They are not looking at each other
Rong Yu, who was already feeling dejected, was amused by her and laughed, saying, "You've got the Heavenly Secret Token, yet you can just return it like that. You're truly the first person I've ever seen." She pushed the token back and said dejectedly again, "Since Shihe gave it to you, it's yours. Besides, I was going to give it to you anyway. Shangzhi just did what he expected me to do before I did."
Gu Yi had been silent until now, but then he hesitated before saying, "Lord An... has always protected you. This is also his intention."
A Qiu immediately understood why Rong Yu was so dejected.
Rong Yu had previously said that among the Four Constellations of Tianji who had been hidden in the palace for so many years, she was the only one who had not been discovered by the others. But now, the Dragon Token that could prove her identity as the leader of the Four Constellations was in A Qiu's hands, and it was handed over by An Daoling. This could only mean one thing: An Daoling not only knew her identity all along, but also had the time to take it from her when she was not paying attention, and she was completely unaware of it from beginning to end.
That can only be in one situation: when she hadn't yet recognized An Daoling, but An Daoling had already recognized her.
So, among the Four Mansions of Tianji, is An Shihe, the "Master of the Flute," truly inferior to Rong Yuexian, the "Elegant Scholar," in terms of both martial arts and the art of stealth?
A Qiu couldn't help but recall An Daoling's refined and gentle demeanor. His speech and every move were so elegant and graceful. He never spoke of his affection for the younger generation, yet he always thought of her. Such a person must have been deeply affectionate in his youth.
In her youth, the spirited and unrestrained Rong Yuexian always wanted to be number one, so he made sure she was always number one.
Rong Yu said blankly, "I have no idea when he took it from me."
It's clear that the once-powerful Heavenly Secret Token has been gradually ignored and even forgotten by her over the past forty years of quiet, unassuming existence. If she hadn't found a suitable successor, she wouldn't have even remembered its existence.
An Shihe took it, but never revealed her identity. Even when the two occasionally met face to face later, he always kept his eyes down and never looked into her eyes, addressing her respectfully as "Rongjian" just like everyone else.
He was waiting for her to realize it herself and then come to him to get the token back.
Or perhaps, she would rather give up the token than admit defeat to him in person.
But he never got to see the day she discovered it, because a suitable successor had already appeared. She had truly let go of the past completely and forgotten it all.
He then handed it over to A Qiu.
From then on, he had no physical evidence left, and if she refused to admit defeat, he had no way to force her to confess.
Rong Yu closed her eyes for a long time, as if she had experienced a long period of time in her own world. When she opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she looked at A Qiu and said, "Do you know the responsibilities of the holder of the Heavenly Secret Token?"
A Qiu dared not be negligent and bowed, saying, "Lord An once told his disciple that it was to uphold the country and the world, protect the emperor's safety, and continue the stability of the dynasty."
This is the consistent principle of the righteous martial arts world. This is also why the Heavenly Secrets Twin Orders, which once commanded the martial arts world, entered the palace along with the Four Constellations and disappeared into the mists of history.
The Heavenly Secret Order was originally a promise from the martial arts world to maintain the stability of the dynasty.
Rong Yu said, "It's good that you've always remembered. Shihe has never entrusted the task to the wrong person. Since you are the successor of the young master, I'm afraid there is no one more suitable than you to take charge of the Heavenly Secrets Token in the entire martial arts world."
She waved her hand, looking rather dejected, and said, "The questions you two wanted to ask have been answered, and Rong Yu has said all he could say."
After saying this, Rong Yu sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and became as if in deep meditation, showing no further reaction.
Although she did not explicitly ask him to leave, her meaning was quite clear.
A Qiu and Gu Yi both stood up. A Qiu bowed to her again before leaving the Star-Picking Tower with Gu Yi.
The moon was high in the sky, and the pine trees were bare. In the darkness, the Star-Picking Tower was completely dark, its lights extinguished, just as it had been before their arrival, deserted and without a trace.
Infected by the coldness and desolation, A-Qiu couldn't help but ask, "Master, do you think Rong Jian is still in the building right now?"
Gu Yi answered simply: "Yes."
Ah Qiu asked again, "So, all these years, has she been used to thinking about things alone in the dark like this?"
She also felt that her question was pointless. But for some reason, she just wanted to find something to say.
Gu Yi surprisingly replied, "She's used to being alone. If a person wants to be completely themselves, they've already chosen solitude. She figured this out forty years ago, or even earlier, not just today."
Ah Qiu then asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "So, Master, do you think Rongjian will regret it?"
Gu Yi turned back and took one last deep look at the Star-Picking Tower, saying, "Behind her loneliness, there has always been someone watching over and protecting her. In my eyes, that is another form of lifelong companionship. So how can there be any regret?"
This was the first time since they met that A Qiu had formally heard Gu Yi express his views on romantic relationships.
She silently noted down his point of view.
To spend a lifetime together is enough to have no regrets. Why care about the distance, whether we see each other every day or night?
Looking at the direction Gu Yi was leading her in, which was not back to Jinlingtai, A Qiu asked in surprise, "Master, where are we going right now?"
Gu Yi replied, "Qiwu Palace."
A-Qiu asked, "What are we going to Qiwu Palace for?"
Gu Yi stopped and glanced at her before finally saying, "The woman Rong Jian mentioned who was not executed by the emperor but died of illness a few months later was the former Empress Shangguan."
