Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 578: One Scene Ends, Another Scene Begins
It was late at night and Renmeifang was completely silent.

Zhongwazi, however, is a prosperous place.

Yue Peiying and Yan Qingyu lived in the north for a long time and later went to Western Xia. They had never seen a night as prosperous as day.

Yan Qingyu was just curious, but Yue Peiying just liked shopping because it was a girl's nature.

So the two of them made an appointment and went to Zhongwazi after the clinic closed.

I bought some small things and had some snacks, when suddenly I saw a brothel with a sign that read "Yang Gong's Wise Judgement on the Wall".

The group of women in the Yang Mansion, led by Madam Luxi, were actually walking in.

Yue Peiying smiled and said, "The ladies of the Yang family are really interesting. They go to the brothels to watch others play their men.

I don't know who this opera troupe has chosen to play Yang Yuan. Let's go and take a look."

The two of them deliberately waited for Luxi, Danniang and the others to protect Yingge, who was already pregnant, in the middle. After they entered the brothel, they walked over and bought a ticket to go in.

Backstage, Lu Chengze, dressed in a scholar's robe, was talking to troupe leader Yue, who was about to go on stage with a rat-like beard.

"I watched your performance this afternoon. Many parts were not accurate or detailed enough..."

Boss Yue rolled his eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, I am a minor official in the Censorate, working beside Yang Qianxian and Lu Yushi.

I know the whole story of this case of hiding the body between the walls very well. I think you can modify your play a little bit to make it more vivid.

Especially the portrayal of supporting characters, which can not only promote the development of the story and make the plot more exciting, but also enrich the relationship between characters through interaction with the protagonist.

A flesh-and-blood, vivid supporting role can make the protagonist more vivid, as the saying goes, red flowers need green leaves to set off them..."

"Boss, it's time to go on stage!" The actor who played Yang Yuan appeared and called out to Boss Yue in a crisp voice.

Banzhu Yue was already getting impatient with what he was saying, but... the other person was from the Censorate, and even if he was just a minor official, he was still an official to him and it was not easy to offend him.

At this time, he finally had an excuse, and he interrupted Lu Chengze with a smile: "Sir, I'm about to go on stage, I'm really sorry.

And you see, every show is sold out now, and I really don’t have the time to change the script anymore.”

"It doesn't matter!"

Lu Chengze smiled slightly and took out a "play book" written by himself from his sleeve.

"I love watching plays and I'm quite knowledgeable about zaju. This is a playbook I rewrote based on your current plot. I'm giving it to you."

Is there such a good thing?

Boss Yue quickly took it and flipped through it. Every word was neat and beautiful, all in regular script, even neater than printed ones.

I just randomly scanned a few lines of dialogue and they made such a great impression. The meaning of the same sentence, when expressed through the lines in this book, made a particularly great impression.

This is a script that was written very carefully by the current top scholar. With his talent and writing skills, and the fact that he knows the details of the whole case, how could it be a bad script?
It can become a classic public case drama and be passed down through the ages.

The head of the Yue team was delighted and said, "Sir, do you want a reward for writing?"

"do not want!"

"Well, may I ask your name, sir? I will write it down for you."

"Haha, if I give it to you, it's yours. You don't have to leave your name."

"Okay, okay, my opera troupe will perform two shows a day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

Tonight, I will read the masterpiece carefully. If I have time, I will re-arrange the plot tomorrow morning."

"Okay! I'll come back to watch your show in two days!"

His scripts are indeed much more vivid than those written by Yue Banzhu.

In Yue Banzhu's script, there are only two relatively vivid characters, one is the upright judge Yang Yuan, and the other is the unscrupulous Zhang Mi. The other characters are all stereotyped supporting characters.

Of course, the names of these people have been changed to match their pronunciation or meaning in the play.

In Lu Chengze's writing, many characters have their own underlying logic for their behavior, which makes many supporting characters instantly come alive.

