Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1172 Epilogue : The Art Performance of Academic Leaders

There is no formal academic content today.

Worship at the Confucian Temple in the morning and attend the opening ceremony in the afternoon.

After several people spoke in succession, the next step was a cultural performance.

"Dong dong dong..."

"Woooooo~~~"

The war drums beat and the horns sounded, as if they had arrived at the battlefield in an instant.

A group of dancers, wearing paper armor and holding swords and guns, marched out.

Xie Yan was immediately very happy. This was a large-scale song and dance performance, which seemed to be interpreting a battle with music and dance.

"The Music of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty Breaking the Formation"!
The score of the Tang Dynasty's "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue" has been retrieved from Japan by the Governor of Yingzhou. But only the pipa music in it has been retrieved, which is far from enough.

Because "The Qin King's Battle Music" belongs to Yan music (banquet music).

Yan music is a kind of mixed music that combines Ya music, Qing music and Hu music.

Moreover, the so-called "Hu music" here extends from Gansu to Persia, and even includes Goguryeo and Indian music.

Many people have heard of Yayue, which is music that was popular from the pre-Qin period to the Han Dynasty. Since then, it has generally been used in serious occasions.

Qingyue is a popular music that emerged in the Eastern Han Dynasty based on Yayue. After the Jin Dynasty moved south, it also integrated Wuyue (Jiangsu and Zhejiang) and Xiyue (Jingchu). Emperors from Cao Cao to Chen Houzhu loved it very much. In addition, some Qingyue can also be used in court, sacrifice and other occasions.

Yan music, of course, emerged during the Sui and Tang dynasties. It is a great fusion of world music, to which Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang made great contributions.

From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the present Ming Dynasty, Qingyue and Yanyue have always been played in parallel among the people.

Moreover, no matter how much Hu music is absorbed, the music theory is always centered on the "Five Tones and Twelve Laws".

Of course there is also a seven-tone scale, which comes out when the five notes change. Even Ya music belongs to the seven-tone scale.

The twelve musical notes have been subject to minor adjustments all the time, and from the pre-Qin period to the Ming Dynasty, there have been at least three major adjustments. However, the twelve musical notes that were close to being absolutely balanced were not calculated until thirty years ago.

The musician and mathematician who calculated the twelve-tone equal temperament is sitting in the first row of the auditorium. The music of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty breaking through the enemy's formation is a re-creation of the music of the Qin Emperor breaking through the enemy's formation. It is played with a total of 24 musical instruments from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad.

On the stage, the music began to slow down.

Some dancers stumbled and fell, their swords and guns falling to the ground. They supported each other to pick up their weapons, first slowly moving forward, then slowly retreating, it seemed that the battle was not going well.

Then, with the guqin as the background sound, the bamboo flute played a pastoral atmosphere, expressing the soldiers' attachment to their hometown. And this attachment encouraged them to fight bloody battles for their hometown and their loved ones.

Suddenly, the erhu imitated the sharp neighing of a war horse, and then the sound of the pipa became louder and louder.

This is Emperor Taizong personally leading the cavalry to join the battle.

The music became more passionate, and the sound of war drums and horns began again. The sounds of the pipa and guzheng intertwined, as if imitating the battle between two armies, and the dancers' movements became more and more dramatic.

"Broken! Broken! Broken!"

The dancers shouted in unison, the sound of the pipa gradually drowned out the guzheng, and the beats of the war drums became more and more frequent.

More than ten kinds of musical instruments began to play together. The Ming army had broken through an enemy camp. The sounds of various instruments mixed together, creating a chaotic atmosphere on the battlefield.

"kill!"

The Ming army began to break through all aspects and the enemy was fleeing in all directions.

The music became cheerful, with the pipa and erhu as the lead, and seven or eight other instruments following suit, as if the Ming army had been chasing the enemy for hundreds of miles.

After the climax, the music becomes soothing again, even a little sad.

The dancers supported each other, celebrating the victory of the battle and mourning for their comrades who died in the battle.

"Big victory, big victory!"

The neighing of war horses sounded again, and Emperor Taizong returned having captured the enemy chief alive. The slight sadness was instantly swept away, and the music became even more magnificent.

"Clap clap clap!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Xie Yan also clapped his hands. He didn't like this kind of singing and dancing before, but at this moment he was so excited that he felt like he was on the battlefield.

