King of the Northern Qiang
A Qiu couldn't understand what they were saying in the Northern Qiang language, so Gong Yi Xiu secretly transmitted his voice to them and said, "They want to give us weak Southerners a hard time, and they also want to see if they can detain this Southern female official at the post station."
A Qiu knew that what these people said was probably even more unpleasant, and Gongyi Xiu had already tried his best to translate the better parts.
Although she concealed her face with a veil, her tall and graceful figure and elegant demeanor still revealed her extraordinary bearing. Therefore, the Northern Qiang soldiers and men had nothing good to say about her.
Ah Qiu also thought to himself, "Why are these people so unreasonable? We are currently within our country's borders. If we incite a riot, aren't they afraid of suffering losses in the short term?"
Gongyi Xiu smiled bitterly and said, "So you still think in terms of the Han people's strategy of planning before acting. Little do you know that the Northern Qiang army is used to running rampant in their territory. It is commonplace for them to bully the Han people in Chang'an and Luoyang. They are sure that our Southern Dynasty is unwilling to start a war at the moment, so they can't do anything to them. In the end, even in the capital of Northern Qiang, if they want to make things difficult for Han princes, ministers and their families, no one dares to do anything to them."
A surge of rage welled up inside A Qiu, but he remained outwardly calm and said, "I understand what you mean."
At that moment, someone came up, took Ah Qiu's horse reins, and said in broken Chinese, "Whatever you have to say, come into our camp first!"
It turned out that the post station was small, but the three thousand Northern Qiang King's troops set up camp on the outskirts of the post station.
Someone else glanced at Gongyi Xiu and Xie Tiao and said with ill intent, "Are all the men in the Southern Dynasty so fair-skinned and delicate?"
Xie Tiao, who had always lived a life of luxury and ease in the deep palace, had never seen such rude behavior before. He was already furious and was about to shout at them when A Qiu pulled the horse's head back, subtly avoiding the soldier's grab, and stood in front of Xie Tiao, saying unhurriedly, "Are you coming at me all at once, or one at a time?"
The soldiers looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then burst into laughter, saying, "What's the difference between coming at us all at once or coming at us one by one in this kind of situation?"
A Qiu pointed the whip at the first soldier who came up and said calmly, "Then, let's start with you!"
The moment she finished speaking, the air outside the entire post station seemed to freeze instantly.
Even though the group of Northern Qiang soldiers and Han soldiers were originally noisy and boisterous, they immediately fell silent for no apparent reason.
People who have been on the battlefield are particularly sensitive to one thing: the killing intent.
Everyone watched in disbelief as the soldier in front of A Qiu's horse was split in two, head and body, falling straight down. His two halves of his face still bore an expression of utter astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.
As for A Qiu's mount, its snow-white mane was spotless, without a single drop of blood on it.
A gentle breeze lifted A-Qiu's veil, causing it to flutter wildly, and A-Qiu's voice was calm and devoid of emotion: "Next, who's next?"
Even though the Northern Qiang King's army was brutal and bloodthirsty on the battlefield, they had never seen such a terrifying situation. With a swift movement of their swords, in the blink of an eye, as easily as chopping vegetables and melons, a burly man who had been full of life just moments before was cut in half.
They exchanged glances, immediately shouted, and charged forward with their weapons.
A Qiu leaped off his horse in an instant, still holding the reins in one hand, his gleaming sword flashing continuously.
No one screamed; only an utterly terrifying silence reigned. Silent killing was the specialty of assassins.
Corpses lay scattered on the ground, some with their hands and feet severed, some cut in half from the waist down, and others, like the first person, split in two. Blood flowed like a river across the ground.
The remaining group of guards who had just rushed out, upon hearing the commotion outside, stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Then, these people's legs also began to tremble uncontrollably.
Soldiers are not afraid of death, but when death comes on the battlefield, there is a tragic and heroic spirit of shared hatred for the enemy. With a surge of courage, they have no time to be afraid even if they die.
