Xiang Zhuang's Sword Dance
A Qiu thought to herself that she didn't mean Wan Qiqing was inferior to Gu Yi; the so-called feeling of home was just a matter of individual perception. But it was too late to explain herself now.
Wan Qiqing turned around, his tone devoid of any emotion, and said calmly, "The Northern Qiang delegation will bring a military formation piece called 'Breaking the Formation Music' that I personally composed three months from now. I hope your Southern Dynasty can handle it."
A Qiu was horrified and exclaimed, "Master, are you a Northern Qiang person?"
Her worst fears have finally come true.
Wan Qiqing sighed without answering, "Throwing out Gu Yizhi's zither was originally a trap I set for you. Do you know why I didn't take advantage of the situation later?"
Aqiu replied blankly, "This disciple does not know."
This time, she was truly bewildered. When she saw Wan Qiqing throw the zither, she only had one thought in her mind: to catch it. Even though she knew that Wan Qiqing might be testing her, she couldn't care less. She really didn't understand why her master, who had set this trap, would let such a great opportunity slip by. This was not in line with her master's style of planning carefully and acting decisively.
Wan Qiqing gazed intently at her, his heart filled with complex emotions, and said, "Throwing the zither was just a casual test I gave you. I didn't know what you would do. But when you disregarded your own safety and did your best to catch the zither, without caring that I was watching you like a tiger, I think both Gu Yi and I should feel gratified."
"You did not abandon Gu Yiren's zither because he was no longer alive, nor because you were concerned about your own safety; nor did you show any instinctive fear of me. As a master, I can't help but feel gratified to have a disciple with such a natural disposition as you."
Ah Qiu, blinded by his own involvement, only now understood Wan Qiqing's state of mind.
Throwing the zither was just a casual trick he used to confuse her, but if A Qiu remained unmoved the moment the zither was thrown and was fully prepared for his next attack, then Wan Qiqing's assessment of her would probably need to be completely rewritten.
Wan Qiqing gave her a final, deep look and said calmly, "Which country I'm from is not important to you. What's important is whether I'm useful to you."
He turned his back to A Qiu and sighed, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king. This is what Gu Yi and I both want to achieve. It all depends on whether the Northern Qiang, which I have bet on, annexes the Southern Dynasty, or whether Gu Yi's Great Yan Northern Expedition succeeds. But no matter who succeeds, we will both be your teachers, and you will inherit this world. This is the only outcome that will not change."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu was so shocked that he couldn't utter a single word.
Even though she followed Gu Yi in death, her master still wanted to pass on his future position to her?
In her mind, even if her master did not pursue her departure, he would never regard her as his successor, after all, there were two senior brothers, Gongyi Xiu and Moyi Mingyue, above her.
Wan Qiqing, with mixed feelings, glanced at her with a wistful yet expectant look, and said the exact same words that Mo Yimingyue had said before leaving.
"You'd better watch yourself."
Then his figure leaped up, like a large bird soaring down Jinling Terrace, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
When A Qiu brought the news that the Northern Qiang delegation would be leading a large-scale military dance called "Breaking the Formation" to the Eastern Palace, Shangguan Yuqi and Xiao Chang'an were standing to Xie Tiao's left and right.
Apart from Pei Yu, who was currently far away in Guangling overseeing the battle, Fan Liancheng, although in the Jianzhang Army's northern camp, was still returning to the Eastern Palace every three days for meetings. The current Flying Phoenix Guard was now officially operating with the Eastern Palace as its core, and they were gradually becoming more united and cooperative, developing a tacit understanding of mutual support and cooperation.
This was not because the Flying Phoenix Guards were currying favor, but because since the emperor was seriously ill, the Eastern Palace's position was undoubtedly more important, and its security needed to be taken even more seriously. This was not for personal honor or disgrace, but for the safety of the entire nation.
No matter how Zhao Lingying tried to sideline the Crown Prince and distance him from the center of power, the Four Guards of Flying Phoenix remained loyal to him. This also demonstrates Xie Lang and Gu Yi's foresight.
With Shangguan Yuqi from the Shangguan clan, Pei Yu from the Pei family of the Dongguang Marquis's mansion, Xiao Chang'an from the Xiao clan of the Northern Dynasty, and Fan Liancheng from the Fan clan of the Northwest, with these four people in charge, even Zhao Lingying, the number one talented woman of the Dayan Dynasty, would not be able to easily shake the Eastern Palace.
But Xie Tiao felt something else entirely.
He felt that all these changes were brought about by his junior sister, A Qiu. The Four Flying Phoenix Guards used to serve in the Eastern Palace, but they were all indifferent to him, polite and courteous. There was nothing wrong with them, but it seemed they were only there because of their family's mission to deal with him.
It was certainly not the united front it was at the moment. While Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu had both clearly expressed their unwillingness to marry him, they had also clearly stated their political stance: the Shangguan and Pei families would provide him with unwavering support. At this time, with his father seriously ill and Gu Yi departing, this truly gave him immense encouragement.
Of course, A-Qiu couldn't tell them that this news was conveyed by her master, Wan Qiqing, who entered Jinlingtai at night. She only said that it was learned by the Junior Master Yu Zhe.
