51 Rainbow Garments

According to Nie Cheng, the most pressing matter at hand was to find out what Yang Guang had been up to. However, her previous experiences had already taught her that Yang Guang was deeply calculating, cunning, and profoundly suspicious. Moreover, he seemed to attach immense importance to whatever he was currently doing, a fact made clear by the way he refused to abandon his plans halfway, even though he knew there was a possibility of returning home. Terrified of having her intentions discovered by him, Shi Nian had felt constrained during her several attempts to probe, ultimately finding out nothing at all.

Just as she was agonizing, feeling completely broken and seeing her enthusiasm for work severely dealt a blow, another major event occurred within the palace: the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when the reigning emperor was to hold a grand nighttime banquet before the Hanyuan Hall, entertaining officials of the hundred ranks and envoys from various foreign nations.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the plaza before the Hanyuan Hall had been entirely redecorated. Over a thousand lanterns were lit, resembling a starry firmament that had fallen to the mortal realm, illuminating the plaza as brightly as day. Multicolored patterned carpets were laid out on the ground, with the officials of the hundred ranks and foreign envoys lined up on the left and right, while the imperial throne was set at the highest position above them. Not far behind them stood the towering and majestic Hanyuan Hall. As the main hall of the Daming Palace, it was also the grandest and most vital structure within the entire complex. The night sky stretched like a massive curtain, against which the hall stood quietly, radiating a magnificent grandeur, rising like the morning sun, as if nestled among the clouds and constellations.

Shi Nian stared fixedly at the Hanyuan Hall for a full three minutes before reluctantly shifting her gaze away. Previously, she had been confined within the Pear Garden and had never had the opportunity to see it. So this was the legendary Hanyuan Hall! It was vastly larger than the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City!

"Have you seen enough?" Yang Guang asked.

Knowing that all her expressions just now had been witnessed, Shi Nian blinked and replied, "For now... I've seen enough."

"Judging by the excitement on Da Niang's face tonight, you hardly look like an extraordinary person."

He was making fun of her. Yet, Shi Nian felt no shame. Although she had previously attended similar nighttime banquets—such as the Han dynasty banquet welcoming the Xiongnu envoys, or the Ming dynasty banquet at the estate of Liu Jin—the scenes from those times were simply incomparable to tonight's spectacle.

The plaza in front of the Hanyuan Hall was unimaginably vast, wide enough for horses to gallop across under normal circumstances, but tonight it had been transformed into the venue for the evening banquet. On the side of the Great Tang alone, nearly a hundred officials were seated in attendance, not to mention the palace maids and eunuchs assigned to wait upon them. Yet this was not even the most extraordinary part. Opposite the Tang officials sat a variety of foreigners with deep-set eyes and high-bridge noses, dressed in unfamiliar attire. They were envoys who had traveled to the Great Tang from various nations, drinking wine while gazing at the magnificent and majestic palace, their eyes filled with awe and shock at the national might and prestige of the Celestial Empire.

Such a grand occasion naturally brought a line of poetry to Shi Nian's mind: "A thousand officials look toward Chang'an, ten thousand nations pay homage at Hanyuan."

Compared to her previous two experiences, however, her status tonight was far lower. She was merely a maid from the Pear Garden, blending in among the ranks of musicians alongside Yang Guang. In truth, she hadn't even been qualified to attend; it was only through her relentless and repeated pleas that Yang Guang had finally managed to find a way to include her.

At the time, he had asked with utter perplexity, "What on earth do you want to do at the night banquet? You surely aren't hoping to see the emperor, are you?"

Shi Nian thought he was truly naive. She had seen emperors aplenty; there was nothing rare about them. Working so hard to attend the night banquet was, of course, for the purpose of... meeting Imperial Consort Yang!

With this thought in mind, she cast her gaze upward once more. Upon the imperial throne served by palace maids sat a man draped in a bright yellow dragon robe. Though his sideburns were touched with white, his spirit remained robust, and he retained a dashing and elegant demeanor, making it easy to imagine that he must have been a handsome man in his youth.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, the legendary monarch who single-handedly created the prosperous era of the Great Tang.

Shi Nian's gaze lingered on him for only two seconds before shifting to the side. There sat an empty seat, which had remained vacant ever since the seating began and had stayed empty up to this moment. With no Empress currently in the palace, the only person qualified to sit by the Emperor's side should be the deeply favored Consort Yang Yuhuan. Was she delayed by something, or did she simply not plan on coming tonight?

