Ten years of dormancy
It was at that time that Consort Chen mentioned to A Qiu and Xie Tiao, who were visiting the Vermilion Bird Palace at night, that she planned to leave the palace.
A Qiu said, "I remember. Back then, Your Highness..." She thought for a moment, unsure whether she should change her address to "Uncle-Master," but ultimately decided that if Consort Chen didn't bring it up, she wouldn't either, so she said, "Back then, we all felt indignant on behalf of Your Highness. We deeply felt that His Majesty had gone too far."
To stabilize the court, personal sacrifices may be necessary. But only Xie Lang was willing, while Zhao Lingying and Li Lanxiu, who were involved in the situation, were not.
Li Lanxiu paused, sighing, "Actually, this wasn't the reason I wanted to leave the palace."
A Qiu was suddenly shaken.
My previous impression of Li Lanxiu was merely that of Consort Chen, and I was silently moved by her protection of the Dayan and Xie families. I also deeply felt that Xie Lang's decision to make Zhao Lingying empress was a betrayal of Consort Chen's years of unwavering support. Therefore, when Consort Chen said she wanted to leave the palace, A Qiu didn't think much of it and just felt it was a matter of course.
Now that they know Li Lanxiu's true identity as an undercover agent of Lanling Hall, her decision to leave the palace back then is not so simple.
Because the Lanling Assassin would never make any decision based on a momentary impulse.
Li Lanxiu sighed, "Because at that time, Senior Brother Wanqi had already spread the word to warn me, intending to ask me to do something for him, and if I wanted to refuse, I could only leave the palace."
Many clues surfaced in his mind, and A Qiu suddenly remembered an accident from that time.
That happened before Zhao Lingying passed away.
She remembered Mu Huaying barging in and pointing the finger at Zhao Lingying as a spy for Lanling Hall in the palace, because someone had already spread the word that there were Lanling Hall spies in Dayan Feifeng.
In addition, all of Zhao Lingying's actions during that period pointed to plotting to murder the emperor.
Zhao Lingying never defended himself on this matter until his death.
At the time, things were urgent, and Ah Qiu didn't have time to figure out why such a message had been sent out.
Intuitively, she knew it must have come from Lanling Hall, and not from anyone else. Such a crucial secret would never be fabricated by anyone else.
If it's said to be aimed at her, the rumor explicitly states that "the informant is Fei Feng," thus excluding her, so the purpose is clearly not to draw attention to her.
Li Lanxiu said, "My senior brother wants me to take advantage of His Majesty's serious illness and the Junior Tutor's absence from court to completely seize power."
A Qiu's pupils constricted. Wan Qiqing's so-called "thorough" naturally meant that Li Lanxiu should take advantage of Zhao Lingying's chaos to eliminate the Xie family father and son.
At the time, Xie Lang was already seriously ill, and dealing with Xie Tiao was far too easy for Consort Chen.
A Qiu couldn't imagine what the situation would be like in Dayan today if Consort Chen had done as Wan Qiqing wished.
Li Lanxiu looked at A Qiu and said softly, "With Lingying gone, although Sister Huaying can influence the army through Yu'er, she has long lost her influence in the court. A Zhao only understands military affairs and nothing else. With you, the successor of the Junior Tutor, joining forces with me, plus A Xiu's operations in the court, no one else can stop us."
A Qiu never expected that Wan Qiqing's plan was to have Li Lanxiu assist her in taking over the Dayan Kingdom without bloodshed.
But thinking about it, it's not surprising. Lanling Hall had kept Li Lanxiu in the inner palace for many years, and all that effort was for this day.
She said softly, "But you didn't agree."
Li Lanxiu said with a wry smile, "What Senior Brother Wanqi issued was already the mildest warning. Once this news gets out, His Majesty will eventually become suspicious of me. In that case, my position in the palace will be in grave danger. Therefore, the only way out is to strike first and eliminate the threat before His Majesty becomes suspicious of me."
Ah Qiu finally understood why Li Lanxiu had planned to leave the palace. She had no other choice.
If she refuses to take action against Xie Lang and Xie Tiao, Xie Lang will eventually become suspicious of her, and then it will be a question of whether Xie Lang will let her go.
A-Qiu asked, "Then why didn't you leave in the end?"
Li Lanxiu said with a somber tone, "Because Lingying took on everything."
Ah Qiu finally understood.
When Mu Huaying accused Zhao Lingying of being a spy for Lanling Hall, Zhao Lingying never uttered a word of rebuttal, only offering a slight sneer.
In the end, she never made it clear to Xie Lang.
Zhao Lingying knew this. But she chose to cover for Li Lanxiu and take the blame for her.
A Qiu couldn't help but ask, "Zhao Zhaorong is..." What she wanted to ask was whether Zhao Lingying knew that she was from Lanling Hall when she and Li Lanxiu became friends in their youth.
Li Lanxiu shook his head and said, "She didn't know. It was only when Sister Huaying identified her as a spy for Lanling Hall that she, being such a smart person, went through all the past years and naturally realized it was me. But she chose to take this matter underground. And that's how I survived that crisis."
Yes, Qiu thought. Zhao Lingying was accused of being a spy for Lanling, but she was dead, and her affairs after death were irrelevant. Xie Lang would no longer pursue the matter, and naturally, he would have no reason to suspect Li Lanxiu.
Li Lanxiu looked exhausted and said, "Moreover, His Majesty's health has been poor ever since, and the Northern Qiang have made frequent moves, requiring me to assist the Crown Prince in dealing with them. So I haven't had time to think about leaving the palace."
She said softly, "I have heard about your severing of ties with Lanling Hall. If that's the case, why have you come to the palace tonight?"
