Dragon's Origin

The promotion of etiquette and music was something for the Emperor's brain trust and the scholars in the capital to figure out; Wang Sheng didn't need to do much at all. They had plenty of methods.

As for the Royal Grand Theater, Wang Sheng pondered it for a moment, thinking that to achieve the kind of effect he wanted, he might need to use the great weapon that was cement. But there was no need to mention it now; he'd first discuss it with Grandmaster Yu and the others to see if there were any alternatives.

After all, some of the妖兽 (yao shou, mythical beasts) in this world were unimaginably powerful, and with the help of formations, it was very possible to achieve modern effects using traditional methods. Besides, Wang Sheng didn't need to build anything too big; having a hundred or two seats would be more than enough.

"By the way, how tall can the Royal Grand Theater be built?" Wang Sheng asked, adding an extra question. If it could only be built as a low, flat building, then it wouldn't be very interesting. He might have to dig down to achieve the desired acoustic effect. It was important to clarify this question first, to avoid violating any imperial rules or overstepping boundaries.

"How tall do you want to build it?" the Emperor asked in return.

"About six or seven zhang, maybe seven or eight zhang," Wang Sheng thought for a moment, not wanting to exaggerate too much, and directly gave a number. The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City on Earth was already over twenty-six meters high. If it could be done on Earth, it could definitely be done here.

"Go back and have them think about it, and I'll give you an answer later," the Emperor paused, not expecting Wang Sheng to want to build it so high, and didn't answer immediately.

Wang Sheng knew that these etiquette-obsessed guys had many rules, so the Emperor's answer wasn't surprising. Getting an immediate affirmative answer would be fraught with future troubles.

Basically, at this point, the serious matters had been discussed, and Wang Sheng and the Emperor started chatting casually, talking about everything under the sun.

During this time, the Emperor showed great interest in the new orchestra and musical pieces that Wang Sheng mentioned. After all, as a puppet Emperor for decades, he didn't need to cultivate any fighting skills. Besides studying literature with his courtiers and indulging in food, drink, and entertainment with his concubines, all that was left was the enjoyment of music.

The Emperor even patted his chest to guarantee that he was definitely a connoisseur of music. Once the new orchestra had finished practicing, he insisted on being the first to enjoy it. Moreover, the Emperor promised that he would give these "artists" the same respect as Wang Sheng.

Mei'er and the Empress shared their little secrets in the backyard, and finally, they both came out with smiles on their faces. Mei'er even playfully made a face at the Emperor, humming with dissatisfaction and acting spoiled, before leaving with Wang Sheng. This left the Emperor and Empress both amused and exasperated.

"Mei'er and them..." Watching Mei'er and Wang Sheng leave, and only the Emperor, Empress, and Steward Zhou remained, the Empress spoke to the Emperor, but she was interrupted as soon as she began.

"Did they split half with you?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

"Yes!" the Empress nodded with a smile, "However, Mei'er said it's all for me, none for you. Who told you not to actively help Changsheng (Always Victorious) Marquis speak at that time? So, it's cheaper for me. These are Mei'er's original words, you can't snatch what my daughter gave me in the future."

The Emperor and Empress laughed heartily, and even Steward Zhou was all smiles, extremely happy.

Back at the Marquis's residence, Wang Sheng directly gave Mei'er a task: to prepare building materials, especially giant trees that could serve as beams and pillars, at least two or three hundred of them. They would start as soon as the Emperor gave his answer.

Mei'er went to prepare excitedly. Wang Sheng had never mentioned building a house before. Since he had said it, it must be an eye-catching building. Mei'er couldn't wait.

After instructing Mei'er, Wang Sheng turned to the group of grandmasters. Under Grandmaster Yu's instructions, these grandmasters had made several more pianos these days, using the best materials. One of them was made for Wang Sheng. The original one in the Marquis's residence, the one belonging to Grandmaster Yu, had been moved away by Grandmaster Yu for practice.

Of course, the more they made, the more experience everyone gained, and the better the tone and quality of the later pianos became. Wang Sheng didn't mind this. Anyway, having a grand piano in the Marquis's residence was just for show; Wang Sheng himself couldn't play.

Hearing that Wang Sheng wanted to build a large theater and concert hall, everyone didn't know how to do it. Later, Wang Sheng had to draw a diagram and explain it roughly before everyone understood what Wang Sheng wanted.

"Since there are also sounds and things in here, I'm afraid we have to call Old Yu over to discuss it together," Grandmaster Lu thought for a moment and said, "In addition, we can do some small pieces, but if we really want to do such a big building, we have to find an old guy."

Grandmaster Lu, who was good at stone carving, was not necessarily good at architecture. Wang Sheng knew this very well. Similarly, so were Old Tie and the others. The old guy that Grandmaster Lu was talking about was an old craftsman who had once built a palace and also recently built a royal palace for a vassal state. In architecture, he could be called a grandmaster.

Wang Sheng welcomed such masters with deep skills, the more the better, and immediately went to invite him with Grandmaster Lu. Fortunately, this Master Liu was now living in the suburbs of the capital, and it only took a day to go back and forth.

Changsheng Marquis personally came, and with Grandmaster Lu, Old Tie, and others accompanying him, and the thing to be done was the thing that Master Liu was most enthusiastic about: building an unprecedented grand building. Master Liu nodded without saying a word and followed Wang Sheng back to the Changsheng Marquis's residence.

Grandmaster Yu also stopped his practice and made time to study with Wang Sheng and Master Liu. Wang Sheng required that even the walls of the theater be made of sound-absorbing materials, so that the sound would not be unclear due to reflections. In addition, the audience area had to have the best sound enjoyment, which required Grandmaster Yu and Master Liu to study based on their experience.

Of course, the materials had to be selected first. Wang Sheng required a large area, and he also needed to build a model first, and then build a life-size outline for testing. It was a considerable project. However, the Emperor had already spoken, and this part was covered by the royal family. Wang Sheng was happy to use the best materials, anyway, the Emperor and Empress had just made a fortune, and they couldn't be made cheap.

Just as Wang Sheng and the masters were gathered together to study, the enforcement disciples of Triumph Palace had arrived in the capital and began to figure out how to launch an attack against the Changsheng Marquis's residence.

The enforcement disciples were originally from the Triumph Palace's Enforcement Hall, specializing in punishing disciples who had made mistakes. They were all experts. This time, in order to deal with Wang Sheng, Triumph Palace had dispatched six Enforcement Hall disciples, including the Hall Master. The weakest of the six was also an expert in the early stage of the Legend Realm.

Six Legend Realm experts. This time, Triumph Palace was determined to put Wang Sheng to death.