Entrusting an orphan in a time of crisis
Reminded by this question, Shangguan Yuqi calmly returned the Frostflower Vine to Aqiu, smiling slightly, "Madam Pei is indeed insightful. When I was young, there was a gourd vine outside my aunt's window. Every summer, it would be covered with lush green leaves, and in autumn, it would be adorned with many small golden gourds. I haven't seen it for many years. This Frostflower Vine looks quite similar to the gourd vine, and seeing it brings back memories, so I was momentarily lost in reminiscence."
Before Mu Huaying could ask any more questions, Xie Lang's sickly face showed a look of sudden realization. He said, "No wonder she liked to give us small gourds every autumn, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. It turns out that the gourds grew on the vines outside her window."
Shangguan Yuqi smiled and nodded.
Xie Lang asked again, "Why do you say you haven't seen it for many years, Yuqi? Shouldn't this vine still be in the Shangguan family's courtyard?"
Shangguan Yuqi said calmly, "After my aunt got married, I still remembered to take care of it. But after my aunt passed away, I went to the forbidden area to cultivate. When I returned home on New Year's Eve the following year, I found that it had withered and died because no one took care of it."
A Qiu could imagine her feelings. After the death of her thirteenth uncle, although the large Shangguan family was prosperous and powerful, it was not without its disunities. In the end, only she cared about Shangguan Yanxiu's feelings.
The hall fell into a silent void as no one answered.
Consort Chen interrupted at the opportune moment, saying, "We were just discussing that the Grand Master of Music would be responsible for finding the spies and traitors hiding in Jianzhang before the great battle. However, the Grand Master of Music has not been in office for long and has no capable subordinates. Chief Shangguan is the perfect person to assist her."
A Qiu thought to herself that it was brilliant; Consort Chen's quick-thinking and impromptu arrangement was extremely well thought out.
Her name was Si Yue, and she was in charge of the Music Bureau and the Imperial Music Department. She had no soldiers, scouts, or informants under her command, but if she cooperated with Shangguan Yuqi, she would naturally gain the power to deploy troops. This was because the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Guard had the function of leading the Imperial Guard on patrols in rotation, and they had a relationship with any military or guard force stationed in the capital.
In this way, she neither has to hand over military power to the military, nor does she have to have the authority to perform her duties.
From Consort Chen's arrangements, A Qiu also sensed one thing: the palace already knew that Lie Changkong had led the Junior Master Charioteer away. That's why Consort Chen said, "There are no capable people under my command."
The Junior Masters and Charioteers are mainly composed of martial arts practitioners from all walks of life. They have always been a force unique to Gu Yi, and the imperial court cannot say anything if they want to leave now.
A Qiu felt a pang of sadness. In the end, his own virtue and reputation were inferior to Gu Yi's, so he couldn't persuade them to stay willingly and contribute to the Dayan.
Shangguan Yuqi looked at her as if she had something in mind, her eyes sparkling, and said, "It is my great honor to be a lowly soldier before Lord Siyue."
A Qiu was overjoyed that Shangguan Yuqi would give her such face in front of everyone, and said, "Thank you very much, Miss Shangguan, for your kind help."
Pei Yu snorted and said, "What sense of righteousness? It's not like it's for Si Yue's personal matters. Everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, and besides, Miss is from Shangguan, a pillar of the nation."
Consort Chen immediately smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, let's end our discussion here for today. General Sikong, General Pei, and General Fan, please stay to discuss the defense of the Yangtze River. The rest of you may leave now."
A-Qiu anticipated that Consort Chen would need to keep them to discuss military matters, specifically the plans for how to fight this battle. As for actual combat, she knew she couldn't offer much help. Seeing everyone leave, she took her leave as well.
Consort Chen was whispering something to Mu Huaying when she caught sight of her and suddenly said, "Please wait a moment, Si Yue."
A-Qiu was completely baffled and could only stand there and wait.
Consort Chen rose and left Xie Lang's bedside, slowly approaching her side. After hesitating for a long time, she asked, "Have you shown this Frostflower Vine to your master?"
When A Qiu was suddenly reminded of this, the first person she thought of was Gu Yi. She shook her head and said, "My master is living in seclusion in Dawanshan. I didn't have time to send it to him."
Consort Chen was taken aback by her answer, then smiled and said softly, "I was referring to Consort Sun."
Ah Qiu suddenly realized that Consort Chen was referring to her dance teacher at the Music Bureau, Lady Sun, who taught her dance. But her realization only deepened her confusion: what could this possibly have to do with Lady Sun? Could Lady Sun, a mere dance instructor, possibly be a successor of the Shuanghua Hall, chosen and taken in by Lady Huachi, Mo Yi Bi Shuang?
Her bewildered expression did not escape Consort Chen's notice. Consort Chen simply smiled slightly and said meaningfully, "Most things in this palace cannot be hidden from me; and Consort Sun is a veteran instructor of two dynasties. Over the decades, if there has been anything unusual about Jianzhang Palace, it probably wouldn't escape her notice. Therefore, I suggest you consult her."
Upon hearing this, A-Qiu's heart skipped a beat.
No wonder Consort Chen's eyes seemed thoughtful when she first saw the Frost Vine.
Judging from the implication in her words, there were actually Frost Vine in Jianzhang Palace! And she had most likely seen it with her own eyes.
Perhaps she couldn't reveal anything explicitly, so she sent A-Qiu to consult with Lady Sun, and listened to her words; Lady Sun would surely know the truth.
A Qiu was filled with a mixture of doubt and surprise, her feelings were complex and hard to describe.
As Consort Chen said, nothing in the palace was a secret to her, such as the sealed-off Qiwu Palace, and Chu Yuanyi hidden within it. Perhaps, it also included many other secrets and old stories. After all, Consort Chen had been in charge of patrolling Jianzhang Palace since the previous generation.
