Chapter 16 Betting Agreement
Miss Manqing, whose full name is Shen Manqing, was originally the daughter of a civil official in the capital, but because her father was convicted, she now came to this incurable place, Yinzhou. She has always been a lady from a noble family, and no one has ever dared to tease her so closely.
Although Liu Zheng was a playboy, he looked quite good. Most people in Liangzhou were tall, and he was about 183 cm tall. He was not a pale-faced scholar, but had sharp features, and was handsome and strong.
Such a man beside her, such a gentle voice.
"What do you want to hear?"
Any girl who is new to the world would probably find this unbearable.
"Master Liu, I... "
Manqing's little hands were tangled together.
Liu Zheng was quite amused, and he laughed while drunk, "How about this, Miss Manqing, if I, Liu Zheng, am really better than you, you can take off this veil and show it to everyone, how about that?"
"shameless!"
"How dare you offend such a beautiful lady!"
A group of scholars and young men started smashing the table in anger again.
hypocrite!
Liu Zheng smiled coldly. He didn't believe it. Who here didn't want to see what Miss Manqing looked like? You didn't know how to thank me for this opportunity, but you scolded me?
Do these people still have any conscience?
really.
Being teased by Liu Zheng, Man Qing lowered her head and whispered, "Sir, if you can really win, I will only show it to you, okay?"
good!
Liu Zheng laughed out loud.
When everyone saw that this guy was going too far, they were about to resort to violence. They insulted him in all kinds of ways and mocked him.
Liu Zheng was too lazy to care about them.
Sitting in front of the zither, he stroked the instrument with both hands and slowly closed his eyes.
The scene suddenly became quiet.
The movements of Liu Zheng playing the zither were surprisingly charming, and it was obvious that he was not an unskilled player. As soon as he played the zither, his entire temperament changed.
From being a dandy and unruly person just now, he became gentle and elegant.
Can this guy really play the piano?
Chen Xiang was the first one who didn’t believe it!
Zheng Yueru also looked at him curiously. Could it be that this young man was just talking nonsense?
“Boom boom boom…”
Liu Zheng's fingers moved lightly, and the sound of the piano followed. It was also a song called "Remembering the Old Friends", but unlike Shen Manqing's "sadness" at the beginning, Liu Zheng came up directly with a big rhythm! Don't you like family feuds and national hatred? Okay! Then let's go straight to family feuds and national hatred!
This is a cross-century adaptation!
What is played out in the Yaoqin are all stories of unyielding spirits, soldiers being inspected on the battlefield, national hatred and family feuds, and corpses floating for thousands of miles.
"Oh My God!"
"This is……"
"ah!"
Liu Zheng kept his eyes closed. In his previous life, he was forced by his family to learn Guzheng since he was a child. Although there are some differences between Guzheng and Yaoqin, the differences are not big.
In his head, there are thousands of songs!
In addition, he is well aware of the various changes and integrations of music over thousands of years!
For him, adapting a song is naturally a piece of cake.
Coincidentally, this song "Remembering Old Friends" was the adaptation assignment assigned to him by his guzheng teacher back then.
This "Remembering Old Friends", also known as "Remembering Old Friends in the Mountains", is divided into six sections. The beginning and the end are both clear and bright overtones and ups and downs of the rubato. This section in particular begins with overtones, creating a peaceful atmosphere in the empty mountains and valleys. When the overtones stop, thoughts unfold with the ups and downs of the tones.
But in Liu Zheng's hands, a big change took place!
It's the same overtone, but the rhythm is different.
This gives people a very tight and tense atmosphere. It seems that the mountain is filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.
I, however, was sitting on the top of the mountain.
As for the second level, there are even more sonorous sounds, which are not as lingering and sad as in the original version. Instead, the short, fast and flat tune represents the vastness of the mutual conquests and national wars on the battlefield.
at this time.
The person playing the piano may be planning something from a thousand miles away, or he may be watching the fight coldly and reminiscing about the past.
The third and fourth paragraphs are also high-pitched paragraphs, with the conquering rhythm advancing layer by layer, thoughts rolling, and new trends rising and falling.
The fifth paragraph, the sixth paragraph...
at this time.
The whole audience was shocked.
Every one of them looked at Liu Zheng with shocked eyes.
"this……"
"What is this piece of music?"
