empty
A Qiu continued, "I am so grateful for your companionship and comfort over the years, yet I have never seen your face and did not know that you are the famous Empress Xining."
She racked her brains, but found herself at a loss for words.
She had a gut feeling that she had a close relationship with the empress, but she just couldn't think of any clues.
In her mind, information related to Empress Xining was as blank and uncertain as information related to Gu Yi in the past.
These days, she has heard about Empress Xining's life from many different people, and can even recite her life story backwards.
The only problem was that she couldn't remember having any connection with Empress Xining. It was as if she were born in another time and space, a parallel time and space that never intersected with hers.
Yet, almost everyone in her world has mentioned her.
Chu Yuanyi disliked her, Xie Lang missed her; she was the aunt of Shangguan Yuqi, whom he respected most, and also the Shangguan Lady whom Sima Yao, his savior, would shake his head at the mere mention of her.
She was also someone that Master Wanqiqing deeply missed.
But among all these tiny, spiderweb-like traces, one piece was always missing.
When she thought about her own connection with Empress Shangguan, all she could recall was a blank.
Ah Xiu's snow-white hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, finally slowly retracted.
She said with deep emotion, "It is my regret that I cannot stay with you longer."
There was a deep regret and a profound longing in that voice.
Ah Xiu looked at her with endless tenderness in her eyes.
A-Qiu remembered the phrase "the last time" she had said when she woke her up, and suddenly realized, "You...you just said the last time, you mean...you're leaving? You'll never come back to find me again?"
In a moment of passion, she did something outrageous and grabbed Ah Xiu's collar.
It feels light, soft, and smooth to the touch; it's a high-quality white silk.
This was the first time she truly perceived Ah Xiu.
I saw her, touched her, and felt her warmth.
It is indistinguishable from a real person.
Ah Xiu's eyes were calm, but there were so many profound things hidden within them.
She said softly, "Firstly, you're all grown up now, and you have people you can rely on, so you don't need me anymore. Secondly," she said with a bitter smile, "after you know the truth tonight, you might not want to see me anymore."
A sharp pain shot through A Qiu's mind. She asked, "The truth? What truth?"
Ah Xiu didn't answer her anymore, but just looked at her sadly, and then said, "I came to remind you of something."
Ah Qiu was utterly confused, but could only say, "I'm listening."
Ah Xiu said, "You're all grown up now... You can't run away from the past anymore." There was a slight sternness in her tone.
She continued, "Tomorrow, you may face the biggest choice and challenge of your life, but no matter what happens, no matter how big the blow, you must remember that you are not alone. Many people have been watching you silently and caring for you in their own ways as you have come this far."
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Of course, that includes me."
Her tone was filled with unwavering conviction.
Although A Qiu didn't understand what she was saying, her heart inexplicably stirred by her words.
Ah Xiu continued, "Whatever you choose, follow your heart and don't deceive yourself! This is my final advice to you, based on my own failed life."
She had been standing facing A-Qiu, but after she finished speaking, she turned and slowly walked away.
For some reason, the sight of A Qiu with her jet-black hair cascading down her long white silk dress was piercing.
It's very familiar.
So this is what is called "farewell".
It seems as if it has already played out a thousand times in my memory.
A sudden pang of pain shot through A Qiu's heart. She took a few more steps and cried out, "But I'll miss you!"
Ah Xiu's back paused for a moment, followed by her tearful laughter: "If that time were to come again, you would know where to look for me!"
A Qiu felt a blur before his eyes, and saw that the night in front of the door was clear and bright, with yellow leaves falling to the ground, but there was no one there.
Memories of Ah Xiu over the years have suddenly become empty and desolate.
It was as if no one had ever been here.
As A Qiu was still in a daze, she heard a man's voice behind her say, "She knew I was coming, so she left."
She turned around in fright, only to see a person sitting on the nine-dragon throne in the center of the hall behind her.
This man had thick eyebrows, large eyes, broad shoulders, and a wide face, but he looked like a young man in his early twenties.
Although he wasn't exactly handsome, he possessed a rugged and imposing presence.
Both the voice and the person gave her a sense of déjà vu. Yet, she was absolutely certain that she had never seen him before in her entire life.
The young man snorted and said, "...You probably don't recognize me." There was a hint of resentment in his voice.
Then look at his dragon robe embroidered with sea and river patterns, the twelve tassels hanging down his forehead, and—
Behind him lay the gleaming Ancestral Dragon Sword.
Ah Qiu finally realized who this person was.
She only knew one emperor in her life, and that was Xie Lang.
And the other person whose life has somewhat intersected with hers is probably the man in front of her:
Sima Yan, the last emperor of the Great Huan Dynasty, was known as Emperor Wu and later as the Last Emperor.
For some reason, the moment the thought crossed her mind, she was certain it was him.
At the same time, his knees involuntarily went weak, and he knelt down.
This is very strange.
A Qiu comes from the legendary Lanling Hall in the martial arts world. He does not worship heaven and earth, nor does he worship his sovereign or father. He even rarely worships his master.
Although Sima Yan was an emperor, he was not her emperor, much less a wise emperor of the previous dynasty to the point that later generations had to pay homage to him.
