My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 174 The Use of the Memory Palace Sachet
Seeing Zhu Yijun's expression, Su Ze suppressed a helpless look and asked Zhu Yijun:

"What difficulties has Your Highness encountered this time?"

Zhu Yijun's royal education was still adequate. After releasing Su Ze, he introduced the unfamiliar middle-aged man to Su Ze.

"This is the Duke of Dingguo."

Is this Xu Wenbi, the Duke of Dingguo?
Su Ze had heard Shen Yiguan mention Xu Wenbi and knew that this nobleman in history had risen to the position of a high-ranking official by taking the place of a substitute priest.

Su Ze hurriedly greeted Xu Wenbi, and this nobleman of the Ming Dynasty was very polite to Su Ze, so he quickly returned the greeting.

Faced with this humble and courteous high priest of the Ming Dynasty, Su Ze understood why Xu Wenbi in history was able to rise through the ranks during the fiercely competitive Wanli era, eventually becoming the foremost figure in both civil and military affairs.

Of course, this doesn't mean Xu Wenbi had any political talent; it only means he was cautious and indeed had outstanding professional skills in the area of ​​sacrificial rites.

Seeing Xu Wenbi present, Su Ze roughly guessed what Little Fatty Jun wanted from him.

As expected, Zhu Yijun spoke up:
"Master Su, I wanted to rehearse Shaoyue for the Hundred Plays Festival, but the music and dance performed by the Imperial Music Bureau have truly disappointed me!"

It was indeed about the Hundred Entertainments Festival.

Seeing his good disciple's tearful voice, Su Ze couldn't bear it and said:

"Your Highness, please speak first."

After listening to Xiao Pangjun's description, Su Ze finally understood what had happened.

To put it bluntly, the Ming Dynasty's system of rites and music was apparently somewhat outdated.

The court musicians of the Ming Dynasty were also registered as musicians and assigned to the Imperial Music Bureau, where they were engaged in ritual and music work for generations.

However, the status of musicians in the Ming Dynasty was extremely low.

Musicians were required to live in fixed places, such as "Goulan Hutong" in the capital, and they had to wear green headscarves when they went out. Wearing silk was forbidden, and violators would be punished with fifty strokes of the cane.

Musicians who steal property are punished more severely than ordinary citizens; however, if an ordinary citizen falsely accuses a musician, the punishment may be reduced.

Moreover, the government could arbitrarily conscript musicians, paying them only a symbolic meal fee after the performance.

Under such circumstances, it was inevitable that the musicians would flee.

As a result, even the musicians of the Tai Le Department were no longer of much use.

During the reign of Emperor Shizong, Emperor Jiajing once ordered the Imperial Music Bureau to rehearse "The Song of Rainbow Skirts and Feathered Robes," but there were fewer than ten people in the Imperial Music Bureau who could perform it completely.

Xu Wenbi, who was in charge of the sacrificial ceremony, was more qualified to speak on this matter. He said:
"These days, the Imperial Music Bureau is already struggling to perform all the ritual music used in sacrificial rites. They are simply powerless to help His Highness the Crown Prince rehearse the Shao music."

Su Ze was speechless. The mighty Tai Le Department of the Ming Dynasty had actually fallen to this state.

Su Ze asked again:
"Why won't Your Highness allow folk opera troupes to perform?"

Compared to the backwardness of the government-run cultural and entertainment industry, the private cultural and entertainment industry in the Ming Dynasty was very developed.

In Su Ze's hometown of Suzhou, there were numerous opera troupes. Back then, Yan Maoqing, a key member of Yan's faction, went south to inspect the salt industry and spent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to buy an entire opera troupe in Suzhou and present it to Yan Shifan.

These folk opera troupes hire renowned folk art masters and also offer high salaries to commission works from famous figures.

Once a theatrical troupe becomes famous, it can earn a fortune every day and be sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles to perform.

This is why, upon hearing that the Crown Prince was going to hold a grand opera festival, opera troupes from all over the country rushed to the capital; everyone wanted to make a name for themselves at the festival and enhance their own reputation.

