Your concubine, A Su
Hulü Guang indeed stopped in his tracks, and said with great regret, "I have long heard that the beauties of the Southern Dynasty are all in the Music Bureau. Now that I can bring them all back to the Northern Qiang, my trip can be considered a complete success."
Upon hearing this, A-Qiu paid close attention:
The state of the Southern Dynasties' Music Bureau could only be described as bleak, and in the last ten years, its talent pool had dwindled even further. If it had gained any reputation, it was only after she joined the Music Bureau in the last six months and rehearsed "White Silk Dance" and "Yan Shining".
And who was it that Huli Guang heard about the reputation of the Southern Dynasties' music bureau while he was in the Northern Dynasties?
And that person most likely brought it up deliberately in front of him.
Just when A Qiu thought that Hulü Guang had been persuaded by Gongyi Xiu and no longer intended to covet these dancers, he turned his feet back to this side and said, "Even so, I can still take a look, can't I? I have heard that the Grand Master of Music of your country comes from the dancers of the Music Bureau. If these people have half her beauty, then this king will have made the trip worthwhile."
A Qiu immediately thought to himself, "Oh no!"
If Hulü Guang truly valued the imperial cause, he shouldn't have bothered with this unnecessary action.
If you do not show him what he desires, his mind will not be disturbed.
Given Hulü Guang's character, once he saw the beauty of these dancers, he would never have been able to stay put and travel north. He must have understood this himself.
Therefore, initially, after being persuaded by Gongyi Xiu, he intended to let the dancers go and board the carriage to leave.
But he eventually succumbed to his curiosity and lust, and thus deceived himself into thinking he was just looking.
Gongyi Xiu wanted to stop it again, but it was too late.
Hulü Guang had reached the row of red-clad dancers lined up in the snow. He glanced at them, his eyes immediately lit up, and he was speechless.
The women of the Hu ethnic group are also beautiful, but they are far less gentle and refined than the women of Jiangnan. In particular, these women are all trained in the arts, and every move, every smile and frown carries the poetic and picturesque charm of Jiangnan, as if it were a poem or a song.
Even though they mostly looked worried at this moment, they were still very charming and beautiful, like Xi Shi frowning.
A-Qiu glanced at him from afar, then immediately lowered her eyelashes, adopting the same listless and languid expression, and passed by him unnoticed.
She thought she had hidden herself well enough, and her appearance was ordinary enough that she wouldn't attract Hulü Guang's attention.
Unexpectedly, just as she was about to leave right under Hulü Guang's nose after another slightly taller geisha in line, Hulü Guang suddenly asked, "What's your name?"
A Qiu was startled. After the makeup, her face, which was slightly sallow and dull with some spots, did not show any surprise. She simply bowed respectfully and said weakly, "This concubine is A Su."
She didn't dare to look him in the eye, appearing extremely cautious.
Wan Qiqing once mentioned that her name corresponds to autumn in the Five Elements theory, white in the color theory, and west in the direction theory, and is associated with punishment and killing. Therefore, her alias this time is Su, meaning pure white.
Hulü Guang, however, seemed to have developed a curiosity about her and continued, "How many years have you been in the Music Bureau? What are you studying?"
While remaining vigilant, A Qiu was also thinking of a way to escape.
She tried her best to make her voice sound flat and uninteresting, and said hesitantly, "I grew up in the Music Bureau and learned dance and music."
In such a public place, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hulü Guang should be unable to do anything to her. However, if she handles the situation improperly and is marked by him, the journey ahead will be extremely troublesome.
A dashing, languid voice rang out behind her, asking uninvited, "What? Is Your Highness interested in these people?"
A Qiu was suddenly startled.
She recognized it simply because it was Xiao Chang'an's voice.
He had been so focused on dealing with Hulü Guang that he was unaware that someone had suddenly appeared behind him, and it was Xiao Chang'an.
Although she was shocked, her astonished reaction was perfectly appropriate for her current situation.
