Handsome men and beautiful women
A-Qiu had unconsciously wrapped her arms around his waist, her eyes half-closed as she mumbled, "Promise what?"
"I won't be with anyone else."
Gu Yi's voice was resolute and decisive, leaving no room for doubt.
A-Qiu sniffed, snuggled into his arms, and whispered, "Okay."
She seemed to say something else. Gu Yi didn't hear clearly, so he lowered his head and brought his lips to hers, asking, "What?"
Ah Qiu repeated himself. Gu Yi was taken aback at first, then a smile appeared in his dark eyes, which gradually rippled and grew larger. He replied softly, "Okay."
The last words A-Qiu said before falling asleep were:
"You, too, cannot find me a master's wife."
She opened her eyes and woke up when the first rays of dawn illuminated A Qiu's face.
The first thing that caught her eye was Gu Yi's sharply defined face. He was staring at her intently, motionless.
Seeing that she was awake, he said calmly, "You can sleep a little longer."
When A Qiu came to her senses, she realized that she was leaning against him with her arms wrapped around his waist. She was immediately shocked and let go, using both hands and feet to move herself away from Gu Yi's body, and said with a forced smile, "Master, you've had a hard time."
At the same time, I vaguely recalled what happened last night.
She wanted to follow Xiao Chang'an, take his boat and drift down the Imperial River to Tangli Garden, where she could take a nap.
Then Gu Yi refused.
Hearing that she wanted to take a nap, he carried her all the way here without saying a word.
Watching her flee so quickly, Gu Yi thought to himself, "You're so carefree when you're sleepy, but now that you're awake, you know to be discreet." He said casually, "Watch your step."
When he reminded her, A-Qiu was horrified to realize that she was standing on overlapping black roof tiles. She hurriedly scrambled away, nearly kicking a whole tile off. Startled, she immediately pulled back, almost slipping and falling.
But Gu Yi was quick-witted and immediately stretched out his long arm and pulled her back.
A-Qiu lay on her back in Gu Yi's arms, looking confused, and asked, "So Master, where are we now?"
Gu Yi said calmly, "At the top of the Echoing Corridor."
A-Qiu was shocked and immediately tried to get up in a fluster, saying, "I, I'll get down right away." If Sun's wife saw her, she would truly lose face.
Although this was just her own guilty conscience, Sun's wife would never climb up to the top of the Xiangxie Corridor to see her.
Gu Yi said: "There's no rush."
He glanced casually across the water. Beneath the winding corridor and waterside pavilion, amidst withered trees and reeds, lay a small boat—Xiao Chang'an's very own.
Presumably, Xiao Chang'an is also lying in the boat at this moment.
A Qiu glanced at him in the same direction and immediately understood his meaning. Her face flushed red with anxiety, and she said, "Put me up. I... I won't go looking for him."
Footsteps and voices could be heard from afar under the eaves; the geisha must be approaching. —Geisha practice always begins at cockcrow, and those who are late are punished with a slap on the hand.
Gu Yi leaned down with a half-smile, almost touching her face, and asked, "Is that really true?"
He was so close that A-Qiu felt her face flush and her heart race, and quickly said, "Of course it's true."
The Gu Yi of last night and this morning is somehow extremely similar to the Gu Yi with white hair and silver eyes in the secret room the night after the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet.
They forbade her from being with other men.
Gu Yi remained motionless until most of the water was bathed in red light, and a long yawn came from the small boat in the distance.
Meanwhile, the voices from the people under the corridor grew closer and closer.
It was as if a gentle breeze in March had swept across her eyelashes.
Before A Qiu could figure out what was happening, Gu Yi above had already leaped up and disappeared.
Ah Qiu steadied himself, then gracefully somersaulted down, landing in the middle of the corridor, waiting for the others to arrive.
A Qiu had never seen Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi so trembling with fear in his life.
Sun Neiren is not a snob and has always dared to fight against the powerful and wealthy; Xue Hongbi, as the top white silk dress in the past and now the deputy instructor of the dance department, is undoubtedly the tyrant of the dance department, both in the past and present.
But now, both of them were feeling guilty, perhaps even more timid than when they last saw the emperor in the palace.
The reason was simple: lined up in front of them, waiting for the drum dance training, were not only the three leading dancers, A-Qiu, Zhang E-Xu, and Cui Lü-Zhu, but also four other people they never dreamed of.
The elegant and ethereal Miss Shangguan Yuqi, dressed in pristine white, arrived today without her Ice Bamboo Sword, standing alone to one side.
Pei Yu, with his hair bound in a golden crown and dressed in fiery red, was not as arrogant as before. He simply bowed to the two instructors and then stood down at Shangguan Yuqi's shoulder.
Xiao Chang'an, dressed in a blue robe and exuding an otherworldly air, did not bring his signature purple bamboo flute or Heavenly Secret Token today. Instead, he came empty-handed and intentionally or unintentionally distanced himself from Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu, standing in front of a screen on the other side.
Among the four, only General Fan Liancheng, dressed in black armor, still wore a bronze mask. She didn't seem to care and just stood beside Xiao Chang'an.
In short, they are the four brightest new stars in the palace today. The four Flying Phoenix Guards of this generation, "White Feather", "Vermilion Phoenix", "Azure Hawk" and "Black Eagle", have all come to serve under the orders of Junior Tutor Gu Yi.
Even A Qiu never expected that the four people Gu Yi promised to give to Sun Neiren so early on were actually these four people.
They are not only renowned young masters of the new generation, but the combined power of their respective families and sects is enough to overthrow an entire dynasty.
But upon reflection, A Qiu realized she was slow to catch on. When Gu Yi had tested her on whether she could perform all the somersaults, leaps, and the backbends that resembled drumming, A Qiu confidently replied that not only she could, but all martial arts masters could, though their movements wouldn't be as refined or aesthetically pleasing.
