That's all
The servant circled the area three times, but no one answered.
The reason is simple: Gu Yi's music was classical, while the music taught by these dancers and singers was vulgar music used for entertaining guests at banquets. Even if Gu Yi played a random tune, they might not understand it, let alone this piece, which was not a piece recorded in ancient scores or passed down in books for thousands of years. Rather, it was a piece that Gu Yi composed after personally climbing the walls of Chang'an and witnessing the suffering of the people and the ravages of war.
A Qiu, hidden in the group, didn't know why Hulü Guang asked that question, but she instinctively felt that if she couldn't answer it, it would be very inappropriate. Hulü Guang was constantly looking in their direction, his face cold and hard, his previous amiable demeanor gone.
This piece is not well-known, but A Qiu played it on the Qiang flute on the very first day he entered the Music Bureau.
It is "Chang'an Wind", which blends the styles of both the Han and non-Han peoples.
When Wanqiqing taught Aqiu to use the Qiang flute to enter the music bureau for selection, he went to great lengths to find music for her.
Because the Qiang flute is originally a northern nomadic instrument, and the nomadic people rarely had a tradition of notating and reciting music, they passed it down orally, often without even a proper melody. Therefore, the repertoire that has been passed down is already very small. For a simple instrument to be played with such depth and skill, the selection of music is especially important.
When A-Qiu heard the sound of the Qiang flute, he suddenly recalled some melodies he had heard in his childhood and felt that they would be suitable to be played on the Qiang flute, so he tried to play them.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a complete piece of music.
After hearing this, Wan Qiqing's expression also paused slightly. A thoughtful look appeared on his handsome, chiseled face, as if he were searching for something in his memories.
After a moment, he said uncertainly, "This should be a folk song from the Hu region. I think I heard it on the city walls of Luoyang, the capital. Ah Qiu, where did you hear it from?"
A-Qiu closed her eyes and tried hard to recall, but found that the parts related to it in the depths of her memory were all blank.
It was completely empty, without any trace of anyone or anything.
It was as if the music had fallen from the sky.
She could only say, "I don't remember, Master."
Wan Qiqing patted her head and comforted her, "It's alright." Then, as if talking to himself, he said, "Some things are better forgotten. Use this song to select your favorites."
...
This is the origin of "Chang'an Wind".
It was a melody that Gu Yi had played for her when she was a child, to lull her to sleep.
She can even remember what Gu Yi said to her back then.
"I once crossed the Yellow River alone, traveled north to Yinchuan, and arrived at the desolate Yanmen Pass. Beside the graves covered with newly grown autumn grass, I heard Han Chinese soldiers stationed on the frontier humming this bitter homesick ballad. I then wrote it down, perfected the syllables, and made it into a melody."
They found themselves at a desolate border region, overgrown with withered grass. Their longing for their homeland, however, was for the ancient capital of Chang'an, a city from a hundred years ago, a place of dreams and dreams.
...
When she grew up, she reunited with Gu Yi in the deep palace, and the scene still began with this song, "Chang'an Wind".
The melodies that floated from her lips at that time were sometimes high-pitched, magnificent, and far-reaching, and sometimes lingering and endless, like a traveler who has crossed countless mountains and passes, pausing to gaze at the bright moon over the border.
And his footsteps, just as the last note faded, accurately entered the corridor and appeared before her.
A-Qiu suddenly understood.
With the connection to the Heart-to-Heart Flower Gu and the "Chang'an Wind" in the title, he knew it was her from the very beginning.
That's why he never exposed her.
Why would he, who is usually aloof, self-disciplined, and aloof, keep her by his side, even disregarding the stares of thousands?
Why did he unexpectedly accept her as his apprentice?
She thought... he was special to her.
In fact, he was indeed special to her. But it was for another reason, and probably not the one she was hoping for.
So everything that happened between them was her doing, breaking down the boundaries and distance that should have existed between them.
Gu Yi wanted to protect her and take care of her, but not in that way.
Therefore, he won her freedom from Wan Qiqing, but then released her to wander the mountains and seas.
He always accepted her, treating her differently from others, but never wanted to overstep his bounds.
Now that he knew she was about to leave the Southern Dynasty and travel north with this delegation, he saw her off in this way.
She only knew that Gongyi Xiu's mission was to go deep into the tiger's den, facing countless difficulties and dangers; but wasn't she herself going through the same thing?
This is a piece of music that records all the encounters and friendships between her and Gu Yi.
Gu Yi used this to tell her: I remember.
I remember you from before, and you from now.
I remember everything between us.
But that's where it ends.
Once I left the Purple Terrace, I was drawn to the northern desert; now I am left alone in Jinling as dusk falls.
A Qiu's eyes involuntarily stung, but she finally thought of a way to solve the problem at hand.
She squeezed into the troupe of dancers, subtly moving a few steps closer to Lady Sun, and whispered the name of the piece in her ear.
Upon hearing this, Lady Sun immediately replied loudly as her attendant rode over again: "This song is called 'Chang'an Wind,' a ballad sung by soldiers on the frontier who long for their hometown. It was later spread to the capital and was often sung by the common people. It was only after the Junior Tutor adapted and transcribed it that it became the song we know today."
The attendant immediately noted it down and rode back to report.
A Qiu watched from afar and saw that after hearing the servant's report, Hulü Guang's expression softened. Gongyi Xiu said a few more words, and he just nodded repeatedly.
The next moment, he waved his hand and gave the order to set off.
A Qiu glanced back at Gu Yi on the city wall one last time. The lingering sound of his zither echoed in the air as he finished playing his last note.
