Since the last meeting, Ruan Shan and Shu Yan had said that they would get together often, but Shu Yan was busy with music and dancing, so he couldn't be idle. On this day, the Ruan Shan brothers and sisters bought some wine and food, and came to invite Shu Yan to a small gathering to relieve him of pressure, and by the way, they also called Xiao Mo.

Shu Yan was tired for days and wanted to relax, so he readily agreed. Since he and Xiao Mo decided on the idea of "eating and matching", he has never met Xiao Mo. Today is the right time to ask how his side is going.

Shu Yan and Xiao Mo arrived at Taifu Temple one after the other, and sat on the ground with the Ruan brothers and sisters. Because Ruan Shui regarded Xiao Mo as a eunuch and Shu Yan as a big brother, although young men and women were not very suspicious.

Ruan Shan said with a smile while pouring wine for them: "I have long wanted to invite the two brothers over for a small gathering, but I heard that you have received a big errand, which is very good, and you are very busy, so I didn't dare to disturb without permission." ”

Shu Yan took the wine, saluted Ruan Shan first, and then said: "The errand is indeed not small, these days have really made my brother and I dizzy." ”

Xiao Mo also toasted the Ruan brothers and sisters, and then asked Shu Yan: "Brother Shu, how is your planning over there?" ”

Shu Yan told the truth about his situation.

"Although the seven tones have been determined among the eight tones, there is only one one that has not yet been thought of. However, the deadline is tight, and you better decide quickly. ”

"I'm not in a hurry, but I don't have a satisfactory idea yet. And now that the music and dance troupes of the four countries have arrived in Beijing one after another, they will be selected and rehearsed next. ”

"Your stall is getting bigger and bigger, why shouldn't I? The larger the scale of the conference, the more food we need to prepare. ”

"Speaking of which, I was about to ask you, how is it going on over there?"

Xiao Mo listened to the question, but smiled: "I'm here, keep it secret first." ”

Shu Yan raised his eyebrows and pretended to be angry: "I am honest and open to you, but you are secretive to me, isn't that kind?" ”

Xiao Mo smiled secretly: My secrecy about you doesn't stop at this!

Ruan Shan listened to Shu Yan and Xiao Mo for a long time, and he didn't understand much, what kind of food and music, silk, and so on, but he only knew that Shu Yan had a problem that had not been solved. He couldn't help, so he could only persuade him to drink more.

After eating almost enough, Ruan Shui left the table first because he was going to feed the elephants. When Xiao Mo heard this, he stopped eating and wanted to see the elephant. Ruan Shan and Shu Yan also got up immediately, and the four of them came to the elephant house together.

Elephants live in hot areas and are not adapted to the northern climate. In order to allow the elephants to spend the winter in Luoyang safely, the Ruan brothers and sisters have taken a lot of measures to keep them warm, and the food they eat and the water they drink are as clean and constant as possible.

Ruan Shan picked up a load of cabbage and a load of grass, and then picked up two large buckets of water and put them in the elephant house. Shu Yan and Xiao Mo also walked in. The elephant was resting in a corner with his back to the door, looking lazy on a winter day. Ruan Shan took out a small gourd sheng and put it to his lips and blew it, and the elephant immediately turned around and walked slowly towards this side when he heard the voice.

When I saw Shu Yan, I greeted him with my nose first, and then started drinking. Ruan Shui used a big stiff comb to comb its body.

Ruan Shan said: "Our brothers and sisters, we would rather not eat our own food, several times a day, but also arrange the diet of the elephant brother first." ”

Xiao Mo laughed: "Your brothers and sisters are too small in front of your younger brother, right?" ”

"But isn't it, Brother Xiao Mo, don't look at its size, but its age is one year younger than her sister."

After the elephant drank the water, he rolled up the cabbage with his big trunk and ate it.

