The new play "Lady Peony",
In a single night.
Became popular all over Abat. Anyone who loved drama would have heard of this play more or less.
Wood Kent, a famous critic of Abat, wrote:
"The old king covered his face and cried bitterly,
He refused to say his choice.
The army was silent and did not answer.
This madam, who had always been extremely arrogant and pure, was so calm at this moment. She seemed to realize that she was going to pay the price for her usual love. She didn't even beg the king for mercy. Instead, she calmly took the initiative to walk to the white silk.
She seemed to have made a choice for the king.
However, she knew that she had no choice.
When I saw that Lady Peony was about to put on the white silk,
She looked back at her lover deeply. Without a single tear, she called out intermittently, 'San Lang, San Lang … Don't be afraid. Thank you for your years of love. Concubine, I won't make it difficult for you. Don't. '
I didn't even realize that my tears were flowing down. "
Those who entered the theater for this play basically came out with red eyes.
All kinds of tabloids and discussions in the streets were full of good reviews. From the nobles to the citizens,
They were all talking about this legendary "Lady Peony", who was said to be the most beautiful in an eastern dynasty.
The Cook Gentleman's Theater was crowded for a moment.
Sir James Cook read the reviews of the various plays,
He couldn't help but smile. When he thought of his sworn enemies also tasting the pain of his former cold front, he was in a good mood,
The flesh on his fat face spread out, and he looked even more kind.
He walked back and forth in front of his own poster,
He stared at the graceful and noble madam,
It was as if he was looking at a hen that could lay golden eggs. He kept instructing his confidant, "The royalties must be given to Miss Anna. Not a cent less. Not a cent less. No,
Add 10%! "
Then he called the doorman, "Open your eyes for me,
Don't let any spies from other theatres in. "
After thinking for a while,
It was still not enough. He called back his confidant, "Those cunning guys, no, I'm going to visit Lady Anna personally."
*
The literary salon was duly held, and some of Mr. Kent's old friends were seated at his house.
An old friend, whose family was in the banking business and who had devoted himself to writing, was very interested in the play. "The author is really a wonderful person. Even I, who thought I was tired of reading tragedies, shed tears when I saw Lady Peony's death. I wonder which genius' masterpiece it is? "
"Old Cook refused to say." Wood Kent said, "He's finally basking in the limelight for once. His paranoia is surging. No matter who comes to ask, he'll think that the other party is here to poach his precious author. His mouth is tighter than a clam shell."
Aibor was a poet who leaned towards the Gonghe Party. He pondered over the words in the play and asked his old friends, "What kind of person do you think the author is? I mean, I've seen him write about a king who fails to fulfill his duty, and in the end, he can't even protect the woman he loves. Do you think he's leaning towards the Royal Faction, the Hypocrites, or the Republic? "
"I can't tell." The gentlemen of the third rank shook their heads. Mr. Kent waved his hand. "No matter which faction, I think he's a smart man. He made it clear in advance that the script of the play came from an Eastern historical prototype and had nothing to do with his own views. But looking at the newspapers, from the nobles, to the citizens, and even the old religious diehards, none of them have anything to say about his party. They all feel that the author is one of them and a reliable person. It shows how careful he is. "
The author, who came from a banking family, said, "Well, during this sensitive period, although Allan I acts like he's in love with us, let's talk more about literature and drama. It's always good to talk less about politics. I admire the author very much. However, in Lady Peony, it's obvious that he doesn't follow the Three Uniques. I'm afraid he'll be attacked. "
"Screw the Three Uniques. Screw the Neoclassicism. Only those Wang Dangwen people worship it. "Aibor spat coldly.
The old friends in the salon had already started a fierce literary debate.
Wood Kent was alone in a corner, smoking and repeatedly thinking about the plot of Lady Peony. There were some things he didn't tell his old friends.
When Old Cook slipped up, what was the pen name of this precious author?
Anna.
Although there were writers who deliberately chose female names, could it be a lady?
This was really strange. Their Abat was not like the capital, Bona, which had a lot of female talents. Most of the people here still went to church schools, and there were only a few conservative women who could read and read some prayers.
