"Have you been to the Jade Yard recently?"
"No, what's wrong? Is there a new girl in the Jade Yard?"
"There's no new girl, but there are a lot of new styles. It's a pity that you didn't go."
"Tell me, tell me, my husband went back to his parents' home today, I'll go and have a look tonight."
"Tsk tsk, what the girls in the Jade Yard are wearing now is called seductive. Do you know, they don't wear undergarments now, that, that's called bras … Oh, no, I have to buy some for my wife …"
Li Yi was a little stunned when he saw two young men deliberately raising their voices to discuss something on the street, attracting the attention of many people in the same field. Who hired these actors? Their acting skills were poor, exaggerated, and their lines were not deep at all. Could they be any more fake?
When he was thinking about this, he saw a man suddenly came up and said in surprise, "Brother, are you talking about the most popular new underwear in the capital recently? To be honest, I also want to buy a set for my wife, but I don't know where to buy it? "
"Brother, I'm sure you're a kindred spirit. Then, I won't hide it from you …" The man who spoke just now smiled and said, "Go straight along this road, turn left at the first intersection, turn right at the second intersection, and walk for another ten feet or so. You'll see that shop. But, only women can enter that shop. Brother, remember to bring your wife …"
"Oh, thank you brother, thank you brother …"
…
…
"Young master, what are they talking about?" Xiao Huan blinked and asked.
"Children shouldn't ask so many questions, let's go and watch the play." Li Yi said as he patted her head.
"I'm not young anymore …" The servant girl lowered her head to look at herself and muttered. Then, she quickly followed after the servant girl.
Seeing that more and more people gathered there, Li Yi was surprised. The underwear reform was really carried out by her, but the marketing method was a little low. Maybe she would only realize it after suffering some losses.
Passing by the shop mentioned by the man just now, he saw that the line of women outside the shop was already three to five feet long. Each of them was gorgeously dressed, and they were even throwing flirtatious glances at the men passing by, constantly urging the people in front of them to hurry up. At the door of the shop stood a woman who was even stronger than Fang. She was the one who blocked him outside the workshop and refused to let him enter.
Just now, she had said that she might suffer a loss. She did not expect the shop's business to be so good. Her old face was burning with pain. She pulled Xiao Huan away quickly. If she stayed for a while longer, she might enter the shop to take a look.
It didn't take long for him to realize that the majority of those people were women from brothels. Women from ordinary families wouldn't be so bold as to openly buy those shameful and intimate items. The brothels probably had no choice but to improve their core competitiveness because of the Jade Yard. If they lost to others in certain aspects, as time went on, they wouldn't have enough fame, and the brothels would lose.
Although the price of those small pieces of cloth was a little expensive, it couldn't stop the customers from liking them!
…
…
To listen to the opera, they naturally had to listen to the most popular opera of the past few days, 《The Peacock Flies Southeast》. The popularity of the brothel could be seen from the fact that the tickets for each show were sold out.
There were a few standard brothels. Other than the ordinary shows, there was also a VIP area for women. The tickets for the VIP area were slightly more expensive, but the service was more attentive. In the summer, they provided free smoothies and cold drinks. As for the women's area, it was only recently opened.
There was a difference between men and women, especially for women. They couldn't squeeze in with so many men in a crowded place. The one who first suggested this idea was Ruoqing. Among the women, there were actually quite a few who liked to listen to opera. They were more emotional, and they were more partial to operas that depicted love like 《The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl》 and 《The Peacock Flies Southeast》.
When Li Yi and Xiao Huan walked into the brothel, they saw many women with masks covering their faces coming in and out. From their clothes, they didn't look like ordinary people.
Today, Ruyi was invited by the Crown Princess. These few days, they had a lot of gatherings. Naturally, Miss.Liu was busy every day. Even Yongning was invited to stay in the palace for two days by the old Emperor. In her boredom, she could only bring Xiao Huan out to watch the opera.
《The Peacock Flies Southeast》 was a recent opera. It was about the Eastern Han Dynasty. The talented and beautiful Liu Lanzhi and Lu River's petty official Jiao Zhongqing were sincerely in love. However, her mother-in-law, Jiao Zhongqing, was not able to bear a child for two to three years. Liu Lanzhi resolutely asked to return. Jiao Zhongqing's pleas to her mother were in vain. The couple could only bid farewell and both of them "swore that heaven would not betray each other".
After Liu Lanzhi returned home, her evil brother forced her to marry. Helpless, she agreed to marry the governor's son. Jiao Zhongqing rushed over when he heard the news. The couple promised to "meet in the netherworld". On the day of Lanzhi's wedding, Liu Lanzhi "raised her body to the pond of purity" and Jiao Zhongqing "hung himself on the southeast branch". Both husband and wife died for love.
Before the opera began, an old storyteller first read 《The Peacock Flies Southeast》 in a hoarse and sorrowful voice.
"On the day the cows and horses neighed, the bride entered the green hut. After dusk, the people settled down. 'My life ends today, my corpse remains!' She took off her dress and shoes, raising her body to the pond of purity. When the official heard this, he knew that they would be parting for a long time. Wandering under the garden tree, hanging himself on the southeast branch. "
Before the opera began, Xiao Huan was already hugging Li Yi's arm and sobbing softly.
"Young, young master, Lanzhi, Lanzhi is so pitiful. That old granny, why, why is she so bad!"
A good love story, shouldn't the ending be two people getting back together again and living happily for the rest of their lives?
One raised her body to the pond of purity, the other hung himself on the southeast branch – it was really pitiful!
Li Yi patted the little servant girl's shoulder to comfort her. It was a little pitiful, but there was nothing he could do. If it wasn't pitiful, how could he move more people? If it wasn't pitiful, how could he cause many women to reflect on their own status and have the slightest desire to rebel against feudal ethics and feudal etiquette? If it wasn't pitiful, how could this fire burn even brighter?
It was said that scholars were mostly angry youths. They dared to write anything, especially novels and plays. There was no lack of rebellious people. The scale was so big that it made people speechless.
He didn't know what this "nameless person" was thinking. Did she think that the recent period was not too sensitive? What was her intention in writing such a thing? Was she not afraid of being checked?
Was she trying to expose the man-eating nature of feudal etiquette and passionately praise Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing's loyalty to love and rebellious spirit of resisting oppression? Or was she trying to express the people's passionate yearning for the freedom of love and marriage?
Especially when she created Liu Lanzhi, a typical image of an ancient woman who had reached the peak of being loyal to her family but could only meet a tragic end. She hinted at the tragic fate of women in feudal society. What would the women who watched the opera think?
Li Yi sighed and said, "She has ulterior motives, ulterior motives …"
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