Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Chang Le Opera House.

On the stage.

Judge Bao, known for his impartiality, raised the courtroom and shouted, "Execute him!"

Wang Chao and Ma Han escorted Chen Shimei, who had abandoned his wife and children, to the guillotine. Zhang Long and Zhao Hu then slammed the prop guillotine shut.

A basin of red paint was spilled under the stage.

"good!"

"Well done!"

"This heartless bastard deserves to have his head chopped off!"

"This play is excellent, just as good as the Golden Palace Showdown. I'm so glad I didn't leave!"

……

Several spectators had already become immersed in the play. Seeing Chen Shimei beheaded and the villain finally getting his just deserts, they felt incredibly relieved and gratified, just like drinking a large bowl of ice-cold well water on a sweltering summer day, feeling comfortable from beginning to end.

Even passersby nearby stopped in their tracks upon hearing the commotion, turning their gazes in this direction with expressions of confusion.

It seems that the Chang Le Opera House has put on another great show.

They've long been tired of the old shows at other theaters, but they have time these next couple of days, so they've decided to come and see some...

Just then, a little girl came out carrying a gong, smiling and saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you think this play is alright, please give us a few coins!"

According to the rules, watching the opera is free.

If you're not satisfied, you can leave anytime.

However, if someone stays to listen to the entire performance and finds it quite good, they must leave a reward, whether it's one copper coin or ten copper coins, as it's a sign of recognition and support for the opera troupe.

If you treat others like spectators and expect them to get away with it for free from beginning to end, you'll be looked down upon by everyone.

A man, thoroughly enjoying the performance, reached into his pocket, pulled out a dozen or so copper coins, threw them into the gong, and exclaimed, "This play was excellent! It deserves a reward!"

The little girl smiled and immediately bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

Seeing this, the other guests also contributed their tips.

Some had as few as three copper coins, while others had more than a dozen. The copper coins fell into the gong, making a series of clanging sounds.

Chen Chang'an stood backstage, watching this scene from afar.

Although the premiere of "The Case of Chen Shimei" did not attract a large audience, the effect was quite good; it just needs some time to gain traction.

Master Liu walked over from the front, his face beaming with joy, and said, "Young master, our play is sure to be a sensation throughout the city!"

Chen Chang'an smiled slightly and said, "Thank you all for your hard work."

Master Liu, remembering something, asked, "Young master, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. If this play, 'The Case of Chen Shimei,' becomes a hit, other theaters will definitely want to buy our scripts. What price do you think would be appropriate?"

Worried that Chen Chang'an might not understand the industry, he added, "Once a play becomes popular, other theaters will definitely follow suit. Even if we don't sell it, they can copy it in ten days or half a month. So it's better to sell the script to them and make more money..."

Chen Chang'an waved his hand and said, "If they want it, just give it to them directly, no money needed..."

Master Liu was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard, and said uncertainly, "No money, young master, are we just going to let other companies take the show we've worked so hard to put together for free...?"

Chen Chang'an said nonchalantly, "It's okay, I just hope that more people will see my performance."

Master Liu looked on with admiration and exclaimed, "Young master, you are truly righteous!"

The next morning, just as dawn broke, a long queue formed in front of the Chang Le Opera House.

Among these people were audience members who had seen the show yesterday, but most were new faces.

Even before the theater opened, the crowd was filled with chatter.

"Let me tell you, you definitely won't have come for nothing today."

"This new play is even better than 'The Battle of the Golden Palace'."

"Really?"

"If you don't believe me, you'll see for yourself in a bit. This play is truly delightful..."

……

When Master Liu arrived with his actors, the play "The Case of Chen Shimei" was soon put on stage.

After the first performance, the audience lingered, shouting "Another show!" and countless coins and silver coins were thrown onto the stands.

This scene was exactly the same as when "The Battle of the Golden Palace" first started.

Liu, the troupe leader, was already experienced with this, so he immediately arranged for the actors playing the role of Chen Shimei to rest, and let the storytellers in the troupe take turns telling stories for half an hour.

Half an hour later, the second act of "The Case of Chen Shimei" began, and the audience cheered continuously.

This unusual situation naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding theaters.

The theaters sent people to check and found that Chang Le Theater had staged a new play. Judging from the audience's reaction, it was bound to be another hugely popular show.

As soon as the second performance ended, Master Liu returned backstage, and the masters of several nearby opera houses gathered around him.

"Old Liu, that's not fair. You have such a great new play, and you didn't even tell us."

"Hurry up and name your price, I'll buy this notebook!"

"Yes, yes, name your price, we'll take this notebook!"

……

According to the rules of the major theaters in the capital, if a play in one theater becomes popular, other theaters can also perform it.

However, without a script, it would take them at least ten days to half a month to replicate it.

If there's a script, we could be on stage in as little as three days.

For a wildly popular show, a difference of ten days or so can mean a significant increase in earnings, making it worthwhile to spend money on the script.

Faced with everyone's urging, Master Liu smiled, took out the script he had already copied from the box, handed it to one of them, and said, "This is the script for 'The Case of Chen Shimei.' Here you go. Go back and copy it yourselves. We've been friends for so many years, I won't mention any script fees. Take it and use it..."

Everyone looked at Master Liu, their faces filled with astonishment.

When did Old Liu become so generous?

The troupe leader who received the script snapped out of his reverie, patted Liu, the troupe leader, on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Old Liu, you're so generous. Enough said, if our theater produces a good play next time, the script will be yours first..."

Although Master Liu felt sorry for him, he couldn't disobey Young Master Chen's words. He waved his hand and said, "Just remember what you said..."

The other troupe leaders also thanked them and left.

Three days later, theaters of all sizes in the capital began performing "The Case of Chen Shimei".

Theaters were one of the few forms of entertainment available to ordinary people. When a play became popular, everyone from children to the elderly could watch it.

Everywhere you go, you can hear people humming excerpts from traditional operas.

Even toddlers, while playing, would imitate scenes from plays, using wooden swords as guillotines and shouting "Cut!"

In the play, Chen Shimei, who coveted wealth and status and abandoned his wife and children, naturally became the object of people's scorn.

But at some point, people began to compare Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, with Chen Shimei from the play "The Case of Chen Shimei".

"That Chen Shimei, he abandoned his wife just to marry a princess and climb the social ladder! He's no human being!"

"There are plenty of people like that. I heard there's one in our court who remarried right after his first wife passed away. He and his second wife have been mistreating his first wife's son, and recently they even kicked him out of the house..."

"Who is this person? How can someone like that be an official?"

Shh, he not only became an official, but a high-ranking one!

"Are you talking about Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?"

"Heh, Chen Shimei and Chen Wenyuan, they share the same surname and do the same things..."

……

Among the crowd, an elderly man with white hair and beard frowned upon hearing the discussion.

The next moment, he took out a small notebook from his pocket, then a calligraphy brush from his sleeve, opened the notebook, and began to write rapidly...