Master-disciple relationship
Xiao Chang'an retorted angrily, "She will like it! Since I like her, I will naturally do everything in my power to make her like me, and I will never give her the chance to like someone else!"
He took a step back, picked up the bamboo flute, and pointed it at Gu Yi's nose, saying, "Stay away from her from now on!"
Without looking back, he rushed straight into the cabin.
The three Qingfeng needles that had fallen to the ground glowed faintly.
A junior master charioteer freed his hand, picked up one of the weapons, examined it, and said, "It is indeed a hidden weapon of the Lanling Xiao Clan. However, even the poison that was originally coated on it has been carefully removed."
Another junior master charioteer shook his head and said, "This threat is far too insincere."
The last junior master said, "In my humble opinion, the junior master should not be afraid of him."
Gu Yi's usually composed face was now somewhat distorted.
Is this a matter of being afraid or not?
However, if he doesn't give a clear and concise explanation, Xiao Chang'an will probably have to avoid him all the way.
Moreover, this is a problem that even he himself cannot explain to himself.
He thought for a long time before finally managing to speak, saying to the cabin, "I can't ignore her forever. Because she once called me 'Master' when she was little."
Xiao Chang'an's face softened considerably as he peered out of the cabin window, and he said with a hint of disbelief, "Is that so?"
The three junior charioteers lowered their eyelids in unison, silently concealing their disappointment in their master.
As A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi entered the inner palace from the outer court, they saw two familiar figures craning their necks to look out from the palace gate.
The figures, one tall and one short, were her dance troupe companions, Zhang Exu and Cui Lüzhu.
Shangguan Yuqi cupped his hands and said, "I need to go back to report to His Majesty. Dian Le is free to do as he pleases."
A Qiu returned the greeting, saying, "I hope to have the opportunity to work with Miss again." But her words were not mere formality. What was most precious about Shangguan Yuqi was not her beauty, but rather her otherworldly grace, like that of a reclusive knight-errant, a transcendent quality that made one feel refreshed and awe-inspiring even after spending just a moment in her presence.
Besides that, she always felt a special kind of closeness to Shangguan Yuqi.
Shangguan Yuqi smiled and said, "I also look forward to the opportunity to see Dian Le again." Then she left gracefully, heading towards the East Palace.
She came like a floating cloud and left like a flying goose, free and unrestrained, without any pretense. However, this woman of such ethereal beauty is now bound by an official decree and is a member of the imperial court.
When Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu saw Aqiu approaching, they hurriedly said, "We've been waiting for you for most of the day! Huang Chaoan wants to transfer Consort Sun out of the palace to assist in the banquet. Consort Sun has agreed, but she insists on seeing you first before she'll go!"
A Qiu was shocked to hear this. Musicians in the Imperial Music Bureau were also obligated to attend banquets held by officials outside the palace, a duty always held by the Music Master. However, Lady Sun was middle-aged, well past the age for such duties. She was no ordinary musician, but the head instructor of the dance troupe. Recently, her dance, "White Silk," had garnered the attention of the Emperor and Consort Chen; there was no way she would be chosen to attend banquets.
In the past, Huang Chaoan had repeatedly offered dancers from the dance troupe to military officers, resulting in their bodies being lost forever. To date, seven lives have been lost.
It wasn't until Sun Neiren was promoted to head instructor of the dance department and used all her skills to withstand Huang Chao'an's pressure that the dance department finally had some peace and quiet for the next six months.
However, when A Qiu first entered the palace to participate in the music bureau selection test, Huang Chao'an took a liking to A Qiu's beauty at first sight. Later, he repeatedly came to the dance department to ask for her, and it was Sun Neiren who tried her best to stop him.
Thinking of Huang Chaoan's pale, gloomy face and his deep, venomous eyes, A Qiu felt that this man had been spying on her in the music hall for a long time, and that his sudden visit to seduce Sun Neiren after the Bai Zhu dance performance was definitely not well-intentioned.
She quickened her pace and asked, "Where is Lady Sun now?"
Zhang E replied, "I'll be waiting for you at the Temple of Music!"
Ah Qiu entered the Temple of Music Gods in Tangli Garden alone. Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu stayed outside, because Sun Neiren had instructed that only Ah Qiu needed to enter, and no one else needed to go in.
The first thing A Qiu saw upon entering the temple was the slender back of Lady Sun, whose white hair was piled high in a bun.
She was offering incense. The rising smoke made the statue behind the curtain appear and disappear, adding to its otherworldly mystery and transcendence.
Ah Qiu couldn't help but think that over the years, perhaps only Sun Neiren had come here with a sincere heart to make offerings.
In other words, during those turbulent years when the Music Bureau was in disarray and the palace was rife with war and human calamities, this temple actually existed solely for Lady Sun.
If there was ever a candle on the altar, it was the light of her heart, the faith she held when she prayed to the ancestors of the Yuefu (Music Bureau) era.
A lamp, a pavilion, a person. The way of music and dance blossoms in prosperous times, and withers in chaotic times, yet it has always been able to continue its lineage.
Hearing her footsteps approach, Sun Neiren did not turn around, but instead looked up at the statue and said softly, "You've come."
A Qiu bowed slightly.
She glanced at the incense burner on the altar, but the two red candles beside it lay unlit to one side. She then remembered what Lady Sun had once said: if she wanted to see Zhongli Wuyan for help, she should light both the incense and the candles.
For the twenty years of her life, Lady Sun would often come to the Temple of Music and Incense simply to light incense, face the deities, and quietly contemplate her own thoughts.
This time, I imagine the same feelings apply.
Ah Qiu turned to the side to block Sun's view, picked up the candles, lit them one by one, and placed them on the candlestick.
