Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 772 Returning Home in Glory

The sports meet lasted for about thirty days. The people were happy because of the excitement. With more people, commercial activities in the entire area became more frequent. Restaurants were often packed. Ordinary families could set up a couple of tables and a few stools outside to run their businesses and serve customers. Even if it was just a small income, it was still a source of joy.

By this time, Emperor Jingtai and Xia Lin had already left, or rather, the main figures had all left. Xia Lin was going back to Luoyang and happened to go with the Tang Emperor. As for Emperor Jingtai, he said he was going back to the capital, but after parting ways with Xia Lin, he turned his entourage around at the second intersection and headed straight for Fuliang...

"Return to the capital? Return my ass! Even a dog wouldn't go back."

Emperor Jingtai muttered a few curses while sitting in the carriage, while the chief eunuch beside him asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, are you just going to let Lord Xia travel with the false emperor of Tang?"

"What? Do you have something to say?"

"No, this servant is not. I am just a little worried. Lord Xia is like a pillar protecting our Great Wei. What if Li Tang breaks his promise and harms Lord Xia...?"

"Hey." Emperor Jingtai waved his hand impatiently: "Even if you gave the Li Tang three times the courage, they wouldn't dare. Besides, do you think Xia Daosheng is easy to kill? He's more slippery than an eel. Over the years, he's fought in the east and west, going through blood and fire. There are countless people who want to kill him, but have you ever seen him get injured? Don't worry."

After Emperor Jingtai finished speaking, he lifted the curtain of the carriage and took a peek, then shrank back: "You'd better be careful. I'm a golden nugget now, and I don't know how many people want my dog's life."

"Your Majesty...this is not quite appropriate..."

"Tsk, when I was leading troops in battle, I didn't care about all that. When a group of brothers sat around the fire, we could tell clearly whose wife had the whitest breasts and whose sister had the longest legs. If I hadn't been so competitive back then, I would have dragged a few of my concubines over and stripped them naked to show my brothers what a noble lady from a wealthy family should look like."

The head eunuch gave a dry laugh and dared not say much, but in his heart he muttered, "The brothers really thank Your Majesty."

After saying that, Emperor Jingtai yawned and said, "I need to rest. You get into another carriage and I'll just make a makeshift bed on the floor here."

"Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance..."

"Heavy my foot! I can endure ice and snow on the front lines without a care. Stop talking nonsense and get going. I've been exhausted these past few days."

He was becoming less and less like an emperor. He took the bedding from the carriage cabinet, spread it on the ground, crawled into bed, and fell asleep. At that moment, a strong wind was howling outside, probably during typhoon season. The raindrops were pattering on the roof of the carriage, and the swaying motion as it moved slowly had a very good hypnotic effect.

In another part, Xia Lin had to stop at the post station along with Li Tang's caravan due to the heavy rain. Although it was a post station of the Great Wei, both the ruler of Li Tang and Xia Daosheng were served with imperial regalia by order of Emperor Jingtai.

The post stations of today are different from those of the past. Since the post stations in Fuliang were a great success, now all post stations in economically prosperous areas are doing the same thing. They are luxurious and huge, with everything from clothing, food, and accommodation to transportation, and they can also sell local specialties. Some large post stations are even like small towns. In some slightly remote places, people from several villages and towns may rely on a single post station to earn a living.

Xia Lin sat in the house watching the raging wind and rain outside. He knew that this was due to the fluctuating weather caused by the obvious high temperatures of the past two years. Although this would lead to many regional disasters, the grain yield had doubled or even tripled because the precipitation line had reached the Yinshan line.

Just as he was roughly calculating this year's grain yield, his door creaked open. However, Xia Lin did not turn around because he knew that in this place with a security level similar to the imperial palace, there were only three people who could directly push open his door: Empress Tang, Bean Sprout, and Dong Niang.

However, it shouldn't be Douyazi, because Xia Lin was just angry because she was pregnant and wouldn't let her eat hawthorn candy. Her Majesty the Empress is currently discussing the next steps in the promotion of improved varieties with several accompanying officials, so the person who came must be Dongniang.

"I brought you some food."

Dongniang placed the plate she was carrying on the table: "These are pastries that Third Sister gave me."

Xia Lin hummed in agreement and glanced back at Dong Niang: "I wonder how many days this rain will last."

