Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 190 Fabrication
Although the Twelve Rains may be able to interpret the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, Zhang Shou feels that they, who have been in the world for a long time, cannot act out the innocence of young boys and girls in the deep courtyards. On the contrary, if they play the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai with ill-fated fates, they can undoubtedly act out their true selves.
Zhang Kang's eyes suddenly flashed, and then he said with a smile: "Doctor Zhang, this certain dynasty, I think it is a fabricated story?"
"I don't know if it's fabricated or not. It's an old book that Lu Sanlang saw in a bookstore one day. It must be quite old, and there was only one copy, so he bought it." Seeing Lu Sanlang nodding in tacit agreement, Zhang Shou laughed and said, "Are there not enough fabricated allusions and stories in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad?"
Zhang Kang laughed and said, "Emperor Taizu's Journey to the West, which is a story about gods, demons and monsters, still needs to be set in the Tang Dynasty. Shi Naian turned the small-time bandit incident during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song into Water Margin. Luo Guanzhong made up stories about the Three Kingdoms and wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which even Emperor Taizu enjoyed. Why don't you change your dynasty to the end of the Southern Song Dynasty?"
Seeing that Zhang Kang was sure that he had made up the story, Zhang Shou did not say anything. He smiled and said, "I have thought about what you said before, but I was afraid that people would say it was made up. Well, there are so many made-up stories in the world anyway, so I might as well change the dynasty in the original story to the end of the Song Dynasty, and Nanjing to Lin'an."
Zhang Shou smiled and glanced at Zhang Chen and other people who didn't know what was going on. Then he explained leisurely, "Before, Weinan Bo hosted a banquet for me and Lu Sanlang here, and also invited Twelve Rain to dance. At that time, I was thinking that it was said that besides being good at dancing, many of the Twelve Rain were also good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and therefore famous in the capital. If they could perform on stage in their original appearance, I think it would be even more sensational."
After these words were spoken, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er could not help but look at each other, as did the others.
Tingyu Cottage is the most famous among all the romantic places in Beijing. Although the Twelve Rains are now very famous, they have actually gone through several generations, and their flower names have been used by their predecessors. They don't accompany guests easily, while other pavilions and courtyards rely on quantity, quality and bottom line to catch up. In recent years, it can't be said that they are the only ones who are leading the trend.
If there is a new name, it would be really tempting.
But Zhang Wu, who came to Tingyu Cottage only as Zhang Chen's follower, still couldn't help but persuade him tactfully: "Young Master, although the Twelve Rains each have their own talents, singing opera is different from poetry, calligraphy, painting and dancing... Besides, Tingyu Cottage is too expensive, and most people can't afford it. I think it's not easy for the already famous Twelve Rains to become more famous than before."
"We don't ask them to sing, but just like we are sitting here talking now, we need to speak instead of singing. Of course, stage skills are very important, but you can't just act it out. You don't need to wear those fancy and complicated headgear and costumes, but you have to let people see that the character is there. In fact, it tests your skills more..."
Zhang Kang saw that Zhang Shou was explaining to others and had no time to pay attention to him, so he winked at Wan Yuanbao who was standing beside him. Seeing that Wan Yuanbao quietly withdrew tactfully, obviously to bring the girls over, he sat there and listened patiently and with great interest to Zhang Shou's explanation of the form of the so-called drama, and then began to talk about the story of Peach Blossom Fan to everyone.
"There is a saying that there are green mountains beyond mountains and buildings beyond buildings, and the singing and dancing in West Lake never stops. The warm wind makes tourists drunk, and they mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou. Since the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital, it has been living in a corner. In its last years, Mongolia rose up, first allied with the Song Dynasty to destroy the Jin Dynasty, and then sharpened its knives to attack the Song Dynasty. At this time, the knowledgeable people in Lin'an City were naturally worried."
Zhang Kang didn't expect that Zhang Shou would immediately change the story of the end of a certain dynasty into the end of the Southern Song Dynasty. He knew in his heart that this doctor of the Imperial College probably had that idea at first, but because of some concerns, such as fearing that someone would say he was using history to satirize the present, he changed it to the end of a certain dynasty.
"As we all know, during the Song Dynasty, more than a thousand Jinshi candidates passed the imperial examination every three years, far more than the dozen Jinshi candidates per year during the Tang Dynasty. However, with so many successful candidates, the court did not need so many officials, so a large number of people became redundant. Everyone had to wait again and again for an official position to be vacated, and new Jinshi candidates with no reputation had no idea how long they would have to wait."
"This year, the Mongolian army has been fighting north and south, occupying countless territories. Yang Longyou held a banquet at Louwailou by the West Lake to comfort his friend Hou Fangyu, who had been waiting for the candidate in Lin'an for two years. At this time, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras continued on the lake. Hou Fangyu cursed indignantly, "The merchant women do not know the hatred of the country's demise, and they still sing the song of the back garden across the river." But at this time, a brothel owner who came upstairs said with disdain, "It's not just the merchant women who don't know the hatred of the country's demise. " "
At this moment, Wan Wanbao outside the door had already attracted Twelve Rains. Knowing that the person coming inside was the prospective son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, Miss Zhu's ideal husband, even though they had seen Zhang Shou's handsome and elegant appearance last time, when they thought of Zhang Shou ignoring them, Qingyu, who had almost gotten into trouble because of her insinuation last time, could not help but snort.