An old man named Yang Linzhi was invited to perform solo. He was the one who calculated the twelve-tone equal temperament and composed the "Ming Taizong's Breaking Formation Music".

This person is Zhu Xi's third-generation disciple.

Zhu Xi in this time and space was not only the Minister of Works, but also an outstanding scientist.

In fact, Zhu Xi in another time and space was also a scientist, but unfortunately he was only known for his Neo-Confucianism and affair with a mistress.

Let me just pick a few of them.

The real Zhu Xi in history discovered snail fossils on the mountain and said that this was the transformation of lowlands into high mountains.

He also wrote to his disciples to express his doubts, saying that Zhao from Fuzhou measured the angle between the North Star and the ground to be 20 degrees, but he measured it to be 24 degrees (both were correct, just observing at different latitudes). He continued to observe with the armillary sphere and concluded that the position of the North Star was not at the North Pole.

He also envisioned a fake celestial instrument, in which the entire universe was designed as a huge sphere with the positions of stars marked inside the sphere and the sphere could rotate. One could drill into the sphere and observe the movement of the stars.

He also said that lightning is caused by the friction and compression of air. Rain falls when yin and yang gases collide. Rainbows are formed when sunlight scatters rain.

In addition, Zhu Xi also studied mathematics and used mathematical methods to measure musicality.

Zhu Xi said that one can gain knowledge by investigating things. He really was investigating things, not just staring at bamboo foolishly like Wang Yangming.

The old man named Yang Linzhi bowed to the scholars below the stage, then held the guqin and said, "Excuse me for showing off my ugliness."

The sound of ding-dong is heard, and the water flows in the mountains.

This piece of music, "High Mountains and Flowing Water", was composed by Yang Linzhi by re-combining and modifying the four-section "High Mountains" and eight-section "Flowing Water" from the Tang Dynasty.

The scholars in the audience all closed their eyes and listened with fascination.

After the song was over, several scholars were invited to the stage, including scholars from both liberal arts and science. They each picked up an instrument to accompany a female singer.

The song was a Qingyue ditty.

Those scholars who are used to handling experimental equipment are surprisingly professional when it comes to playing musical instruments.

What was supposed to be an academic event turned into a talent show.

Xie Yan scratched his forehead with his right index finger, wondering if he should learn it too. These big guys are so awesome!

"I am showing off my ugliness. Haha, I am showing off my ugliness."

After the song was over, the scholars put down their instruments, took a few steps forward and bowed happily.

They all had a smile on their faces. They did not feel that being a guest musician would be a loss of face. Instead, they were quite proud of being able to show off their skills.

"color!"

The medical professor next to Xie Yan suddenly cheered and clapped loudly.

"Who is the old gentleman familiar with?" Xie Yan asked.

The old man pointed to the stage and said, "The third person on the right is the one who played the konghou just now. He was my senior when I was in school. He is now the dean of Lingnan Medical College. He is an earl and a bachelor of jade. He is proficient in treating various epidemics and has discovered more than a dozen pathogenic bacteria and insects."

Xie Yan exclaimed: "What a miracle doctor!"

The next show was a variety show, which was also performed by a group of scholars themselves, and the clown was a chubby Rose Bachelor.

Perhaps it was because the fat scholar's movements were too funny, which made the scholars performing on the same stage look unprofessional. They all burst into laughter. There was laughter on and off the stage, and there was no serious atmosphere of the academic conference at all.

Towards evening, the opening ceremony finally came to an end, followed by a dinner in the cafeteria.

Although kerosene lamps are brighter, they produce an odor when burned indoors and are naturally not suitable for such high-end occasions.

Candlesticks had been brought in long ago, and there were even several large chandeliers on the beams. Each chandelier had a large number of candlesticks and reflective lampshades to focus the light.

The huge cafeteria was lit up as if it were daytime.

The little emperor and his friends didn't leave either, and sat at the table closest to the stage.

Well, a temporary stage was built for the dinner, and a professional orchestra performed some soothing music.

Fine wine and delicious food were served one after another, even seafood such as abalone.

The waiters serving the dishes were all beautiful girls, and no one knew where they usually worked.

The vice president of the association gave a brief speech and then invited everyone to eat, drink and have fun.

Just like the opening ceremony in the afternoon, Xie Yan's seat at the banquet was also at the edge.