Li Lanxiu's tone shifted abruptly, but A Qiu understood. With Xie Lang seriously ill, Li Lanxiu was now the pillar of the royal family in the court, and all decisions rested with her. The immense weight she carried was not only power, but also responsibility.
If A Qiu had already resigned herself to being exiled by both Jianzhang and Lanling Hall, she could have ignored the matter of the sword. No matter how important the sword was, as long as she no longer considered herself a member of Jianzhang, it had nothing to do with her.
Xie Tiao's life or death is none of her business.
Therefore, Li Lanxiu did not believe that A Qiu had returned only to deliver the sword.
A Qiu's mind was racing with thoughts, but she didn't know whether she should tell Li Lanxiu.
Because if more people know about what she wants to do, there will be more risks involved.
Li Lanxiu did not wait for her reply, but said to himself, "There are three national gifts sent this time to surrender: the Landscape Painting, the Ancestral Dragon Sword, and the national music pieces 'Shao' and 'Wu'. I heard that the dancers of the Music Bureau have been weeping day and night."
Upon hearing this news, A Qiu was struck dumb, and immediately said, "Weren't the main performers for the 'Shao' and 'Wu' national music originally the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp? Among the musicians, I remember only Zhang Exu, Cui Luzhu, Lady Sun, and Instructor Xue. Even if they were to go north with the delegation, not all the dancers would have to be so worried and troubled, would they?"
Li Lanxiu sighed, "It is said that this selection was changed by Hulü Guang. I don't know what he asked the Music Bureau for, but the current situation is that all the dancers must go north with the troupe, while the originally planned Divine Hound Camp warriors do not have to go."
A Qiu's first identity upon entering the palace was that of a dancer in the Music Bureau. Everyone in the dance troupe could be considered her sister, and the head instructor of the troupe, Lady Sun, and Xue Hongbi were her mentors. Everyone in the court knew that the Grand Master of Music came from the background of a dancer in the Music Bureau.
She never imagined that the fire of seeking peace in the north would spread to the place where she was born.
She met Li Lanxiu's gaze and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, you are now in charge of the court. In the past, even when Hulü Guang requested a princess for a marriage alliance, you would resolutely refuse, preferring to wage war against the entire nation. Even if we suffer a crushing defeat and sue for peace, it is for the safety of all people. How can you allow these ordinary women from the Music Bureau... to be sacrificed?"
Li Lanxiu looked at her quietly and said, "You seem to have forgotten that I am no longer the one in charge of affairs in the court."
A Qiu's mind went blank.
Yes. Since Gu Yi's return, even though Xie Lang is still seriously ill and unable to attend to affairs, the person in charge will no longer be Li Lanxiu, but Gu Yi.
The suggestion to offer up all the dancers was made by Hulü Guang. But Gu Yi did not object.
Because the Music Bureau was nominally under Gu Yi's jurisdiction, any temporary change of performers for the "Shao" and "Wu" pieces would inevitably require Gu Yi's approval.
A Qiu felt as if the world had turned upside down.
Consort Chen said gently, "I'll see you off here."
A Qiu suddenly came to her senses, only to find that Consort Chen had led the way all the way here, and the place she was currently at was not the palace gate.
Instead, it leads to the pavilion and boardwalk in the West Garden of Tangli. After crossing the Hengbo Long Bridge ahead, you will find the Music Bureau.
It was also the place where she lived when she first entered the palace.
A Qiu looked back at Consort Chen, her heart filled with a thousand words, yet she didn't know where to begin.
Consort Chen looked at her and then said, "Nephew A-Qiu."
A Qiu trembled violently and replied in a low voice, "Nephew is here."
Consort Chen said calmly, "Remember, if you are wholeheartedly protecting the beautiful land behind you, your martial uncle will always be your strongest support."
He added, “Never forget the purpose of Lanling Hall. Assassins should never be tools for those in power to fight each other for power. We are daggers aimed at the heart of power, protecting the peace of the world. My uncle has met an enlightened ruler in this life, so I chose to protect him with my life rather than assassinate him. Our missions are different, but I will never withdraw my support for you.”
After suddenly losing the support of Lanling Hall and even becoming a thorn in the side of his master Wanqiqing, Aqiu was not without loneliness.
She suddenly realized that although she and Wan Qiqing were not close all these years, and although she had never relied on the name and power of Lanling Hall, and had mostly traveled alone with her sword, it was because she still had Lanling Hall, which had deep ties with her and was very powerful, as her backer.
It's more of an intangible form of spiritual support and reliance.
Although she was infallible, she knew perfectly well that no matter what problems she encountered, someone would always cover for her. Even though she had never made a mistake in all these years.
Completely removing the name "Lanling Hall" from her very being signifies a sense of bewilderment and emptiness. A powerful, even ubiquitous, source of support has quietly departed.
It wasn't until this moment, until Li Lanxiu addressed her as "Junior Nephew" again, that the powerful warmth that welled up in her heart reminded her that Lanling Hall was not only a burden and shackle to her, but also a profound nurturing grace and teaching affection.
After losing everything, she became free, but also felt a deep loneliness.
At this moment, Li Lanxiu's understanding and support gave her immense confidence and courage.
Because compared to the others in Lanling Hall, Li Lanxiu had a more similar background and experience:
Both were infiltrating the palace, both developed deep feelings for the people in the Southern Dynasty palace, and both disagreed with Wan Qiqing's approach of treating all things and people as straw dogs.
Li Lanxiu walked this long and lonely path, enduring the hardships of the inner palace and serving the king with utmost loyalty.
She was gone for nearly twenty years.
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