Chapter 216 – I like your gift.

February 14, All Souls’ Day, rainy day. Auspicious Gods and Tendencies: Years of Virtue, Heavenly Grace, Heavenly Guidance, Great Brightness.

The emperor came to Fengtian Hall. Courtiers at the que to congratulate, perform thirty-three bows, holding a goblet to wish the emperor longevity. The emperor gave tea to all the officials.

The birthday congratulation process was solemn but not lengthy, mainly because Emperor Jinglong did not pay attention to red tape and simplified many of the previous dynasty’s ceremonies.

After the main ceremony, it was time for each of them to present their gifts, and the officials were visibly relaxed, presenting their birthday gifts one after another.

Since a few years ago, there is a pat on the back to the horse’s leg of the foreign officials, tribute to a more than ten feet high East China Sea red coral tree, was the emperor chided “for the picking of a tree, casualties of the sea people a few more”, so that by the governor of the Imperial Palace to pick up the crime of its scraping of the people’s fat after the loss of the official, there is no longer anyone dares to compete for the offering of the precious, burned himself.

On the good Confucianism, so the birthday gift offered by the hundred officials is mostly poetry, song and song, calligraphy and painting. The service is divided into categories and received.

Su Yan’s birthday gift was also among them, and was placed in the “music” column. In addition to the systematic screwing of others and the crazy counterattacks when attacked, he was essentially a person who didn’t like to show off, and after handing over the sheet music, he returned to the queue silently.

Bian Yue, the young secretary of the Taishang Temple, offered the sheet music, and when he saw the “Moonlit Night of Spring River” on the plate, he said to Su Yan: “Is this sheet music, young secretary Su? Is it not a transcription of Zhang Ruoxu’s poem? It’s in the wrong category.”

Su Yan replied, “It is indeed sheet music. It was originally called ‘Moonlit Night of Xunyang’, but was renamed because its adaptation was more in line with the mood of ‘Moonlit Night of Spring River Flowers’.”

A few officials next to him heard this and whispered in praise, “Usually, I only say that Lord Su has eloquence and poetry, but I don’t know that he also has musical talent.”

Su Yan hastened to self-effacing: “I do not dare to be, occasionally listen to an old man on the river to play this song, I think it is beautiful, this official strong note down, pick up the wisdom of others only.”

Bian Yue heard more upset. Taishang Temple Division of ritual music, subordinate to the Department of Music in charge of adjusting the bell law, he was a young secretary of the Taishang Temple, what music has not heard, this “Xunyang Moonlit Night” is simply unheard of. Fear is not the countryside slang sound, in order to touch the porcelain famous poem deliberately take a rename, but also dare to offer the emperor as a birthday gift, simply a joke.

At once rose up the heart of competition, want to let this attached to the elegant Su twelve out of a big ugly. He turned his mind, out of the column to the imperial seat arching, raised his voice chanting birthday congratulation poem: “…… tin altogether happy grace like the sea, Kaige Qi Zhu life with the sky. The humble minister also have welcome Luang song, would like to play the king jade before several.”

–Horse’s ass. Su Yan secretly spit in his heart, what grace like the sea, life with the sky, not vulgar? Why don’t you shout “Emperor Jinglong, Wencheng Wude; a thousand years, a unity of mountains and rivers”? Guaranteed to have more momentum.

The Emperor said, “Oh, Young Minister Bian wants to offer a song?”

Bian Yue arched his hand: “I rate the subordinates of the Department of Tai Le, day and night to study the ancients elegant music, and finally composed this “Welcome Luang song”, to congratulate long live the holy birthday.”

The Emperor nodded, “In that case, all the ministers may as well listen along.”

Edge of the month immediately called the Department of Music musicians came in, a variety of silk, bamboo, strings and chimes lined up, well-trained ensemble up. Really magnificent, elegant and dignified, listening to the officials have stroked their whiskers and nodded, showing the color of approval.

In fact, Su Yan didn’t like elegant music very much. The elegant music emphasizes the word “correct”, in order not to be out of the ordinary, less use of variations, playing skills are also single, the melody seems to be flat and dragging. According to the words of the later generations, it is called the main theme, false and empty.

Although in the ritual activities of the upper class, elegant music is Yangchunbaixue, but the folk always appreciate it can not, think the hook bar ditty than it is interesting to listen to. And many aristocrats can not stand the dullness of the elegant music, secretly listen to the sound of music. That’s why Confucius lamented that “the rites and music are in ruins”.

But whoever says that Yakuza music is not good in a formal setting is going to be accused by the guardians of being aesthetically vulgar, or even unaware of Lunar etiquette.

Su Yan didn’t have that interest in pretending to be thirteen. Saying folk music is vulgar? “The people like it, you don’t like it, who do you think you are”?

A song “welcome song” finished playing, side of the month to the emperor praised the sound “good”, proudly eyeing Su Yan: “I do not know Su adults that song from the ‘river an old man’ from the tune, what is the countryside tune? Don’t you write it yourself, and then falsely claim to have heard it because you are too embarrassed to sign your name, and then bring it to the imperial court to make up for it?”

Su Yan knew that Bian Yue was deliberately provoking, nothing more than feeling that his area of expertise had been violated. If he were to entertain himself and find a few musicians to play at home, maybe he could still laugh it off when he heard it. But the gift in front of the emperor, invariably is not his seedling, so to take the opportunity to make trouble, in essence, or to compete for favor.

