From yearning to becoming a mascot in the entertainment industry

"Because of Mr. Pei Yanzhi's fame, the Japanese army came to his theater and specifically demanded that he perform on stage, threatening to burn down the entire Anyuan County and bury the entire city with him."

"Under no other circumstances, Mr. Pei Yanzhi agreed to the Japanese army's request, put on his costume, and went on stage to perform his most famous opera, 'Peach Blossom Fan,' which made Mr. Pei Yanzhi famous."

"The Li Xiangjun he portrayed is a woman who dares to love and hate, and he portrayed Li Xiangjun very vividly."

"Below the stage, Japanese officers and soldiers drank wine, ate meat, and talked and laughed without restraint."

"On the stage, Pei Yanzhi's sleeves flowed gracefully, his Kunqu opera flowed beautifully, and he performed 'Peach Blossom Fan' with deep emotion."

"As the gongs and drums beat, the singing became increasingly sad and angry, and even the Japanese soldiers in the audience were stunned."

"While the Japanese soldiers were listening intently, Mr. Pei Yanzhi suddenly shouted, 'Fire!'"

"As soon as the words fell, people who had been ambushed nearby threw torches into the theater, engulfing it in flames."

"Even if the Japanese wanted to escape, they couldn't."

"Mr. Pei Yanzhi continued to sing his best piece, 'Peach Blossom Fan', on the stage amidst the flames."

"The song ends, and the crowd disperses."

"All the Japanese soldiers present were buried with Mr. Pei Yanzhi."

He Jiong finished telling the story with a choked voice.

Then he quickly turned around and began to wipe away the tears that he could not control.

In the judges' seat, Cui Jian picked up the microphone and turned to look at the audience.

"I'll just add a few words."

"There's a line in the lyrics just now: 'In troubled times, I can't help but watch the flames of war burn the mountains and rivers. Although I'm in a low position, I dare not forget my worries for the country, even if no one knows me."

"In the past, opera actors had a very low status. There's a saying that you may have heard of."

"The bitch is ruthless, the play is unjust."

"This is the prejudice and discrimination against the profession of opera actors in the past."

"In the past, professions were divided into the upper nine classes and the lower nine classes. Of course, some versions also had the middle nine classes."

"The upper nine classes are: Buddha, immortals, emperors, officials, distilleries (breweries), pawnbrokers, merchants, guests (manor owners or wealthy landowners with large amounts of money and land), and farmers."

"The lowest nine classes are: witches (a wizard who draws talismans and chants spells to summon gods and exorcise ghosts, usually considered an improper profession), prostitutes, gods (a wizard who cures illnesses by dancing and singing, usually considered a superstitious activity), and bang (a night watchman who is responsible for night patrols and telling time).

Barbers (referring to barbers, who perform service jobs such as haircutting and pedicure), trumpeters (referring to trumpet and drummers, who provide musical accompaniment for weddings and funerals), actors (referring to all kinds of actors, who engage in performing arts but have a lower social status).

Street beggars (a type of beggar who makes a living by begging and lives at the bottom of society), candy vendors (a type of candy vendor who engages in small business)

Cui Jian talked about these low-class occupations and what types of work they were engaged in. After all, the previous names and the current names are different.

"Before, the status of farmers was already very low, right? But at that time, the social status of actors was even lower than that of farmers."

"Their social status is about the same as that of beggars."

Having said that, he glanced at Yun Mu on the stage with a complicated look.

"The line in Yun Mu's lyrics, 'Even though I hold a low position, I still dare not forget my worries for the country,' perfectly captures Mr. Pei Yanzhi's sorrow and describes it with incredible precision."

After saying that, he couldn't help but start clapping.

Following his applause, the audience burst into warm applause.

After the applause died down, Xue Zhiqian punched the table in front of him hard.

"Even people of such low status in our Chinese nation have such a strong desire to serve our country. How can the invaders defeat our Chinese nation?!"

At this time, He Jiong had calmed down, but his eyes were still a little red and swollen.

"Okay, the results are already out, let's look at the vote count."

In the end, as expected, Yun Mu was leading by a large margin again.

"Our first game has ended, and now the second game is about to begin!"