Long nights I think of you
Gu Yi seemed to know what she was thinking, and continued, "Their attitude towards you is the same as their attitude towards ordinary musicians and dancers. If something changes in the palace, all the efforts we have made will be in vain."
A Qiu felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears; she knew Gu Yi's heart.
Being on different sides naturally leads to differences in stance. But what Gu Yi, the former Flying Phoenix Four Guards, and Emperor Xie Lang strive to achieve is a world where everyone is equal and the world belongs to everyone.
Does a difference in political stance justify the unhesitating denial of the efforts made by the other side over the years to establish an ideal order?
A Qiu bit her lip and suddenly reached out a palm to press against Gu Yi's chest.
To Gu Yi's astonishment, he felt an endless stream of true energy emanating from her palm and flowing into his heart meridian.
Her true energy, perhaps because it shared the same origin as Wan Qiqing's, temporarily alleviated his injuries.
A moment later, A Qiu withdrew her palm and whispered in his ear, "This true energy can only help you pretend nothing happened when you return to Jinlingtai. I'm leaving now. You... wait for me to come find you and heal your injuries."
Her breath was soft as the wind, brushing against his ear. As Gu Yi listened, perhaps because his inner strength had recovered slightly, he felt a languid feeling all over his body, along with a long-lost and unfamiliar sense of peace.
It turns out that Gu Yi also has someone he can trust with his back.
Since he drew his sword to uphold justice, he could never show the slightest hesitation or weakness in front of anyone. Not even close friends like Xie Lang, or comrades like the Four Guards of the Flying Phoenix. It wasn't that he couldn't trust them, but that he couldn't place his burdens on them anymore, since everyone had their own responsibilities.
As A Qiu stood up, he asked, "You followed Master out, so where did he go after leaving the Jixian Hall? If Master wanted to do something, he must have a direction."
Gu Yi pondered for a moment and said, "I didn't actually follow him the whole time. Instead, I went to Jinlingtai to retrieve the Louyue Sword. When I arrived here, he was already waiting for me. It didn't seem like he had gone somewhere else by detour."
Jinshui Tower was built on the main gate tower of the imperial palace. It was magnificent and was known as the first pavilion in the Southern Dynasties imperial palace.
Following his gaze, A Qiu glanced downstairs and saw two deep wheel tracks in the square, stretching across the road and leading straight to the inner palace gate. Scattered footprints surrounded the tracks.
She frowned and said, "What kind of carriage is this? It looks huge. I've never seen such a large carriage before. Is something special entering the palace today?"
Reminded by her, Gu Yi and the two locked eyes, their expressions changing simultaneously.
"Pei Yu's white tiger cage carriage! He must have tampered with the white tiger!"
Before Gu Yi could speak again, A Qiu said decisively, "It's just a white tiger, I can handle it. You should go back now."
One after another, pure white lotus flowers, emitting a faint glow, slowly emerged from the darkness.
Its light was as bright as jade, illuminating the hunched silhouette of the white-haired woman in the center.
Two women with their hair tied in high buns sat facing each other, each bent over a spinning wheel and a loom, combing through the fine threads of yarn. The creaking of the loom beneath their feet seemed to echo from a distant past.
As the melodious and ethereal sound of the bamboo flute filled the air, the onlookers seemed to be transported into an ancient dream.
The two women were not young, and they were deliberately dressed as elderly women. Their hair was tied up in a blue cloth bun, and their backs were hunched, giving them a weathered look.
The hoarse female voice sang again, filled with a sense of vicissitude after the passing of time.
"The autumn breeze gently enters the secluded chamber, the moon shines through the silk curtains, and my heart aches with longing."
"The crickets' chirping at night breaks one's heart; through the long night, my heart soars with longing for you."
"Others yearn for each other, while you forget; for whom does the brocade quilt and jade mat bloom?"
As the long chanting sounded, Lady Sun and Xue Hongbi stood up and slowly stepped out to the left and right, flicking their sleeves as they began to dance.
Unlike the light and graceful movements of the young geisha, every step they took was heavy, as if suppressing endless emotions and desolate thoughts.
At this moment, Sun's wife was especially filled with such emotions.
"The crickets' chirping at night breaks one's heart; through the long night, my heart soars with longing for you."
"Others yearn for each other, while you forget; for whom does the brocade quilt and jade mat bloom?"
No poem could better express her unspoken, bitter love for that person, from her youth to middle age, than these few lines.
Perhaps, it would have been anyone else but Shi Changqing who met the same fate.
If a geisha is not free herself, how can she have the freedom to love someone?
Even if you can love, does the other person necessarily love you back?
Even if two people love each other and are of one mind, will the other never change their mind?
The idea that lovers will eventually get married is, in most cases, just a beautiful wish in people's hearts.
Love was once a youthful fantasy, a magnificent adventure in the prime of life. Years later, seeing it again brings only endless sorrow.
She never truly understood Shi Changqing.
And Shi Changqing, who was revered by everyone throughout his life and sat high on a pedestal, probably didn't need her understanding.
The waterwheel turned slowly, and the spinning wheel also turned slowly.
Along with the dancers' graceful steps, the clear and bright tone of the bamboo flute, and the gentle and magnetic recitation of the elderly woman.
Lotus lanterns float like dreams for a thousand years, white silk fluttering in the wind. The combined efforts of everyone in the Music Bureau have finally created an ocean of sound and color.
The sound of phoenix flutes stirred, the jade pot shone brightly, and fish and dragons suddenly danced. It was the first night of dance and music in the Southern Dynasties in nearly twenty years.
No one knew the perilous twists and turns that followed.
