Yang Ji didn't want to overwhelm the guest, and he didn't want to be tricked by Yang Lun again. He didn't sit on the seat given to him by Yang Lun, but sat at the same table with He Tuo to watch the dance and listen to the music. Although the stage effects of this era cannot be compared with those of later generations, and the singing skills are not as showy as those of later generations, the effects of costumes, the beauty of dances, the wonderful lyrics of songs, and the true feelings are not comparable to those of later generations.
Whenever a dance is finished, people in the elegant room will give signs to the competing brothels. However, the people in the room are more discerning and picky about singing and dancing, and the performers or bands in front of them are somewhat unsatisfactory. , most of the brands sent out are bronze medals. But despite this, a bronze medal is worth more than 3,100 kilograms of rice. If it is converted into two yuan per kilogram according to the price of later generations, a bronze medal is worth more than 6,000 yuan; a silver medal is more than 60,000 yuan; a gold medal is 60,000 yuan. More than 100,000 yuan, equivalent to a large house in an ordinary county town.
However, Yang Ji has never had the slightest interest in the rules of this game where real money and silver are used to make rankings. So far, he has not even given away a sign. Moreover, there is no difference between these artists and the celebrities and Internet celebrities of later generations. One or two of them are very wealthy women. They may seem to have "poor backgrounds", but their personal savings are definitely more than 90% of the common people in the Sui Dynasty. Instead of using money to reward these very rich women, it is far better to use it to do something meaningful.
Although today's banquet was hosted by Yang Lun and he paid for it, the nature of the two is completely different and cannot be generalized.
It's okay for Yang Ji not to give away the sign, but as the most powerful person here, his every move will be watched and over-interpreted. It was okay at first, but as soon as he remained silent, it slowly affected the people around him.
The situation and thoughts of the surrounding elders and Confucian scholars at this moment are like the subordinates who accompany the leader to inspect the brothel. They can't figure out the leader's thoughts, who the leader likes, and who the leader hates. If you don’t reward the artist that the leader likes, you will worry about being punished by the leader afterwards; if you reward the wrong person, you will also be afraid that the leader will fill your shoes afterward, causing people around you to not know whether you are a good rewarder or not. good.
As the event passed the preliminary round, the organizer and participants selected the top four based on the value of the rewarded brands. When the organizer loudly announced that the top four were Shen Yue of Lanting Hall, Gongsun Xi of Mingcuixuan, and Ziyan of Xiuyunge. , Caiwei Tower Du Lixue, the atmosphere in the entire Xiuyun Pavilion became enthusiastic.
Caiweilou Du Lixue is a girl who is only seventeen or eighteen years old. She has a tall and graceful body and is wearing a simple red dress. She performs a pipa song. The melody and urgent atmosphere instantly permeate the entire Xiuyun Pavilion. .
Miss Du Lixue played a piece of music that aroused emotions. There was no tenderness at all, but only a magnificent evil spirit. As the tune became louder and louder, the chilling atmosphere became more and more obvious, giving people the feeling of being on the battlefield of endless battles. . When the pipa music reached its peak, the sound suddenly stopped.
After the song was played, time seemed to stand still. After a long time, the applause finally started.
Du Lixue stood up from the brocade stool, bowed to everyone around her, and cast her bright eyes towards the third floor of the north building, as if waiting for the elders here to present their signs.
He Tuo stroked his beard, looked at Yang Ji aside, and commented with a smile: "This girl is very smart. She may know that the king is here, so she played the song "Ambush from Flying Daggers" specially. It's just that this song is murderous. It's too heavy and doesn't suit the atmosphere here. If no one delivers the sign in the private room, she will be the first person eliminated. She is making a dangerous move and fighting a last-ditch battle, and she has the spirit of risking death to survive."
There were constant exchanges of servants and maids in the elegant rooms, and among them there must be some bribed ears and eyes from various brothels. And when they talked, they did not deliberately conceal their identities. It was normal for others to inquire about them. He Tuo knew that Du Lixue and his "behind-the-scenes team" knew that Yang Ji was here, so he temporarily changed Yang Ji's "famous song" "Ambush from Flying Daggers". If Yang Ji is happy and rewards her with special rewards, the other elders will naturally follow suit in order to please Yang Ji.
When others came to the stage to perform, these rich and generous elders thought that Yang Ji particularly admired Du Lixue, so naturally they did not dare to tip the brand. The ultimate beneficiary is naturally Du Lixue and the Caiwei Building she represents, and they might even be able to come back and win the championship.
