The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

Over the course of the meal, the four of them boasted to each other, exchanging pleasantries and exchanging business compliments. They ate to their hearts' content, and both host and guests were thoroughly entertained.

The dishes at Qianzhen Pavilion are indeed excellent. Although they are mostly home-style dishes, they are still delicious and visually appealing, truly befitting the imperial culinary skills passed down from our ancestors.

Li Zichun ate heartily, while the other three ate and sized up the man in front of them, occasionally striking up a conversation, and glancing at the clothes that Xu Qiunian had folded neatly, wondering if they should quibble a few more poems or operas from him.

Li Zichun said with a smile, "You guys should just focus on eating, or I'll eat all the food by myself."

Xu Chengfeng chuckled and joked, "It's alright, there's more if it's not enough. Even if Dai Rong doesn't treat us, I'll still treat you. With this poem, you can eat all the chefs in this building."

Dai Rong retorted, "Old Xu, you've got your side sorted out, so don't meddle anymore. I'm all talk and no action yet."

Li Zichun said with a smile, "I will definitely do what I say I will do. You can relax and eat. I will make sure that the score and script of the whole work are in your hands when you go out. You have a lot of things to do. Instead of worrying about this, you might as well eat a few more bites of food now."

Dai Rong wanted to say something more, but he was afraid that Dai Rong would find him long-winded and impatient, so he didn't say anything more.

Xu Qiunian also wisely told the two old guys to keep quiet and focus on their meal so as not to spoil everyone's mood.

A meal can last either long or short, depending entirely on the attitude of the people at the table.

Li Zichun touched his gradually bulging belly and said, "Ah, I've become lazy since I came to the capital. I just eat and sleep all day long, and I'm almost as fat as a ball."

Xu Qiunian, who was standing to the side, rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. With your thin and frail appearance, I could send you to the Western Paradise with just one punch.

After the four finished eating, they chatted briefly about the local customs and folklore of Shangjing. He suggested where they should go to visit, which alleys to walk through, which streets to stroll through, where the largest and oldest markets and shops were, and where the scenery was unique every mile, and how to appreciate it, etc.

Li Zichun chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that these guys were really persistent. Luckily, he had made up his mind to return to Kowloon and had no real interest in this place. He knew more or less about what they were saying; a country with little cultural depth, mostly fragmented history, could possibly build any remarkable miracles. No matter how magnificent or splendid it might be, could it compare to China's ten ancient capitals?

Li Zichun just listened to it for fun, saying things like "I'll go and see when I have time," which he himself didn't believe.

As the group was about to leave, Dai Rongcai said cautiously and somewhat anxiously, "Zichun, the script you promised me... what do you think of it?"

Li Zichun said with a smile, "Don't worry, it will appear by itself when we get to the door."

The three people standing nearby were completely bewildered. "Dropping down from the sky? Is this some kind of magic?"

Dai Rong paid the bill, completely bewildered. As the four of them walked to the door, he couldn't help but ask, "We're here now. Where's the script?"

Xu Chengfeng and Xu Qiunian also scanned the tables, chairs, benches, and each waiter, but still felt it was impossible and looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Li Zichun smiled faintly, took out a whistle from his pocket and said, "Watch out for me."

Li Zichun yawned before whistling softly.

After the sound, there was silence all around.

The four of them looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Li Zichun shouted loudly, "Seven of Bamboo, where are you gallivanting off to?"

A silver-gray cat wearing a floral vest came running quickly from the alley entrance, its steps agile and its movements like a turbocharged engine, running straight towards us.

Seven-Card moved swiftly and cleanly, coming to a stop right in front of Li Zichun without drifting at all, and then meowed obediently.

Dai Rong was also dumbfounded: "Wow, good heavens."

Xu Chengfeng was also amazed and asked in disbelief, "You can train cats?"

Li Zichun shook his head and said, "No, cats are naturally smart and can understand human speech. Come on up."

After Li Zichun finished speaking, he reached out his hand, and Qi Tong jumped into his arms with a precise and neat movement. Then, he patted his head and said with a smile, "Next time, play nearby. If you run too far, the city management officers might arrest you and make you a castrated dog."

Qitong meowed obediently and rubbed against him to show that she understood and would be careful.

Everyone was shocked by this amazing scene. As expected, the cat raised by different people is also extremely intelligent and spiritual.