But to deal with a living Yama who stands like a ghost in front of you, and to be dismembered in the blink of an eye, would terrify anyone.
With one hand holding a sword and the other controlling the horse, A Qiu lightly stepped across the blood-soaked ground, completely disregarding the bloodstains on the soles of her exquisite pearl-embroidered shoes. She parted her lips slightly and said, "The Northern Qiang King's army is rude. I have cleared the way. Please, Your Highness and the Left Prime Minister, proceed."
Xie Tiao's face turned pale, but he kept his composure. Gongyi Xiu, unaware of his feelings, deliberately smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Grand Master of Music." He then smiled at the soldiers surrounding him, whose faces had changed drastically, and said, "We Southern Dynasty people are the most ruthless when we look delicate. In the future, please do not judge people by their appearance."
He then asked, "Can you take us to see His Highness Prince Ning now?"
Two Northern Qiang soldiers led the way, trembling as they went, with A Qiu following closely behind, casually carrying his sword and ignoring the bloodstains left behind by his feet.
Then came Gongyi Xiu and Xie Tiao's two horses, which went straight into the central courtyard.
Although A Qiu had killed many people, he had never used such cruel methods to kill and dismember before. Most martial arts sects would not teach their disciples to do this. Although Lanling Hall trained assassins, they did not do useless work. Such blatant provocation as killing to create an atmosphere of terror is not in Lanling Hall's style.
However, she was clear that if she could not act even more cruel and bloodthirsty than these Northern Qiang people, she would not be able to deter their wolfish ambitions.
The reason Gongyi Xiu didn't reveal that it was the Crown Prince himself who came was for this very reason. The other party clearly intended to be contemptuous and provocative. If he revealed the Crown Prince's name, he would only be ridiculed by these soldiers, and he would be even more humiliated. Moreover, the Crown Prince was the heir apparent of the country, and he couldn't afford to argue with such petty people.
Therefore, he deliberately did not reveal his identity, first ordering A Qiu to kill people with swift and decisive means to intimidate them, and then revealing the name of the Crown Prince, so that the Northern Qiang people would know that their calm arrival as three riders alone was both a sign of respect and fearlessness.
Moreover, the fact that the killer was A Qiu, who appeared to be the weakest among them, made the Northern Qiang people even more fearful and unable to ascertain the true strength of the Southern Dynasty.
Ah Qiu, his face still glistening with blood, entered the post station, while Gongyi Xiu and Xie Tiao followed on horseback. In the Southern Dynasties, entering the master's courtyard without dismounting or removing one's weapon would be considered extremely rude and disrespectful. If there were servants in the household, it would immediately escalate into a fight. This display of force made it seem less like a visit and more like an attempt to wipe out the entire family.
But in the face of the fierce Northern Qiang people, A Qiu's leading the way in made all his subsequent actions seem perfectly natural and reasonable. Since no one dared to stop him, it all became perfectly logical.
As soon as the group stepped across the green lawn in the courtyard, they heard a man's extremely enthusiastic and hearty laughter coming from under the corridor.
"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince. Your esteemed presence is a great honor. I, the Prince, extend my greetings."
This person speaks fluent Mandarin with a soft and magnetic voice, yet also possesses the straightforwardness characteristic of the Hu people.
When A Qiu turned her gaze, she saw a man wearing a snow-white fur cloak, with his hair in a braid and adorned with a jade ring, coming out of the corridor with a beaming smile. Two graceful maids followed closely behind him.
The man's gaze swept over her, seemingly oblivious to the sword she held and the blood still dripping from its tip. Instead, he looked at Gongyi Xiu with great enthusiasm and said with a smile, "This must be His Highness the Crown Prince. He is known as the first zither player in the Southern Dynasty after Gu Yi, the Junior Tutor. I am Hulü Guang, and I have long admired him."
This misidentification was something no one had anticipated.