There were ten people sitting at the table, and he exchanged greetings with the other nine people, half of whom were scholars of literature and half of whom were scholars of science. Soon, they started to play drinking games, and Xie Yan was confused.

He didn't understand the rhythm of notes, and even if he knew the rules, he couldn't participate at all. Every time it was his turn, he would be punished by drinking.

The scholar sitting at the same table laughed out loud and especially enjoyed teasing him.

Just when he was a little tipsy, a scholar came over and whispered, "Young Master Xie, the old president wants to see you."

Xie Yan felt as if he had been pardoned and quickly said goodbye to the scholar sitting at the same table with him.

The old president's table was full of big shots, even Empress Dowager Ye, the little emperor, and the eldest princess were sitting there.

After he appeared, everyone looked at him with interest.

Xie Yan quickly bowed and greeted him.

"Please sit down." said the old president, and there was an empty stool next to him.

Xie Yan sat down.

The old president seemed to have drunk some wine, and his face was a little ruddy: "The great ancestor left behind the periodic table of elements, as well as the theory of molecules and atoms. People believed it at first, but many people have questioned it in the past few decades. You are not the first to write a paper on molecules, but your paper is the most unorthodox."

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Xie Yan said: "I will write whatever I think of."

The old president said: "The normal path may not work, so being unorthodox is also a way. I have arranged a hall for you against all odds. You have two hours to present your paper and answer questions from scholars."

"Thank you for your care, old president." Xie Yan said.

The old president smiled and said, "Are you scared? There will definitely be many top scholars who will give you trouble."

Xie Yan said: "My molecular theory has been proven."

"Ok?"

The old chairman's expression suddenly became serious: "How to prove it?"

Xie Yan said: "I spent half a year to build a balance. The damping paper is just the principle of a component of the balance."

The old president shook his head: "Nie Qi also created a damping balance. Although it is very useful, it is still not enough to verify molecules and atoms."

Xie Yan said, "It's different. Scholar Nie and other scholars have been increasing the arm length of the scale. But my thinking is just the opposite. The scale I built shortened the arm length."

The old president was skeptical: "Did you bring the scales?"

Xie Yan said, "I brought it. I put it under the bed in the Imperial College dormitory, and four followers take turns to guard it. I plan to take it out when I give an academic report. Oh, and there are two papers here, all about the new balance."

Xie Yan was well prepared and actually took out the paper from his pocket.

The old president asked someone to move closer to a standing candlestick so that he could read by the light of more than ten candles.

Sometimes he nodded in approval, and sometimes he looked puzzled.

After reading one paper slowly, the old president put both papers away and said, "I am old and lack energy. I will take them home and read them slowly. I will also help you submit them to the academic journal. I will also be there to listen to your academic report on the day of your presentation."

Xie Yan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, old president."

The old president asked again: "Did you study liberal arts before?"

"Yes." Xie Yan said.

The old president asked again: "Haven't you passed the exam yet?"

Xie Yan replied: "I haven't taken the exam yet."

The old president said, "Then you should come to Luoyang Imperial College to study, and go directly to the inner quarters of the Imperial College. Don't think that you are a Jade Scholar and look down on your teachers and classmates. Young people should be modest and cautious. If you are really very knowledgeable, you can be promoted to the upper quarters in half a year, and maybe you can be directly awarded the title of Jinshi within a year."

"Yes." Xie Yan couldn't help but be happy.

He was worried that he was not cut out to be an official, but if there was a real chance he would like to give it a try, thinking that maybe he was actually a talented official.

At this moment, Wang Daqing was also called over and an empty stool was also arranged away from the dining table.

Wang Daqing first bowed and greeted everyone, then turned to Xie Yan and bowed.

Xie Yan stood up and said, "Brother Shanzhi, long time no see."

Wang Daqing said happily: "Thank you for your reminder, my dear brother. New geometry has derived many results."

The old president was surprised and asked, "You know each other? You are even talking about your friendship as equals."

Xie Yan said: "I visited Professor Wang and asked him for advice on his geometry paper."

The old president was even more surprised: "What new geometry do you agree with?"

Wang Daqing said: "Mr. Xie not only agreed, but also provided new ideas for the younger generation to complete the new geometry."

