Forget each other in the rivers and lakes
But that was only half of one of the three portrait stones.
A Qiu looked up and stared at An Daoling, saying, "If this portrait stone is still in the palace, where do you think it is most likely to be located?"
Without hesitation, An Daoling replied, "Naturally, it is the Qiwu Palace where Empress Shangguan lived before her death. Whether during her lifetime or after her death, it has always been regarded as a semi-library of the palace. Because the Empress was exceptionally talented and knowledgeable, and had a great fondness for bronzes, inscriptions, calligraphy and paintings, any items of these types were given priority to be sent to Qiwu Palace. Moreover, this portrait stone was originally a gift from General Li to her."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu was taken aback.
She never imagined that the Qiwu Palace, which she had visited twice at night, was actually the former residence of Empress Huanwen, who was famous throughout the two capitals and two generations of emperors.
No wonder I felt at the time that the place was magnificent and splendid, but it was more like a large study than a palace residence.
It's no wonder that the dance illustrations of the White Silk Dance are in Qiwu Palace. Since the White Silk Dance was created by Empress Shangguan, it's only natural that the original dance design drafts would exist in Qiwu Palace.
A Qiu immediately said, "Lord An, would you like to come with me to Qiwu Palace now?"
An Daoling smiled wryly and said, "I really want to go with you, but I am bound by an oath and cannot get close to Qiwu Palace. Therefore, you will probably have to go by yourself."
When A-Qiu arrived at Qiwu Palace, it was already dark.
An Gong could not come with her, saying that he was bound by a vow. This reminded her of Zhongli Wuyan. When Sun Neiren invited Zhongli Wuyan to compete on the same stage, Zhongli Wuyan also declined, for the same reason. Although she was a member of the dance troupe, she was bound by a vow and could no longer appear on stage.
Although the four constellations of Tianji are hidden in the palace, they seem to be bound by some kind of oath, and each has a certain range of movement.
The moon peeks out from behind the clouds, casting its beautiful light upon the world.
The shadows of trees and lakes, pavilions, bridges and corridors are all revealed under the moonlight.
Qiwu Palace remained silent, as if no one had visited since her last visit.
A-Qiu called out, "Aunt Yuan-Yi, A-Qiu is here."
Chu Yuanyi, one of the Four Constellations of Tianji, has been guarding this abandoned palace for a long time. If A Qiu doesn't call out, she might misunderstand that there are enemies attacking. If a fight breaks out suddenly, she is no match for Yuanyi now.
But no matter how she called out to them, no one in Qiwu Palace responded this time.
A Qiu thought that Chu Yuanyi probably wasn't guarding this place all the time, so he stepped inside.
Knowing that this was the former residence of Empress Shangguan, and passing by the "Qiwu Ruins Palace" plaque in the courtyard, which was half-covered by soil and grass, A Qiu's steps faltered slightly.
The characters on it were as red as blood, as if they had been written yesterday. A glance at them still conveyed the furious anger of the person who wrote them.
Then, recalling An Gong's words, "Which empress in the world could command the admiration of all, regardless of ethnicity, borderlands, or central lands, for her grace and virtue? The only thing she could not attain was...", A Qiu's heart suddenly felt heavy.
It turns out that even someone as noble as the Empress, with such enviable talent and demeanor, could be hated by some.
For example, this wave of rumors, although targeting Li Chongyu's trip to the south to pay homage, also smeared Empress Shangguan as an arrogant and hypocritical noblewoman from a high-ranking family in the Southern Dynasty.
This rumor is unlikely to be believed by anyone in the Southern Dynasties, especially those who had contact with the Empress.
So this rumor was specifically sent to Li Chongyu.
Those who would be happy to see Li Chongyu completely break with the Southern Dynasty are probably not the Northern Qiang or other Hu peoples.
Pei Yuanli is also a possibility.
However, he was born into a prominent family in the Southern Dynasties, so he probably wouldn't risk public condemnation by smearing Empress Shangguan's image.
After all, the Shangguan family's Gentleman's Sword still exists, and the Shangguan family remains the leading clan south of the Yangtze River for over a century.
As A Qiu entered the main hall, gazing at the vast, dust-covered bookshelves that stretched from the floor to the sky, he felt a sense of helplessness and despair, unable to find anything he wanted to do.
Aside from the easily identifiable books and paintings, there are over a thousand items sealed in boxes, brocade boxes, and wooden boxes, all neatly arranged on the shelves.
But if we were to take them all apart to examine them, it would probably take three days and three nights. And afterwards, they would have to be put back together exactly as they were before, which is the proper respect for antiques.
Unless they return to report to Gu Yi and mobilize clerks from the Music Bureau and the History Bureau to increase manpower for registration and investigation, the matter will inevitably escalate. If it turns out that the ancient bricks have indeed been lost, it will be even more of a loss than a gain.
A Qiu slumped to the ground and let out a long sigh.
A hoarse, gloomy old woman's voice rang out from behind a bookshelf: "What's troubling you this time?"
A Qiu was so startled she almost jumped up, but then she recognized Chu Yuanyi's voice. She was both annoyed and amused, and complained, "Auntie, I called you so many times outside, but you didn't answer me. Turns out you were here!"
Chu Yuanyi, behind the bookshelf, seemed to stretch and said, "I'm getting old and I go to bed early. Besides, the sound you made at the door was probably no louder than a cat's; I just didn't hear it."
A Qiu was speechless. She realized that she had lost her martial arts skills and could no longer transmit her voice in secret as before. Moreover, Qiwu Palace was a forbidden area of the palace, and she did not dare to shout loudly at the time. It was normal that Chu Yuanyi was lying in the main hall and could not hear her.