Li Zichun patted its head, then opened a button at the seam of its front leg, revealing a USB flash drive. He handed it to Dai Rong: "Inside are the written script and sheet music, as well as many details such as the tone and scenes needed for the lyrics. I hope it will be helpful to you. I won't get involved in the rest."

Dai Rong took it, somewhat bewildered, and asked doubtfully, "If you put this on a cat, aren't you afraid it will fall off and someone else will pick it up?"

Li Zichun said with a faint smile, "It's just something I wrote for fun in my spare time. So what if it's lost? I can just write a new one. As long as I'm alive, can't I write something new? Consider this as payment for your dinner and the bar rental."

Just as Dai Rong was about to refuse, Li Zichun said with a smile, "If you don't accept it, you're not giving me face. I have no use for this thing. It's better to give it to someone as enthusiastic as you so it can shine for you."

After saying that, he turned to Xu Chengfeng and his grandson and said, "Thank you both for keeping me company today. Let's get together again another day. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

The four nodded to each other, and Li Zichun, carrying the seven bamboo tubes, disappeared into the alley and hailed a taxi on the main street to go home.

The entire dinner was conducted without a single wasted word or unnecessary incident. He didn't even encounter anyone from the eight entertainment venues. This was because he had excused himself to go to the restroom before the meal, casually pulled over a waiter, gave him a tip, and asked him to keep an eye on the people entering and leaving the Hua Rong Hall. He was told to just give them a hand signal when they left, thus avoiding any trouble by running into them.

In fact, before Li Zichun came to the capital, he had Yan Xiaoli investigate Li Ke's whereabouts and the course of events. He had a detailed record of the entire story, from its beginning to its end, on his phone.

From "Sleeping Beauty" to Luo Feiyu, and then to bar owner Dai Rong, their backgrounds and origins were already well known to me, and I had a general understanding of them.

So everything seemed casual, but in reality, it was all carefully planned. Starting with the song "Ode to the Pear Blossom" in the second performance in Kowloon Harbour, although that song was unintentional, it was a move that had been prepared long ago.

Although he didn't want to develop his career in Beijing, it didn't stop him from expanding his network and influence there.

He had already researched that such opera did not exist in this era, so he wrote down the score and the performance details from his memory in advance, just in case.

Since Dai Rong asked about it today, I'll just give it to him. It'll be a good opportunity to make friends and do him a favor. As for Xu Chengfeng and his grandson, it was just a chance encounter, so I'm just helping them out.

He only had three people under his command, and he didn't have many people he liked to begin with. Now, none of them could escape.

As for Luo Feiyu's information and what he said, he was skeptical. Although their information on search engines might have been altered, it was impossible for it to be entirely false.

Everything in this world is a mix of truth and falsehood; how can there be a completely transparent truth? Therefore, it's best to leave such matters to professionals.

When he left the detective agency in Kowloon Harbour, he drafted a new case, asking Yi Zhichun to investigate Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke. He couldn't allow anything uncontrollable to happen around him, so understanding their background and upbringing was a crucial step.

The data he gave Dai Rong to store on the USB drive was naturally the origin of "Ode to the Pear Blossom"—"The Imperial Concubine of the Tang Dynasty".

The symphonic Peking Opera *The Imperial Concubine Yang* is a large-scale Peking Opera production created by Peking Opera artist Mei Baojiu in collaboration with a group of heavyweight creative personnel, including Weng Sizai, Guo Xiaonan, Yang Nailin, Gao Guangjian, and Lan Ling, and the Shanghai Peking Opera Company. The opera is adapted from Mei Lanfang's famous 20s play *The Legend of Yang Guifei*, while also referencing other renowned works such as Bai Juyi's *Song of Everlasting Regret*, Bai Pu's *The Rain on the Wutong Tree*, and Hong Sheng's *The Palace of Eternal Life*, as well as some contemporary works. It is a re-adaptation that blends traditional Peking Opera with modern stage art concepts, possessing both the classical beauty of the Mei School of Peking Opera and a contemporary feel. The opera premiered in Shanghai in 2003, starring Mei Baojiu and Zhang Xuejin, and was a sensation.

