gifted pen
If Shangguan Jin, the former Grand Secretary, was a legend in the hearts of the people of the Southern Dynasties, then Gu Yi was more like a myth.
Because at least Shangguan Jin's life story is well documented. He came from the Shangguan family, a family of scholars in the Central Plains for a hundred years, and was a "tomb keeper". At the age of twenty, he was summoned by the emperor to serve in the government. After several twists and turns, he became the Grand Secretary of the Great Huan Dynasty. At the time when the Southern Dynasty was facing its greatest crisis, his closest relatives and descendants were still alive.
But Gu Yi appeared as if by divine intervention, suddenly appearing in the Southern Dynasty court and becoming active in politics from then on. No one had ever heard of Gu Yi before, and he had no relatives, family, or teachers to trace.
Therefore, he had no weaknesses, nor the burdens of family and in-laws that politicians often carry. All his reforms were sweeping and swift, which inevitably affected the interests of many powerful clans and local governments. But no one ever touched him, firstly because of the almost unconditional support he received from the Xie family, led by Xie Lang, and secondly because of his own strength and the power of the Junior Master Charioteer behind him.
But what A Qiu didn't expect was that even her master Wan Qiqing from Lanling Hall couldn't find out Gu Yi's background, yet Li Chongyu, who was on the northern border, knew so much about Gu Yi's origins.
She voiced her doubts because she felt she had nothing to hide from her sworn brother.
Li Chongyu did not hide anything from her, and frankly said, "The friendship between the Junior Tutor and my Li family can be traced back to my grandfather's generation. At that time, my grandfather was just a minor general guarding the border among the Han people in the north." He sighed, "The connection between the Junior Tutor and the Li family was formed in the desert fifty years ago, and it is not something that happened overnight. This is also why, when he sent a letter to invite me, I, your humble brother, dared to come to the Southern Dynasty even though I knew it would be risky to my life."
He looked at A Qiu again and laughed, "The fact that the Grand Tutor sent you, the number one on the Immortal Ranking and the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, to look after me proves once again that I did not misplace my trust in him."
But what Ah Qiu heard with a bang was something else entirely.
She asked in a daze, "How old are you this year, brother?"
Li Chongyu was puzzled as to why she suddenly asked this question, but he replied, "I am twenty-seven years old this year."
Li Chongyu is twenty-seven years old this year, so Gu Yi must have known his grandfather for at least fifty years.
So, how old is Gu Yi now?
Thinking of Gu Yi's silver hair and gray eyes that appeared in the underground chamber, and the "Transformation Pill" that he had to take regularly to maintain the life of the furnace, A Qiu suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Li Chongyu's pilgrimage and the presentation of the "Yan Shining" music as national music was such a momentous event, yet Gu Yi never appeared from beginning to end. What happened to him, and where did he go?
Looking back now, the only one who seems clear is Emperor Xie Lang. When Consort Chen looked around and asked where the Junior Tutor was, Xie Lang interrupted her without hesitation, seemingly deliberately trying to avoid mentioning the matter to prevent attracting attention.
A-Qiu asked again, "Brother, you were willing to risk your life to come to Jianzhang because Master invited you. But now that you are about to leave the city, you still haven't seen Master, have you?"
Li Chongyu, however, laughed nonchalantly and said, "I came not only to fulfill my promise to the Junior Tutor, but also to take revenge in person and to see the current state of the Southern Dynasty. My purpose has been achieved. As for the Junior Tutor, whether he sees me or not, he will have his own arrangements."
A Qiu felt ashamed. Li Chongyu had come from afar, entrusting his life to her; his trust in Gu Yi seemed to surpass even that for her.
A burst of laughter came from about ten feet ahead, clear and melodious, each word as sweet as a nightingale's song: "If Your Excellency wishes to see the Junior Tutor, you'd better see if you have the fate to do so!"
