The person you like
As she removed her veil, Huli Guang's gaze, momentarily stunned, immediately flashed across her face. Upon hearing her words, his expression froze for a moment before he quickly chuckled and said, "These soldiers at the gate are all sent by the Great Khan from his trusted guards to follow me. They've probably gotten used to being carefree in the capital. It's excellent that the Grand Master of Music has disciplined them. Excellent, excellent."
From the change in his expression, A Qiu was absolutely certain that Hulü Guang was well aware of the current situation at the door, and it was not as simple as "teaching a lesson." However, since Hulü Guang did not pursue the matter of her murder, she could not pursue the matter of him condoning the Northern Qiang King's army's rebellion.
From these words, A Qiu also gleaned an implication: many of the Northern Qiang soldiers at the gate were likely sent by the Northern Qiang emperor, Huli Jin, to monitor Huli Guang. Killing them would actually reduce some trouble for Huli Guang, so Huli Guang himself didn't seem to care.
Gongyi Xiu then asked, "I heard that your country will send a military dance troupe of three hundred people to perform in our palace. I wonder if they are here at this moment?"
His question was not without reason, because Hulü Guang had arrived a full month earlier than expected. Although the performers for "Shao" and "Wu" had been selected, and the scores and dance routines were roughly planned, practice had not yet begun. If the ceremonial procession of the Northern Qiang arrived in full force, the state banquet would be held soon, and there would be no time for A Qiu to start rehearsing "Shao" and "Wu".
Hulü Guang smiled and said, "It is good to inform the Left Prime Minister that His Majesty of our country attaches great importance to the performance of this dance troupe. As we know that the Southern Dynasty is a land of etiquette, we must not lose our manners and dignity. In order to achieve the best results, they are still undergoing training in the capital and will not arrive for another month."
He moved a little closer to the three of them and whispered, "I have arrived earlier than expected. There are two private matters that I need to discuss in detail. I would like to ask for the help of the Crown Prince and the Left Chancellor."
His arrival was so sudden that it was felt strangely by both the palace and the court. Consort Chen decided to conceal Xie Lang's illness for as long as possible, hence sending the Crown Prince to visit him first—partly as a gesture of hospitality, and partly as a delaying tactic. Unless absolutely necessary, Prince Ning should not be summoned to court, lest the emperor's precarious health be discovered.
After hearing what Hulü Guang said, Gongyi Xiu and Xie Tiao exchanged a glance and felt relieved. This meant that Hulü Guang had only been dealing with his own private matters for the past month and would not request an audience with Xie Lang. The formal audience could be held after the Northern Qiang army dance troupe arrived in Jianzhang. At that time, they only needed to find a way to keep Xie Lang entertained at the state banquet for an hour.
Xie Tiao coughed lightly and said, "I wonder what exactly are the two private matters of His Highness Prince Ning? If the Left Prime Minister and I can help, we will do our best."
Hulü Guang said confidently, "You two can definitely help with these two matters."
He only mentioned two instead of three because A Qiu had been standing silently to the side since earlier, but his imposing aura with his sword in hand made him seem very difficult to talk to.
Hulü Guang couldn't quite figure out the relationship between the three of them, so he didn't dare to look at A Qiu too much.
The bloodshed at the gate just now, coupled with the fact that the Junior Master Sword was currently in A Qiu's hands, created an atmosphere where A Qiu wouldn't dare to bring her into the conversation unless she took the initiative to speak.
After all, what A Qiu represents at this moment is Gu Yi, the Junior Tutor, who is supreme in the hearts of the people of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Hulü Guang said in a low voice, "Firstly, there is the marriage proposal put forward by our country. As you two may already know, I am the candidate for marriage in our country. The betrothal gifts were sent to the palace a few days ago. I wonder if your country has already decided on a suitable candidate?"
He spoke these words in a consultative tone, and Xie Tiao and Gongyi Xiu exchanged a glance, both feeling that it was difficult to respond.
The court was abuzz with discussion, and it was General Fan Liancheng who volunteered to take on this marriage alliance. However, this matter should only be finalized by Xie Lang's imperial decree; it was inappropriate for them to inform Hulü Guang privately.
Because no one knows whether Hulü Guang will be satisfied with this outcome. If he disagrees, wouldn't that only create more trouble within this month?
Seeing their expressions, Hulü Guang understood the situation and calmly said, "If you two are inconvenienced, I will not make things difficult for you. However, I have a specific candidate in mind for this trip, and my personal visit is to show my sincerity."
Xie Tiao and Gongyi Xiu looked at each other again, both feeling greatly surprised.
But since Hulü Guang spoke so politely and in a manner that it seemed like he was discussing things with them, they couldn't very well refuse outright and say that their country had already decided on the candidate and that Prince Ning shouldn't make decisions on this matter on his own.
Xie Tiao was not good at feigning, so Gongyi Xiu smiled and said, "I wonder who His Highness Prince Ning has asked for help with, and what he needs us to do to help you win the heart of your beloved?"
Before he could refuse outright, Hulü Guang's eyes lit up with joy. He said emphatically, "Your Excellency is a man of few words. I've decided to be your friend!" He then extended his hand, and Gongyi Xiu, under duress, had no choice but to strike him with his palm.
After letting go, Hulü Guang bowed solemnly to Xie Tiao and said, "This matter also requires Your Highness's help to have a chance. I thank Your Highness in advance."
Xie Tiao was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the man would push the matter onto him in just a few words. He was caught in a dilemma: he couldn't refuse or not refuse. He wasn't Gongyi Xiu, who could easily find an excuse to cover things up if things didn't work out. He was the future ruler of the country and couldn't go back on his word. Therefore, he dared not agree so easily.