The reimagined version of *The Imperial Concubine Yang* emphasizes the sincere love between Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji) and Yang Guifei. In portraying Yang Guifei, it avoids acknowledging her original background as the wife of a prince and omitting her ambiguous relationship with An Lushan, highlighting her purity, innocence, and unwavering loyalty to love. The portrayal of Emperor Xuanzong reveals the complexity of his character; he was the founder of the Kaiyuan era of prosperity and also the one responsible for the An Lushan Rebellion. In love, he possesses both sincerity and debauchery. In the final scene, the abdicated Emperor Xuanzong's constant longing for Yang Guifei demonstrates a return to his humanity. This prompts a series of reflections from the audience, enhancing the play's humanistic value and satirical significance.

While avoiding the fact that Yang Guifei was the wife of a prince might seem like a distortion of history, creative works can't simply copy history exactly. After all, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a work of fiction, and as long as it's well-acted, it's a good work.

The reason he didn't get involved in the follow-up matters of "The Imperial Concubine of Tang Dynasty" was naturally to let professionals do professional things.

It's like being in a completely different world when you're not in the same profession. He's at most a passionate enthusiast of Peking Opera; he can sing a few excerpts and understands the basic techniques. But if you actually asked him to do it, he'd chicken out.

Furthermore, regarding the Peking Opera project "The Imperial Concubine Yang," he had heard quite a bit about it before he transmigrated. In 2016, it was even designated as a key creative project by the Beijing Peking Opera Company for a revival and restaging. In other words, the entire project is not perfect.

Just like Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion", since its creation, it has been constantly modified and adapted by various people in its dissemination, which is why it has become the mature play that we hear and know today.

So when Li Zichun gave Dai Rong the script, he also gave her his advice: "If you think it can be better, feel free to change it. Growth is a process of being repeatedly pondered. Jade cannot become a gem without being carved. This script is just a rough draft that I wrote haphazardly. I hope you can make it truly shine."

When Li Zichun left, the dinner party at GTV also ended.

These past few days, the higher-ups have gone mad for some reason, arresting one artist after another, as well as many managers, and the reasons they gave were so compelling that they couldn't find fault with them.

Under the overarching premise of revitalizing the national cultural development strategy, they dared not act too aggressively and could only try their best to block the news to prevent things from getting out of control and affecting the company's image.

The eight major entertainment companies have no choice but to unite and cause trouble. They are the capital in the open, colluding with various enterprises and controlling the two main categories of cultural output: music and film and television works. They also hold the copyrights to many screenplays and literary works.

With just a few casual movements, one can influence the direction and level of a nation's cultural development.

Huating Entertainment, which was supported by the government, has now joined the ranks of capital counterattacks, proving that all crows are black, which is one of the reasons why Li Zichun dislikes staying in the domestic entertainment industry.

Li Zichun cannot agree with their cultural output and value output over the years. He has no intention of developing in the Chinese entertainment industry until they are completely overthrown.

He could only turn to Kowloon, where their influence was not as great. Fortunately, the headquarters of "Taiwanese Romance" had already moved to Beijing, so although there were obstacles to his development there, the pressure was not great. Moreover, due to Kowloon's unique island characteristics, it was actually very helpful in expanding his influence and the international impact of his works.

Li Zichun returned with the Seven Bamboos, checked Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke's practice progress, then sat down on a bench, nodded, and said, "Hmm, not bad. I just talked to Boss Dai, and the 'Time' themed new song concert will still be held there. Keep up the good work! Xiaoli, you can start preparing for the venue. Just send me a picture when you're done."

Zhao Qianfan stood behind him, massaging his shoulders. The intensely comfortable massage made his whole body feel weak and sore.

This guy's technique is really getting better and better every day.

Enjoying his massage while listening to two top singers perform was truly delightful.

Every day after that, Li Zichun stayed at home, watching Zhao Qianfan and Li Ke practice singing, while he wrote scripts, read books, and practiced dancing when he had nothing else to do.

Time quickly passed to the second performance venue. Due to the sensation caused last time, an additional hundred chairs were added this time.

Although it doesn't have much significance for the event itself, as long as the sentiment is expressed, that's enough.

Li Zichun even spotted Xu Chengfeng and Xu Qiunian mixed in with the crowd; they had actually come too.

After Yan Xiaoli and the host warmed up the audience, the singing segment finally began. Zhao Qianfan was the first to take the stage.