Princess Long Live
Ah Qiu stammered, "That's because... it was entrusted to me by the young master."
She had witnessed everything Gu Yi had done. She had seen the rise and fall, the struggles and triumphs of the Music Bureau.
She could not stand idly by and watch tragedy unfold and the world descend into chaos.
An Daoling calmly took her hand, placed the Heavenly Secret Token in her palm, and said, "Then you are someone I can entrust with this task."
A Qiu finally understood why An Daoling looked at her with such intense eyes. It was because she had done something that the Four Stars of Heavenly Secrets considered trustworthy, and in their eyes, it was an act of righteousness, the act of a chivalrous person.
It's understandable that she tried her best to help with the White Silk Dance, since she had feelings for everyone in the Music Bureau and was originally the protagonist of the dance.
But she could choose not to save the Crown Prince. If she didn't, no one could blame her, not even Gu Yi. There were so many experts present; no one could blame a dancer, or even the assassin from Lanling Hall, for refusing to help.
Looking at the Heavenly Secret Token, a surge of emotion welled up within A Qiu, and she almost blurted out, "Lord An, as you surely know, I am..."
Before she could finish speaking, An Daoling's purple bamboo flute touched her lips.
An Daoling gestured to his lips with one hand to indicate silence, and smiled, "Until the very end, you won't know who you really are, Shi Wanqiu!"
He emphasized the last four words.
A sense of bewilderment welled up in A Qiu's heart.
She fought with Sikong Zhao on the top of Xianyang Palace that night, and Sikong Zhao had already seen through her identity. So An Daoling should have guessed that she was the Divine Weapon Master of Lanling Hall and the chief assassin on the Immortal Ranking, "Jing Ke".
Even Zhongli Wuyan may have already guessed who she is.
But they didn't make things difficult for her at all. Was it just because of Gu Yi?
Shi Wanqiu is obviously a fake. Her surname is not Shi, and her name does not contain the character "Wan".
If her surname isn't Shi, what should it be?
An Daoling smiled apologetically and said, "Your position is small but you have a lot of things to do. I'm really sorry, but on your first day in office, you already have a thorny matter to handle."
Since the music and dance troupe still falls under the jurisdiction of Chenghua Ling, there's really no need for An Daoling to be so polite when asking her to do things. Besides, he just gave her a Heavenly Secret Token whose value is beyond measure, even if it were worth a thousand gold pieces.
An Daoling was a veteran eunuch who served two dynasties. If he said the word "tricky," it must really be difficult to handle.
A-Qiu hurriedly bowed and said, "Lord An, please give your orders, and A-Qiu will obey without question."
An Daoling turned around and looked at a diagram of the administrative structure of the Music Bureau drawn on yellow silk on the wall, and said, "A Qiu, do you know how many Music Bureaus there are now? How many were there in the previous dynasty?"
A Qiu glanced at the wall and answered fluently: "The previous dynasty's Music Bureau was divided into ten categories according to music: Qing Shang, Kucha, Goryeo, Xiliang, Kangguo, Shule, Anguo, Wenkang, Tianzhu, and Gaochang. However, the current dynasty's Music Bureau is only divided into three categories: sitting, standing, and dancing."
Before she entered the palace, her master had explained to her in detail the history and organization of the Music Bureau. His eloquent and detailed explanations made it seem as if he had lived in the palace and witnessed it firsthand.
The first ten musical groups were divided according to ethnicity, and each group had its own dancers and musicians.
The current three divisions are based on the professions they practice, and the number of people is far smaller than in previous generations. For example, the dancers in the dance division only learn Qing Shang music and dance. If there is a Hu (non-Han) repertoire that needs to be performed, the dancers can temporarily learn to dance Hu dance. However, since people's energy is limited, and the details and movements of different dances are different, they can only roughly imitate them and cannot grasp their essence.
An Daoling showed an expression of appreciation and said, "Then do you know why the previous dynasty had ten tribes, but now there are only three left?"
