Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 131 King Bomb! The Great Achievements of Princess Yongning [1 Update]

Chapter 131: 131 King Bomb! The Great Achievements of Princess Yongning [1 Update]

"Pure and Simple Melody" is a pipa piece that depicts the prosperity of the Ning Dynasty.

This piece was composed by Princess Yongning when she was fourteen years old and was also a congratulatory piece presented to Ning Zhaozong.

That year, she visited the common people, comforted the citizens, personally engaged in farming, and allocated resources to aid impoverished regions to improve the lives of the poor people. On her way back to the capital Fengyuan, she was inspired and penned this piece.

Historical records state that the first public performance of "Pure and Simple Melody" took place at Ning Zhaozong’s birthday celebration.

Princess Yongning played this piece on the zither from atop a high tower and received the recognition from all members of the Heavenly Sound Sect.

The spread of this piece was extremely wide, even reaching the Northern Lands and the Starman Federal Empire.

It was for this reason that after Shenzhou experienced the ravages of war, "Pure and Simple Melody" was perfectly preserved.

However, due to the scarcity of pipa players and the high difficulty of passing on the heritage, there were even fewer people who could play "Pure and Simple Melody."

The very few, just three, were all master figures from the Yunjing Art Center, and two of them were already over seventy years old!

But at the promotion event of "Annus Mirabilis," to actually hear "Pure and Simple Melody"?!

Journalists knowledgeable in classical music shouted this phrase, and the scene instantly fell silent as everyone eagerly turned their gaze towards the backstage.

This is "Pure and Simple Melody"!

Which master is presiding over this promotion event?

The media journalists and on-site audience could not contain their agitation, eager to find out who the performer behind the scenes was.

The audience members whispered to each other.

"It really is Pure and Simple Melody, I heard Master Shangguan’s concert five years ago, and the tune is exactly the same!"

"The ’Annus Mirabilis’ production team is really serious and thoughtful, even bringing out a trump card like ’Pure and Simple Melody’ to the table."

"Who was it just now that said today’s pipa player couldn’t perform it? Was it deliberate, to praise by first belittling?"

One of the journalists couldn’t wait to ask, "Teacher Zhou, Teacher Nie, do you know today’s pipa player? Can you let us know which master has graced us with their presence?"

Zhou Chengyu and Nie Shuangyi looked at each other before uniformly replying, "Sorry, our focus for today’s promotion is still the drama."

Many media tried to ask indirectly, but still no answer was forthcoming.

When the Q&A officially ended, they did not go after Zhou Chengyu, the emperor of acting, but instead headed straight backstage, wanting to catch a glimpse of the pipa player.

However, after finishing playing "Pure and Simple Melody," the person had already left, leaving just a cup of tea still steaming.

"Please calm down, everyone, please be calm," the director tried to maintain order at the front, "Our pipa player had urgent matters and has already left."

Hearing this, unable to pry any information from the production crew, the journalists and media could only leave with regret.

Backstage in the resting room.

The producer carefully pushed open the door, "Chairman Ye, you didn’t see it, those people outside were just too crazy. It’s good you left quickly."

After saying this, he saw the girl change her manner of holding the pipa.

"This is..." the producer was stunned for a moment, recalling some common knowledge that Ying Yueyuan had shared with them, "Playing the pipa reversed?"

"Yeah," Ye Wanlan tried out this position but then put down the pipa, smiling slightly, "Just for playing, I don’t play the pipa reversed."

After all, in the hands of a Musician of Heavenly Sound, once classical instruments are played reversed, it marks the activation of a lethal move.

It’s either death or grievous injury!

The producer was somewhat puzzled and continued to ask, "Why did Chairman Ye think of playing ’Pure and Simple Melody’?"

"Someone was scheming behind the scenes, which proves that they had already spread many rumors beforehand, creating momentum for us," Ye Wanlan spoke indifferently, "Creating such momentum isn’t easy, so since someone else was doing it, why not I just give it a push? Why not do something enjoyable?"

The producer was shocked, then came to a realization, "Yes, that’s right!"

"When I finished playing ’Desert’s Lone Smoke,’ the people they invited to the scene would surely continue to seek instructions from higher-ups, so I chose to play ’Pure and Simple Melody,’" Ye Wanlan went on, "This way, no one would pay any more attention to them."

"After all, it’s ’Pure and Simple Melody’!" the producer couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, "The piece composed by Princess Yongning is too well-written."

Yet, on Princess Yongning’s behalf, Zither, Go, Calligraphy, and Painting were merely an embellishment, enriching the spirit of the people.

Despite her youth and the brevity of her life, her accomplishments were as weighty as mountains.

She pioneered new reforms, expanding the avenues for women to become officials in the court.

She also repelled the ambitious Northern Lands who desired to invade the Northern Borders of Shenzhou, and concluded a peace treaty with the Emperor of the Northern Lands.

The great epidemic that shook Shenzhou for half a year was also managed by her, leading Taiyi Medical Practitioners to ultimately resolve it.

So much so and many more.

It was precisely because she was always on the move that she succumbed to exhaustion, compounded by the epidemic, leading to her death at the age of seventeen.