"Maybe this woman knows she can't fight the three people in front of her, so it doesn't matter anymore." Yang Ji nodded after hearing this. The first round of the Xiuyunge Oiran Competition is a dance battle, and the semi-finals are a dance battle. During the dance competition, Du Lixue, who represented Caiweilou, had no advantage. She was surpassed by the third-placed Ziyan in front of her with more than ten silver medals, but she only had two more bronze medals than the fifth-placed one behind her. In terms of performance, she only belongs to the second rung. Judging from the current situation, her "popularity" is far less than that of Shen Yue, Gongsun Xi, and Zi Yan. If she can't compete with Dou Qu, she is destined to be eliminated.
Yang Ji made a casual comment, but still had no intention of giving away the sign. To borrow the words of Mr. Wang, he said, "I have a little money, but I'm not stupid, and I won't use money to do meaningless things!"
"For her courage to fight against the odds, I will give you two silver medals." He Tuo was different from the others. He smiled and asked the maid on call to give out two silver medals.
Yang Jing, who came with him, focused on Yang Ji, and so far he hadn't sent a single sign. But when he saw this, he finally couldn't help but asked: "Brother, none of the dance music here suits you. Mind?"
Yang Ji also knew that he had affected everyone's mood. He looked at Yang Jing and then at the people around him, and said helplessly: "I don't particularly admire anyone, and I don't particularly hate anyone. I think they are all the same." . Just look at it according to your own wishes and come and send the sign. Don’t look at me like that.”
"Many people are staring at Beilou now, and this song is composed by my brother. If we don't give away a sign, others will say that we are too stingy." Yang Jing said, and also sent someone to give out two silver medals. .
Others heard what Yang Ji said, and some people started to take the initiative, so they bought brands and gave them away according to their own wishes and financial capabilities. However, judging from the grade and quantity of the brands, those who supported Du Lixue were mainly from the Wuren series, which was obviously The song "Ambush Ten Miles" is more suitable for them; on the contrary, literati, although they also praised some brands, most of them were dealing with Yang Ji's "original" rather than really liking this song.
"Brother, that girl must know your identity and is staring at you! Aren't you going to give it away?" Yang Jing said again.
When Yang Ji heard what Yang Jing said, he looked towards the stage and saw Du Lixue looking at him with a pair of full eyes. It seemed as if she was waiting for him.
In response, Yang Ji just smiled politely to show encouragement.
As soon as Du Lixue's "canvassing" time was over, she took her away from the stage. The next step is to set up the venue, and the next contestant is Zi Yan from Xiuyunge. This time she is a contestant sent by the organizer. She is extremely popular in Xiuyunge, and she also has a huge advantage in the home field this time. . However, she only got third place in the last round of competition, which shows the strength of Shen Yue from Lanting Hall and Gongsun Xi from Ming Cuixuan.
Yang Lun came over in a hurry. He looked around with a strange look on his face. Seeing that everyone was away from Yang Ji, Yang Jing, and He Tuo, he sat down next to Yang Jing and whispered: "Vajra slave, Xian Zhen, my brothers and sisters are also here, and they are all here."
In fact, Yang Lun had already received the news. When he heard the words of the commander of the soldiers, he was so nervous that he just wanted to curse. Among these women, there were four pregnant women. If they bumped into each other here, they would be unlucky in the end. It was him who was hosting the banquet. But because he was afraid that he would spoil Yang Ji and Yang Jing's interest, they didn't say anything in time. Instead, they secretly called in guards and asked them to protect them in the dark.
When he told these things in detail, Yang Ji and Yang Jing were shocked.
Although most of the brothels in this era were of mixed quality, there were also some brothels that were very pure folk arts venues; the latter were like art schools. In addition to performing songs and dances, they also offered courses related to literature, calligraphy, song and dance, musical instruments, etiquette, etc. In embroidery-related training classes, those older women shoulder the mission of teachers.
Many officials and businessmen who could not afford private schools would send their daughters to learn talents there; some wives and concubines of dignitaries not only often went there to listen to music and watch performances, but also became friends with the owners and teachers of such brothels. These brothels have friends from powerful families and officials' daughters as students, which means they have good personal connections. Although these relationships may not provide them with real help, these connections can allow them to gain a foothold in the market and avoid being bullied and exploited by local gangsters.
