No more ties
A-Qiu got up, completely bewildered, and asked, "When was that?"
Sima Yan paused for a moment, as if silently counting the days, and then said, "Tomorrow."
He added, "The messenger is still on his way."
He looked at A-Qiu, his eyes shining, and said, "You accepted the decree without even asking what it was. You are indeed a good child."
This was the first time A-Qiu had seen him; his eyes gleamed with a fierce, almost predatory light. But that light contained no malice; it merely revealed his focus and ambition.
Ah Qiu thought to himself, "You're from the previous dynasty. It seems pointless for me to argue with you."
Despite his outward reluctance, he said, "If the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Besides, it is merely an imperial decree from His Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Sima Yan was instantly stunned.
His gaze slowly swept over A Qiu's eyebrows, nose, and lips, as if he wanted to meticulously and deeply depict her facial features once again in his mind.
Then, he suddenly smiled wryly and said, "You're the first person to listen to me like this."
A Qiu was taken aback.
She never imagined that this domineering emperor would say that she was the first person to listen to him.
Ah Qiu's mind was filled with thoughts of what Sima Yao had said about the first half of Sima Yan's reign.
At the beginning of his reign, few people listened to him. Whether officials or powerful families, everyone obeyed the Ministry of Personnel, headed by Shangguan Jin, the Grand Secretary.
He married Shangguan Hou, but Shangguan Hou did not listen to him and ignored him for many years.
Later, Shangguan Jin resigned, and all the important affairs of the court finally fell to him. The sycophant advances, the virtuous retreat. But now it seems that with Sima Yan's intelligence, how could he not know that sycophants and villains are even more disobedient than loyal and upright ministers? They just outwardly comply but inwardly defy, and they have their own ways of dealing with superiors, leaving him helpless.
Later, when he wanted to order Shangguan's execution, even the most loyal Grand Eunuch Rong Yu was no longer so obedient.
Everyone knew that their master was incompetent and fickle, so no one listened to him. Instead, everyone weighed their options carefully, trying to deceive or mislead as much as possible. Everyone around him was looking out for their own interests.
For some reason, A-Qiu suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
He is a lonely person.
She said softly, "I will obey Your Majesty's words and carry out your decree properly, whatever it may be."
For the first time ever, a spark suddenly ignited in Sima Yan's eyes, only to be extinguished in an instant.
It was as if that spark had never lit up.
He gripped the armrest and suddenly let out a long, melancholy sigh.
Then, with a waning expression, he said, "Child, I originally wanted to place my unfulfilled ambitions upon you. That was the fate you were meant to bear."
His next sentence was: "But you are so obedient, my ambition has suddenly been extinguished, and I no longer have the slightest attachment to any great achievements."
He looked at her, his eyes filled with endless tenderness, and sighed, "Looking at you, I realize that I have obtained what I have longed for most in my life. What more could I ask for?"
He rose from the dragon throne, regaining his composure, and said, "Whether you accept tomorrow's decree is up to you. I have no more ties to this world."
As A-Qiu watched his tall figure slowly disappear into the darkness, she suddenly felt a strange and intense sense of reluctance.
It was like a thousand, ten thousand calls and waits emanating from the very bones and blood.
Suddenly, she broke out in a cold sweat as she realized something:
Am I going to die tomorrow?
Are these deceased emperors and empresses here to take me away?
When he opened his eyes, Sima Yan's last words, which had faded into darkness, still echoed in his ears.
"Don't forget the First Emperor!"
This seems to be a reminder from fate, echoing once again.
What came into view was the faint light of daylight peeking through the window.
Those around him, including Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu, had already gotten up and were tidying up and washing themselves in an orderly manner, applying makeup in front of the mirror.
Seeing that she had woken up, Zhang Exu whispered, "Master and Uncle Xue have already gotten up and gone out to do makeup for the eldest brother of the Divine Hound Camp and the two adults. When Master saw that you were not awake, he said that you must be too tired, so he specifically told us not to wake you up until the very last moment."
Ah Qiu understood immediately. Sun's wife, who was in charge of the dance troupe, was extremely strict; oversleeping was absolutely forbidden.
But seeing that she was still asleep and hadn't woken up, Sun's wife guessed that she must have gone out last night, which was why she gave this order.
Because when she first entered the Pear Garden, she was encountered by Lady Sun, who was disguised as a ghost, while traveling at night. Therefore, Lady Sun knew that she had the ability to travel alone at night.
In the grand dances of "Shao" and "Wu", although the dancers wear masks, their makeup cannot actually be seen. However, out of respect and solemnity, the dancers must apply powder, rouge, and draw their eyebrows before going on stage, as a reminder that once they step onto the stage, what they represent is no longer themselves, but a role and an image.
Cui Luzhu and Zhang E, who were originally dancers, knew how to do their own makeup, but the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp certainly did not. Therefore, Sun and Xue got up at cockcrow, tidied themselves up first, and then went to the Divine Hound Camp to tidy them up.
A Qiu only remembered that she fell asleep next to Gu Yi last night, but she didn't know how he managed to hide from everyone and send her back to Chunhua Garden.
That's why she was able to wake up in her own bed, perfectly normal.
She immediately got up and changed into her dance costume. As she washed and dressed, she said softly, "Did anything unexpected happen last night or this morning? Or did any news come through?"
The first thing that came to her mind was the secret conversation between Hulü Guang and Princess Wansui.
