I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 905: Qiao Lian Four Folds Spring Capital

Everyone agreed that the problems in the East Japan region could not be dragged on any longer and that it was indeed time for change.

After reaching a consensus, the Rong government first issued a military order to mobilize the navy, army and marines to land in eastern Japan.

The cabinet also issued an order to organize and mobilize a large number of officials to form a working team to take full control of East Japan.

Kill those who should be killed, and then relocate a group of people.

At this time, there were only three million people left in East Japan, which was only a quarter of the 12 million people twenty years ago.

Of course, this 12 million population is just an estimate. Without specific figures, no one can confirm that it is true.

But the population of three million is determined by the census and is a real population.

One and a half million people from East Wo were relocated to Jinghai, Rinan, Luzon and other South China Sea regions in the form of agricultural reclamation bureaus to carry out large-scale reclamation.

One million people were relocated from coastal areas with many mountains and little land, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang, to Dongwo.

East Japan was divided into two parts, Kyushu Island was named Kyūen County, Shikoku Island was named Shigumi County, and Honshu Island was divided into Gaiyu County on the west side with Lake Biwa as the boundary. The three counties were combined into Chanzhou Province.

To the east of Honshu Island, it is divided into Raikaze and Togoku counties, and together with Zhedan County (Hokkaido), it forms the Ushu Province.

The islands south of East Japan, the Osumi Islands, together with the Ryukyu Islands and Ryukyu Island (Taiwan), and Yuanjiao Island (Jeju Island) were designated as the East China Sea Province, and are currently being temporarily assisted in construction by the provincial governments of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian.

Wu Dui was elected as the Governor-General of Donghai, in charge of the three provinces of Donghai, Chanzhou and Yuzhou.

It was during his reign that Korea was incorporated into the Ming territory and divided into two provinces, Haedong and Liaodong. However, the name of Haedong Province was too vague, and people from all walks of life kept complaining about it, so it was changed to Ungjin Province.

Then, under Wu Dui's leadership, the country became very stable and the transition was smooth. Now the people live and work in peace and contentment, and all industries are thriving. It has become an inseparable part of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that new territory was incorporated into the imperial court, the court naturally chose him, who was very experienced, to go out and pacify the area.

Nangong Ye took over the position of Shuntian Prefecture governor vacant by Wu Dui.

Nangong Ye served as Shaoyin when Pan Yinglong was the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture.

He personally presided over many planning and construction projects. After taking over as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, he continued to build large-scale projects, renovated the East and West Cities, and then laid a gas street lamp system, improved public transportation, and improved social order.

The biggest project is to improve the functional areas.

The concept of functional areas was first proposed by Pan Yinglong during his tenure. For example, the West Lake (Summer Palace) area became a university area and a sanatorium area.

Many universities and research institutes were built on the east and south banks of West Lake, and a sanatorium for senior officials was built on the west bank.

The western part of the southern city became a model residential area, with hundreds of new buildings built there. The central and eastern parts became commercial areas, with Liulichang and Nanshi as their centers.

Liulichang focuses on cultural industries, and all books, antiques, calligraphy and paintings with a cultural touch are found there.

Nanshi specializes in all kinds of goods from all over the world, from the southeast, northwest, and from home and abroad. You can definitely find any goods in the world there.

The area around Chongnanfang, Zuoanmen, in the south of the city has now become a warehousing area. Because it is close to Beijing South Railway Station and is located in the urban area and protected by city walls, everyone feels safe.

Within You'anmen, west of Ditan Temple, with Yuhuang Temple as the central area, there used to be many swamps and ditches here, but after being tidied up, they became more than a dozen small lakes, and two rivers were dug out. Then there were attics, terraces, and pavilions, which formed clouds and the scenery was pleasant.

Shuntian Prefecture built three theaters here, Zhongleyuan, Wanhelou and Guangdexuan.

This place soon became the opera center of the capital.

There are many small theaters and restaurants around, as well as the newly popular "clubs".

It is known as the capital's cultural and artistic center on the surface, but secretly it is a mixed bag and the situation is somewhat complicated.

But it is not the Qinhuai River in Beijing. As everyone knows, the Nanyuan area is more similar.

The Qing Meixi Opera Troupe is currently stationed on Yuhuang Street.

In all likelihood, any opera troupe that came to Beijing would first become famous in the small theaters here, and then move on to become famous in the three major theaters.

