any food or water. Let him fend for himself. When the time comes, send him back."
Shangguan Yuqi asked, puzzled, "Why is that?"
Lie Changkong understood immediately and laughed, "This Prince Ning is, after all, a member of the royal family. Since we don't intend to kill him right now, it's inconvenient for us to openly torture him. But since he was seriously injured by the young master and thrown into the dungeon without uttering a single word, he will most likely be confused and lost, concluding that the young master intends to leave him there to slowly die. To let a living person wait to die, especially to starve to death without water or food, is not only a form of torture, but also a form of mental torture that is worthy of being slowly sliced to death, even without physical punishment."
A Qiu added, "A day and a night is exactly the limit of his physical strength now that he is injured."
Shangguan Yuqi was silent for a moment before saying, "It seems you do know a lot. I don't need to worry about you anymore."
Her words were pointed, and A Qiu suddenly realized: how could such a ruthless and cruel method of torture be something that a delicate and timid courtesan like her could master?
For example, Shangguan Yuqi, as a daughter of a noble family, was always surrounded by family guards when she went out. No matter how skilled she was in swordsmanship, she would not understand these low-class ways of the martial arts world.
Just as A Qiu was about to say something in annoyance, he heard the calm and even tone of Lord Liyang's voice from inside the room: "If you are always so arrogant and easily trust others to venture into dangerous places, then no matter how much you know, it will be of no use."
Shangguan Yuqi was extremely respectful to him and immediately bowed, saying, "Senior! I am deeply grateful for your help on many occasions."
A Qiu's face burned with embarrassment. She knew that what Lord Liyang had said was true. The last time she was caught in the trap, it was because of Pei Yu's invitation; and this time it was because this place was Gongye Fusu's territory, and she and Shangguan Yuqi, two of the world's greatest experts, were traveling together. She thought there would be no hidden dangers, but who would have thought that Hulü Guang's abilities were so extraordinary that he could turn Bifu Pavilion upside down in just one night.
Both times, if it weren't for Lord Liyang's intervention, she would have been unable to escape unscathed.
If this had happened in Lanling Hall, it would never have happened again; Wan Qiqing would have severely punished them.
Shangguan Yuqi was surprised to see that A Qiu couldn't answer, because in her mind, A Qiu had always been more eloquent and sociable than her. Then she heard Lord Liyang raise his voice and say, "Young Master's disciple, you are so careless in your actions and have ventured into dangerous places. Is there any punishment?"
Lie Changkong outside the door seemed to be taken aback. It seemed that because Gu Yi only had A Qiu as his sole disciple and had never punished her, there were no sect rules or regulations—even if there were, they were probably not something he would know.
He paused for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "This... I'm afraid I don't know. The young master didn't establish any rules when he was alive."
Lord Liyang stood up and said calmly, "Then I will punish him on his behalf. He will be confined to Jinling Terrace for ten days to reflect on his actions."
Ah Qiu opened his mouth, speechless.
At this moment, she is Gu Yi's successor, and in terms of status, she is second only to the emperor. Lord Liyang is at most a recluse from the previous dynasty and has no right to punish her. Even if she refuses to obey, Lord Liyang is helpless against her. But for some reason, the majesty and indifference he exudes when he speaks makes her unable to muster the will to resist.
It was as if obeying him was a matter of course for her.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yuqi immediately frowned and said, "With the Northern Qiang's negotiations for an alliance imminent, military forces from all over the country need to be mobilized, and the 'Shao' and 'Wu' operas are also being rehearsed intensively. If Grand Marshal Le is punished and confined at this time, he may not be able to keep abreast of the situation. Could you please choose another time, Senior?"
Lord Liyang said calmly, "I have already spoken. Whether you listen or not is your business."
The two of them only felt a blur before their eyes, and the figure of Lord Liyang had already passed through the window and disappeared.
A cacophony of footsteps approached from afar, and Gongye Fusu's voice carried on from a distance: "Are Grand Master of Music and Miss Shangguan alright?"
He was clearly in a hurry, and even his usually gentle and refined voice sounded rushed.
A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi exchanged a glance. Shangguan Yuqi glanced at the incense burner in the corner of the room and said with a wry smile, "I'll go and intercept the Gongye family head now. Chief Lie, quickly take Hulü Guang away through the secret passage and throw him into the dungeon. As for you..."
Even her usually aloof and ethereal face showed a helpless smile as she said, "Go back to Jinlingtai and put yourself in confinement. To outsiders, we'll just say you're in seclusion."
A Qiu hadn't expected that Shangguan Yuqi's pure and clear mind would also be able to understand her predicament. She stuck out her tongue and smiled, "In that case, I'll have to trouble Miss with all the matters in the palace recently."
He added, "I thought that with the young lady's willful and unrestrained nature, she wouldn't take the God's words seriously."
Shangguan Yuqi sighed, “He has saved our lives many times, so how can we take his words lightly? Although he said it was up to us whether we listened or not when he left, it would be very impolite of us not to take his words seriously. It is not the attitude that juniors should have towards their benefactors.”
A-Qiu suddenly realized something and said, "Although I cannot go out, you can come to me if anything happens."
Shangguan Yuqi said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid Jinlingtai will soon be a bustling place, no longer deserted!"
A Qiu had also wondered who the first guest at Jinling Terrace would be. She most likely thought it would be Lady Sun or Shangguan Yuqi, since these two were currently the people in the palace with whom she had the closest relationship.
To their utter surprise, the first person to come to their door was not only a male customer, but also a "regular customer".
When she caught sight of Gongye Fusu's elegant figure standing calmly in the center of the reception hall, she felt a sense of being in another world.
After she was taken in as a disciple by Gu Yi, she lived in Jinlingtai. At that time, the only person who dared to defy Gu Yi and come to Jinlingtai to visit her was Gongye Fusu, the uncrowned king who could travel freely throughout the four realms.
For some reason, Gu Yi's appearance has become increasingly difficult to recall in her mind, but she can clearly remember Gu Yi's displeased yet restrained reaction at the time.
Gu Yi's displeasure stemmed from multiple reasons. Firstly, his Jinling Terrace, apart from Emperor Xie Lang, kept everyone else out. A Qiu's unauthorized invitation to friends there was something he, who preferred peace and quiet, found unsettling.
Moreover, Gongye Fusu was a male guest.
Having been in the palace for so long and having dealt with and navigated with so many people, A Qiu only now realized that Gu Yi's temperament was actually quite good.
In fact, if it were anyone she knew, whether it was her master Wanqiqing, her senior brother Gongyixiu, or even the noble young master Gongye Fusu himself, they would not tolerate their junior disciple going against his wishes and casually entertaining outsiders in his residence, and would not have said a word of reprimand afterwards.
Gu Yi was an outlier among those in power. He was especially tolerant of her.
Gongye Fusu heard her footsteps as she entered, and immediately turned around. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the expression on her face. He was a very clever man, and he already knew what she was thinking, but he did not say anything.
This time, however, he abandoned his usual relaxed and casual demeanor and did something that A Qiu never expected: he bowed deeply to the ground.
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