"No problem, no problem." The foreign prince immediately expressed his willingness to show Zhao Shu his talents. He had done some research in the capital these past few days and knew that people in Dayong who were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs were considered to be very talented and popular with women. He felt that the music of his own country would be very novel to the people of Dayong.
Zhao Yi pretended to be thinking, and after a moment he seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "How about this, we'll have a cultural exchange?"
"Very well, as Emperor Dayong would say." The foreign man was quite grateful to Zhao Yi. As a prince, he couldn't very well perform for others, especially since the Empress of Dayong hadn't even made a move.
The other princes also thought the decision was excellent and were all grateful to Zhao Yi, because they also wanted to show their talents as a form of cultural exchange between the two countries, and the name sounded much better.
"Then, Your Highness, let's begin." Zhao Yi gestured for him to begin.
Since they came to Dayong to pay homage, the princes naturally brought their own country's specialties. Princes with special skills would also bring their own charlatan-like tools, just like many noble families like to bring flutes and xiao (vertical flutes).
All eyes were on the first prince to make his appearance. He asked his attendant to bring a hulusi (a type of gourd flute). Zhao Shu recognized the hulusi as a musical instrument from a minority group in Yunnan. However, this prince did not seem to be from Yunnan, which was located in Dayong.
However, since it was someone else's specialty, she couldn't really say anything.
Zhao Shu took a sip of the wine, which was a bit spicy, and then spat it back out when no one was looking. As soon as she spat it out, she looked up and saw Qiu Tong smiling at her and secretly handing her a cup of tea, which was served in a wine glass.
She smiled gratefully at her, then noticed that the color of the Empress Dowager's wine glass was the same as the tea Qiu Tong had handed her, and she understood.
After rinsing his mouth with tea to dispel the smell of alcohol, the prince began to perform. He chose a light and cheerful tune that made the listener feel as if they were walking through green grass in spring, surrounded by blooming flowers, a truly relaxing experience.
The piece was short, about four or five minutes long. Zhao Shu thought it was quite good. Although it wasn't at the level of a master, it was still pleasant to listen to. She had never heard the sound of the Yunnan hulusi before and didn't know what it sounded like when they played it, but this prince's hulusi was sure to be memorable.
"Good." Zhao Yi clapped first, and as his clapping sounded, thunderous applause followed in the hall. The music was fresh, and people were always willing to give face.
“Exquisite! However, I have always admired the culture of Dayong and have specially learned the bamboo flute. Now I would like to present it to you wise men of Dayong for your guidance.” The other princes immediately stepped forward. He had cleverly chosen a musical instrument from Dayong, and the reason was easy to guess.
If Zhao Shuruo were to marry a foreign ruler, she would be far from home and would surely miss her homeland. If her husband understood Dayong culture, could it alleviate his homesickness?
Zhao Shu was about to give him a thumbs up. The first prince who had performed was filled with regret and wished he could start over and learn about the culture of Dayong to increase his chances of winning.
Zhao Yi was surprised and delighted. It would be even better if his own culture could be promoted and developed in foreign lands, and he would be more than happy to let foreigners learn it, except for weapons and some technologies.
"Very well, Your Highness, please." He waved his hand with great magnanimity and high spirits.
The sound of the bamboo flute is melodious and gentle, and it is much more moving than the sound of other instruments. It was called the sound of cleansing in ancient times and was loved by many people. Zhao Shu also liked it very much. When she heard that someone was going to play the bamboo flute, she immediately became interested.
The prince was overjoyed to see that Zhao Shu was much more serious than before. He immediately became very attentive. It is said that men can perform exceptionally well when trying to please women. The prince gently played the flute, and the melodious sound immediately filled the hall. All the civil and military officials gave the prince a thumbs up in their hearts and whispered among themselves.
"Not bad, not bad. To be able to play it like this, you must have quite a bit of skill. You must have practiced for several years. You really enjoy it," Xie Yun said to Yan Shiren beside him.
Yan Shiren nodded and spoke to him in a low voice, "This prince can be married off, but we shouldn't get too close to him."
"Yes, this young man is a good partner. In the future, it would be beneficial for us to have a ruler who is close to Dayong in our relations with our two countries. By the way, does the Emperor Emeritus still have any princesses who are not yet married?" Xie Yun echoed. He had many thoughts in mind. Dayong now has firearms and its people will live in peace and prosperity. A golden age is not impossible. Dayong will definitely be better in the future and will become a powerful country.
Looking at Zhao Yi, he was not the kind of person who was ambitious and eager for quick success. He would not expand territory for the sake of expansion. He had his own ideas and understood that it was difficult to manage a large territory, especially since there were too many ethnic groups and different cultures between them, making it difficult to govern.
Now is the perfect time. If we become even stronger, we could even seize the surrounding prosperous lands.
As for those impoverished and desolate areas, Zhao Yi had no interest in ruling them. It would be one thing if taxes couldn't be collected, but the court would probably have to allocate funds for relief, thus hindering others.
You can't use taxpayers' money to satisfy your personal desires.
It must be said that Zhao Yi was an emperor with very sound values, and the ministers were very satisfied with him.
Thinking of this, Yan Shiren frowned and whispered to Xie Yun, "The Emperor Emeritus did not come."
Xie Yun had noticed it long ago, and not only him, but everyone else had noticed it too, but no one dared to say anything. After all, things were different now. Centralization had taken a big step forward, the vassal kings had been basically subdued, and the powerful families didn't dare to say anything. Yang Zhong's hometown was surrounded by a group of refugees, and they didn't dare to cause any hatred to the main camp.
"I'm afraid he won't be able to get out in the future," Xie Yun said. He didn't know what Huo Baichuan had said to Zhao Yi, but if the new emperor wanted to completely seize power, it would be better for the retired emperor to remain ill.
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