Despite feeling uneasy, A-Qiu knelt down naturally.
His voice, his appearance, and his smile were all so endearing.
Even though she knew he wasn't a good person, she found it hard to resist the feeling of closeness to him.
Especially Sima Yan before him, who seemed to be the most radiant figure of his youth.
He didn't seem bad, nor did he exhibit the weakness and violence later revealed after being ravaged by wine and women.
While observing quietly, A-Qiu recalled and pondered in his mind.
No wonder he seemed familiar.
His appearance and the arrogance ingrained in his bones were strikingly similar to those of Sima Yao, the Princess of Langya who had taught him the heavy sword technique.
She knelt on the ground and finally spoke, "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor Wu."
Sima Yan, sitting on the throne, seemed quite pleased with her immediate act of bowing upon seeing him, and even reached out his hand as if to offer her support.
This was no ordinary occurrence. When a monarch saw his subjects bowing, he would at most say "Rise." Only for meritorious officials of advanced age and high moral character, or for close relatives such as the empress, princes, and princesses, would he personally help them up.
But like Ah Xiu, upon hearing "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor Wu," the outstretched hand froze in mid-air, looking as if it couldn't go forward or retreat.
Ah Xiu brushed it off without revealing any extra emotion.
The Emperor Wu before him coughed lightly, then withdrew his hand as if to cover up his actions, and said, "You may rise. Get up."
Only then did A Qiu raise his head properly.
Unlike Ah Xiu, although Ah Xiu knew that Ah Xiu was Empress Xining, Shangguan Yanxiu, Ah Qiu had long regarded her as her friend and was not unfamiliar with her. However, she had not seen Emperor Wu in her dreams very often, and they had no real interaction.
Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered that the most recent time was when she was heartbroken and delirious after being first expelled from Jianzhang and then from Lanling Hall.
First, Ah Xiu woke her up, and then a man's domineering and majestic voice told her to hold the "Assassinate Qin" token. She did as she was told and then woke up.
She didn't think much of that voice at the time.
Looking back now, the owner of that voice should be Sima Yan, the last emperor of the Sima family.
Although Sima Yan looked like a young man, the way he looked at her was not like a young man looking at a young girl. His eyes were full of satisfaction and even a lot of kindness.
He nodded and said, "At least he was born well, and his bone structure is also acceptable."
Finally, he concluded with the sentence: "Like me."
Ah Qiu was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped.
This assessment of her appearance is far removed from the legendary description of Sima Yan as "lustful and licentious." Why does this emperor look at her with the same smugness one would show for his own horse? There's even a hint of pride in his tone.
First of all, A-Qiu doesn't think she looks like him.
Secondly, I doubt any woman in the world would feel gratified to resemble him.
Sima Yan was certainly not ugly, but he was definitely not a stunning beauty. If a girl looked like him, she would be truly unremarkable.
A Qiu harbored a thousand grievances, but considering Sima Yan's reputation for capriciousness and tyranny in historical records, she reasoned that no matter what, Sima Yan's praise of her must be well-intentioned, and it was probably the highest praise an emperor could offer, far more sincere than any description of a beauty that could make fish sink, geese fall from the sky, moon hide, or flowers blush. So, against her will, she said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am but a humble willow, and dare not compare myself to Your Majesty's countenance."
Finally, he politely and methodically declined the praise, which came from the emperor's own mouth.
Unexpectedly, Sima Yan raised his eyebrows and said unhappily, "What do you mean by 'plain and unremarkable appearance'? If I say you are like that, then you are. Excessive modesty is hypocrisy."
A Qiu never expected that this notoriously incompetent ruler would be so intelligent, and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat, immediately understanding the meaning of "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."
She had already thought Xie Lang was too imposing and difficult to offend, and that she had to be careful in her dealings with him. She never expected that this Emperor Huanmo would be even more difficult to handle.
It seems that he had heard so much flattery in his life that even a lack of sincerity in flattery would displease him.
Ah Qiu was a master assassin, but he didn't consider himself a master of flattery. He believed that avoiding direct confrontation was the best course of action, so he decided to stop discussing whether or not the assassin was a good fit.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty's arrival at this time, may I ask what you wish to instruct me on?"
Suddenly, a realization dawned on her.
Tomorrow will be the moment that decides the fate of the Southern Dynasty. Could it be that these two former emperors and empresses have something to tell her?
But thinking about it, neither Shangguan Yanxiu nor Sima Yan seem to be people who care so much about their subjects and the state, especially since the Former Huan had been destroyed more than ten years ago.
As expected, Sima Yan became slightly serious after being asked this question, and then said, "There is an imperial decree that you must obey."
A Qiu was completely confused. She didn't know whether she should accept the imperial decree from the previous dynasty, or if she did, whether the current emperor, Xie Lang, would have any objections.
But judging from Sima Yan's personality, this imperial decree was clearly not something that could be easily fobbed off or ignored.
Ah Qiu steeled his resolve, immediately knelt down again to show his obedience, and said, "Your subject is willing to comply."
Seeing how readily she agreed, Sima Yan seemed somewhat embarrassed. He waved his hand hesitantly and said, "Get up first. I'm not asking you to receive the decree right now."
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