A Qiu blinked and said, "The previous dynasty was well-governed for a long time, and was prosperous and thriving. People from afar came to submit to it. Some of these music troupes were presented by the Western Regions countries, and some were spoils of war obtained by the army in conquering other countries. They were left in the palace and accumulated, passed down and exchanged over generations, so there are as many as ten troupes."
She thought for a moment and continued, "At the turn of the two dynasties, music and dance were almost completely lost. Since the current dynasty has been established for a relatively short time, the court has not had the energy to take care of the Music Bureau. Therefore, only three Music Bureaus have survived."
An Daoling said leisurely, "From this, we can see that the prosperity of music and dance is closely related to the strength of the country. The stronger the country, the more variety of music and dance will be obtained as a result of conquest, tribute, or ethnic exchanges."
"When a nation is weak, even the survival of its own folk music and dance is difficult."
A Qiu wondered why An Daoling would express such sentiments while looking at the outline of the Music Bureau at this moment. Perhaps it was because the situation of Marquis Li Chongyu leading his troops south was so pressing that even An Daoling, who was living in seclusion in the Music Bureau, felt uneasy, fearing that it was a harbinger of another war?
A Qiu couldn't help but interject, "I heard that the Junior Tutor and Xiao... oh no, Young Master Xiao have gone to persuade the Marquis of Guannei to mobilize his troops north of the Yangtze River."
An Daoling's solemn expression softened slightly as he chuckled, "Little Xiao? That's a fitting way to address him." He then sighed, "I hope the Young Master will achieve his goal soon!"
He said seriously again, "The matter I'm entrusting to you is related to this. Do you know what the three thousand Shuofang soldiers who entered the capital, supposedly escorting the envoys who came first with tribute, are bringing?"
A Qiu couldn't help but recall Hu Miaorong, the wife of the Shuofang Army's military advisor, who sat at the palace banquet with Consort Sun and Xue Hongbi. She shook her head and said, "I am of low rank and have no way of knowing such important matters."
In fact, not only was she, a mere dancer, unaware of this, but even the Grand Commander Sikong Zhao, who personally went to escort the Shuofang army into the city, was unaware. This was because although the Shuofang army was small in number, its formation was well-organized, and there were no baggage, supplies, or ceremonial carriages among them. There was only one large carriage, which stood out among the cavalry.
An Daoling said in a low voice, "The tribute they brought was a troupe of twenty-four female musicians from Kucha."
Using music and dance as gifts in state exchanges has been a tradition in the Central Plains since ancient times. The emperor would also bestow complete sets of ritual music upon virtuous feudal lords to show his favor and spread their virtuous reputation.
However, if such a troupe of female musicians existed, it should have been presented at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. This would allow the officials to witness exotic customs and demonstrate the inclusiveness of a great nation, showcasing the grandeur of a foreign envoy paying tribute. Li Chongyu's decision to send this delegation to the capital first likely stemmed from this consideration.
An Daoling smiled wryly and said, "His Majesty simply left the man at the post station and refused to let him enter the palace. He also said that a state banquet would be held when the Marquis of Guannei arrived in the capital, so that the emperor and his ministers could enjoy the feast together and all the civil and military officials could have fun."
A Qiu understood. She secretly sighed that Xie Langzhi was not ambitious for great achievements and did not lust after women, making him a wise ruler among those who restored the dynasty.
In reality, Xie Lang knew that Commander-in-Chief Sikong Zhao had been seriously injured during the process of welcoming the Shuofang army into the city, and he had no intention of dealing with the foreign beauties' song and dance with their unpredictable intentions.
However, it wouldn't be appropriate to leave the music and dance performances, which Li Chongyu had specially presented as a tribute, unattended. Therefore, he used the excuse of wanting to enjoy them with all the civil and military officials to keep them in the post station indefinitely.
An Daoling sighed, "However, we do not know when the Marquis of Guannei will arrive, and keeping him in the post station indefinitely is not a long-term solution."
A-Qiu asked, "In my humble opinion, what's wrong with letting a group of foreign musicians and dancers stay for six months or three months at a time, practicing their skills whenever they want, without depriving them of food or clothing, or mistreating them?"
