Chapter 300 It turns out to be a ventriloquism

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The Fifth Prince’s Mansion.

From that day on, Chen Tian locked himself in the room, not going out or seeing anyone, and rarely eating.

He couldn't stand the sight of any meat, otherwise he would vomit all over the place. He, who was usually good-tempered, suddenly became violent and sadistic, and many people in the kitchen were affected and beaten to pieces.

If there is anything that is not to one’s liking, one will be punished, and everyone feels insecure.

The only one who dared to approach the main house was the butler. After hesitating for a long time, he gently knocked on the door.

"Fifth Prince, someone from the Ministry of War came to ask if Lord Shen wants to keep the things he left at the Ministry of War. If not, they will deal with them directly."

After he finished speaking, no one responded. He asked a few more times, but still no response. The housekeeper sighed softly and was about to give an answer to the person who came when there was suddenly movement in the room.

After a while, the door creaked open, and Xiao Tian's face looked extremely gloomy, and there seemed to be a chilling sinisterness about the young man.

He glanced at the butler calmly and ordered, "Prepare the car."

Two quarters of an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the military department. The officials were very respectful when they saw Xiao Tian and handed a bundle that had been prepared long ago to the servant behind Xiao Tian.

"The new Minister of War will arrive tomorrow. I thought the Fifth Prince might want to keep these things, so I sent someone to inform him."

This was to do Xiao Tian a favor. He nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Master Zhang."

"Hey." Lord Zhang smiled and bowed repeatedly.

"Master Zhang, it's time to go." An adult suddenly shouted from afar.

Xiao Tian looked back and saw several officials from the Ministry of War gathered together, as if they were about to leave.

The officials saluted him respectfully.

Lord Zhang waved his hand, replied, and said to Xiao Tian, ​​"The new minister has set up a banquet in the restaurant and invited the officials of the Ministry of War to drink together. If the fifth prince is free, would you be willing to honor him with a seat?"

He was just being polite.

Xiao Tian's eyes sank slightly. The new Minister of War seemed to be a neutral person, upright and incorruptible, and was promoted from a humble family.

And he was the person selected as a compromise after a battle between the emperor and Xiao Yuan. He had not gone out in these days and had never seen this person.

The Ministry of War is of vital importance, and this is a good opportunity to make friends with it.

"Okay, I'll go get some food then."

Lord Zhang was startled. He never thought that Xiao Tian would actually agree. He looked up at his colleagues who were waiting for him not far away and smiled. "Fifth Prince, please go first."

When several officials saw the Fifth Prince also board the carriage to go together, the relaxed atmosphere disappeared and they all felt a little restrained.

Although the Fifth Prince is not as scary as the Fourth Prince, he is still a threat to minions like them. Who can drink freely?

Lord Zhang also looked helpless. "I was just trying to give in. I never thought the Fifth Prince would really agree. Well, it's okay. It is said that the new Shangshu is not easy to deal with. It doesn't matter if there is one more person. Just be careful later."

Now that things have come to this, what else can others say?

The carriage swayed and finally stopped in front of a theater. Lord Zhang was the first to lift the curtain and prepare to get off the carriage. He looked up and saw the tattered plaque. He was immediately startled and frowned and said to the driver, "Aren't we going to the restaurant? Why are we in a place like this?"

"That's right. The location that the Shangshu sent someone to tell me about is this theater."

Lord Zhang was startled again, his face twitching slightly. This theater should be a place that ordinary people can afford to come to. Did the minister invite them to such a place?

Several officials at the back also poked their heads out and heard the conversation. One of them curled his lips and whispered, "As expected, he comes from a poor and remote area. He really knows how to live."

"Okay." Another person frowned and said, "My Lord, you mean well, but you are still being picky."

This guy is smart. Even if he doesn't like something, he won't show it and has a good-natured look on his face.

As they were talking, the Fifth Prince's carriage stopped and everyone stopped talking immediately.

Xiao Tian got out of the car and asked, "What are you all doing here? Why don't you go in?"

"Oh, I'm waiting for the fifth prince." Lord Zhang said with a smile.

Xiao Tian raised his eyes and glanced at the theater, and he immediately had some understanding of the newly appointed Shangshu.

There is a lobby when you walk in. Actually, it's not that big, but it takes up the entire space of the theater. An opera is being sung on the stage, and there are quite a few people sitting in the audience, cheering and talking, making it very noisy.