“Is this still “Remembering the Old Friends”?”
Many people who understand stringed instrument music asked questions.
At this time, Shen Manqing, who was beside Liu Zheng, had already covered her mouth and sobbed. The affairs of the court and the war between the countries were similar in nature. Shen Manqing's father was also exiled for his crimes due to the party dispute. The intrigues and deceptions in this were even more brutal than the war between countries!
This song directly evoked Shen Manqing's memories.
Born in such a scholarly family, she was envied by others and received a good education. Then, something unexpected happened and she fell into this place of fireworks, relying on selling smiles for a living...
This feeling, this scene, this song.
Who wouldn’t feel sad?
Ding Dong.
Liu Zheng finally stopped what he was doing. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled.
The entire Wanhua Tower fell into deathly silence.
The sound of the music lingers in the ears. This is the real lingering sound.
"good!"
Among the group of scholars, Shen Xing was the first to stand up with excitement: "What a good song! This song tells the story of the chaotic world. It's a divine song!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Shen Manqing has always been happy to be by Liu Zheng's side: "Young Master is very talented, Manqing is not as good as him..."
Zheng Yueru was also stunned. It seemed that the first time she met this young master of the Liu family really gave her a lot of surprises.
"What divine song? Shut up!"
Chen Xiang was furious at this time, and shouted: "Is this also called a divine song? Tampering with the ancient classics is treason! This unorthodox way is also considered a divine song?"
As soon as these words came out, people once again spoke out in support of him.
After all, in this era, many people still cannot accept this kind of arrangement.
"What do you think, Miss Zheng?"
Liu Zheng smiled.
Zheng Yueru laughed: "Brother Liu is proficient in music, there is no doubt about that. But Master Chen is also right, Brother Liu's song is indeed a bit flattering."
Shen Manqing next to him wanted to say a few words to Liu Zheng. She was probably the only one present who knew that Mr. Liu's piano skills had reached the master level.
But Liu Zheng stopped him with a laugh: "Well, then let's play another song!"
Everyone was shocked.
Did Mr. Liu come prepared, or did he just do it effortlessly?
No matter what, it's really jaw-dropping.
Liu Zheng played the piano again and pondered for a moment.
As for playing those classics that everyone in the world knows, he naturally disdains to do so. If he wants to play something, he would play something shocking to completely shut these people up!
Got it!
Liu Zheng smiled slightly.
Shen Manqing was standing nearby. When she saw Liu Zheng's smile, for some reason, her heart skipped a beat. She had a strong liking for people who were good at music, and the confidence on his face at that moment...
“Ding ding dong dong…”
This time, Liu Zheng directly played "Guanshan Yue"!
This is a song that absolutely does not exist in this world, and it can be played and sung! A song with a style of the frontier, accompanied by the classic ancient poem "Guanshan Yue" by the poet Li Bai, the level is simply extraordinary.
"What song is this?"
“I haven’t heard of it…”
"this……"
The whole audience was slightly surprised.
This "Guanxianyue" is originally a piece of music in the "Yuefu Poetry Collection". It is a military music played by soldiers guarding the border on horseback. The music expresses the soldiers' feelings of homesickness and patriotism.
"The bright moon rises from the Tianshan Mountains, amidst the vast sea of clouds!"
And at this time.
Liu Zheng and this poem are a perfect match.
"The wind blows for tens of thousands of miles, passing through Yumen Pass!"
Suddenly, Zheng Yueru stood up, her face full of shock.
The literati present were instantly intoxicated by it.
These two lines of poetry alone have fully captured the grandeur and frontier style of this song!
"Han went down the Baideng Road, while the Hu people peeped into the Qinghai Bay!"
"No one has ever returned from a battle!"
"good!"
Shen Xing couldn't help but stand up, tears streaming down his face.
Xiliang is located in the northwest, and to the north is the lair of the Xiongnu. The Longyan Dynasty was repeatedly invaded by the Xiongnu, that is, the Hu people! These few sentences also write about the heroic spirit of the soldiers who defended their country and died on the battlefield.
Shen Manqing was stunned when she heard this.
The previous poem was "Remembering Old Friends", describing the bloodshed on the battlefield and the suffering of the people. And now this poem "Moon over the Passing Mountains" seemed to be telling her that wars have been inevitable since ancient times. Wherever there are people, there are disputes. Disputes have continued from generation to generation. In this case, we are still living in a peaceful environment, so what is there to feel sorry for ourselves?
