Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 556: Singing and Dancing
"What day is tomorrow?"

"Your Highness, it is the second day of August."

After hearing the answer, Xue Bai turned around and saw that the person answering the question was a eunuch who looked unfamiliar.

"August?" Xue Baisui asked, "Isn't it November?"

The eunuch was stunned for a moment, lowered his head, and replied in a panic: "I... don't remember."

Xue Bai did not embarrass him and said, "Go down."

"Here."

Ever since Li Cong changed the beginning of the year to November, no matter how others didn't mention it, Xue Bai just didn't take it seriously. He usually calculated time according to the original calendar, and the people around him did the same.

But in name, the court was still using the calendar that Li Cong had changed, and today was the first day of August.

Xue Bai certainly intended to abolish the messy calendar formulated by Li Cong, but although this seemed simple, many people opposed it, believing that Xue Bai's move was disrespectful to the saint, or even a denial of the saint.

For example, among the prime ministers, except Du Youlin, the other four did not support it.

Yan Zhenqing's attitude was that the calendar established by the sage could be abolished, but the timing was not right; Wei Jiansu and Li Xian insisted that retaining the sage's system was the filial duty and responsibility of a regent prince; Li Mi's attitude was more subtle. He did not want to be the prime minister in the first place and was forced to take up the post. He opposed many of Xue Bai's decisions.

Therefore, in this matter, Xue Bai issued the imperial edict, but the Political Affairs Hall refused to execute it, and nothing happened. It can be seen that he, the regent prince, was not doing whatever he wanted, but was actually quite constrained.

Fortunately, no matter which calendar it is, tomorrow is a double-day day, so there is no need to attend the court meeting. Xue Bai plans to go on a private visit to see the performance organized by Du Wulang.

Yan Yan seemed to be feeling a little unwell these days. Xue Bai suggested that Li Tengkong come and take a look, but Yan Yan refused, saying that she was just sleepy and wanted to sleep more, so she did not go with him.

The next morning, Xue Bai changed into casual clothes and left the palace, but met Li Xian who came to ask for a meeting at the palace gate.

"Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"Something personal."

"I have something to report." Li Xian bowed and said, "I heard that Du Youlin's son Du Zhuo held a grand performance outside the city today, and there was a dancing horse holding a cup. May I ask, is it to celebrate the Tianchang Festival?"

Xue Bai said: "I don't think so. Tianchang Festival is on the fifth day of August, and today is the second day of August."

Li Xian said: "Since Your Highness still remembers that the Tianchang Festival is on the fifth day of the eighth month, how can you allow Du Ting to act like this? How is this different from bullying the emperor?!"

"You misunderstood." Xue Bai said, "The opera theater and the Jiaofang have been abolished. This performance is for the actors to make a living. It is not a celebration organized by the court. The date is chosen by the people on their own. You can't forbid the people from singing and dancing on the second day just because the emperor's birthday is on the fifth day."

Li Xian was choked by these words, and then his expression became more serious.

He took a step forward to show that he would no longer talk in clichés, but would speak from the heart.

"It is precisely because I trust Your Highness that I dare to come and advise you. The world is suspicious of Your Highness. At this time, Your Highness should show filial piety to the Saint and the Emperor. How can you do the opposite?"

Xue Bai then asked, "Why did Mr. Li teach me?"

“Why not move the performance to the fifth of August?”

"I just said that this is not held by the imperial court. And the time has already been set, how can it be changed at the last minute?"

"What matters can't the court interfere with? Your Highness, can't you tell the difference between what is important and what is not?" Li Xian said, "It is precisely when the people spontaneously hold a celebration for the emperor that it shows the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty. Isn't it better? If Your Highness is really embarrassed, let them hold it for three consecutive days and extend it to Tianchang Festival."

"If the court intervenes, will there be any rewards for the musicians and actors?" Xue Bai asked.

The imperial court would not let people work for nothing. Otherwise, if the news spread, it would damage the reputation of the imperial court.

Li Xian then nodded.

Xue Bai asked: "If so, what is the difference from before? What is the purpose of the court's reduction of expenditure?"

"Isn't this intentional not to hold it on Tianchang Festival?"

"If the people really appreciated the Emperor's kindness, how could they forget his birthday?"

