The Cook Theater, located in the northwest corner of the city, had been neglected for a long time.
The Cook Theater had not been rooted in Abat's harbor city for long. The owner of the theater, Sir James Cook, only moved to Abat after the dinner party.
When he moved here,
Abat's actor resources had long been occupied by several major theaters. Even the playwrights who could be counted were guests of honor.
His family's plays could only be performed in some old plays. Only some gentlemen who lived in the northwest corner would patronize them for convenience,
And they were sleepy below the stage, making the actors feel awkward on stage.
Even Sir James Cook's Civic Theater had started to work part-time as the most despicable "fourth-class theater" because of the desertion.
On this day, a rare day,
The poster at the entrance of the Cook Theater was so old that the edges were yellow and peeling, and the characters were eclipsed,
It was replaced with a new poster.
On the newspaper, there was a drawing of a man wearing a king's robe,
He was wearing a crown,
A monarch whose style was different from Luster's. The other man had his back to the monarch,
He was dressed in luxurious clothes,
Only the side of her face was revealed, revealing half of her face, a plump and beautiful lady. The background was dark and gloomy.
There was a line of words written on it:
"Lady Peony"
Mr. Kent was one of the few regular patrons of the Cook Theater,
But he had never seen this play in the Cook Theater before. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes. "Is this a new play?"
The doorman hurriedly said, "It's only the first performance today."
He was tired of the recent plays in the major theaters. The new plays written by those vulgar and talented playwrights were just the same. It was not a religious moral preaching play,
In the name of "teaching" mortals,
It was after Allan I returned to Luster, the theater flattered and sang the praises of the great monarch,
A boring ancient routine.
But the Cook Theater was deserted,
And was even less popular with the contributors,
There were only a few new plays like this. There was actually a new play this time?
It was rare for there to be a new play, so it was good to see it. He would just treat it as supporting Old Cook.
With this in mind, Mr. Kent walked into the Cook Theater with his walking stick and prepared to see the first play.
*
"Are there any exciting shows today?" The men in trousers asked noisily as they sat down.
The smell of tobacco, the tea spilled all over the table, and the walls were covered in yellow and black stains.
They flirted with the actors.
"Today's show was arranged by our master. We'll be performing the first scene of Lady Peony for the whole day." The person in charge smiled apologetically.
"Lady Peony? What kind of show was this? At first glance, it was obvious that it was a boring and long-winded preaching drama. Why is the Citizen's Theater performing these shows? "
Some other shrewish women asked, "Are we still going to act out the story of a housewife having an affair with a man?"
"What? The whole day? Are you not going to continue with yesterday's song? If it doesn't make me feel hot, I won't come again. "
Others were bored to death, so they sat down to drink tea and shouted loudly. Anyway, wasn't it the same in any citizen's theater? It didn't matter what she acted in.
The person in charge could only continue to smile obsequiously and swear, "Yes, yes. Some were exciting, and some were having an affair. There are all kinds of things that make people feel hot. "
*
"Dupont Cook. You invited me to watch the first scene. Is it some kind of religious drama? " Baron Hawk was Sir James Cook's comrade-in-arms on the battlefield back in the day, and was also one of the few local lords in Abat. However, he had always been critical of Sir James Cook's friendship with the Third Level, and even the opening of the Gentlemen's Theater and the Citizen's Theater.
Baron Hawk's thick eyebrows were knitted into a knot. "I don't like to listen to those lunatics preaching."
Sir James Cook waved his hand. "No, no."
"Then what is it? If it's not the preaching of lunatics, is it those third-level obscene shows that slander the king and shout about the Republic? "
"Okay, Hawk, give me some face, okay?" In order to promote this new play, Sir James Cook had to ask this old friend of his who had a lot of influence in Abat for help. He was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat. "I promise, this play has nothing to do with the Republic."
The hot-tempered Baron Hawk, who had always respected Allan I, snorted and swaggered into the theater.
*
The light shone in the gorgeous room. On the eve of the wedding, a plump and beautiful noble girl sat in front of the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror. "Ah, you're so beautiful, you're so beautiful."
She sang, "My husband, my future, what kind of person do you think he is?
My lover, my support, what kind of young and handsome man do you think he is? "
She put on a garland and danced.
The maids swarmed over and put on her wedding dress.
"Beauty, your plump and white arms, which handsome man will you hold?
Your rosy lips, to whom will you make a sincere promise?
With whom will you spend your youth? "
The scene changed in the blink of an eye. The wedding car slowly drove by, and people whispered, "This beauty will marry the royal prince!"
Royal engagement? Mr. Kent sat up a little and stroked his mustache. Interesting.
At the wedding, this noble lady, who was famous for her beauty in the entire "Tang" Empire, met her fiancé. The two of them walked into the hall in the grand wedding.
The prince's father, the greatest emperor of the Tang Empire, came on stage. Majestic music sounded.
In the people's discussion, the audience learned that the emperor quelled foreign aggression, thwarted conspiracies, and got rid of treacherous officials. The Tang Empire was thriving under his leadership. When people saw him, they cheered and shouted that the emperor's rational fire would always hang high in the Holy Throne.
