Chapter Five Hundred and Ninety Seven: Datang Entertainment
Cheng Yaojin swore for a while before Mrs. Cheng reluctantly believed him.
Mrs. Cheng wiped the tears on her face and couldn't help but said to Cheng Yaojin: "Husband, after much thought, I'd like to give you another concubine. You must never go to that kind of place in the future. Just in case something happens.
What if you come back with an illness?"
Cheng Yaojin chuckled and said, "It's better for you, Madam. Since Madam has said so, everything is up to Madam!"
Boom!
Mrs. Cheng raised the stick in her hand and hit Cheng Yaojin on the leg with another stick.
"Well, you Cheng Yaojin, you really want to take a concubine, don't you? Huh! I know this is the case? What, do you dislike the old lady because she is old? Do you want to find someone younger?"
Cheng Yaojin rubbed his thighs and ran away.
While running, he explained: "Madam is wronged! The matter of taking concubines was all mentioned by Madam, not me!"
…
A few days later, the gramophone was launched.
The phonograph once again caused a sensation.
It turns out that not only people and things can leave images, but also sounds?
This is so much fun!
Although the price of gramophone is still high, it is still sought after by many people.
Of course, those who can afford it are naturally the rich second generation.
As for those middle-class families, they may be able to afford it, but few families are willing to buy such a flashy gramophone.
In fact, Li Min knew very well that the gramophone business could only be prosperous for a while.
There are only so many people who can afford it.
After these people buy it, sales will drop sharply.
The real way to make money is not the gramophone, but the tape.
At this time, it is the stage for Yizhou Grand Theater to perform.
Yizhou Grand Theater, after so many years of development, has become a business card industry in Yizhou.
At least 30% of tourists who come to Yizhou will go to Yizhou to enjoy the opera.
Therefore, throughout the Tang Dynasty, there were not a few tourists who visited Yizhou.
But since the Tang Dynasty was so big, there must be many people who had never been there.
Some of the famous actors in the Yizhou Grand Theater were only known to the aristocratic circles.
It is definitely impossible for ordinary people to know their names.
But now, because of the advent of the gramophone.
Li Min asked Ouyang Ruoshui to lead the artists of Yizhou Grand Theater and start recording tapes.
For example, the songs recorded by Ouyang Ruoshui and her piano music were specially produced into albums.
There are also stories such as The Legend of White Snake commented by storytellers, all of which have been made into tapes.
Of course, all the cross talk, sketches, allegro and other various art forms in the China Grand Theater are all made into tapes.
Then every tape was sold to the outside world for a price of one hundred cents.
As soon as these tapes came out, they sold like crazy.
Because there are so many people buying tapes.
At the beginning, only the rich second generation who could afford a gramophone were willing to buy one.
After all, other people who didn’t buy a gramophone had nowhere to play the tapes if they did!
But soon, all Chinese businesses in various industries began to use gramophones to play tapes at their doorsteps.
Such as Ouyang Ruoshui's singing, various storytelling, as well as cross talk, sketches, allegro, and other tapes.
Just like this, it immediately attracted countless people to come and watch.
With so many people, even if only a few people come into the store to buy something, business will be much better.
After discovering this, the other shopkeepers immediately couldn't sit still.
This won't work. You must buy a gramophone!
There are also various styles of tapes, so you have to buy them all and play them differently.
Sure enough, as a result, their store's business also improved.
Of course, by the end, almost every store had a gramophone playing a variety of tapes.
If you don't buy a gramophone and play tapes, you'll be embarrassed to open your business.
Well, of course there will be a lot fewer customers.
So in the end, we actually couldn't attract customers anymore.
If everyone has it, it will definitely have no effect.
Only if there is none, the effect will be very poor.
In this process, only China Commercial Bank made a lot of money.
Datang now has a copyright law, and if piracy is found, it will be severely punished.
Because the enforcement is very strict, no one dares to risk this limit.
Some people also try to use blank tapes to record programs.
But first they didn't have very good programs.
Nowadays, most of the good artists are in Yizhou Grand Theatre.
The most critical thing is that even if there are good programs, their recording standards are really poor.
Don't talk about the noise inside.
If the recorded tape is played only a few times, problems such as tape cassette and content loss will occur.
Therefore, in the magnetic tape field, China Commercial Bank is the only one that excels, and others cannot pose a threat to them at all.
Of course, for any business conducted by Chinese commercial banks, it has always been difficult for anyone to pose a threat to them.
For other famous artists, if they want to release an album, they have to find a Chinese trading company and cooperate with them.
The profit at that time will be 19%.
They can only get 10%, while China Commercial Bank can get 90%.
Of course, because the sales volume is really terrible.