If she didn't show up, wouldn't her own trip have been entirely in vain?

As her mind wandered, Li Longji suddenly put down his wine cup, tilted his head to listen for a moment, and asked, "Is this... 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River'?"

His voice was not loud, but every action of the Son of Heaven was watched by those below, and the banquet instantly quieted down. An official smiled and said, "Your Majesty has a sharp ear; it is indeed 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River'."

Shi Nian realized they were discussing the music currently being played and listened to it as well. However, she knew nothing of music; she merely felt that the melody was soft, gentle, and quite pleasant to the ear.

Another official remarked, "This piece, 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River', is a lavish palace tune composed by the last ruler of Chen. Playing it tonight might not be entirely appropriate, would it? Why was this piece selected?"

"It seems that Lord Yang happened to see the Pear Garden rehearsing it and considered it quite excellent, which is why it was chosen..."

The "Lord Yang" everyone was speaking of was Yang Guozhong, who concurrently served as prime minister and maternal uncle to the imperial consort. Seeing the situation, he spoke unhurriedly: "As for 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River', this subject feels the title possesses deep poetic imagery, and the tune is magnificent as well. It is highly suitable for the entire realm to celebrate together tonight, so why bother about who composed it? What does Your Majesty think?"

Because of the imperial consort's immense favor, Yang Guozhong also enjoyed the deep trust of Li Longji, and thus he spoke without excessive restraint. He had assumed the Emperor would agree with him once again, but unexpectedly, Li Longji shook his head. "The tune is indeed fine, but that fellow Chen Shubao was only ever capable of writing overly decadent and seductive melodies. In this regard, he falls far short of Yang Guang."

Hearing the name "Yang Guang" abruptly, Shi Nian was startled and instinctively looked to the side. Yang Guang was not paying attention to her; he stared calmly at the emperor on the dais, his lips pressed tightly together, deep in thought.

"'The evening river is calm and motionless, spring blossoms are in full bloom. The flowing waves carry the moon away, the tide brings the stars along.' Although it is also 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River', Yang Guang's poem is ornate without being vulgar, gentle without being licentious. Had he not been a monarch, he would surely have left his name in history as a poet."

Yang Guozhong's previous remark had been coolly dismissed by the Emperor, leaving him not only embarrassed but slightly nervous as well. He quickly chimed in to agree, "Your Majesty's words are most true. As Your Majesty may recall, Emperor Taizong also held the poetry of the Sui Emperor in extremely high regard, and even commanded people to set his poems to music so they could be performed within the palace."

"If this subject were to speak his mind, that Emperor Yang would have been far better off as a poet than as a sovereign. After all, whether one leaves a name in history for being remembered with lasting praise or enduring infamy, the difference is vast indeed!"

Everyone at the banquet burst into laughter. Yet, amidst the sound of their laughter, Shi Nian's heart sank lower and lower.

Thanks to various television dramas, Emperor Yang of Sui had always been cast in her mind as an image of a lustful and dissolute tyrant. However, during her recent reading of historical texts, she had discovered that matters were far from so simple. The records showed that Yang Guang was both proficient in letters and skilled in martial arts, possessing immense military talent and rendering monumental contributions to the unification of the realm under the Sui Dynasty. At the same time, he possessed extraordinary literary talent. During the Sui Dynasty, the entire literary world was dominated by the decadent and florid poetic style of the Southern Dynasties, yet his poetry completely swept away that seductive vanity—it was elegant, pure, magnificent, and possessed the heroic vigor of the Han and Wei eras, exerting a considerable influence on later generations of literature.

Some historians believed that the primary reason for the downfall of his dynasty was not incompetence, but rather that his ambitions were far too grand, vainly attempting to achieve enduring feats across millennia while being overly impatient for success and ignoring the endurance capacity of the common people, which ultimately resulted in a state where the populace could no longer live in peace.

History books were written by the victors; for the sake of the righteousness of a new dynasty, the rulers of fallen states were always left with only their most wretched side. Shi Nian could not help but imagine what it must have been like when Yang Guang woke up one day to find himself hundreds of years later, discovering that the empire he had built with his own life and blood had long since changed hands, and that within the history books of this new dynasty, he had been transformed into a foolish ruler of a fallen state, no different from Chen Shubao whom he had so deeply despised.