This was an unparalleled wise emperor. He was also a loving father. At his son's wedding, he condescended and personally came to give his blessings.
At the wedding, the beautiful lady in the wedding dress spoke elegantly and danced. Even the emperor, who was sitting high in the throne, could only see her.
The moment she raised her head, the rational fire of the emperor, who was sitting high in the Holy Throne, was shaken.
Back in the palace, the emperor was not in the mood for government affairs. He gradually fell ill.
The minister asked the emperor, "Your Majesty, is the song and dance not to your liking?"
The emperor shook his head.
The imperial concubine asked the emperor, "Your Majesty, is the food not to your liking?"
The emperor was silent.
A most favored eunuch quietly learned of the emperor's thoughts.
"My black hair has turned white. My appearance has lost its valiant spirit.
I am old.
Love does not pick the years that come.
God, how cruel you are. "
This unparalleled wise emperor fell in love with his daughter-in-law.
The rational fire was still burning in the Holy Throne, but the flame of love was even hotter.
After a difficult struggle between reason and love, it seemed that reason had the upper hand. This wise emperor ordered:
Send this daughter-in-law to a monastery.
The noble lady, the princess, and her young and handsome husband had not been married for long. They were in love when the emperor thought that her beauty was too frivolous and did not meet the princess's requirements. He wanted to separate his son from her and choose another lady for his son.
Despite the prince's pleas, the emperor still hardened his heart and sent the princess to the monastery for penance.
On a stormy night, the princess was sent to the monastery in a miserable state.
Following that, there were also attendants sent by the emperor. The attendants held a poison and told her that the emperor wanted to kill her.
The wind was strong and the rain was mournful. The attendants pressed on. The beautiful Wangfei had no choice but to drink the poison and collapse.
In the Gentlemen's Theater, everyone held their breaths and did not dare to breathe. Mr. Kent was completely engrossed and looked indignant. Sir Hawk forgot to comment on the characters and only stared at the stage.
The Citizen's Theater had never been so quiet. Those who were playing cards and drinking tea had long stopped what they were doing and were completely focused on the stage. They did not dare to breathe.
Could it be that this young and innocent princess was really going to be killed by the iron-blooded emperor?
Under everyone's gaze, the princess slowly woke up.
Just as everyone unconsciously let out a sigh of relief, the scene on the stage suddenly changed.
As she slowly woke up, the princess exclaimed.
"Wow —" Whether it was in the Gentlemen's Theater or the Citizen's Theater, the audience followed the princess and exclaimed. Even Mr. Kent, forgetting for a moment, exclaimed.
It turned out that when the young princess woke up, she saw the emperor, who she had only met once, walk out of the monastery. He was holding her hand and gently kissing her.
"You died as his wife. Now, you are my wife. "
What was going on?
People's minds were fascinated by the play and could not wait to know what happened.
Shua, the black curtain fell.
"Everyone, today's play is over."
"Damn it!" People shouted.
Cook appeared on the stage with a smile. "The first play: The princess and the monastery, ends here. It will be repeated in the afternoon. Everyone is welcome to come again. "
"Is this the end of the story?" Mr. Kent asked in disbelief, a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Of course not. This afternoon is just a repeat of the play. The second story will continue tomorrow. "
"When do the tickets go on sale?" People asked eagerly.
"Tomorrow morning at eight o 'clock." Cook heard the eagerness and knew that the play was a success. He could not help but be excited.
The same scene was repeated in the Citizen's Theater.
After receiving a promise from the theater director, people warmly congratulated the actors and dispersed.
As they dispersed, there was a flurry of discussion.
"I heard that this is an adaptation of a true story, a true history that happened in a foreign country."
"Ha! It's really wonderful. I haven't seen such an interesting play in many years. It's much better than those boring plays where the story is like a pool of stagnant water. "
"My nephew went to another theater to watch the play. Hey, in my opinion, it's better to watch this play than those moralizing plays. "
The only thing they had in common was that they all decided to come see the next play tomorrow no matter what. Some people even couldn't wait to watch it again and ran to buy tickets for the afternoon repeat.
When Baron Hawk walked out, he stared thoughtfully at Dupont Cook. "It really has nothing to do with the Republic. However, I still feel that there is a tendency to slander the monarchy. "
Sir James Cook was startled, but he smirked and patted Cook on the shoulder. "However, I have to see the next story before I make a judgment. So, save me a ticket for tomorrow. "
In a short while, even the tickets for the afternoon repeat were sold out.
Many people had booked tickets for the re-watch.
When the people in Cook's Gentleman's Theater had all left, Lin Daiyu finally came out of the private room that Sir James Cook had specially reserved for her.
The first play received a warm response. She smiled at Sir James Cook, whose face was flushed, and said, "Sir, then, I'll say in advance — happy cooperation."
Sir James Cook was overjoyed, but he still waved his hand. "The first play, the first play. There are some plays that the audience liked in the first few plays, but didn't like in the later ones."
Lin Daiyu let go of the hand that she had been clenching and smiled.
When she came out of the theater, the sky was gloomy, as if it was going to rain. Her mood, however, was as good as gone.
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