A Qiu felt a slight tremor in her heart and couldn't help but stop walking.
Her impression of Empress Shangguan mostly came from the descriptions of Consort Sun. In Consort Sun's mind, Empress Shangguan was a gentle and noble lady from a prominent family, whose virtuous character was admirable. However, in Chu Yuan's few words, she was referred to as a "wicked woman" and a "lowly person."
Both An Daoling and Rong Yu spoke with sighs when mentioning Empress Shangguan.
It is the feeling of seeing the most beautiful things in the world wither.
But she never imagined that in the palace secrets described by Rong Yu, the woman who was almost sentenced to death by "Qianji San" and was stopped by the emperor at the last minute was actually the last mistress of Jianzhang Palace of Dahuan, Empress Shangguan.
Recalling the overgrown weeds in the Qiwu Palace Garden, and the "Qiwu Abandoned Palace" plaque written in bold, unrestrained red ink, she finally realized who had inscribed it.
Gu Yi replied vaguely, "Supervisor Rong has been kind to you."
Without hesitation, A Qiu replied, "She gave me the Heavenly Secret Token and repeatedly let me go at night when she saw me traveling at night. She has naturally been kind to me."
Gu Yi simply smiled knowingly, without saying a word.
Although Gu Yi was always aloof and unsmiling, he was usually serious and rarely smiled, unlike tonight when he seemed preoccupied. To be honest, A Qiu had rarely seen Gu Yi look troubled. But this was clearly the case.
After thinking it over, A Qiu said, "Master, how about we don't go to Qiwu Palace tonight?"
Gu Yi stopped upon hearing this and asked, "Why?"
A Qiu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I feel that you have been in a bad mood ever since you heard that Empress Shangguan was given the 'Tethering Powder'." She thought for a moment and then analyzed, "We can't avoid going to Qiwu Palace because we need to investigate that bottle of 'Tethering Powder,' and currently Empress Shangguan is the only source. But we can wait a while before going."
Gu Yi countered, "Wait for what?"
At this moment, his eyes were as deep as ink, reflecting the starlight and moonlight, but no emotion could be discerned; he was simply staring at A Qiu.
A-Qiu met his gaze and said, "Wait until you calm down."
Gu Yi chuckled and said, "I do feel a little heavy-hearted, but it's not for myself."
A-Qiu asked, puzzled, "Then what is it for?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Yi did something that A Qiu never expected.
He reached out and gently pulled A-Qiu close, letting her lean against him.
A Qiu's mind went completely blank for a moment. Even through his clothes, she could feel Gu Yi's body temperature and the rhythm of his heartbeat.
She had hugged Gu Yi quite a few times before, but it was always her initiative; Gu Yi simply didn't push her away.
In the darkness, Gu Yi's voice rang out above her head: "A Qiu."
Although completely bewildered, she still responded softly, "Mmm."
The familiar, cool yet calming scent of grass and trees emanating from Gu Yi warmly enveloped her, like a serene dream where one could forget all worries.
His voice also became somewhat ethereal.
"Remember this: as you continue your investigation, whatever the truth you uncover, I will be with you."
A-Qiu closed her eyes contentedly and rubbed her head against his chest in response.
"Understood, Master."
My heart was overflowing with joy.
Gu Yi promised to stay with her forever, and that was enough. As he described An Daoling and Rong Yu, they had longed for each other in the deep palace for forty years, never meeting face to face. In the end, he had played a game with her and protected her for half her life. Nothing else mattered.
If, like Empress Shangguan to the last emperor, although she was his wife, she sometimes couldn't let go of either love or hate, and sometimes resented and wanted him dead, then that would be a truly terrible resentful couple.
A Qiu heard Gu Yi's soft laughter above her head.
"But there's no need to wait any longer before going to Qiwu Palace."
A Qiu opened her eyes in surprise, only to find that Gu Yi had already gently pushed her away from his embrace and pointed forward.
"Because we have already arrived at Qiwu Palace."
Under the moonlight of late autumn, Qiwu Palace exudes a mysterious and profound aura.
Upon seeing Qiwu Palace, A Qiu would naturally think of the ethereal white silk dance portrait in the main hall, and the tens of thousands of dusty scrolls on the towering bookshelves.
She has visited Qiwu Palace many times so far. But each time, this abandoned and sealed-off palace, which Emperor Xie Lang of Dayan declared a forbidden area, stirs up a special kind of awe in her heart.
Gu Yi said from behind her, "Chu Yuan only recognizes you, not me. If it's serious business, it's best if you go alone." He added, "I'll guard the door and won't leave."
A Qiu felt he made sense. Chu Yuanyi was not in a clear mind and seemed to only recognize herself. If she suddenly encountered Gu Yi, who knew what might happen? But she was always very cooperative when asked to do something, although she was incoherent, she never made any major mistakes. If she wanted to ask her anything, she was indeed the most suitable person.
She agreed and started to walk out, but was suddenly stopped by Gu Yi.
Gu Yi said in a low voice, "There are other people."
Everyone in the palace knows that Qiwu Palace was a forbidden area of the previous dynasty, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter.
Aside from martial arts masters like A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi who sneak in undetected, no other palace servants, eunuchs, or other servants would dare to wander around this area if they didn't want to die.
Ordinary people would be too busy avoiding suspicion to even think about it.
But at that moment, a palace maid in purple robes, using the shadows of the trees to conceal herself, quietly walked towards Qiwu.
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