His grand life's ambitions had gone unrealized, and instead he had become a laughingstock for all eternity.

At that moment, what sort of feelings must he have harbored?

Yang Guang turned his head and suddenly discovered that the girl beside him was looking at him with an indescribable expression. It seemed like sympathy, and yet it also seemed like... pity?

He was momentarily stunned. "What are you thinking about?"

Coming back to her senses, Shi Nian immediately turned her head away and said as if nothing were amiss, "N-nothing at all..."

Yang Guang was half-convinced and intended to press further, but the look in her eyes had been too bizarre, and the feeling itself was entirely too strange. No one had ever looked at him with such an expression before, and for a moment he actually did not know how to broach the subject.

Seeing that he had fallen silent, Shi Nian breathed a silent sigh of relief. This was killing her; had her brain short-circuited or something? To actually feel sympathy for Yang Guang! Who was the one who had almost been choked to death by him in the first place? Even if history had smeared him to a certain extent, one point remained entirely correct: this guy was utterly ruthless!

Her eyes darted around, and suddenly she spotted a familiar figure among the foreign envoys sitting diagonally opposite her. Foreigners in Tang times mostly hailed from Central Asia, and even among the Hu people, such pure blonde hair was a rarity. The man was scholarly and handsome, and was conversing with a dark-haired man beside him with a smile.

It was Bruce! And the person next to him was Nie Cheng!

Both of them had sneaked in!

A wave of excitement washed over Shi Nian. The two of them also noticed her; Nie Cheng raised an eyebrow, as if saying that she had finally spotted them.

Shi Nian wrinkled her nose in defiance, but then another question popped into her head. Why on earth had they sneaked into this night banquet? Was something going to happen here? Surely the two of them hadn't come just to catch a glimpse of Imperial Consort Yang...

Wait. She realized she had overlooked one crucial point all along. For Yang Guang, the establishment of the Li Tang Dynasty was built upon the usurpation of his empire and his life. To say that there existed a blood feud between him and the monarch on this dais, and indeed the entire imperial clan of the Li family, would be no exaggeration at all.

So, was this the reason he had colluded with An Lushan? He was dragging his feet and refusing to return—could it be that he wanted revenge?!

Shi Nian felt a mixture of shock and suspicion. Over on the other side, a palace maid stepped forward and whispered something into Li Longji's ear. A smile instantly bloomed on the Emperor's face, and he announced in a clear voice, "Very well, we need not listen to 'Flowers and Moon on the Spring River' any longer. I invite you all to hear a much better tune."

With that, he stood up, walked over to a Jie drum standing to one side, picked up the mallets, and began to play it himself.

*Thump. Thump. Thump.*

The drumbeats were forceful and vigorous, and as the sound rose, as if triggered by some prearranged signal, the sound of a pipa began to ring out from the other side of the plaza. The rapid drumbeats and the gentle, clear notes of the pipa intertwined, seemingly opposing one another yet blending together as if naturally born of a single source.

At a certain moment, the drumbeats suddenly ceased, leaving only the sound of the pipa echoing across the space. Yet in the very next second, the drum, the xiao vertical flute, the sheng mouth organ, and the konghou harp all began to play simultaneously, interspersed with the fluid and nimble notes of the Han zheng zither, ringing out like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, filling the entire plaza.

As if summoned by the music, twenty-six young women danced gracefully out from both sides of the plaza. They wore high-bunned hairstyles and slender figures, dressed in pomegranate-red ruqun dresses with skirts tied above the chest. Yet these skirts were somewhat distinctive—neither fully Hu nor fully Han, leaving their arms and shoulders bare, draped in colorful ribbons that immediately brought to mind the flying celestial maidens depicted in the murals of Dunhuang.

Shi Nian muttered softly, "This is..."

"The *Nishang*," Yang Guang said calmly. "This is the *Nishang*."

Yes, Shi Nian already knew what she was witnessing.

This was the most famous dance tune of the entire Tang Dynasty—no, of the entire ancient history of China: the *Nishang Yuyi Qu* (Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Dress Dance).

She was actually getting to witness this!

