Endless Void
But at least for now, she has one thing to be relieved about.
After recounting her past, Shangguan Yuqi was no longer as grief-stricken and distraught as before; she had completely regained her former composure.
Xiao Chang'an said, "Miss Shangguan, you've revealed all your painful past experiences to Chang'an. Aren't you worried that Chang'an might use this as a means to attack and harm the Shangguan family in the future?"
Shangguan Yuqi said calmly, "At this time and in this place, there is no one else. I only feel that I can calm my mind by venting my long-standing doubts to you. As for the result, I can't care about that for the time being. If Young Master Xiao thinks that this can harm the Shangguan family or the reputation of my deceased aunt, then you are welcome to try."
She said calmly, "The Shangguan family is, after all, a family of upright officials with a history of over a hundred years. Although there are some dissolute and unworthy members in the family, they always try their best to behave as gentlemen. If we're talking about things that can't be shown to others, if we really investigate, I'm afraid your Xiao family would have even more."
Although her tone was gentle, her retort was incredibly sharp. Even though A Qiu knew nothing about the Xiao family, she could imagine that what she said was definitely true.
Just by looking at the stark differences in the styles of Shangguan Yuqi and Xiao Chang'an, one can deduce how their families operate.
Xiao Chang'an immediately straightened his expression and smiled, "Chang'an is not such a despicable and shameless person. Miss is joking. Every family has its own troubles, and no one is without their own. We should help each other out and protect one another. Miss's words today are what you say, and I will forget them as soon as I hear them. Please don't take it to heart."
A Qiu couldn't help but glance at him sideways, thinking that Xiao Chang'an's skills were already comparable to those of a grandmaster at such a young age. Who would have thought he would take advantage of the situation so quickly?
In fact, among those present, only Xiao Chang'an needed to make this statement. As for A Qiu and Lord Liyang, Shangguan Yuqi seemed to have no concern for them at all, meaning she was certain that they would not leak the information under any circumstances.
Needless to say, Ah Qiu, and Lord Liyang, having stayed in this palace for countless years, would likely treat any secrets or strange tales with indifference and would certainly not go around talking about them.
Only when she thought of this did A Qiu realize that the Divine Lord Liyang, who had been behind her all along, had disappeared without a trace.
This was no small shock. This person could appear and disappear without a trace; his skill was probably no less than her own. And she had been so engrossed in listening to Shangguan Yuqi's story that she hadn't even noticed when he left.
It's likely that Shangguan Yuqi and Xiao Chang'an only just noticed, because both of them were staring at what was behind her, and at the same time, an incredulous expression appeared on their faces.
Either all three of them were too serious just now, whether they were listening or speaking. Or perhaps Lord Liyang's cultivation level had already surpassed that of ordinary martial artists, allowing him to remain hidden so elusively.
But in his surprise, A-Qiu still had time to think of something:
On the surface, Xiao Chang'an is a person who weighs everything based on interests. He is ruthless and capable of manipulating others. Even his own sister was forced to change her identity so that he could take her place in the Southern Dynasty court.
In the situation just now, he should have taken advantage of Shangguan Yuqi's distraction to weigh the options and observe the situation to see if there was an opportunity to use him. However, he was also immersed in Shangguan Yuqi's story and did not even notice that Lord Liyang had quietly left.
There was a reason why she and Shangguan Yuqi hadn't noticed: they were the least guarded people at the time. Shangguan Yuqi only wanted to recount the past she had carried alone for so many years, and she listened wholeheartedly, hoping to help her out of her predicament. But Xiao Chang'an shouldn't have gotten involved.
He shouldn't have fallen into it, but he did, which only shows that he wasn't as heartless as he seemed on the surface, and that there were also aspects of him that couldn't be restrained by reason.
Even though he had just spoken threateningly, trying to negotiate with Shangguan Yuqi.
After that thought, the next thought was: all three of them had been brought here by Lord Liyang, and it was extremely inappropriate that he was not here now.
Just then, a calm and clear voice came from the stone chamber in front, saying, "I have found the dance illustrations for 'Shao' and 'Wu'."
That was naturally the voice of Lord Liyang.
A Qiu, Shangguan Yuqi, and Xiao Chang'an immediately got up and leaped into the stone chamber.
Lord Liyang obtained tinder and an oil lamp from somewhere, presumably these items were also found in the tomb. He lit the fire, and the faint light spread throughout the room. This was the first time the three of them had seen a fire since entering the tunnel, and their eyes were still quite uncomfortable for a moment.
To their surprise, Lord Liyang, holding a lamp, stood with his back to them facing the wall, but there was nothing in his hand that looked like a scroll.
But in an instant, A Qiu saw the scrolls of "Shao" and "Wu" that the Divine Lord Liyang had mentioned. He was stunned as if struck by lightning, and stood there for a long time, unable to recover.
Those are two endless long scroll murals, completely carved on the stone surface. Even a cursory glance can give you a sense of grandeur.
She was skilled in music and dance, and attracted by the murals, she couldn't help but take a few steps forward.
Lord Liyang said calmly, “The first piece is ‘Shao,’ which praises and sings of the civil administration, depicting a scene of dignified and orderly governance in ancient times and the way of the former kings; the second piece is ‘Wu,’ which depicts valiant warriors wielding weapons, intended to demonstrate the power of a great nation and to express the solemn atmosphere of unity from top to bottom and the strictness of orders being obeyed.”