Even if it is 19%, the amount of money they can earn is an astronomical figure.
There was a storytelling master in Chang'an. He found Zhonghua Commercial Bank and successfully cooperated with it.
Then a storytelling story about the Three Kingdoms was released, and within a month, 100,000 tapes were sold.
Then he got a million dollars, which was a thousand dollars.
This is just one month’s share!
Of course, the first month actually has the highest sales.
Nowadays, whenever there is a new project on the market, there is no one to pick and choose.
Basically, I buy new ones when I see them.
Tapes are still a new thing now and have not yet achieved star effect.
It has not become bigger or stronger, and customers now have no sense of choice.
So sales were the hottest in the first month, and then got worse and worse.
But even the first month’s share, one million dollars, scared that master!
You know, he has never made so much money in most of his life before!
But now, he just released a tape and earned so much!
When other people heard about this kind of thing, they were extremely jealous, and they all ran to the Chinese Commercial Bank for cooperation.
As long as they can cooperate with China Commercial Bank, they will send it directly.
However, the review by China Commercial Bank is very strict.
If they don't reach the master level, they will never cooperate to produce a tape.
Nowadays, anyone who wants to release an album must cooperate with a Chinese commercial bank. There is no other choice at all.
The most indispensable thing in Chinese commercial houses is various artists.
If the conditions are not good, the Chinese Commercial Bank will not cooperate with them at all.
As long as the Chinese commercial bank is optimistic about it, it can sign a contract with the artist.
As long as the album is successfully recorded, you will soon become a millionaire.
Under the promotion of Zhonghua Commercial Bank, the first batch of artists in the Tang Dynasty were immediately created.
Moreover, the status of artists is no longer low-level, but has begun to gradually improve.
Because artists can really get rich overnight and make a lot of money!
Although the tax paid is a bit harsh, it's a tax of 1 out of 10.
But this money is like picking up money, and the 10% tax is not painful at all to pay.
The king of Shu then sent a memorial to the emperor, requesting that the artist's status be improved.
Originally, the status of actors was very low, even lower than that of common people.
Now the King of Shu wants to raise their status, which is met with strong opposition from the ministers in the court.
Originally, the Emperor's attitude towards the King of Shu was very subtle. Almost everyone thought that the Emperor would not agree to the King of Shu's proposal.
But what is unexpected is that the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs and several ministers in the central court actually supported the proposal of the King of Shu.
In the end, King Shu's proposal was successfully passed.
This surprised many ministers.
In fact, they didn't think about it at all.
The tax revenue brought by these artists is really high.
An artist's monthly tax is 100,000. Even if there are only ten artists per month, it is 1 million.
In one year, the tax revenue will be more than 10 million?
Don’t forget, the artists of the Yizhou Grand Theater and the China Commercial Bank are not divided 19-10, but 50-50.
Take Ouyang Ruoshui as an example, she has released the most albums, with a total of five albums.
The total sales of her tapes have reached one million.
So, the tax she paid alone was five million.
Calculated in one year, the tax revenue of these artists reaches almost hundreds of millions.
These taxes basically exceed agricultural taxes.
Under such circumstances, how could Li Shimin refuse?
The status of artists was improved, and it was written into the laws of the Tang Dynasty and announced to the world.
All the artists in the world know that this matter was caused by the King of Shu.
Therefore, they were all grateful to the King of Shu.
Countless artists even regard King Shu as their ancestor.
In fact, not only the improvement of the artist's status, but also the improvement of the artist's treatment, the expansion of art classification, and many other aspects can be said to be the contribution of the King of Shu.
And because it’s so easy for artists to make money.
It also led to many people pouring into the entertainment industry.
Datang's entertainment industry has gradually taken shape.
Of course, in fact, the artists who make the most money are the artists in Yizhou.
Like Ouyang Ruoshui, the current share has reached 50 million...
This year, she has a new album to be released, and her annual income will surely exceed 100 million.
How many billionaires can be found in the entire Tang Dynasty?
Given ten years, she would probably be able to occupy a place on the rich list of Datang.
And Ouyang Ruoshui's reputation is now so good throughout the Tang Dynasty.
In the past, her fame was limited to high-level people.
But now with the release of the album, almost the entire Tang Dynasty and all the people know her name.
You have truly made it so that no one in the world knows you.
And Ouyang Ruoshui has more and more fans.
…
At this time, Li Min was drinking tea in Ouyang Ruoshui's room inside the Yizhou Grand Theater.
Li Min smiled slightly and said to Ouyang Ruoshui: "Ruoshui, you are now the richest woman in the Tang Dynasty who worked hard on her own!"
