What a Good Woman Should Know
Ghostly thought he was also frightened by A Qiu. After regaining his senses, he quickly and slowly retreated.
Although A Qiu was nestled in Gu Yi's arms, she was naturally sensitive and noticed Gu Yi's movements. Although she didn't dare to look up, she glanced in the direction of Gu Yi's gesture out of the corner of her eye.
Incredible! This ghostly dancer, who had previously appeared to be wearing wooden clogs and dragging her feet with each step, suddenly floated into the air as she hastily retreated, seemingly without feet beneath her dance costume. Though her body moved, her dress remained perfectly still, and she drifted away in this bizarre way.
Although it was only a glimpse, it looked extremely eerie and terrifying in the dark night.
A Qiu calmly suppressed her screams, her whole body trembling as she buried her head even deeper into Gu Yi's arms.
It must be said that Gu Shaoshi's embrace was very effective in calming the nerves, relieving palpitations, and alleviating panic.
His heartbeat was very regular; you could feel it even through his chest.
Although... it seems a bit fast. My body temperature is slightly high.
But A-Qiu didn't mind.
Because the scent emanating from him was incredibly reassuring.
The first scent that A Qiu smelled was a cool and understated watery fragrance, like the lingering scent of withered lotus leaves in a pond after an early autumn rain. Then came the fragrance of chrysanthemums blooming in layers under the eaves, and then it changed into a steady woody tone that was both sweet and bitter, like the ancient maple trees deep in the old palace, both passionate and melancholic, with golden and fiery red leaves constantly drifting away and covering the rain-dampened stone steps.
After the autumn rains and the winter snows, in the crisp and lingering air, someone stood as still as a mountain, as upright as a pine tree, holding her hand in one grasp, teaching her to touch the silk strings of the five-stringed zither.
His hands were rather cold, but his heart was incredibly warm. Where his hand and hers overlapped, the guqin rang out with a clear, ethereal sound, its lingering resonance spreading deep within the palace.
"This is the sound of heaven, like floating clouds and willow catkins, coming and going without a trace."
A flood of smells, sounds, and images suddenly rushed into A Qiu's mind.
"Ah Qiu, Ah Qiu." It was Gu Yi calling her softly.
"Wake up." His voice was very gentle.
This was their third encounter, but the first time he had called her name. The voice he used to call her name was so deep and melodious, so…familiar.
A-Qiu didn't want to wake up.
Gu Yi was at a loss for words, both laughing and crying.
Is she dreaming about him?
(Then he vaguely remembered that he had to attend the morning court session tomorrow.)
Gu Yi gathered heat in his palm and lightly tapped A Qiu on the back.
As a gentle, resilient warmth flowed into her heart, A Qiu slowly raised her head from Gu Yi's embrace, shaking it as if waking from a dream.
Her first question was: "Is the ghost still there?"
Gu Yi pointed to the water corridor under the night sky, and subtly moved his body to break free from her embrace, saying, "They're gone."
A-Qiu lowered her dangling arms, still shaken, and asked, "Are there many ghosts in the palace?"
Gu Yi glanced at her, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Saying yes would undoubtedly frighten her even more; if she were to hug him again like she had just done—Gu Yi suddenly dared not think any further.
He might not be able to attend court tomorrow.
He said no, but this girl is too daring, always wandering around at night, and he can't always keep an eye on her. If she were afraid of ghosts, she would at least have some reservations and probably wouldn't wander around so recklessly at night.
He decided to say yes.
...
The problem is that Gu Yi has never lied in his life.
Therefore, he hesitated for a moment before avoiding the question and said, "Actually, if you really want to know the reason behind the ghostly courtesans in Tangli Garden, you can ask Consort Sun. She is also an old servant in the palace."
Ah Qiu said sullenly, "My wife is strict. I dare not ask her any more questions."
So, it turns out she thought that Gu Shaoshi, the most accomplished military commander in the dynasty, was easier to talk to than a music instructor.
Gu Yi glanced at her, calmly straightened his clothes that had been torn and messed up by her bump and hug, and said, "This is a matter for your dance department. If Instructor Sun does not wish to say more, then I will not say anything more."
He added, "Actually, I have heard that among the many dance steps passed down from ancient times, there is a lost technique called the 'ghost step.' The upper body remains still while the lower body moves in continuous, fragmented steps. A master can make each step connect seamlessly, leaving no trace, making it look as if the person is floating in the void."
Ah Qiu was very clever, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Then it means that the ghost performer is actually a person in disguise."
He added, "But the geisha students also say that in each generation of the geisha troupe, a geisha has disappeared without a trace, and so far there have been seven. Moreover, none of them have been found alive or dead."
Gu Yi's gaze suddenly darkened. He turned his gaze to the opposite side of the water, to the Pear Blossom Garden hidden among ancient trees, and remained silent.
A moment later, it darted back to A Qiu and asked seriously, "A Qiu, why do you want to enter the palace?"
A Qiu was caught off guard by his question. Usually quick-witted and eloquent, she was speechless and stammered, unable to utter a word.
She wasn't incapable of being perfunctory, but she was unwilling to lie to Gu Yi.
But could she tell Gu Yi that she was paving the way into the palace for her master's grand plan to seize power over the world?
Gu Yi didn't wait for her answer and continued, "No matter what you want to get in the palace, it won't be easy. You will see many dark, hateful, and tragic things, but none of them can be solved with a single stab to the throat."
He stopped, then said hesitantly, "You wouldn't like the wickedness of people involved."
A Qiu was deeply shaken. The way Gu Yi spoke these words made it seem as if he knew her very, very well.
Like a wise and earnest elder, or a long-time friend.
