In the short span of a day, "The Peacock Flies Southeast", "The Peony Pavilion", and "The Romance of the Western Chamber" had completely disappeared from all the brothels in the capital. Even the handwritten scripts on the market had been forcibly confiscated by the officials.
The commoners were naturally puzzled by the fact that they weren't even allowed to sell their scripts. However, the imperial court had never given them an explanation, so they were already used to it. In any case, there were plenty of plays in the brothels, so they could just watch something else …
"Sigh, I've gone all over the capital, but I still haven't been able to buy it. I'm going to get scolded by the young miss when I get back …" A young servant girl wearing a green dress with her hair combed into two buns sighed as she walked along the road.
"Sigh, young miss, young miss …"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from beside her. The young servant girl turned around and saw a sneaky man waving at her from a corner of the wall.
That man was ugly and extremely wretched. Thinking of what her mistress had said before, that in the capital, there were people who specialized in abducting and selling beautiful young girls like her, the young servant girl nervously retreated a few steps. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her into a small alley on the side.
"Save … Ugh!"
She only managed to shout one word before her mouth was covered.
"It's over!" The young girl's eyes immediately filled with tears when she thought of something extremely terrifying. "Young miss, Qin 'er, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again …"
"Lower your voice, lower your voice …"
The voice of a man behind her was a little anxious. Sensing that the man had let go of her, the young servant girl immediately took two steps back and looked at the man warily.
A lewd smile appeared on the face of the wretched man. He unbuttoned his clothes and walked step by step towards the young girl in the corner of the wall.
"What, what do you want …" The young girl's voice trembled, and her large eyes were filled with endless fear.
"Young miss, don't be afraid …" The man smiled lewdly as he tore open his clothes. Both sides of his clothes were filled with pockets, and in the pockets … were many thin books.
The man revealed a mysterious smile and said, "Young miss, do you want books? 'The Romance of the Western Chamber', 'The Peony Pavilion', and 'The Peacock Flies Southeast' all have them. They're all uncut versions! "
The young girl's expression froze.
A moment later, the man sent the young servant girl out with a smile and said fervently, "Young miss, you can go ask around. My prices here are the lowest in the surrounding 18 streets. If you want to buy any other books, you can come find me here. If you want more than ten books, I can even lower the price by one copper coin per book!"
"That depends on how clear your copy is and how many mistakes there are …" The little servant girl waved her hand and said, "Alright, if you still want to buy it, I will come here to find you …"
The girl carried the booklets like a thief and disappeared into the crowd in no time.
…
…
"I'm not allowed to sing anymore?" Li Yi took a sip of tea and asked.
Old Sun, who was sitting to the side, shook his head and said, "Yes, the government just sent someone yesterday to say that 'Peacock Flies Southeast', 'Romance of the Western Chamber', and 'Peony Pavilion' are not allowed to sing."
"If you don't want me to sing, then I won't sing." Li Yi waved his hand and didn't care at all.
This incident was within his expectations. If it weren't for the incident with the Princess, these three plays would at most be considered as skirting the boundaries in the current era. They were nothing in the brothel, and there were many other brothels that were even more ambitious than these. Unfortunately, the brothel just wanted to produce some new plays to attract customers, but they encountered such an incident. It was really unfortunate.
Moreover, he … John Doe's goal should have already been achieved. Romance of the Western Chamber and The Peony Pavilion were also banned books in ancient times, but even Sister Daiyu was obsessed with them. Didn't the young ladies of the big families and noble ladies also have a copy of it, hiding it under their pillows in their rooms and secretly reading it when no one was around?
Old Man Sun asked with uncertainty, "Then, do we still want Mulan …"
"Yes, of course. Why not?" Li Yi looked at him and said, "Who is Hua Mulan? She is loyal and filial, and joined the army on behalf of her father. She is a heroine. Didn't there have been plays about her in the past? We just want people to cherish the memory of heroes. If they can be inspired by their moral integrity, learn to be brave and take on heavy responsibilities, not be greedy for high position and generous salary, serve the motherland, be brave and good at war, be filial to your parents, be brave and strong … that will also be excellent."
Challenging feudal ethics and pursuing freedom of love were not allowed. This was very normal. If they had known that John Doe had such intentions, the brothel would not have fallen into his trap no matter what.
However, since they were not allowed to do negative things, they could at least do something positive, right?
The story of Hua Mulan, the heroine, had inspired countless people since ancient times. Although the dynasties had changed, there were still many dynasties that officially defined her as a national hero, and her story was widely spread.
Although Her Royal Highness was a woman, she cared about the country. She was of noble birth. In order to understand the feelings of the people, she was willing to leave the palace and become a small constable. When the country's reputation was about to be damaged, she stepped forward bravely and risked her life to fight a grandmaster. Now, she did not hesitate to be imprisoned in order to speak up for the women of the world and change the unhealthy atmosphere in society …
What kind of spirit was this? This was the spirit of internationalism, this was humanitarianism … This was the spirit of patriotism. All the people of the Jing Kingdom, regardless of gender, had to learn from her spirit of selflessness. From this point, they could become people who greatly benefited the people.
