Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 37: Everything is intertwined
It stands to reason that with the end of this piano competition, under normal circumstances, the popularity of Suosongke and Luo Qinnan would definitely drop.

However, after Suosongke did this, the popularity of Yicheng did not decrease, but reached a new high! Even the palace began to talk about this matter.

Later, the crowd was divided into two groups:

One group believes that Suosongke's true strength is above Luo Qinniang's, but he was best at playing the Mingpan rather than the Qin, which is why he was defeated.

Another group thought that since Suosongke had a trump card, why didn't he use it right from the start? It was obvious that he himself was not sure, and if he lost, he lost, so what was there to complain about?

The two sides started arguing with each other, and the temperature rose sharply.

Gong Tianwu was secretly proud of this. Although he could not remember the specific content of the movies on Earth, he vaguely remembered that many movies would end with a hook, which seemed to be called an "easter egg"!
Now I'm imitating it here and it's really effective.

What's more, at this time Gong Tianwu also used a combination of punches: his own strong technical skills + proper marketing methods + endorsement by senior experts. Poor people in Yidu had never seen such a clever method, so they really took the bait.

The courtesan Luo Qinniang might have been quite angry at first, but after thinking about it, she realized that she had gained a huge benefit in the meantime, so she immediately understood what was going on and started to hype it up.

It's just a pity for the other courtesans in Yidu. They were all of the same level before, but now they were completely defeated by Luo Qinnan. They were so angry that they tried all kinds of tricks behind her back, such as making straw men and hitting paper men with the soles of their shoes.

Of course, the biggest focus now is still on the short piece of "Flowers are in full bloom and the moon is full" played by the蓮松客 on the Mingpan when he left. People who didn't hear it simply think that smelling the flowers is just bragging by a guy who can't stand losing.

Of course, those who heard it would be even more upset. I clearly smelled it, so why do you question my character?

So, in the end the focus fell on Suosongke, and both sides were shouting for him to come forward - whether it's a mule or a horse, lead it out for a walk!

At this time, Suosongke disappeared and went into seclusion! He left a letter at Wanhe Tower.

The content of the letter first admitted that he had indeed lost to Luo Qinnan, because both parties had agreed to a duel of piano playing, so it was a fact that he lost in terms of piano skills.

Then he admitted that he did have unique attainments in Mingpan, because the Mingpan was an ancient artifact, suspected to be left by an immortal. He had suddenly gained something that night, so he had to go into seclusion to study it carefully, and therefore he had to close the door to visitors.

This continued to whet everyone's appetite, and the bragging party and the flower fragrance party were ready to start a war at any time. In restaurants or brothels, one could often see poets and writers arguing about this.

Just as more than half a month had passed and the heat had begun to cool down, an explosive piece of news suddenly came out from Wanhe Building:

That is, he had been commissioned to send out ten invitations the day before, inviting the people on the invitations to come and taste the new music. The person who signed the invitation was none other than Suosongke.

More importantly, the concert was a complete success last night, and all the guests were delighted and amazed.

Suddenly, this matter became a hot topic in Yidu again. What everyone talked about most was what new music Suosongke played at the concert. Another hot topic that quickly became popular was:
Who are the ten famous artists invited by Suosongke to attend the concert?
Soon, the first one stood up. Wuyingong Zhao Wen did not expect that his previous kindness would be rewarded so quickly. He stroked his beard and smiled and admitted that he was one of them, but he smiled and did not respond to Suosongke's performance.

The second person invited soon showed up, and this person was none other than the courtesan Luo Qiniang. Facing everyone's questions, she also stated her opinion very straightforwardly:

If we play the piano, he is not as good as me. If we play music,
Having said that, the woman smiled slightly and ended the conversation right there.

It can be seen from this that no one is a fool. The tricks that Suosongke came up with have begun to be analyzed and then applied flexibly. Luo Qinnan's tactic of leaving blank space to lure the enemy into a trap also captures the essence of the operation.

***
While the whole of Yidu was in an uproar over the incident of Suosongke, the person involved seemed very calm and was hiding in a building having a drink.

However, this glass of wine was emerald green in color, and if you looked closely you could see many tiny crumbs inside, which looked like they had also been drunk.

After finishing the glass of wine, the man wearing straw raincoat took off his hat, revealing Gong Tianwu's face.

His brows were slightly wrinkled, because the medicinal power of the Five Poisons Immortality Wine he had just drunk was rushing through his meridians, conquering the city and plundering the land, thus causing him great pain.

However, the medicinal power of this cup of Five Poisons Immortal Wine can also suppress the aura of the Fire Lizard Dragon entrenched in the meridians and eliminate some of it, which can make Gong Tianwu feel much better.

At this time, Di Song said with some concern:

"Master, what if the other party doesn't take the bait? We have worked so hard for so long, it will be difficult if we can't take this last step."