She was so excited she almost wanted to pull out her phone to record a video, but a warning glance from Nie Cheng across the way made her realize where she currently was, and she forced herself to restrain the urge, sitting up straight to watch the performance in the center of the plaza.

Even if she had actually pulled out her phone, however, no one probably would have paid attention to her at this moment. For no other reason than the fact that the entire court of civil and military officials, along with the foreign envoys, had their gazes utterly captivated by the dance unfolding before them.

The *Nishang Yuyi Qu* had been composed by Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji himself. It told the story of an emperor who yearned for fairyland realms, sought them out through numerous trials, and finally arrived at the moon palace to behold the celestial maidens of the nine heavens. The melody incorporated elements of Western Regions dance music. Amidst the passionate music, the dancers went barefoot on the patterned carpets, their colorful ribbons fluttering and their dance postures graceful and enchanting. Truly, it felt as though the celestial gates hung heavy in the quiet night, while azure clouds carried fairy music for the dance of the feathered skirts.

Then, the music grew increasingly rapid and tense, and the dancers' steps quickened correspondingly. Shi Nian's heart involuntarily tightened along with the rhythm, feeling the dense notes and sonorous melodies clash so fiercely that she could scarcely catch her breath.

Just as she felt she could hardly bear it any longer, a clear and pristine flute melody suddenly pierced through the air, sweeping in like a sudden breeze and instantly easing everyone's tense hearts. Shi Nian turned her head and discovered that the one playing the flute was none other than Yang Guang!

Even as he played, his gaze remained fixed unwaveringly on the plaza. The female dancers simultaneously leaned backward at the waist, and from the very center of their encircling formation, a woman rose above the rest, flicking two long water sleeves out into the air.

The woman possessed dark pupils, raven hair, skin that surpassed snow, and a delicate floral dian diagnostic mark between her brows. While the other dancers wore a hybrid of Hu and Han garments, her dance attire also incorporated elements of nomadic clothing, yet appeared even more dignified and regal. Her gown was of a pure, unblemished white, while her long water sleeves were a striking red, resembling a branch of red plum blossoms standing out amidst vast, boundless snow—blood-red and breathtakingly beautiful.

The moment she appeared, the previously stunning and alluring fairy-like dancers instantly reduced to mere foils, resembling mere attendants standing beside a goddess of the nine heavens. Yet this goddess was no remote clay idol sitting upon an altar niche; she was living, breathing, and radiantly bright.

The drumbeats grew more urgent by the beat, the pipa notes clattered and chattered, and she spun, arched her back, leaped, and extended her limbs gracefully to the rhythm of the music. The carpets were clustered with colorful blooms, and she was the flower that had blossomed from them. She was living color and fragrant passion, the very picture of intoxicating luxury.

At the final moment, the flute notes soared clear and high as if reaching the highest heavens, and dozens of long water sleeves were tossed out simultaneously. The red-clothed dancers crowded the white-clothed woman in their center, freezing in a static pose that resembled a pantheon of gods painted upon the Dunhuang murals.

And the woman in the very center parted her lips in a smile. In an instant, it was as though clouds had broken to reveal the moon, casting a brilliant and stunning radiance across the entire gathering.

***

The entire assembly remained silent for a long moment before an outburst of gasps erupted, and officials bowed in succession, shouting, "We subjects pay our respects to Your Ladyship the Imperial Consort!"

The woman stepped forward gracefully. Li Longji had already put down his mallets, and she reached out to take his hand, asking, "Sanlang, was my dance tonight performed well?"

"Excellently. Yuhuan's dance was like a celestial maiden descending from the nine heavens; throughout the entire Great Tang, no one could possibly be found who dances better than you."

The woman smiled brightly, a naive innocence that seemed entirely innate resting upon her full and charming face.

Shi Nian finally snapped back to her senses.

Yang Yuhuan! This was the legendary Imperial Consort Yang! The famed beauty of the prosperous Tang era! She was finally seeing her in the flesh!

She was truly... unbelievably gorgeous!

"What kind of expression is that?" Yang Guang asked.

Shi Nian turned her head in a daze. "Huh?"

"You look as though your eyeballs are about to drop out."

"I'm excited! Aren't you excited? This is Imperial Consort Yang, you know!"

Yang Guang frowned. Shi Nian then remembered that he knew nothing of the various legends surrounding this lady, so to him, she was merely a favored concubine of the emperor.

