"Prince Consort, step forward and look closely. Upon it is written: Qin Xianglian, thirty-two years of age, accuses the current Prince Consort of deceiving the monarch and scorning the Emperor... Bring the petition to my great hall~~~"
It had to be said, this aria of Bao Longtu from *The Case of Chai i* was truly passionate and heroic. Such a long passage of lyrics was ant to be delivered in a single, powerful breath, but the notes were a bit too high. In his youth, Li Jinyu could have hit them effortlessly. Now that he was older, despite the rousing percussion, he still stumbled along, his old face flushing red. He nearly ran out of breath several tis.
However, this short segnt he belted out with all his might, though a bit slower than in his youth and with two pauses to catch his breath, still bood like a great bell—resonant, powerful, and with perfect enunciation. It drew cheers from many of the elderly people in the audience.
The younger people also clapped in support.
Li Jinyu was the only actor for this Peking Opera piece, so he could only perform this most brilliant part of Bao Longtu’s role. Even if there had been other actors, with his current stamina, he wouldn’t have been able to last through an entire show.
Anyway, it was just a village gala, all for their own amusent. Letting everyone hear the most climactic part was good enough.
In the livestream chat, soone comnted, "My god, an old man that age can still hit those high notes? I was so worried listening to that I almost wanted to call an ambulance for him! Hmm, this deserves a big rocket!"
Although the big rocket was sent to Li Xiang’s account, the sender specified it was for Li Jinyu, so Li Xiang would give him a share of the money afterward. As for performance fees, everyone got one. Even the young lady from the nightclub who was performing the traditional classical dance, Li Xiang had promised her a 2,000-yuan fee—the sa as Zhao Xueqing—to encourage her to dance her best.
You can’t expect the horse to run well if you don’t feed it, right?
Besides, Li Xiang had seen her dance before, and she was definitely worth the price.
Then, Jiang Cai’Er ca on stage to announce the next act. "Next up, we have the great beauty from Yaojialing, Yao Yao, who will perform the traditional classical dance *Qingming River Painting* for everyone."
As graceful music began to play, a slender, enchanting figure took the stage, dancing lightly like a butterfly among flowers.
Li Xiang, of course, didn’t use any beauty filters for his livestream. This was obvious from the very real sight of Li Jinyu’s full head of white hair, his wrinkled face, and the veins bulging on his neck as he hit the high notes earlier.
Even without beauty filters, Yao Yao’s looks and figure were still stunning, and people in the livestream chat imdiately started comnting.
"Whoa, I thought this was a village gala, not so pleasure house!"
"A fine day for a trip to the pleasure house to listen to music. This girl’s not bad... so enchanting, so sultry. I like her."
"It would be perfect if her clothes were a little skimpier and sheerer! With that soul-snatching gaze of hers... I don’t know where Brother Xiang found this top courtesan. Who’d have thought you could find a beauty like this in such a backwater place?"
"She deserves a reward!"
"Who’s singing this cover? It’s not the original artist, but that unique, captivating, smoky voice has its own special charm. Paired with this top courtesan, it’s absolutely perfect!"
...
Even the villagers in the audience were srized, especially the older folks. When had they ever seen sothing like this up close? They might stumble upon similar videos on their phones, but a tiny screen could never compare to the soul-snatching allure of a live performance.
Yao Yao occasionally glanced at the large TV screen beside the stage displaying the livestream feed. The chat seed to be going wild, with ssages and gifts scrolling by nonstop. Then she noticed many people in the live audience staring intently at her, so of the closer ones even gulping. This made Yao Yao even more excited, and her hips swayed with a flexibility that would put a water snake to sha.
"...Silk robes flutter, obscuring the setting sun. An ancient, heart-rending lody plays. The scene before is so beautiful, but whose ink and brush painted this scroll...?"
’Tonight must be the peak of my dancing career, a truly god-tier performance,’ she thought. Even when she used to dance in bars, performing explosive and passionate modern routines, she never felt as in the zone as she did today, nor had she ever enjoyed it this much.