Xue Bai knew that when Du Wulang chose the date, he didn't consider so many things at all, or he simply didn't care when Li Longji was born.

After hearing these words that went against filial piety and disloyalty, Li Xian was silent for a moment, his expression somewhat shocked.

"The emperor celebrates his birthday with the Tianchang Festival, and the saint changes the beginning of the year to show his achievements. What is the purpose of these things other than burdening the people? The people only hope to live a good life without the suffering of war and heavy taxes. Don't fool yourself. People don't care about the Tianchang Festival. This 'August 5th' is not the Tianchang Festival at all. The weather is cold, and it is already November."

"Your Highness!"

Li Xian was shocked and could not agree with Xue Bai's remarks. He wanted to say that the emperor created the Kaiyuan Prosperity and made great contributions to the people.

However, Xue Bai said, "'If you want to make rice cheaper, there is nothing better than chasing Li Xian'. This is what the people of Chang'an said to keep you. Two or three years ago, there was a heavy rain in Guanzhong. You felt sorry for the people and repeatedly spoke out to the emperor, and were banished from Chang'an. Don't you understand whether the people are grateful to the emperor and whether the saint's calendar is in line with the farming season?"

With these words, the scolding that Li Xian was about to blurt out could no longer be uttered.

Xue Bai sighed slightly, helped Li Xian tighten his cloak with his own hands, and then looked up at the sky.

It's a cloudy day today. The weather is not good and the clouds are very low, but at least there is no rain or snow.

"It's likely to snow in two days."

Li Xian then looked up at the sky. A cold wind blew, forcing him to admit that it was indeed November.

Just imagine, if three days later, it snows heavily, but the city of Chang'an is still celebrating the Tianchang Festival, thinking that it is the fifth day of August, isn't that another kind of mockery?
Li Xian felt a pat on his palm and turned around, only to see Xue Bai putting a bill in his hand.

The material of this ticket is ordinary, just regular bamboo paper, but the craftsmanship is amazing, the printed patterns are quite complex and difficult to imitate.

As for the content written above, it is not worthy of being presented in a high-class venue. It is nothing more than a large-scale performance outside the city of Chang'an, and the people are widely invited to watch it.

Li Xian looked at the date again and saw that it was written as noon on the second day of November.

He couldn't help but sigh that the people still did not approve of the calendar changed by the sage.

~~
It was almost noon and a performance was about to begin outside Chunming Gate.

Apart from the yamen runners sent by Wannian County to maintain order, there was indeed no other government agency involved. To put it bluntly, it was the same as street performing, except that it was on a larger scale and at a higher level.

Li Xian walked out of Chunming Gate and looked around. He saw a huge stage built next to the official road. There was a shed in front of the stage with seats in the shed. Tickets were required to enter.

But if you don’t have a ticket, you can also stand outside and watch, or go to the city wall, or go to the plateau not far away to watch the excitement.

Walking further, he suddenly saw a banner hanging on the stage, with the words "Spring wine in Cuilou and Xiamaling, all the young people in Chang'an admire it" written on it.

This should be a poem, and he could understand it, but at first glance he didn't know the meaning of hanging this poem high above the stage, and he was pondering this matter in his mind.

During the process, he checked his ticket and sat down quite close to the stage. Looking around, he saw many boards erected around the stage with the names of various businesses written on them. There were also many vendors selling things under the boards, ranging from expensive items like calligraphy and paintings, and jade to cheap items like cloth hats and straw sandals.

There was a wooden menu in front of his seat. He picked it up and saw the words "Fengweilou" written at the top.

At this moment, a young servant dressed elegantly came over and said with a smile, "Sir, would you like to order some food? It would be very pleasant to eat while watching the performance."

Li Xian was indeed hungry, so he ordered stir-fried mutton offal, crispy peanuts, and crispy shredded pork with vinegar.

"Does Langguan want another pot of wine?" The servant said again, "This performance is sponsored by Xiamaling Liquor Store. Their Langguanqing, Apoqing and Cuilouchun are all good wines."

"Sponsorship? What does that mean?"

"Even if they paid, among all the businesses, Xiamaling Liquor Store paid the most, so its name was written in the most conspicuous place. The tens of thousands of people who came to watch the performance today only drank its wine, and no other wine merchants were allowed to sell it."

