Chu Fu and the Singing

With the appointment of "Governor-General", the palace became like a back garden.

Zhang Xuezhou chatted aimlessly with Li Guang at the Weiyang Palace until he had a general idea of his situation in the court, then he headed towards the side hall.

"Who are you, and why are you trespassing into the Jiaofang Palace?"

After inquiring with Li Guang, it wasn't difficult to find out the new emperor's whereabouts.

Zhang Xuezhou arrived at the Jiaofang Palace.

This is where the new emperor sleeps in the Weiyang Palace, where the current empress also lives; it is now part of the inner palace area.

Looking at the woman in the crane feather cloak shouting, Zhang Xuezhou blinked slightly, realizing that there were indeed experts in the deep palace.

The woman's face held a scrutinizing gaze, giving her a somewhat condescending air, but this was also a justification for her position.

Putting aside the Law Power Zhang Xuezhou sensed from the other party, the clothing the other party possessed was not something an ordinary person could have.

"I am Dongfang Shuo, the Grand Master of the Palace, with the additional title of Attendant Censor. I have the right to enter and leave the palace at any time to see His Majesty," Zhang Xuezhou said politely. "I still don't know how to address this lady?"

The new emperor, having seized the dynasty's destiny and obtained the Taijie Six Symbols, along with the potential assistance of the Empress Dowager, entered the Divine Ability Realm at the age of twenty-something.

Zhang Xuezhou, on the other hand, entered the Divine Ability by combining many factors. He was also not very old. It was rare to find someone younger than them who had reached the Divine Ability Realm or even the Sole Self Realm.

The woman Zhang Xuezhou treated with utmost politeness looked extremely young, appearing to be only in her early twenties, but she was likely older than her age; she simply maintained her youthful appearance through proper skincare.

He addressed her respectfully, which greatly lowered the woman's guard.

"I am Chu Fu, a shaman personally appointed by Her Majesty the Empress!"

The woman bowed slightly and introduced herself in return.

The Fengchang Temple was in charge of ancestral temple rituals, and the shamans were officials under the Fengchang Temple of the Nine Ministers.

Ordinary shamans are priests who only appear during grand sacrificial ceremonies, assisting the Grand Sacrificer in his duties. They are no different from the accompanying officials who accompanied Zhang Xuezhou and others when they went to Fengxize to perform sacrificial rites.

However, the shamans who performed rituals specifically for the royal family had much greater authority, not only possessing their own temples for worship but also having the ability to enter and leave the palace.

If women wished to enter and leave the palace more freely, almost only the dedicated shamans of the empress and other high-ranking officials were qualified.

Zhang Xuezhou could seek multiple "Geishizhong" positions, but these full-time shamans were extremely rare and much harder to obtain than "Geishizhong" positions.

If there is anything about shamans and priests that is inferior to "officials in charge of official duties," it is only a few things, such as not being able to intervene in court affairs, not being able to get close to the emperor, and only being able to enter and exit the palace where their assigned subjects reside.

Even so, for women, seeking a position as a shaman or priest was still one of the few legitimate opportunities to rise above their station in the Great Han Dynasty, a highly competitive path with countless applicants vying for limited opportunities.

"So you're a Chu shaman. It turns out that the sacrifices you oversee and the rituals I perform both belong to the Fengchang Temple. It seems we're in the same department," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"What you say is true, Lord Dongfang. May I ask what brings you to the Jiaofang Palace?"

Having lowered her guard, Chu Fu still maintained a degree of scrutiny and asked Zhang Xuezhou question again, quite directly.

"I've come to have a talk with His Majesty," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Just to chat?" Chu Fu asked curiously.

"Yes," Zhang Xuezhou nodded, "I had nothing to do at home, so I figured I was bored and thought I'd go to the palace to see if His Majesty was bored too, so I came here!"

"That Lord Dongfang really has plenty of free time!"

Chu Fu whispered something.

Palace maids could enter the palace but not leave it. Many concubines and empresses were kept in the palace like canaries for their entire lives, and few women could freely enter and leave the palace.

Such free shamans were extremely rare in Chu, and obtaining such a position was incredibly difficult.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou, an official who entered the palace out of sheer boredom, even though Chu Fu had already achieved the same goal, she felt a pang of heartache. She felt the vast difference between men and women, and that similar status had not brought her the same treatment.

"His Majesty is not in the Jiaofang Palace; he should be in the Shufang Palace!"

After calming down, Chu Fu gave Zhang Xuezhou some guidance.

She pointed towards the inner palace, indicating the area where His Majesty was, which Zhang Xuezhou was searching for, and then glanced at Zhang Xuezhou with a hint of envy.

Clearly, Zhang Xuezhou can go, but she cannot.