Hearing Li Min's words, Ouyang Ruoshui pursed his lips and smiled and said: "Your Highness, you know that Ruoshui is not here. How much wealth is just a number to Ruoshui."
Li Min laughed and said, "But, don't you like how everyone respects and likes you?"
"In the entire Tang Dynasty, there are countless people who like your songs and the sound of your piano. You must have a sense of accomplishment in your heart, right?"
Ouyang Ruoshui nodded thoughtfully, then pursed his lips and smiled: "Your Highness is right, this feeling is really good!"
Of course, if not, how could there be so many people in future generations who want to be stars?
Li Min couldn't help but said to Ouyang Ruoshui: "Ruoshui, by the way, from now on, you have to work more on your body. Put out more stage plays and do more good plays."
Hearing Li Min's words, Ouyang Ruoshui couldn't help but said quietly: "Your Highness, there are not many people who perform in stage plays now!"
"They have all tasted the sweetness of releasing an album, and they are all trying their best to release a new album."
"Albums can only record sounds, not movements. Therefore, many artists have abandoned movements and devoted themselves to language-based tracks!"
This is actually true, it is really profitable to release an album.
As long as I can release an album, I will basically have no worries about food and drink for the rest of my life.
And what’s the use of the action in a stage play, no matter how good it is?
And can't make money.
How much money can you make from performing on stage?
Acting for a lifetime will never make as much money as releasing an album!
Li Min couldn't help but sneered: "Are these people going away after making some money?"
Ouyang Ruoshui couldn't help but pursed his lips and said with a smile: "Is this human nature? However, there are still a small number of people who can stay content and do their part well."
Li Min couldn't help but said to Ouyang Ruoshui: "Ruoshui, believe me, you may not need it for up to two years, and the stage play can be adapted into an album."
"Albums with pure sound will gradually decline! For those artists who keep their own rules, you should guide them more. For those who drift away, let them drift away!"
Hearing Li Min's words, Ouyang Ruoshui couldn't help but said in surprise: "Your Highness, how can a stage play be turned into an album?"
Li Min laughed and said: "Ruoshui, before cameras and phonographs came out, if someone told you that there is something that can leave a person's face and voice, would you believe it?"
Ouyang Ruoshui thought for a while and couldn't help but shook his head.
Li Min continued: "Now that cameras and phonographs are available, they can be combined to quickly record moving, scene-by-scene stage plays."
Ouyang Ruoshui couldn't help but nodded thoughtfully.
Li Min continued: "When the time comes, not only your voice, but also your appearance will be seen by millions of people."
"When the time comes, you will be the first batch of stars in the Tang Dynasty! You will definitely become red and purple!"
Ouyang Ruoshui looked at Li Min and couldn't help but said quietly: "But Your Highness, you clearly know that this is not actually what I want!"
Hearing Ouyang Ruoshui's words, Li Min couldn't help but sigh slightly.
Li Min actually owed something to Ouyang Ruoshui.
If it weren't for him, how could Ouyang Ruoshui come to Yizhou with his widowed mother and weak brother?
Ouyang Ruoshui's friendship for him was not something Li Min was aware of, so how could he not notice it?
At that time, Li Min also felt that if he was more indifferent to her, as time went by, she might meet her sweetheart and marry him.
For example, aren’t all the princesses from the fifteen countries married now?
But what she didn't expect was that Ouyang Ruoshui was so affectionate!
It has been ten years since I came to Yizhou.
Ouyang Ruoshui has never been married to Yunying.
How many decades does a woman have to waste in her life?
This time he came to Ouyang Ruoshui, actually wanting to put an end to this matter.
He is no longer allowed to delay this matter any longer.
Li Min couldn't help but ask Ouyang Ruoshui: "Ruoshui, tell me, do you like being an artist?"
Ouyang Ruoshui shook his head and said: "Your Highness, now that things have happened, don't you still understand my feelings?"
Li Min shook his head and said: "Ruoshui, don't I know your thoughts clearly?"
"Let's put this question aside for now. I just want to ask you, do you like being an artist?"
After hearing Li Min's words, Ouyang Ruoshui's eyes turned red and tears fell uncontrollably.
But there was a smile on his face, and he said with a smile: "Your Highness, I like to be an artist, and I will be a good artist!"
A tearful smile!
But Li Min knew that a smile may look like a flower, but the fruit it bears must be bitter.
Li Min sighed slightly and couldn't help but stepped forward and raised his hand to wipe away the tears on Ouyang Ruoshui's face.
Then he hugged her gently and said, "Ruoshui, you have misunderstood me. You also know my identity. If you get married, you will have no chance to show your face again."
Although in later generations, there is naturally no taboo in this regard.
But at that time, it was definitely not possible.
