Chapter 95

In the home of the imperial finance minister, the minister, who was over eighty years old, looked at the toothbrush in his hand with a look of curiosity.

"Old Duke, why don't you try using this to brush your teeth tonight? It will definitely leave your mouth feeling fresh and clean!" Duke Dingbei explained.

"Hehe!" The finance minister grinned, revealing his teeth, which were like a fence, and said, "Do you think I'm like that old immortal Tang Tian, who now has a mouth full of steel teeth and can eat anything? My cultivation is far inferior to his, and I'm aging quickly. Half of my teeth have already fallen out. This little thing is of no use to me!"

"If the old Duke can't use it, can your family members use it? It's not something expensive, and I've brought quite a few!" Duke Dingbei said, then took out a handful and placed them on the table.

"Alright! I know you, you must want something from me! Let's get this straight, I won't give you money. Your Hongyuan City is now the culinary capital of the empire, and I haven't suggested to the Emperor that he increase your taxes, which is already a favor!"

"Hehe! Old Duke, rest assured, I'm not here to ask for money!" Duke Dingbei explained.

"Not for money!" The finance minister asked, not even waiting for Duke Dingbei to answer, and then loudly ordered, "Someone, take these little things from Duke Dingbei and put them away!"

"Uh!" Duke Dingbei's mouth twitched, and he smiled bitterly to himself, "They say old people are like children, and it's really true!"

When the servants came in and took away the toothbrushes, Duke Dingbei then took out the white silk that Jiang Xingchen had given him from his pocket. "Old Duke, take a look at this!"

"Hmm?" The finance minister looked at Duke Dingbei with a puzzled expression, took the white silk, and opened it to read.

Soon, the finance minister's expression became serious, and the relaxed look from before was gone. His eyes were shining.

Duke Dingbei watched the finance minister's reaction and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

After a long while, the finance minister looked up, put the white silk in his pocket, and asked in a low voice, "Did you come up with this? What do you want? Just say it, and as long as I can do it, I'll help you!"

Although the finance minister tried to control his emotions, his hoarse voice still revealed his excitement.

Duke Dingbei had long expected this result and was not in a hurry. He pondered for a moment, which made the finance minister quite angry, wanting to punch him in the face.

"It's like this!" Duke Dingbei raised his head and explained, "The person who came up with this, I'm sure you know, is my vassal, Jiang Xingchen... I came to you because of the matter of expanding his territory!"

"Expanding territory?" The finance minister frowned sharply. He certainly knew Jiang Xingchen, as a key minister supporting the Emperor's strategy, he knew the benchmark the Emperor had set for the people. However, expanding territory was an extremely difficult matter.

As if sensing the finance minister's difficulty, Duke Dingbei chuckled and lowered his voice, "Old Duke, you can't be unaware that the Emperor still has other merits of Jiang Xingchen that he hasn't acknowledged yet!"

"Oh!" The finance minister's eyes lit up, and then he squeezed his face into wrinkles, and both he and Duke Dingbei let out a "hehe" laugh...

In another part of the capital, at the home of the head of the noble management department, a young man was smiling as he played a lute-like instrument, producing a series of clear, water-like sounds.

"Yuan Hao, what is this thing?" The head of the noble management department, Yuan Xixuan, asked the young man opposite him.

"This is a new musical instrument invented by the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect, called the 'bopan.' It completely breaks the traditional form of wind instruments. I had to pay a high price to get it through the Hengtong Trading Company's Mu Shaodong," Yuan Hao said.

"Can the Hengtong Trading Company get a new invention from the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect?" Yuan Xixuan asked, somewhat puzzled. Although many traders bought and sold between enemies for huge profits, it was unlikely they could get new inventions, even if they were not war materials.

"Hehe! According to Mu Shaodong, although this instrument hasn't been widely promoted, it has already been used by some dance troupes on a small scale. He paid a great deal to get it, along with the playing method," Yuan Hao said.

After a brief pause, Yuan Hao changed the subject, "I tried it today, and the sound of the bopan can perfectly complement the big drum... This time, the grand prize for the New Year's performance will definitely be mine!"

Yuan Xixuan, hearing this, no longer thought about the Hengtong Trading Company and asked with a smile, "You studied dance and music at the Imperial Academy for a few years, can you really play this new instrument? Are you so confident... Many people are looking forward to seeing 'A Man Should Be Strong' at the New Year's performance!"

Yuan Hao smiled, "No problem. If I can't do it, someone else can. I joined the Phoenix Dance Troupe, which won first place last year. Each member is the best in the empire. They can play it, and with my cultivation, I'm better at playing the drum... Hehe, the combination of the bopan and the big drum will definitely produce a more passionate melody, and the Phoenix Dance Troupe can choreograph a dance that surpasses Xie Wanrou's!"