If Ah Qiu was still blocking Sun Neiren's view when he made his move, then once the two red candles were lit, it was impossible for Sun Neiren not to see them.
But Sun's wife saw it all, yet she didn't stop her.
She simply sighed softly and said, "You are the smartest person I have ever met in the Music Bureau, and before you, there was Shi Changqing."
A Qiu had come for Huang Chao'an's sake, and was currently preoccupied with how to deal with the matter. Upon suddenly hearing Shi Changqing's name, she was momentarily taken aback.
She knew that Shi Changqing was the most outstanding musician of his generation, a figure revered by all musicians. She also knew how important he was to her.
If she hadn't entered the Music Bureau as Shi Changqing's daughter, Lady Sun wouldn't have made up her mind to completely break ties with Huang Chaoan to protect her, and would have made it clear that she would never hand over any of the dancers in the dance troupe.
Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this point, where they've brought trouble upon themselves.
She just didn't understand why, at this moment, Sun's wife would suddenly mention Shi Changqing to her.
She stepped forward and said, "My lady, does Huang Chaoan intend to take you away immediately?"
Sun Neiren said quietly, "I'm not afraid of Huang Chao'an. I just want to know, why did you leave halfway through the White Silk Dance that day and chase after Shi Changqing?"
A Qiu asked in surprise, "I chased after Shi Changqing?"
At that time, Master Wanqiqing was among the musicians, providing flute music for "White Silk". However, later, for some unknown reason, Master Wanqiqing showed signs of demonic possession. Only after she, Gu Yi, and Senior Zhongli joined forces to suppress her did Master Wanqiqing give up and leave the scene.
She was clearly following her master, Wan Qiqing, the head of the All-Knowing Assassins.
But at this moment, a flash of inspiration struck A-Qiu, and a series of images strung together in his mind:
The eldest brother, Gongyi Xiu, possessed a jade flute that was passed down from his master. It was the flute of Marquis Liu and was extremely famous in the martial arts world.
Every year on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the disciples would hear the faint sound of the flute outside the Songxue Hall where their master lived. The sound was lonely and plaintive, as if the flute was being played, or as if the moon was shining alone on the vast ocean after a hundred years.
Before she left for the palace, her master took out a Qiang flute wrapped in a yellow brocade pouch from the dust-covered scrolls and gave it to her. His handsome and perfect face showed a silent sadness.
“You are the daughter of the Shi family, and this ‘double wings’ can serve as proof.”
He was skilled in both the Qiang flute and the Southern xiao. Who else, besides the renowned Yuefu master Shi Changqing, was once the foremost Qiang flute player of the Southern Dynasties?
A-Qiu suddenly realized something that had been so obvious it couldn't be more obvious.
Master Wanqiqing is none other than Shi Changqing, the White-Robed Flute King who once amazed the entire Great Huan Dynasty.
He was also the original composer of the "Midnight Song" and "White Silk Dance" from the previous dynasty.
In her prime, Sun Neiren had looked up to countless times the musician and singer who seemed like a celestial being descended to earth and walked at the pinnacle of a peaceful and prosperous era. This was her master, Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall, whose talent and strategies were astonishing throughout the north and south, and whose martial arts were also those of a grandmaster of the world.
With colorful sleeves, she diligently held up the jade cup, her face flushed with intoxication back then.
Did Master know that the cup of wine he accepted on the Yan Ge Terrace back then would eventually become the final opportunity for a lowly musician in the Music Bureau to risk her life for her disciple, A Qiu?
But deep down, A-Qiu knew with immense regret that his master would never know.
Throughout his life, his master would gaze at the sky in the morning and watch the clouds drift by in the evening, wandering the world freely and without fixed abode. Sometimes he would reside in the palace, sometimes he would live a secluded life in the world, and sometimes he would enter the world and pluck the strings to stir up the winds and clouds. She did not remember ever seeing anyone's shadow in his eyes.
They came with empty words and left without a trace; the moon slants as the fifth watch bell tolls from the tower.
My dreams are filled with the pain of parting, and I cannot call back my beloved; the book is hastily written, but the ink is not yet thick.
Wax illuminates half a cage of golden jade, while musk faintly scents the embroidered hibiscus.
Liu Lang already lamented the distance to Penglai Mountain, now separated by ten thousand more Penglai Mountains.
Among the young girls dressed in golden robes and singing with clappers, the master's figure had already been gilded and inlaid, becoming the most splendid scene of the prosperous Great Huan Dynasty.
Having won the hearts of so many women and experienced so much music and dance, the master remained oblivious to all of this and chose to remain alone for life.
In the way her master gazed at her, there had once been a heartbreakingly deep affection:
"If you were Shi Changqing's daughter, he would be extremely happy."
Master, you must have had people you cared about, right?
A Qiu did not answer Sun's question. But Sun answered the question that was on her mind.
"Of course there is. From the first time I heard him play the flute, I knew it. He played the flute for someone."
At that time, Shi Changqing's flute playing was tender and lingering, filled with a deep and intense affection.
But now, only Sun's wife remembers it.
Of the countless young women Shi Changqing once captivated, Hu Miaorong married far away to Xueyang Pass and is now a wife and mother. Xue Hongbi became a favored concubine in the Pei family, and when she went on stage again, she couldn't even recognize that the musician playing the flute was Shi Changqing.
Lady Sun smiled and said, "Now that I think about it, given his wandering nature, the fact that he was willing to stay in the palace back then was probably for someone."
A-Qiu asked with difficulty, "How did my wife find out?"
She never imagined that anyone in this world could have a deeper understanding of their master than the three of them, his disciples.
Sun's wife shook her head and smiled bitterly, "You child, although you skipped 'White Silk,' you still don't understand what love is."
He added, "Can't you understand the emotions in his music? Don't you know why he was so distraught that his flute playing became possessed?"
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