speechless
Gongyi Xiu was a clever man, and he had already realized that his group had just escaped a calamity. He was secretly relieved and said with a smile, "Thanks to you, please lead the way."
For the next two days and one night, A Qiu and his companions had no chance to catch their breath, as the day after tomorrow was the founding ceremony of the new dynasty, and they needed to familiarize themselves with the venue and practice the "Shao" and "Wu".
Fortunately, he has escaped the clutches of Hulü Guang and has narrowly escaped death, allowing him to focus on practicing dance and music without distraction.
Gongyi Xiu was the least familiar with the dance choreography, as he was assigned at the last minute. However, after receiving detailed instructions from Sun Neiren and Xue Hongbi, he was able to imitate it quite well after a day or two and even pass the test by wearing a mask.
Xiao Chang'an also came once or twice, but he seemed to be busier with external contacts. He would often only glance at the general situation before calling Gongyi Xiu aside to talk.
Because of the music played by musicians in the room, their conversation went completely unnoticed.
Xiao Chang'an's expression grew increasingly solemn, completely devoid of his former youthful exuberance.
By this point, A Qiu also realized that these people were clearly divided into two groups.
The fifty-four Divine Hound Battalion soldiers were part of the same group as Xiao Chang'an and Gongyi Xiu. The latter would occasionally pass on orders privately, and they seemed to be constantly meeting to discuss something.
Meanwhile, the dozen or so musicians, along with Sun Neiren, Xue Hongbi, Zhang Exu, Cui Luzhu, and A Qiu herself, belonged to another group. They were focused on studying and perfecting the dance, pondering how to make it even more beautiful.
The performance of "Shao" and "Wu" was unprecedented in hundreds of years. As musicians, it would be a lie to say we weren't excited to witness the resurgence of this ancient and elegant music in the ancient capital of the Central Plains, especially as it served as the foundation ceremony for a powerful new dynasty.
This is the innate pursuit and passion of musicians and dancers.
These two groups tacitly kept to themselves, not interfering with each other. When the music started and rehearsals were needed, the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp would come running at a moment's notice, and Gongyi Xiu would always put down whatever he was saying to them and come over to rehearse.
When musicians and dancers are enthusiastically discussing the rhythm and presentation of the dance, the soldiers of the Divine Hound Battalion will tacitly stand aside and never interrupt.
In short, the two groups were busy with their own things, but they achieved a subtle and tacit balance, not interfering with each other, while trying their best to cooperate.
Almost everyone knows in their hearts that they only have these two days left to be together.
Two days later, it was hard to say whether anyone would live or die.
During this time, Lady Zilu, the head of the palace's music and dance department, did not even glance at him.
The eunuch relayed her message: "Anyway, it's all Han Chinese dance. How well they dance, whether it's good or bad, who knows? His Majesty won't understand anyway, as long as the meaning is there, that's enough. Let them be!"
She didn't make things difficult for them, and A Qiu was naturally extremely grateful. But from those words, A Qiu seemed to sense a certain detached state of mind from the Princess Wansui, a peerless dancer.
Her statement that "His Majesty understands nothing" was probably a reflection of some kind of feeling. If Huli Jin didn't understand Han dance, did he understand "Heavenly Palace Music," Goryeo dance, or Persian dance? Perhaps what he was seeing was simply the beautiful women and alluring sights presented by the conquered countries.
A Qiu had also tried to leave when no one was looking, so he could go to the outer court to survey the terrain and familiarize himself with the entire location and environment of Zichen Palace. But each time he made up various excuses, he was stopped by the eunuchs and palace servants on duty at the gate of the garden.
She realized that entering and leaving Zichen Palace as an ordinary dancer was incredibly difficult, and only then did she truly understand the allure of power and status. Back in the Jianzhang Palace of the Southern Dynasty, she could go wherever she wanted, and absolutely no one dared to stop her.
At the same time, she could also sense that the Northern Qiang emperor was not entirely unguarded against this Han envoy who had come from afar. Although the report stated that their main members were nothing more than musicians and dancers, it did not mention at all that there were soldiers from the Divine Hound Camp among them.
Therefore, she has been almost completely isolated from the outside world for the past two days and has not received any useful information.
Of course, this was not the case for Gongyi Xiu and the soldiers of the Divine Hound Battalion. They had been secretly talking and exchanging information, and Xiao Chang'an had also happened to arrive to exchange the latest intelligence.
If A Qiu were willing to reveal his identity to these two, he could naturally obtain any kind of information.
But after much deliberation, she felt the matter was far too serious. Gongyi Xiu was connected to the Lanling Hall sect; if he knew she was lurking here, should Gongyi Xiu inform his master, Wanqi Qing, or cover for her? As for Xiao Chang'an, he was from the Southern Dynasty, and Xie Lang was currently hostile towards her. This envoy naturally had his own purpose in coming, and if Xie Lang knew she was involved, whether things turned out badly or not, Gu Yi would inevitably be implicated.
Therefore, she decided that she would have to do everything on her own from now on. Fortunately, she did have some experience in acting independently before.
Success comes from secrecy. For assassinations, the fewer people who know about them, the higher the success rate.
However, her current isolation and lack of communication have greatly increased her risks.
This predicament was finally relieved by the evening of the following day.
The head palace maid who brought them food was a Han Chinese woman in her thirties. She was fairly good-looking, but had a scar on her cheek. She usually covered it with powder, so it wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely.