Hulü Guang's gaze remained fixed on her, a slight smile playing on his lips as he said, "I'm just interested in her."
At the same time, a slender hand reached out from under the black fox fur coat to grab her arm.
Before A-Qiu could figure out how to react, the dancer behind her gasped in surprise, and everyone's eyes turned to look at them.
The stunning dancer who made the first move was none other than Cui Lüzhu, who was terrified of the Northern Qiang people.
In any other situation, she would certainly not want to be in the spotlight and become the target of public criticism.
But since Hulü Guang's goal was A Qiu, she went all out.
Before Huli Guang's hand could even touch A Qiu's arm, he received a light tap.
However, Xiao Chang'an, who was behind A Qiu, suddenly appeared and struck Huli Guang's outstretched hand with his purple bamboo flute.
Xiao Chang'an glanced at A Qiu and said with a smile, "Her? It seems that His Highness Prince Ning's taste is not very good."
Despite being blocked by Xiao Chang'an in this way, Hulü Guang remained calm: this was because after suffering several losses in the Southern Dynasty, his temper had also calmed down considerably.
He changed his grip to a flick of his finger, using his right hand to flick away Xiao Chang'an's purple bamboo flute, and with his left arm he pulled A Qiu close, chuckling as he said, "Of all the dancers who walked past me, only she didn't glance at me once. This has suddenly piqued my interest."
He then laughed and said, "You should know that the most important thing about a beauty is her temperament, not her appearance. I have never seen many beauties in my life who can treat me as nothing."
Ah Qiu finally understood where she had gone wrong!
With his handsome appearance and imposing figure, just standing there, even though they knew he was not a good person but an enemy, these geisha girls couldn't help but steal a few glances at him.
Only because she was afraid of attracting his attention and had absolutely no interest in him from beginning to end did she not even glance at him.
If it were Gongyi Xiu or Xiao Chang'an, although they were also charming and witty people, they would never have had this "if someone doesn't look at me, I'll make them pay" mentality because they had a normal mindset and interacted with dancers and musicians on an equal footing.
He then gave Xiao Chang'an a knowing look that only men would understand, and smiled, "Anyway, this isn't about getting married. This gentleman surely understands that."
Hulü Guang did not know Xiao Chang'an's identity. He only knew that Xiao Chang'an was in charge of the Yuefu team. Judging from his actions just now, he knew that Xiao Chang'an was probably a martial arts expert. Moreover, Xiao Chang'an was eloquent and handsome. Therefore, he regarded Xiao Chang'an as one of his own, hence his words.
Ultimately, the dancers of the Music Bureau were not chaste and virtuous women. Hulü Guang guessed that if Xiao Chang'an were a member of the Music Bureau, he would surely understand these rules.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he put his arm around A Qiu, he felt a sharp pain in several places on his arm, shoulder, and elbow. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his neck, and then the beauty slipped from his grasp, quickly being pulled away from him with a skillful force.
A sharp needle, several inches long, gleamed with a cold light, pointed directly at the most vulnerable spot on his neck. With just a little force, it could pierce through his body.
Suddenly caught off guard, Huli Guang immediately raised his hands to show that he had no intention of resisting, his face turning pale and then red.
Xiao Chang'an said coldly, "I am under orders from the Junior Tutor to ensure that everyone in the Music Bureau, whether dancers or musicians, is brought back unharmed. Not a single hair can be missing. Your Highness, I apologize for the inconvenience."
It was a great loss of face for Hulü Guang to be pointed at by the Green Bee Needle in front of everyone.
However, the Sixteen Guards of Yanyun around him had been almost completely wiped out, and now he had come here alone. The Northern Qiang soldiers were all ready to go on the opposite side. Looking around, he saw no one of his own, so he could only swallow his anger and force a smile, saying, "If it is the Young Master's wish, it is easy to say, easy to say. I will not disturb them any longer."