In the past, Li Xian only drank Fu Shuichun, a royal banquet wine, but today he had no choice but to order a pot of Langguanqing.

After paying the bill, it was a bit more expensive than in Chang'an city, but considering the performance, it was still reasonable.

The dishes came up soon. A small table was placed in front of his seat. Although the space was cramped, it was still full of flavor. As for the crispy shredded pork with vinegar, Li Xian didn't know what it was at first, but now he knew it was pig ears.

He didn't eat pork before, but today he tried it and it tasted surprisingly good.

When the performance began, there was a ventriloquist performance. As soon as the actor came on stage, he thanked all the businesses that had contributed money.

After seeing this, Li Xian roughly understood Du Wulang's method of leading the opera actors to be responsible for their own profits and losses. After all, the ticket money was not much, and the bulk of the money still had to rely on these businesses.

He couldn't help but sigh that Du Youlin didn't look very smart, but he didn't expect that he had such a smart son.

Every performance on the stage would trigger cheers from the crowd. After all, most of them were performed in the palace in the past, and they naturally amazed the ignorant people.

Li Xian had something on his mind, but he looked around, searching for Du Wulang. He was more concerned about where Xue Bai was, but there were so many people and the scene was so chaotic that he could not find him.

Not long after the first performance began, a man walked over from the aisle and accidentally touched the small table in front of Li Xian. He turned around and saw that it was Li Xian and was stunned.

"Excuse me, but is it Lord Li?"

Li Xian looked up and saw that it was a handsome man in his thirties, with flowing beard and extraordinary demeanor, so he nodded.

"Yes, you recognize me?"

"I have heard of Mr. Li's great reputation for a long time. My student's surname is Yang..."

At this time, the second performance had already begun. After the warm-up, it was Gongsun Da Niang who came on stage and danced with swords with her disciples. The atmosphere suddenly became heated and the audience cheered.

Li Xian only heard that the man's surname was Yang, and he didn't hear his name clearly for a moment. Instead, he heard the person behind him dissatisfiedly asking this Yang to sit down.

Yang Sheng took a ticket in his hand and looked at it, then asked the person next to Li Xian, "Excuse me, may I change seats with you?"

Knowing that Li Xian was the prime minister, the man could no longer sit still. He took the ticket from Yang Sheng and walked away.

Li Xian looked in the direction of that person's figure and saw the consort Yang Hui sitting not far away.

Yang Hui was accompanied by a thin person dressed in men's clothes with her face covered. She was most likely his mistress.

Li Xian came alone, so he didn't care who sat next to him. After Yang Sheng sat down, he watched the performance and made comments from time to time. He was knowledgeable and witty, and Li Xian found him interesting and had a better impression of him.

As the conversation went deeper, Li Xian discovered that Yang Sheng had profound insights into state governance, especially financial matters. He could not help but look at him with new eyes, so he ordered some more side dishes and two more pots of Langguanqing tea and drank with him.

~~
Behind the shed, a second floor was built with private rooms.

Xue Bai was watching Yang Hui through a telescope in the private room. "Is that the ticket you gave out?" Du Wulang came over and asked, "You actually invited Yang Hui to come."

Including the ticket given to Li Xian, all the tickets were given by Xue Bai to give to others. As for himself, he stayed in this private room anyway.

"No." Xue Bai said, "I gave some tickets to Li Yuetu, I think she gave them to Yang Hui."

"Hey, you're still dating her?"

"how?"

Du Wulang was about to say something but stopped himself. He glanced at Yang Yuyao beside Xue Bai and swallowed what he wanted to say. He said, "After all, she is the daughter of Prince Zhong. It's better to have less contact with her."

"I know."

Du Wulang quickly changed the subject and said, "Is this performance okay? I did this job, but I was impeached by many censors. They said that I showed the dance and music at the imperial banquet to a humble man, which was disrespectful. You must protect me."

"Don't worry, I have my own measure."

"That's good. I'm going. Be careful and don't let anyone see you."

Seeing that Du Wulang, who was in the way, had finally left, Yang Yuyao leaned into Xue Bai's arms and said, "Are you so afraid of being seen? Do you really think that others don't know the relationship between you and me? Humph, you are just trying to cover up your own mistakes."

