Songs are waiting to be sung
Xiao Chang'an merely smiled slightly and did not reply.
But then, with a flash of cold light, the Green Bee Needle was already retrieved into his Purple Bamboo Flute.
Hulü Guang's pupils immediately contracted, and he said with a forced smile, "Good, good. Heroes emerge from among the young; I have been disrespectful."
Without further delay, he turned and left quickly.
Yet his cold message still lingered in the air.
"Once we cross the Yangtze River and reach the territory of the Northern Qiang, let's see if Young Marquis Xiao can still protect these women on his own!"
Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an exchanged a glance, both of them showing a solemn expression.
A Qiu knew that what Hulü Guang said was not a threat. They were still within the territory of the Southern Dynasty, in the Jianzhang Palace. Hulü Guang only brought a few hundred soldiers from the Northern Qiang King's army, so he was no match for the Southern Dynasty delegation.
However, once they reach the territory of the Northern Qiang, the situation will reverse, and this delegation will become an isolated force deep in enemy territory. Whether they can still rely on Xiao Chang'an's power to protect this troupe of dancers at that time will be a question mark.
A Qiu turned her head to look back at Sun Neiren at the back of the group. She had also seen what was happening here, but her expression was extremely calm.
She had probably already planned that if things failed, they would all commit suicide on the way, thus repaying the country's kindness. The Northern Qiang could no longer blame the Southern Dynasty.
At this moment, the bugles of the honor guard sounded a long, mournful blast, urging them to set off.
As they were a delegation seeking surrender, the banners and pennants of their convoy were all white, which added to the somber atmosphere.
The crowds of onlookers lining the official road were far less bustling than usual, as many people in Jianzhang City had already abandoned their homes and fled south. Everyone wore a worried expression.
Among these people, A Qiu still saw two familiar figures.
A woman, her face veiled by a heavy veil, stood in the crowd, yet her outstanding bearing remained undeniable. Beside her were a maid and a servant. A-Qiu, possessing a photographic memory, immediately recognized the woman as Yuan Si-niang of Luoyufang.
Yuan Si Niang had no idea that she was hidden within this troupe of dancers. She had probably only heard the news that the Southern Dynasty was about to surrender, and now she was at the city gate to verify the truth in order to plan the next steps for the survival of Luoyufang. After all, with the Yinyue Clan gone, the life and death of the entire building now depended on her planning.
Although Mo Yimingyue had already promised that even if the Northern Qiang conquered Jianzhang, she would try to protect the lives of the women in Luoyufang, Yuan Siniang had been supporting Luoyufang all these years on her own. She was not the type to sit idly by and wait for others to help her. She must have been trying her best to gather information and make plans.
The other person was Gongye Fusu, who was far behind the crowd. He was sitting in a carriage. Although Aqiu could not see him, she could recognize the tricolor emblem of the Gongye family—peony, lotus, and orchid—on the carriage body, as well as a very faint and distant fragrance.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of people and traffic, the fragrance seemed to greet her gently.
Gongye Fusu naturally did not know that Aqiu was here, so his purpose in coming to see him off must have been for someone else.
A Qiu sensed something and glanced at Gong Yixiu before getting into the car.
But then Gongyi Xiu, who was about to get into the carriage, suddenly looked back at the crowd as if he had sensed something.
Gongyi Xiu was also a person who was particular about fragrances and demanded exquisite things in all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Therefore, his sensitivity to fragrances was probably even greater than that of A Qiu.
But when Gongyi Xiu looked over, the Gongye family's carriage had already disappeared into the crowd and gone far away.
A Qiu then noticed a fleeting look of disappointment in Gongyi Xiu's eyes.
The fragrance quickly dissipated.
A Qiu thought to himself that Gongyi Xiu would surely think he was hallucinating before he left, and that he had actually smelled the fragrance of the Gongye family.
Gongye Fusu was known for his fastidiousness and never went to crowded places. He always used a silk screen to shield his path when he went out. It was an exception for him to come to the city gate, a place where all sorts of people mingle. He also did not want Gongyi Xiu to notice him, so he left after only a glance.