After turning the bookshelf around, A Qiu took Chu Yuanyi's hand and said, "Auntie, how have you been these past few days?" She suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
In the palace, everyone has secrets. But only when facing Chu Yuanyi, whose mind is no longer intact, does A Qiu feel no pressure.
Whether she was an assassin, a dancer, a female official, or anything else, no matter how long she had been gone, Aunt Yuan Yi always regarded her as the little A Qiu from her memories, and as if she had just left yesterday and returned today.
Chu Yuanyi looked at her with affection in his single eye, but said stiffly, "What's good or bad about it? At this age, it's good enough if you're still alive. Where have you been playing again? At least you didn't come back covered in mud, so you're still clean."
A Qiu was both amused and exasperated. How could someone so old be covered in mud? But she didn't expose her and let Chu Yuanyi brush the dirt off her from head to toe. In reality, because she was coming to the Music Bureau, she was wearing the color of a female official's robe, which was much cleaner than Chu Yuanyi's tattered clothes.
A-Qiu chatted with Chu Yuanyi for a while, then, remembering the purpose of her trip, asked, "Aunt, have you ever seen any bricks in this palace?"
Chu Yuan was taken aback and said, "There aren't bricks everywhere here. Look at the paving stones and the steps; they're all made of bricks. Some are carved, and some have words burned on them. If you want, I'll dig up a few for you." As he spoke, he actually started to dig.
A-Qiu was both touched and amused, and quickly stopped her, saying, "It's not these. It's..." She thought for a moment, then gestured in the air to indicate the approximate size, and said uncertainly, "There should be three pieces. There are words on them, and they have pictures of dancing people drawn on them."
These three portrait stones entered the palace twenty years ago. Even if Chu Yuanyi has been in Qiwu Palace since then, there are many trivial matters in the palace, and she probably doesn't remember this matter. A Qiu also didn't have much hope.
To everyone's surprise, Chu Yuanyi's single eye shone brightly upon hearing her question, and he immediately said, "I remember! It happened in the autumn of the fifth year of the Xiyuan era! There were three portrait stone bricks that were sent from the Music Bureau. At that time, they were stored in..."
She smacked her head hard and said, "I remember now, come with me!"
A Qiu had no idea that Chu Yuanyi, with his current mental capacity, could remember the three Han Dynasty bricks that entered Qiwu Palace twenty years ago, and even clearly remember the year and season.
Although she was puzzled, she still followed Chu Yuanyi to the best-hidden wooden shelf in the far right corner of the hall. She watched as Chu Yuanyi pulled over a ladder, nimbly climbed up to the top, and searched through the top shelf.
A Qiu watched helplessly, naturally hoping that Chu Yuanyi could really find those three Han Dynasty bricks, and that the current trouble would be resolved on its own.
If the Han Dynasty bricks were indeed stored here, and if she were to search for them herself, she would have to turn every single bookcase in the hall upside down to find them.
Chu Yuanyi, on the ladder, whispered, "Catch carefully."
Then, something rolled up came crashing down on A Qiu. A Qiu didn't have time to think and quickly reached out to catch it.
Only after catching it did she realize the lingering fear. Fortunately, what Chu Yuanyi threw down was something like a scroll, very light. If she had thrown down a large wooden box containing the three Han Dynasty bricks, given her current lack of martial arts skills, it might have seriously injured her.
She quickly said to her, "Auntie, don't throw the brick down now that you've found it. I'll climb up and catch it. I can't catch it right now, or it will break."
In Chu Yuanyi's memory, she was sometimes treated like a child and sometimes like an adult, so when A Qiu said she couldn't catch it, Chu Yuanyi didn't think anything was wrong. She just said, "Open it and see if this is it."
A Qiu was a little confused. She was talking about three Han Dynasty bricks, how could it be a scroll? But since Chu Yuanyi said so, she followed her advice, first blowing away the dust on it, and then unfolding it.
By the moonlight, she immediately understood that this was the same content as the rubbing by An Daoling. Even the inscription and date written by An Daoling in elegant regular script were identical. It contained the rubbing of the three bricks, along with the auspicious phrases "May you live a thousand years, may the Xiongnu ruler be united in marriage, and may you serve the heavens."
Presumably, An Daoling made two copies at that time. One copy was kept in the Music Bureau for record-keeping as historical material for music, and the other copy was sent to Qiwu Palace along with the original Han brick.
A-Qiu nodded and said, "These are the three bricks. Aunt, have you ever seen the original?"
Chu Yuanyi raised his head and said, "Of course I've seen them. When these bricks and scrolls were delivered to Qiwu Palace, I was the one who registered them and put them into the treasury. As soon as I saw them, I recognized An Shixiong's handwriting. Alas, that's when I learned that he had changed his name and become a eunuch. So I can't blame him for avoiding me all these years..."
Chu Yuanyi's tone suddenly turned to deep loneliness.
A Qiu suddenly realized that the reason Chu Yuanyi remembered these three bricks so well was not because the bricks were anything special, but because the bricks and the scroll brought news of her old friends whom she had forgotten during her forty years of seclusion in the palace.
The palace is neither too big nor too small; it is large enough for a person to deliberately hide their identity and remain unrecognized, perhaps seeking only the tranquility and peace of being forgotten in the world.
She couldn't help but recall what An Daoling had said with a bitter smile before she left: "Qiwu Palace, I am bound by my oath and cannot approach it."
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