For example, there was a censor who was a top scholar in the imperial examination. He was upright, mighty and unyielding. He used his pen as a gun and was not afraid of the powerful.

Facing Dali Temple officials of much higher rank than him, he argued with reason, which was his strong point, making him Yang Qingtian's most capable assistant.

On the other hand, the other censor named Xiao, although not a bad person, was hot-tempered, reckless and impulsive. He often did bad things with good intentions, putting Yang Qingtian in a passive position.

The play started. Lu Chengze smiled slightly and walked away, hiding his achievements and fame.

The first scene is about Liu Guojiu repairing the yamen. In order to make the plot more compact, Yang Qingtian, who is a good friend of Liu Guojiu, happens to be at the crime scene.

As soon as Yang Qingtian appeared, he aroused the interest of all the female members of the Yang family.

Qingtang, A'man and Xiao Ata, three little sisters of similar age, couldn't help but stand up. They were scolded by the audience in the back row and then they sat down obediently.

Qingtang smiled happily: "This Yang Qingtian on the stage is quite handsome."

Ah Man stared with wide eyes and suddenly said, "So it's a woman playing the role. No wonder she looks so pretty!"

Luxi, Danniang, Bingxin and others saw "Yang Yuan" appear on the stage, with a face as white as powder, long eyebrows, eyes as clear as autumn water, and a handsome appearance, and they felt happy in their hearts.

Everyone knows that Yang Qingtian plays their man. Wouldn't he be disgusting if he was ugly?
When they found out that it was a woman, they found it even more interesting.

Yan Qingyu and Yue Peiying were sitting in the back, also watching with great interest.

It feels quite novel to see common characters around us being brought onto the stage.

……

Yang Yuan on the stage was judging a thief, while Yang Yuan off the stage was pretending to be a thief.

Yang Yuan, dressed in blue and with his face covered with a blue scarf, sneaked into the backyard of Liu's mansion with ease. He gently pushed the window reserved for him by Liu Wanrong and climbed in through the window.

Liu Wanrong was sitting in front of the dressing table, wearing a royal blue palace dress embroidered with peonies and woven with gold brocade.

Palace dress does not mean that it can only be worn in the palace. It is just that it is a very formal and gorgeous attire. It most often appears in celebrations and banquets in the palace, hence the name.

The palace costumes were very complicated with three layers inside and outside. The workmanship of the skirts and gowns was extremely delicate. Not only were the materials expensive, but they were also decorated with a lot of embroidery and jewels, making them extremely luxurious.

At this moment, Liu Wanrong was like a blooming peony, extremely graceful and noble.

Yang Yuan was stunned and asked curiously, "Why are you dressed so gorgeously tonight?"

Liu Wanrong looked at Yang Yuan in the mirror and said angrily, "I am waiting for you, a heartless little thief."

Yang Yuan closed the window, walked forward with a smile, and said, "How can I be so heartless? Didn't I feed you enough?"

"Go, don't mess up her makeup."

Liu Wanrong pushed him coquettishly, not wanting him to mess up the hairpins and step-shaking ornaments she had carefully selected.

Liu Wanrong turned around from the brocade cushion and said to Yang Yuan, "Today, Daddy arranged blind dates for three people again."

Yang Yuan was stunned and asked, "What three?"

Liu Wanrong rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly, "Of course it's a man. Daddy found three men at once."

Although Liu Wanrong thought that she had met Nanfengchi, Yan Shen and others by chance at that time, after the three guests left, her mother immediately asked her what she thought of these three people. Naturally, she understood that this was another blind date arranged by her parents.

Yang Yuan sat down on the chair next to him, touched his nose, and stopped talking.

It is indeed inconvenient for him to make his relationship with Liu Wanrong public now, otherwise...

You think he would feel awkward when he met the Goose King and the government?

By the way, Luxi was also recognized as the Guan family's adopted sister. He married the Guan family's stepmother, and the Guan family was his eldest brother-in-law...

