Who is Ah Xiu?
Qi Luo said gently, "His Majesty has paid a considerable price over the years to suppress his inner demons. We are unsure whether forcibly breaking through his personal will would cause him irreversible damage."
At this moment, Shangguan Yuqi had already stepped aside, and A Qiu went back to the bronze mirror to observe.
For some reason, based on her intuition about Qi Luo, she knew that even if Qi Luo knew they were spying on her, she wouldn't take it upon herself to expose their secret as long as they didn't reveal themselves and interfere.
In the reflection of Xie Lang in the mirror, his head was still bowed, and he remained silent. Zhao Lingying looked at him with cold eyes, but her incomparably beautiful face showed an expression of inner turmoil.
After a moment, Zhao Lingying slowly said, "If irreversible damage is caused, what would be the worst possible outcome?"
Before Qi Luo could reply, Qi Shang interrupted, "He suffered a mental breakdown and went mad from then on."
The impact of this outcome on a monarch and a dynasty is unpredictable.
Zhao Lingying let out a long sigh, looking up at the sky as if she were making plans.
Then she muttered to herself, "After Tiao'er takes the throne, Sister Lanxiu will have to take care of His Majesty and will definitely not insist on leaving the palace. With Sister Lanxiu in the palace, me in the court, Sister Huaying in the stable aristocratic families, and Azhao and Xiao Pei in the military, there shouldn't be much trouble. The scholars of Dongwu will certainly not be peaceful, but they don't have the ability to split off. They can be suppressed with a little effort."
A Qiu's heart tightened slightly, knowing that she had made up her mind. Today, regardless of Xie Lang's life or death, she would force him to reveal the truth of what happened back then.
Zhao Lingying looked at Xie Lang again, her expression softening slightly. Her voice was low and gentle as she said, "These past years, brother, you must have had a hard time too. You had to maintain the aloofness of the emperor while suppressing your heartache and pretending to forget what happened back then. But everyone knows that no one can truly forget what happened."
Her tone turned cold: "You were the one who orchestrated her death! You haven't felt at peace with yourself all these years, have you?"
After saying this, she waved her hand and then turned her back, indicating that Qi Luo and Qi Shang no longer needed to have any concerns and could directly use their powerful techniques to interrogate them.
Qi Shang's expression shifted, and he slammed his staff on the ground, shouting, "If anything happens to us, it will be the crime of regicide! Consort Zhao, you've made my brother and I bear such a burden with you, what reward do you expect in return?"
Zhao Lingying remained silent for a moment before replying, "If things succeed, I will appoint you as the Imperial Preceptor of this dynasty, and in Jianzhang City, regardless of whether one is a monk, Taoist, diviner, or physician, your lineage will be the most important."
Qi Luo, who was usually gentle, showed displeasure on her face, clearly not agreeing with the result.
Zhao Lingying continued, "If I fail, I guarantee your and your sister's safety, and you can return to Eastern Wu to bring glory to our family. What do you say?"
When Qi Shang heard the first half of her sentence, he still had a sneer in his heart, because Zhao Lingying made a promise on the spur of the moment without any real evidence. No one knew whether she would kill the siblings to silence them after the matter was settled.
But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, his usually unruly expression gradually faded.
After a moment, he said, “I never believe empty promises, but I am willing to believe you this time, Zhaorong. If you were just lying to deceive my brother and me, you would only promise high-ranking positions, wealth and honor, without mentioning the possibility of failure.”
Furthermore, the promises made after the failure were indeed fulfilled. A-Qiu knew that the Qi siblings were originally from a clan in Wu. Guaranteeing their lives and sending them back to their hometown, while not necessarily tempting, sounded more real and believable.
Zhao Lingying's ability to make such a promise was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a well-thought-out plan, and he had indeed considered the future situation of the Qi siblings.
Zhao Lingying merely gave a slight cold laugh and said no more.
She was known as the most cunning of the previous generation of the Four Flying Phoenix Guards, but she was not a vicious and treacherous villain.
Qi Luo sighed softly and said, "Let's begin."
Before Qi Shang could react, she had already started shaking the bell and began to sing softly. Her voice was clear and gentle, like a song or a poem, as if she were telling some tender secret. And Xie Lang's originally wooden face gradually showed an expression of listening attentively.
She had only sung two lines when Zhao Lingying suddenly interrupted, "What are you singing?"
Qi Luo replied gently, “This is ‘Midnight Song’ from the Wu folk songs and Western tunes. We shamans have our own sorcery music for summoning souls, but just now, sensing Your Majesty’s emotions, I inexplicably thought of this familiar folk song from my hometown, and thus used it as a medium to guide the soul into the realm. Does Your Highness find anything wrong with this?”
Qi Luo's temperament and demeanor truly make it difficult for anyone to harbor the thought of harming her or being her enemy.
Zhao Lingying said in a hoarse voice, "Very good. I never expected to hear 'Midnight Song' again in this life, under such circumstances. And to be sung by the Great Wizard is extremely profound, adding to the feelings of longing for loved ones and homesickness. Please continue!"
Although she turned her back, A Qiu could hear her voice tremble slightly. Zhao Lingying had met her several times, and A Qiu only felt that this senior, Fei Feng, was incredibly talented and resourceful, but she had never seen her show any emotion.
In a flash, A-Qiu suddenly understood why she had lost her composure.
