Fourth Prince had received favors from Yang Gong, so naturally, he needed to manage the aftermath.

But being harassed by debt collectors early in the morning was indeed a frown-inducing affair.

"Annoying as hell, let them all wait at the Zuimeng Music Workshop. After this prince has had breakfast, I'll go solve it."

After the steward sent the guests away, Fourth Prince went back to sleep, not getting out of bed until noon.

"How could it be that I overslept this time, and those debt collectors are still so quiet?" Fourth Prince was quite puzzled.

The steward, with a worried expression, informed Fourth Prince that those guests were now having a great time at the Good Sound Music Workshop, seemingly having forgotten all about the debt collection.

"What? Has Good Sound Music Workshop gone mad? They've started doing business this early?"

Never having encountered such a formidable rival, Fourth Prince put down his bowl and chopsticks and hurriedly rushed toward the Zuimeng Music Workshop.

Before he even reached the entrance of the Zuimeng Music Workshop, he saw a line of hundreds of people standing in the middle of the road.

The steward unceremoniously herded the line away.

"Where do all these obstinate people come from, blocking the road like this? Don't you know, this is Fourth Prince's palanquin."

Passersby looked disdainful, pointing rudely at the palanquin of Fourth Prince.

"Hmph! You, stop fooling us. This is absolutely not Fourth Prince's palanquin. Just yesterday, Fourth Prince was singing in the streets with us, he wouldn't chase us away."

"Our Fourth Prince is the most down-to-earth; you must have taken a fee from some music house and deliberately came here to harm Fourth Prince's reputation."

Even if Fourth Prince was angry, he dared not vent his anger at his own admirers.

They say one does not strike a smiling face, and that was probably the case.

"A bunch of incompetent fools, don't you know how to take a detour?"

Although he was flattered by his admirers, seeing so many people lining up for the Good Sound Music Workshop definitely didn't sit well with him.

Moments later, the palanquin of Fourth Prince finally arrived at the Zuimeng Music Workshop.

Looking at the bustling entrance of the Good Sound Music Workshop across the street, then at his own Zuimeng Music Workshop, which was deserted, he was momentarily stunned.

'Really made a fool of me, what a damned music house. Guards, let's turn back to the mansion!'

Fourth Prince was someone who really cared about face; he truly could not admit that the desolate Zuimeng Music Workshop was his.

But the steward came up close and whispered, "Your Highness, since we're already here, why not just take care of the task at hand? Using the excuse of returning Silver Taels, we can attract the guests over, and then let the Singers perform music and dance."

"After all, what man would quarrel with silver and women?"

Fourth Prince nodded thoughtfully, knowing that calling out the matter of returning Silver Taels would surely attract many guests, which was also beneficial for his reputation.

"Alright, we'll do as you suggest. Spend a bit more, refund 30 taels per person."

For the sake of face, the wealthy Fourth Prince was prepared to go all out.

Sure enough, as soon as they heard that Fourth Prince was coming to deal with the matter justly and refund Silver Taels, guests flocked over from the Good Sound Music Workshop.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Zuimeng Music Workshop was packed with people, and Fourth Prince stepped down from his palanquin to rapturous anticipation, smiling from ear to ear.

Today, each person would get a refund of 30 Silver Taels, and to keep these customers, the Singers performed energetically, while the steward deliberately slowed down the pace of handing out the Silver Taels.

Fourth Prince thoroughly enjoyed the tunes played by Zhen Ji and Hua Yue, but not a single guest wished to place another order.

Although the guests did not get a full refund of all their silver taels, they were contented, since 30 silver taels could buy them several days of fun at Good Sound Music Workshop.

After dawdling for an hour, one guest left as soon as they received their money, gradually decreasing in number until only the steward and the singers were left staring at each other.

The singers had never encountered such a cold reception and in their despondency, they unanimously ceased playing their instruments.

The entire music hall fell silent in an instant.

"What? You're not singing anymore? I haven't had my fill yet!"

Fourth Prince opened his eyes displeased, even more shocked to find the music hall devoid of any guests.

"Where is everyone? Those fellows vanished after getting their silver? Just took the money and ran, or perhaps it's because your music was too unpleasant to listen to!"

Fourth Prince, furious, cursed loudly, annoyed that despite spending money, not a single person was retained, and every possible frustration had occurred.

The steward, trembling with fear, said, "Prince, upon receiving the silver taels, all of them went to Good Sound Music Workshop. We couldn't stop them even if we tried!"

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Fourth Prince turned red with rage. If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn't have allowed refunds. This had caused a loss of well over 3000 silver taels.

Meanwhile, at Good Sound Music Workshop, Lin Yi saw guests leaving anxiously only to return with smiles on their faces, and he knew Fourth Prince had been generous with his money.

"Fourth Prince is really considerate, knowing the guests are short on cash."

Despite the ability to accommodate a thousand guests, the music hall simply couldn't fit everyone due to the overwhelming numbers.

To meet the demands of the guests more quickly, Lin Yi rearranged the layout inside the hall.

Small stages were set up in eight different directions, each playing a different style of music, leaving the guests free to choose whatever melodies they preferred.

Fourth Prince stood at the entrance of Zuimeng Music Workshop, looking at Good Sound Music Workshop with its threshold worn down by traffic, listening to the sounds of jubilant and rhythmic singing from inside, his feelings mixed.

Just then, the Minister of Justice caught sight of Fourth Prince and hurried over, greeting him respectfully.

"Safe greetings to Fourth Prince. Your timing couldn't be more perfect today. Why don't we go inside together? There will be a mysterious performance later."

At this time, the Minister of Justice was unaware that Fourth Prince was the secret patron of Zuimeng Music Workshop. His thoughts were simple: good food and fun should be shared with Fourth Prince.

No, that Fourth Prince should be the first to enjoy it.

Once the Minister of Justice started the suggestion, the officials behind him swarmed forward as if they wouldn't rest until they pushed the Fourth Prince into Good Sound Music Workshop.

Just as Fourth Prince was about to step forward, Hua Yue bravely stepped out.

"Wait, Fourth Prince, are we going to continue operations at Zuimeng Music Workshop, or should we also go over to Good Sound Music Workshop to learn?"

Hua Yue's words put Fourth Prince in a difficult position, causing him to retract the step he had taken.

Zuimeng Music Workshop was now his possession, an enterprise he was counting on for future profits. If he were to lead the way to the competitor, it would be tantamount to abandoning his own establishment, which seemed very inappropriate.

"The management of the music hall is left to the steward. So, ask him about it. If you wish to go across to learn, I am in favor of that."

"As the saying goes, live and learn. You may go there to study and take in their strong points, as Zuimeng Music Workshop will rely on your hard work in the future."

The steward nodded eagerly, "That's right, that's right. The Fourth Prince's words are wise. Live and learn. Ladies, take this opportunity to learn well from the others."

...End of chapter...

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