Qiang flute like a dream
Someone is rapidly approaching this place.
The sound of clothes tearing through the air was faint, but it did not escape her hearing.
This person's speed had reached a level that would frighten even gods and ghosts, yet his movements were unhurried and composed.
She remembered what her master had said: the Southern Dynasty palace was a place where hidden talents and powerful figures roamed freely.
A Qiu entered the palace not to keep a low profile, but to penetrate the core of the supreme power of the Southern Dynasty in the shortest time and at the fastest speed.
Therefore, it was inevitable that it would attract the attention of experts.
The sound of the flute swept through the long corridor like the wind, lingering for a long time, its aftertaste vast and endless.
A Qiu's lips left the mouthpiece of the jade flute, and she finished playing the last note before the person arrived in the corridor.
Everyone seemed to awaken from a long-ago dream beneath the Yin Mountains.
Huang Lezheng spoke first, clearing his throat lightly, "This musical instrument of Lady Shi..."
The musicians in the Music Bureau were divided into three ranks: Master, Craftsman, and Performer. The Performer was the lowest in status and was usually addressed by their surname or given name. However, Huang Lezheng, because of A Qiu's performance, dared not call her Shi Shi anymore and changed to a more respectful title.
“It’s a Qiang flute.” A clear and dignified voice, yet gentle, rang out at the end of the corridor.
It turned out to be a Qiang flute. No wonder no one present recognized it.
The group of dancers and musicians thought to themselves.
The previous dynasty had thirteen music troupes, including music from the Western Regions such as Kucha and Gaochang. However, the people currently in use are all descendants of artists from the Southern Dynasties and have no lineage of Western music, so none of them know Western music.
Huang Lezheng had no time to think about these things. He looked up at the corridor and his legs immediately went weak. He prostrated himself on the ground, and the other stewards who came with him also immediately straightened their clothes and knelt down.
"The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has come in person, yet I failed to greet him from afar; I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
Gu Yi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, emerged from the darkness in a black cloak embroidered with gold-threaded white cranes, sweeping past the two rows of kneeling dancers and musicians.
His steps were slow and deliberate, and finally, he stopped in front of A Qiu, who was lying prostrate on the ground.
Le Zheng Huang Chao'an was anxious, but dared not utter a sound.
A Qiu is not only beautiful, but also quite bold, which is what makes him so eager to possess her. However, if this boldness offends the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and implicates the entire Music Bureau, then it would be a great loss.
In the imperial court, the Music Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which was in charge of rites and music. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was the first of the Nine Ministers and the nominal highest-ranking official above the Music Bureau.
It is said that in name only, such high-ranking officials would never normally concern themselves with the affairs of these lowly servants and entertainers.
Gu Yi was only addressed as "Lord Taichang Temple Minister" by his nominal subordinates within the jurisdiction of the Taichang Temple headquarters.
Elsewhere, he is referred to as "Young Master Gu Yi".
Among the three highest officials, he was the only one.
The person with the power of life and death in this dynasty holds a position above the Left and Right Chancellors. Second only to the Emperor, above all others, Junior Tutor Gu Yi is the foremost figure.
Huang Chaoan couldn't understand why Gu Yi, the Junior Tutor, a powerful minister who quelled the chaos of the previous dynasty through his military exploits, helped establish a new emperor in the Xie family, and ushered in a new era, would insist on concurrently holding the nominal position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
Moreover, he did not merely hold the position nominally; upon assuming office, he immediately re-established the Music Bureau and demanded the return of musicians from the previous dynasty and various regions. It is said that he intended to restore the remnants of the former king's rites and music, to educate the world through rites and music, and to cultivate virtue to bring peace to all directions.
He didn't understand these things, but the more people there were in the music bureau, the more power he could wield and influence, even though his official rank was low. He had nothing to be unhappy about.
The only thing they didn't expect was that a small selection process for folk dancers and musicians would alarm the heavens and send down such a powerful living Buddha and god of war.