"That's not what he's talking about." Xue Bai said, "I'll let you meet someone later."

"Who?"

Yang Yuyao already had a guess and was about to ask when she heard a change of music on the stage and the next performance was announced, which was "White Snake".

She quickly picked up the telescope and looked towards the stage, scanning the faces of every actor intently.

However, she was somewhat disappointed that Yang Yuhuan did not play any of the roles as she had guessed. But she still watched the performance to the end, and felt that both the music and the dancing were much more beautiful than any other White Snake performance she had seen before.

It was not until the end of the performance and the cheers shook the sky that Yang Yuyao came to her senses and wiped the tears that had unconsciously fallen from her face.

Xue Bai also reached out and wiped her cheek.

"If Yuhuan were still in Chang'an, she would definitely want to watch this performance." Yang Yuyao sighed.

"She must also want to play dominoes with you again."

After hearing this, Yang Yuyao burst into laughter, pushed Xue Bai and said, "You are so smart."

As he was talking, someone outside suddenly said, "My dear, someone is coming."

"Let her in."

Yang Yuyao looked back and saw a woman wearing a bamboo hat approaching her. She was stunned and couldn't help but stand up and hug the woman. The tears that had just stopped flowed again.

"You are so heartless. I thought you really ran away."

"Who has no conscience? I didn't lie to you."

After a while, Yang Yuyao calmed down and looked carefully at Yang Yuhuan in front of her. She couldn't help but feel jealous of that stunningly beautiful face again.

She also discovered that after not seeing her for a long time, Yang Yuhuan looked younger and more beautiful, or more lively, with a smile in her eyes.

"You have no conscience. I'm afraid you have forgotten that you have a sister like me."

"How could I have forgotten? Did you hear that the words of the play where Green Snake talks to White Snake were changed?" Yang Yuhuan asked, "How do you know that it wasn't written by me for you?"

Yang Yuyao wiped her tears, smiled again after crying, and said, "Okay, I knew it was you who arranged it."

"Is it arranged well?"

Yang Yuhuan revealed a proud expression and pointed to various places on the stage, saying one by one which ones were her work.

The joy of this reunion lasted for a long time. The three people in the private room drank some wine and huddled together to watch the performance.

Perhaps Yang Yuyao wanted to ask whether the rumors about Yang Yuhuan and Xue Bai were true since she was still in Chang'an, but she didn't ask in the end.

Yang Yuhuan also deliberately did not show any closeness to Xue Bai and sat next to Yang Yuyao, one seat away from Xue Bai.

But after drinking two pots of wine, everyone was a little drunk. After refilling the wine one time, she unconsciously sat on the other side of Xue Bai.

When the dancing horses started to perform, Yang Yuhuan looked more and more drunk, her fair cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sleepy.

She took off her shoes, put her feet on the seat, curled up and leaned in Xue Bai's arms.

Smelling the fragrant breeze and feeling the soft body against him, Xue Bai was a little worried about Yang Yuyao's reaction, but he did not move and let Yang Yuhuan lean on him.

After a while, on the other side, Yang Yuyao also leaned her head over and rested it on his shoulder.

Xue Bai was more and more afraid to move. He just sat there quietly, looking ahead. He saw hundreds of dancing horses appearing on the stage, dancing to the music. It was a spectacular sight.

This time, the dancing horses were no longer holding the cup to toast a certain person, but to everyone. They also knew that these were their new parents who provided them with food and clothing.

The palace dance and music of the past have caught the eyes of ordinary people.

Xue Bai, who was sitting there, seemed to be able to feel that the prosperous Tang Dynasty was still there.

~~
"The dancing horse holding the cup is still spectacular."

In the audience, Li Xian couldn't help but sigh.

"This is the first time students have seen this scene and they are so shocked that they cannot express it in words," said Yang Sheng.

Li Xian changed the subject and said, "It's a pity that the emperor watched this dance every time he saw it, but he didn't know that people's lives were difficult and the people were burdened with heavy taxes."

"Forgive me for speaking frankly, but the Tang Dynasty has been established for more than 130 years, and the land has been annexed and the tax system has collapsed. The ice is three feet thick, and it is not a cold day. It is definitely not the fault of the emperor alone. As for the rebellion of the Hu people, it is also due to the accumulated problems of the country. The root cause is not only the emperor's reckless trust in An Lushan."

