Changing one's mind at the last minute
Hulü Guang then came to his senses and belatedly realized that his life was still in Xiao Chang'an's hands.
As long as the Wolf Guard did not arrive, he was unable to regain his freedom, and his life remained in the hands of this mission.
Hulü Guang firmly planted his feet and used his strength to withstand Xiao Chang'an's palm strike, thus avoiding embarrassment in front of everyone.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, but a warm smile played on his lips as he said, "I have some good news to share with you all."
Shangguan You and Gongyi Xiu exchanged a glance, and the latter respectfully said to Huli Guang, "Your Highness, please speak."
Hulü Guang said with a beaming smile, "Thanks to His Majesty's trust and reliance, he entrusted me with the important task of receiving the delegation. Therefore, the place where you will stay after entering the city is my royal residence. Rest assured, I will take this opportunity to treat you well to repay your care along the way."
Everyone knew that Hulü Guang's words had a hidden meaning, but he spoke so earnestly and sincerely that there was no fault to be found, and there was no chance to turn against him.
Gongyi Xiu laughed and said, "It's alright, Your Highness, you're too kind." His words were so genuine that no one could discern the truth in his words.
Hulü Guang continued, “With the Southern Dynasty's submission, Your Majesty will formally inherit the Han Dynasty and become the ruler of the world. The coronation ceremony will be held in three days. At that time, Your Majesty will first present the Shao and Wu music to celebrate Your Majesty's long life. After that, Your Majesty will offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth to inherit the ancestral temple. Only then will Your Majesty present the letter of state and accept Your Majesty's surrender.”
His expression suddenly turned solemn as he said, "At that moment, the Southern Dynasty will truly cease to exist, the two-hundred-year period of division will finally end, and the world will be unified once again."
Everyone present, including A-Qiu, felt a jolt in their hearts upon hearing that last sentence.
That was the moment that determined the fate of the Dayan Dynasty and tens of millions of Han people.
From the moment I became a slave.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Huli Guang knew that the effect had been achieved and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
The conqueror is always the conqueror, and the loser is always the loser.
No matter how many tricks these people pull, they are ultimately nothing more than a bunch of slaves of a conquered nation.
They highly valued the importance of individual courage, wisdom, and perseverance in the face of the general trend of the times.
Faced with an irreversible defeat, the more you hold on, the worse the outcome will be.
Although he thought this in his heart, he said with a beaming smile, "But you all need not worry, for from now on we are one family. His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that the Xie family of the Southern Dynasty will be enfeoffed as Dukes of Anle at the enthronement ceremony, and the Xie family will soon be brought to Luoyang. Firstly, so that His Majesty can be close to the Emperor and learn from his strategies for governing the country and bringing peace to the people; secondly, so that he can enjoy his old age in this former capital. As for you all,"
He emphasized his words, saying, "His Majesty said that with the new dynasty being established and everything in need of rebuilding, we are in dire need of talent. This is also a great opportunity for you all to make contributions. Therefore, you will stay here and need not return to the south."
These words caused everyone present to turn pale, and even A-Qiu, who was in the car, felt a sudden sinking feeling in his heart.
Although they knew that going on a mission to the Northern Qiang would be a near-death experience, and many of the musicians and dancers were prepared to commit suicide at any time, hiding poisoned needles for their own use, who would want to die if they could survive?
But despite all their calculations, they never expected that the group would ultimately meet a tragic end. Though they didn't die, they were imprisoned in a foreign land, never to return.
He would spend the rest of his life under unfamiliar accents and foreign rule.
High-ranking officials like Shangguan You and Gongyi Xiu fared somewhat better, merely losing their former influential and wielding positions. However, for the lower-ranking dancers and soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp, being incorporated into the Northern Qiang meant their situation would be akin to that of slaves.
The Northern Qiang royal court originally had dancers and musicians, and the Northern Qiang people also had their own royal army. Such a group of dancers and musicians, who came as tribute from the Southern Dynasty and were elite Han soldiers, could never be respected as outsiders. They would only be ostracized and suppressed, and no one would remember them or speak up for them.
However, as Hulü Guang said, even Emperor Xie Lang had to leave his country and home to be brought to Luoyang and made Duke of Anle. How could the rest of us escape this fate?
A chilling sense of desolation filled A Qiu's heart. Never before had she understood the taste of national subjugation so deeply.
That meant that if one did not die, one would be a slave. And every day thereafter, one's life would depend on the mercy of wild beasts.
She felt completely numb.
But then they heard Gongyi Xiu's hearty laughter and say, "Of course, of course. From now on, I will have to rely on His Highness Prince Ning to take good care of me."
The voice, however, was extremely calm, without any embarrassment. Hearing her senior brother's composed voice, A Qiu felt a slight sense of relief for some reason.
Hulü Guang laughed and said, "Of course. I will certainly not treat you all poorly."
His laughter revealed his smug satisfaction, which was evident in his words.
A-Qiu lowered the carriage curtain and fell into a new round of heavy thoughts.
This was the last night before entering Luoyang.
The dancers might have sensed some of the somber atmosphere, but since Xiao Chang'an and the others had not explicitly told them what would happen in the future, most of them remained unaware and, exhausted from traveling all day, had already fallen into a deep sleep.
In their hearts, this was merely a ritual of performing a dance for the country. As long as they successfully presented the Shaowu Dance, they would be considered meritorious and could go home.
