Yang Gong was so furious he felt like his lungs were about to explode. He glared at the man who had reminded them of the half-stick of incense, even suspecting that the man had come to sabotage the event!

With such a reminder, Yang Gong could only grit his teeth, reluctantly admitting, "Indeed, half a stick of incense's time has passed, so let's invite the patron who offered 300 taels to come on stage and select a song."

The bidder of 300 taels was a middle-aged man with a goatee, who stammered a bit. Once on stage, he requested the classic "Pipa Song."

Zhen Ji, who had earlier exhausted herself to the point of collapse in the private box, was finally able to play her pipa and sing. Returning to the stage she loved, her confidence surged instantaneously.

Even her slightly unrefined tipsy makeup could not diminish her imposing presence.

She skillfully cradled the pipa, her fair fingers gently warbling across the strings, sending forth a melodious and pleasing sound.

All the patrons present closed their eyes to rest and rejuvenate, thoroughly indulging in the pipa music.

"Great strings thunder like torrential rain, small strings whisper like private conversations."

When Zhen Ji began to sing, the familiar feeling from earlier in the day returned, and the audience burst into applause and cheers.

"Thundering and whispering, the strings blend in a tumultuous melody, large and small pearls falling—"

Just when everyone thought they could enjoy the celestial voice of the Imperial City's top singer to the fullest, Zhen Ji's voice cracked at the word "falling," and she couldn't proceed with the next two words.

"Jade plate—"

Zhen Ji attempted several times but could only croak out these two words, which greatly dissatisfied the patrons.

"What's going on? We paid 300 taels for this song, and it's not sung properly, or is this actually her level?"

"We came here with great expectations, surely the Imperial City's top singer isn't just resting on her laurels?"

The most disgruntled among them was the short and plump man who had spent 300 taels; he angrily smashed his wine cup, exclaiming,

"Hmph, are you mocking me for being short and fat, deliberately refusing to sing well for me?"

Zhen Ji felt incredibly wronged in her heart. Her throat was fine earlier that afternoon, but it was just half an hour before, from overusing her voice with the Fourth Prince, that her voice broke.

Now, faced with everyone's questioning, she had grievances but could not voice them.

With such a sudden turn of events, Yang Gong was also at a loss. He tried to appease the crowd by offering to change singers, but the patrons would have none of it.

They all expressed that the 300 taels spent were not worth it.

As the calls for a refund grew louder, the Fourth Prince, hiding in the private box, had no choice but to step forward.

"Everyone, please quiet down. Zhen Ji's throat may need a day or two of rest. After strenuously singing at the Qiqiao stage for half a day, one's voice can indeed get worn out. You are all grown men, and here she is, a young girl who tried so hard to win the Qiqiao festival's love song contest—was it easy?"

"Here's what we'll do. I, the Prince, will decide for you all. Zhen Ji has already performed a song for you today. Next, let other singers entertain you with music, and after Zhen Ji rests for a day or two, she will come back and make it up to you by singing ten songs for free!"

The Fourth Prince knew how to cherish a woman, after all, Zhen Ji was so tired now, she should not continue to sing, but rather rest well.

The crowd, initially furious, had to show respect for the Fourth Prince, especially since he promised to make up with ten more songs—it seemed a good deal.

"Alright! Since the Fourth Prince has spoken, we will let Zhen Ji rest today and take care of her voice."

Yang Gong couldn't help but sweat, it had to be said, the authority of the Fourth Prince indeed resolved many issues.

Without Zhen Ji, the guests' enthusiasm diminished slightly, but it did not hinder them from continuing to spend money and request songs.

Fourth Prince and Yang Gong returned to a private room.

"Reporting to Your Highness, up to now, our music workshop has collected a total of 5780 taels of Silver."

Upon hearing this number, a joy that Fourth Prince could not conceal shone in his eyes, hardly credible that in less than half an hour, one could make so much money.

"Good, very good, now I truly understand the joy Lin Yi felt when he made swift Silver selling stained glass."

But Fourth Prince's happiness was short-lived, his expression darkening in an instant.

He remembered his agreement with Sixth Prince that the music workshop's income had to be shared with Sixth Prince, taking twenty percent.

This split would take away at least a thousand taels right off the bat, and as earnings continued to rise, the amount owed to Sixth Prince would only increase.

"Ah, had I known earlier, I should have agreed to give Sixth Brother an extra thousand taels back then. To split my Silver like this now, what a massive loss," he lamented.

The more Fourth Prince thought about it, the more incensed he became. To minimize his losses, he immediately sent someone to deliver 1500 taels of Silver to Sixth Prince, claiming it was his share of the profits.

Sixth Prince, not greedy, decided to take the money and run, happily pocketing the 1500 taels of Silver and willing to hand over his entire singer troupe to Fourth Prince.

This absolutely delighted Fourth Prince; with Sixth Prince so generously ceding the lucrative opportunity to him, he definitely needed to take good care of this younger brother in the future.

Soon, Zuimeng Music Workshop slowly reverted to its usual state, with singers performing in a well-organized manner, and the guests listening in rapture, while Fourth Prince and Yang Gong were busy counting money until their hands got sore.

Compared to the orderliness of Zuimeng Music Workshop, the Good Sound Music Workshop entered a rhythm of public participation in singing.

Good Sound Music Workshop had no entry threshold, so anyone who wanted to listen or sing songs could do so without spending a coin.

In the cool, rocking dance floor, Lin Yi played his favorite songs on a powerful sound system.

"Wumeng Mountain connects with mountains beyond mountains, moonlight sprinkles over Xiangshui Beach, is there anyone who can tell me, is this the call of heaven for you, flipping over a mountain and crossing a river, thousands of mountains and rivers are not lonely..."

Lin Yi kept this song on repeat, and following the music, everyone started swaying involuntarily, humming along after only three or four plays within a quarter of an hour.

"Wumeng Mountain connects with mountains beyond mountains, moonlight sprinkles over Xiangshui Beach."

This was precisely the scene Lin Yi wanted to see—a grand national revelry, everyone singing together.

"The vast sky is my love, under the softly rolling green hills flowers bloom, which rhythm beats the most hip-swinging, what kind of song truly brings the widest smiles..."

While Zuimeng Music Workshop was raking in money hand over fist, Lin Yi's Good Sound Music Workshop was amassing popularity.

After an hour of free music listening and singing, when the crowd was able to hum a few lines, Lin Yi arranged the next segment.

"Today you can request a song for one tael of Silver, never a price increase!"

"If you can't produce a tael of Silver, you can participate in the street band outside, follow the procession and wander half the Imperial City, and you can request a song for free!"

When next door starts at 100 taels of Silver, here it's just one tael. Just from a value for money perspective, this could attract a lot of people.

However, currently, it's mostly people with ordinary incomes who are in Good Sound Music Workshop, and the wealthy, having paid a 100 tael deposit during the day, naturally stay mostly in Zuimeng Music Workshop.

But Lin Yi is not worried about the immediate gains or losses.

Seeing the queue outside already stretching for hundreds of meters, he arranged for Bai Lu to manage three portable sound systems, cycling through "The Most Exotic National Style" and "Lady Shexiang" inside.

Just as the guests of Zuimeng Music Workshop were enjoying the tranquil and beautiful music inside, a thunderous chorus of hundreds erupted from outside.

…End of chapter…

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