Perhaps it was due to the different platform and audience. After all, the thought of over 100,000 people watching the livestream made her tremble slightly, and she danced with even greater excitent.
"I heard this girl had a blind date with our Xiang Ya, but he turned her down," Third Granny said to Granny Li Xiang.
Nearby, Li Xiang’s Little Aunt shook her head. "This girl is pretty, sure, but she’s not the proper type. She wouldn’t make a good wife. Xiang Ya was right to refuse her! Don’t you agree, Mom?"
Granny Li Xiang nodded in deep agreent. ’Why would anyone marry a vixen like that?’
Li Xiang’s Little Aunt and her family had also co, of course, but they arrived a bit late. His cousin had driven her on his electric scooter, but they got a flat tire from a nail on the way and had to push it to a repair shop. Because of the long delay, they arrived just as Li Jinyu was belting out his opera piece.
In addition, many of Jiang Cai’Er’s relatives had co, as had Li Xiang’s maternal grandmother, uncle, and aunt. When his uncle and aunt heard that Li Xiang had bought their child—his cousin—over eight thousand yuan worth of clothes and shoes, they were secretly stunned. They had been about to scold their daughter, but Li Xiang stepped in with a few words of explanation, so they had to drop it. Afterward, his aunt expressed her gratitude profusely.
Li Xiang said, "We’re all family. There’s no need to be so formal. Besides, Qianqian is a young woman now; it’s natural for her to want to dress up."
’She’s already in her first year of high school; dressing shabbily could affect her self-confidence. It’s said you should raise a daughter with abundance so she won’t be easily tricked by so boy’s small favors.’
Watching Yao Yao dance on stage, Jiang Cai’Er rolled her eyes several tis. A thought suddenly popped into her head. ’Yao Yao? Sister Yao? The "Yao" in her na... and then there’s "Xiang" in his... It’s like their nas are connected. Why do all these girls’ nas seem to have so connection to Brother Li Xiang?’
’Brother Li Xiang wouldn’t fall for such a gaudy tart, would he? But... if she actively tried to seduce him, wore sothing revealing, and used this kind of dance—a dance that could bewitch King Zhou himself—to tempt him... could he really resist?’
’It looks like I need to place a Unity Gu on Brother sooner rather than later. I just wonder if the Miao Village even has such a legendary technique. I’ve heard that kind of Gu has to be cultivated from childhood... I’m older now, can I still learn how? I’ll have to find a chance to ask Grandma about it soday.’ The thought appeared so suddenly that it startled Jiang Cai’Er herself. ’Placing a Gu on soone? That’s horrifying!’
’No, I don’t want to learn how to do that. I just wish the college entrance exams were over with already. Then, hmph, I could make our relationship official, and no one else would dare get any funny ideas.’
Afterward, Li Xiang’s maternal grandfather perford the famous erhu piece *Whipping the Horse to Speed the Grain Delivery*. It was a very cheerful song, a far cry from the sorrowful tones of pieces like *Moon Reflected in Two Springs* or *Burial of Flowers*. Since it was the New Year celebration, a lively tune like this was much more fitting for the occasion.
Lei Jiaming’s Big Saber routine was full of raw power, the blade whistling through the air.
As for Lei Xiaohui’s Burning Prairie Spear technique, she had made rapid progress over the past few days under Li Xiang’s guidance. Her heroic and dashing form earned her continuous applause.
Li Yucheng then ca on to perform a piece of Sichuan Opera. It was *The White Robe Story*, from the classic epic of Xue Rengui’s eastern campaign, a favorite among the older generation.
In Sichuan Opera, there is a famous collection of plays known as the "Five Robes," and *The White Robe Story* is one of them, a tale familiar to everyone in Sichuan Province.