A person's ability varied, but as long as they had this spirit, they would be a noble person, a pure person, a moral person, a person who was free from vulgar interests, and a person who was beneficial to the people.
Her Royal Highness was such a person. Wasn't this the current Hua Mulan?
No, Her Royal Highness had even more noble sentiments than Hua Mulan!
It was not enough to just be Hua Mulan. When he had time, he would flip through the history books to see if there were any other national heroines who were not inferior to men. Heroes should receive the glory that belonged to them, and should not exist in the dusty history books …
"You're right, sir …" Old Sun looked enlightened. "You're really thoughtful, sir. I'll go back and urge them to hurry up and rehearse. Also, I'm afraid that this kind of play will be more popular among the women. When that time comes, we should add a few more women's performances …"
Fang was arm wrestling with Princess Shouning's guards on the stone table in the courtyard. It was a 1v5. All five of them were red in the face, but he still looked relaxed. The arrogant Lolita was so angry that she kept complaining that her guards were useless. She stopped watching and ran to the side with Yong Ning to play on the swing.
After watching Old Sun leave, Li Yi stood in the courtyard and let out a long sigh of relief.
After all, this was a feudal society. To be able to do this was already the best that could be achieved.
The concept of men being superior to women had existed since ancient times. With the development of history, the status of women became lower and lower. However, it did not fall in a straight line. There would always be some ups and downs.
During the Tang Dynasty, the status of women had reached its peak in the past few hundred years.
Divorce was common. Not many people would criticize a woman for not following the virtues of a woman if she rode a horse and hit a ball in public. It was even more so in the palace. There were countless love triangles and quartet relationships …
Of course, the elegance of the women of the Tang Dynasty was not something that the women of the Jing Kingdom could envy. However, they were still the continuation of the Tang Dynasty, so they could always inherit some of the style of their predecessors. This was especially reflected among the nobles.
In recent years, the Emperor had deliberately supported the poor students and weakened the influence of the rich families in the court. The poor students had a weak foundation and needed to find a backer. The rich families wanted to expand their influence, so the daughters of the rich families married into the lower class. This was the best choice for both sides. In the past few years, it was popular to the point that some married students did not dare to look at the list.
Not to mention the poor students, among the noble families, the probability of marriage was close to 90%. Who didn't have a powerful family and had not suffered much since childhood? How could they be bullied if they married into your family?
This led to many high-spirited officials in the court, but when they returned home, they immediately shrunk their necks and behaved themselves. According to the analysis of the intelligence agencies, some officials in the Jing Kingdom were so strict with their wives that it was shocking.
Although they might not be influenced by women in some important decisions, in the upper class of the capital, women still had a lot of power.
Li Yi didn't expect them to be able to completely subvert the tradition and start a revolution, to lead the women of the Jing Kingdom to become the masters, to suppress the men under their bodies. This was impossible – of course, it was still possible under special circumstances.
What's more, he … the purpose of the nameless man was not to start a vigorous women's rights movement from the beginning.
The seed had been planted. Who knew what would happen in the end?
Maybe it would be strangled as soon as it sprouted. Maybe it would grow into a towering tree. But no matter what, there would be some changes.
He would leave the rest to Her Royal Highness …
To him, this matter had completely come to an end. Li Yi shook his head and stopped thinking about it. At a certain moment, he inadvertently glanced over and his expression changed.
"Li Bing Ning, come down. Who allowed you to climb the tree?" Li Yi walked into the yard and pointed at the proud Lolita who was sitting on the tree and making faces at him. He said angrily, "If you don't listen to me, I won't take you out to play anymore!"
"Tsk tsk tsk …"
The proud Lolita stuck out her tongue at him and waved a bird egg in her hand. She said proudly, "Look, I dug it out. I'm good, right?"
"— —"
The proud Lolita had dared to climb up the tree to dig out a bird's nest. She had already climbed up the tree. The next step was probably going to be the sky. Miss.Liu had to hide the kite that she brought from the Crown Prince's residence …
"Will you climb the tree again next time?" When Li Yi asked her with a straight face, the proud Lolita hid behind Ruyi. He could not even see her face.
"I'll go and cook." Ruyi said with a smile.
There were cooks in the mansion, but Ruyi still cooked most of the time.
"Sister Ruyi, I'll go help you." The proud Lolita slipped away even faster. She stole a glance at Li Yi and rushed into the kitchen before Ruyi.
Li Yi rubbed his eyebrows helplessly. He turned around and looked at the guards who were arm-wrestling with Fang. He said angrily, "What are you all doing? Don't you want your heads anymore? And you, don't think that I won't scold you just because you're old. Why did His Majesty send you all here? What do you mean by standing at the door all day and dozing off …"
They didn't even know what their duties were. What kind of security team was sent by the old Emperor?