Ruan Shui said with a smile while combing his hair: "Brother Shu, since I stole your cabbage that year, I fell in love with it, and for so many years in Luoyang, every winter, cabbage is indispensable every day." ”m.

Shu Yan also smiled when he heard this: "Luoyang is not as good as you, there are fresh vegetables to eat all year round." In the northern winter, the earth is dry and yellow, and there are only a few kinds of vegetables such as Chinese cabbage that can be kept fresh for a long time. Compared with the dry and dry forage, the cabbage is smart and sweet, and the elephant is so smart, of course, the first choice is cabbage. ”

Xiao Mo heard Shu Yan and others exaggerating that the elephant was smart, and he didn't believe it, and said, "Don't exaggerate, how smart can such a stupid thing be?" ”

Ruan Shan listened and said, "Since Brother Xiao Mo doesn't believe it, I'll let it prove it to you." When he had finished speaking, he blew the sheng again, and when the elephant heard it, he immediately stopped eating and drinking, sat down on the ground, and lifted up his front hooves.

Xiao Mo saw it, and was very surprised, and secretly thought: It turns out that this big guy is so flexible and humane! However, she was still a little skeptical in her heart, and said, "This elephant has been trained by you for many years, and this must be a trick that you are used to." I randomly come up with a question on the spot, can it do it? ”

"But it doesn't hurt to talk about it."

"I heard that the elephant's trunk is very powerful, so I let the elephant roll me up on its back with its trunk, can you do it?"

"As long as you're not scared, it's totally fine."

Ruan Shan blew again, and the elephant stood up and walked straight to Xiao Mo's side. Xiao Mo saw this behemoth coming to him at this time, stretched out his long nose, and suddenly became timid, eager to retract what he had just said.

Shu Yan knew that Xiao Mo was afraid, and encouraged with a smile: "You don't have to be afraid, just turn your back to the elephant, ride on the curl of the elephant's trunk with your legs, lean your back tightly, and go up as soon as you close your eyes." ”

Xiao Mo had no choice but to do what Shu Yan said. As soon as he closed his eyes, he felt a flip in the air, and landed firmly on the broad back of the elephant.

Ruan Shui saw it and giggled, she patted the elephant's ear, and the elephant squatted down and put Xiao Mo down. Xiao Mo touched the ground with his feet, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, and said slowly: "It's really smart." It's not surprising that an elephant can have so much strength, and it's amazing that so many people are present, and it can find exactly the one you designate and throw it on, how do you communicate with it? Is it just your sheng? ”

"Sheng is the most direct way of communication, in addition, we rely on the heart to respond, I and the water sister's words and deeds, like the brother can understand."

"Sheng-" Shu Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, and an idea arose, "Brother Ruan, do you want to participate in the Yuanzheng Conference, and do me a favor by the way?" ”

"It's okay to do you a favor, but you can participate in the Yuanzheng Conference, can you joke about it? At that conference, they were all dignitaries, how could I have that qualification? ”

"It's not a joke, it's true, what I just said, in the Yuan Zheng Conference, it is necessary to play according to the eight musical instruments, and now only the last subordinate is vacant, and I have not found a satisfactory match of instruments and music. Until I saw you using the sheng to communicate with the elephant just now. ”

When Xiao Mo heard this, he seemed to understand most of it: "Brother Shu, do you mean that at the Yuanzheng Conference, let Brother Ruan blow the sheng and present a performance of elephant taming?" ”

"That's right, that's right. A few days ago, when I was studying the old music of Yuefu, I found that there was a song called "The Giant Elephant's Breast", which was a real elephant taming performance. It was originally a very popular show, but later due to problems such as wild elephants being untamable, it was changed to a trickster pretending to be a giant elephant to perform. But in this way, the stability is there, but the fun is greatly reduced. I watched Brother Xiang's performance just now, and I know that there is no need to worry about this problem at all. ”

Ruan Shan still didn't quite understand: "It will definitely not go wrong to perform elephant taming at the Yuan Zheng Conference. It's just that what you said is not what it has to do with me? ”

"The gourd sheng you play is a musical instrument of the genus Kuang!"