If one could perform at Nanyuan Changyiguan Grand Theater or Shengshi Art Museum, it meant that he had become famous throughout the capital, renowned at home and abroad, and had become a great figure in the theater world.

At the very least, he is a member of the Opera Association of the Ming Dynasty Federation of Literature and Art, and has both fame and fortune.

The Qing Meixi troupe and Yu Qiaolian had just become famous in the three big theaters on Yuhuang Street and were working hard to get a chance to perform at Changyi Pavilion and Shengshi Art Museum. Unexpectedly, by "chance", they were recommended by the wife of the second son of the Marquis of Gu'an, and quietly entered the West Garden to perform, where they were rewarded by the Empress Dowager.

But you can't say this openly.

If you spread the word, the Eastern Depot will come and talk to you.

But the capital is full of clever and nimble people.

Just after finishing the performance in Xiyuan, the Qing Meixi Troupe received an invitation from the Beijing Opera Society and Changyiguan Grand Theater, asking Boss Yu to take the time to perform a piece on stage.

However, the Changyi Pavilion Theater is a stage that is worth more than gold. Dozens of new and old masters take turns to perform here. It takes a month or so to wait for Boss Yu to take the stage.

If they can perform at the Changyiguan Grand Theater and have the opportunity to sing a piece at the Shengshi Art Museum, the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe will be considered complete and will not disappoint the earnest expectations of the Anqing folks and colleagues when they came to Beijing.

During this period, Yu Qiaolian led the troupe to perform in many theaters to hone her skills and the tacit understanding of the troupe.

Only when the foundation is laid can it be performed in Changyi Pavilion and Shengshi Art Museum, so that more people can know and like Huangmei Opera.

If there is no schedule at the three major theaters on Yuhuang Street, you can go to the small theater as well, even if it is a little remote.

Today, the Qing Meixi Opera Troupe is performing in a theater called Chang'an Theater, which is located on the north side of Yuhuang Street and close to Roma Street.

Roma Street, this area was formerly called Mule and Horse Market Street, and was once the largest mule and horse market in the capital.

Pan Yinglong renovated the South City and moved this smelly market to Liangmachang in the northeast of the city.

It is adjacent to Tongzhou, with spacious space and convenient transportation. It soon became the largest mule, horse, cattle and sheep market in the capital and even in North China.

What’s even better is that it belongs to Daxing County.

The taxes paid by the market every year are just a small amount of money for the five cities in the capital, but for Daxing County, it is a big piece of fat meat.

Get more in one fell swoop.

Everyone praised Pan Yinglong as the most capable official in the Ming Dynasty in terms of economics.

After the renovation of Luomashi Street, it could no longer be called this name. Isn't there a place called Rome in the West? Pan Yinglong slapped his thigh and decided to call it Roma Street.

Chang'an Theater is near Roma Street, located between Liulichang and Yuhuang Street, spanning two cultural and artistic areas. Originally, it was thought that it could cater to both and have a constant stream of customers, but in the end, it caught the attention of neither.

After having enough of strolling around Liulichang, the literati and poets went directly to Yuhuang Street to watch a play.

There are dozens of theaters of all sizes there, including Yiyang Opera, Haiyan Opera, Hui Opera, Kunqu Opera, Qin Opera, Yue Opera, Bangzi Opera, Henan Opera, and Huangmei Opera. Every day, troupes from all over the country perform various plays, and you can watch any play you want.

Those who have status and high aspirations should go to Nanyuan, Changyi Pavilion and Shengshi Art Museum.

They were too lazy to even take a second look at the Chang'an Theater.

Since Qing Meixi Troupe and Yu Qiaolian wanted to practice more, Chang'an Theater became their best choice as not many troupes would compete with them for the schedule.

The carriage stopped at the intersection of Roma Street at a leisurely pace.

Yang Jinshui got off the car first and looked around.

The plainclothes guards from Fengchensi and the plainclothes agents from the General Security Bureau mixed in with the crowd and were scattered all over the streets.

As it was a temporary arrangement and only involved princes and princesses, the alert level was only A3. The area was not cleared beforehand and relevant personnel in the streets and theaters were not disturbed. The main approach was to respond on the fly.

Shuntian Prefecture has been working to improve public order since Liu Yingjie.

In particular, Pan Yinglong took the opportunity of tax evasion to clean up the gangs and the nobles and relatives behind them, thus stabilizing social order.