Xu Wenbi said with a helpless expression, "Only the Taile Department can perform Shaoyue."

So that's how it is. The current situation is that the Tai Le Shu (太乐署), which has the qualifications to perform, does not have the ability to perform, while folk opera troupes, which have the ability to perform, do not have the qualifications to perform.

Su Ze, on a sudden inspiration, said:
"If we could compose a piece similar in form to Shaoyue, could we give it to a folk music troupe to perform?"

Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, immediately said:

"As long as it's not officially designated Shaoyue, it's fine for folk music troupes to perform it. But when it comes to folk arts, short tunes are easy to score, but Shaoyue is extremely difficult."

Shao music is similar to symphonic music in later times, and its scores are very complex.

Xu Wenbi looked at Su Ze and asked:
"Could it be that Su Hanlin can compose music?"

Su Ze certainly couldn't compose music, but Xu Wei, who lived in his household, was an expert in music.

Su Ze could use the [Memory Palace Sachet] to find a symphony from his past life's memories, write it down, and hum it to Xu Wei, asking him to compose the music.

After coming up with a solution, Su Ze said to Zhu Yijun:
"Your Highness, please first form an orchestra from among the folk musicians. Once I have prepared the scores, they can then rehearse."

Zhu Yijun was naturally overjoyed and quickly said:

"Then I'll wait for Master Su's sheet music!"
-
After leaving the East Palace, Su Ze pondered which piece of music to use. He thought of a famous piece that seemed perfect for this occasion.

Having made up his mind, Su Ze walked towards his home.

"Madam, your son-in-law is back."

Since she was newly pregnant, Zhao Lingxian did not continue reading the book for the sake of her unborn child.

Upon hearing that her husband had returned home, she hurriedly led her maid to greet him.

"Why did you come home so early today, my husband?"

Given Su Ze's personality, he rarely arrives late or leaves early.

Seeing his wife's overflowing affection, Su Ze pulled her into his arms, but Zhao Lingxian shyly pushed his hand away and whispered:

"Everyone's watching."

Su Ze whispered in her ear:

"Where is anyone else?"

The personal maids, being tactful, had already left with a light laugh. Su Ze hugged his wife for a while longer, but not daring to go too far, so he said:
"I went to the East Palace today. The Crown Prince asked me to compose a piece, so I came back early to discuss it with Mr. Qing Teng."

"My husband can compose music?"

Zhao Lingxian's eyes lit up. She knew that her husband was a capable minister praised by his great-uncle, Grand Secretary Zhao, but he didn't seem to have much interest in literature and performing arts.

Su Ze smiled and said:

“Your husband is capable of everything; he will compose a song for his wife in a few days.”

Zhao Lingxian's ears turned red as she nudged Su Ze and said:

"My lord, you should attend to important matters. The Crown Prince's affairs are more important."

Su Ze knew that his wife was easily embarrassed and couldn't stand hearing such things before it got dark, so he went to the side room where Xu Wei was staying.

He told Xu Wei his thoughts and hummed the tune he had recalled from his memory palace. Xu Wei listened carefully and wrote down the score.

Of course, Su Ze was humming the main melody, but the accompaniment and chords still needed to be supplemented by Xu Wei, who was well-versed in music theory.

After repeated confirmations, a musical score was completed, and Xu Wei's gaze towards Su Ze changed once again.

If it were just a short tune from a play, Xu Wei could easily compose a melody. Poetry, songs, and folk arts are all intertwined, so this was not a difficult task.

However, the suite music of the Shaoyue type is different; such pieces cannot be written casually.

"When Dong Weng plays this piece, even the grandest court music pales in comparison."

Su Ze said, "This piece was also played for His Majesty. Mr. Qing Teng, do you think there's anything that needs to be modified?" Xu Wei sighed:

"Such a wonderful piece of music is like a masterpiece created by a skilled hand; not a single note can be changed!"

Su Ze said:

"Then please ask Mr. Qing Teng to go to the East Palace tomorrow to help the Crown Prince rehearse the orchestra."

