I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 906 Chang'an Grand Theater

Zhu Xuanni said bluntly: "I guess, these foods are sold to the audience sitting there listening to the opera in the theater, and the money has to be paid to the troupe.

So it’s 30% more expensive than outside.”

Before Yang Jinshui could comment, Zhu Changhao immediately questioned: "Why should we give money to the troupe for food? Do they have to send people to help sell things?"

Zhu Changhan said, “But I think what my elder sister said makes sense.

Zhu Xuanwan also nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I think it makes sense too."

Zhu Changhao turned to look at Zhu Xuanwan, "If you think it makes sense, tell me what it is."

Zhu Xuanni encouraged: "Third brother, you can talk to the second brother and knock on his head."

Zhu Xuanwan said coyly: "Big sister, second brother, if I am wrong, please don't scold me."

Before Zhu Changhao opened his mouth, Zhu Changhan quickly replied: "Don't worry, second sister, we will never say anything about you. We are just guessing, and it's normal that we can't guess right."

Zhu Xuanni glared at Zhu Changhao and said, "Don't worry, Third Brother. If Second Brother dares to do anything stupid, I'll give him a slap in the face."

Zhu Changhao shrank his neck and dared not say a word.

"I think that if the audience is willing to buy tickets to enter the theater, they must be here for the troupe and the actors. If the actors sing well on the stage and the audience enjoys listening, those who have money will give tips directly, and those who don't have money can still buy a few more bags of food.

So the food is sold at a higher price when it is brought into the theater and sold under the stage. This is probably the reason.”

"Eunuch Yang, do you think what the eldest and second sisters said is right?" Zhu Changhan asked impatiently.

"There are rules in the theater. When people are performing on the stage, you can't throw money on the stage as a tip. That's the way street performers do it. In the theater, there are flower cards, with clear prices. Different flower cards have different prices.

If you enjoy the opera and have a lot of money, you can buy a flower card and give it to the actor on the stage.

The money from buying flower cards is divided between the troupe and the theater. A well-known troupe with famous actors gets 80%, while an ordinary troupe only gets 50% to 60%.

If you first arrive in Beijing and haven't made a name for yourself yet, you have to rely on the theaters for opportunities, and you can only get 20%.

This is called market regulation, and the essence is to follow the audience's preferences and pursuits."

Zhu Xuanni nodded happily, "Yes, yes, this is called the invisible hand, the market adapts itself."

Yang Jinshui was shocked. My eldest princess, what kind of books do you read every day? You are only ten years old. It is not good to be too precocious. Besides, you are only the eldest princess.
Zhu Changhao said at the side: "Eunuch Yang, food, we are discussing food."

"Master, don't worry. Just like what the second young lady said, if you have money, you can buy flower cards. Ordinary people can't afford flower cards, so just buy more food, which can also be regarded as a reward.

But as for the food, the troupe gets less, usually 30%, which is basically fixed and applies to all theaters."

Oh, I see.

The four of them suddenly realized.

Zhu Changhan said admiringly: "The eldest sister is the eldest sister, she guessed it right at once. The second sister is also amazing, her brain is better than mine."

Zhu Changhao glanced at him awkwardly, and spoke as if everyone had a good brain!
After entering the theater, we found that it was not big, about three hundred square meters. There was a stage in the front and an open space in the middle with sixteen tables. None of them were big. It was spacious enough for four people, but it would be a bit crowded for five or six people.

Only those who have bought first-class tickets are eligible to sit here.

There are two aisles on both sides. Audiences who bought Class B tickets have a bench to sit on, while those who bought Class C tickets can only stand there and listen to the show.

At this time, the aisles on both sides were packed with about two to three hundred people sitting and standing.

The first-class seats in the middle are a bit empty, they are all occupied, but some tables only have one or two people sitting at them.

The waiter came forward, said a few nice words, and moved the spectators to other tables, leaving two tables empty.

Yang Jinshui led the four princes and princesses and sat at a table in the middle with a good position, and six followers sat at the tables next to them.

The rest of the disguised guards were scattered in twos and threes among the B and C class ticket holders.

There is a performance on the stage.

Yu Qiaolian wore a straw hairpin and a cloth skirt, playing the role of the Seventh Lady. Her simple clothes could not conceal her beauty.

She performed opposite another actress who played the role of Dong Yong on the stage.