While A Qiu and Li Chongyu were talking, they didn't stop and flew forward at full speed. They could only see the heavy figures of the Imperial Guards soldiers in armor and carrying torches on their sides. However, the soldiers did not pay attention to the two of them. They seemed to have received other orders and were busy making arrangements.
The laughter came from the direction of the main gate of the inner palace, Zhengyang Gate.
Unlike other places where the fires were bright and the light was like daytime, the Zhengyang Gate, which should have been heavily guarded and filled with soldiers in armor, was deserted at this moment, without even a shadow of a city guard.
However, Ah Qiu knew why at a glance.
The imperial scribe in a yellow robe, now the most talented woman in the Southern Dynasty, and Zhao Lingying, the "Master of Writing" among the former Flying Phoenix Four Guards, stood gracefully in front of the door, holding a gleaming judge's pen in each hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the two of them with a smile.
A Qiu had seen Zhao Lingying many times before, but had only seen her make a move once. That was at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, when Pei Yu's White Tiger suddenly charged straight at the emperor, only to be forced back by Consort Chen's sword. Zhao Lingying's Judge's Pen arrived in an instant, piercing the tiger's body.
Judging solely from the way the Judge's Pen was thrown as a concealed weapon, its speed and force were so fierce that it was hard to imagine it came from Zhao Lingying's delicate, boneless hands, which were skilled in writing beautiful articles.
Of the previous generations of Flying Phoenix, A Qiu has personally witnessed and even fought against three of them.
The Grand Commander, "Silver Saddle and White Horse" Sikong Zhao, once fought fiercely with A Qiu for dozens of rounds atop Xianyang Palace.
Consort Chen, Li Lanxiu, also known as "Golden Goblet Moonfall," once used her sword "Xiuyi" to separate A Qiu from Chu Yuanyi, who was engaged in a fist and palm battle with "Wind and Thunder Slash," in Qiwu Palace.
Madam Pei, nicknamed "The Delicate-Handed Yama" Mu Huaying, had just fought with A Qiu at the Pei residence a few days ago when A Qiu attempted to assassinate Pei Yuanli.
But Zhao Lingying is different from them in that she is cunning and unpredictable.
Although Madam Pei, Mu Huaying, was the most cunning and scheming among them, the time when A Qiu entered the Pei residence and fought with her, it was A Qiu who was scheming but not aware that Mu Huaying was preoccupied and did not notice that someone was spying on her. As a result, she lost the initiative and was controlled by her every move, and accidentally injured Pei Yuanli.
However, Zhao Lingying was waiting at Zhengyang Gate, a place that was a necessary passage from the palace, and had dismissed the guards in advance, showing that he had come prepared. This made A Qiu wary.
Zhao Lingying's gaze first fell on Li Chongyu, then landed on A Qiu, and immediately lit up. She said, seemingly praising but also mocking, "The successor of the renowned Young Master is actually you, a little girl from the Music Bureau. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older, and new talents emerge in every generation."
A Qiu didn't know if she was praising or mocking her, but she knew that Zhao Lingying must have recognized her. This was because she had seen Zhao Lingying before when she performed dances at the Music Bureau and before the Emperor. At that time, she was just one of many dancers. Although she was the head dancer and later saved the Emperor's life, she was still not someone who could speak to Zhao Lingying, a favorite of the Emperor.
She said modestly, "You flatter me, Lord Lantai. Looking at the entire Southern Dynasty, no matter who is older or younger, who can compare to your extraordinary talent and unparalleled elegance?"
Zhao Lingying's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "What a clever little girl. In that case, I will spare your life today and promise not to make things difficult for you in the future. Go back to your Jinlingtai."
She looked at Li Chongyu again, but her tone suddenly became flat and indifferent: "I only want Li Chongyu's life."
A Qiu then realized that Zhao Lingying's previous act of praising her was actually an attempt to sow discord between her and Li Chongyu, causing Li Chongyu to lose her as an ally. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "If you want the Marquis's life, why should you be afraid of a mere court musician like me by your side?"