Xu Wei readily agreed. He had once sold his music to make a living when he was down on his luck, and had also worked as an instructor in an orchestra.
-
On May 24, Wang Shizhen led his delegation to Xuanfu, where he was personally received by Wang Chonggu, the governor-general of Xuanfu and Datong, along with his assistants.

This is where Wang Shizhen's status in the literary world came into play. When the people of Xuanfu heard that Wang Shizhen was coming, they all gathered near the city gate, eager to catch a glimpse of this literary master.

However, looking at the dilapidated city walls of Xuanfu and the abandoned military settlements outside the city, Wang Shizhen could not feel happy.

Wang Chonggu welcomed the delegation into the city and then arranged a banquet to entertain them that night.

Although Wang Shizhen's reinstatement was recommended by Zhang Juzheng, it was Gao Gong who proposed him to serve as the chief envoy of the mission. Wang Chonggu and Gao Gong were of the same faction, and after the banquet, their relationship became much closer.

Wang Shizhen also inquired about the situation in Xuanfu.

Wang Chonggu sighed and said:
"Since I took office, I have been trying to improve the defense of Xuanfu, but all my efforts have been in vain over the years."

"It was only after Commander Qi came to Shanxi and brought his methods of training soldiers that Xuanfu was able to train three thousand new soldiers."

Wang Shizhen asked, "Three thousand?"

Zheng Luo, a member of the Shanxi Provincial Council who was accompanying the delegation, said:
"Ambassador Wang, three thousand is not too little."

"These three thousand new soldiers were only managed to be raised by Governor Wang through all sorts of means, and the amount of money he embezzled each year was also a considerable sum."

Wang Shizhen had heard about the situation in Shanxi from his father.

In the seventh month of autumn in the thirty-third year of Jiajing's reign, Datong was captured by Altan Khan, and the cabinet recommended Wang Shizhen's father, Wang Yu, to serve as the governor of Datong.

After taking office, Wang Yu quickly recovered Datong and rebuilt Datong's defenses. Wang Yu was also promoted to Governor-General of Jiliao because of his contributions to Shanxi.

Wang Yu had also privately commented on the situation in Xuanfu, saying that they "could only defend their own territory and were of no great use."

Indeed, this was the case. Xuanfu Garrison relied on the Datong defense line, and when faced with a large-scale southward invasion from the grasslands, it would be necessary to transfer troops from other border towns to defend the area.

Shen Yiguan was also in a depressed mood during the meal. Xuanfu was an important stronghold of the capital's defense line, and there has always been a saying that "Xuanfu is the most important of the nine border passes".

Xuanfu had the most garrisons, with an official garrison of 100,000 men, but unexpectedly, Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanfu, had only trained 3,000 new soldiers so far.

No wonder Anda was able to fight his way to the capital during the Gengxu Incident.

With his mission in mind, Wang Shizhen set off on the mountain road to Datong the next day.

The mountain road between Xuanfu and Datong was narrow, and Wang Shizhen, fearing danger, ordered the delegation to speed up. On May 24, the delegation arrived in Datong.

Qi Jiguang, the military commander of Shanxi, and Wang Yongji, the inspector of Datong, greeted Wang Shizhen at the city gate.

Unlike Xuanfu, the fields outside Datong City were filled with hardworking farmers.

The city walls of Datong were also repaired, and Qi Jiguang even built two watchtowers inside the city and installed several brand-new breech-loading cannons.

Wang Shizhen and Qi Jiguang were old acquaintances. They greeted each other warmly, and then Qi Jiguang introduced Wang Yongji, who was standing next to Wang Shizhen.

Upon hearing Wang Yongji's name, Wang Shizhen's eyes lit up and he said:

"Is this the case of Wang Xun, who was known as a wise man of the nation alongside Hai Gangfeng?"

Wang Shizhen was a literary master and also Wang Yongji's senior in officialdom. Wang Yongji quickly bowed to Wang Shizhen.