I wonder if Princess Wansui did, as Huli Guang had instructed, attempt to assassinate Huli Jin last night.
Hulü Guang once said that eliminating Hulü Jin before the coronation ceremony was her last chance to make a name for herself.
If Princess Wansui succeeds, the palace will surely be in great turmoil. In fact, today's enthronement ceremony might not even need to be held.
Of course, the people in Chunhua Garden were all from the Southern Dynasty's delegation, so no matter how important the news was, it would not be sent here first.
Therefore, A-Qiu didn't have much hope; it was just a casual question.
Zhang Exu said blankly, "There was nothing unexpected! Everyone was tired from practicing all day and slept soundly until Master called them. What, did you hear some special news?"
A-Qiu was speechless and could only reply, "Of course not, I was fast asleep too."
As the three were still talking, they heard the sound of chimes ringing out three times in the courtyard, their clear and resonant notes captivating. These were instruments from the Southern Dynasties, indicating that the musicians had prepared them and were reminding everyone to gather in the courtyard to await their departure for the sacrificial ceremony.
A Qiu immediately checked his bed again to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, then pressed the "Assassination of Qin" to the inside of his forearm and calmly walked out of the room.
All personnel in the courtyard have arrived and are arranged in formation according to the Eight-Row Dance.
At a glance, A-Qiu noticed something was amiss:
When they first arrived at Chunhua Garden, there were sixty-three of them. At that time, Xiao Chang'an's reason to Hulü Guang was that there was still a dancer recuperating at the Xiao residence.
Last night, A Qiu asked Gu Yi if he was the last one, but Gu Yi shook his head and denied it.
But at this moment, arranged in a square formation of 64 people, it is easy to see that the first row is empty, with three people left out, which is reserved for A Qiu, Zhang E Xu, and Cui Lu Zhu.
That is, all 64 people are in place.
The nameless, mysterious assassin, whose origins were unknown, had already infiltrated the formation.
However, because everyone was wearing masks, dressed identically, and had a uniform height and demeanor, it was impossible to distinguish between men and women without close inspection.
A Qiu felt a cold sweat break out in her chest, remembering Gu Yi's golden rule of "avoid taking action if possible," and boarded the car with everyone else.
She had made thorough preparations in her mind.
This dance troupe already has two experts, Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an. If they add the mysterious assassin and the fifty-six Divine Hound Camp soldiers, they will have a great chance to assassinate Huli Jin if they can get within ten feet of him.
When the time comes, she will do her best to protect Sun Neiren, Xue Hongbi, Zhang Exu, and Cui Luzhu.
The four of them were the only four people in the delegation who did not know martial arts, yet they served as cover for everyone else.
Only by using the name of the Southern Dynasties' Music Bureau could this group successfully infiltrate the sacrificial ceremony of the new Wei Dynasty.
At the beginning of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, Huli Jin would always be the chief officiant, initiating the ceremony to Heaven and Earth and reciting the ritual text. His position would always be the closest to the center of the altar.
Then their delegation presented the ancient dances "Shao" and "Wu," which sang praises of the reign of the former kings.
Hulijin, as the chief priest, would not leave the altar until the dance ceremony ended. That would be the perfect opportunity to assassinate him.
She will blend into the crowd, adapt to the situation, and provide support and cover as needed.
It's just unknown whether Hulü Jin will be able to make it to the event today.
Led by eunuchs, they ascended the high platform in front of Deyang Hall. From afar, they could see a crowd of people lined up neatly, all civil and military officials dressed in court attire and in their proper places.
Before entering the high platform, a body search and inspection were mandatory. Before A Qiu was Zhang E Xu.
On Zhang E's hair bun, there was still that poisoned pearl hairpin.
Perhaps because they were not familiar with the hairpins and jewelry of Han Chinese women, and the pearl was not particularly eye-catching, not a round or large one, the soldiers who were searching her only glanced at it before letting her pass.
When it was A-Qiu's turn, the soldiers struck her body with their long swords in the same way. If she was hiding a weapon, there would be a metallic clanging sound.
A Qiu was prepared. He used his hidden strength to circulate throughout his body, causing the sword to slide down to his armpit as he raised and lowered his hand, and then slide down to his elbow as he lowered his hand, cleverly avoiding the strike of the long sword.
For her, assassinating the Qin emperor was almost an extension of her physical senses; it was attached to her body, could be moved at will, and could deceive anyone's eyes.
As soon as he stepped onto the high platform, A Qiu heard a thunderous drumbeat that continued endlessly, shaking the earth.
She looked in surprise toward the altar, for the sound of drums was coming from there.
Upon seeing it, she was almost dumbfounded.
At least a thousand fully armored soldiers in white robes, representing the Northern Qiang army, had already entered the plaza surrounding the altar with imposing grandeur.
Everyone present looked strong and powerful, holding weapons, and they were lined up in front of the altar.
Meanwhile, led by the imperial retinue, the newly appointed emperor, wearing a twelve-tassel crown and a dragon robe, entered the altar from the side.
The drumbeats rose like a torrential downpour, one after another, as if urging them on, or as if they were gathering momentum.
He heard Xiao Chang'an's voice coming from somewhere, strained and furious.
"The original ceremony program has been changed. The first event is the traditional music of the Northern Qiang people - the grand dance of a thousand-person military formation called 'Breaking the Formation Music'."
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