No need to ask more questions
Another dancer asked timidly, "Then... General Pei, will you escort us yourself?"
Because Pei Yu was a woman, the dancers trusted her more.
Even Xue Hongbi was taken aback by the question, and then she and Sun Neiren exchanged a wry smile.
Pei Yu now commands the entire Jianzhang Army, making her arguably the second most important figure after Gu Yi. How could her affairs possibly be known to Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi?
Upon hearing this, A Qiu finally lost her patience, pushed open the door and rushed in, declaring resolutely, "If General Pei won't go, I'll go with you."
Her sudden entrance left everyone in the dormitory, including the two instructors, Sun and Xue, dumbfounded. Their next reaction was a mixture of surprise and joy, and they cheered.
Even Cui Luzhu, who had been sitting on the ground with a dazed look in her eyes, suddenly brightened up and called out, "Ah Qiu!"
She struggled to her feet and reached out to hug A-Qiu, but stopped timidly just as her hand was about to touch him. Instead, she changed to a kneeling posture and said, "...Greetings, Lord Si Le."
Of all the dancers, Cui Luzhu was the most quick-witted and knowledgeable. Therefore, she was also the most aware of the vast difference in status between Ah Qiu and the others.
This is why she was the first to choose suicide. Because the more you know, the greater the pressure.
Hearing her address him that way, A-Qiu was taken aback, and her face immediately became unnatural.
The reason is simple: she is no longer the powerful and influential Grand Master of Music she once was. Although the court has not explicitly stripped her of her title and position, it is an open secret.
Seeing Cui Luzhu's reaction, the other dancers followed suit. Some quickly got up from their beds, while others who were standing immediately knelt down. Instantly, apart from Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi, everyone in the bedroom was kneeling on the floor.
Xue Hongbi was stunned for a moment, then lifted her skirt, intending to kneel down as well, but was pulled up by A Qiu.
A-Qiu first helped her up, preventing her from kneeling, and then pulled Cui Luzhu up, hugging her tightly and saying loudly, "If there is no Grand Musician here in the future, and only dancers like you, A-Qiu, will you despise us?"
Zhang E'xu immediately exclaimed, "Of course, we'd love to have you! Ah Qiu, with you here, we won't feel anxious anywhere we go!"
Upon hearing this, everyone beamed with joy. The gloomy and dejected atmosphere in the dormitory was instantly swept away, replaced by a lively and energetic atmosphere.
Because in the hearts of everyone here, Ah Qiu is the embodiment of faith and hope. With her around, they will succeed no matter what they do.
She led them in their struggle against the oppression of Yue Zheng, and together they were imprisoned in the Imperial Prison of Lady Pei and Mu Huaying. They had shared life and death, and even in the most hopeless situations, they felt that even if they died, their lives would not have been in vain because of their deep affection for each other.
Her return was like a ray of light in the darkness, making them feel that even going to the Northern Qiang, even going to their deaths, was not so terrible.
The crowd surrounded her, chattering about her recent situation and curious about her experiences these past few days.
A Qiu recounted what she could say, including how she had wreaked havoc at the entrance of the post station, intimidating the Northern Qiang army brought by Hulü Guang, and how she had reduced Hulü Guang's sixteen Yan Yun riders to a single man. The dancers listened with complete conviction, their eyes sparkling.
A Qiu had once stopped Mu Huaying from assassinating Li Chongyu in front of the palace. The skill she displayed at that time had already amazed the dancers, something they had never even imagined. Now, hearing A Qiu recount these thrilling events in person, they couldn't help but feel that the Northern Qiang people weren't so terrifying after all. A Qiu could cut off their heads as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.
Aqiu said in the end, "Don't worry! Even if we surrender to the Northern Qiang, we will build a country where everyone is equal and there is no more oppression from the Hu and Han people. We will never allow ourselves to be slaughtered and oppressed by the Northern Qiang like cattle and sheep. If that happens, we would rather die in battle! The Grand Tutor must have thought the same way, which is why he made the decision to send you north to perform the dance."
She added, “Culture is also a war without gunpowder. If we can bring the ‘Shao’ and ‘Wu’ music to the court of the Northern Qiang and let them see what true civilized governance is, regardless of whether they will really change, the seeds of civilization will surely take root and sprout once they are planted. And this is what we, as musicians and dancers, should do.”
Sun's wife, who had been silent until now, added succinctly: "...regardless of the dynasty, whether in times of peace or war."
A Qiu looked at Sun Neiren and said tacitly, "Whether under oppression or praised to the highest level, what dancers must do has never changed. In a different environment, in a different place, or even in life or death, we only need to dance our own dance well. The rest will be done by others."
At that moment, she made a firm decision in her heart.
The rest of the work, which is to protect their safety, will be done by her.
Hearing her say this, her tone firm and resolute, the geishas finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ah Qiu looked directly at everyone and said, "But there is one more thing I need to ask of you all. Please keep my presence here a secret for now and do not let anyone outside of us know about it."
Zhang Exu asked, puzzled, "Why is that? We are dancers, and you are the chief musician in charge of us. It's not something shameful for you to be with us!"