A Qiu suddenly realized that the reason Gongye Fusu wanted to come and take a look was because Gongyi Xiu's journey north to surrender on behalf of Dayan was fraught with danger and difficulties.
Surrender is not as simple as just raising a white flag; it signifies a redistribution of power and the integration and construction of the North-South order. Although Gongyi Xiu was the head of the Lanling Hall and the foremost strategist in Lanling, it was no easy task for him to maximize the interests of the Southern Dynasty when facing a fierce and ruthless state like the Northern Qiang.
Even with the addition of Xiao Chang'an, who was hailed as a national hero at the age of twelve and was well-versed in the affairs of the Northern Qiang, it would still be extremely difficult.
Because the Southern Dynasty suffered a complete defeat and collapse on the battlefield.
Historically, whether an envoy could stand firm depended on the strength of the army on the battlefield. If the Southern Dynasty's army could still hold out, even if they had to surrender, they could still gain some favorable terms.
In such a one-sided battle, their own delegation was essentially at the mercy of their captors.
Gongye Fusu was not optimistic about Gongyi Xiu's mission, so he specially drove to see him off.
Thinking of the dozens of dancers behind him and the hundreds of soldiers escorting him, A Qiu's heart became extremely heavy. He felt the turbulent times and the fragility of individual and collective fates in the face of the times.
At that moment, she also suddenly felt a sense of unease.
First, my heart skipped a beat, then a warm current surged between my brows, and I jumped, then jumped again.
She was trembling violently, unable to believe what was happening to her.
The next moment, she held her breath, forced herself to calm down, lowered her eyelids, and looked calmly at the city gate.
A black cloak embroidered with gold thread fluttered in the wind atop the city wall.
He was all alone on the city gate tower. There were no attendants, no soldiers.
He stood there, gazing out from the railing, like a forlorn scholar in a tavern, leaning forward to pour his last cup of wine over the Yangtze River.
And what he was looking towards was precisely her direction.
Hulü Guang and Gongyi Xiu, these important members of the delegation, were all on the other side of the city gate. If he wanted to see them, he would have to turn away.
He gazed into the distance, truly and clearly, and it was she he was looking at.
A sudden jolt went through A Qiu's mind, and he was almost unable to move.
With her mind preoccupied, she had no energy left to be wary of Gu Yi and forgot to lock the connection between the two flowers.
Therefore, Gu Yi knew that she had infiltrated the Tangli Music House, followed the dancers out of the palace, and arrived at this city gate.
Gu Yi knew she was hiding in this team, but perhaps he didn't know who she was.
Whether or not she was there, Gu Yi had instructed Xiao Chang'an to ensure the safety of this group of Yuefu dancers, and that must be true.
But now that he knows she is lying in ambush among the troops, what are Gu Yi's feelings?
Could he guess why she wanted to leave?
Why didn't he stop her, but instead let her do as she pleased?
Is he here to say goodbye to her?
Or perhaps they simply don't want to keep track of her whereabouts and movements anymore, leaving her to her own devices?
Gu Yi's next actions explained all her doubts.
He took the "Ling Shu" (spirit pivot) off his back and laid it horizontally in front of him.
With a resounding "dong," a clear and ancient sound lingered and spread across the city gate.
At this moment, everyone in front of the city gate couldn't help but look up at the city tower.
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "It's the Young Master! The Young Master's zither!"
Someone else said, "You must be mistaken. It's been many years since the young master played the zither in public."
The man, an old man over fifty, retorted, "How could you be wrong? Ten years ago, on the day the country was founded, the Junior Tutor also played the zither on the city tower. At that time, he played 'The Song of King Wen,' and the sword dance accompanying him was performed by the former Grand Secretary, Lord Shangguan. Now, ten years have passed."
He sighed, "Who would have thought that the next time I saw the Grand Tutor playing the zither would be before our Great Yan's envoys set off to surrender to the Northern Qiang? How tragic, how tragic!"