Dong Yong sold himself as a slave, and the seven girls washed and starched his clothes. In order to have a better life, the two were willing to support each other and work together.

After hard work, Dong Yong's three-year indenture was reduced to a hundred days.

On this day, the hundred days were up and Dong Yong was finally free. He and his seven daughters, a couple who had supported each other through thick and thin, could finally return home and live a happy life with the man farming and the woman weaving.

On the way back, they were excited, singing freely and looking forward to a better life.

The seventh girl sang: "The birds in the trees are in pairs."

Dong Yong sings duet: "Green water and green mountains bring smiles."

The seventh girl sang: "Pick a flower at random,"

Dong Yong sang: "My wife and I wear the same hairpin."

"From now on, we will no longer suffer from slavery. We will return home together. You will till the fields and I will weave cloth. I will fetch water and you will water the garden."

Zhu Xuanni rested her elbows on the table, supporting her cheeks, staring blankly at the seven women and Dong Yong walking back and forth on the stage, muttering to herself.

"It's such a good song, with such simple and sincere emotions. It's much better than those sour and charming plays."

The others, Zhu Xuanwan, Zhu Changhao, and Zhu Changhan, like the other audience members, stared at the stage, following the seven women and Dong Yong's every move and listening to every word they sang.

Concentrated and obsessed.

When the song was finished, the audience cheered in unison, the sound was like thunder, almost blowing the entire Chang'an Theater apart.

When the transition to other characters came, the audience below also looked relaxed.

Some were amused by the witty remarks and funny scenes on the stage.

Some of them were whispering to each other, sharing their recent intoxication.

Yang Jinshui picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said slowly: "The Fairy and the Cowherd is based on the story of Dong Yong meeting a fairy in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The earliest vernacular novel was the Story of Dong Yong Meeting a Fairy in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

In the early Yuan Dynasty, it was compiled into a drama called "Lu Yu", using the tunes of "Shang Diao" and "Jixian Bin". The "Yongxi Yuefu" compiled by Yiguogong Guo Xun has a complete record of it.

The lyrics are simple and clichéd, just a once-in-a-lifetime (two-minute) play.

Later, Yiyang Opera flowed into Chizhou, and after combining with the local dialect, the popular Kunqu Haiyan Opera and Yuyao Opera, Jiuhua Mountain Buddhist and folk storytelling, Mulian Opera, and local folk songs, it formed Qingyang Opera.

The original Qingyang Opera's "Encounter on the Road" was completely different from the zaju. With the addition of the youngest character Jin Xing, it became an authentic three-part play, which was very interesting.

Later, through continuous revisions and additions by local artists, the characters in "Encounter on the Road" gradually became richer, the singing became more diverse, and a large number of dialogues were added.

After the rise of Huangmei Opera, there was also a play called "Encounter on the Road", which had more characters and more beautiful singing.

Later, Tang Yiren (Tang Xianzu) went to Jiangxi and Anhui to collect folk songs. He was amazed when he heard the Qingyang Opera "Encounter on the Road". He was even more amazed when he heard the Huangmei Opera "Encounter on the Road". He personally wrote and revised the Huangmei Opera "Encounter on the Road", dividing it into seven scenes: Leaving the Kiln, Magpie Bridge, Encounter on the Road, Going to Work, Weaving Silk, Full Work, and Huaiyin.

The original name was "The Story of Weaving Brocade", but it was later changed to "The Legend of the White Snake".

Zhu Xuanni's eyes sparkled as she listened to Yang Jinshui's story. "Eunuch Yang, how do you know so much?"

"Miss, I am at least the honorary chairman of the Ming Federation of Literary and Art Circles Opera Association."

Oh, Zhu Xuanni suddenly turned around.

The left and right prime ministers of the inner court and the eunuch Feng Bao were the best in music, chess, calligraphy and painting at that time.

Yang Jinshui, the Shaofu Supervisor, was average in calligraphy and painting, but he had a good voice and was a well-known amateur artist.

It is said that he is currently in charge of compiling "Qun Yin Lei Xuan", which aims to collect all the singing styles and various operas from ancient times to the present and compile them into a book.

It is a major project sponsored by the Shaofujian, assisted by the Opera Association, and listed as a key cultural project by the Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee.

Next, Yu Qiaolian went on stage again and continued the performance.

When the Queen Mother learned that the Seventh Fairy had come down to earth and married the mortal Dong Yong, she ordered the Seventh Fairy to be captured and brought back to heaven. So the couple, as well as their two children, a boy and a girl, said goodbye to each other under the shade of the locust tree.

