Zhang Shixun held up his erhu and said, "Everyone knows that the erhu has two strings, right?"
"Yes!" the audience shouted in unison.
"Well, you all answered very well, which means you're all experts. You know that a jiqin must have two strings to play, right?"
"yes!"
The audience cheered more and more in unison. They really liked this person's way of interacting and found it very interesting and fun.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you today that you are wrong! Absolutely wrong!"
The whole audience was silent, with puzzled expressions on their faces.
"I'll tell you another story, and you'll understand where I went wrong... Oh! I've been telling you stories all day. I wonder if you're tired of them?"
“Not annoying!”
“We like it!”
Playing the violin comes with storytelling, which is very popular among people.
Zhang Shixun nodded: "Since you like to listen, I will tell you about it."
There was silence in the audience as they listened to his story attentively.
"During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, there was a palace banquet. Princes and ministers gathered together, drinking and listening to music. The atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. At this time, an actor from the Jiaofang Bureau came on stage with a Jiqin. However, as the actor was playing, there was a sudden "snap" sound, and the string broke... This immediately attracted everyone's attention, and they stared at him."
Zhang Shixun paused here deliberately, and saw that the audience below pricked up their ears, waiting for him to continue.
"If it were somewhere else, a broken string wouldn't be a big deal; you could just pick another one and continue playing. But this is in the Imperial Palace, and the string broke just as the Emperor was urging his ministers to drink. It's unlucky for an actor to have a broken string..."
The entire audience watched Zhang Shixun with bated breath, and everyone was worried about this actor.
"Just when everyone thought the poor actor was doomed, something unexpected happened. He remained calm and continued playing on one string. The tune he produced was identical to the one he played on two strings. When he finished, he received a resounding applause from the entire room. Emperor Shenzong was delighted and rewarded the actor handsomely."
After Zhang Shixun finished speaking, he said with a smile: "This is a divine skill, don't you think?"
"Yes!" the whole audience shouted.
"Well then, I'm not that talented, but I'd like to learn from that senior today and try to play a song for everyone with just one string, okay?"
"Good!" The whole audience cheered.
Even the area outside the lotus shed was crowded with people. I wonder why it was so lively inside.
"Then I'd like to ask someone to come up and help me break one of the strings, so that no one will suspect me of cheating." Zhang Shixun said, pointing to a fat man in the audience, "I think this fat guy is quite suitable. He is big and strong, and looks like he has the courage of ten thousand men."
The fat man happily agreed and climbed onto the stage.
Zhang Shixun bowed to him and said, "My apologies, brother. When I said you were brave enough to be matched by ten thousand men, I didn't mean 'husband', but 'woman'."
Everyone was stunned.
Those who reacted quickly burst into laughter.
"Courage unmatched by any woman...Haha!"
The whole audience burst into laughter.
The fat man was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He held his big belly and laughed wildly. He couldn't stop laughing and almost choked.
Zhang Shixun was not in a hurry. He waited until the fat man had finished laughing before handing over the Ji Qin. "Now, I would like to ask this brave warrior, who is more courageous than any other woman, to show his might and break one of the strings of the qin."
The fat man finally managed to stop laughing and nodded, saying, "Glad to help."
As soon as the fat man's hand touched Ji Qin, Zhang Shixun suddenly said, "Wait!"
"What?" The fat man blinked, confused.
"Nothing, because you are so brave, so I remind you, just break one string, don't break both strings in your excitement, otherwise I will have no choice but to play you."
The whole audience burst into laughter again!
The fat man also laughed, "Don't worry, I only broke one."
Zhang Shixun handed the Ji Qin to him again. The fat man pulled it casually, and with a "snap" sound, one of the strings was broken.
Zhang Shixun gave a thumbs-up and praised, "What a man! Your strength can move mountains and your courage can conquer the world!"
After saying that, he patted the fat man's big belly.
The whole audience burst into laughter again.
After the fat man left, Zhang Shixun bowed to the audience. "No talking, no laughing, no fun. We all pay to listen to opera, just for fun... Some of you may be wondering, who is this guy? Why haven't we seen him before? I won't change my surname or my given name. My name is Zhang Shixun. The current emperor once heard me play the qin and personally named me 'Teacher of One Character'."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
A teacher of one word?
Hundreds of people on and off the stage, except Ding Dusai, were all stunned.
In an instant, everyone looked at Zhang Shixun with completely different eyes.
This person is a teacher appointed by the government himself.
Zhang Shixun stood on the stage and thought to himself: Old Zhao Ji, since you have given me the title of teacher with your "golden words", if I don't make good use of it, I will be the biggest fool in the world.
"Alright! Now that everyone knows my identity, I won't say much. Now I'll show you my real skills... a single string playing a tune."
Everyone cheered in unison.
Zhang Shixun sat down on a stool and said, "Even though it's just a string, I can't just play any tune to fool everyone. I'll play a nice little tune for you now, called 'From the First to the Fifteenth'. It's a very nice song, full of folk slang, catchy and heartfelt, perfect for ordinary people to sing. If you like it, come often in the future. The Ding family troupe will sing this piece in the future."
The audience was fed up, and someone shouted, "Why wait until later? Why not sing it for us now?"
"That's it, sing it now!"
Zhang Shixun stood up and bowed. "This song is a song a woman sings to her lover. It wouldn't sound right to a grown man like me. How about I read the lyrics to everyone first?"
"good!"
"From the first to the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the moon is high on the fifteenth day, and the spring breeze sways the willow branches. In March, the peach blossoms bloom, and the lover brings a letter, a letter with a message, and asks for a purse. One embroidered with a boat, with a sail on the boat, the meaning inside, my lover, you guess..."
After hearing the lyrics, the audience was itching to sing it, but Zhang Shixun had already said that it was sung by a woman, so there was nothing they could do.
"I will now play this piece for you all to hear... one string."
Zhang Shixun sat down, adjusted his breathing, and started to pull.
All the men, women, young and old from the Ding family were crowded backstage to watch, and they were almost dumbfounded.
They were all attracted by Zhang Shixun's wonderful performance and his interaction with the audience.
Ding Dusai and Ding's father, who were standing in front of the crowd, were also stunned.
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