Of the three present, Qi Jiguang held the highest rank, but as a military officer, he dared not be negligent in the slightest, nor did he dare to put on airs as a second-rank military commander. Instead, he introduced himself to Wang Shizhen as a low-ranking official:
"After the Prince of Dai was removed from his fiefdom, the matter of the Prince of Dai's lands and the military farms of Datong Garrison were handled by Inspector Wang."

Hearing this, Wang Shizhen was even more impressed.

Any issue involving land is a thorny problem.

The distribution of land after the removal of the princely fiefdom of the Daiwang Mansion, the clearing and redividing of farmland in Datong military settlements, could easily lead to unrest if not handled properly.

Seeing the bustling spring farming scene around Datong, one could tell how much work Wang Yongji had done. Compared to Xuanfu, the foremost of the nine border regions, Datong had a completely new look for both its military and civilians, which gave Wang Shizhen even more confidence.

"Commander Qi, how many soldiers are available in Datong?"

Qi Jiguang proudly stated:

"In addition to the 20,000 men originally brought from the south, another 8,000 new soldiers have been trained!"

"so much?"

Qi Jiguang said, "Not much, not much. After the great victory at Soutao, the imperial court graciously allowed some of the spoils to be distributed to the soldiers who went on the expedition. Everyone in Datong is eager to join the army and fight the enemy!"

Even Shen Yiguan understood this now. After the great victory at Soutao, the soldiers who went to Datong had all benefited, so their military appearance and morale were naturally different from those in Xuanfu.

It's no wonder that Qi Jiguang insisted on searching for the enemy's stronghold. A powerful army needs victories to build confidence and honor, and the enemy in the north was the weakest link. Qi Jiguang targeted this easy target first.

With the support of Datong Guard, Wang Shizhen was even more confident about his mission to the grasslands.

After the group entered the city, Qi Jiguang explained the situation of the grassland to the delegation in detail.

"Anda Khan is gathering troops in Bansheng, but in my opinion, it is nothing more than a bluff."

Seeing Wang Shizhen's confusion, Qi Jiguang explained:

"After lambing, the grassland tribes will begin to scatter and graze. At this time, the number of livestock in the tribe increases, and the need for fodder increases greatly. If they stay in one place, the fodder will be eaten up very quickly."

"The tribes will stop until the summer when the water and grass are lush."

"So when Anda Khan gathered his troops, many tribes couldn't contact him at all, and couldn't send any men."

"According to the intelligence I have gathered, Ban Sheng has only gathered 50,000 troops, which is not enough to break through Datong Guard."

Hearing Qi Jiguang's assessment, Wang Shizhen felt relieved. Since it wasn't a real fight, there was hope for negotiation.

Wang Shizhen then asked:

"What's the situation inside Bansheng City?"

Qi Jiguang said, "Anda Khan's authority on the grassland is secure, but he is old."

“When we were giving birth to lambs this year, Khan fell ill, which is why we were unable to send troops to help the enemy in time. Now, the affairs of Bansheng City are all being handled by Third Sister.”

Upon hearing the name that Su Ze had repeatedly emphasized, Wang Shizhen asked, "Is this Third Lady the wife of Anda Khan?"

Qi Jiguang nodded, and then said:

"Huang Taiji, the eldest son of Anda Khan, was known for his bravery and his soldiers and horses were the best among all the tribes. He was the one who handled most of the military affairs of Anda Khan's tribe."

"In addition, Anda Khan's grandson, Bahannaji, the son of the Black Taiji who was executed for rebellion, was raised by Anda Khan after his father's death. He also controlled the Tumet tribe and his strength was second only to Huang Taiji."

"In addition, there is a group of Han Chinese from Yan in Bansheng City, led by Zhao Quan, a sorcerer of the White Lotus Sect. When Bansheng City was being built, these Han Chinese contributed a lot of effort, and Anda Khan allowed them to cultivate the land near Fengzhou Beach."

After listening to Qi Jiguang's description, Wang Shizhen knew that Su Ze was right. The person who was most pro-Ming in the entire Bansheng City was probably this Third Sister. If they wanted to complete the mission of the mission, they had to get Third Sister's help.

Hearing that Third Sister was a skilled writer, Wang Shizhen came up with a plan.

(End of this chapter)