The world is like this and the customs are like this. Yang Ji and Yang Jing are not prejudiced or angry about their wives and concubines coming to the brothel to listen to music and watch dances. The key is that four pregnant women came to the crowded Xiuyun Pavilion, which made them uncontrollably nervous.
He Tuo next to him was also a little speechless when he heard the news. He had served in Liangzhou for many years and was very familiar with Yang Ji's family records. When he saw that Yang Ji had not spoken for a long time, he suddenly said to Yang Ji with a bit of laughter and tears: "Your Majesty, the princess, concubines, and ladies are well-informed and courteous. Even if you want to watch singing and dancing, you can only invite people from the elegant brothel to perform singing and dancing at the house; this time when you come to a place like Xiuyun Pavilion, you must have heard that an oiran competition is held here."
Yang Ji nodded and said to Yang Lun: "No wonder I didn't see you just now. It turned out that I was going to arrange defense forces. But since they rarely come out, you should let them watch in the small room."
Although they were shocked and worried, when they thought that Yang Lun had arranged all the defenses, Yang Ji had nothing to worry about, and Yang Ji had no intention of going to meet them, lest they feel restrained and not enjoy themselves.
"Of course I thought so, and I arranged it very carefully, but it alarmed your sister-in-law. She is also here and there now." Yang Lun said with a sad face: "Now everyone says that I, Yang Lun, are grand and arrogant. People say that I, Yang Lun, have taken care of the third, fourth, and fifth floors with the best terrain. After I go back, I will have to shed my skin even if I die, so you have to save me!"
"You deserve it!" Yang Ji chuckled: "I am very happy to see you so unhappy."
Princess Teng is a woman who manages the family well, manages the family well, and is full of courage. Although she controls Yang Lun tightly, she is very face-conscious and very particular, and is not a woman who likes to take advantage of others. Since she knew that Yang Lun was the guest today, she would definitely pay for all the expenses for the banquet instead of letting Yang Ji do it for her. If Yang Ji forced the money out, she would have to argue with Yang Ji.
But after returning home and closing the door, Yang Lun would definitely be in bad luck. Yang Lun also knew that he was going to be in bad luck, so he asked for help "in public" without shame.
"You can't do this, you can't ignore death!" Yang Lun begged.
"It's hard for an upright official to deal with household matters. I can't control what's going on between you two." Yang Jili looked at Yang Lun with joy and exhorted him with joy, "My sister-in-law already knows this, so just accept it!"
"Brother, Brother Wei and I don't care about money or anything else, and we can help you quietly, but we really can't help you with this matter now. I think when you come home, no matter what your sister-in-law says, you will accept it all. Come down." Yang Jing, who was next to her, suppressed her laughter and persuaded Yang Lun in a low voice: "If you deny it and your sister-in-law accuses the palace, you will be even more unlucky."
Upon hearing Yang Jing's words, Yang Lun immediately trembled and did not dare to ask for help anymore. He said cowardly: "This is reasonable, so forget it."
He knew that no matter how much the princess punished her, she would not punish her too much; but if Yang Guang heard that four pregnant women in the clan came here because of him, he would definitely use family methods against him and punish him severely, or he might as well do it himself. hands; when the time comes, it will be the real immortality that will shed its skin.
After a long while, he said to Yang Ji and Yang Jing nonchalantly: "But you have to give me this money privately afterwards, and you must not let the princess know about it."
After hearing this, Yang Ji and Yang Jing looked at each other, and finally shook their heads in unison, and said to Yang Lun in unison:
"Go ahead and dream."
"I can not!"
Princess Teng was definitely in the hot seat at this time. If they gave Yang Lun any more private money, they would be aiding the evil deeds and adding fuel to the fire. If she was angered and reported to the palace, not only Yang Lun would be severely punished by Yang Guang, but they would not end well, and even Yu Wenshi and Yu Wenshi would be implicated.
So the best way is to sacrifice one Yang Lun to help everyone.
Just when Yang Lunsheng was hopeless, a little maid with a bun in a bun walked quickly from the side. Before she could get close, she was stopped by two of Yang Ji's guards. The little maid seemed to have caught the attention of the guards. With the famous thorn in his hand, he slowly came to Yang Ji and said, "I'm here to see you, Your Majesty. This is my wife's invitation. Please give it to me personally."
Yang Ji took it and took a look, with surprise in his eyes.
This turned out to be the famous assassination of Li Yuan's wife.