A Qiu, who had been observing from the sidelines, stepped forward in front of Xie Tiao and subtly raised Huli Guang's arm with her elbow to let him pass the courtesy. She said calmly, "The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace Kingdom has the power to speak his mind and cannot easily agree to anything His Highness Prince Ning. I hope you will understand."
Hulü Guang showed no disappointment and smiled, "That's the right thing to do. Your Highness is such a noble person, so I am only asking for a favor and dare not ask Your Highness to definitely do it."
Ah Qiu thought to himself that this person was able to advance and retreat at will. Seeing that he was not going to fall into the trap, he could immediately change the subject. His deep scheming was evident. He was indeed a formidable character.
She asked, "Then, Your Highness, which beauty from my Southern Dynasty is it that you are referring to?"
Hulü Guang's expression grew even more serious. He placed his hand on his forehead and said, "Shangguan Yuqi is the daughter of the Shangguan family, the most prestigious clan in your country."
When he gave this answer, both Gongyi Xiu and Xie Tiao immediately changed their expressions.
Gongyi Xiu was both embarrassed and incredulous. Everyone in the Southern Dynasty knew Shangguan Yuqi's temperament; he was a tiger whose whiskers no one dared to provoke.
Xie Tiao's face turned pale and then flushed, and it took him a long time to recover.
Seeing the strange expressions on the two men's faces, Huli Guang also showed concern for the first time and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a big problem with my request?"
Gongyi Xiu first took a deep breath, then his expression became extremely solemn, and he asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, how much did you know about Miss Shangguan's situation when you were in Beiqiang?"
Hulü Guang's eyes immediately lit up, and he said, "That's a long story. My admiration for the ladies of the Southern Dynasty can be traced back to Empress Shangguan of the previous dynasty. At that time, she had a scroll of her original calligraphy that flowed into the palace of my Northern Dynasty. I was young then and treasured it as if it were a priceless gem. I copied it every day, and I am still amazed by its style and charm to this day."
At this moment, not only Xie Tiao and Gongyi Xiu, but even A Qiu was speechless.
Whether Huli Guang's words were sincere or not, at least the state he displayed at this moment was the devotion that only a person obsessed with calligraphy could have.
Gongyi Xiu coughed and said, "Your Highness Prince Ning probably doesn't know that the young lady Shangguan in this dynasty, although she is the niece of Empress Xining, is said to be not good at calligraphy."
What he didn't say was that this Miss Shangguan wasn't good at calligraphy, but she was very good at wielding a sword to kill people.
Hulü Guang said seriously, "It doesn't matter. Her aunt entered the palace early, so Miss Shangguan probably never received any instruction in calligraphy, and therefore doesn't know the true meaning of it, so it's impossible to say whether she likes it or not. If she marries the young prince, he will personally teach her to write, and she will surely be able to carry on the legacy of Empress Xining and become a famous lady who will be on par with Empress Xining in the future."
After he finished speaking, Xie Tiao's complexion, which had been fluctuating between pale and flushed, gradually returned to normal.
Even Xie Tiao, with his limited experience of the world, knew that his unrealistic idea was absolutely impossible to achieve.
Hulü Guang recounted: "When Empress Shangguan passed away, I was also in the palace, offering my condolences while looking south, because I always regarded her as my teacher in calligraphy. The deep affection between Emperor Wu and the Empress became a beautiful story in the Northern Dynasty, from the court to the common people. Because the Empress loved poetry, books, and music, when she passed away, Emperor Wu solicited rare collections of her works from all over the world to be buried with her, so as not to leave her lonely in the afterlife. Among them, the few volumes of poems and essays provided by our Northern Dynasty were manuscripts that I personally sorted and reviewed, which can be considered as comforting my lifelong longing."
His eloquent and earnest expectations made even A-Qiu feel somewhat embarrassed to refuse his request.
Gongyi Xiu coughed again, pondering, and said, "If Your Highness Ning only wishes to marry a socialite from the Shangguan family, then it doesn't necessarily have to be Miss Shangguan. What do you say, Your Highness?"
He nudged Xie Tiao with his elbow, and Xie Tiao, understanding, agreed, saying, "That's right. The Shangguan family is a century-old family, and the daughters of each generation are all well-educated and knowledgeable. Many of them have become virtuous consorts and empresses. Apart from... Miss Yuqi of the Shangguan family, they all have a certain level of calligraphy skills. If Prince Ning only wants a bloodline of the Empress Shangguan, we can choose another young lady from the Shangguan family."
Despite the depth of A Qiu's friendship with Shangguan Yuqi, she was unaware that A Qiu was the only daughter of her generation in the Shangguan family who didn't know calligraphy. Thinking this way, it seemed that Xie Tiao understood Shangguan Yuqi better in some ways than she did. After all, they came from prominent families and had known each other since childhood.
As for why Shangguan Yuqi didn't study calligraphy, A Qiu could figure out the reason.
Seeing these objects brought back memories of her loved ones, inevitably causing her pain. She neither wanted to follow in her aunt's footsteps nor desire the empty titles of talented or virtuous woman.
If Hulü Guang truly and insists on marrying a woman from the same clan as Empress Shangguan to fulfill his long-cherished wish, then Gongyi Xiu's suggestion might be a compromise.
Of course, this is on the premise that he is sincere and not just making excuses.
Hulü Guang, however, said confidently, "The person I have in mind is Miss Shangguan Yuqi, not any other woman from the Shangguan family. I urge Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Left Prime Minister to investigate further."
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