Zhang Shixun smiled at him, turned and walked towards where the male artists gathered.
These guys were either squatting or standing, all looking towards the stage.
That won't do. We didn't invite them here to be the audience.
The person squatting on the ground saw that it was Zhang Shixun and quickly stood up.
"Why are you all standing here?" Zhang Shixun asked with a stern face and a somewhat harsh tone.
Everyone looked at him nervously, and no one came out to answer.
Seeing their nervousness, Zhang Shixun slowed down his tone, "I've invited you here for the Lantern Festival performance. You should know that on that day, the emperor and all the officials will be watching from the Xuande Tower, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary people will also come to watch. If you don't practice well and make a fool of yourself on stage, you'll be embarrassed."
Zhang Shixun pointed toward the stage. "This performance is very different from usual. Once you're on stage, you'll appear on the screen... on the skylight. The tens of thousands of people in the audience can see you clearly."
When everyone heard this, they suddenly became nervous.
"Master... Master," someone in the crowd asked in a trembling voice, "Are you saying that as long as we step onto the stage, we will also enter the fairyland?"
Zhang Shixun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Feng Erlang, so he nodded and said, "As long as you get on the stage, of course you can go in."
"Then... the people in the audience can even see my flying knives clearly, right?"
"Of course I can see it clearly. Otherwise, the people in the audience would only see you swinging your arms on the stage. Wouldn't that be like looking at an idiot?"
"Hehe!" Feng Erlang laughed, "That's great! If I could just take a stroll through the fairyland, my life would be completely wasted."
"If the flying knife goes astray, you will be embarrassed."
"No, I've been practicing throwing knives since I was a kid. This knife is just like my hand. I can use it as easily as my arm. I can hit whatever I point at and it will never go wrong."
"Even so, we can't be careless." Zhang Shixun smiled and nodded. He turned his gaze to the others and raised his voice, "Time is running out. Everyone, practice hard. This performance is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. It's your chance to make a name for yourself. Don't miss it."
"Yes!" Everyone agreed in unison, excitement on everyone's face.
After three full days, Fan Lou finally had some clues.
Li Shishi and her friends each mastered two songs.
As for the juggling performance, Zhang Shixun couldn't help them much, so he let them rehearse on their own. They still had to rehearse anyway, so they could just eliminate the programs they were not satisfied with.
He took some time to go back to the First Army to check on the training situation and was quite satisfied with He Ji and the others.
The training of the First Army has been going on for several months since the officers began. Whether it is the military posture, formation or mental outlook, they are now completely different from before and can barely be put on display.
The military uniforms allocated by the court have arrived. After the officers and soldiers put on the new uniforms and conducted drills, they looked refreshed and their spirits were much stronger than before.
The disbursement of weapons has been somewhat slow.
According to Cai Tao, the government was quite wary of this.
The Zhao family has always had extremely strict control over weapons. Even the imperial guards are not usually equipped with weapons, and all weapons are stored in the arsenals of various armies.
This is a custom that has been passed down from Taizu's generation.
The Zhao family's throne was not obtained in a legitimate way, and they were also afraid that one day their own ministers would be like them, put on the yellow robe, and seize their imperial power.
But this time, Zhao Ji was indeed seduced by Zhang Shixun.
Being able to have one's image reach the heavens is a temptation that no emperor can refuse.
Despite repeated hesitation, he finally agreed to allocate weapons and equipment to the First Army.
Zhang Shixun did not want to lead the Tianwu Army to the front of Xuande Tower on the Lantern Festival. Firstly, the conditions did not allow it, and secondly, the preparations were too hasty.
He initially planned to hold the military parade on the Tianwu Army drill ground, and then broadcast the parade video on the Lantern Festival to achieve a shocking visual effect.
The main purpose is to show off, create momentum in public opinion, and lay the foundation for future training.
After giving instructions to He Ji, Zhang Shixun went to Cai's mansion without stopping.
With his current status, he couldn't go directly to the palace to see the emperor, so he had to go to Cai Jing.
Although Cai Jing was an old fox who had cultivated himself into a spirit, he was at least willing to do things.
Cai Jing spent his whole life doing things.
Of course, a considerable part of them are bad things, or at least not good things.
"History of Song Dynasty" listed Cai Jing in the "Biographies of Traitorous Ministers", saying that he was insidious, cunning, cruel and ruthless, and would use any means to attack his political enemies; it said that he confused the ruler, formed cliques for personal gain, causing the corruption of officials and the people's livelihood to be miserable; although the Northern Song Dynasty was not directly destroyed by him, he is the eternal sinner of the Northern Song Dynasty's demise.
Throughout the dynasties, the evaluation of Cai Jing has basically followed this tone.
Even his achievements in calligraphy were removed from the list, and Cai Jing, one of the four great calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty, "Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai", became Cai Xiang.
However, putting aside the moral aspect, Cai Jing is not completely useless. His administrative ability and ability to design economic systems are also worth learning from. In fact, some of his measures have been used by later generations.
When Zhang Shixun came to visit, Cai Tao came out to greet him warmly.
"Shixun, are the imperial guards ready?" Even in the warm room, Cai Jing was still wrapped in a thick cotton coat.
Zhang Shixun bowed and replied, "Everything is ready, just waiting for the emperor to come and inspect it."
Cai Jing coughed and said, "My son came back and told me that you can bring people into the fairyland. I'm a little skeptical. Can you explain to me, can you really bring people into the fairyland?"
Zhang Shixun laughed, "Prime Minister Cai, the so-called fairyland is something illusory. How can you bring it into the fairyland?"
"Then..." Cai Jing turned his head and glanced at his son. "My son, you should create a fairyland on the stage, with fairies and fairy music."
Zhang Shixun smiled but said nothing.
"...Moreover, Li Shishi and other singing girls also appeared in the fairyland."
"Prime Minister Cai, if you want to appear in there, I can do it without any effort, but it's meaningless." Zhang Shixun picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"What do you mean?" Cai Jing sat up straighter, his eyes flashing with cold light. "Could it be that Shixun is playing tricks to confuse everyone?"
Zhang Shixun shook his head: "This is not a trick, but an ability that you cannot understand."
"Is the ability you mentioned a spell?"
"This isn't magic, but..." Zhang Shixun thought for a long time, but couldn't find the right words to explain it. He simply said, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed. Prime Minister Cai, please don't ask any more questions."
This sentence was very effective, and Cai Jing immediately shut up.
This is already a secret of heaven, how can a mortal ask about it?
"My son said you wanted the emperor to inspect the First Army."
"Yes."
"What are your plans?"
"It's simple. Let the official show up at the First Army and say a few words."
"That's all?"
"Well, that's all."
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