She quickly covered up her slip. "Don't you think she's gorgeous? When I see a beauty, my emotions get stirred up, and I find it hard to calm down for a moment, that's all."

Yang Guang grew even more perplexed. Since ancient times, weren't women supposed to feel jealousy upon seeing a woman more beautiful than themselves? What on earth was she getting so excited about?

Shi Nian's eyes rolled. "By the way, I never knew you were so good at playing the flute. You really couldn't tell just by looking at you."

Yang Guang had entered the palace in the guise of a musician, but Shi Nian had never figured out what instrument he actually excelled at, nor had she heard him practice during her days in the Pear Garden. She certainly hadn't expected it to be the flute.

Playing with such a free and elegant air seemed somewhat out of character for him; she had originally assumed he would be a zither player.

Over on the other side, Yang Yuhuan bade everyone rise, and Yang Guozhong smiled and said, "Countless people within the city of Chang'an practice the *Nishang*, but only Consort Yang's dance truly deserves the four characters 'Nishang Yuyi'!"

A Japanese envoy to the Tang court on the right also stood up. His expression was one of intense agitation as he said in somewhat halting Chinese, "Consort Yang possesses a heavenly disposition and peerless beauty. For us to behold the consort's dance tonight, and to witness the prosperity of the Great Tang, is truly a blessing cultivated over three lifetimes!"

His words came from the depths of his soul. Japan at this time was merely a small island nation, and he had traveled thousands of years from his backward homeland to the Great Tang, not only witnessing the pinnacle of prosperity and grandeur in the Central Plains but also getting to behold a peerless beauty that could only be nurtured by such a prosperous era. The shock he experienced could truly be described as monumental.

Not just him, but the foreign envoys present all wore expressions of identical awe and admiration.

"The envoy flatters me too much. Tonight, it is not merely my dance that was well performed; His Majesty's drumming was equally exceptional, and furthermore..." She paused, raising her voice. "Could the one who played the flute tonight be that Dugu Yulang? Pray step forward."

Summoned by the Consort, everyone looked over. Meeting the gaze of the entire assembly, Yang Guang stepped forward out of the crowd, holding a jade flute in his hand.

"This commoner, Dugu Ying, pays respects to Your Majesty, and pays respects to Your Ladyship the Imperial Consort."

Dressed in simple green robes with handsome features, he was clearly nothing more than a musician, yet his posture while kneeling and paying respects was neither humble nor arrogant, making it hard to believe this was his first time appearing before the Son of Heaven.

Yang Yuhuan rested her chin on her hand, studying him for a moment with a smile. "No wonder the women of Chang'an all call you Yulang. With such fine features and such noble bearing, even I find my heart stirred upon seeing you."

Hearing her speak thus, Li Longji showed no anger; instead, he laughed heartily. "This Dugu Yulang's flute notes sound like music from the heavens, and tonight he has truly surpassed me. He deserves a heavy reward!"

Shi Nian had been paying attention to Yang Guang ever since he stepped out. It wasn't that she was afraid he would pull something; rather, knowing the enmity between Yang Guang and the imperial Li clan, she was intensely curious about his attitude when facing them.

After all, this was a case of making one emperor kneel before another.

To her surprise, not only did Yang Guang kneel, but his demeanor was respectful and utterly without fault. Watching his kneeling figure, Shi Nian suddenly recalled the historical accounts of the years when Yang Guang was the Prince of Jin and biding his time—how he had disguised himself, catered to his mother, and ultimately succeeded in destroying his crown prince elder brother.

He truly was a man born for grand endeavors...

Yang Yuhuan thought for a moment and added, "Aside from Dugu Yulang, the pipa played remarkably well tonight as well. Which musician was that? Step forward and receive a reward together with him."

A figure dressed in water-red robes emerged from the crowd. Compared to Yang Guang, she was far more emotional; her delicate face was flushed slightly pink as she trembled and said, "This humble maid, Cui Lvhua of the Jiaofangsi, pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Ladyship!"

"Ah, so you are the renowned 'Pipa Cui'. I heard previously that you had fallen ill; have you fully recovered now?"

"Thanks to Your Ladyship's kind concern, this humble maid's health is completely fine!"

