Chapter 89 Part 1: Watching a Play

Jin Man Tang had recently replaced Xiang Si group, an outstanding and prosperous theatrical troupe in Yanjing.

Every time there’s a popular theatrical troupe, they all seemed eager to receive Duke Su’s approval and felt it necessary to first perform for Duke Su to watch. As long as Ji Heng affirmed that the singing was not bad, the theatrical troupe would certainly be pretty good. Just like the Xiang Xi group at that time, Ji Heng seemed to have the power over the life and death of theatrical troupes in Yanjing. He could bring a theatrical troupe to fame, and could equally make a theatrical troupe disappear quickly.

Though in Jiang Li’s opinion this was really inconceivable, a majestic duke, the descendant of a highly respected old general, yet unexpectedly rather like a manager of theatrical troupes. But there were also times she felt she probably could understand how a person like Ji Heng had some relationships with plays.

He was born very beautiful, even more so than the actors on stage. From birth, he deserved to stand in front of people, radiating brilliant rays. However, he was not suitable to perform on stage in person because he was too clear-headed and cold, unable to enter the mortal world and be involved in their predicaments. Such a proud heavenly child was probably only suitable to stand under the stage, watching other people’s deception of joys and sorrows, even felt it was beneath his dignity to drop a tear or two.

He merely looked at them like a joke, only a mocking smile at the corner of his lips.

The entire second floor had perhaps been booked by Ji Heng as there were no other people. Jiang Li could go out of the tea room, walk towards the railings and look down to immediately see the stage.

Able to see the people on the stage clearly, but one floor higher than the audience on the first floor. Jiang Li surmised this was the angle Ji Heng liked, being in a high location, overlooking the scene below. She couldn’t help saying, watching a play like this had a feeling of detachment compared to directly watching in the audience. How to say it, suppose a person sat too close to the actors, it’s very easy for said person to enter the play. But a person that was nearby to the actors yet stood higher could more clearly perceive that it was just a play. No matter how wonderful the play was, it was difficult for the person to enter, thus would not be led along by the mood of the play.

The famous actor in Jin Man Tang was called Little Peach, a young woman. Because her face was always fully applied with cosmetics, her appearance wasn’t very clear. But looking at her graceful figure and her soft voice, she should be a rare wonderful person. No wonder the audience rooted for her so much and cheered for her one after another.

This play was called: “Jiu’er’s record”.

“Jiu’er’s record” was a very famous tale, the story of a woman from the previous dynasty. The young woman was called Jiu’er, who was married to a scholar in the countryside. They were in perfect harmony, the husband and wife had loving affections for each other. Afterwards, the scholar entered the capital to take the imperial examination, became the top scorer, was appointed as a big government official and attracted the attention of a wealthy young lady. The master of the wealthy young lady wanted to take him as the son-in-law, thus the scholar concealed the matter of having a wife in his hometown and married the wealthy family’s daughter.

Jiu’er, who was far away in the countryside with their young son, wasn’t aware that her husband had become other people’s husband. A day came where the scholar no longer sent letters home. Rain fell on the leaking house that night, Jiu’er’s young son fell into serious illness. The family was poor and had no money to treat the illness. With no other alternative, Jiu’er had to bring the young son to the capital to search for her husband. After going through difficulties and suffering other’s indifference, she arrived at the capital at last. However, while on the streets of the capital, she saw her husband and another woman were behaving intimately.

The scholar wasn’t willing to recognize Jiu’er and further asked people to beat and drive her away. Only then did Jiu’er find out that he already had a wife and children for a long time and had from earlier thrown the wife and child at home to the back of his head. In the capital, Jiu’er’s son couldn’t obtain silver to see the doctor, in addition, the toll from traveling from a distance, so not long after, he died of illness.

Jiu’er lost both her husband and her son, feeling unreconciled and heart-broken, she flung herself into the river in front of the scholar’s door. After death, she turned into a blue bird, all day long screaming on the scholar’s door, attracting everyone to stop. This matter alarmed the emperor who commanded the matter to be investigated thoroughly. Discovering that the scholar was a fickle and heartless person, the emperor removed him from his official position and that wealthy young lady also divorced him. Finally, the scholar ended up with nothing at all and froze to death in winter, unable to withstand the severe weather.

This was a story made up by a storyteller in the previous dynasty. However, because it’s so brilliant, and Jiu’er’s bitter experience roused the sympathy of others, it was picked up to be played on stage by theatrical troupes, consequently becoming a very well-known play. Females loved watching such mellow, mournful stories and would feel sad and tears following Jiu’er in the story. The male counterparts would sigh; though it was normal for men to have three wives and four concubines, there’s also the saying “a wife who’s gone through the hardships of poverty with her husband must not be cast away”. Such a person with no virtue, no wonder the heavens finally couldn’t stand.

When Jiang Li first heard this story, she was still a little girl in Tongxiang. She was still young at that time, unable to shed tears but was indignant for Jiu’er to meet with such injustice. She still told Xue Zhao, if it was her, knowing that the person who shared the bed was such a cruel and unscrupulous person, she absolutely wouldn’t commit suicide in front of the scholar’s door, but rather take a knife and perish together with the scholar. At that time Xue Zhao said: “When that time comes, you will certainly feel reluctant.”

She scoffed, why would she be reluctant, he’s nothing more than an ingrate that’s not as good as an animal.

Jiu’er in the story unexpectedly still recalled the good things of the past. It’s unknown whether the person making up this tale was unable to realize and produced this mistake.

But there was something from start to finish that still didn’t change, just like at this time, if she was to be asked again, she could still say that there’s nothing to be reluctant about.

When the other party chose to betray, then it was just like a sword cutting all the previous relationships, without any exception, neatly. The things others did not care about yet she preserved very carefully, that’s not called kindhearted, but frivolous and lowly.

She would never let people look down on herself.