In terms of appearance and demeanor, Gongyi Xiu was known as "Jade-faced Marquis Liu" in Lanling Hall. His handsome and refined appearance was as elegant as the bright moon and the solitary pine, and his lofty and otherworldly demeanor was indeed beyond the reach of Crown Prince Xie Tiao. However, what the Crown Prince was wearing today was the ochre-yellow embroidered dragon robe of the Eastern Palace, with a golden crown; its style was clearly different from the royal attire of ordinary officials.
A Qiu glanced at Gongyi Xiu again, feeling a strong urge to give him a good scolding.
It turned out that Gongyi Xiu was not in court today and was not wearing his official robes. He was still wearing his usual bright white brocade, with a pearl and silver hairpin, a white jade belt, and his usual jade-shaped fan with a hundred flowers tucked into his waist. He looked like a handsome young man in a turbid world, or a jade beauty.
Although A Qiu was not as knowledgeable about the situation in the Northern Qiang Kingdom as Gongyi Xiu, he could roughly guess one thing from Huli Guang's clothing: the Northern Qiang people regarded white as the most noble color, so Huli Guang would mistake Gongyi Xiu for a person of high status at first glance.
Gongyi Xiu reacted swiftly, immediately bowing and smiling, "Your Highness has mistaken me for someone else. The royal attire of this dynasty is mainly in shades of black, yellow, and vermilion. I am Gongyi Xiu, the Left Chancellor of the Dayan Dynasty. The person behind me is the Crown Prince whom you have long admired." He then stepped aside, making way for Xie Tiao to show the difference in rank.
Hulü Guang was also a quick-witted and adaptable person. Upon seeing the dragon pattern on Xie Tiao's body, he immediately recalled the portraits of royal figures in the ancient capital of Luoyang, who were indeed wearing similar clothing. He chuckled and said, "It seems that I was mistaken. It is true that customs differ between different countries and regions. My clan originated in the northwest and reveres white. Only nobles and royalty can use white. Therefore, my first impression was that white was the most honorable color. I was like someone who was rigidly bound by tradition and did not know to adapt to local customs."
Xie Tiao also adapted quickly and smiled, "Your Highness uses idioms very well, you are indeed a person well-versed in Chinese classics."
This interruption immediately dispelled the chilling atmosphere of Ah Qiu's open murder at the door.
Hulü Guang, beaming with joy, turned to A Qiu and asked, "And who is this young lady?"
Gongyi Xiu answered on her behalf: "This is the successor of Grand Tutor Gu Yi, the Grand Master of Music of our dynasty. She has come here on behalf of the Grand Tutor."
Huli Guang's eyes immediately lit up with admiration, and he said heavily, "I also heard in the Northern Dynasty that Master Gu Yi had taken in a female disciple who was both talented and beautiful, and whose fame spread throughout the world. So that is the young lady. What an honor to meet such a beauty."
Just listening to Prince Ning, Hulü Guang's, conversation, one would probably have to admit that even Gongyi Xiu was inferior. He truly made everyone feel at ease, and as the second most powerful man after the Great Khan, he showed no disrespect to his female disciple Aqiu, who was originally a dancer. He expressed his appreciation and respect without any lust for her beauty. Such demeanor was naturally different from the Northern Qiang King's army outside the door, and probably few people in the entire Southern Dynasty could match him.
However, A Qiu had already witnessed Xiao Yu's methods once in Huanhua City, and then again in the Golden Palace of the Southern Dynasty. She had seen his "to take, one must first give" approach a second time, and she would not be swayed in the slightest by his superficial enthusiasm and attentiveness.
She raised her hand to remove her veil, her expression remaining perfectly still, and said calmly, "Prince Ning, please forgive me. Your servants were disrespectful to the Crown Prince at the gate and uttered foul language. Several of them have been executed by my subordinates. Please forgive them."
She was no longer going to let Prince Ning get away with the matter of his soldiers being arrogant and domineering, and showing off their military power.
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