Gong Tianwu wiped away a trace of blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth and said calmly:

"It doesn't matter if you don't take the bait. The situation is set. With my current reputation, I can always find an opportunity to enter the Prime Minister's Mansion." Di Song pondered.
"Among the invitations to the last concert, four of them are disciples of Lord Yan, and they are all keen on fame and fortune. It just so happens that Lord Yan's father will be turning 80 soon, and the song "Flowers and Full Moon" that you played is just right for the occasion and will please the old man."

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:

"Yes, so I think success is a high probability event. Even if I fail this time, there are still the old lady, Lord Yan's first wife, and Lord Yan's eldest son who will celebrate his birthday in the next four months. There will definitely be a chance for me."

Di Song looked at the bright red blood on Gong Tianwu's hand, then frowned and said:
"But Master, your body."

Gong Tianwu smiled casually:
"Everything has its own gains and losses. I have achieved what I have now, so I must have sacrificed something, right? It won't be too late to slowly adjust in the future."

"But??."

Di Song looked very sad.

Gong Tianwu raised his hand, shook his head and said calmly:

"It's time for you to leave, Uncle Di. You have become my weakness now. If you want to do this for my own good, then you really should leave."

Di Song sighed. Although he was very reluctant, he knew very well that what Gong Tianwu said was the truth.

Gong Tianwu continued:
"By the way, how much money do we have now?"

Di Song hesitated for a moment and said:

"One thousand three hundred silver treasures."

When Gong Tianwu went out this time, his family also gave him 700 silver treasures.

After all, he had already inherited Li Jixian's legacy and had also shown some talent, so his family would certainly not be stingy. However, with the expenses along the way plus the four hundred silver treasures given to Wuyin Gong Zhao Wen before, at most only two hundred silver treasures would be left.

So where did these 1,300 silver treasures come from?
Of course it was earned by Gong Tianwu himself!
When he was able to attract officials to listen to his music at Wanhe Building, the owner would provide them with free drinks and food.

In the end, Gong Tianwu didn't even need to take action. After Di Song received the invitations from the shopkeepers of "Desheng Tower" and "Yanyu Tower", the boss of Wanhe Tower became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He immediately sent fifty silver coins and stated that it was only the gift money for this month.

The piano-playing contest between Gong Tianwu and Luo Qinniang took place on the river, but Luo Qinniang was on her own pleasure boat, so we won't go into details about that.

The pleasure boat that Gong Tianwu was riding on caused a bloody storm, and a group of people cried and shouted, demanding money from him and begging him to use their own pleasure boat.

Even the maid position next to Gong Tianwu attracted fierce bidding. In the end, Bai Mei, a prostitute from Wanhua Tower, was so determined that she offered sixty silver coins of her own to get the position.

During the whole process, Gong Tianwu did not say a word. Even Di Song was stunned and just waited to get paid. He only made a few remarks at certain key points, such as "the highest bidder wins" and "if you don't have money, don't come to join in the fun."
Even Luo Qinnan's maid secretly said that their girl had recently bought some abalone, and if Suosongke was free, they could arrange to invite him to taste a seafood feast.

It is worth mentioning that at this time Gong Tianwu had received a large number of invitations, all of which were from dignitaries who invited him to perform in their mansions. Some of them offered high prices, but he did not agree to any of them and showed a nonchalant attitude.

Of course, Gong Tianwu's refusal was very tactful. He said that he had not yet mastered the skills and did not dare to be rude.

Originally, these high officials in Yidu were not so easy to talk to. Don't you know how to respect me? I will show you how I can deal with you!
But Gong Tianwu has already built up his momentum and has his own circle, which consists of several civil servants who usually like to listen to music at Wanhe Building. In the eyes of these people, Gong Tianwu's behavior is truly indifferent to fame and fortune, and he pursues a calm and far-sighted life, so they admire him very much.

Several upright people headed by Hu Yi have said that if anyone dares to force Suosongke to play, they will be reported!
Among these upright officials, Hu Yi was a fifth-rank official in the Six Departments, in charge of the censors who heard rumors and could submit impeachments at any time.

There is also a clean official who is a doctor in a key position like the Ministry of Personnel. He is in a low position but has great power. It is a little difficult for him to accomplish anything, but if he wants to do something bad, it is easy for him to do it.

When this group of people work together to spread the word, even the six ministers would be wary. Those high-ranking officials could only hold their breath after hearing it. After all, it would really not be worth it to offend them just for listening to a song.

Just when Di Song was wondering whether the young master was asking for money to check the accounts, Gong Tianwu said calmly:
"Take back 1,200 silver treasures and the Tongbiquan secret manual. Leave tonight and don't stay any longer."

Then Gong Tianwu took out another letter with a wax seal and handed it to Di Song, asking Di Song to take it back.

***
New book uploaded, please read and support
New book uploaded, please read and support
New book uploaded, please read and support
(End of this chapter)