How could a prince's wife do such a despicable job in public?
Even though the status of artists has been improved, in the eyes of many people, it is still a lowly profession.
"And I can feel that you actually like this place very much. I'm going to give you a few more years. When you get tired of that day, just leave the stage and marry me, okay?"
Hearing Li Min's words, Ouyang Ruoshui suddenly lost control and couldn't help crying.
"Your Highness, are you telling the truth? You don't mind my low status, are you really willing to marry me?"
Li Min's hug couldn't help but become a little tighter, and then he said firmly: "Ruoshui, how could I not know your friendship for me?"
"Don't worry, what I said is of course true. When you get tired of it, just tell me and I will marry you back at any time."
Ouyang Ruoshui couldn't help but nodded desperately, the tears in his eyes were getting more and more wiped, and he couldn't wipe them away no matter what.
Li Min coaxed her for a long time before gradually coaxing her.
Next, Li Min picked up Ouyang Ruoshui and walked towards the bed.
Of course Ouyang Ruoshui knew what was going to happen next, and felt both sweet and extremely nervous.
At this moment, she buried her head deeply in Li Min's arms and did not dare to look at Li Min.
Soon, the two of them came to the bed.
Before the rain, the stamens among the flowers were first seen, but after the rain, there were no leaves or flowers at the bottom.
Bees and butterflies rushed over the wall one after another, but they suspected that the spring scenery was in the neighboring house.
This poem actually has nothing to do with what the two men did next.
In fact, it is just a beautiful dividing line.
After a long time, the clouds and rain dispersed, and both of them were very tired and fell asleep hugging each other.
When they woke up, it was already dark.
Both of them were so hungry that their stomachs growled.
Ouyang Ruoshui endured the pain and dressed Li Min.
Li Min smiled slightly and did not ask her to help. Instead, Li Min helped her put on her clothes.
Ouyang Ruoshui was so shy that she didn't dare to look up at Li Min.
After being moistened by the rain and dew, Ouyang Ruoshui exuded the astonishing charm of a mature woman, becoming more and more brilliant.
For a moment, Li Min couldn't help but be stunned.
This makes Ouyang Ruoshui feel shy and sweet at the same time.
Not long after, Li Min called over a table of food and wine, and the two of them leaned together and started eating.
While eating, the two of them would often look at each other subconsciously.
Then their eyes will naturally collide in mid-air.
At the beginning, Ouyang Ruoshui would avoid it shyly.
But after arriving, Ouyang Ruoshui looked at each other silently.
While gazing, the eyes are most expressive.
The friendship between the two has become so strong that it cannot be broken down.
After dinner, Li Min listened to Ouyang Ruoshui play a song again.
The two of them talked for a long time.
Unconsciously, it was already late at night.
At this time, His Highness must go back.
Ouyang Ruoshui was reluctant to leave, preparing to see Li Min off.
But unexpectedly, Li Min said to her: "Ruoshui, it's getting late, I'm so sleepy! Let's wash up quickly and go to bed, right?"
Ouyang Ruoshui asked in surprise: "Your Highness, aren't you leaving tonight?"
Li Min laughed and said: "That's natural. Today, I am yours. I will only stay with you and not go anywhere!"
Next, the two of them take a bath together and then rest.
There is no need to mention that the joy of a boudoir is better than that of a thrush.
…
After taking Ouyang Ruoshui in, Li Min had something on his mind.
From then on, when he had time, Li Min would often come to see Ouyang Ruoshui.
Ouyang Ruoshui was nourished by love and became more and more beautiful and charming.
In the following time, Li Min focused slightly on Nanzhao.
After all, Nanzhao will be Li Min's second rear area.
And compared with Tuyuhun, Nanzhao is further back and more solid.
There is also Tubo behind Tuyuhun, and there are still uncertain factors.
As for Nanzhao, there are not so many threats.
Time passed quickly, and it was Huangmei May Day in a blink of an eye.
After harvesting the wheat.
Because of the help of the Tang Dynasty, Meng Xizhao had a bumper harvest this year and its grain output was greatly increased.
Enough to feed their tribe for two to three years.
The people of Mengxunzhao also got a lot of work opportunities because the Tang Dynasty built roads and cities here.
Their lives have also been greatly improved.
During this period, Duan Gongming once again recruited 20,000 soldiers.
These 20,000 soldiers, after more than half a year of training, are still new recruits.
But under the leadership of veterans, it is fully put to use.
As long as the city is completed, you can consider using troops against the other three tribes.
And again, Duan Gongming and Li Min both sent a large number of manpower.
Detailed pre-war preparations are being made regarding the population, troop deployment, topography, etc. of the other three tribes.