The suggestion she made to Empress Shangguan years ago was to pair "Midnight Song" with "White Silk Dance." "Midnight Song" was a folk song from her hometown, which she had introduced to Empress Shangguan. After years of war, song and dance ceased to flourish, and her former friends were no longer with her. Yet now, she never imagined that Xie Lang and she would share the same person and the same song they both cherished.
Qi Luo was able to sing it because she heard Xie Lang's heartbeat and because she was originally from Wu and familiar with the melody of "Midnight Song".
Zhao Lingying was proud and unyielding, and she rarely showed favor to anyone, even in the imperial court. However, there were people who entered her heart, and she remembered that entrustment for the rest of her life.
Qi Luo continued chanting, the bell in her hand jingling in rhythm, and the atmosphere became unusually silent.
Xie Lang's changing expressions revealed his struggle and bitterness, showing that he was having an intense internal battle.
Qi Shang's voice rang out gently, "Why don't you put down that sword? It's far too heavy."
A Qiu knew this was the first leading question, seemingly unrelated to the topic, but once Xie Lang accepted the hint and answered it, he would continue answering.
At this point, Xie Lang finally spoke his first words of the night: "Only the one who holds it is worthy of Ah Xiu. I cannot let go."
The air seemed to freeze the moment he uttered the name "Ah Xiu." Zhao Lingying's shoulders trembled slightly. She seemed to be struggling to suppress herself, not wanting to interrupt the Qi siblings' ritual.
"Ah Xiu".
The name, like a clear melody, a gentle sigh, echoed in A Qiu's heart, and her world seemed to vanish instantly.
She heard her own voice faintly echo: "Who is Ah Xiu?"
She clearly remembered hearing this name more than once.
In many dreams.
The young girl, pen in hand by the window, her every movement brimming with spirit, her gentle smile and delicate gestures captivating. Deep within the mansion, high in the pavilion, the incense burner burns low, locking away unspoken secrets.
She said, "My name is Ah Xiu."
Ah Qiu always believed that Ah Xiu was a person who did not exist in this world.
Even though she had heard Xie Lang murmur "Ah Xiu" in the Jixian Palace, she only took it as a coincidence of names. After all, how could the beloved old friend of the Dayan Emperor possibly intrude into the dream of a strange little girl?
She even believed that Ah Xiu was a figment of her imagination, a phantom to comfort her lonely life.
Ah Xiu is beautiful, intelligent, and has excellent handwriting. Surrounded by gold and jade ornaments, painted beams and carved railings, she must also have a large family, enjoying a harmonious and happy family life.
Unlike her life, which was always surrounded by cold stones and snowfields, she was alone in the vast and desolate world.
But when that name came out of Xie Lang's mouth again, it was like a spell that awakened her long-dormant memories.
Shangguan Yuqi's calm voice was so close, yet it rang in her ears like a thunderclap.
"The Ah Xiu he mentioned is my aunt, Empress Xining, Shangguan Yanxiu."
Something must be wrong.
A-Qiu felt his tongue get tied, and his whole body trembled, as if he was trying his best to resist the magic of the name.
Empress Xining, Shangguan Yanxiu, had heard this name mentioned many times before by palace servants, friends, seniors, and even Gu Yi, but never before had this name caused such a deep shock in her heart.
Because before, she never thought that this name would have anything to do with her.
Shangguan Yuqi's voice continued, seemingly narrating something unrelated to herself:
"Uncle Xie was my aunt's childhood friend, and I've seen him visit our home when I was little. Back then, he was already a promising young deputy general in the palace, strict and self-disciplined. He was always reserved and never overstepped his bounds when he saw my aunt. Later, he rose rapidly through the ranks, from commanding the imperial guards to becoming a powerful and influential minister and general. Then, seizing the opportunity of the fall of the Huan dynasty, he overpowered all the powerful clans and became the founding emperor. When we talk about it, we all consider him an anomaly in the Xie family, known for its detached and unconventional lifestyle."
She seemed to sigh silently: "What I never expected was that what truly supported him all these years, climbing towards the pinnacle of power without any regret, was actually... his affection for his aunt."
A Qiu's eyes widened instantly, her heart churning with a storm of emotions known only to herself.
Shangguan Yuqi concluded, "It's all because he believes that only by becoming emperor can he marry his aunt. That's why he refuses to let go of the Emperor's Sword even in his dreams."
What Xie Lang is holding onto at this moment is probably an obsession that he himself during the day was unaware of.
He had a virtuous concubine and a beloved son, and he was also a diligent and good emperor. But in the deepest corner of his heart, there was a regret that could never be made up for. And this regret became a hidden illness and heartache that tormented him for many years.
Qi Shang's voice rang out softly: "When you came back here, who did you see this time?"
Xie Lang looked as if in a dream, raising one hand as if to touch the air, but then stopped himself, looking as if afraid of offending the person.
He murmured, "Ah Xiu, is that you? You're finally back!"
A Qiu knew perfectly well that Xie Lang was under a spell, and that the person he was seeing was the one he most wanted to see, not someone who had actually arrived. But Xie Lang's expression, and the obsessive look in his eyes when he thought of "A Xiu," sent a chill down her spine.
If Shangguan Yanxiu knew this in the afterlife, would she really be willing to come back to see Xie Lang?
A Qiu had seen in a dream the scene where Su Jinlan, Shangguan Yanxiu's personal maid, begged Xie Lang, but Xie Lang at that time did not soften his heart or waver in the slightest.
That was Xie Lang in the daytime—ruthless, rational, and clear-headed.
The bell rang again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