"That's not going to work, is it...... Although I can play the sheng, I have always played it casually by feeling, and I never pay attention to any tunes. ”

"I don't ask you to play a beautiful tune, you just need to play as well as you can with your brother."

"Well, it's not that hard."

Ruan Shan was about to agree, but Ruan Shui suddenly said: "It's not that it's not difficult, but it's not possible at all." ”

Everyone was taken aback and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Ruan Shui pursed his lips and smiled, and said: "Although I have never seen the performance of "The Giant Elephant Walking Milk", but when I hear this name, it must be a female elephant, how can my elephant brother take on it?" ”

When Shu Yan and Ruan Shan heard this, they suddenly realized: "It's bad, I forgot about this." ”

Xiao Mo laughed and said, "What's so difficult about this? Although there is a difference between male and female, it is an elephant after all, and you just need to dress up when the time comes. It's like there is a difference between men and women, but if someone deliberately dresses up, a man dresses as a woman or a woman dresses as a man, can you tell the difference? ”

Shu Yan glanced at Xiao Mo and said, "The truth is good." Still, who would be so bored and have nothing to do pretending to be of the opposite sex? ”

Xiao Mo looked at Shu Yan, who was unaware, lowered his head and smiled secretly, and said in his heart: "It's in vain that you are so shrewd, but you are very stupid at this point." ”

Ruan Shui objected again: "After all, people are different from animals, and when they wear clothes, there is not much difference between men and women in appearance. But elephants are different, especially what about the big guys that are unique to these two male elephants? As she spoke, she touched two white tusks with her hand.

Shu Yan waved his hand and said, "Sister Shui, you don't have to worry about this. As far as I know, there are many kinds of elephants in the world, and the elephants in South Vietnam have tusks, but the female elephants do not; In the West, there is another kind of elephant, both male and female, so those with tusks are not necessarily male elephants. ”

Ruan Shan smiled when he heard this: "Brother Shu is still erudite and talented, and he is not as lonely as me." In this case, the matter is decided, and our brother and sister will go to the Taile Department tomorrow to perform this dance. ”

Shu Yan was overjoyed, said goodbye to the Ruan Shan brothers and sisters, and went back with Xiao Mo.

Solve the last genus, and the eight musical instruments are complete. The court's Yale and Sanle are also almost determined. But this year, there are many vassal countries in all directions who want to present their own music and dance for the Son of Heaven of the Great Jin Dynasty, and next, they will be arranged.

The Fan subordinate countries of the Great Jin Dynasty are divided into all directions, so the customs are very different, each country has its own unique living habits, especially in music and dance, there is a huge difference, some music is pleasant, the dance posture is beautiful; Some are not proficient in music, and singing and dancing are even more vulgar. The beautiful ones can, and the vulgar ones cannot, of course, enter the emperor's eyes and ears. Moreover, it is also a fresh attempt to arrange the joy of the four Yi at the Yuan Zheng Conference. The Yuanzheng Conference was already full, and of course it couldn't be added too much. Therefore, Shu Yan thought that among the many vassal countries, only among the four Yi of Dongyi, Xirong, Nanban, and Beidi, each Yi only selected the most typical and highest-level music of a country to present at the Yuanzheng Conference.

The next day, Shu Yan arranged a special music workshop in the Taile Department. Gather the envoys and musicians together, and ask them to perform one by one, and carefully review them one by one. It took another two days of work to finally determine the music and dance of the four countries: Chenhan in Dongyi, Linyi in Nanban, Qiuzi in Xirong, and Xianbei in Beidi.

All the music has been finalized, and there are only twenty days left before the Yuan Zheng Conference. Shu Yan carefully planned again, and systematically rehearsed the last few rehearsals for them, and did not stop until Chinese New Year's Eve.

Some people died, but not completely......