Chapter 100

The performance format was as everyone had expected. Due to the promotion of the big drum, almost every dance troupe had added men, taking a more passionate route, and the neatly uniform stage scenes were also imitated.

However, for those who had already grown accustomed to the war songs and the "Men Should Be Strong" performances, such a show no longer held much appeal.

In the backstage rest area, Mo Hongxian was puzzled. The old performance style had continued for hundreds of years, and every year during the New Year dance performances, she could watch with great interest. Why did she not have the same feeling this year with the new format?

"Hehe!" Jiang Chenxin laughed and asked, "If you had to eat baozi three times a day for a month, how would you feel?"

"Uh!" Mo Hongxian was taken aback, then nodded thoughtfully.

"The old dances, though monotonous in form, were always new to you when you watched the New Year performance once a year... The long-term inertia caused by the audience's preference for the monotonous format over hundreds of years led the Cai Feng Dance Troupe to overlook the aesthetic fatigue and continue with the performances. Otherwise, they would have stopped long ago... I myself almost vomited from singing six shows a day!"

Hearing Jiang Chenxin's explanation, everyone was enlightened. The old man secretly criticized, "I said you were performing six shows a day and wanted to make this trend even stronger. It turns out you had this plan in mind. Too cunning, too sinister..."

One by one, the dance troupes came off the stage, their expressions not good. Although they knew they couldn't compete with Cai Feng and Zijing, they expected the audience's reaction to be more enthusiastic. However, every dance troupe that came off the stage received only applause, just like the New Year dance performances of previous years.

Although the audience's reaction was not enthusiastic, the Emperor and the imperial officials in the second-floor box nodded in agreement. After all, they usually didn't have time to watch dances, so this format was very novel to them.

"Jiang Chenxin's invention of the big drum is indeed excellent, it can boost morale!" the Emperor commented.

"Yes. Especially when used as a military drum, it greatly boosts the soldiers' morale!" the general added.

"After hearing this year's songs, the old ones can't be listened to anymore, hehe..." the finance minister said with a smile.

Yuan Xixuan, seeing the Emperor and other officials' reactions, smiled inwardly, "Wait until Cai Feng comes out, then you'll know what a shock is!"

While the discussions were going on in the box, the dance troupes finished their performances one by one. Finally, it was Cai Feng's turn.

As soon as the plucking sound began, the entire audience was captivated. No one could describe it with exact onomatopoeia, but it felt like pearls falling on a jade plate, soothing the soul.

The plucking sound grew more urgent, and a scene of impending storm formed in the audience's minds, making them hold their breath.

"It's changed!" Everyone had this thought, and their spirits were instantly lifted. The entire piece was completely different from the previous performances. In the past, the big drum was the main focus, with plucking as a complement. But now, the performance started with plucking, clearly making it the main focus.

In the backstage rest area, Jiang Chenxin was also surprised, "It's a pipa. This is definitely a pipa... Listening to this, it really has the feel of 'Ambush on All Sides'!"

Wan Rou, Mo Hongxian, Second Brother, Mei'er, and others all had serious expressions. None of them expected Cai Feng to make such a significant change to their performance.

Jiang Chenxin looked at everyone and smiled, "Why are you so nervous? Don't you have confidence in me?"

One sentence immediately relaxed everyone. Wan Rou and Mo Hongxian even waved their hands dismissively, "Pfft~"

"Relax, our new instrument is definitely not inferior to theirs! Sister Wan Rou has practiced for so long, doesn't she know that?"

"Right!" Wan Rou nodded forcefully and continued to listen to Cai Feng's performance.

On stage, the big drum finally sounded, and Yuan Hao, with a fierce expression, sang, "Warriors die in a hundred battles, their bodies wrapped in horsehide. Live to..."

As he sang, a hundred men dressed as soldiers shouted, their right hands holding swords, advancing step by step. Each step produced a huge vibration, in sync with the drumbeats.

At this moment, the plucking sound became even more urgent, as if urging the soldiers to move faster, and the intense martial spirit made the entire audience feel the same.

In the second-floor box, both the Emperor and the general couldn't help but nod frequently. Although they were biased towards Jiang Chenxin, Cai Feng's performance of this piece was indeed outstanding, far surpassing the previous dances!

The president of the Imperial Academy, Feng Xuanzhang, stared at the stage and whispered, "I never thought they would use plucking as the main focus and perform it so perfectly... Jiang Chenxin and the others are probably..."

At this point, he couldn't help but turn to look at the Emperor.

The drumming stopped, and the plucking continued. The previous buildup was complete, and the battlefield fighting began. The chaotic yet rhythmic sounds seemed to transport the audience to the battlefield.

Then, the big drum and singing resumed, the soldiers' morale soaring, and the audience's blood boiling.

Finally, the plucking sound gradually faded away, and the thunderous drumming receded into the distance. The battle was over, and the audience exhaled the breath they had been holding.

"Wow~" A thunderous applause broke out, interspersed with a few cheers.

