Silver Saddle White Horse
Fortunately, seeing Ah Qiu's stunned expression, Sun's wife realized that she had been too harsh in disciplining him.
She had already inquired in secret and learned that when A Qiu first came to the Music Bureau, she had her eyes pointed at in front of the Junior Tutor Gu Yi.
Ah Qiu... She is beautiful and so smart and charming. Even if she wasn't spoiled in the past, she must have been well protected by Shi Changqing.
Unaware of the hardships of the world and the fickleness of human relationships.
The strong treat the weak with utmost care, discarding them when they no longer need them, showing them no pity whatsoever.
Rumors circulated that Gu Yi was averse to women and strictly adhered to propriety. But rumors are just rumors. Having served two dynasties and lived in the palace for so many years, she had witnessed the hypocritical faces of high-ranking officials who were gentlemen in public but beasts in private, and was no longer a naive little girl.
She might not care about Gu Yi Shaoshi, but she would definitely intervene if her own people went astray.
Especially since that person was Shi Changqing's daughter.
Sun's wife put away her bamboo clappers and said earnestly, "We dancers and musicians are inherently looked down upon. In the eyes of those in power, all relationships are just transactions, the only difference being whether the price is open or covert. You want Gu Yi to help you, but what do you, a lone young woman, have to offer besides your looks, and what would he possibly value?"
Even Ah Qiu, with his thick skin, blushed a little.
Suddenly, Lady Sun exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! We dancers and musicians are often forced to sell our bodies due to circumstances. But being forced to comply is completely different from treating yourself as an object to be sold! Your father, Shi Changqing, has never taken the favor of any noble lady in the palace seriously, let alone flattered or used his looks to serve others."
Therefore, Shi Changqing represents the spirit of Yuefu poetry of that era. He was free and unrestrained, like the floating clouds in the sky.
No one can underestimate him, just as no one can control a cloud.
That night, Sun's wife said many things to A-Qiu.
She kept murmuring, as if trying to say everything that had been bottled up in her heart all her life. In the end, it was unclear whether she was speaking to A-Qiu or to herself.
There was Shi Changqing, who sang "Partridge Sky" on the Yan Ge Terrace that year, and the girls who had disappeared from the Yuefu Dance Troupe over the years. The joys of the past dynasty were like a dream, and the sorrows of the present dynasty were like new grievances. From her bedside, the gradually confused and intermittent words, spoken out of drowsiness, flooded into A Qiu's mind.
The vibrant, decadent era of the previous dynasty, with its celestial beings descending to earth and its era of song and dance filled with revelry, is deeply etched in A-Qiu's heart. Meanwhile, the tragic fate of the dance troupe in recent years has stirred up boundless resentment within A-Qiu.
Sun Neiren was probably truly exhausted. These past few days, burdened with worries, had exhausted all her courage before finally making the decision to see Huang Chao'an. After everyone had gone to sleep, she went to the water corridor to wait for A Qiu, having been on the move all night without a moment's rest.
Ah Qiu had a feeling that Sun's wife had been carrying the burden alone all these years and had never spoken so much to anyone or expressed so many emotions.
She told Aqiu because Aqiu was Shi Changqing's daughter, and also because she felt that Aqiu was resilient and intelligent enough.
She was saying goodbye and entrusting things to A-Qiu in advance.
When A-Qiu left Sun's quarters with her face covered by a white cloth, the moon had already set and dawn was breaking on the horizon.
Sun's wife had already fallen into a deep sleep. She could no longer stop her.
No one can stop her now.
The Lanling Assassin is elusive and invisible. She can push her movement to its limits, creating a phantom that is even more difficult to detect than a ghost.
She crouched high and low, slipped under eaves and crossed beams, taking strange and confusing routes, always venturing into the blind spots of the patrolling soldiers, all in order to get to the imperial court as quickly as possible and find her senior brother before he went to court.
No one can stop her now, not even the Four Stars of Heaven.
At this moment, a sharp edge was hidden beneath her sleeve. That was the weapon that made her famous as Jing Ke, the chief assassin of the "List of Banished Immortals" in Lanling—the legendary dagger "Assassination of Qin."
The assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang, about a foot long, is cast in fine bronze and has an ancient and profound form. It was the weapon worn by the successive masters of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall, symbolizing the spirit of resisting tyranny and being fearless in the face of death.
Here we part from Yan Dan, a valiant man whose hair stood on end in anger. Those men of yesteryear are gone, but the water remains cold today.
In truth, she didn't know how Gu Yi had discovered her in the first place. In the blink of an eye, he could conceal himself, hiding his own fluctuations within the fluctuations of all things, thus deceiving the limits of human perception. The six senses that humans can perceive are nothing more than sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought. And these six senses, under extreme speed and unusual angles, can all be distorted and reversed into illusions.
Even at the risk of exposing her identity, she was determined to go to the Secretariat to deliver a message to Gongyi Xiu.
The assassination attempts on Qin Shi Huang, carried by successive leaders, have claimed the heads of countless high-ranking officials, key ministers, and dignitaries, drawing countless lives from those who symbolized supreme power.
The blade was drawn from its sheath at this moment to save the life of a long-forgotten and unknown tutor in the deep palace.
As A Qiu passed through the Fengzhuang Gate, the dividing line between the outer court and the inner palace, and quickly flew to the eaves of the Xianyang Palace, located on the central axis of the outer court, a heavy sound of air being torn apart suddenly came from above.
At the same time, A Qiu let out a clear whistle, and the "Assassinate Qin" weapon shot out from his sleeve, landing in his right palm.
That strike possessed the force of a thousand pounds, cleaving down with the power to shatter the heavens and the earth.
This space was like a battlefield ravaged by a raging storm, with sand swirling in the air, making it impossible to discern directions.
What's most terrifying is that such a heavy weapon was used without any warning, showing that the opponent had mastered it to an unparalleled level, handling it with effortless ease.
A-Qiu instantly ducked and ducked, barely managing to avoid the attack, but saw flames erupt beside him as a large section of glazed tiles was shattered and scattered.
In theory, after delivering such a powerful blow, the person must have time to recover and regroup.
But A Qiu immediately leaped into the air, placing herself in a superior position. She concealed the dagger in her sleeve with her right hand, not daring to be careless at all, because she had already recognized what kind of weapon it was.
As the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, her weapon has long been simplified, and it is only used to "assassinate the Qin Emperor".
But she recognized all kinds of divine weapons in the world and was familiar with their usage. This was because she had grown up surrounded by a dazzling array of weapons in the Divine Weapon Hall since childhood, and had been exposed to all kinds of weapons from a young age.
This weapon is shaped like a long whip, as thick as a child's arm, about three feet long. It originally had no sharp edge but only six edges and a concave surface. It was made of ancient bronze. A Qiu could tell at a glance that it weighed at least forty pounds.
However, it was probably specially modified by its owner. The hexagonal shape has been replaced with six straight and sharp blades on the body of the weapon. If it touches someone, the skin will be torn open and blood will flow like a river.
This is one of the "Peerless Mace" used on the battlefield to sweep away thousands of troops.
And the identity of its owner is thus revealed.
The former Great Yan Flying Phoenix Guardian was as famous as Consort Chen, known as "Golden Goblet Moonfall". At present, he is General Sikong Zhao, known as "Silver Saddle White Horse", who holds the position of Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard and whose weapon is the Peerless Mace.
After dodging the attack, A Qiu instantly flew more than three zhang away.
Her speed of escape surprised her opponent, who did not expect her to escape the range of the double maces in a single exchange.
A-Qiu stood atop the double-eaved roof, calmly looking down.
A beautiful female general, dressed in white robes and silver armor, holding a peerless mace, stood steadily below, intently watching her. This general had long, arched eyebrows and bright eyes; upon seeing her gaze, a graceful smile graced her lips.
Although she wore armor, she did not wear a helmet, and her long, black hair flowed freely in the air, making her look like a goddess.
A feeling of amazement welled up in A Qiu's heart.