The guards immediately stood up. The eyes of the grey-robed old man at the door twitched. It took him a lot of effort to calm down the raging true energy in his heart.
Your wife is watching from the side. How could anything happen to Her Highness? Besides, Princess Shouning has decided to do something. Do you dare to stop her?
…
…
Liu Dayou, the Magistrate of the capital, was very happy today. He was singled out and praised by His Majesty in front of all the civil and military officials in the imperial court. He even received a lot of rewards. Looking at the envious eyes of the big shots who were usually more powerful than him, he felt as if he had drunk a bowl of iced sour plum soup on a hot day.
He thought that he would only be able to guard the small piece of land in Anxi County for the rest of his life. He would be able to retire peacefully when he was old. When he was 60, he would have a big house with dozens of acres of land for retirement. He would have filial children and grandchildren. He would never run out of money. He could even have fun with his beautiful concubine every noon. These were not too much to ask for, were they?
But he never thought that when he was middle-aged, he would seem to be bewitched. His good luck was so good that even he was afraid.
First, his Anxi County had a good reputation and was rated as an advanced and civilized county in the country. He was also inexplicably promoted from Qing 'an Prefecture to the capital and to the center of power. Although he was only a small county magistrate, he was able to sit in the position of the Magistrate of the capital at his age. It was hard to say what position he would be promoted to in the future!
Initially, he thought that as long as he did his job conscientiously and conscientiously, he would be able to catch His Majesty's eye as he was familiar with the way things were done in Anxi County. In any case, he was familiar with the way things were done in Anxi County.
But who would have thought that after such a short time, before he had even warmed his seat, he would be summoned by His Majesty and come to the court for a one-day tour. When he returned to the county government, His Majesty's imperial edict and rewards had arrived.
Because he was an outsider, he would be ostracized by the county magistrate and others from time to time. When he received the imperial edict just now, he saw that the county magistrate's face was pale with fear. Naturally, he felt proud in his heart.
When he came out of the Imperial Palace just now, Lord Dong also praised him and said many words of encouragement.
When Lord Dong was still the magistrate of Qing 'an Prefecture, he was Anxi County Magistrate. Now that he was working under Lord Dong, he could be considered to have a backer. As the son-in-law of Prime Minister Shen and a person highly valued by His Majesty, Lord Dong's official career would certainly not be limited to a mere capital magistrate …
This was not the only happy event recently. That good-for-nothing boy of his had worked hard and actually passed the entrance examination of the School of Mathematics. His father would no longer have to worry about his future.
"Congratulations, Lord! Congratulations!" County Magistrate Liu sat in the hall and took a sip of tea. Then, a person walked in from outside the door and came forward to congratulate him with a happy face.
County Magistrate Liu waved his hand. Although this Detective Zhao was far inferior to Liu Yidong, he was exquisite and could be considered a talent. He was one of the few confidants he had. County Magistrate Liu asked, "How is it going?"
Detective Zhao immediately cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Lord. I have already gone to all the brothels in the capital. There are no more brothels performing those plays. The handwritten copies sold on the streets have all been brought back to be destroyed."
County Magistrate Liu took another sip of tea and said, "The court has been paying close attention to this matter these days. You have to keep an eye on it. If there are any discoveries, do not let it go!"
"Yes! I understand! " Detective Zhao revealed a hesitant expression and said, "Lord, although we have done a good job on the surface, there are still some people secretly peddling copies. They cannot be completely banned. Their movements are secretive, and it is impossible to completely ban them."
"It is enough to do a good job on the surface," County Magistrate Liu said as he stood up.
That nameless person with ulterior motives had used these sensitive dramas to incite the women of the capital, which was why the capital had been in chaos a few days ago. Now that Her Highness had been released from house arrest, even if those dramas were still being circulated in a small circle, they wouldn't be able to cause any more waves.
County Magistrate Liu curled his lips as he walked out of the door. Those plays were a bunch of nonsense. They said that women should pursue free love, which violated the etiquette and the law. Fortunately, his daughter had been at home all the time and was not poisoned by those dirty thoughts.
However, he still had to listen to the Princess Royal Highness. Yun 'er was only 14 years old this year. He had originally planned to arrange a marriage for her this year, but now it seemed that it would be better to postpone it for another two years.
County Magistrate Liu walked to the door of his daughter's room and saw that it was unlocked. He wanted to knock on the door and enter, but he saw his daughter leaning over the table and not moving for a long time …
"Yun 'er, what are you doing?" He walked in and asked with some doubt.
"Ah, Father, why, why are you here?"
Hearing the voice, the girl's expression changed and she hurriedly closed the book in her hand.
County Magistrate Liu glanced at the book and saw the three big words "Romance of the Western Wing" on the cover.
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