The best they wore was coarse linen clothes without patches. Some of them even put one foot on a stool, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth when they laughed.

The faces of several officials could no longer hold back their tension, alternating between blue and purple.

One of them looked around and lowered his voice and asked, "Isn't that gentleman asking us to sit with those people and listen to the opera together?"

…

The others looked at each other, and had the urge to leave immediately. Even merchants with some wealth would not come to such a place, let alone they were officials appointed by the imperial court.

There was contempt in their eyes, but after all, it was their first meeting with their boss, so it was not easy for them to just leave. Lord Zhang secretly glanced at Xiao Tian's face and felt very uneasy.

"Fifth Prince, I didn't know the banquet was held in a place like this, this..."

"It's okay." Xiao Tian waved his hand. "The plays here are more interesting to listen to."

Mr. Zhang, “…” I almost forgot, this person is also from the common people.

"Are you guests of Lord Zhao?" A little boy of eight or nine years old, wearing patched clothes, spoke in a childish voice.

"My Lord has reserved the second floor for himself. Please go upstairs."

He spoke eloquently and in an orderly manner, and it was obvious that he was used to the job of a waiter. Upon hearing his words, the expressions of the few people eased a little and they followed the little boy upstairs.

The second floor is not bigger than the first floor, but the tables, chairs and benches are obviously much better than the shabby first floor. It is definitely not as good as the private rooms in a restaurant. Like the first floor, there are no partitions.

As the few people went up, a man in a green cotton and linen robe came forward.

Several people greeted each other quickly, and facing their boss, everyone restrained the contempt in their eyes and smiled as if in the spring breeze.

"This is the fifth prince. He happened to have some business in the Ministry of War, so he came along." Lord Zhang introduced.

The man cupped his hands slightly and saluted Chen Tian in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "This place is simple, I hope the Fifth Prince will not despise it."

At this time, the play on the first floor stage was reaching its climax. The people watching below stood up and applauded and cheered. For a moment, it was so lively that if the voice was a little quieter, it would be drowned out.

After the greetings, the man led everyone to the arranged seats to watch the show. He stared at the stage with his eyes shining, and it was obvious that he really loved this.

The sharp and long tone finally ended. He clapped and cheered, echoing the people in the audience.

The military official who was sitting a little further back frowned slightly, and was obviously dissatisfied with the environment and had no interest in the opera.

She even looks down upon men who are noisy and have no official manners at all.

But the Fifth Prince seemed to get along well with him.

The two of them talked about everything from opera to singing skills, and seemed to be very in sync.

That’s true. After all, they all come from humble backgrounds, so it’s normal for them to talk alike.

"Although his family environment is not very good, his singing skills are really good, especially the man looking like a woman singing, which is very lifelike, even better than the woman." The man looked very excited.

"Oh." Xiao Tian seemed to be interested, "Then I must listen to it today and broaden my horizons."

The man stood up and went to the side to talk to the waiter. He came back immediately. The waiter went downstairs and ran to the back of the stage.

The play on stage ended. Not long after, the former young male changed into another costume and became a female. When he started singing, there was a moment of silence among the audience, and then there was a buzzing shouting.

Lord Zhao looked very happy, tapping his knuckles on his knees, "What do you think, Fifth Prince?"

Xiao Tian didn't say anything. He stared at the person on the stage, leaning forward slightly. His eyes, which had just been smiling, were now misty.

"The fifth prince?"

"Will all these people change their voices?"

Lord Zhao was stunned for a moment, "Some people can, some can't. This requires not only singing skills, but also talent. The one on the stage is the pillar of this theater. Men, women, young and old can sing."

To this day, Xiao Tian still doesn't believe that his elder brother would be stupid enough to assassinate the emperor, but the emperor insisted that it was him.

He stayed in the mansion these days, thinking about this problem, but he couldn't figure it out.

"What's wrong? The Fifth Prince doesn't like it?"

Xiao Tian lowered his eyes and shook his head, "No, I'm just a little surprised. It turns out that there are masters among the people. There are people with such special abilities."

Lord Zhao smiled when he heard this, "They are all traditional folk culture, and can only be heard in this kind of theater. They have a small number of people, and if they want to sing well, they can only play multiple roles by themselves."