Seeing Yang Yuan looking embarrassed, Liu Wanrong softened her heart. She walked over gracefully, sat in his arms, and put her arms around his neck.

Liu Wanrong said softly, "Okay, I know you didn't want to let me down. With my status, it would be hard for me to follow an official." Yang Yuan held her soft waist and said, "In fact, I have thought of a way. Moreover, I have thought of several ways..."

Liu Wanrong's eyes lit up, but Yang Yuan said, "It's just a matter of consideration, but it's not appropriate after all.

For example, if you are asked to change your name, then if you want to interact with your parents and family members in the future, you have to do it secretly.

For example, you can build another house next to mine, and put a gate in the house so people can come and go."

Liu Wanrong bit her lip and said, "What's the difference between that and now?
What Nunu wants is to be able to stand beside her husband with confidence."

Yang Yuan said: "I know, so I rejected these ideas myself.

Don't worry, I have solved countless difficult problems for people.

I just don't believe that when it comes to me, I won't be able to think of a suitable solution.

It’s just… it takes time, maybe someday I’ll suddenly understand.”

"Well, I told you about this just because I wanted you to help me think of a way to stop my parents from always making arrangements for me like this."

Liu Wanrong sighed and said, "My parents have been working so hard for me, and I can't bear it.

Besides, it was really annoying to be constantly led to meet boring men. "

Yang Yuan said: "This is easy to handle, leave it to me, I can just use a little trick to make them worry about Qingyang's marriage first."

Liu Wanrong laughed and said, "That will be a pity for my seventh brother. Let's ask him to stand in front of me first."

As she spoke, Liu Wanrong seemed to be unable to sit still and slid down from Yang Yuan's legs.

Yang Yuan said: "Your robe..."

"Don't move, just stay like this."

Liu Wanrong looked up at Yang Yuan, her eyes full of smiles and a shy one.

The golden steps began to sway.

At some point, Liu Wanrong had stood up and was holding onto a beam with both hands.

The gorgeous and complicated palace skirt was piled on her back like a cloud, with only a bright moon visible.

I don't know how much time had passed, but the pair of soft hands seemed to have no strength left and they grabbed the curtain softly.

As a result, the curtain fell like light smoke without any force, enveloping the two people.

It was as if a huge tide had risen in the Qiantang River, causing it to rise and fall and be turbulent.

This is exactly the style that Liu Wanrou, who is "well-behaved, gentle and quiet", likes best.

……

In the brothel, a grand drama came to an end. On the stage, the unscrupulous Zhang Mi was publicly beheaded.

Yue's performance as Zhang Mi being tortured was so vivid that the audience was very satisfied.

When they walked out of the brothel, they were all in high spirits.

The drama in Wanzi has ended, but the drama in the palace has just begun.

There was a rumor a few days ago that the Empress Dowager was ill.

For this reason, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin visited the palace every day, and the emperor also stopped attending court and served medicine by the bedside.

All officials had no objection to this, and they wrote letters to the Queen Mother to inquire about her condition and praise the Emperor for his filial piety.

So, on this day, the emperor suddenly issued an edict that the empress dowager's illness would not heal. She had a dream at night of a god who advised her that she must go to the Qingyang Palace in Chengdu in person, burn incense and pray, only then would her body recover.

The emperor decided that he and the empress would serve the queen mother and go to the Qingyang Palace in Chengdu, and that Prince of Jin Zhao Yu would be the regent.

When the decree came out, the whole government was shocked.

It was very rare for the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to leave the capital, and many officials instinctively resisted when they heard about it.

But when I picked up the pen and wanted to write a letter to advise, I suddenly found that I had no reason.

There is no reason, not because there is no reason, but because all the reasons are not as important as the word "filial piety".

Do you want the official to be unfilial?

Especially since there are so many officials who just wrote a letter praising the emperor's filial piety.