His words immediately drew sighs from the public.
Ten years ago, not a long time ago, the people around here are mostly long-time residents of Jianzhang, and many of them still remember the scene from that year.
At that time, the newly established dynasty was rebuilding from scratch, and the people in the capital, who had long suffered from war, were overjoyed, filled with a vibrant and prosperous atmosphere. Little did anyone know that just ten years later, history would once again usher in the era of the nomadic tribes' southward expansion.
Gu Yi's zither music was gentle yet desolate, as if flowing through every ray of moonlight from the past.
The crimson maple leaves in the palace in late autumn, the sturdy and verdant pines after the snow. Gu Yi's zither music had accompanied her through so many days and nights in the abandoned palace of Liyang.
Hulü Guang, who had already entered the carriage, got out again, put his hands behind his back, and looked at Gu Yi on the city wall. He couldn't help but be captivated, looking as if he was about to applaud.
After a moment, he said with great enthusiasm, "Although there are remnants of Han music in the Central Plains, it is only today that I have truly experienced the elegant artistic conception and transformative power of the qin music. I never imagined that the Junior Tutor was such a master."
He sighed again, "In my Northern Qiang region, there is also a man skilled in music, whose skill is probably on par with that of the Junior Master. If these two could meet through music, it would surely be a beautiful story of high mountains and flowing water."
Gongyi Xiu already knew that he was referring to none other than Wanqi Qing, the Grand Preceptor of the Northern Qiang Kingdom and his master. He couldn't respond to that, so he simply smiled slightly. He thought to himself that his master had indeed challenged Gu Yi to a duel, but that time, he had lost out against the combined efforts of A Qiu, Gu Yi, and Zhongli Wuyan.
Hulü Guang, well-versed in Han dynasty classics, looked around and frowned as he listened to the music, saying, "Your envoys all departed in white robes, while the Junior Tutor is seeing you off with music from the city tower at this moment. Could it be the 'Yi River Melody' that he is playing?"
According to ancient legend, Prince Dan of Yan saw Jing Ke off on his journey. At the Yi River, as they parted, Gao Jianli struck a clay pot, and all those present were dressed in white. Jing Ke then recited: "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold; the brave warrior departs, never to return." Upon hearing this, everyone present wept.
The scene was fitting, for the envoys were all dressed in white mourning clothes, as were the soldiers. Though each had their duties, and each was bound by morality and burdened by their country, none of them were truly without a death wish. For everyone knew that this journey was like entering a tiger's den; the slightest misstep would mean certain death. The saying that two nations in conflict do not harm their envoys was a tradition of nations of propriety, not of a ferocious state like the Northern Qiang.
But Gongyi Xiu absolutely could not admit it. Wouldn't that show the mission harbored malicious intentions and planned an assassination?
Gongyi Xiu said tactfully, "Listening to the Junior Tutor's zither playing, although the melody is melodious, it carries the feeling of folk songs and ballads, unlike the stirring and passionate 'Yi River Song,' which is the voice of a hero. In my opinion, the Junior Tutor is merely expressing his feelings and longing for his homeland in the Central Plains, not trying to boost morale."
Hulü Guang was, after all, a man of refined taste. Upon hearing Gongyi Xiu's words, he pondered them carefully and found them quite reasonable. However, he was still uneasy, so he ordered his attendants, "Go to the Music Bureau and ask what tune the Junior Tutor is playing."
Han Chinese scholars are usually concise yet profound in their words. There are some things that even a foreigner like him, despite his lifelong study of classical texts, would find difficult to grasp. But no matter what, Hulü Guang would rather ask more questions than suffer a setback on this matter.
As A Qiu and the others saw the attendants beside Hulü Guang riding up, they loudly proclaimed, "His Highness Prince Ning has decreed that anyone who knows the origin and name of the Junior Tutor's piece will be rewarded with a pearl." Immediately, the crowd was stirred and whispered among themselves.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