Xiao Tian nodded slightly, his eyes never leaving the stage.

Lord Zhao was listening with fascination, and then he heard someone beside him suddenly ask, "They are so good, I wonder if they can imitate other people's voices?"

"The Fifth Prince is talking about ventriloquism, right?"

"Voiceover?" Xiao Tian frowned. He had never heard of it.

"You mean ventriloquism, can you imitate other people's voices?"

Lord Zhao said, "This also requires basic skills and talent. I have seen some amazing people when I was a kid. With a little practice, they can do it. But it's hard to find someone with such ability now."

Xiao Tianxin felt as if someone was holding her tightly, and it was difficult for her to breathe. "How powerful is it? Can you even imitate a person's height and appearance?"

Lord Zhao laughed softly when he heard this, "What the Fifth Prince is talking about is not ventriloquism, I'm afraid he needs to change his head."

Xiao Tian's expression eased slightly, and he heard Lord Zhao continue to say, "They can only imitate other people's voices, but they can't imitate their height and appearance. However... they can find someone with a similar height. As long as the behavior is imitated well, even if they don't show their face, it won't arouse suspicion."

After he finished speaking, his smiling face froze slightly, and he turned his head to look at Xiao Tian, ​​"Fifth Prince asked so many details, is there something wrong?"

"No, I just found it curious and asked casually." He rested his arms on his knees and squinted at the stage.

Lord Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. "In the past, many people in the society used this to do some bad things, but they were framed after the fact. However, there are too few people who can do ventriloquism now, so there are fewer people doing evil."

"Yeah." Xiao Tian responded indifferently, raised his hand to pick up a cup of tea and sipped it gently. The veins on the back of his hand bulged and trembled slightly.

Xiao Tian didn't hear a word of what was sung on the stage next. He lowered his head slightly and turned the teacup in his hand.

An hour later, everyone came out of the theater and said goodbye.

Several officials from the Ministry of War were so hungry that as soon as Lord Zhao left, they immediately made an appointment to go to a restaurant for dinner.

Lord Zhang, "Would the Fifth Prince like to move?"

"No, everyone, enjoy your meal and have fun." Xiao Tian turned around and disappeared at the end of the road.

"Tsk, boring."

"That's right. If I had known that I would be sitting in the theater, I would have said that I had something to do at home and would not come. It's just a waste of time."

"Who said it wasn't?" The few people talked as they walked and left the street.

"Fifth Prince, shall we go back home?" The servant asked in a low voice, looking at Xiao Tian who was standing motionless at the end of the street.

The former did not respond.

He looked at the people coming and going, the endless stream of people, like a standing sculpture, motionless for a long time.

In his entire life, it seemed that he couldn't even become one of these ordinary people. He was lonely and even when standing on the crowded street, he still felt very lonely.

But before that, he also had relatives and the most important elder brother.

But he was gone, killed by someone, and the sky that he had supported collapsed completely.

"Mr. Li, I haven't seen you for a long time. You don't even come to visit me. Don't you miss me?"

A delicate voice that gave people goosebumps sounded not far away. Xiao Tian tilted his head and looked over, his gloomy eyes slightly narrowed.

Li Huaiyan sighed softly, turned around and looked at the woman in red who was pulling his sleeve to stop him from getting on the bus, "Xiaohong, what a coincidence, you're here shopping too."

"My name is Chao Chao," the woman pouted and glanced at the rouge in Li Huaiyan's arms with some dissatisfaction, "Mr. Li, are you getting so close to which courtesan again that you even forgot my name."

It's not that he forgot, it's that he clearly didn't remember. There were so many brothels and so many girls, how could he possibly remember them all.

"Master, please come sit down in the building and keep me company."

"Not right now. I have some important things to do. I will come to see you when I am done with this."

Miss Chao Chao was adamant and refused to let go. Li Huaiyan had no choice but to frown and pull back his sleeves. "I have to get married in a few days. I really don't have time."

"Get married?" The girl seemed to have heard something incredible. "Mr. Li, are you kidding me?"

"I'm kidding you." Li Huaiyan pulled back his sleeves and was about to get in the car.

"Hey, Mr. Li," Miss Chao Chao stamped her feet in anger as she watched the carriage disappear into the distance.

The most generous patron is going to get married, so who can she rely on for her future income?