Many veteran officials who had served in the previous dynasty were secretly wiping away tears with their sleeves.
Most of them no longer remember Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi. It's all because in the play "White Silk" twenty years ago, although there was a stunning glimpse, no one could forget those three celestial women. But that was all. After that, the three went their separate ways, and a dynasty vanished with the passing of time, leaving the world in a state of desolation.
However, Consort Chen and Zhao Lingying explained in detail that these two middle-aged women were the two principal dancers of the White Silk Dance back then, and they were specially invited to perform in this re-creation of "White Silk" to express their feelings about the passing years and the changing times.
The veteran officials, upon hearing this, suddenly understood the profound meaning behind it. Twenty years of family and country, three thousand miles of mountains and rivers. Like white clouds drifting by, like dogs returning to their nests, like partings and reunions, all are contained within this single poem, "White Silk."
When Sun Neiren, Xue Hongbi, and the dancers and musicians of "Bai Zhu" came out to take their bows, A Qiu had already mingled among them.
Although A-Qiu was no longer present in the final scene, since she was not the protagonist of the final scene, no one noticed that she had left and then returned.
As the performers of "White Silk" bowed to Xie Lang, Consort Chen, and the Crown Prince on the dragon throne, Consort Chen herself stood up, took the hands of Consort Sun and Xue Hongbi, and smiled, saying, "Do you two still remember what I promised you?"
Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi exchanged bewildered glances. Sun Neiren was the first to react, saying, "Her Majesty once said that she would do her best to recall our old friends from Xueyang Pass."
Consort Chen smiled and led them to the other side of the seating area, saying softly, "Look, who has arrived."
Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi looked over in astonishment, and then, without prior agreement, they were first shocked, then filled with countless emotions, and finally their eyes filled with tears.
In the seating area, a robust woman with a tanned face stood up, looking at them with a broad smile. Although there was still a hint of unfamiliarity in her smile, it was mostly filled with emotion and excitement.
"You guys are amazing, you can still jump, and you can jump so well." Hu Miaorong, whose beauty had long since faded from years of exposure to the wind and sun at Xueyang Pass, smiled shyly and said, "Look at me, I can't do it at all!"
Many bygone years passed by between the three of them.
Regardless of love or hate, the scheming and rivalry among the girls eventually transformed into each other's most innocent and naive selves.
The hall was filled with countless guests and spectators, including many old ministers who had witnessed the White Silk Dance of the previous dynasty. But if asked who best remembered Hu Miaorong's radiant beauty and charm, the answer would undoubtedly be Xue Hongbi and Sun Ci.
Even Hu Miaorong's husband might not remember her stunning beauty and breathtaking dance from back then.
On stage, at the most radiant moment of her youth and beauty, even if others forget it, Xue Hongbi and Sun Ci will remember it forever.
That was their shared golden age.
Consort Chen smiled and introduced, "Instructors, this is the wife of Zhu Mao, the military advisor in the Shuofang Army, and the mother of General Huaiming. As for the others, there is no need for me, an outsider, to introduce them."
This also shows Consort Chen's understanding nature. Hu Miaorong couldn't very well introduce herself to her old friend right away, mentioning that although she had spent so many years fighting on the frontier, she was fortunate to have married a good man and had a fine son. That would inevitably sound like she was showing off.
The tall, thin, but sharp-eyed middle-aged man beside Hu Miaorong also stood up and bowed to Xue and Sun. Below his shoulder, a handsome young man of about fourteen or fifteen years old immediately straightened his back and gave the two a military salute.
Upon seeing this scene, Xue Hongbi and Sun Neiren understood that General Li Mingyuan was a loyal and devoted minister who did not covet beauty. Therefore, although it would be disrespectful to refuse the dancers bestowed by the court, he did not take Hu Miaorong as a concubine.
She eventually married Zhu Mao, one of Li Mingyuan's subordinates. Now her son has grown up and is a handsome young man. Her life can be said to be without regrets.
Xue Hongbi finally couldn't hold back and pinched Hu Miaorong's thick arm hard, saying, "I thought you had the worst fate, but I didn't expect you to be the only one among us with a chance of winning an imperial title! My apologies, my apologies!"
Having spent many years fighting on the frontier, Hu Miaorong had long since become unfamiliar with the subtle and veiled social skills she used in the palace. She was somewhat taken aback and simply chuckled, "I'm not a titled lady at all; I'm just the wife of a military man."
She glanced at Zhu Mao and her son, and said tenderly, "I am content with them. No title can compare to that."
Some of the veteran officials were already whispering among themselves: "Do you know who those two 'White Silk' instructors were that Consort Chen introduced to?"
A soldier replied, "I heard that she is the wife of the commander of the vanguard battalion of the Shuofang Army, who just entered the capital yesterday."
Upon hearing the words "Shuofang Army," most of the people fell silent.
This is because everyone knows that this is a hot potato.
Zhao Lingying crossed her arms and said with a smile, "She is not only the wife of the military advisor of Shuofang Army, but also the head of the Baizhu Dance Troupe of our previous dynasty. Although she is of low rank, she is of great importance. It was the Empress herself who issued the decree and the Marquis of Guannei who made special arrangements to send her to the capital to join us in the Baizhu Dance Troupe of our dynasty."
Everyone present looked as if they had suddenly realized something.
It turns out that this gathering, both on and off the stage, actually brought together the three previous leaders of the "White Silk" troupe.
Looking at the three of them again, although Xue Hongbi has aged, her smile and frown still reveal her extraordinary beauty, and one can still see the elegance and demeanor of the court dancers of the previous generation.
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