Shangguan Yuqi frowned and said, "Since it is a military dance, it must be performed by soldiers carrying weapons in the hall. Its form is roughly similar to our Shangguan family's sword dance, 'The Song of Heaven and Earth,' except that I am dancing solo while they are performing as a group. But listening to it gives me an ominous feeling of tension and impending doom. I wonder why?"
Xiao Chang'an had remained silent since the beginning, as if he hadn't heard anything, and he didn't respond at this moment either.
A Qiu knew that the Northern Qiang's mission must have been aided by the Xiao family's influence within the Northern Dynasty's court; otherwise, how could they have arrived so promptly? Just as the Divine Hound Camp was demanding dancers, the Northern Qiang envoys arrived, proposing a competition of music and dance. However, due to their positions, even if Xiao Chang'an knew something, he probably wouldn't reveal too much.
She finally began to understand the cunning of the Xiao family of the Northern Dynasty. It was that whatever the Xiao family did, it was almost always a veiled attack, a series of interconnected schemes, one move leading to another. Even if you knew they harbored ill intentions, you couldn't find any dirt on them. And it was also very difficult to dislike them.
Xiao Chang'an sensed that she was looking at him, so he smiled at her but didn't say anything more.
Just then, footsteps approached from outside the door. Fan Liancheng, who had just stepped into the hall, grumbled, "That's for sure. Because no matter how you look at it, it sounds just like the saying, 'Xiang Zhuang danced with his sword at the Feast at Hongmen, his intention was to kill Liu Bang.'"
Shangguan Yuqi finally turned to Xiao Chang'an and said in a deep voice, "What exactly is the Lanling Xiao Clan planning, that you would send a military formation to perform in the palace?"
Seeing that he could not escape it, Xiao Chang'an had no choice but to spread his hands to show his innocence and said with a bitter smile, "Although I am a descendant of the Xiao family, once I enter the service of the Southern Dynasty, the Xiao family will not explain all their plans to me in detail. How is that different from treason? The person in charge of the Xiao family will never trust me like that."
Ah Qiu thought to herself, if the person in charge of the Xiao family isn't you, then who else could it be? Shangguan Yuqi frowned and asked first, "Who exactly is the person in charge of your Xiao family right now? I've heard that the Northern Qiang have pacified the Central Plains, made the other four tribes submit, and even imitated the Han system of the Central Plains, established a capital city, and proclaimed themselves emperors. Your Xiao family has played a significant role in all of this. The person in charge behind the scenes is probably no less capable than my thirteenth uncle back then."
Xiao Chang'an smiled wryly, "Miss Shangguan, please don't push me too far. I'm not a spy, but a disciple of the Hidden Sect personally chosen by the Young Master. Once I join the Hidden Sect, my duty to the sect is paramount, and worldly affairs are no longer on my mind. I only hope that one day I won't have to face my own family on the battlefield. That would be enough for me. How could I dare to inquire about the people in charge of the Xiao family?"
His words were half true and half false, yet they were watertight. Unless one knew him well like Ah Qiu, it would be difficult to discern whether there were any flaws in his words.
After all, it was Gu Yi who recommended Xiao Chang'an, a fact known to everyone in the court and among the people.
Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of him, Shangguan Yuqi turned to Aqiu and said, "Do you know who in the Northern Qiang proposed the 'Breaking the Formation Music'? Although I've never been to the Northern Qiang, I know that while ethnic minorities are known for their individual singing and dancing, their military discipline is often disorganized. A well-organized, synchronized military dance is not so easy to put together. Now that the nation has just been established, it's unlikely they'll have the manpower to rehearse such a large-scale military dance. Could it be that the Northern Qiang have acquired masters of dance and music?"
Ah Qiu was sweating profusely from her questions, and for the first time witnessed Shangguan Yuqi's wisdom in judging people and things. In just a few moments, her questions hit the nail on the head, making it difficult to defend oneself. If one was distracted even slightly, one would likely reveal their true colors immediately.
Of course, she couldn't answer that the "Breaking the Formation Music" was something her master, Wan Qiqing, had personally admitted to and that he had personally trained her in. She could only carefully say, "Since the Junior Master Charioteer has discovered this matter, it must be true. But who exactly performed it is probably a secret within the Northern Qiang and not so easy to find out."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Xiao Chang'an looking at her with a half-smile. She then realized that she had been forced to lie under Shangguan Yuqi's piercing gaze and finally understood the pressure Xiao Chang'an had just put on her.
Shangguan Yuqi frowned and said, "This is difficult. In the past, the first thing to do before going into battle is to know who the enemy's commander is, so that we can formulate a strategy to win based on their consistent tactics and personality. As it is now, we don't even know who the enemy's leader is. How is this any different from going into battle blindfolded?"
Xie Tiao interjected at just the right moment: "Regardless of who is in charge, his strategy is already very clear: everyone knows how strong the Northern Qiang army is. He is showing this 'Breaking the Formation Music' to the Southern Dynasty court, of course, to show off to the people of our Southern Dynasty that he is not only good at martial arts, but also proficient in civil administration and knows how to win hearts and minds. He came here to win the hearts and minds of our Southern Dynasty without fighting."
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