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry. But you, why did you suddenly say you wanted to go back to Luoyang?"

"We are paying respects to the Zhang family patriarch and matriarch. I made an agreement with Old Zhang that whoever is free will go to pay respects, and it has become a tradition. Now that he is busy with official duties, it is naturally me who will go back to Luoyang to pay respects."

Looking out at the dark sky, Xia Lin said with a sigh, "Are you going back to pay respects to your family too?"

"Yes." Dongniang responded, "My family has been exonerated, and the imperial court has erected a cenotaph for them. I also want to go back and pay my respects."

Xia Lin sighed and said with a sense of helplessness, "It's quite interesting that Gao Shilian, the culprit, cleared your family's name before he died. Such a wicked person, even on his deathbed, still helped me clean up a group of people."

“There is no boundary between good and bad in the world. Good can become bad, and bad can become good. So-called good and bad are just decisions made at that moment.” Dongniang walked to Xia Lin’s side and placed a wooden box in his hands: “I made some new cigarettes for you. Try them.”

Xia Lin, unsuspecting, took one out of the box and tried it. After just one puff, he could clearly feel the flavor. After taking two more puffs, he found that he didn't experience any dizziness or strange taste. Instead, he had a rich aroma.

"What is this made of?"

“Fennel, fennel seeds. It’s made from fermented fennel stems and leaves that are shredded and air-dried.” Dongniang picked up a stalk and sniffed it. “The outer wrapping is also made with fennel leaves, and borneol, peppermint, and camphor oil are added inside.”

"Really good." Xia Lin played with the cigarette in his hand. After adding those things, the effect of refreshing the mind was almost the same as that of datura cigarette, and the taste was even more soothing. It was truly a top-quality product.

"Then I'll go first."

After handing the recipe and production manual to Xia Lin, Dong Niang was about to leave, but Xia Lin waved her hand and grabbed her wrist: "Where are you going? Sleep here tonight."

While smiling sweetly, Dongniang gently dislocated Xia Lin's wrist.

Then, while cursing, Xia Lin reset his joints. Just then, there was another sound of the door being pushed open outside. He started muttering, "Next time, just break my cervical spine. It would be a good thing if I died without much pain."

"Why are you trying to kill yourself again?"

Hearing the noise, he turned around: "Oh, Your Majesty, what brings you here? I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner."

"Come here, let me break your neck."

Without further ado, since they were going to end up on the bed anyway, Xia Lin simply got up, picked up Her Majesty the Empress, and pressed her onto the bed.

"I'm here to ask you something..."

Xia Lin chuckled: "It doesn't matter when you ask."

The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the grass was fresh and green, and the aroma of roasted lamb leg wafted from the stove. The guards who had just finished their shift leaned back in their chairs, dozing off, as a full moon slowly peeked out.

"You build ships for Tian Wei, what can you give me in return?" "I'll give you a son."

After being kicked off the bed, he sighed, stood up, and dusted off the back of his backside: "I'll have to wait until I get to Chang'an to find out."

"Ah."

"How many years do you think it will take to open up the Qinling Mountains?"

"You're dreaming." Her Majesty the Empress was already used to his whimsical ideas: "Then you might as well say you're building a bridge across the Yangtze River."

Xia Lin tilted his head back and remained silent for a long time, because he truly did want to build a bridge across the Yangtze River...

A few days later, when they were less than 500 li from Luoyang, Emperor Jingtai woke up from his deep slumber. After washing up, he went out and found his third son, who was with the third prince of the Tang dynasty.

"Sanhu, do you think that combining these drums of different sizes would create a more rhythmic sound?"

“That’s natural.” Li Yuanji fiddled with an oddly shaped musical instrument in his hand: “Look at this. I changed the four strings of the pipa to six strings and enlarged the soundbox, so that it can add a note beyond the five notes. You can try it.”

As they were talking, the short-haired Emperor Jingtai entered. Li Yuanji was caught off guard and stared at him for a long time, while the Third Prince quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty."

"Come on, let's go out for dinner." Emperor Jingtai stepped forward and looked at the strangely shaped musical instruments in the room: "What do you all play all day long?"

“Brother, I may not be able to go out to dinner with you today. In a few days, Brother Sanhu has a new play to perform, but the orchestra can’t handle his instruments, so we decided to take his place.”

Emperor Jingtai sat down: "Are we still short of people?"