The other four "Robes" are *The Green Robe Story*, about Xiao He’s pursuit of Han Xin; *The Red Robe Story*, about Liu Zhiyuan’s rise to power; *The Yellow Robe Story*, about Emperor Taizu of Song’s visit to Zhao Pu on a snowy night; and *The Qing Robe Story*, about Liang Hao becoming the top imperial scholar at the age of 83.
When it was Jiang Cai’Er’s turn, she seed like a beautiful sprite stepping out of a forest, a floral wreath woven with verdant bamboo leaves in her hair. She was the polar opposite of Sister Yao’s seductive charm from earlier.
If Yao Yao was a top courtesan, the very picture of seductive allure, then Jiang Cai’Er was a little fairy banished to the mortal realm, the very picture of pure innocence.
She played a cheerful and playful rendition of *Forest Rhapsody* on her flute, mimicking over a hundred different sounds of Nature. The music was so full of the forest’s atmosphere that it felt as if it had transported the audience to a prival forest to watch all of creation dance.
In the livestream chat, a fan couldn’t help but exclaim, "Whoa, is that the Miao Clan Saintess from before? This flute version of *Forest Rhapsody* is absolutely legendary! This is peak performance, the best it gets!"
Another person comnted, "I wonder if there’s a sequel to that short film, *When the Saintess’s Heart is Moved, Ten Thousand Gu Devour the Body*?"
"You’d have to ask Brother Xiang. I heard her teacher criticized her and forbade her from making more short films, worried it would affect her chances of getting into Qingbei. We’ll probably have to wait until the Saintess is done with her college entrance exams!"
"As long as it’s coming, that’s all that matters!"
"Everyone, quick, send gifts and boost the stream’s popularity! With the Saintess’s legendary performance of *Forest Rhapsody*, this is guaranteed to go viral tomorrow."
There were quite a few skilled flute players in the surrounding villages, but at this mont, every one of them was utterly captivated by Jiang Cai’Er’s rendition of *Forest Rhapsody*.
"That girl is so young, but she plays so well. She truly lives up to her reputation as a top scholar."
"What does being good at the flute have to do with getting good grades?"
"Are you stupid? She’s smart, so she learns everything quickly!"
Li Xiang was in the audience, applauding for Jiang Cai’Er. But only she knew the real reason for her skill. ’It’s because Brother taught that advanced Breathing Technique. My breath control has improved hundreds of tis over, which is why I can master such a beautiful piece of music so easily.’
Next, a dozen or so children from Li Family Village ca together to sing "The Scent of Apples." Their young, innocent voices were beautiful to hear. Jiang Cai’Er had used her spare ti over the past few days to gather the children and rehearse with them.
Then, Li Xiang’s younger cousin, Shen Zimo, recited the "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng."
"The Ancient Prefecture of Yuzhang, the new mansion of Hongdu. Its Star Division is Wings and Wheels; its Earth reaches the mounts of Heng and Lu. With the Three Rivers as its collar and Five Lakes as its belt..."
This was considered the greatest work of parallel prose of all ti, surpassing even the fad *Rhapsody of the Luoshen*.
During the Early Tang Dynasty, the father of the poet Wang Bo was demoted to County Magistrate of Jiaozhi, a post in modern-day northern Vietnam. Wang Bo was traveling to Vietnam to visit him, and on his way through Nanchang, he arrived just as the local Governor had completed the reconstruction of the Tengwang Pavilion. The Governor was hosting a grand banquet, and Wang Bo, having received an invitation, composed this very piece during the feast.
It was an impromptu work, yet it completely overshadowed the piece that the Governor’s own son-in-law had painstakingly prepared in advance—an absolute literary trouncing.
Tragically, not long after, Wang Bo drowned at the age of twenty-nine. His tomb can still be found in Vietnam today.
Today, visitors to the Tengwang Pavilion can get free admission if they can recite this piece from mory, but most people are unable to. Shen Zimo was only in the fifth grade, yet he recited it in a clear, ringing voice, the words flowing effortlessly. This, naturally, drew another round of continuous applause and praise from many of the elders.
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