Each time meals were delivered, she would lead a group of palace maids dressed in coarse cloth. The meals were acceptable; they were Han Chinese food, not particularly exquisite, but the skill of the imperial chefs was still evident.
After serving the food, she would wait a while until everyone had finished eating before cleaning up the bowls, chopsticks, food containers, and utensils, which she would then take back with her.
Because of the waiting time, she would mostly sit quietly to the side and watch them eat.
After seeing them so many times, Ah Qiu sometimes felt that she seemed to really want to talk to them.
However, since both the Shin'o Camp and the geisha were busy discussing their own affairs and always rushed to rehearse after finishing their meals, no one paid any attention to her.
After several attempts, A-Qiu finally made up her mind. The next evening, after dinner, as the head maid was leading the younger maids to clear away the dishes and bowls, A-Qiu walked up to her, helping her with the task while whispering, "I would like to ask you something, Auntie. Is it convenient?"
Upon hearing this, the head palace maid paused, instinctively looking up. Seeing that not only was no one paying attention to them, but most importantly, there wasn't a single Hu person present, she whispered, "What would you like to ask, young lady?"
To her surprise, A-Qiu asked, "How long has Auntie been working here?"
A shadow crossed the head maid's eyes as she lowered her head and said, "I grew up in the palace... When the previous dynasty fell, my aunt slashed my face with a knife, and that's how I survived." She paused, glanced at the other maids, and said softly, "I heard you came to surrender on behalf of the Southern Dynasty. Is that true?"
A Qiu guessed that all the information she had was obtained from the palace, and since the coronation ceremony had not yet been held and the surrender of the Southern Dynasty had not yet been announced to the world, she could only get some rumors. That's why she was curious and came to her to ask for confirmation.
After a moment's thought, A Qiu decided not to hide it from her and nodded, "Yes." Because tomorrow was the coronation ceremony, at which time the Southern Dynasty's surrender ceremony would be held in front of the world, and the national treasure, the Ancestral Dragon Sword, and the "Map of Mountains and Rivers" would be presented. By then, this would be a fact known to everyone.
A Qiu thought she was just curious, but she didn't expect that after hearing this answer, her already downcast eyes would instantly lose their luster, and she murmured, "So, are we Han people going to live like this from now on?"
A-Qiu didn't hear what she said clearly, but seeing her so distraught, he was somewhat surprised.
Her first question to the head palace maid was originally intended as casual conversation, deliberately to lower the other woman's guard. The woman had been showing curiosity about their group, and she was simply giving her an opportunity to get closer. Sure enough, after a few sentences, the head palace maid could no longer hide her thoughts and began to ask questions that concerned her.
But A Qiu never expected that the palace maid who had served in the Zichen Palace for so many years would care about whether the Han people of the Southern Dynasty would change hands.
She could only say tactfully, "The Southern Dynasties are far from Luoyang, so they shouldn't... affect you, Aunt."
The head palace maid raised her eyes and said softly, "As servants, we serve the same masters in the same way. But we always have some hope in our hearts that the people of the Southern Dynasty will one day cross the Yangtze River and take back the old capital. That way, our lives will be a little easier."
She made no attempt to hide it, pointing to the doorway as she said, “All the rough work and sweeping in this palace is done by us Han people. What's hateful is that the thousands of palace maids and eunuchs who served us before were all tortured and killed when the city fell, leaving only us old, weak, and disabled. But after a while, they suddenly remembered they wanted to live in this palace, and began frantically collecting Han people again, forcing them into the palace to serve. These newcomers,” she pointed to the young palace maids, and said:
"They are all children from poor families, and they can't do any decent work. So the current situation in the palace is completely chaotic. All the palaces are in disarray."
Then, with a blank expression, he said, "Even in its current state, it is only because the Imperial Preceptor repeatedly emphasized the rules that it is possible. Otherwise, I'm afraid none of us would have survived to this day."
Ah Qiu had stayed in the palace and could roughly guess its situation.
Without rules, it means that those in power act as they please, giving orders one day and another the next, beating or scolding at will. The more chaotic things become, the more dissatisfied they are, and the more dissatisfied they are, the more chaotic things become.
Moreover, A Qiu had heard of the indiscriminate killing of palace maids, concubines, and court officials at the beginning of the Northern Qiang Kingdom. The Zichen Palace in Luoyang was once considered a hellish place.
A-Qiu wanted to say a few words of comfort to her, but felt speechless.
The head palace maid finally raised her head, looked at her with dim eyes, and said, "I'm going back."
Ah Qiu finally got a chance and whispered, "I'd like to ask you, Aunt, where will the coronation ceremony be held tomorrow? Is it far from here? We'll need some time to get dressed and ready, so I'd like to estimate the distance beforehand."
The head palace maid said blankly, "That is the Deyang Hall in the former dynasty. It is the most prestigious palace in the Zichen Palace, with a front and back span of thirty-seven zhang and a capacity of more than ten thousand people. I heard that the bells, drums and other musical instruments have been moved there tonight, and the seats have been arranged."
Ah Qiu finally learned the most important information, and her spirits lifted. She cupped her hands and said, "Thank you, Aunt."
Because she was Han Chinese, she couldn't just grab any non-Han person in the palace and ask them. Firstly, her status was too low, and they might not answer her; secondly, she was just an ordinary dancer, and doing so would be too conspicuous. Unexpectedly, all the lower-ranking servants in the palace were Han Chinese, and this palace maid happened to know what she wanted to know.
The head palace maid waved her hand, looking listless and unwilling to say more. She packed up her things and led the younger palace maids away.
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