The most likely explanation is that she had seen the Frost Vine in person, but she didn't know what was special about it before, and thought it was just an ordinary plant. It wasn't until today, when A Qiu brought this vine, that she realized it was the Frost Vine from the ancient capital of the Central Plains.
Consort Chen gently patted A Qiu's shoulder and whispered, "Just do your best, there's no need to worry too much."
A Qiu knew she was trying to comfort him. But honestly, given the current situation in Dayan, who wasn't under pressure?
She looked at Pei Yu, Sikong Zhao, and Fan Liancheng, who remained in the hall, and thought that the three generals must be the ones with the heaviest burdens on their shoulders right now.
Regarding the war, she suddenly had a vague idea in her mind, but she felt that she could not describe it clearly at the moment, so she took her leave and walked out of the hall.
As soon as she stepped onto the corridor, unsurprisingly, she saw Shangguan Yuqi standing with her back to her, waiting for her.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Xie Tiao stood to one side, looking slightly embarrassed, likely having just spoken with Shangguan Yuqi. However, judging from the situation, Shangguan Yuqi wasn't particularly enthusiastic.
When Xie Tiao saw A Qiu arrive, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and greeted her, "Junior Sister, are you alright?"
But as soon as he finished his greeting, his face immediately fell, as if he had just realized he had said the wrong thing.
Seeing his expression, A Qiu guessed that he must have learned about her and Shangguan Yuqi's ordeal at the Bifu Pavilion. She couldn't blame him for being nosy; it was Hulü Guang who had proposed the meeting with Shangguan Yuqi through Xie Tiao, so he certainly had the right to know the outcome.
Although Xie Tiao was truly not responsible for this outcome, Xie Tiao could not possibly feel good about it, whether it was the person who acted as the middleman, or A Qiu's senior brother, or Shangguan Yuqi's... A Qiu really couldn't think of what to call him.
The reason he felt he had said something wrong was because after being schemed against like that, Ah Qiu was naturally in a bad position, and asking such a question would seem hypocritical.
A Qiu sighed inwardly, reached out and patted his shoulder, and instead of answering, asked, "Now that the great battle is imminent, Junior Sister can't find the time to rehearse 'Shao' and 'Wu,' so I can only ask Senior Brother Crown Prince to put in the effort. The victory in the palace in a month, to show our national prestige, depends entirely on Senior Brother's mastery of music."
Xie Tiao's eyes finally lit up, but he hesitated and said, "The great battle... is it really necessary to rehearse music and dance so soon?"
Ah Qiu calmly said, "Whether in war or peace, as long as there is an environment for survival, musicians and dancers must constantly improve themselves. As the elegant music of the nation, 'Shao' and 'Wu' have even greater significance in the current situation. Senior brother, please do not underestimate them. To put it bluntly, if the enemy is at the gates and the country is destroyed, we may be the last people to have seen 'Shao' and 'Wu,' as well as the benevolent and martial virtues of the rulers they praise. We should do everything we can to preserve and protect them."
Xie Tiao was clearly taken aback by A Qiu's blunt words, his face turning deathly pale as he said, "Junior Sister, do you really think we... have no hope of winning?"
Shangguan Yuqi finally turned around and chuckled, "Grand Master of Music, please don't frighten His Highness the Crown Prince anymore. He will supervise the construction of the Imperial Music Bureau for you properly. Don't make it sound like he's entrusting his son to someone on a critical mission."
A Qiu couldn't help but smile and said, "I was infected by my senior brother Crown Prince's nervousness, so I had to make a gesture of entrusting my son to him in order to get his attention."
Seeing that the two beauties from the Southern Dynasty were both smiling and charming, seemingly unconcerned about the dangers and humiliations they had encountered in the past, as well as the war to come, Xie Tiao felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said apologetically, "I must have frightened you two. I will now go to the Imperial Music Bureau to check on their exercises."
He then tactfully cupped his hands and said, "Farewell."
A Qiu and the other person bowed in return, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor. Only then did A Qiu ask, "What did Senior Brother Crown Prince say to you just now? Judging from your expression, you didn't want to talk to him, but you had to give him a perfunctory reply."
Shangguan Yuqi sighed and said, "He probably just apologized for putting me in danger, so I had to give him a perfunctory response. Do you want me to tell him that he wasn't that important in the whole affair, that Hulü Guang had been plotting for a long time and was determined to succeed, and that regardless of whether the Crown Prince was involved or not, Hulü Guang would inevitably come after me, Shangguan Yuqi, sooner or later?"
A Qiu was sweating profusely, thinking that it was rare for Shangguan Yuqi to have learned selective expression. This was simply an unparalleled breakthrough for the Sword Immortal realm in this dynasty.
She said cautiously, "I feel that you have changed a lot since you came out of seclusion this time, Miss. For example, although you were impatient with your senior brother, the Crown Prince, you still tried to distract him and not make him too nervous."
Shangguan Yuqi replied, "It is probably after experiencing extremely dangerous situations and undergoing great worries, fears and stimulation that one can more deeply understand the joys and sorrows of ordinary people. His Highness the Crown Prince is, after all, the heir apparent and the future master of the country. But no matter how worried he is, he can't help much. It would be better to let him focus on his music."
Ah Qiu chuckled and said, "In the end, you just think he's in the way. At a time when everyone is overwhelmed with problems, you don't want to have a heart-to-heart talk with him and exchange more information about the current situation."
Shangguan Yuqi stretched and laughed, "Who says otherwise?"
The two exchanged a knowing smile, both aware that they were finding joy in their predicament. The situation was serious, and both felt a protective instinct towards Xie Tiao, not wanting him to be drawn into matters he couldn't handle, thus adding to his guilt.
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