Chapter 31: The Northeast Army's Emotional Agitation (Part 2)

  Yang Reform made a big plan. Let Wang Chengen find a large group of men and women who can sing in the Teaching Department.

  The Teaching Office of Music was an ancient imperial music institution that managed the teaching and performance of palace folk music, under the Ministry of Rites, in charge of music and dance as well as opera. It also managed a group of "official courtesans".

  Beijing Dongsi Pailou has a street called Bensi Hutong to its south. Bensi refers to the Teaching Department, and north of Bensi Hutong is Yanle Hutong, while to its south is Neiwubu Street (formerly known as Goulane Hutong during the Ming and Qing dynasties).

  The great name of the Education Department is indeed impressive. The reputation of Qinhuai's eight beauties is really mouth-watering! Unfortunately, they are all just a bunch of kids now, and even if Yang Reform becomes an uncle later on, maybe there can be further intimate contact. This makes Yang Reform very unhappy. However, there's no way around it - if he didn't make a name for himself in Beijing, there wouldn't be the Southern Ming, and without the Southern Ming, there wouldn't be the legend of Qinhuai's eight beauties serving the country and the people, and they wouldn't be remembered by later generations. It really is that every drink and every bite has its own destiny.

  The Music Bureau was in charge of court music, singing and dancing, drumming and drumming. Before long, Wang Cheng'en brought Yang Reform a hundred or so people.

  Sei-en Garden

  Yang looked at the crowd of over a hundred people, young and old. He felt anxious in his heart, not knowing how to proceed. Should he, as the emperor, personally go down there to teach them? He regretted not searching on Baidu yesterday about how this chorus was supposed to be done.

  The hundred or so people below were also bewildered and had no idea what the emperor was going to do. He wasn't singing, nor was he dancing.

  Yang Reform suddenly moved in his heart. He called over the little eunuch who had led the singing during the morning court and said, "Hm, what's your name?"

  "My surname is Guo, my name is Huan, and my nickname is Xiaohuanzi." This little eunuch was excited and thrilled that the emperor had asked his name, what a great honor it was in this imperial palace! Among tens of thousands of eunuchs, how many names did the emperor remember?

  "Is that so! Guo Huan, how was the singing of 'Jing Zhong Bao Guo'?" Yang Reform decided to find someone to lead this group of people. Otherwise, as an emperor himself, it would be too undignified and unbecoming.

  "Replying to Your Majesty, I have already memorized it." Little Huanzi answered promptly.

  "Hmm, once they're familiar with it, that's good. Now, teach these people to sing this 'Jing Zhong Bao Guo'. First, get them to sing this song well. Those who sing well will be recorded as the top three or five. I have use for them. Also, among the women, select a few who sing relatively well and bring them out. I also have use for them. Understand?"

  "The eunuch obeyed the order." The little eunuch also played a role as "envoy" and was overjoyed. Among the tens of thousands of eunuchs in the imperial palace, how many people could receive tasks entrusted by the emperor? This is the ultimate pursuit of eunuchs.

  "Alright! Go and take care of it, once you're done, I have a great use for you." Yang Reform said as he walked away, staying here was really pointless. Watching that group of people practice singing? Not interesting. It's not like they're in a KTV. He could still let out a few loud shouts to satisfy himself.

  Yang will reform tonight and dream back to Baidu, check how this chorus is done, and copy a few songs back, good for tomorrow's "Northeast Army".

  He then summoned Fan Weicheng, the minor official in charge of pursuing the Wei case's ill-gotten gains, and saw the two eunuchs, Er Xizi and Xiao Shunzi. He asked them about the progress of pursuing the Wei case's ill-gotten gains, and was pleased to hear that many people were willing to hand over silver to redeem their crimes. Yang Guifei secretly rejoiced, thinking that the silver would soon be in her hands.

  He then summoned Li Laifu, who was in charge of auctioning off the collectibles. He asked him about the auction and received an unsatisfactory response, citing that these royal collections were too sensitive. Almost no one dared to ask about them, fearing a charge of disrespect would lead to confiscation of property and execution, which wouldn't be worth it. Yang thought he needed to reform his plan. This open pricing auction probably wouldn't work out.

  The next day, Yang Reformed took the copied lyrics and first taught them to the lead singer, eunuch Guo Heng, and then taught them to the people of the Teaching Department.

  Yang reform took out his own revised "Songhua River", now it has become "Liaohe River".

  The reason is that later during the Anti-Japanese War, the main area was still represented by the Songhua River basin. Now it's the Ming Dynasty, so the name can't be used as Songhua River. There are still very few Han people living there. The main ones are still in the Liaohe River Basin.

  The lyrics Yang reform also changed himself, should be no problem.

  My home is on the Liao River in Northeast China.