As for dissuading the emperor, if the empress dowager is ill, she should get treatment instead of making trouble. It is even more inappropriate to travel by boat...

But it was the Queen Mother herself who proposed to go to the Qingyang Palace in Chengdu, and it was a golden-armored god who told the Queen Mother in her dream. How do you refute it?

What if you don't let her go, the Empress Dowager will really not go, and what if her condition worsens or even her life is in danger?
Your memorial of advice is irrefutable evidence of your property being confiscated and your death. It was you who murdered the Queen Mother.

Taiyi Palace, Yousheng Temple, Xianying Temple, Four Saints Yanxiang Temple, Sanmao Ningshou Temple, Kaiyuan Palace, Longxiang Palace, Zongyang Palace, Wanshou Temple...

The masters of many Taoist temples were collectively excited and wrote letters to express their support.

This is a great opportunity to promote the influence of Taoism.

Chengdu and its Qingyang Palace are both magical places.

Throughout the long history of China, countless places have changed their names, but Chengdu has never changed its name for thousands of years.

The same is true for Qingyang Palace. Qingyang Palace was built in the Zhou Dynasty and is also the Taoist temple with the longest heritage.

Therefore, it seems to make sense that the Queen Mother dreamed of meeting a divine being who instructed her to go to the oldest Taoist temple to burn incense.

Since the change of the reign title, the Kingdom of Jin, the New Jin, and Goryeo have successively sent letters to re-establish bilateral relations, and the emperor's reputation has greatly boosted.

Afterwards, he shortened the term of office of prime minister, divided the power of prime minister with the ruling officials, cut down on incompetent officials, and took "Huang Song Criminal Code" as the ancestral system. These series of actions further increased his prestige.

In addition, he raised the banner of "filial piety", which was always successful. For a time, all the officials were speechless. Few people wrote to persuade him to stop. As a result, the emperor's trip to Chengdu was successfully carried out.

In Luo's Medical Clinic, after sending away a medicine dispenser, Yue Peiying and Yan Qingyu both stood in front of Luo Chengan.

"The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is traveling west, and the security along the way is becoming increasingly strict. Now is definitely not the time to take action!"

Luo Chengan said in a deep voice: "If the Prime Minister wants Yang Yuan's head, then it's easy.

But the Prime Minister wants a fully alive Yang Yuan, so we can only continue to lie low and wait for a better opportunity."

Yan Qingyu asked, "Is the Emperor of the Great Song really going on a western tour to accompany the Queen Mother to pray for blessings? Could it be that... his target is our Great Xia?"

Luo Chengan said: "It is possible that if the real intention of the Great Song Emperor's western tour is to target our Great Xia.

That means that the Song Dynasty has realized that with Daxia as a constraint, they cannot target the Jin Kingdom, so the Song Dynasty wants to solve this problem first."

Yan Qingyu said: "The Emperor of the Song Dynasty is touring the west, and a large group of people are accompanying him, so the progress will not be very fast.

We should immediately send someone back to Daxia to report to the Prime Minister and make early responses."

Luo Chengan nodded and said: "Although your majesty has 'Flying Kites' lurking in the Song Dynasty, 'Flying Kites' are not under the control of the Prime Minister.

We should send someone back to inform the Prime Minister and make preparations early."

They are Ren Dejing's men, and Ren Dejing and the Western Xia Emperor Li Renxiao have been secretly fighting for power.

If Li Renxiao knew the movements of the Song Dynasty in advance and Ren Dejing did not know, then Li Renxiao could make plans in advance.

When the Emperor of the Song Dynasty went on a western tour and the situation on the Song-Xia border became tense, Li Renxiao could quickly place his trusted generals in positions of power and put Ren Dejing in a passive position.

Thinking of this, Luo Chengan said decisively: "Report back immediately. Who of you two is willing to go?"

PS: I owe one chapter to Alliance Leader JJM, and one chapter to Alliance Leader Jinxiaoyingtichu.

(End of this chapter)