As happy as the seven women and Dong Yong were in the previous part, this part is just as cruel as the other.

Unfortunately, the Queen Mother and other villains did not come out. They just asked people to announce their will and sent Taibai Jinxing to escort the seven women back to heaven.

Taibai Jinxing is a good guy. It was he and the land god who secretly brought together the seven girls and Dong Yong. Now they are breaking up the couple's family, but they are also following orders and have no choice. Even if they want to hate him, they can't.

Like other audience members, Zhu Xuanni felt her chest burst with grief and anger as she listened to Yu Qiaolian's sad lyrics on the stage.

Zhu Xuanwan even lowered her head and cried.

They are young and don’t understand love between men and women, but they can see and hear clearly that children are separated from their parents, good families are broken up, and good people are bullied.

Zhu Changhao and Zhu Changhan also clenched their fists, their eyes filled with anger.

Yang Jinshui saw all this and secretly admired that although the emperor was busy with state affairs and had a lot of things to do every day, he also spent a lot of effort on the princes and princesses. At least he educated them so that they could clearly distinguish between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and their "three views" were very positive.

But there were also discordant voices.

There were six people sitting at a table between two tables. Their table was at the front, closest to the stage, and in the middle, the C position.

The five or six people sitting there did not look like serious people. The leader, a burly man, slammed the table and shouted loudly, "Huangmei Opera is so exciting. It's all women, and they are all very coquettish."

What he said was like throwing a pile of dog shit into a pot of delicious three-fresh soup that was cooked to perfection and smelled delicious.

The audience around were in a bad mood and all cast angry eyes at them. However, seeing that these six men were not decent people, each of them had a pointed face or was burly. Some had scars on their faces and had drooping eyebrows. They knew that they were most of the street thugs.

So I dared to be angry but not to speak out.

Zhu Xuanni was furious and was about to go up and scold him, but was stopped by Yang Jinshui.

"Miss, don't be in a hurry, just watch the show first."

Yang Jinshui often went incognito to various theaters to watch plays, and had seen this kind of play many times.

Why is Yuhuang Street opera so popular?
Because it's quiet there.

All the theaters, big and small, had official backgrounds, as well as the support of chambers of commerce or hometown associations. If these six hooligans dared to go in, they would be immediately sent to jail to eat old rice.

But it’s hard to say about places outside Yuhuang Street.

Especially in places like Roman Street, there is a mixed crowd of all kinds of people. There are not only theaters like Chang'an Theater, but also restaurants, hotels, prostitutes and underground gambling houses.

The Wanli New Deal brought peace and prosperity to the country, but these illegal industries could not be completely eliminated. They just changed from being purely black to being gray, from being rampant to being cautious, and they had to make a living by walking in the cracks.

These six people are just like this, they are the hooligans of Roma Street. They usually make a little money by providing services for prostitutes and underground gambling houses, and when they get the chance, they blackmail.

In their view, the Qing Meixi troupe, which came to Beijing from the countryside to seek fame and is currently neither famous nor black, is the best target for blackmail.

If it's not shady, it means you've made money and there's money to be made.

Being half-famous means that he is not yet famous enough and does not have much background. He would not dare to say a word even if blackmailed and only hopes to give up money to ensure his safety.

Instead of singing in Yuhuang Street, they came to Roma Street to sing. For these six people, it was like gold falling from the sky. They would be letting down Lord Guan Erye if they didn't blackmail them!
Yang Jinshui understood the thoughts of these gangsters very well, and knew what would happen next, so he was very confident.

Sure enough, after singing "The Legend and the Heroine", the six people couldn't wait to stand up and shouted to chase people out.

"Just leave after you finish reading. Why are you still hanging around here?"

"You only bought tickets for 'The Legend of the White Snake'. Do you still want to take advantage of it after watching it?"

The audience knew something was going to happen but they dared not make a sound. Within a minute, only the five people at the table of Yang Jinshui and Zhu Xuanni, six people at two or three tables apart, and twenty or thirty people standing in the aisle were left in the theater.

Empty.

The sturdy man led by six gangsters saw this situation and his eyes widened.

Hey, there are still some who are not convinced.

The sturdy man walked over to Yang Jinshui's table with his men, as if he didn't recognize any of his relatives.

(End of this chapter)