She should have realized then that Gu Yi's preferred candidates were the Four Flying Phoenix Guards.
Who could be more qualified than them to be both martial arts masters and handsome men and beautiful women, tall and elegant?
Of the four, Xiao Chang'an and A Qiu were the closest in terms of personal relationship. But at this moment, Xiao Chang'an stood silently in front of the screen, looking like he was honestly waiting for the instructor to discipline him, without the slightest overstepping of boundaries.
Shangguan Yuqi, dressed in flowing white, spotted A Qiu at a glance and smiled, gesturing with her eyes. A Qiu returned the look, feeling a warmth in her heart.
The last time I saw Shangguan Yuqi was when she was besieged by the Thirteen Shadows near Luoyufang. Shangguan Yuqi, who was patrolling the city, arrived in time and repelled the Thirteen Shadows with her "Gentleman's Sword," saving her life. After that, she left in a hurry without asking her a single question.
She often thought that if there were chivalrous people in ancient times, they would be like Shangguan Yuqi. He didn't need to express gratitude, but acted out of a sense of duty.
Sun Neiren coughed and said with a slight tremor, "This is, is this General Fan of the Northwest Army?" She looked embarrassed and said, "General Fan may not know the rules of our dancers. Dancers must show their faces, because the art of dancing emphasizes that 'the performance of a person lies in their face.' If one does not show their face, it would be too impolite to the audience."
Even Lady Sun, deep within the palace, had heard of the renowned female warriors of the Northwest Fan family. It wasn't that she disrespected the traditions of the Fan family's female warriors; it was simply that the performance on stage was paramount, and the arts had their own rules. To go on stage without removing one's mask was to lack even the most basic sincerity in communicating with the audience, something the music bureau had never done before, and she dared not break the rule.
Fan Liancheng paused slightly, then said in an extremely stiff tone, "Then I won't act." He then turned to leave.
If she wants to leave, no one can stop her. Even if Gu Yi were here in person, he couldn't force her to take off her mask.
The masks worn by the female warriors of the Fan family are tokens passed down through generations, and also proof of their vow never to marry. The current Marquis of Yongding, Fan Ying, also wore the black eagle mask at the age of thirteen, vowing never to marry, before becoming the adopted heir of the Fan family and the successor of the previous Marquis of Yongding.
Among the Four Flying Phoenix Guards, Shangguan Yuqi was the head. Seeing that Fan Liancheng was about to leave, she immediately bowed to Lady Sun and said, "Lady, the Junior Tutor also said that time is of the essence. If General Fan leaves, it will be difficult to find a suitable replacement. There are seven of us in total. The other six have all shown their faces, and only General Fan is wearing a mask. Is that not too impolite?"
Sun Neiren solemnly said, "Miss Shangguan, what constitutes sincerity in dealing with others? A cupped fist salute shows that there is no blade in one's palm; a blood oath is made to show that there is no poison in the cup. If even the dancers performing the dance are hiding their true colors, how can one speak of enthusiasm and sincerity?"
Fan Liancheng said nothing more and turned to leave.
She had barely moved when a red shadow flashed as Pei Yu stretched out an arm to stop her, smiling slightly. "We know that the Fan family rules are paramount. But now that you've come to serve as a guard before the Emperor, you should prioritize His Majesty's wishes in all matters. General Fan, you must not act rashly."
When the vanguard of the Shuofang Army entered the city, Fan Liancheng single-handedly stopped the conflict between the Shuofang Army and the Divine Hound Camp, turning a life-or-death battle into nothing.
That appearance reaffirmed the status of the Fan family's female generals in the Dayan army, making them unparalleled and heroic figures of faith.
It is a symbol of a just and peaceful army.
But for Pei Yu, it wasn't such a pleasant memory.
Her actions at this moment were neither calculated nor a matter of settling personal scores.
She simply didn't try as hard as Shangguan Yuqi to help resolve the conflict.
Xiao Chang'an watched coldly from the sidelines, but made no move.
The Four Guards of Flying Phoenix are not dancers; none of them can be offended with frivolous words.
Since Pei Yu dared to block her way, Fan Liancheng had no reason not to retort. Beneath the bronze mask, Fan Liancheng focused her energy in her eyes, clenched her fist, and said in a calm voice that still carried a hint of childishness, "Miss Pei, we have no grudges against each other, please step aside."
Although A Qiu was unaware that Fan Liancheng was the only one among the Four Flying Phoenix Guards nominated and recommended by Gu Yi, she was anxious that the Seven Drums and Two Plates Dance could not fail. If Fan Liancheng were to leave now, the most important thing would be, as Shangguan Yuqi had said, finding a replacement immediately, and time was running out, leaving no room for error.
Without further thought, she stepped forward and addressed Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi, saying, "Regarding the matter of asking Master, A Qiu has also seen portraits of people dancing with masks in ancient times in the Yuefu Painting Book. Can our Pangu Dance be imitated?"
Sun's wife shook her head and said, "That's different. Those are shamanic dances and Nuo dances to worship the gods of heaven and earth. The dancers are priests or shamans. Wearing masks symbolizes the descent of the gods. Our dance is for entertaining people, welcoming guests, and feasting. Wearing masks would be disrespectful to the guests."
A-Qiu countered, "Isn't the 'Heavenly Palace Music and Dance' of the Kucha troupe a dance of the gods? Why then is it used at a banquet?"
Xue Hongbi quickly replied, "What they call celestial music and dance has long since become secularized. What high-ranking officials and nobles ultimately want to see is still visual and auditory entertainment. It's just that having this name makes it sound more noble. If it were truly celestial music and dance, why would it be performed in the palace!"
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