"Since you play the pipa so skillfully, it just so happens that last month I acquired a five-stringed pipa presented as tribute from the Western Regions. I shall bestow it upon you."

Pipa Cui? What an interesting nickname. Pipa Cui, Cui Lvhua—Shi Nian muttered the names to herself a few times, playing a mental game of word association, before suddenly furrowing her brow.

Cui Lvhua...

Wait, why did that name sound somewhat familiar?

A palace attendant respectfully held up a tray. The Consort reached out and pulled, and the bright red silk slid away like water, revealing the pipa resting beneath it.

Intricate red patterns, a dark lacquered back, and snow-white strings.

Precious sandalwood, glittering gold powder—at a single glance, one could tell this was an exceptionally fine pipa.

Yet Shi Nian's eyes widened in sheer shock.

This pipa...

She had seen this pipa before!

Months ago, inside the museum exhibition hall, the pipa originating from the Tang Dynasty palace had looked precisely like this.

Right, she remembered—the owner of the pipa was named... Cui Lvhua.

Shi Nian felt her heart thump wildly against her ribs, as if it might leap straight out of her mouth.

It was this very pipa that had caused her to be discovered by Nie Cheng. This was practically the beginning of everything, and yet she was actually seeing it here in the Great Tang. And then there was Cui Lvhua; she remembered that Cui Lvhua had indeed gained this pipa after being favored by Imperial Consort Yang during a performance. Was she actually witnessing this exact historical moment unfold?

Was it a coincidence, or did some connection exist here that she knew nothing about?

Li Longji smiled and shook his head.

This pipa had originally been a Qixi Festival gift he had given to the Consort, yet she had casually bestowed it upon someone else just like that. Still, he was accustomed to it and smiled, saying, "This pipa does not yet have a name. Before you bestow it upon someone, Yuhuan, you should give it a name."

"What Your Majesty says is reasonable. Allow this consort to ponder what would be a fitting name..."

She contemplated for a moment, and two characters floated into her mind. Before she even had a chance to speak them, however, another voice rang out ahead of hers: "Luoyao..."

The banquet hall had been exceptionally quiet, and this sudden voice rang out like a clap of thunder on flat ground. She turned her head in astonishment.

At the edge of the musician's ranks stood a woman dressed in a water-blue ruqun. It was she who had spoken just moments ago. Her expression was somewhat strange—her eyes wide and her demeanor absent-minded, as if her soul had been snatched away entirely.

Yang Yuhuan could not help but ask, "You..."

In the next instant, Shi Nian snapped violently back to reality.

As if waking from a dream, she suddenly realized she had become the center of attention for the entire gathering. Everyone was looking at her—hundreds of pairs of eyes. The psychological impact was far too massive; she felt a sudden surge of adrenaline rush upward, making it hard to even catch her breath.

Damn it! Damn it, damn, damn, damn!

What on earth was wrong with her? How could she have blurted that out? Had she been soul-transmigrated?!

She couldn't help recalling just moments ago: upon hearing the dialogue between Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan, those two characters had flashed across her mind like an electric current. By the time she snapped back to her senses, she had already done this...

A eunuch shouted angrily, "Audacious! Who dares be so lawless!"

"I... I didn't..."

Before she could finish her sentence, someone beside her kicked out with a foot. With a dull thud, Shi Nian fell heavily to her knees on the ground, and turning her head, she discovered that the one who had kicked her was the young palace maid who had previously helped Yang Guang pass messages to her in the Pear Garden. The girl was currently looking at her with a worried expression.

Ah, right, she was supposed to be kneeling at a time like this. She had been too nervous to remember.

*Sister, you truly are a good person! I will never speak ill of you again!*

Yet with this commotion, Shi Nian calmed down. Yang Guang had seen grand scenes of the world; surely she wasn't any worse, right?

She had once single-handedly faced down the Xiongnu, and she had bravely fought against the eunuch faction in the past—she had nothing to fear!

Just as she was about to speak, Yang Guang, who had remained kneeling the entire time, suddenly said, "Your Ladyship the Imperial Consort, this is a commoner maidservant of mine who entered the palace for the first time and does not understand the rules. Never did we imagine she would inadvertently offend the two Supremes; I beg your forgiveness."

Yang Yuhuan arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Yulang's maidservant? Step forward, I have questions for you."

Shi Nian had no choice but to climb back to her feet and kneel once more beside Yang Guang.