He paused, then added, "Even if you take us north with you, it would be perfectly legitimate, wouldn't it?"
Everyone turned their questioning gazes toward A Qiu.
A-Qiu was still struggling to come up with a reason.
Her infiltration of the geisha troupe and her journey north with the delegation had to be a top secret. However, she had considered from the beginning that even if she could keep it from the members of the delegation and the escorting guards, she could never hide it from the geisha she would be spending every day with, and she would need their cover when necessary. Therefore, she did not intend to keep it from them.
But as Zhang Exu said, they would find it strange: since the Grand Master of Music was going with them, it was not against the rules, so why did they need to make special makeup and disguise themselves?
But A Qiu could not tell them that her hiding among them was not at the behest of the court, and that she was no longer the favored Grand Master of Music, but a banished pawn of the Jianzhang Palace.
At this moment, Sun's wife coughed lightly and then said, "A Qiu naturally has her reasons. You don't need to ask any more questions. Just keep it a secret as she said."
A-Qiu was deeply moved that this strict teacher would unconditionally support her at this time.
Cui Luzhu said worriedly, "Even if we are willing to keep it a secret, there's no way to keep it a secret! Everyone recognizes her face. As soon as they see an envoy, even if it's someone from the Divine Hound Camp, they'll recognize her, won't they?"
Ah Qiu hadn't expected that this was what she was worried about, and said with relief, "I will change my appearance at that time, so I won't be recognized by acquaintances. Don't worry."
He added, "I am lying in ambush among you so that I can protect you in time if anything unexpected happens. If I cannot be with you, I fear I will not be able to know your situation in time."
This explanation at least somewhat justified her insistence on hiding among them.
The geisha no longer had any doubts and nodded in agreement.
Indeed, this was the case. The imperial court did have accompanying soldiers and envoys, but if they entered the territory of the Northern Qiang, the Northern Qiang soldiers would know that this group was a group of musicians and dancers from the Southern Dynasty. If they attacked and harassed them alone, it would probably be too late to save them.
Seeing that the dancers had nothing more to say, Sun Neiren said, "A Qiu will go with you, so you can finally sleep peacefully!" She then said to Xue Hongbi, "Hongbi, watch them sleep and don't make any more noise." Then she said to A Qiu, "Come with me."
A-Qiu followed Sun's wife to her own bedroom, which was separated by a stream.
The bedroom was extremely small, and Xue Hongbi lived next door. A Qiu had been here a few times before, and the table, chairs, and bed were exactly the same as before, giving her a sense of familiarity that felt like a lifetime ago.
She still remembers herself at that time, sitting by the bedside of her exhausted wife, listening to her rambling about the past half of her life.
Even if she wasn't really Shi Changqing's daughter.
At this moment, he had completely broken ties with his master, Wan Qiqing, who had once walked through the palace under the name Shi Changqing and caused his wife, Sun, to have a lifelong grudge against him.
Of course, these things are no longer worth telling my wife.
After leading A-Qiu in, Sun's wife remained silent, made no polite gestures, and did not even invite her to sit down.
She stood silently by the window, seemingly gazing at the lights of the geisha's quarters across the river.
A-Qiu sensed the heavy atmosphere and her heart tightened.
For some reason, she had three masters in total. The one she feared the most was actually Lady Sun, who had the lowest social status and taught her for the shortest time.
She felt both dependence on and longing for Gu Yi.
He respected Wan Qiqing but kept his distance, not fear him.
Wan Qiqing himself was a free-spirited and humorous person.
But only Sun Neiren truly deserves the title of "strict teacher".
Unlike her two predecessors, she did not possess the power to change the world. Therefore, the weight of time and power relentlessly crushed her body, but she single-handedly upheld her mission as the torchbearer of the Music Bureau.
Whenever she faced Consort Sun, she felt as if she had returned to the past, to the girl who had sneaked into the palace and knew nothing about dancing.
The scene of her holding a bamboo stick and teaching her "not to curry favor with the powerful" under the moonlight is still vivid in my mind.
The image of her defying Huang Chaoan to protect her, refusing to yield even to the death, also came to mind.
Now, seeing her standing silently with her back to him, not uttering a single word, A Qiu knew very well that Sun's wife was troubled and worried about her again.
But she knew in her heart that the responsibilities and tasks that A-Qiu was now shouldering were far beyond the imagination of an old teacher who had spent half her life only knowing music and dance.
Therefore, she didn't know whether she should ask, nor did she know whether she could still protect and help A-Qiu, an ordinary geisha, as she had done before.
A Qiu's eyes stung with tears. With a thud, she knelt heavily on the ground and said, "This unworthy disciple has come to cause trouble for Master."
Sun's wife did not turn around, but sighed, "Don't say anything that would cause trouble. You can see our situation here. With you here, we feel much more at ease."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu knew that Lady Sun must have overheard some snippets about her and that she was no longer the once-famous Lady Si Yue.
That's why there's the saying, "With you here, we feel much more at ease."
It was to comfort her and conceal the guilt of a court outcast like her. Her wife, Sun, could still bear that responsibility, and she also hoped that A-Qiu would stay with them. This was the truth.
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