A Qiu's palms were also sweating.
She had heard of Gu Yi's name. In the Southern Dynasty, no one was unaware of the Junior Tutor Gu Yi.
It was impossible not to be nervous in the face of Gu Yi's overwhelming aura of power.
Unlike Huang Chao'an, whose nervousness stemmed from facing a superior, her anxiety mainly came from the fear of having her identity exposed. Once exposed, all her efforts to enter the palace would be in vain.
But she was also confident that someone as powerful and influential as Gu Yi wouldn't have time to pay too much attention to a mere musician like her. Their social standing was worlds apart; even if her music stirred his emotions for a moment, he wouldn't bother to delve further into her background.
Gu Yi's voice rang out above her head: "What tune are you playing?"
She listened intently, and for some reason, she sensed a suppressed undercurrent in Gu Yi's voice. She longed to look him in the eye, but had to restrain herself, for she couldn't afford to make any mistakes at this moment.
A Qiu replied politely, "The Wind of Chang'an."
It must be her imagination, she thought.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and she thought she heard a soft sigh of shock and bewilderment.
After a long silence, Gu Yi's voice rang out again, seemingly calmly:
"Who taught you this?"
A Qiu answered truthfully as much as possible: "The Qiang flute was taught to me by my father. But this piece was composed based on a melody I heard in my childhood. But I don't remember exactly where I heard it. At that time, the capital was in turmoil, and there were many folk songs from the Hu people."
She had told the truth as much as she could. Her master was like a father to her, and she had been taught to play the Qiang flute by him. Her master said that the palace courtesans were selected from among the best, and to ensure that there were no mistakes, it would be best to play a new tune that no one had heard in the more than ten years since the Southern Dynasty was established.
She remembered a tune she had heard as a child and played it for her master. Her master said it was excellent. Even he himself, the former number one master of the Qiang flute in the Southern Dynasties, probably couldn't play such a tune.
This is the poem "Chang'an Wind".
Gu Yishao replied as calmly as possible, "This is not a folk song. It is a Han Chinese on the frontier, longing for the walls of their homeland."
The sound was like thunder, and a deep-seated memory buried deep in A Qiu's heart suddenly resurfaced.
Yes. This wasn't some folk song she'd heard randomly somewhere. Someone had earnestly taught it to her and told her:
"This is a city wall where Han Chinese people are stationed on the border, longing for their homeland."
A Qiu could no longer contain her shock and suddenly raised her beautiful eyes to meet Gu Yi's gaze.
Gu Yi's voice was deep and his movements were steady; she had originally thought Gu Yi was at least in his early forties.
Unexpectedly, it was an extremely young and handsome face.
Gu Yi looked to be no more than twenty years old, but his eyes were deep and calm, filled with wisdom and emotions completely inconsistent with his age.
And at this moment, those eyes were looking at her with undisguised shock.
His face was handsome but deep, with distinct features.
What is most striking is his long hair, which is as black as a raven with strands of silver, adding to his sense of vicissitude.
Therefore, this is someone who seems both very young and as if they have experienced many changes in the world.
What surprised and shocked A Qiu the most was not Gu Yi's appearance. Although Gu Yi did possess a unique charm that made people unable to look away at first glance.
It was a captivating contrast between a cool, aloof demeanor and intensely passionate emotions.
What surprised her was that she should have seen this person before.
However, I have no recollection of it at all.
Golden feathers and black cloak, silver threads and black hair.
No one could forget the appearance of Young Master Gu Yi after seeing him.
But Ah Qiu did forget.
This is impossible. The assassin's memory, with its precise reproduction of details, far surpasses that of an ordinary person.
But A-Qiu just forgot.
She recognized the face and the person; but she couldn't remember when or where she had seen him before.
She felt that the gaze of the young master Gu Yi lingered on the floral ornament between her eyebrows for a very long time.