  There is a forest fishing ground ("coal" was changed to "fishing ground")

  There were also soybeans and sorghum all over the mountains and fields.

  My home is on the Liao River in Northeast China.

  There are my compatriots

  And those aging parents.

  "Dad and mom", "wife" ("9.18" was replaced with "Dad and mom", "wife")

  From that miserable time,

  "Dad and mom", "son", ("9.18" was replaced with "Dad and mom", "son")

  From that miserable time

  Away from my hometown

  Abandon those endless treasures

  Vagabond! Vagabond!

  The whole day is spent wandering at the border.

  What year, what month

  When can I return to my lovely hometown?

  What year, what month

  Only then can I retrieve my endless treasure.

  Dad and mom, dad and mom,

  When?

  Can we gather together in one hall?

  "Guo Huan, this is the lyrics of a new song. The general idea is that Liaodong has been occupied by the Eastern Barbarians, and the people of Liaodong yearn to return to their original land. Take a look first, then I'll hum a few lines for you. You must learn it quickly and teach these people, understand?" Yang reform took out his revised version of "Above the Liao River".

  "Yes, Your Majesty. I will definitely do my best to complete the task." Guo Huan bowed his head respectfully and knocked his forehead on the ground, with tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes. This was how much trust the Emperor had placed in him!

  After finishing, Yang roughly hummed a few verses of "Songhua River", this song is written for a specific group of people, it's meant to have that heart-wrenching effect, to evoke resonance in the souls of that specific group. The voice should be a bit hoarse, majestic, with a sense of tragic desolation, bitter sorrow, helplessness, and vocal exhaustion.

  "Hmm, the key is all in this. You go and study it yourself... Must make this song bring tears to people's eyes, be heart-wrenchingly sad, and evoke a resonance of the soul. If you can do that, then your song is a success..." After saying that, Yang reform handed over the modified version of "Songhua River" called "Liaohe River" which he had copied from Baidu yesterday to Guo Huan, with some additional requirements. As for whether Guo Huan could understand it thoroughly, that depended on his abilities. This wasn't something Yang Reform should worry about. Yang Reform just needed to sing well at the right time and have an effect, stirring up emotions in the "Northeastern Army". A typical case of only caring about results, not process.

  "Yes, Your Majesty. I have taken note." Guo Huan bowed his head respectfully once again. He raised both hands above his head to receive the lyrics from Yang's hand.

  Yang's reform has finally put down a stone in his heart, and the "Emotional" version of the Northeastern Army is ready to sing. Another part needs to be harmonized, but Yang Reform hasn't figured out how to do it yet, planning to spend another night memorizing the harmonization. There are too many things, and Yang Reform can't memorize them in one night.

  Why have a chorus? The reason is very simple, in the Ming Dynasty there were no microphones, no amplifiers, if you want to let the thousands of people on campus hear, besides chorus what other way is there? Those muffled sounds, modern people who sing with their mouths biting the microphone, in ancient times could only be sung for a few guests in a private room.

  Next is to write a letter to Mao Wenlong, and partner with him to do business in Northeast China. Isn't it said that Northeast China has three treasures? Ginseng, sable fur, and deer antler, these are all good things to make money from the elite, and it's best to monopolize them to make more money. Yang Gaoli is having a headache again, there is no one available to help with this matter, someone is needed to assist Yang Gaoli in operating business matters, and also monitor Mao Wenlong, monitor the "exported" materials. This matter has not been helped by anyone for the time being. Yang Gaoli is depressed.

  Yang Reform prepared to send a small eunuch over to test the waters first. So, he called Wang Chengen and said: "Big companion, you send someone to Mao Wenlong's place for a trip, just sending a small eunuch is fine, handing this letter to Mao Wenlong is enough."

  "The slave obeys the order." King Cheng En received the "letter" handed over by Yang Gao. This letter, in fact, is almost the same as the one given to Wei Zhongxian, with only two more words "as it is". The rest are all blank. It's not the usual format used by Ming Dynasty people when writing letters, nor is it the format of nine years of compulsory education. Nor is it the " Imperial Decree" format.

  "Right, Da Ban, also have someone make some secret boxes, about a foot or more in length, a foot wide, and two inches high will do. Use red lacquer to paint them well. Lock them up. Also, these boxes are the kind that can keep secrets, don't let people easily know what's inside... understand?" Yang reform didn't know how to make secret boxes, he just instructed Wang Chengen to make those kinds of boxes that could keep secrets. The advantage of being an emperor is that you don't need to know the detailed process, as long as you instruct the goal, there will automatically be people helping the emperor to achieve it.

  Yang is preparing the secret box. He plans to send one to Mao Wenlong first, to test the waters. Later, he can directly contact Mao Wenlong and then consider sending the secret box to others depending on the situation.