Yang Yuhuan rested her cheek in her hand, narrowing her eyes to appraise her. She had stopped smiling by now, her expression wave-less and tranquil, making it difficult to gauge what she was truly feeling.

"You gave this pipa the name Luoyao?"

Hearing that tone made Shi Nian nervous. Although this Imperial Consort Yang appeared rather good-natured, the moods of these grand nobles were notoriously unpredictable; she might be warm and gentle like a spring breeze one second, only to fly into a thunderous rage the next.

However...

Steeling her heart, Shi Nian looked straight into Yang Yuhuan's eyes. "Yes, this humble maid feels that this name suits the pipa perfectly."

"Audacious!" Yang Guozhong snapped angrily from the side. "A mere maidservant dares to overstep and commit an offense! When has it ever been your turn to name the Imperial Consort's pipa? Such wild and rebellious behavior—she ought to be dragged away and severely punished!"

Pretending not to hear him, Shi Nian continued, "Does Her Ladyship the Consort not think this name is wonderful? This humble maid feels that perhaps Your Ladyship might like this name as well, and perhaps wished to give it this very name, am I right?"

If everyone had merely been surprised before, they were now utterly terrified. Had this maidservant lost her mind? How dare she answer back in such a manner before the imperial throne!

Even Yang Guang turned his head aside to look at Shi Nian with a frown, his dark eyes masking his emotions entirely.

Yang Yuhuan stared at her expressionlessly, and just when everyone thought she was about to fly into a rage, she suddenly burst into a chuckle.

"It is wonderful—exceptionally so. Just now, I was thinking of calling this pipa Luoyao as well."

Beneath the night sky, Imperial Consort Yang wore the most delighted smile of the evening. "To think we shared such a mutual understanding and thought of the exact same thing!"

The crowd was dumbfounded. Shi Nian relaxed her clenched fists and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She had won the gamble.

Based on her previous understanding from historical records, as well as what she had witnessed tonight, she judged that Yang Yuhuan ought to be a woman of romantic temperament who appreciated the arts. She was someone true to her emotions; she would gift a precious pipa simply because Cui Lvhua played well, and she had even written poems to bestow upon a lowly dancer. Therefore, she gambled that the consort would not punish her merely for a minor breach of etiquette, but would instead be delighted by their shared intuition.

As for why they had shared that intuition, naturally it was because the pipa was historically indeed named *Luoyao*, which was why she had been granted that flash of inspiration.

Still, she had taken a risk. If Yang Yuhuan hadn't thought of that name yet at this moment, she would have been flying blind. But fortune favored the bold...

"Since both of us thought of it, it shows that the name is indeed meant to be for this pipa. Very well, let it be settled; from now on, it shall be called 'Luoyao'."

The Imperial Consort thus made the final decision. Shi Nian quietly studied her; this was indeed a somewhat full-figured woman, yet she did not look bloated in the slightest. Her figure was slender and her flesh and bones proportioned with absolute symmetry. Unlike those fragile, sickly-looking beauties, she possessed a full face and radiant beauty, glowing like pearls and jade. Merely sitting there, she epitomized the very definition of earthly wealth and luxury.

No wonder so many people considered this woman to be the ultimate symbol of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Yang Yuhuan suddenly noticed the girl staring intently at her and asked in puzzlement, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I just think that Your Ladyship the Consort is truly gorgeous..."

Her tone took Yang Yuhuan aback, and she realized that the girl's gaze was similarly strange—it lacked the envious jealousy commonly seen in other women when looking at her, nor did it carry the desire or possessiveness often found in men. Her gaze was burning, yet pure. It felt as though she weren't admiring a woman, but rather appreciating a magnificent garment or a breathtaking landscape—gasping in wonder simply at her beauty.

Her brow twitched, and an unprecedented sensation flowed through her heart.

Listening to their exchange, Li Longji smiled and remarked, "Dugu Yulang's maidservant is truly just like Yulang himself—not only of exquisite appearance, but clever-minded enough to think in sync with the Consort."

Faced with such praise, Shi Nian could only force a smile. *Your Majesty, you flatter me. My mind isn't clever; I just happen to have supernatural abilities...*

Yang Yuhuan glanced at the kneeling Cui Lvhua, paused in thought, and said, "I shall find another fine pipa another day and bestow it upon you. As for this one, I wish to give it to someone who shares a connection with it. Do you want it?"