If we say that what makes dance attractive is the exquisite and graceful movements and the elegant and graceful postures, then the biggest impact that "Shao" and "Wu" had on A Qiu was that there was actually a kind of dance in the world that did not need any complicated and gorgeous movements and skills. It was just simple bending, raising, and swinging of the arms, advancing and retreating, and there was an invisible and intangible momentum spreading through it. Moreover, it was more like the "vast and righteous energy" that Mencius talked about, which could connect with heaven and earth and pay homage to ghosts and gods.
Shangguan Yuqi was also astonished when she first saw it. After a moment, she said incredulously, "I can feel the military spirit used for conquest from this still scene. Even this piece of music praising civil administration, 'Shao,' still has the spirit of unyielding integrity and the meaning of iron horses and clashing swords."
She leaned closer to examine it and then said with certainty, "The yin-yang lines carved on this mural are the sword intent of the Shangguan family's 'Gentleman's Sword'."
Lord Liyang said calmly, "Your uncle was a famous prime minister and a scholar-general. Back then, 'Binghuang' was known as the number one sword in Jiangdong. Therefore, it is not surprising that he would use the tip of the sword to engrave the entire painting on the stone wall from the reverse side."
The Shangguan family's learning extends beyond calligraphy to include painting. Shangguan Jin is the most accomplished member of the family in both literary and martial arts. He used a sword as a brush and carving as a form of painting to reproduce the original "Shao" and "Wu" scrolls on the stone wall, blending the brushwork with the sword's intent, thus creating this mural.
Shangguan Yuqi reached out and gently stroked the stone carving for a long time before saying, "More than ten years ago, before my aunt's funeral, my uncle refused to see anyone for a whole month and declined all social interactions. At that time, everyone thought he couldn't bear the blow of my aunt's death and had returned to the family cemetery to meditate. Only I knew that he did not go back. Now, I finally know that he was here during that time, devoting himself to carving this painting."
Xiao Chang'an gave the answer: "He created this painting to express his grief and vent his anger and sorrow. It was also through this painting that he was able to gradually glimpse the realm of the harmonious unity of man and nature under the rule of Emperor Fuxi, and thus get out of the pain of the Empress's death."
He also stretched out his hand, feeling the sword intent condensed within his fingertips, and said, "He must have first created 'Martial Arts,' using the vigorous posture, magnificent momentum, and the soaring eagle-like stance of these sixty-four warriors to express the injustice and resentment in his heart. As he continued to imitate it, the sharpness and edge of the sword intent gradually disappeared, replaced by the more majestic and grand beauty of the nation's martial arts. This is the power of 'Martial Arts' to uplift the spirits of the people, invigorate the military, and make the rulers vigilant and cautious."
A Qiu continued, "Then when he composed the 'Shao' again, he gradually shed his personal gains and losses and sorrows, and integrated his spirit into the Chinese tradition, inheriting the dignified and harmonious virtuous sentiments of the time of Fuxi. The timbre of the 'Shao' must be harmonious and beautiful, without any sharp or precipitous sounds, without any sudden or intense noises. It is a joyful music that allows both heaven and man to merge into one and forget their physical form."
From the dancers' postures depicted in the painting, she could tell that the movements and spirit of the sixty-four female dancers were quite different from those of the court musicians who were considered "vulgar music." Their movements were very small and their postures were restrained, without any exaggerated or flamboyant actions. However, their every gesture, movement, and step had an extremely dignified demeanor.
Rather than a "dance," it is more like a demonstration of yielding and advancing, a symbol of the order of "rites" and the fulfillment of all things in their proper place.
Lord Liyang replied, “Of course. When the Xiao Shao is played nine times, the phoenix comes to pay homage. Unlike the warlike and powerful Wu, the sound of Shao is like the harmonious cry of a phoenix. It is a heavenly sound that makes people forget about power, position and fame when they hear it.”
A Qiu asked, "The only surviving copy of the 'Shao' and 'Wu' paintings in the world is this scroll. But after Lord Shangguan copied this scroll onto the stone wall, the brushstrokes on the original paintings were worn away by the sword tip, which is equivalent to destroying them. And this only surviving painting is left in the sealed tomb. Isn't Lord Shangguan deliberately causing the 'Shao' and 'Wu' paintings, which are the music of the emperor and the righteous sound of the country, to be lost?"
Although Emperor Wu of Han (Sima Yan) decreed that the "Shao" and "Wu" poems be buried with Yan Xiu, Shangguan Jin, concerned about the enduring value of the thousands of volumes of books, collections of writings, and calligraphic works, took it upon himself to move all these books to the Qiwu Palace for safekeeping when the mausoleum was reopened. He believed that the value of these cultural classics for posterity far outweighed their being sealed away in the underground palace.
Of course, it is also possible that it was for the purpose of protecting the books, because the tomb is ultimately damp and cold, and even if it is sealed and left untouched, these books will probably turn to dust after a hundred years, which would be a waste of the efforts of our predecessors.
However, if Shangguan Jin had considered ensuring the preservation of ancient texts, he couldn't have overlooked the murals of "Shao" and "Wu" that he had spent a month meticulously copying. If he intended for them to be passed down, he could either have buried the scrolls with the deceased at the time and retrieved them later, or he could have instructed the craftsmen to make several copies during the later excavation of the tomb, so that copies of "Shao" and "Wu" could also be preserved and not completely lost.
Shangguan Yuqi pondered, "Perhaps he was too grief-stricken at the time because of his aunt's passing, and it was already difficult enough for him to get through it by copying the 'Shao' and 'Wu' murals. He had no time to think about so many other things." But everyone knew that this was probably not the case. Shangguan Jin was a man of great stature. Just from the solemn and grand atmosphere of the murals arranged like a line of soldiers, one could tell that his considerations were both profound and far-reaching. He would never make such an unconscious oversight.
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