"Um!" Yuan Xixuan nodded and said, "This is a good opportunity to put Jiang Xingchen in his place. He's been rising too quickly lately!"

Yuan Hao pursed his lips and said coolly, "He's just a minor baron with no background. Even if Duke Dingbei favors him, it's probably because of Xie Wanrou. If he doesn't win the grand prize this time, Duke Dingbei will likely abandon him!"

Yuan Xixuan smiled but didn't say anything more, lost in thought...

At the Imperial Academy in Hongyuan City, Jiang Xingchen was frowning, racking his brain to explain what string instruments were to Ruan Rou and the other judges.

To complement the big drum, Jiang Xingchen proposed the concept of string instruments, which left the others stunned. Ruan Rou was used to Jiang Xingchen's various wonders, but the judges were completely baffled. They had been planning to discuss their ideas with Jiang Xingchen, but he had come in and immediately mentioned something they had never heard of.

Originally, Jiang Xingchen had planned to make a suona, as the original version of 'A Man Should Be Strong' used a suona. However, that required reed for the mouthpiece, and where could he find reeds now?

A lute would also work, as it complemented the big drum well. But he had never even seen a lute up close, so how could he make one?

Reluctantly, he thought of a guzheng. At least in his previous life, he had seen a female classmate practice it a few times. Although he didn't know the exact principles, he knew its shape and that the sound of the strings was transmitted through the hollow box underneath.

Explaining string instruments to the others was quite challenging. After much thought, he finally borrowed a bow from another department at the Imperial Academy, plucked the strings to produce vibrations, and told them this was what a string instrument was.

The others were stunned again. What kind of principle was this? Could a bow really produce music?

While plucking the bow strings, Jiang Xingchen had a pleasant surprise. He could accurately grasp the position on the string that produced the vibration and the force he applied, and thus determine the frequency of the vibrations extending from the string.

In other words, he could pinpoint the sound produced by each position.

"Is this really the purpose of the Mingzhen Array, to make it easier for me to play the guzheng?" Jiang Xingchen thought, feeling a bit helpless. Although this function was a bit odd, it was undoubtedly the most useful now. Otherwise, making a guzheng without knowing how to play it would be pointless.

Ruan Rou and the others watched as Jiang Xingchen, while deep in thought, plucked different sounds from a single bow string, and their expressions of calm turned to surprise again...

Then, they began the long process of making the guzheng.

Jiang Xingchen thought it would be simple. If ancient people on Earth could make it, with the Mingzhen Array, it shouldn't be difficult.

But reality was different. Compared to the big drum, making a guzheng was incredibly difficult. Just finding the right dried wood took a lot of effort, and they wasted countless pieces of wood over more than twenty days.

At first, they used hard solid wood, but the sound quality was poor, dull, and lacked the clear and bright sound of a guzheng.

They then tried different types of wood and experimented with the size and shape of the body. Even with Jiang Xingchen's dexterous hands, he eventually found it difficult to hold a knife.

What made Jiang Xingchen even more frustrated was that he had forgotten how many strings a guzheng had: "How many strings did the guzheng I saw have? Twenty-one, eighteen, or seventeen..."

Finally, based on the size of the guzheng and the required range of notes, they decided to use eighteen strings.

Mei'er watched her brother come home exhausted every day and felt like crying, but knowing it was important, she could only prepare meals and hot water and take care of his daily needs.

Ruan Rou and the judges were responsible for the critical aspects of tuning, sound quality, and tone. After more than twenty days, they were all exhausted.

At this point, Jiang Xingchen realized the wisdom of the ancients and exclaimed, "I will never underestimate the ancients again. This is simply not a job for humans!"

Finally, when Jiang Xingchen was about to collapse from exhaustion, they discovered that using soft pine wood for the resonant box and hard solid wood for the head, tail, and bridge of the guzheng was the best, and they finally determined the main structure of the guzheng.

Next, they studied the bottom board, trying to determine where to place the sound holes, how many, and what shape. This required repeated experimentation.

After a few more days and several wasted bodies, Jiang Xingchen finally determined the positions: front, middle, and back, with three sound holes.

For the strings, they used animal sinew, but it was not easy to use. It was too rough for the fingers, and using a plectrum could easily break the strings.

After much consideration, he asked the old man to help find silk threads with high tensile strength and durability.

This was an opportunity the old man couldn't miss. Jiang Xingchen promised to make him something he had never tasted before, and the old man left satisfied...

While Jiang Xingchen and his team were focused on making the guzheng, in the capital, the Phoenix Dance Troupe, which had won the grand prize last year, began a series of performances.