The final question was directed at Shi Nian, who was momentarily stunned. "N-no, thank you, I don't know how to play the pipa..."

"You don't know how to play the pipa?" Yang Yuhuan looked somewhat surprised. "I assumed you certainly would... But it doesn't matter if you don't. I am giving it to you so you can learn. Once you've learned, I will summon you into the palace once more, and when I dance, you can provide the accompaniment. How does that sound?"

Shi Nian was at a loss. Why on earth was Yang Yuhuan suddenly giving her a pipa? And assigning her homework to boot?

Yet this pipa was originally supposed to go to Cui Lvhua. If she took it, would it trigger some sort of consequence...

While she was still hesitating, Yang Yuhuan had already handed the pipa over directly. Not daring to refuse, Shi Nian had no choice but to rise slightly to her knees and extend both hands.

However, as she drew closer to the pipa, a strange sensation suddenly surged into her heart, growing increasingly intense by the second, while her heart pounded frantically against her ribs.

At last, the Consort released her grip, and the pipa dropped downward, falling right into her arms.

*Thump.*

It was like a single droplet of water falling into a tranquil pool, sending ripples spreading outward in widening circles.

Shi Nian's expression shifted drastically.

Everything before her eyes vanished. Shi Nian suddenly discovered herself plunged into a pitch-black void.

It was as though she had tumbled into a formless space where heaven, earth, and all things ceased to exist, devoid even of sound. The silence ringing in her ears was absolute—no music, no voices, nothing whatsoever.

Beneath her was merely a surface of black water, smooth as a mirror. She sat upon it as though resting upon the surface of an ocean.

Centered around her, a series of luminous ripples spread outward like glowing guitar strings, washing over her.

This was... the strings of spacetime?

In the next instant, her body suddenly grew light, floating upward inch by inch, rising higher and higher toward the dark night sky, just as the blackness of night opened its arms to embrace her.

Terrified, she wanted to scream, but her voice choked up in her throat. When she finally came to a halt and looked down, she realized she was floating high in mid-air—yet below her was not the night banquet before Hanyuan Hall, but that very museum from before!

The exhibits displayed inside the glass cabinets, the bustling crowds—this exhibition hall was identical to the one she remembered. Her gaze fell upon the central display case, that familiar case housing the pipa later known as *Luoyao*, and right beside the case...

She saw a pale-faced version of herself being protected by Zhou Xiaohui, facing off against Nie Cheng and Bruce. It looked as though they were in the middle of a dispute, with Nie Cheng furrowing his brow slightly as a scrutinizing gaze swept across her face.

This was the day she had first met Nie Cheng.

A massive pulling force struck her. As if someone had grabbed hold of her soul and yanked it downward viciously, Shi Nian crashed back into her physical shell!

Losing her balance, she fell heavily back onto the ground.

Before her eyes lay once more the grand night banquet of Hanyuan Hall, and the pipa was still clutched tightly in her arms, held with such force that she resembled a drowning person clutching their only driftwood.

She felt drenched in a cold sweat, forcing herself to swallow hard.

Lifting her head, she intended to offer an explanation for her ungraceful tumble, only to discover that upon the imperial dais, the expressions of the Emperor and Consort held no trace of the amusement one might expect from suddenly watching someone fall—instead, they wore looks of... sheer terror?

She paused, then whipped her head around sharply to lock eyes with the pitch-black gaze of Yang Guang.

He was watching her too, unblinking and unmoving, his eyes filled with probing inquiry, scrutiny, and... a defense mechanism that could not be ignored.

What had happened? Why were they all looking at her like that?

Everything that had just occurred should merely have been her own hallucination; there was no way they could have known!

"You... what on earth are you?!" Yang Guozhong suddenly pointed a trembling finger at her, demanding in a harsh voice.

"I... I don't know..." Shi Nian was filled with confusion, and frightened by his tone, she couldn't even string her words together properly.

Seeing that her expression appeared genuinely ignorant, Yang Guang felt his temple throb as he slowly spoke, word by word:

"Just now, you vanished."

Shi Nian: "...???"

Staring straight at her, Yang Guang uttered each word with deliberate precision: "Just now, your physical body vanished right before all of our eyes."