Let alone the new emperor being in the Shufang Palace, even if the new emperor were spending time with the empress in the Jiaofang Palace, these "Geishizhong" officials could use the emperor's presence as an excuse to enter and leave the Jiaofang Palace without needing to worry about whether the empress was dissatisfied.

"Grand Master of the Palace, Dongfang Shuo!"

After seeing Zhang Xuezhou bid farewell, he turned around with great ease and did not enter the Jiaofang Palace. Chu Fu couldn't help but mutter a few words of remembrance.

"He's not related to royalty, so how did he manage to climb to such a position? I wonder what his background is?"

Chu Fu's eyes gleamed slightly. Only when a shout came from the main hall behind him did Chu Fu quickly turn around.

"It's a Grand Master of the Palace named Dongfang Shuo... It turns out Your Majesty doesn't recognize him either. It seems he must be a newly promoted young official by His Majesty... Your Majesty need not worry. Learning to sing and dance is extremely difficult for you, but Your Majesty possesses a beauty that could rival the most beautiful women in history. Attracting His Majesty will not be a problem. Once His Majesty knows how wonderful Your Majesty is, he will surely linger in the Jiaofang Palace all day long and won't want to go anywhere else..."

Inside the Jiaofang Palace, the sound gradually faded into the distance, until it could no longer be heard.

Following Chu Fu's directions, Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and didn't continue eavesdropping.

When he was young, he also watched the TV series "The Dynasty of Louvre". In the series, the women in the harem also had such trivial matters. They thought about how to please the emperor all day long, and how to exclude other concubines to gain the emperor's favor. Their scheming and infighting had no bottom line.

Zhang Xuezhou used to think these TV dramas were exaggerated, but he didn't expect them to be so close to reality.

He stopped listening to the sounds from the Jiaofang Palace, and after walking more than two hundred meters and passing through three layers of guards, he heard an extremely melodious and clear singing voice.

"This poem is of exceptional quality!"

Anyone who can sing a song beautifully a cappella is a truly talented singer.

Zhang Xuezhou had heard this kind of singing at a banquet at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence. At the time, he felt that the singer's level was extremely good, but he always felt that something was missing.

When I listened to it again now, the song sounded different.

"The power of a good vocabulary is extraordinary!"

Zhang Xuezhou paused and listened for more than ten seconds, then moved closer to listen again.

A singer's voice is the most important physical attribute, while lyrics provide the singer with room to express themselves.

Clearly, the uniqueness of this a cappella performance lies in the lyrics, which even Zhang Xuezhou found somewhat captivating.

"Sima Xiangru Zixu Fu* is a poem that advises on gains and losses during a hunting expedition; this kind of writing..."

If we were to categorize Sima Xiangru's fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem), Zhang Xuezhou would argue that his fu occupy a moral high ground, similar to a 'mainstream' fu.

Zhang Xuezhou has never found songs involving the main theme to be pleasant to listen to, even though many main theme songs were played like brainwashing during his school years. Zhang Xuezhou has never appreciated or become obsessed with main theme songs.

At that moment, he felt that the main melody of the song was full of charm, which made him willing to listen attentively.

"It's rhythm! This is a rare practitioner of rhythmic music!"

After listening to the a cappella performance, Zhang Xuezhou felt a natural relaxation in his body, as if lubricant had been added.

There was also a slight tremor in the bridge of the head, as if in harmony with this rhythm.

When his head snapped shut, Zhang Xuezhou felt as if the bridge in his mind was closing.

He had previously had difficulty using his Law Power and had not noticed this symptom, but now he was affected by the rhythm and returned to his original position.

This doesn't mean that Zhang Xuezhou's injuries to the Tiandi Erqiao were healed after listening to a cappella music, but rather that the music resonated with his body, leading to a natural adjustment and a better state of being.

This made him gasp, as if he had encountered an extremely rare cultivator specializing in phonetics.

It is no different from Sima Xiangru zither) skills; this kind of singing style evokes a very long duration.

The effects of rhythm and melody tend to be beneficial, with little to no harmfulness. Furthermore, because everyone's state is different, the benefits also vary.

It's normal that some people benefit while others experience no effect whatsoever.

As for the present, Zhang Xuezhou is at least extremely satisfied.

"That singer actually possesses such talent... Your Majesty truly has excellent judgment!"

Following the sound of singing, Zhang Xuezhou looked up and saw the words "Shufang" on the door, which made it clear to Zhang Xuezhou who was listening to the song in the room.

As the music ended, Zhang Xuezhou was about to clap his hands, but then he remembered the etiquette of the Great Han Dynasty, which made him quickly change his mind and knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, this music is truly a celestial melody; it is rarely heard on earth!"

Zhang Xuezhou called out to someone before offering a flattering remark.

This silenced the sounds in the boudoir for a moment, before the new emperor's low murmur of a headache could be heard.

"So it was you, hiding all over the place, who's come back again!"