She tilted her head back, boldly meeting Gu Yi's deep gaze, and replied, "But isn't Young Master Gu here too?"
Gu Yi's eyes suddenly changed in that instant, and he almost embarrassed himself and immediately lowered his head.
A Qiu also looked at the pear tree in the shadows opposite and said to herself, "I don't understand why someone as accomplished and powerful as Grand Tutor Gu would take on such a thankless and empty position as Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."
She continued, "But I think that Master Gu must be like me, hoping to make our existence, and the era we live in, brighter."
"Whether it's the high-ranking Junior Tutor or the most humble dancer in the Music Bureau, what they all want to see is a world that re-emerges after the war, a world of order, freedom, and the light of humanity."
After a long while, A Qiu still hadn't received a reply from Gu Yi.
Turning around, I realized that Gu Yi had already left sometime earlier.
She paused for a moment, stunned: Had she said something wrong?
Knowing that the ghost performers were human and not ghosts, A-Qiu felt much more at ease and no longer afraid. Before anyone noticed, she quietly slipped back into the sleeping quarters where the dancers were resting peacefully.
That night was truly terrifying. Although she didn't feel anything at the time, as soon as she put her head down, she felt sleepy.
Gu Yi's embrace had a truly calming and soothing effect. Even in her dreams, she seemed to be able to fondly inhale the crisp, refreshing scent, like sweet dew, pine breeze, withered lotus leaves, and autumn maple leaves.
The result was that she overslept again.
As soon as A-Qiu opened her eyes, she saw a bright, full red sunrise outside the dormitory. The room was bathed in the glow of the rising sun. In the large dormitory, everyone's bedding was neatly folded like origami, but the room was empty. She immediately knew that today was going to be a disaster.
Among all the courtesans, she was the only one who was late twice in a row. Given Instructor Sun's strictness, she would surely be severely punished.
Ah Qiu steeled himself and ran towards the Xianglai Corridor where the dancers practiced their skills.
Today is a very lucky day. The dancers are not practicing their dances, but are sitting properly on the ground, listening to Instructor Sun explain the pieces.
"The sun rises in the southeast, shining on my Qin family's tower. The Qin family has a beautiful daughter, whose name is Luofu."
The dancers began to chant in unison, their voices devoid of enthusiasm or joy, as if they were simply reciting the names of dishes at a banquet.
However, even from a distance, A Qiu knew it was a poem called "Mulberry by the Roadside" from the "Xianghe Songs," which tells the story of Luo Fu, a beautiful commoner from the Qin Dynasty, who refused the harassment of the governor.
The poem first praises Luo Fu's beauty, saying that common farmers and passersby all stop to admire her. Then it mentions that a noble official, a prefect, came from the south in a carriage, and a minor official asked whose daughter she was and if she would like to ride in the same carriage.
Luo Fu politely declined, saying, "Your Excellency has a wife, and I have a husband." She then spoke at length about her husband's power, beauty, and prominence to mock the governor, causing him to retreat in shame.
A-Qiu quietly took off her wooden clogs, picked up her shoes, and tiptoed past the pillars in the corridor.
This time, she successfully blended into the seating area of the geisha.
As if she had ears in the back of her head, Sun's wife calmly called out, "Pause."
The dancers' voices abruptly cut off as soon as they sang "Luo Fu has her own husband," as smooth as if cut by a knife or axe.
Sun Neiren said, "A Qiu, why did Luo Fu refuse the governor?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the hall changed strangely. Some of the dancers looked bewildered, some pushed and shoved each other, and some looked flustered and nervous.
In an instant, the once neatly arranged masks revealed vivid expressions.
Asking questions in a geisha class is something that has never happened before.
In the past, the songs were taught by the instructors who would recite the original text of the poems orally, and then the dancers would memorize them line by line.
Once the geisha is familiar with the songs and poems, then they practice the dance movements and expressions line by line.
Each line of poetry is a dance performance.
Once you've mastered the skill, you can then perform with the accompaniment of musical instruments from the standing or sitting geisha tradition.
However, in no part of the process will the original meaning of the poem be explained.
Most of the dancers and musicians were illiterate. Only the best among them, those who eventually became instructors, would have the honor of being literate.
A Qiu forced a smile and stood up, first bowing to Lady Sun, then saying as she thought, "Because... the prefect is not a good person."
Lady Sun asked, "How can you tell?"
A Qiu said, "Because Luo Fu said that he already had a wife at home, and he still harassed women, so he is a bad person."
Lady Sun said calmly, "If he has no wife at home, should Luo Fu agree?"
The dancers all looked extremely curious and excited, eagerly awaiting the answer.
For some reason, A-Qiu felt inexplicably guilty, but still answered, "I shouldn't."
Sun's wife asked, "Oh? Then why is that?"
A Qiu truthfully said, "As the prefect, if he truly liked Luo Fu, he should have formally gone to her house to propose marriage, instead of being captivated by her beauty in front of everyone and inviting her to ride in his carriage."
Sun's wife replied calmly, "Oh."
A-Qiu was stunned: Oh, what does that mean?
Sun Neiren then asked, "The next question is, is it true that Luo Fu refused the governor's offer because she said she had a husband?"
She called on Zhang Exu to stand up and answer, but did not let Aqiu sit down.
Zhang E stood up stiffly and replied, "Yes."
Sun's wife asked, "Why do you think so?"
Zhang E recited, as fluently as flowing water, the dozen or so lines of poetry in which Luo Fu later praised her husband, saying, "Because there are so many descriptions, it must be true."
He added, "This part will take us the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Just to describe his carriages and horses—magnificent, and the 'graceful steps of the duke's mansion, graceful movements within the residence'."
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