The old president smiled and said, "You two are different, but it seems that you are actually of the same kind. I was afraid that you would be scolded too harshly and become depressed, so I called you over to talk. Now it seems that you don't need my encouragement, you two are very enthusiastic. Go away!"

Xie Yan laughed and said, "Then I'll get out of here."

Wang Daqing also bowed and stepped back.

After the two of them left, the old president sent someone to call other scholars. It was estimated that many people would be called in for talks by him tonight.

Before the next scholar arrived, the eldest princess suddenly spoke up: "The fact that the two of them can talk to each other and complement each other shows that the strange geometry paper has substance."

The old president said: "Many people have deduced according to the paper, and it is mathematically valid, but all the conclusions are ridiculous. Reason tells me not to believe the nonsense in the paper, but mathematics tells me that those conclusions are correct."

While they were talking, another scholar was invited to chat, and the eldest princess immediately shut up and stopped talking.

Time passed and the party ended.

Xie Yan was half drunk and was helped back to the dormitory.

The royal family also left, but they did not choose to return to the city. Instead, they went to Dongxi Garden, a royal garden in the eastern suburbs.

Inside the carriage.

Queen Mother Ye asked, "Do you have a crush on any young talent?"

The eldest princess smiled bitterly: "The right talents would have been married long ago. People like me can only be someone's second wife. Let's just live like this for the rest of our lives. Getting married once is enough. There's no need to worry about it anymore."

Queen Mother Ye joked, "That Xie Yan is quite good. He is handsome and elegant, and he is already a Jade Scholar at a young age. It's a pity that he is seven years younger than you."

The eldest princess shook her head repeatedly: "I dare to think about young talents, but I dare not touch young talents. They have great prospects and look down on the princess."

"Perhaps this person doesn't want to be an official," said Empress Dowager Ye, "I'll ask someone to find out for you. You can't just end up living alone like this, right?"

The eldest princess said, "We'll talk about the future later."

The eldest princess had a very bad temper when she was a girl. As she was doted on by everyone, she gradually became willful and capricious.

She met the prince consort by chance and was so fascinated by him that she went to Emperor Dingtai to arrange a marriage for him.

Emperor Dingtai loved his daughter very much, and found an excuse to inspect the Imperial College, personally test the knowledge of the prince consort, and sent people to inquire about his character. He was very satisfied with everything, but too satisfied, because most of such outstanding young men were unwilling to marry the princess.

Forced marriages are very likely to result in unhappy marriages.

Emperor Dingtai asked someone to inquire about the son-in-law's ambitions, and as expected, he could only persuade his daughter to give up.

The eldest princess at that time was young and naive, and she was also a little in love. Under the constant pestering, Emperor Dingtai, who loved his daughter, could only give it a try, maybe after marriage he could change the young man.

Then something went wrong.

The prince consort changed from a cheerful and cheerful young man to a husband with a gloomy face all day long. He neither beat nor scolded his wife, but always treated her with cold violence, which made the eldest princess depressed.

The eldest princess also lost her temper at first, but the more angry she became, the worse her husband's attitude became.

She went to the palace to complain to Emperor Dingtai, but he had no idea what was going on. He could only call the prince consort to talk to him, and arranged a position for him in the Zongzheng Temple and the Imperial Academy, and even let him be a county magistrate for a year.

The eldest princess' temper gradually disappeared, and she even changed from being willful and capricious to a people-pleasing person.

It was still of no use, the couple only pretended to be in love in front of outsiders.

During the coup, the eldest princess actually did nothing.

She was aware of what her husband was doing, and took the opportunity to visit her father's illness to tell everything she knew to Emperor Dingtai. After learning that Prince Yong was trying to stage a coup, she rushed to the palace to report the news, but was discovered by her husband as soon as she left the house and was placed under house arrest in Prince Yong's mansion for more than a month.

Empress Dowager Ye said: "You have done us a great favor. We must find a good home for you no matter what."

The eldest princess smiled helplessly: "Men in the world are just like that, how can there be a good ending for them? My standards are too high, and the men I like will definitely not be willing to marry the princess."

"There are exceptions to everything, and fate is hard to explain," said Queen Mother Ye. "The old president thinks highly of that young man, and it seems that he really has a way to verify the molecular theory. On the day when he gives his academic report, you might as well go and see what his ambitions are."

"Let's talk about it later." The eldest princess lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the endless night with an expressionless face.

(End of this chapter)