"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Zhen Ji will sing the first song for free. If you like it, you may request songs."

Lin Yi finished speaking, then left the stage to Zhen Ji, and soon after, a beautiful melody began to play.

"Cut a segment of time, slowly flowing, blending into the moonlight's gentle ripples, pluck a tune with the faint scent of lotus..."

The soft and melodious voice seemed to transport the listeners into a moonlit lotus pond, with the sound of trickling water immersing them beyond escape.

When Zhen Ji finished singing, a thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, some even shouted that the number one Singer of the Imperial City was back!

Even Zhen Ji couldn't believe the effect of her own performance, suspecting that the voice wasn't hers.

Lin Yi also nodded in satisfaction, Zhen Ji was indeed a promising talent.

At that moment, the same short and pudgy man stood out again, shouting loudly.

"This young master wants to request a song. You didn't sing it well last time at the neighboring music workshop, but I won't hold it against you. This time, I offer 500 Silver Taels for you to sing a song for me."

"Sing that last one again, I want to sponsor that song."

500 Silver Taels for one song! Lin Yi could nearly laugh out loud while drinking water, the situation was getting more and more interesting.

The Fourth Prince became displeased; after all, Zhen Ji was a woman he had been with. How could she sing for another man in his presence?

No, absolutely not!

"This Prince offers a thousand Taels, I will sponsor this song. Perhaps you should find a different singer."

A raging Fourth Prince for his beloved, the pudgy man could only retreat in dejection, knowing that competing with the Fourth Prince would yield no good ends, better to withdraw sensibly.

But even a thousand gold would not buy Zhen Ji's smile; she had seen through the fickle Fourth Prince, and now she would rather sing more songs, but given the circumstances, she had no choice but to leave the stage somberly.

Then, several singers took turns performing.

"Red beans born in the southern lands, a matter too far away, what is longing compared to this, long since no one cares..."

"This is thousands upon thousands, countless nights and days, my endless yearning for you that words fail to express..."

"Perhaps under Xi'an's city walls, someone swears never to part, perhaps one must travel to Dali to be considered truly in love..."

Each song was endlessly evocative, with guests eagerly opening their wallets. Before the sun had set, the music workshop had already collected 30,000 Silver Taels.

Among them, the singers from Zuimeng Music Workshop contributed over 10,000 Silver Taels.

The Fourth Prince, sitting on the 2,000-Tael chair, had a complexion dark as charcoal, holding his breath in silence.

The Singers from his own mansion did not earn a single coin at home, yet here they earn over 10,000 Taels for the competition; such a situation was hard for anyone to swallow.

His heart was filled with regret—had he known earlier, he wouldn't have agreed to Lin Yi's terms, essentially handing over the money meant for his own Singers to Lin Yi.

The Fourth Prince thought it would be just a few hundred Silver Taels at most, considering it a small price to pay for a covert lesson or a gift, but who could have expected such strength from the guests, who, in less than four hours, managed to spend so much.

The tunes from Good Sound Music Workshop were truly enjoyable to listen to, but watching Lin Yi's pockets continually filling up was enough to make one nearly choke with anger.

"Servants, this Prince is weary today. Let's return to the Prince Mansion!"

"And do not forget this chair."

The Fourth Prince's face was expressionless; had this music workshop not belonged to Lin Yi, he could have easily spent three days and nights without feeling tired.

Knowing the Fourth Prince was in a poor mood, Lin Yi too hastened to put down his work, his face beaming with a smile as he saw the prince off.

"The Fourth Prince really went all out today, thanks for patronizing the Good Sound Music Workshop."

At this moment, Lin Yi laughed unabashedly, penetrating deeply into the Fourth Prince's pained heart. Yet, given the Prince's wealth and bravado, he couldn't bear to lose face in public, so he insincerely remarked.

"Lin Your Excellency exaggerates. What are you talking about? Good Sound Music Workshop truly lives up to its name. When I have leisure time, I will also come to support."

The moment the Fourth Prince finished his words, the short and chubby man standing by today's music score proudly declared.

"Ha-ha, see? I, the young master, spent 3000 Silver Taels today, almost enough to fill up the entire scoreboard with my name. This feeling is simply more exhilarating than becoming the top scholar."

The Fourth Prince cast a sidelong glance at the red paper scoreboard, which was almost exclusively filled with the short and chubby man's names, while his own "Fourth Prince" was nearly sandwiched in the middle, invisible.

When had the mighty Fourth Prince ever suffered such indignity, his name being squeezed in the middle?

With a flick of his sleeve and an air of arrogance, he said: "What's the significance of this red paper scoreboard? Servants, replace everything with my name."

It must be said, wherever the Fourth Prince is, he must shine the brightest.

But the short, chubby man was not pleased. Although he feared the Fourth Prince's authority, he plucked up the courage to say: "I've long heard that the Fourth Prince is generous, setting the benchmark wherever you go. I humbly ask the Fourth Prince to leave me some leeway and not to drown my name completely."

The Fourth Prince let out a cold sneer.

"Heh, weren't you quite arrogant just now? Saying the entire scoreboard carried your name, now let this Prince show you there's always someone superior."

The short, chubby man was a nouveau riche, of course, he dared not challenge the Fourth Prince, only muttering under his breath.

"But that's the name I got for 3000 Silver Taels."

3000 Silver Taels may seem like a lot to others, but in the eyes of the Fourth Prince, it's merely pocket change.

The Fourth Prince then grandly took out 8000 Silver Taels, turning to ask Lin Yi.

"Lin Your Excellency, is this amount sufficient to replace the entire scoreboard with my name?"

Lin Yi could not have dreamed that a useless scoreboard could earn him 8000 Silver Taels! The Fourth Prince's rate of splurging was inhumanely extravagant.

"Indeed, it's more than enough. I don't think anyone tonight can outmatch the Fourth Prince's price."

"Someone, quickly change to a new scoreboard, we can't keep the Fourth Prince waiting."

Soon, Bai Lu brought out the prearranged scoreboard, where apart from the names of the musical pieces, the rest were all branded with "Fourth Prince."

With that, the Fourth Prince finally nodded in satisfaction and boarded his carriage.

"Welcome the Fourth Prince to visit us again!"

Lin Yi's smile narrowed to a slender line, surprised that the Fourth Prince left him a generous gift before leaving.

Spending money feels good in the moment, but when the Fourth Prince returned to his mansion, after calculating expenses, he realized he had nearly spent 20,000 Silver Taels in one afternoon. Aside from a plush chair, he got nothing else.

The thought of it felt like a loss. The Fourth Prince regretted it so much his guts turned green, mentally resolved not to visit the Good Sound Music Workshop the next day.

Now just the mention of Good Sound Music Workshop made the Fourth Prince furious enough to go mad, and he immediately ordered his steward to settle things swiftly.

Today, his own Singer had won the approval of all the guests at Good Sound Music Workshop. Starting tomorrow, even if she performed elsewhere, she could still rake in 10,000 Silver Taels.

Thus, the priority was to make the Good Sound Music Workshop vanish. The guests would have no other choice.

The steward clenched his teeth and said, "Your Highness, to play today at the Good Sound Music Workshop, we still need to rely on those novel gadgets. Shall we steal them over?"

… End of chapter …

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