"This statement is quite novel." Li Xian stroked his beard and said, "Tell me in detail."

"How about I invite Mr. Li to drink another glass of wine?"

"it is good."

The performance was over and it was almost evening, so Yang Sheng invited Li Xian back to the city for a drink and continue the conversation, and Li Xian happily agreed.

They entered the city from Chunming Gate and found a secluded tavern to drink. They talked about the dancing horses of the retired emperor, taxes, rent, labor service and tax reform.

A long time ago, regarding tax reform, Xue Bai proposed the concept of the Two-Tax System, which was viewed differently by some court officials, and Li Heng, who was the crown prince at the time, also admired it very much.

Li Chu also promised Xue Bai about this matter that he would definitely implement it when he could make great achievements one day.

There have been constant chaos and instability in power over the years. Everyone knows that this is not a good time for reform, and tax law reform has been delayed.

In short, Li Xian had heard of Xue Bai's Two-Tax System before, but when he heard Yang Sheng talk about it today, it was completely different. Yang Sheng was more insightful, thought more meticulously, and was better at finance. He talked eloquently, causing Li Xian's face to change again and again.

"Wizard!"

In the end, Li Xian was full of praise.

He was a little drunk and became much more heroic. He patted Yang Sheng's shoulder vigorously and kept saying, "I will recommend you to serve as an official in the court. I will definitely recommend you!"

"Mr. Li, you are so kind, but I am afraid I cannot serve as an official."

"Why?"

"I have killed people and officials."

"What happened?"

"Shenwu County Magistrate Li Dajian once insulted me. As the saying goes, 'A scholar can be killed but not insulted.' Later, I got help from a nobleman and captured Li Dajian. I tortured him to death by mistake. It happened that I was involved in a court dispute at that time and was questioned."

Li Xian then asked, "What is the dispute?"

"The nobleman I just mentioned is the third son of the retired emperor, who was once the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty..."

"Lord King?!"

Li Xian was shocked and sobered up immediately. He realized that it was no wonder that Yang Sheng was so knowledgeable about tax reform, or rather, it was precisely because of his knowledge that he caught the eye of King Zhong.

After all, Li Heng really admired the tax law proposed by Xue Bai back then, but Xue Bai did not support him, so he naturally had to choose other more talented people and recruit more capable people.

Logically speaking, Li Xian should stay away from such a person. The farther away, the less trouble there will be.

But he really appreciated the other's talent, so he asked again: "You can't hide it from me. Did you deliberately approach me today? But have you thought it through and want to abandon the power struggle, have no distractions in the future, and work hard for the country?"

"Students should also follow the six words of 'favors must be repaid and debts must be repaid'. Prince Zhong has been very kind to me, and I will never betray him. Today I went out of the city to watch the performance because I got the clue that the Crown Prince Regent and the favorite concubine of the Emperor Emeritus were having a peace relationship. Lord Li is an upright person and a loyal minister of the royal family, so I cannot bear to hide it. You can kill him or chop him up, it's all up to you."

Although Mr. Yang is extremely talented, his words are enough to show that he has a narrow-minded character, is vindictive, and is always nitpicking.

Being able to reveal such things completely, he seemed to be reckless and reckless, but in fact he was sure that Li Xian would not kill him.

When he first saw Li Xian today, he was surprised at first, because according to his information, it would be Xue Bai and Yang Yuyao who would come. But soon, he understood Li Xian's identity and personality, so he deliberately approached...

~~
The next day was another odd day, and Xue Bai held a court meeting early in the morning without fail.

But after the court meeting, he yawned several times in succession while the prime minister and important ministers stayed to discuss matters.

"I have something to report."

Li Xian was the first to speak, but what he said surprised his colleagues. He actually took the initiative to propose that the new year set by Li Cong should be abolished and the original calendar should be restored.

In addition, Xue Bai asked him to recommend a candidate for Jingzhao Yin. He said that he felt the trust and dared not neglect it. After thinking about it for several days, he already had a candidate.

"Oh? Who?"

"Your Highness must know this person." Li Xian said, "The Salt and Iron Envoy of Hedong, Yang Wan."

(End of this chapter)