Li Yuanji and the Third Prince were both visibly stunned for a moment, stammering for a long time without knowing what to say.

"I'm asking you, are you short of manpower?"

"Not enough!" Li Yuanji looked up and said, "Two more are still needed..."

"What's wrong?"

"One was playing the drum, and the other was playing the flute."

Emperor Jingtai rolled up his sleeves: "I'll play the drum. I love playing the drum when I'm on the battlefield."

At this moment, the Third Prince asked nervously, "Brother... can you read music?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Back in my day, I was proficient in every aspect of poetry, literature, rites, and music! Enough with the rubbish. De Lu!"

The eunuch outside the door hurried forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince..."

"Go to Zuichunlou and order a few dishes. Tonight I'm going to teach these two youngsters what it means to be a powerful elder brother."

It has to be said that Emperor Jingtai was a terrible emperor, but he was truly amazing as a drummer. Perhaps it was the awakening of his innate romantic talent, but even a musical genius like Li Yuanji had to sincerely praise Tuoba Jing for being awesome.

The three rehearsed until late at night, and the next morning Emperor Jingtai grabbed a student he had met while drinking a few days earlier from Fuliang Academy to play the flute, and a four-person band was actually formed.

"Get the party going, advance to the third!" Emperor Jingtai shouted, beating the drum and directing the rhythm. "Get hyped!"

The music suddenly intensified, the rhythm reaching its peak, and at that moment, Emperor Jingtai pounded the drum with both hands, his brows furrowed: "What's wrong with you all? Where's your composure? Your composure!"

He stood up and walked over to the others: "I can't hear any emotion in your music! Get agitated! If you're not agitated, how can the audience be? I want emotion, not your steady, methodical playing. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. If you're going to rush, speed up, understand? Let's do it again."

The play was based on Journey to the West. The scene they performed was the long segment where the Monkey King points at 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals and shouts "I am the Monkey King Sun Wukong!" before causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace. During this segment, the actors on stage do not speak; their emotions are entirely driven by the music.

The performance of "Havoc in Heaven" was a revised version by Li Yuanji. Overall, it should be considered a musical, requiring at least four performers.

On the day Xia Lin arrived in Luoyang, Emperor Jingtai took to the stage for a performance. He even mobilized his personal guards to play the roles of heavenly soldiers and generals, and he decided to move the venue to an outdoor square.

This is against the rules in principle, but there's nothing I can do about it; it's the rule...

Once the performance was moved outdoors, the theater decided not to charge any fees. They had no choice but to do it that way. However, the advantage of being outdoors was that they could really portray the layered, towering celestial warriors.

For the first play, Emperor Jingtai summoned three thousand golden-armored guards to play heavenly soldiers. The moment the opening drum sounded and the curtain was pulled back, the entire audience gasped in unison, followed by a collective standing ovation.

The drumbeats grew stronger, followed by the sound of the flute, instantly depicting the monkey's tragic heroism and solitary courage.

Then the string music gradually increased, Li Yuanji's six-stringed zither was like a song and a lament, the Third Prince's pipa was clear and lonely, and at this time the Jingtai Emperor's drum rhythm increased again.

As the music intensified, the actors' movements created a powerful atmosphere. Just then, Emperor Jingtai stopped the drum with both hands, and all the sounds fell silent in an instant.

Now it was time for Buddha to make his appearance. Emperor Jingtai took out a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument), and when the high-pitched suona rang out, it brought the helplessness of the Monkey King to its peak.

Countless people below silently shed tears, a sense of powerlessness welling up in their hearts. As the music rose and fell, the audience wished they could also help the monkey to poke a hole in the sky.

As the Five Finger Mountain slowly descended, the stage play came to an end. At this moment, it was time for a flute solo. When the melodious and clear flute music, which was tinged with loneliness, sounded, even Emperor Jingtai himself couldn't help but sigh.

The torches around them lit up again, the curtain was drawn back, and the actors went on stage to take their bows, while the four musicians were surrounded by them and stood in the center.

In this scene, Emperor Jingtai was somewhat shy, but facing the cheers and applause of tens of thousands of spectators, he felt as proud and accomplished as when he had won victories in his campaigns.

“This is more fun than being emperor,” Emperor Jingtai said to Li Yuanji, turning his head. “Right?”

(End of this chapter)