Dragon's Origin

The Emperor and Empress were genuinely captivated by the novelty of the concert, the music, and the Royal Grand Theater. From the very first piece, "Butterfly Lovers," the Empress was immediately immersed in a melancholic, sentimental state, deeply affected by the emotions of each piece, her feelings rising and falling with the music.

Compared to the Empress, the Emperor was slightly better. He simply found the melodious tunes beautiful, possessing the appreciation but not necessarily the affection for them. However, starting with "Horse Racing" and continuing with "The General's Command," both pieces were filled with impassioned fervor, directly stirring the Emperor's emotions to the point where he nearly stood up and lost his composure.

"Horse Racing" was still manageable, but "The General's Command" was simply wave after wave of climaxes, stimulating the Emperor beyond measure. What had been the Emperor's greatest concern these past years? Wasn't it the continuous expansion of the imperial power? This resonated perfectly with the martial spirit of troop deployment and conquest in "The General's Command." If the Emperor didn't like this, what else would he like? Perhaps only the complete piece of "The Earth Beneath My Feet."

It must be said that Grandmaster Yu was truly a top expert in the music world. Under his guidance and training, most of the musicians were approaching the level of grandmasters, far surpassing the previous royal musicians.

Almost every audience member present possessed the ability to appreciate music. Under Grandmaster Yu's meticulous training, the premiere performance was intoxicating for everyone. Several old famous pieces radiated a brand new brilliance, while Wang Sheng's newly composed pieces were refreshing.

The instruments were top-quality masterpieces, the average level of the musicians was nearly the highest in the world, the conductor was the strongest grandmaster in the music world, and the pieces were famous from two worlds. If this couldn't attract a group of cultured individuals, the concert could basically be declared a failure.

The Emperor clearly possessed this top-tier appreciation ability, and he was happy to comply with the master of ceremonies' rule of appreciating the concert, taking the lead in applauding. This rule, without asking, must have been created by Wang Sheng. The Emperor himself found it interesting and further intended to win Wang Sheng over, so he played his part perfectly.

Even the Emperor had stood up to applaud, how could the audience below hold back? One by one, they stood up and clapped until their hands were numb. The enthusiastic applause lasted for a full ten minutes, forcing Grandmaster Yu to bring the entire orchestra out for two curtain calls before it finally subsided.

At this point, the Royal Grand Theater's first official performance could already be said to be a resounding success. And it wasn't just a success, but a magnificent one. Hadn't everyone from the Emperor down to the civil and military officials and the imperial family been shocked by the beautiful music, standing and applauding for a full ten minutes? If this wasn't called success, what would dare to be called success?

"Uncle Su, please give the orchestra a name!" With Wang Sheng's prompting, Mei'er coquettishly said to the Emperor.

Since Wang Sheng brought the Empress back to the Marquis's mansion in the middle of the night last time, Mei'er basically knew the Empress's identity. Knowing the Empress's identity, she naturally knew the Emperor's identity, but she always called the Emperor Uncle Su, never having formally greeted him with the etiquette due to the Emperor. It was the same this time, opening and closing her mouth with Uncle Su, revealing intimacy inside and out, and with a coquettish energy, the Emperor had no chance to refuse.

"Since the theater is called the Royal Grand Theater, then should the orchestra also be called the Royal Grand Orchestra?" The Emperor certainly wouldn't go against Mei'er's request at this time. Moreover, bestowing a name was also a way to demonstrate the Emperor's prestige. How could the Emperor not seize the opportunity that was presented to him?

Wang Sheng frowned directly. Royal Grand Orchestra, could there be a more idiotic name than this? Couldn't he think of a better-sounding, high-end, atmospheric name?

Seeing Wang Sheng frown, the Emperor smiled and asked Wang Sheng, "What, does Changsheng Gong think it's not appropriate?"

"Calling it an orchestra seems a bit small-minded." Wang Sheng wasn't afraid to criticize the Emperor to his face. He had even pointed at the Emperor's nose and scolded him, so what was offering a suggestion? "There's no need for anything big or small, just call it the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, how about it?"

If it were any other official, they would definitely exclaim that they wouldn't dare, then kowtow and apologize, and carefully offer a suggestion. How could anyone be like Wang Sheng, directly saying that it was small-minded and didn't sound good? Only Wang Sheng could do this. When Wang Sheng spoke, even the three chief供奉 didn't show any dissatisfaction, lowering their eyebrows and being obedient, with no sign of opposition.

"Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?" The Emperor chewed on this term for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. Sure enough, it sounded much better than the Royal Grand Orchestra, and the momentum and style were much grander. The Emperor raised his thumb and praised repeatedly, "Good! Good! Good! Use this name, Old Li, issue an imperial edict, the orchestra is named 'Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,' and Grandmaster Yu is appointed as the conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and granted the title of Baron."

Without saying a word, Chief Li immediately went on stage with the Emperor's edict, facing all the orchestra members, in front of a thousand spectators, and read out the Emperor's edict.

Upon hearing the Emperor's bestowal of the name, the orchestra's musicians couldn't believe their ears. Over 90% of the musicians were in tears, and the remaining 10% were stunned in place, as if they were fools. The only one who could maintain his composure was Grandmaster Yu. Even though he was appointed as the conductor and granted the title of Baron, he could still remain calm.

The Emperor was in the central box, high above, and the reactions of the musicians were directly in his eyes, making him feel immense joy. Was there anything that could make the Emperor feel more accomplished than a simple bestowal of a name that made those people ecstatic and unable to find north? Wasn't this the sign of expanding influence that Wang Sheng had mentioned?

If the people of those vassal states also had this kind of reaction in the future, wouldn't that mean that the Emperor's prestige had spread throughout the world?

The Royal Grand Theater's first performance ended perfectly. Before dawn, the sensational news had spread throughout the capital, and then spread throughout the world through countless messenger birds and word of mouth from merchants.

Wang Sheng, Mei'er, Sister Qiangwei, and Old Dao returned to the Duke's Mansion together. Along the way, Sister Qiangwei was dazed. In the end, she realized that the middle-aged uncle sitting in the same box with her was actually the current Emperor. And her man, Wang Sheng, spoke to the Emperor in that kind of attitude, and even Mei'er was so casual.

Sister Qiangwei was handed over to Mei'er, and Wang Sheng himself was with Lingxu Old Dao again. In any case, to upgrade to the second level, Wang Sheng always needed Lingxu Old Dao to check him over.

"When can the music you composed for me come out?" To Wang Sheng's surprise, Lingxu Old Dao didn't ask about Wang Sheng's cultivation first, but instead took the initiative to ask about the music. This was really unexpected for Wang Sheng!