Envoy from the Northern Qiang
Those present then realized why the performance of "Shao" and "Wu" had suddenly come to mind. It turned out that the Northern Qiang were planning to send envoys to the court, and ordinary music and dance, though exquisite, could not truly reflect the grandeur of the orthodox Chinese nation. Only the refined ritual music and dance, passed down since the Zhou dynasty, could deter the covetous hearts of the Northern Qiang barbarians.
The difference between the barbarians and the Chinese lies in the fact that the Chinese had a complete and advanced political order, such as the rites and music established by the Duke of Zhou, which clearly defined the distinction between ruler and subject, superior and inferior, and that everyone had a clear position. As long as they fulfilled their duties, they could enjoy the protection and benefits brought by the system. When the country was powerful, the people could be of one mind and act as if their own limbs were in perfect harmony. On the other hand, the barbarians of the Five Barbarian Tribes, who were bound by blood ties, could be conquered by force, but they were always plagued by internal strife. They could only plunder, but they were incapable of governing a country.
Restoring and presenting the "Ya" and "Wu" sections is undoubtedly a concrete interpretation of the principle of "if distant people do not submit, then cultivate virtue and culture to attract them."
However, since there were no formal diplomatic exchanges between the Northern Qiang and the Southern Dynasty, the fact that this matter was brought up at this juncture made A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi turn their attention to Xiao Chang'an, secretly amazed by Xiao Chang'an's political influence in the Northern Dynasty.
Xiao Chang'an, however, acted as if nothing was wrong and smiled as he advised Xie Tiao, "With Lord An accompanying you, my sister will be fine. Your Highness should also keep a low profile at this time and it would be better if you didn't go."
Xie Tiao was relieved and said to An Daoling, "If anything unexpected happens, An Gong must find a way to send a message to the Crown Prince. The people here will do their best to make plans."
An Daoling smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured."
After A Qiu left Guanlan Hall with An Daoling, An Daoling finally asked in a low voice, "How was your journey?"
An Daoling was arguably the most respected elder in the Yuefu (Music Bureau) besides Lady Sun. He had entrusted the Heavenly Secret Token to A Qiu, and this token still served as a deterrent to the martial arts world during their trip to the southwest, when she had lost all her status and support. She had always been deeply grateful to An Daoling. Hearing his question, her eyes stung, and tears almost welled up, but she held them back and said, "Lord An, Master is not coming back."
Only now, facing An Daoling, did she dare to reveal Gu Yi's true condition. To Xie Tiao and the others, she only said that Gu Yi was recuperating from illness, making it difficult for them to discern the truth and preventing them from easily treating Gu Yi as if he were nothing.
However, she did not feel this burden when facing An Daoling. The Four Stars of Tianji were hidden guards who had served the palace since the previous dynasty. In a sense, they were similar to Gu Yi. They did not serve power for any particular political faction or personal ambition, but rather to uphold their ideals and the promises they made back then.
Upon hearing this, An Daoling's expression did not change much. He simply looked at her deeply and said softly, "You underestimate your master too much."
A Qiu was almost in tears when she heard An Daoling's words and asked in surprise, "What does Lord An mean..."
As An Daoling led her forward, winding through the palaces and corridors, he said gently, "The young master is resolute and no ordinary person. Over the years, he has faced countless life-and-death situations and experienced so much." He gave a wry smile and said, "In my opinion, as long as he is alive, he will never give up on the people and things he cares about and protects."
An Daoling had known Gu Yi for much longer than A Qiu, and therefore had a deeper understanding of him. A Qiu couldn't help but wonder what if Gu Yi had forgotten everything from the past? But she knew that if she asked that question, it would be tantamount to her having to explain the whole story, and there were many things in it that she couldn't tell outsiders.
But upon hearing An Daoling's last words, the heavy burden on her heart subtly eased.
An Gong meant that, given Gu Yi's strong will, as long as he was alive, he would never truly forget the people and things he cared about, regardless of his appearance or his identity.
An Daoling said, "This time, when the imperial decree was sent to the Eastern Palace to summon you, it was because I volunteered to come, since I was on the left side when His Majesty and the officials were discussing this matter."
A Qiu thought that since the discussion involved music and dance, An Daoling, as the head of the Music Bureau and the Chenghua Ling, although he was an inner palace eunuch, should naturally attend and participate in the court's discussions. But then she heard An Daoling say, "The reason I asked to come and deliver the decree is that I have an important message to tell you privately: when you see the envoy from the Northern Qiang, do not show any surprise. Just act as usual."
Before A-Qiu could ask any more questions, he said, "Because that person should be someone you know very well."
A Qiu's mouth was so wide it could practically fit a persimmon. How could the Northern Qiang envoy know her? She racked her brains countless times, but couldn't recall ever knowing anyone from the Northern Qiang.
An Daoling said, “In my opinion, that person will not deliberately expose your identity, because everyone in the palace knows that you were once Jing Ke of Lanling Hall, but no one talks about it. But you don’t need to expose him either, otherwise, once this matter is brought to the light, even His Majesty will have a difficult time.”
Currently, both the government and the common people hold positive expectations for A Qiu, the successor of the young master. If it is revealed that she is actually an assassin who has infiltrated the palace, then both Gu Yi and Xie Lang's reputations will be in jeopardy, and A Qiu will no longer be able to act in broad daylight.
A Qiu was shocked and whispered, "Who exactly is that Northern Qiang envoy? Why does Lord An know for sure that he and I have met before?"