"The soldiers look at the border and their faces are filled with sorrow as they think of returning home."
"On this night in the tall building, I should not be idle sighing!"
The whole audience was shocked.
In fact, the song "Guanxianyue" is not difficult to sing, but the poem is very classic.
“Good poem!”
“Great song!”
Zheng Yueru couldn't help but exclaimed.
What kind of person is this young master of the Liu family ? He can write about love, and he can also write poems about the family and the country. Is he really the most dandy in Liangzhou as rumored?
finally.
The song is over.
"good!"
"This song should only exist in heaven, how many times can it be heard in the world?"
"Mr. Liu is a great talent!"
Now, it is not Chen Xiang's turn to question.
After all, it’s real talent and knowledge that can’t deceive anyone.
"This this……"
"Someone must have made it up for him, it must be like this!"
Chen Xiang looked at Liu Zheng and felt like vomiting blood.
"how?"
All the literati and poets in the audience cheered, and Liu Zheng also smiled slightly and looked at Shen Manqing beside him.
Shen Manqing was so embarrassed that she lowered her head.
It was agreed just now that Liu Zheng had already won without any suspense, so she naturally couldn't cheat.
"Hahaha, no hurry, let me discuss the restaurant with Miss Zheng first, and we 'll talk about our business later, later..." Liu Zheng laughed, this Shen Manqing, is really a wonderful person...
Then he looked at Zheng Yueru, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Miss Zheng?"
Zheng Yueru smiled faintly, as if she had been prepared. She had already asked the shopkeeper of Wanhua Tower to bring the bill over, and said with a playful smile: "Brother Liu, are you serious? Then I can't deceive you. Take a look at this account book, and then tell me whether you want to check out Wanhua Tower!"
Liu Zheng took it suspiciously and was stunned when he saw it.
What's happening here?
Is it a loss every month?
Come on, this is Qing Restaurant! A place for fireworks!
It's a business with almost no capital investment, how can I lose money?
Zheng Yueru smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Liu, please take a closer look."
Liu Zheng was indeed speechless when he saw it.
This Wanhualou has been open for five years. However, in these five years, there has not been a single month that has been profitable! The reason is that Yinzhou is too poor. The only people who can come here to have fun are the sons of wealthy families and those peddlers.
But, in a place like Yinzhou, is there any merchant who can come to do business and make a lot of money?
It’s okay to play occasionally, but who can afford to come here frequently?
In addition, the prostitutes of Wanhualou were all bought from other places at high prices. Yinzhou was remote, and the transportation costs were extremely high.
Therefore, business is bad and expenses are not enough to cover income.
Deficits are naturally inevitable.
Liu Zheng glanced at Zheng Yueru.
Suddenly he realized a problem. This Wanhua Tower seemed to be founded by Miss Zheng, so why did she persist even though she was losing money every month?
Could it be...
Does she have the same idea as me?
This is a very dangerous signal! Could it be that the Zheng family, like him, wants to sit in this Yinzhou and covet the world?
No!
The Zheng family probably does not have such strength for the time being. At least the Zheng family branch in Yinzhou is not that powerful.
Well, it seems that the Zheng family wants to secure their position as the most prestigious family.
Thinking of this, Liu Zheng felt a lot more relaxed, but he still began to feel wary of the Zheng family.
"Brother Liu, Wanhua Tower is my hard work. Even if I want to sell it to you, how much money should I pay?"
Zheng Yueru smiled bitterly.
yes.
When she first founded Wanhua Tower, she had already spent 5,000 taels! In the past five years, she had lost another 10,000 taels. How much should it be sold for? If it was sold too much, Liu Zheng would not be happy.
Zheng Yueru must be unhappy because she sold too little.
It would have been better if Liu Zheng hadn't looked at the bill. After seeing the bill, he realized that this place of fireworks was truly the best institution that could trade with the whole world and collect intelligence from all over the world!
He must win!
Liu Zheng suddenly smiled and said, "Miss Zheng, how about this?"
"I, Liu Zheng, will invest in the company. Shall we make a bet?"
When these words came out, the whole audience was stunned.
Zheng Yueru was also stunned: "Liu... Brother Liu, what is this gambling agreement?"
