One Lifetime Is Never Enough

1.54 Resolution

Despite what the Empress might have said during the banquet -- something about the song "Aging of a Beauty" being a possible catalyst for insurgence against the Empire; in the end, the song was quickly circulated among the commoners merely within the next few weeks.

It had become so well-known, that even the small villages at the borders of the Empire's territory knew of the song, and sang it with passion. Even more so, at these remote villages, the song practically almost became their anthem.

Why?

Because when soldiers were needed, the young men and able bodies usually came from these remote places. The lower tiers of the society needed the money and remuneration entailed, more than the nobility. For the more wealthy, their heirs and youths could sometimes get away from extended military duties. They were more educated and cultured, thus giving them more opportunities to choose other professions other than being a soldier.

The wealthy were the players of the chess pieces. The chess pieces, whose most prized possession was their sturdy build and robustness, contributed to be the majority of the soldiers' numbers.

Nevertheless, Bai YuLan was not the person responsible for the widespread passion of the song, although she was the first person to sing it - at the banquet.

It was the doing of the two famed young scholars of Da Lang - HeShan and SunChen.

Scholars were always appreciated by the Emperor, as they contributed to the education and cultural development of the Empire, even for the Imperial Family members themselves. Although the Emperor was still their superior, scholars were always given somewhat free-reign on their conduct, as long as it did not cause damage to the Empire. Most scholars came from the higher tiered of the society - smart educated young men who wanted to contribute to the country through their brain rather than brawn. Nevertheless, their family backgrounds constricted them - to some extent - on what they could do or say.

But for HeShan and SunChen, who did not have any clear root or family background; or perhaps their upbringing was also influenced by their eccentric masters - they could care less on what should or should not be done. They felt the song was meaningful and should be bestowed to as many ears as possible.

Therefore, they tirelessly performed their rendition of "Aging of a Beauty" to a number of tea-houses and scholar-meets they were acquainted with. Once it garnered enough attention, a lot of other performers and scholars did their part spreading the song to other places.

It was actually HeShan's first attempt as well in singing a full verse song, while SunChen of course already had his share when they used to perform at Lian house along with LanBai and Yulan. HeShan was more adept in playing instruments and had always been somewhat shy in speaking in public - despite his carefree outer persona.

However as the song was quite long, SunChen insisted for his friend to contribute his voice as well. After all, they did not intend to just do one performance. It would take a toll on his vocal chord if he was the only one singing it.

In return, SunChen also played a bit of instrument to accompany the song's rendition. Between their collaboration, both men's voices, and their good looks that was already a major draw in attracting a lot of young maidens; they were kept busy with various requests to perform in well-known establishments for the following week. Only after they lost their voice, they finally rejected all request cards, leaving the public and other performers to spread the songs in their stead.