Zhao Lingying's eyes were icy as he scoffed, "Of course I'm not afraid of you, but I just don't want to make enemies with the Junior Master. We've served as ministers in the same court for so many years, and I've seen him finally blossom with a disciple. If I were to kill his only successor at the Zhengyang Gate, it would be rather unseemly for us to meet in the court."
A Qiu witnessed Zhao Lingying's prowess for the first time and suddenly realized why Zhao Lingying was waiting here with a pen in hand at the first hurdle before leaving the palace.
In terms of eloquence and meticulous scheming, Zhao Ling should be considered the foremost among the previous generations of Flying Phoenixes. A Qiu escorted Li Chongyu out of the city; setting aside her martial arts skills, the mere fact that she was a disciple of the Young Master made it difficult for any group to attack her. Her words, a combination of kindness and threats, were aimed at separating A Qiu and Li Chongyu. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to withstand her cunning and persuasive words. This first hurdle, without even a fight, would have already halved Li Chongyu's strength. If he were left alone, the dangers of leaving the city would have increased dramatically.
Li Chongyu looked at A Qiu with a hesitant expression. He wasn't unaware of who Zhao Lingying was; she was the emperor's most favored concubine, someone who even dared to defy Xie Lang in the imperial palace. To say that she was afraid to kill A Qiu because of Gu Yi was simply untrue.
There are only people Zhao Lingying doesn't want to kill, but there's absolutely no one she wouldn't dare to kill.
Li Chongyu always valued loyalty and righteousness, and he didn't want his newly sworn sister to lose her life for him in vain.
Unexpectedly, A Qiu did not look at him, but smiled and took a step forward, saying, "It would be a pity if Zhao Zhaorong, a woman of great talent, were to perish in front of the world at the gate of Zhengyang. However, this is beyond my control."
She stepped forward, and a cold light suddenly flared up as Gu Yi's world-renowned "Louyue" sword was drawn. In the next instant, she and her sword shot towards Zhao Lingying like an arrow released from a bow.
At the same time, she said, "My lord, please go ahead. I will come immediately once I have finished dealing with this matter."
At this moment, what came to mind was Gu Yi's entrustment and Shangguan Yuqi's parting words.
Since they entrusted Li Chongyu's safety to her, they must have anticipated various accidents that might occur along the way. Qian Feifeng's interception was naturally one of them.
Only someone like A Qiu, who has no entanglements, burdens, or historical baggage in the Southern Dynasty, can disregard everything else and take a gamble. Shangguan Yuqi and Gu Yi are not like that.
Perhaps Gu Yi's reluctance to appear so far stems from his desire to avoid a falling out with his fellow courtiers.
But A Qiu was as clear-headed as still water; she had no such reservations. No matter who came, she would simply forge ahead, overcoming all obstacles. As long as she got Li Chongyu to the banks of the Yangtze River, where he could dismount and board a boat, her mission would be accomplished.
Even if she killed Zhao Lingying, it was Zhao Lingying's own fault, not her doing the dirty work.
Zhao Lingying was also secretly surprised when she saw A Qiu rushing towards her from mid-air.
She originally thought that Ah Qiu, a mere dancer, even if she had caught Gu Yi's eye and been accepted into his inner circle, wouldn't have lasted long. Given Ah Qiu's status and abilities as the Emperor's most favored concubine, and with Gu Yi not present at the moment, all she had to do was intimidate her, and she would obediently comply.
To her surprise, A Qiu didn't take her seriously at all and launched a full-scale attack after she made her threats. She couldn't help but look at this little girl with new respect.
In any case, the courage to not yield to power and make a decisive decision when elders are absent and no one is backing you is commendable among younger generations.
A fleeting look of appreciation crossed Zhao Lingying's eyes. He swung his judge's pen across his hand, leaned backward to deflect A Qiu's attack, and then thrust his weapon upward, aiming for A Qiu's vital chest and abdomen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