Although there are still occasional scams and extortions on the streets of Wucheng, there are definitely no major scandals, and everyone is confident of this.

Zhu Xuanni and the other three got off the carriage. Others looked at them and thought they were just some young man or young lady out for fun. At most they looked at them a few more times but didn't think there was anything special about them.

Yang Jinshui brought four people with him, with six visible followers around him, six hidden guards behind him, and thirty or forty guards and agents in the distance.

The group arrived at the entrance of Chang'an Theater.

The storefront is not big, with two double doors, one for entry and one for exit, and a plaque hanging above the door.

"Chang'an Grand Theater".

The five words were written carelessly and the signature was also vague. I wonder which famous calligrapher wrote them.

Since the Wanli period, all members of the royal family, relatives by marriage, nobles and officials were forbidden to write inscriptions for businesses in order to earn fees.

Especially since the sixth year of Wanli, Hai Rui has been in charge of the Censorate, and he has been keeping a close eye on things and conducting strict investigations.

In the past, everyone turned a blind eye and took advantage of the gray area to fish in troubled waters, but now he has thoroughly investigated and strictly prohibited it.

The emperor is considerate of everyone. He has increased the salaries so much and also given everyone large allowances according to their positions. His grace is so great!

Instead of performing your duties conscientiously and repaying the Emperor's grace, you are all thinking about making extra money and engaging in gray income. Are you taking advantage of the fact that I, Hai Rui, am old and cannot lift a knife?
Officials can’t make a living!
There was a colorful sign placed at an angle at the door, with lines of words written on it.

"It shocked the capital and Zhili, and was well-known throughout the country.

The three tunes of Huangmei are beautiful in the mountains of Anhui, and the four folds of Qiaolian bring spring to the capital.

The first new talent of Anqing Huangmei Opera.

After "The Female Prime Minister" and "Meng Lijun", he continued to work on "The Legend and the Heroine".

The Jiangnan talent Tang Xianzu personally wrote the script! "

The words are written densely, and I want to write down all the catchy words.

"The three tunes of Huangmei show the beauty of Anhui mountains, and the four folds of Qiaolian bring spring to the capital."

Zhu Changhan read it three times, then turned around and said, "Sister, this lyric doesn't rhyme. It doesn't match the rhyme of poetry at all."

"You're stupid." Zhu Xuanni rolled her eyes at him. "This is an attractive advertising slogan, not a Chinese test paper where you have to write a poem or lyrics. What rhyme is required?"

She turned her head and stared at the colored cards, her eyes sparkling, "The Legend of the White Snake, a new play. Mr. Yang, we're going to watch this today."

"Okay." Yang Jinshui turned around and asked someone to buy tickets.

Fifty cents a piece is a bit expensive, but this also shows that Yu Qiaolian and the Qing Meixi opera troupe have been very popular in the capital recently and can afford the price.

I walked through the gate with the ticket. There was a hall inside with a counter selling all kinds of dried goods, preserved fruits and snacks. The waiters on the side greeted us warmly.

"Everyone, the price is not this. One pack per person. These are all freshly purchased goods, all from well-known brands in Beijing.

You see, there is also the food production license number issued by the Beijing Health and Epidemic Prevention Bureau. Check it out. If it is fake, we will pay the compensation.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a rare opportunity for you to come to our Chang’an Theater, so please have a pack.

Yang Gong asked his followers to give Zhu Xuanni and the other three a bag of preserved fruits each, and let them choose for themselves.

I dare not buy too much. If I buy too much, I will eat it without thinking, which will easily cause indigestion and upset my stomach.

After passing through a gate, someone was checking tickets.

After entering, Zhu Changhao asked curiously, "Aren't all the items sold at Chang'an Theater? Why are the prices one outside and another inside? Are they cheating people?"

Old theater friend Yang Jinshui said with a smile: "You are right, the price inside is higher than outside. The same item, after passing through this gate, will be 30% more expensive when sold inside the theater."

"Ah, Gui Sancheng, why?"

Yang Jinshui looked at Zhu Xuanni and said, "Miss, if you want to do a social survey, you can start from here. Miss, how about you guess?"

Zhu Xuanni thought for a moment and said, "Well, I roughly guessed it."

Zhu Changhao and Zhu Changhan blinked, unable to believe it.

"Ah, sister, did you really guess it?"

"Sister, are you right?"

"Tell me what you think, and let Yang Gong judge for you!"

(End of this chapter)