Little did they know that after their dance performance, what awaited them was the beginning of hell.
Even with A-Qiu's strong will, he tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.
All this is because the thought that Huli Guang's wolf guards will arrive tomorrow will reverse the power dynamics between the two sides, and the situation will immediately turn into one of subservience.
Not to mention that after entering the city, the Northern Qiang arranged for the delegation to stay in Hulü Guang's Prince Ning's mansion.
That would be equivalent to a fiery pit, like a dragon's pool or a tiger's den.
Back in the Southern Dynasties, she had heard Gongye Fusu and others talk about the rumors that Hulü Guang had used aphrodisiacs to torture and kill Han women in the royal palace.
Hulü Guang's so-called love for Chinese studies and knowledge of classical Chinese texts was more a desire to possess, conquer, and even trample upon them, stemming from his love and admiration.
Because no matter how much he loves and identifies with Sinology, he can never become a Han Chinese. Therefore, the way to possess this lineage of civilization is through complete trampling and conquest.
This is a twisted mentality that only conquerors possess.
If a person has strong confidence in their own culture, they will not fanatically worship or identify with other civilizations, and thus will not ultimately be distorted into trampling on them, thus proving their own strength.
After much deliberation, she came to a conclusion on only one thing: she could not let Hulü Guang live.
He poses a greater threat to the Southern Dynasties than any pure Northern Qiang leader.
Ah Qiu fell into a hazy sleep around midnight due to extreme exhaustion.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but was suddenly woken up.
"Ah Qiu, wake up! Wake up!"
The voice seemed familiar, yet also strange.
She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up alertly.
But she suddenly realized that the room was completely empty except for herself.
All the geisha's beds in the room were neatly arranged, with the bedding folded up.
But there was no one there.
A Qiu stared in horror at the window, where the reflection of a woman with her hair tied up in a bun was visible.
That was the voice calling to her from there.
The voice whispered again, "You were sleeping so soundly that we didn't wake you."
Ah Qiu tried hard to recognize the voice, and slowly asked, "Who are you?"
The voice did not answer, but continued, "We are going back now. You may not remember our names, but that's alright. We thought we should say goodbye to you."
Akyuu finally remembered that this was a young girl from the geisha class.
Ah Qiu truly couldn't remember the names of every dancer. Especially since she didn't stay at the Music Bureau for long, quickly becoming a court musician and going to Jinlingtai.
Another woman's profile appeared in the window; now there were two people.
The woman who came later also said quietly and respectfully, "Ah Qiu, or should I call you Lord Si Le?"
A-Qiu paused for a moment, then said, "...Anything is fine."
She, who emerged from among them, is not their deity. But if thinking this way gives them more courage and confidence to face each day, then she doesn't mind being regarded as a high and mighty deity by them.
The voice said softly, "We were very scared along the way. But just knowing that you are with us gives us the courage to continue."
Another woman's figure squeezed into the window and said, "It's my turn!"
Before the other two could agree, he readily said, "Grand Master of Music, thank you and Junior Master for protecting us, allowing us to complete our mission and return safely. The rest of the journey is up to you. I wish you a safe and smooth journey!"
After saying that, she quickly pulled her head back inside.
Next, more geisha crowded to the small window, offering their blessings and farewells to A-Chiu.
For a moment, A-Qiu was almost confused, unsure whether he was truly dreaming or dreaming while awake.
Where are they going?
A soft shout rang out to stop them, and then Sun Neiren stepped into the room.
It wasn't until Ah Qiu saw his wife, Sun, that he was certain he wasn't dreaming, and that everyone around him was indeed gone.
She hurriedly got out of bed and said, "Master."
Sun's wife waved her hand, then said peacefully, "I see you are usually very alert. This time, so many people got up and you weren't woken up. I suppose you were too tired and didn't want them to wake you. I didn't expect them to still wake you up."
Outside the window, the geisha chattered indignantly, saying, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime farewell; how can we not say it?"
Only now could A-Qiu confirm that the geisha's "farewell" was real and not a dream. She immediately jumped up and said, "Master, I'm awake now. May I go outside to see them?"
Sun's wife smiled and nodded, her face showing a rare warmth she had displayed on the journey.
A-Qiu ran outside and was shocked by what she saw.
The sky remained pitch black, devoid of any starlight. The only light illuminating the courtyard was the flickering flame from the torches held firmly by the soldiers of the Divine Mastiff Battalion.
At the entrance of the courtyard, more than ten large trucks carrying geisha were already loaded, but the front of the trucks was turned around and facing the direction they came from.
Meanwhile, a group of geisha were crowding under the eaves, watching her intently from the window where she used to be.
The firelight made their eyes sparkle and their faces glow.
A-Qiu stared blankly at them, then asked, "Master, where are they going? Aren't we supposed to go into Luoyang to perform a dance?"
Sun Neiren's voice sounded behind her, as if she had been relieved: "Xiao Xiao suddenly conveyed Lord Shangguan's order in the middle of the night, saying that the Junior Tutor has ordered that this troupe of dancers has completed its mission and must be escorted back to the Southern Dynasty by the Divine Hound Camp tonight, and Lord Shangguan will also return with them."
A-Qiu asked, half surprised and half suspicious, "What about the dance performance? And the presentation of the credentials?"
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