An Daoling gazed at the silk painting on the wall and said, “If that’s the case, it’s simple. But among them, the leader is a woman who calls herself ‘Princess Long Live’. She claims to be the princess of Kucha, who came because she admires the culture of the Central Plains. She is sincere and willing to offer the most exquisite music and dance of her tribe. However, our emperor has made various excuses to not see them and has placed them under house arrest in the post station. This is not the way to treat guests, and it is also very ungentlemanly.”
Aqiu stuck out her tongue and said, "But wasn't Kucha destroyed long ago? Where would a princess come from?"
An Daoling smiled and said, "Because it was destroyed, there is no one to testify against it. The music and dance of Kucha have spread to various countries, and many wandering dancers claim to be of royal blood."
A Qiu seemed to understand. She said, "That Princess Wanshou is making a fuss simply because she wants to see His Majesty. His Majesty should just see her. Firstly, it will fulfill the proper etiquette, and secondly, it will make her give up."
An Daoling smiled bitterly and said, "If you had met that Princess Wanshou, you wouldn't say that. The fact that His Majesty doesn't want to see her has already caused a huge uproar in the city. Do you think that if His Majesty were willing to meet her, he could still escape all sorts of entanglements, both overt and covert?"
He added meaningfully, "Being rejected will make people back down, but that only works on people who are emotionally invested. But for someone who is only looking at benefits rather than feelings, a mere rejection is certainly not enough to make them back down."
A Qiu, driven by her competitive spirit, arrogantly declared, "I'm not afraid of her! How could our Consort Chen's sword be so formidable, unable to sever the entanglement of an ambitious foreign woman?"
An Daoling said, "The problem is that even if he could, His Majesty wouldn't have any interest in arguing with her."
A Qiu and An Daoling locked eyes, paused for a moment, as if they understood something. Then, with difficulty, A Qiu said, "So, you want me to go and argue with her?"
An Daoling said with a wry smile, "That's why I said, I'm really sorry."
He added, “It is not His Majesty’s idea to ask you to do this, but my idea. His Majesty only thinks that if the musicians and dancers are willing to behave themselves, the best outcome is to incorporate them into the palace music bureau. But I feel that there is no one more suitable than you to persuade His Majesty’s princess to behave herself.”
He spread his hands helplessly and said, "When the Marquis of Guannei arrives, she can leave or stay as she pleases. In any case, our Southern Dynasty really has no princess to offer."
Ah Qiu understood. In the past, when his second senior brother was working for the local gang, he often used this trick to deal with thugs and ruffians who came to him for free and whose strength he couldn't figure out.
That means sending an insignificant nobody to him with a beaming smile—to wear him down. Don't fight back, don't talk back, give him tea when he wants tea, give him water when he wants water, but there's only one rule: no money.
It's a contest of patience and shamelessness; it's about who can outlast whom.
Even if the other party is dissatisfied, the powerful figures behind them will have no leverage over them when they investigate.
Ah Qiu pondered that his newly appointed sixth-rank musician position was probably meant to play such a role.
Supposedly representing the Music Bureau to negotiate the acquisition of the Kucha music troupe, their real purpose was to absorb the Princess's anger and commotion—in short, to act as her emotional dumping ground. Only after she had had her fill of drama, lost her energy, and given up would the Emperor and Duke An be free of their headaches.
Ah Qiu really wanted to say, "If you really need it, Master An, I can introduce you to my second senior brother. He's the best at this kind of thing in Xingfeng Hall. He'll handle it cleanly and efficiently, leaving no trouble behind."
But looking at An Daoling's expectant eyes, he felt a little unsure how to put it. Besides, the people from Xingfeng Hall were always too ruthless; if they went too far, it would become an international problem.
An Daoling said, "Think about it, is Xue Hongbi capable of doing this? Is Sun Neiren capable of doing this? Among the other people in the Music Bureau, who is suitable? I cannot personally intervene."
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