Without looking back, A Qiu lifted the carriage curtain and slipped inside.
Then Cui Luzhu followed her in, followed by the other dancers. They crowded together and sat down in the carriage.
The carriage rumbled forward. A-Qiu leaned her head against the carriage wall, but couldn't help recalling the scene when she first entered the palace.
It was a carriage that carried her and many young female musicians, taking them from the music halls within Jianzhang City all the way into the palace, through winding corridors and ten miles of palace alleys. She walked and looked around, both curious and wary, memorizing the terrain and routes within the palace.
At that time, she was unaware that deep within the palace, there was someone she had always longed for, someone whose fate was inextricably linked to hers, waiting for her.
As the carriage continued to travel further away, the sensation between my eyebrows grew weaker and weaker, becoming increasingly faint.
A Qiu thought to herself: That's fine, Gu Yi.
Perhaps this is the last time I will say goodbye to you.
I had forgotten you.
But not in the future.
No matter where you are in the world, I will remember you.
This delegation of several hundred people mainly consisted of core envoys, a troupe of dancers and musicians, and the army responsible for escorting them. The guards were all from the Divine Hound Battalion of the Jianzhang Army.
In addition, there was Hulü Guang and a force of nearly a hundred men from the Northern Qiang King's army who accompanied him, who were also his personal guards.
As A-Qiu had predicted, her troupe of dancers and musicians became the target of the Northern Qiang King's army as soon as they set off.
To prevent accidents, all the geisha strictly adhere to the prescribed schedule, operate in teams, and never go out alone. They usually stay in their vehicles and rarely get out to show themselves.
Regardless of food, lodging, or travel, the Divine Hound Camp's escort troops stayed close to the geisha's convoy.
Initially, the Northern Qiang soldiers would only occasionally take advantage of the opportunity to watch the dancers get off their carriages in small groups and mock them from afar.
Later, it evolved into taking advantage of the occasional absence of the guards from the Divine Hound Battalion, suddenly approaching the large carts, making faces to scare and tease the dancers.
When this happened, Xiao Chang'an immediately adjusted the duty roster of the Divine Hound Camp, strictly ordering that all geisha convoys must be guarded by soldiers at all times, with shifts to supervise, and that there must never be a situation where no one is on duty or where only a geisha is present.
In other words, wherever there are geisha, there must be soldiers from the Divine Hound Battalion. Wherever they go or what they do, they must travel in groups and report to the soldiers escorting the convoy. Then, the officers will assign soldiers to follow and protect them.
When Xiao Chang'an went to the troupe of dancers to announce the order, he happened to run into several Northern Qiang soldiers who were lying in ambush next to a large cart carrying dancers, waiting for them to get off so they could pull them away.
Because these people were hiding behind the vehicle and had just arrived, the guards of the Divine Hound Camp in front of the vehicle did not notice them at first.
But Xiao Chang'an was no ordinary man. He only glanced at her before calmly saying, "The dancers in the carriage can get off and have dinner now."
Ah Qiu then followed the other dancers off the carriage.
Whether it was good luck or bad luck, the Northern Qiang soldiers happened to be lying in ambush behind the carriage she was in.
When it was her turn to get out of the car, Xiao Chang'an made a gesture as if to help her.
But with her keen eyesight and skill, A Qiu immediately saw that his intention was not to help her up, so she did not actually use his strength to get on him. Instead, she got off the car herself, leaving Xiao Chang'an's hand hanging in the air.
At this moment, Xiao Chang'an did not recognize her disguised appearance, so he would never reach out to help her alone without a reason.
At this moment, she also missed Xiao Chang'an's former carefree and playful manner, always finding fault with her and being a rascal.
Because along the way, she had witnessed Xiao Chang'an grow up.
That meant being stern and unsmiling, and strictly enforcing orders. Completing the task entrusted to him by Gu Yi—safely protecting so many dancers—would be no easy feat.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred.
Several rough hands of soldiers reached out from the side, some pulling at her clothes, some tugging at her skirt, and a malicious "hehe" sound rang out.
But all of this lasted for less than a blink of an eye.
Screams rang out continuously.
Xiao Chang'an had broken all three men's arms on the spot, dislocating their tendons and bones.
Xiao Chang'an clapped his hands and said as if nothing had happened: "Order everyone that all the Divine Hound Camp guards and dancers must check the surroundings before getting on and off the carriages, and no unauthorized personnel should be left behind."
He added, "Furthermore, wherever the dancers go after getting off the carriage, they must travel in groups, and the officers of the convoy must send out a small team to accompany and protect them."
Then, without changing his expression, he said, "Let me do the math: if one dancer is lost on this trip, the Divine Hound Camp will lose ten heads. This is to prevent you from stealing from yourselves."
The Divine Hound Battalion soldiers guarding the vehicle finally witnessed the young master's ruthless and swift methods, and said with a forced smile, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare!"
The officer leading the Divine Hound Battalion, having heard the screams, had already come to inspect the area. Hearing Xiao Chang'an's words, he gave a slight bow and said, "Lord Qingyao Guard is too kind. We all know that our journey to the Northern Qiang is a sacrifice for the country behind us, and most likely we will not return. We admire these women's courage, how could we dare to harbor any disrespectful thoughts!"
As A Qiu looked down, she suddenly realized that it was someone she knew.
Her senior brother, Yin Shang, was one of the Eight Steeds of Xingfeng Hall, Mo Yimingyue, and often served as a captain in the Divine Hound Camp.
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