This is the former "White Crane" of the Flying Phoenix Guard, now the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard, the highest-ranking military figure in the Imperial Palace security, General Sikong Zhao.
She traveled without hindrance, but upon arriving at the former dynasty, she had already fallen under the jurisdiction of General Sikong Zhao.
Sikong Zhao had already recognized her white clothes. He held his double maces across his chest and smiled, saying, "I was unaware that the Assassin of Lanling would grace us with his presence. Commander Sikong Zhao of the Imperial Guards has failed to greet you properly."
Knowing that things could not be resolved peacefully today, A Qiu said in a deep voice, "I am just here for a visit. I am neither murdering nor stealing."
Sikong Zhao's smile deepened: "Oh, what brings you here, young lady?"
She casually flicked the "Jingwu" in her hand and, without waiting for Aqiu's reply, said, "Whatever you've come here for, Miss, it's Sikong Zhao's duty to take you down. Otherwise, the security of the Dayan Imperial Palace will become a laughing stock in the martial arts world!"
Jing Wushuang's maces split in two, one thrusting upwards and the other pressing down, both maces striking out simultaneously like a white dragon probing the sea, swirling and churning towards the spot where A Qiu stood, darkening the sky and earth.
Before the mace whirlwind could strike, A Qiu immediately leaped up to the top of the palace eaves.
She rose and fell several times, and now she stood atop the dragon's spine at the highest point of Xianyang Palace, her robes fluttering as if she were about to ride the wind away.
Sikong Zhao laughed behind her, "Miss, your agility and lightness skills are superb, but you can't keep running away forever. Although I can't catch up with you, if we keep fighting and running like this, someone will eventually hear us."
She stood atop the glazed eaves, holding her double maces, and pointed with her chin, saying, "'Masterful Pen' Zhao Zhaorong is on duty today, and she's currently reviewing memorials and official documents in the Imperial Archives below. If you try to escape for another half an incense stick's time, I reckon 'Golden Goblet and Moonlit Descendants' Consort Chen will be arriving from the Vermilion Bird Hall in the inner palace by now."
A Qiu knew that A Qiu's lightness skill was inferior to hers, so he deliberately forced her to fight. A Qiu was at a disadvantage in terms of both weapon and internal strength, and would definitely be at a disadvantage, but he also knew that what she said was not without reason.
The palace is ultimately someone else's territory, and prolonging the struggle will do her no good.
But A Qiu was relentlessly pursued and attacked by her all the way, a humiliating experience he had never had in his assassin career, and he was already seething with anger.
Hearing Sikong Zhao's sarcastic remarks, he couldn't help but retort:
"General Sikong, do you really not know why I didn't fight back?"
Sikong Zhao smiled but remained silent, seemingly waiting with great interest for her answer.
With a half-smile, A Qiu raised his hand, and the thorn in his right hand shot out, unleashing an extremely beautiful yet sharp arc of light.
Before Sikong Zhao could react, A Qiu had already moved, soaring up like a great eagle and swooping down from mid-air.
Her clear, cool voice rang out in the air: "I'm not taking action, naturally for your own good!"
In the central hall of the Ministry of Personnel, a man in a brocade robe and jade belt, with his hair tied up in a silver crown, was reviewing documents under the lamp.
This man was not only extremely handsome and elegant, but also remarkably well-dressed in white, which he wore with a unique and sophisticated style that was anything but ordinary.
A long robe of moonlight brocade, a belt of mutton fat jade, and a hair crown woven with silver threads—a combination of the same color scheme but different materials, commonly known as high-class white.
Each item is exquisitely crafted, yet neither presumptuous nor vulgar, subtly hinting at the owner's excessive aesthetic sense and talent.
This is none other than the most refined, brilliant, and dashing senior disciple of Lanling Hall—"Jade-faced Marquis Liu" Gongyi Xiu, the current Right Chancellor of the imperial court.
As soon as the clear whistle that echoed from afar in the palace reached his ears, he immediately stood up and, ignoring the surprised looks of the crowd, headed outside.
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