169: Chapter 89 Watching a Play 169: Chapter 89 Watching a Play Golden Mansion had recently taken over from the Lovesick Class and became quite popular in Yanjing City.
It seemed that every popular opera troupe was in a hurry to gain Duke Su’s approval, and they always put on a show for him first.
If Jih Heng decided they sang well, then the opera troupe was sure to be excellent.
Just like the former Lovesick Class, Jih Heng appeared to hold the power of life and death over the opera troupes of Yanjing City; he could make an opera troupe famous and likewise, he could make one disappear quickly.
Although, in Jiang Li’s eyes, this was somewhat unbelievable—a Duke, a descendant of the Jinwu General, acting as if he managed an opera troupe.
But sometimes, she thought, for someone like Jih Heng, to have a connection with opera was understandable.
He was very beautiful, more radiant than the actors on stage, born to stand in front of others and shine.
Yet, he didn’t seem quite right for performing on stage himself, because he lived too lucidly, too indifferently, unable to enter the complex world of mortal life.
Such a favored child of the heavens was perhaps only suitable to stand below the stage, observing others’ feigned tales of joy and sorrow, too scornful even to shed a tear.
He simply viewed it all as a joke, much like the mocking smile at the corner of his lips.
The entire second floor was likely taken over by Jih Heng, with no one else there.
Jiang Li could step out from the tea room, walk up to the second-floor railing, and look down at the stage.
She could see clearly the people on stage, yet from a vantage point one level higher than the first-floor audience.
Jiang Li guessed this was the angle that Jih Heng liked, high above the rest.
She couldn’t deny, though, this way of watching plays, detached from directly beneath the stage, gave one a sense of detachment from the drama.
How should one put it?
Those too close to the actors might get deeply involved in the play.
But being near yet above the actors allowed one to clearly feel that it was all just a performance.
No matter how splendid the play, those who didn’t enter the drama wouldn’t be swayed by its emotions.
Golden Mansion’s leading lady was called Little Peach Red, a young woman whose face was covered in heavy makeup, making it hard to discern her features.
But judging from her slender figure and supple voice, she was certainly a rare gem.
No wonder the audience below gave her such a warm reception, applauding and cheering.
The play being performed was “The Case of Jiuer.”
“The Case of Jiuer” told a rather famous tale, about a woman from the previous dynasty.
The young woman, named Jiuer, married a scholar in the countryside.
They were harmonious like the zither and lute, deeply in love.
Later, the scholar went to the capital for the imperial exams and came out as the top graduate; he then became a high-ranking official and caught the eye of a young lady from a wealthy family.
The rich girl’s father wanted him as a son-in-law, and the scholar, hiding the fact that he had a wife and child back home, married the rich girl.
Jiuer and her young son back in the countryside were unaware that her husband had become another woman’s husband.
Suddenly, one day, the scholar’s letters stopped coming.
When it rains, it pours; Jiuer’s son contracted a severe illness.
The family, too poor to afford treatment, was in despair, so Jiuer had to take her young son to the capital to find her husband.
After enduring untold hardships and the cold shoulder from people, she finally reached the capital.
But on the streets of Yanjing, she saw her husband being affectionate with another woman.
The scholar refused to acknowledge Jiuer and even had her beaten and driven away.
Only then did Jiuer realize that he had long abandoned his family.
Her son did not live to see a doctor in Yanjing after the long and harsh journey; he soon died from his illness.
Heartbroken and unable to accept the betrayal, Jiuer drowned herself in a river in front of the scholar’s mansion.
After her death, she transformed into a Green Bird, endlessly chirping at the gate of the Scholar’s Mansion, drawing crowds.
The case reached the emperor, who ordered a government officer to investigate thoroughly.
Learning of the scholar’s faithlessness, the emperor stripped him of his title and punished him severely.
The rich girl also left the scholar.
In the end, the scholar ended up with nothing and froze to death during a harsh winter.
This story was fabricated by a storyteller from the former dynasty, but due to its captivating nature and the deep sympathy felt for Jiuer’s plight, it was adapted by opera troupes for the stage and became a very famous play.
Women loved such poignant and lamentable stories, crying along with Jiuer’s suffering.
Men, on the other hand, would sigh—it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but there were also sayings like “one should not abandon his wife for wealth and honor.” No wonder heaven couldn’t stand to watch such an immoral person in the end.