As he spoke, he raised his hands and stepped back to show that he had no intention of offending the geisha.
A Qiu was led away from Huli Guang by Xiao Chang'an, but Xiao Chang'an gently put her down with a slight push, keeping a certain distance from her and not taking the opportunity to get close.
Hearing Gu Yi's name again, she was deeply shaken.
No wonder Gu Yi agreed to let the musicians from the Music Bureau go to the Northern Qiang to perform. As the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he was not indifferent to the musicians under his command.
Since he had entrusted Xiao Chang'an with the task of protecting everyone in the Music Bureau, he must have made thorough preparations.
This is the Gu Yi she knows.
Seeing that Hulü Guang was sensible and knew what was good for him, Xiao Chang'an put away the Green Bee Needle in his hand and said coldly, "The gifts and ceremony are all ready and we are about to set off. Your Highness, please go and see over there."
He added, "It would be best to come here less often in the future."
Hulü Guang forced himself to regain his composure and, as he had said, turned and left.
But after taking only one step, he turned back and said with a forced smile, "This young master may be young, but he is quite capable. May I ask your name?"
Upon hearing his words, Xiao Chang'an smiled and scoffed, "I am the chief disciple of Chenghua of the Music Bureau, and the head musician of the Shao and Wu national music."
Hulü Guang looked him up and down and said in a deep voice, "Young Master, you are not in a high position, but you are quite bold. Your courage is commendable."
Gongyi Xiu's voice rang out behind him at just the right moment: "I forgot to introduce you, Your Highness. This is one of the Four Flying Phoenix Guards of the Dayan Dynasty, a distinguished disciple of the Hidden World Sect, and the Lord of the Azure Hawk Guard. He was personally recommended to the court by the Junior Tutor. Therefore... he was a bit strict in carrying out the Junior Tutor's orders. I hope Your Highness will forgive any offense he may have caused."
His words tactfully gave Hulü Guang a way out, while also implying that Hulü Guang and Xiao Chang'an's status and position should not be underestimated.
Upon hearing these words, Hulü Guang was initially moved.
He knew the abilities of the Dayan Flying Phoenix Guards. He had personally dealt with Shangguan Yuqi, the leader of the Flying Phoenix Guards, and had witnessed her martial arts and chess skills.
But it was only for a moment. His brows furrowed immediately, and he turned back to say, "Gongyi Jun has been constantly referring to the Young Master. May I ask, are you all going to the Northern Qiang to accept their surrender, or to show the Young Master's might?"
Gongyi Xiu was slightly taken aback, realizing that he was using the occasion to vent his anger and warn Xiao Chang'an to be careful: this trip to the Northern Qiang was no longer Gu Yi's domain.
Before he could finish his sentence with a forced smile, Xiao Chang'an chuckled and said, "I was known as Gan Luo in the Northern Qiang court when I was twelve years old. At that time, I suppose His Highness Prince Ning was still guarding the border in the Yinshan grasslands?"
Huli Guang's pupils first dilated sharply, then trembled violently.
All because he finally remembered who was in front of him.
Xiao Chang'an smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I was almost related to Prince Ning by marriage. It was I who brought the betrothal gifts that Prince Ning gave to my elder sister to the Hidden World Sect."
Hulü Guang narrowed his eyes, which flashed with a cold light, and said in a cold voice, "I have long heard that the son of Marquis Xiao is serving in the Southern Dynasty, but I never expected that he is Gan Luo, a young man from our dynasty."
He paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Young Master Xiao, I have long admired your name."
It turns out that although Hulü Guang had proposed marriage to the Xiao family of the Northern Dynasty, he had never met Xiao Chang'an in person.
Strictly speaking, when Hulü Guang proposed to the Xiao family, he himself had not yet returned to the Central Plains and was still guarding the northern border. He hoped to use Xiao Hou's influence to speak on his behalf in court and have him transferred back to Luoyang.
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