However, when Qingyu suddenly heard Zhang Shou's last words, he was stunned, and so were the others. Living in a place of romance, he had long been accustomed to putting on a forced smile, swallowing all the tears and grievances, but the most heartbreaking thing was the sentence "A merchant woman does not know the hatred of losing her country."
Therefore, when they heard Zhang Shou continue to talk, a self-respecting and self-loving Li Xiangjun emerged, especially the blood-stained peach blossom fan, the courage to refuse marriage without fear of the powerful, and the single-minded love for Hou Fangyu, they unknowingly became infatuated.
However, when the two reunited after going through untold hardships, Hou Fangyu had already surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. Li Xiangjun was disheartened and angrily scolded her lover. She resolutely tore up the peach blossom fan that symbolized their love. Especially when Zhang Shou once again quoted the line "It's not just the merchant women who don't know the hatred of losing their country", Qingyu, who had the most impulsive personality, couldn't help but blurt out a praise.
The next moment, she found that the room suddenly became quiet, and she immediately knew that she had gotten into trouble again. Seeing that Feiyu, who had always been her best friend, immediately hid her behind her, fearing that someone would open the door and scold her, and seeing other companions either angry or glaring at her angrily, she could only lower her head in guilt. But the next moment, no one in the room blamed her, but Zhang Shou's voice came again in a moment.
"This is just Li Xiangjun. At that time, the other leaders also had their own merits."
Twelve Rain outside the house only listened to Zhang Shou's brief description of Gu Hengbo, who married a talented man but bore a bad reputation after his surrender, but was unexpectedly granted the title of Lady of Imperial Concubine; Kou Baimen, who married into a wealthy family but was eventually neglected, but raised money to help her husband escape after he was captured, and then resolutely broke up with him; Bian Yujing, who was in love with her lover but did not take care of him; Liu Rushi, who married a high-ranking official, resolutely jumped into the water after his surrender but was rescued, and finally persuaded her husband to resign and live in seclusion...
Zhang Shou told stories about the bosses of brothels, such as those about mistaking their lovers, broken love, or worshipping the Buddha. They could not help but listen in a daze, with mixed feelings in their hearts.
From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Song and Yuan Dynasties, although there were legendary stories about prostitutes like them, were they ever so vivid and lively?
Inside the house, Zhang Chen and the others originally just thought it was fun to listen to Shi Er Yu's acting, but when Zhang Shou really told the stories of seven or eight women in a serious manner, they couldn't help but become interested and had long forgotten the little matter of someone cheering outside.
Lu Sanlang, who had just read the scroll in Zhang Kang's hand, could not help but shout, "Although the book was originally interesting, it is even more interesting after being exaggerated by the young master. I also read Beilizhi, Qinglouji, Jiaofangzhi in the past. Although they seem to describe those famous prostitutes in detail, they are just a few words, joking and sighing. How can they be as moving as this one?"
Zhang Chen couldn't help but say, "That's right, it doesn't seem like a fabrication!"
"When the fake is made to be real, the real becomes fake too." Zhang Shou sneered, then tapped the armrest and said, "It has been hundreds of years since the end of the Song Dynasty. Who knows if there were any stories among the women in the market at that time that were more touching than these? You don't have to say it's heart-wrenching. In the final analysis, it just looks high-class. I don't know how much embellishment has been added!"
Weinan Earl Zhang Kang finally understood what was going on, and said with a smile, "Even though it only looks high-class, it is still far superior to the current zaju and southern operas! If you don't believe me, ask the Twelve Rains who have been eavesdropping for a long time outside, are they willing to play the roles you mentioned, Doctor Zhang?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wan Yuanbao pushed the door open, and Zhang Chen and the others saw the Twelve Rains, who were all plump and slim and had their own unique styles, coming in one after another. Lu Sanlang, who had come and gone frequently thanks to Zhang Kang, could naturally recognize everyone, but whether it was Zhang Chen, Zhu Er or the others, they just couldn't take their eyes off.
And these twelve beauties, each with their own unique style, all said at the same time: "I am willing!"
Zhang Shou knew that he would probably get such an answer, so he nodded with a smile and said, "The book is very short. I just added a lot of details to give you a rough idea. If you like, you can choose a character and then perfect the story in detail. Just remember to keep it in style and warn the world, and distinguish it from those stories about talented scholars and beautiful women under the moonlight."
"Once the twelve stories are completed one by one and compared with each other, we can rehearse. This kind of play is different from singing an opera. It doesn't require beautiful singing. What matters is that you put yourself in the role..."
Zhang Shou casually popularized some basic knowledge of Western drama performances, until Shi Eryu and the others were stunned. Then he said with a smile: "I am too busy with the affairs of the Imperial College, so I can only give you an idea. The rest depends on you. By the way, I just showed Weinan Bo a random line, and you may try it. Weinan Bo, how about we talk for a while?"
Zhang Kang saw that all Twelve Rain had expressions of surprise and joy, and it was clear that no one was unwilling, so he laughed and said, "Since Dr. Zhang has pointed out such a clear path for you, you can give it a try and see who can perform the lines of Peach Blossom Fan well! Well, Lu San, you and Zhang Chen, Zhu Er and the others can judge who is the best! Dr. Zhang, let's go out and talk!"