An Daoling gave a bitter smile and said, "Although the Four Constellations of Tianji are old, they are not completely ignorant of the newly emerging figures in the martial arts world. Mo Yimingyue, the leader of Xingfeng Hall, is the head of all the land and water forces in the world. His face and height, which are very similar to those of a Hu person, are quite recognizable in the martial arts world of the Southern Dynasty. How could I not recognize him?"
Upon hearing this, A-Qiu nearly collapsed to the ground.
An Daoling said, "His current identity is that of a Khitan named Xiao Yue. But the name is strange. Everyone in the martial world knows that 'Long Night Flying Eagle' Mo Yi Mingyue is of mixed Han and Khitan descent, but why does he have the surname Han and Mo Yi? No one knows whether his father or mother is Han. However, none of the court officials, including His Majesty and even the previous Flying Phoenix, are involved in the martial arts world, so no one recognizes him at this moment." He gasped, "Your master from Lanling Hall is truly outlandish and reckless."
First, they placed A Qiu in the palace, and now they've sent Mo Yimingyue in as an envoy from the Northern Qiang. An Daoling probably still doesn't know that their eldest brother, Gongyi, is already a prime minister in the court; otherwise, he would probably be astonished.
A Qiu sighed, thinking about all the possibilities of Mo Yimingyue's arrival, and said with a wry smile, "Is it possible that his identity is not fake, and that my second senior brother's other half is a Khitan?"
An Daoling asked in surprise, "Are you sure? The Xiao family is a member of the Khitan royal family. Now they have submitted to the Northern Qiang and are one of the five major clans. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for the Northern Qiang royal court to send him as an envoy."
A Qiu smiled bitterly and said, "I'm just guessing. My master Wanqi doesn't do things out of thin air; he always plans carefully before acting. He would never let my second senior brother interfere for no reason. The most likely scenario is that my second senior brother was also a pawn that was placed there long ago."
The reason she spoke so frankly to An Daoling was because An Daoling was not someone with strong sectarian prejudices; he acted based on the actual situation, not on which side someone belonged to. Furthermore, An Daoling knew that the other party was Mo Yimingyue of Lanling Hall, yet he didn't tell anyone, but instead informed her first, which undoubtedly indicated that he intended to entrust the matter to her handling.
Mo Yimingyue's swaggering entrance into the palace suggests she was prepared for a confrontation. After all, two days ago she entered the palace through the main gate of Jianzhang City, attracting the attention of Sikong Zhaoqing, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards. Even if she could deceive the entire city's populace, she certainly couldn't hide it from Xingfeng Hall Master, who was in charge of information gathering.
A sudden chill ran down A Qiu's spine, and a sense of coldness rose in his heart.
The Xingfeng Hall of Moyi Mingyue also has another responsibility: to clean up and hunt down traitors within the sect. And under the Xingfeng Heavenly Eye, no traitor from Lanling ever escapes, no matter where he flees.
As soon as A Qiu entered the hall, she felt that everyone's attention had turned to her.
After all, she was the successor of the Junior Tutor. When she entered the city and returned to the palace yesterday evening, all the officials in the capital who were somewhat well-informed received word of it.
Today marks Xie Lang's first formal audience with A Qiu, foreshadowing the dynasty's attitude towards Gu Yi. Whether to continue sincere cooperation, abandon him, or shelve him, the official position and rewards bestowed upon A Qiu today will be a bellwether.
An Daoling led A Qiu in and introduced him to everyone in the hall: "This is the disciple of the Junior Master, Dian Le Shi Wanqiu."
Although she rarely visited the imperial court and preferred to stay within the inner palace, most people there already recognized her. This wasn't solely due to her status as Gu Yi's successor; she had been the top dancer in both the public performances of "Bai Zhu" and "Yan Shining," and had once shielded the Crown Prince from a white tiger attack, and another time blocked a surprise attack from Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, before Li Chongyu's throne. The first instance could be attributed to youthful fearlessness, but the second, directly confronting Madam Pei's "fair hand," a move that commanded respect from everyone, required extraordinary courage.
These two things alone, coupled with her superb dancing skills, youth and beauty, and Gu Yi's support, have made her a hot topic of discussion among the officials in the court.
In an instant, numerous eyes, whether surprised, admiring, or astonished, were cast upon her without any attempt to conceal their gaze. Among them, two sharp glances that swept over her from the side sent a chill down her spine.
That was Mo Yimingyue, dressed as an envoy, standing beside the imperial steps.
A Qiu dared not raise her head to meet Mo Yimingyue's scrutiny, and could only kowtow to the emperor according to the rules, saying, "Long live Your Majesty."
Zhao Lingying stood on the other side and said with a smile, "Shi Dianle, you can raise your head and let His Majesty see your appearance, and see if His Majesty still remembers you."
A Qiu raised her head as instructed and looked directly at Xie Lang. This was her first formal meeting with Xie Lang. Although she had secretly sneaked into Yunlong Palace the night before to take Xie Lang's pulse, he was unconscious at the time, so it did not count as a formal meeting.
But when she looked up at Xie Lang, she was quite surprised.
Xie Lang looked thinner and had sunken eyes. He looked more haggard than when Xie Lang had seen him the night before, but he was noticeably more energetic and was no longer drowsy.
Looking around the hall, A Qiu realized that these people must have been discussing things for quite some time. Judging from Xie Lang's physical condition the night before, sitting here for so long must have been his limit, yet he showed no signs of fatigue, which was extremely unusual.
The only reasonable explanation is that, in order to meet the envoy from the Northern Qiang, Zhao Ling used some special technique to stimulate Xie Lang's vitality, enabling him to forcibly get up and hold on until this moment.
However, this technique will inevitably damage one's vital energy, and it can only be used once.
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