"Cai Feng has definitely won this year's New Year dance competition!"

"Right! I thought their performance would be the same as the previous ones, but they made such a significant change!"

"Using plucking as the main focus, the change is significant, but the effect is even better!"

"Right, I felt like I couldn't breathe just now..."

As the audience discussed, the Emperor, the general, the finance minister, Feng Xuanzhang, and others all clapped, praising the performance.

Yuan Xixuan's face was beaming with joy, his eyes squinting. He was delighted that his son had gained a boost from this performance, but more importantly, it had suppressed Jiang Chenxin, preserving the traditional forces' influence. Look, Jiang Chenxin is just that, his rapid rise was just luck.

"The last performance, let's see if Zijing has any outstanding performance!" the Emperor said.

"Hmph! What good performance can they have? With Cai Feng's performance, they are just the green leaves to the red flower!" Yuan Xixuan thought.

Feng Xuanzhang wore a bitter smile. He also didn't expect much from Zijing. Although Jiang Chenxin and Wan Rou's abilities were undeniable, Cai Feng's plucking performance was too good, and it was impossible to surpass with "Men Should Be Strong."

In the backstage rest area, Jiang Chenxin and Wan Rou stood up.

"Sister Wan Rou, it's up to you!" Jiang Chenxin said with a smile.

"Mainly, it depends on your performance!" Wan Rou responded with a smile.

"Clap!" The two raised their hands and clapped in the air.

Then, the already performed dance troupes were stunned. They saw Zijing bring out eight big drums onto the stage.

"So many big drums, what are they going to perform? Did they change their performance too?"

Yuan Hao, who had just come off the stage, sneered, "Even if you have a hundred big drums, it won't help... Uh!"

Before he could finish his thought, he saw Second Brother, carrying a large rectangular wooden box with strings similar to a plucked instrument, walk out behind Jiang Chenxin.

"A new instrument!" Everyone's eyes lit up with intense interest, "This is going to be interesting!"

Yuan Hao and Wei Caihua's hearts tightened, and they exchanged glances.

In the venue, the audience, seeing the eight big drums, let out exclamations, "What is Zijing going to do? Is Wan Rou going to control eight big drums? How is that possible!"

"Strange! Are they giving up? What about the hundred-person stage scene?"

But then, their attention was drawn to Second Brother behind Jiang Chenxin, and they exclaimed again, "What is that... it looks like a long box!"

"A new instrument, definitely a new instrument... This is interesting! I didn't expect Zijing to hide it so deeply, only revealing it today!"

"The shape of this new instrument is quite strange, can it produce a good sound?"

"It's about to start, just listen!"

In the second-floor box, Feng Xuanzhang also showed a surprised expression. He didn't expect Jiang Chenxin to have a new instrument hidden.

On the contrary, Yuan Xixuan's face darkened, and he cursed inwardly, "This bastard, really cunning, hiding it so deeply!"

The Emperor and the general, however, didn't know much about it and were surprised by the audience's exclamations...

The big drums were arranged in a circle on the stage, with Wan Rou, dressed in red, standing in the middle, and Jiang Chenxin setting up the guzheng behind her.

"Phew~" Wan Rou took a deep breath, glanced at Jiang Chenxin, and the drumsticks fell suddenly.

"Boom... boom boom boom boom... boom boom boom boom boom boom boom..." A series of rhythmically strong drumbeats sounded.

Wan Rou's drumsticks danced, her spinning figure like a flame, controlling all eight big drums.

"Clap clap clap clap... clap clap clap clap clap clap clap..." The guzheng produced short, powerful beats, like a skilled swordsman, each strike resonating deeply.

The entire audience was instantly captivated by these short, powerful sounds, involuntarily drawn in.

This piece, Jiang Chenxin used the prelude from Jay Chou's "Huo Yuanjia" to give the audience an instant impact!

Then, Wan Rou's drumsticks slapped the drum surface, her right hand making a flourish, and a small transverse flute was placed at her lips, playing a bright and melodious tune.

In the original piece, it was a erhu, but in the absence of one, it was changed to a transverse flute, with the same effect.

After that, Jiang Chenxin's hands moved quickly, the speed increasing, and the pipa part was also played on the guzheng.

The continuous strong rhythm impacted the audience, who had not yet fully recovered from Cai Feng's war song, once again stirring their emotions and making them unstable.

It wasn't until Jiang Chenxin's guzheng sounds softened, like a babbling stream, that the audience's emotions slowly returned.

At this moment, they suddenly realized that Zijing was not performing "Men Should Be Strong." Instantly, whether the audience or the backstage dance troupes, all showed looks of disbelief.

In the second-floor box, Feng Xuanzhang immediately ordered the performance list to be brought. He saw that Zijing's piece was titled "Smiling, Proud Wanderer!"

PS: Fourth update delivered! Garlic thanks all the subscribers, recommenders, monthly voters, and supporters! No need to name everyone individually! Garlic will go eat and then work on the fifth chapter!

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