For some reason, she could sense that Gu Yi was trying his best to suppress the urge to remove the floral decoration.
It was a crescent-shaped hairpin with gold and green cat's-eye tassels.
Beneath the tasseled hair ornaments lay a crescent-shaped, deep red birthmark. It was one that A-Qiu had since childhood. Her master had instructed her to hide it if possible before entering the palace.
"It's not time for anyone to see us yet," the master said.
A Qiu's palms were sweating again.
What else does Gu Yishao know?
A Qiu quickly lowered her gaze to hide her panic. At the same time, she caught a glimpse of Huang Le hurriedly presenting the roster to her.
Gu Yi must be reviewing records about her.
As expected, the voice above paused: "Shi Wanqiu, Xianshao Academy... daughter of Shi Changqing?"
Upon hearing just that one sentence, A Qiu felt as if he had been doused with ice water, and almost collapsed.
From Gu Yi's tone, the intelligent girl already understood that he didn't believe her at all.
This background is fake.
Before entering the palace, A Qiu had discussed with her master the reliability of Shi Changqing's identity as his daughter.
According to the "Records of Music in the Book of Huan," Shi Changqing was a musician from the Northern Qiang region, skilled in the Qiang flute and also proficient in the southern xiao and dizi. He composed the pieces "White Silk" and "Midnight Song." He was deeply favored by the last emperor of the Former Huan Dynasty. When the Huan Dynasty fell, Shi Changqing mingled with the refugees and left the palace, his whereabouts unknown.
According to records, there were many, many court musicians like this at the time.
Musicians are not loyal ministers or famous generals, so no one will erect monuments or write biographies for them. Just for these one or two lines, they are already masters among musicians, and only they have the honor of leaving a trace in the history books.
She immediately questioned, "If Shi Changqing had a daughter, shouldn't she have the appearance of a Hu person with deep-set eyes and a high nose?"
Her master was facing away from her at the time, taking a yellow brocade pouch from the shelf. Hearing the voice, she was startled, and after a moment, she said, "Shi Changqing is only half Hu (non-Han) in ancestry. That's why he came to the Central Plains. If he had married a Han woman, then his daughter's Hu (non-Han) blood would have been almost non-existent."
She persisted in her questioning: "Then how should I answer if someone asks me who my mother is?"
The master's hand lingered in the air for a long time before he finally said, "After he fled the palace, he met and fell in love with a concubine from a noble family who was skilled at playing the zither. Later, they both stopped working as musicians and went to the countryside far from the capital to farm and grow vegetables... Their final days were poor but very happy."
His voice lowered as he said, "Your mother's name is A-Xiu."
Ah Qiu always felt that his master's sadness at that time didn't seem like he was making up a story.
The master continued, "Even if you have old acquaintances in the palace, most of them will treat you well if they hear of Shi Changqing's name. Shi Changqing's popularity... is not bad."
He pulled out the brocade pouch, revealing a double-tube jade flute inside that shone brightly.
“You are the daughter of the Shi family, and this ‘double wings’ can serve as proof.”
Although the girl in front of me looked calm, she was already swaying precariously.
Young Master Gu Yi suddenly awoke from his memories of a past life. Seeing A Qiu's expression change several times, and then looking at the dancers and musicians lined up neatly in the corridor as if from another world, and the members of the Music Bureau waiting respectfully on the side, he immediately understood the current situation.
Therefore, a difficult choice was placed before him.
On one side is a promise I made long ago, one that I have always kept in my heart and never forget.
"...I will always protect you. No matter what happens, I will always be by your side."
On the other hand, there was her clearly ill intention.
There are probably very few people in the palace who still remember Shi Changqing's background.
Unfortunately, Gu Yi was one of them. This was probably a secret that even Shi Changqing himself didn't know.
Gu Yi was one of the few people in the world who knew who A Qiu was.
Therefore, A Qiu cannot be Shi Changqing's daughter.
Then her purpose in coming to the palace was obvious to him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