Su Yan lazy with this kind of people to bother more words, smiled perfunctorily: “Bian adults, you offer your elegant music, I offer my folk music, the road towards the sky each walk on one side is not good, why have to worry about this for the emperor to choose the best out of the worst heart, and then again you can not afford to worry about it ah.”

When Bian Yue heard the insinuation in his words, she was furious and arched her hand towards the emperor, “Your Majesty is wise, I have no intention of overstepping the bounds, but because I am in charge of the rites and music, I would like to listen to the music that Mr. Su has contributed. If it’s still good, there’s no harm in including it in the Tai Music Department’s songbook overview.”

A few officials who are good friends with him agreed: “Lord Bian is a music theory expert, even he hasn’t heard the tune, I think it’s a new piece that has never been released. Why don’t we let Mr. Su present a song in front of the royal court to make the emperor laugh, and also let us all see Mr. Su’s high talent.”

Words seem to be reasonable, but how Su Yan can not hear, this is a secret mockery of his class to show off his skills, once the sunshine amateur level to, will be reduced to the laughing stock of the courtiers.

Emperor Jinglong glanced at Su Yan, intending to cover for him, and said, “The new song has just been completed, and the musicians are not yet familiar with it, so I’m afraid it will be difficult to play it in haste.”

Bian Yue busily replied, “Your Majesty, if Lord Su is not good at instrumental music and does not want to play, the musicians of the Tai Le Department are good at drumming and playing, and their skills are exquisite, even if they are new to the music score, they will get the hang of it after reading the score for a couple of times.”

Emperor Jinglong was silent for a moment and added, “Since it is a birthday gift, I accept it, and it may not be necessary to listen to it right here and now–“

“Your Majesty!” Su Yan suddenly raised his voice and said, “It is true that I am not good at instrumental music, and since Lord Bian has such confidence in the musicians of the Tai Leyuan Department, there is nothing wrong with playing the song that I have offered on the spot. There’s no need for a whole band, a pipa and a Dongxiao are sufficient.”

He said so, so he must have had something in mind, and the corners of the emperor’s mouth floated up in a smile, nodding his head and saying, “Granted.”

Bian Yue summoned two people from the musicians and said to Su Yan, “These are the best pipa masters and xiao masters of my Tai Le Department, don’t rely on them to be incompetent in their studies when they turn around.”

Su Yan smiled disinterestedly and handed these two the sheet music that the attendant had sent down.

Because the score is an ensemble version, divided into two volumes of pipa and xiao, the two took a careful reference, face gradually red, frowning and pursing their lips, their eyes almost to put out light.

Bian Yue glanced at the two musicians and said, “The better you are at playing, the harder it is for you to tolerate poorly written scores, so you have been wronged.”

The two of them replied repeatedly, “No offense! Not half aggravated at all! This will begin.”

Su Yan asked, “Would the two masters like to watch it again a few times or practice a little?”

Bian Yue slightly sneered, “It doesn’t matter if we subjects wait a few more moments, but we can’t delay His Majesty’s time. Lord Su, no matter how much you delay, you’ll still have to show your face in the end.”

Su Yan ignored him and turned toward the imperial seat and arched his hand, “I am not talented, so I will make a humble offering.”

The hall suddenly quieted down, the officials were interested and ready to listen to see what this song, which was rated by Bian Yue as “countryside slang”, really looked like.

The two musicians, one sitting with a pipa, the other standing with a caveman, eyes fixed on the score, unexpectedly showed some tension.

A few light hooks and twists, the lute sound rose, gentle and calm, seems to have no colorful place.

Bian Yue lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes, her face showing disdain.

The mellow and low tone of the cave xiao was added, mingling with the pipa sound, like the afterglow spilling onto the river, the smoky wind gently ruffling the ripples. Su Yan looked around, grabbed a drumstick, and rolled a few stanzas softly on the drum surface in tandem.

It is as if the distant mountain temples and the morning bells are distantly hovering in the sky, with a far-reaching meaning. The first section of the song, “The Bells and Drums of the River Tower”, brings the listener into the strong mood of the Jiangnan water town at once.

Those who know music and rhythm can hear the strings and songs and know the meaning of elegance, Bian Yue’s narrowed eyes gradually opened and looked at the musician in astonishment.

The second and third paragraphs, “the moon on the East Mountain”, “the wind back to the water”, as if the setting sun is over, the empty mountains hung up a round of silver moon, the river wind rolled the banks of dahurian dahurian, the fragrance and the moon color together.

Reflecting on the water, the waves swayed and layered in a trance.

The surrounding audience can not help but hold their breath, lest their breathing is too heavy, blowing away the dark fragrance and shattering the color of the moon.

“The river and the sky are colorless, and the moon is bright in the sky”, the broad and distant scenery comes to life in the fifth paragraph, “The water is deep and the clouds are intertwined”. Pipa sound gradually fast, as if the river white sails point; Dongjiao long, from far and near, is more and more clear fishing song, come by the waves.

Immediately after the pipa sweeping wheel and play, just like a fishing boat breaking the water, oars and sculls together, waves splash, set off a thousand snow patting the shore, exciting. The melody advances layer by layer, and the whole piece enters a climax in the ninth section “Returning to the Boat”.

Reach the emotional clarity of exactly who is in trouble and what is going on!”