The historical records show that in the year 1717 of the Shenzhou Calendar, Princess Yongning passed away. Zhaozong was grief-stricken and posthumously honored Princess Yongning as "Emperor Yongning," with the decree that she be buried with imperial rituals, and the officials mourned for thirty-six days.

A legendary era thus came to an end.

"Hmm," Ye Wanlan’s expression was distant as she softly said, "Being inspired, naturally I could compose it."

The producer nodded in agreement, "I wonder which master of the pipa Chairman Ye studied under?"

Ye Wanlan fell silent.

Her pipa playing skills were those that she learned at the Heavenly Sound Sect, studying with Sect Leader Lin Fanyin, from the ancestral master.

This ancestral master had once reformed "Battle-Breaking Music" among several other classical zither pieces, exponentially increasing the combat strength of the Musicians of Heavenly Sound.

The Battle-Breaking Music could wipe out tens of thousands of enemies; even martial arts novels wouldn’t dare to depict such a scene.

But it indeed existed in reality.

Since she possessed no inner strength, she was most suited to practice the martial arts secrets of the Heavenly Sound Sect, thoroughly mastering how to manipulate sound waves to kill people.

"I learned it from an old man," Ye Wanlan said with a faint smile, "I enjoy learning new things. As long as it can improve myself and benefit others, it’s worth pursuing."

"Chairman Ye..." the producer was shocked by her words and didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

"The media won’t miss out on such a good publicity opportunity as ’Pure and Simple Melody’," Ye Wanlan nodded lightly, "They will surely ask many questions, but don’t respond to any of them."

The producer was somewhat puzzled but nodded in agreement.

Although he had been in the industry for so long, his experiences had taught him that following Chairman Ye’s decisions was undoubtedly the right move!

**

Approaching four in the afternoon, Ye Wanlan returned to the ancient street.

"Back already?" Professor Xue said with a beaming smile, "Are you hungry? Do you need to eat something else? Is there anywhere else you particularly want to visit?"

"..."

Once he spoke, several people who knew Professor Xue’s personality looked at him with strange glances.

Could it be that the professor was out of his mind due to anger?

"No need," Ye Wanlan responded politely, "I will move with the main group, Professor. You don’t have to take special care of me."

"Ah, okay!" Professor Xue readily agreed, "Then we will continue with today’s plan and inspect the canal designed and commissioned by Princess Yongning."

The environment of Yan City was extremely harsh, with no distinction of the four seasons, and no pattern to speak of.

There were occasional torrential rains that lasted a month, leading to floods.

But there were also months-long droughts, causing the people to suffer.

The canals of Yan City perfectly prevented flood disasters, complemented by a set of water diversion devices.

In this way, whether in times of torrential rain or drought, the people of Yan City would not be troubled.

Now stepping into modern society, the canals were still in use, but improvements had been made to perfect the hydraulic engineering.

A few years ago, a museum was built next to the canal in Yan City, dedicated to introducing the developmental history of the canal over the past three hundred years.

Professor Xue led the team into the museum, explaining in detail as they went.

Ye Wanlan listened intently.

After visiting the museum, it was already half-past five.

Having finished the day’s itinerary, many people collapsed on their hotel beds as soon as they returned.

In the room, Ye Wanlan took a seat on the chair.

She took out the dagger, and three seconds later, she disassembled the hilt, twisting it gently. The hilt split in the middle, transforming into a flat surface.

No one knew that inside this dagger, there were two characters.

They were written in seal script —

Xiang Lan.

The true name of Princess Yongning.

Xiang of the Xiang Imperial Family, Lan meaning to calm the waves.

Ye Wanlan quietly gazed at the two characters for a long while, then reassembled the dagger and slipped it into her pocket.

**

At that very moment, in a hidden alley.

A group gathered together, some smoking and some drinking.

They all had tattoos on their bodies, giving off an intimidating aura.

"Boss, we’ve traced the origins of that dagger; it seems to have come from a tomb-robbing gang," the young man said. "I guess they were mistaken, not realizing the dagger was a genuine antique treasure!"

That morning, Ye Wanlan had purchased the dagger without a second word, causing the professor from the same team to slightly change his expression, which caught the attention of the stall owner.

They were not willing to let go of this anomaly and, sure enough, managed to track down some clues!

The antiques of Yan City, if not left by Princess Yongning, were left by the King of Yan.

This could be worth a lot of money!

And to think it was bought for only five thousand yuan—that was intolerable!

"The Archaeological Center of the Yunjing Bureau of Cultural Relics and Yunjing University formed an archaeology enthusiasts’ team?" The middle-aged man furrowed his brow. "It might be a bit difficult to handle."

"Boss, I found out that the person who bought our dagger doesn’t belong to either of those two places," the young man immediately said. "Even some members of their team are questioning who that young girl is. Moreover, she came alone and doesn’t know anyone else."

Hearing this, a murderous intent flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes, "Then go ahead and take action! Get our dagger back."

Murder and robbery were what they were best at.

This was Yan City, backed by Wanta Country, where it was easy to make a person disappear without a trace.

If they took something of theirs, they had to pay the price!