Hmph, those old antiques. If it really was a female author, let's hope she doesn't get into trouble with some extremist religious people.
*
While flipping through the latest drama reviews in today's newspaper, Baron Hawk exhaled a mouthful of smoke.
He had been injured on the battlefield in the past and still had a dull pain. He needed tobacco to relieve the pain, so he smoked all year round.
The lady sitting opposite him didn't like the smell of tobacco, and her eyes were slightly red from the stimulation of the tobacco. But because she had a favor to ask, she couldn't show the slightest disgust. She smiled as usual and said, "What do you think, cousin? Don't you respect His Majesty Allen the most? Now, it just so happens that His Majesty is reorganizing the army … "
Baron Hawk shook his pipe and said with interest, "Hathaway, I remember you used to love watching plays. You were a frequent guest at the King's Theater. Our Abat recently had a new play, and I've always remembered one part of it. Listen to it. "
"Expensive hairpins were scattered on the soil, and the peonies withered.
This supreme monarch, in that moment, was so small, so small, so shrunken.
A long time after her death, the white-haired monarch, accompanied by a few old acquaintances, paced back and forth in the rainy night at the place where Madame Peony had died. He muttered to himself, 'She was in the depths of the palace and never got involved in political affairs. What crime could she have committed?
The minister who once stood with the army and forced the monarch's beloved to die, kowtowed and said the truth:
'Madam is innocent. But you didn't do a good job as a monarch. You loved her. She is guilty. The crime is not on her, but on you. Her death is not on us, but on you. She's dying for you! '"
"Hathaway," Although Baron Hawk was rough, he still retained some of the taste left over from the old-fashioned aristocratic literary education. After he finished reciting, he still wanted to continue, "You should see this new play."
Hathaway De Braun was stunned. It sounded like a tragedy. The minister forced the monarch to kill his beloved woman?
Baron Hawk asked someone to get a ticket and gave it to his cousin from the Royal Faction who came all the way from the capital:
"This play is interesting. The nobles in the city, including me, all think that the author is a wonderful person. Come find me after you've finished reading. "
The nobles in the city …? Hathaway lowered her eyes and looked at the ticket in her hand. After a while, she stood up, "Then, I wish you well. Cousin. "
Gracefully bowing, Madam De Braun instructed Coachman, "Go to the largest gentleman's theater in the city — there's a play of Lady Peony."
Watching his cousin walk away, Baron Hawk picked up the newspaper and continued to read the play review published by a minor noble:
"The great tragedy: the king is supreme, not the monarch is supreme."
*
In the steepled church, velvet hung low as the bishop murmured prayers.
At the end of the service, people quietly got up and left the church.
Just as the congregation was still intoxicated in the aftertaste of the sacred fantasy, from afar, a youth who didn't understand anything shouted loudly into the worship room. "Hey, did you buy the tickets for today's exciting Madam Peony? I don't want to see any more religious dramas! "
The bishop frowned, put down the prayer in his hand and opened his eyes.
A deacon brought in the tickets for today's play. Another quarter of the tickets were not sold at all.
After the countercurrent of the dinner party, Allen I returned to Lucite, and the church asked the king for the return of the land of the church, which had been seized by heresies and traitors during the countercurrent of the dinner party.
Allan I, a liar with a mouth full of lies, promised but had no intention of returning. He even issued an April decree to allow the land to "maintain the status quo." Maintain the status quo! Oh, isn't it just maintaining the status quo of the land occupied by the rebels?
However, the church had been greatly weakened since the Banquet Countercurrent. Allan I had the support of various parties, from the King's party to the Sweetheart party. Recently, he even called for the rebuilding of the army to defend against foreign enemies. The church could only hold their nose and swallow their anger.
Thinking of this, the bishop sighed and became more worried.
Abat was no exception. The church's tax revenue from the land was greatly reduced, but they still had to maintain the parish's various expenses, such as alms, comforting the congregation, renovating the church, and maintaining the church's school from being annexed by the third-grade elementary school.
In the past, they did not pay much attention to religious dramas and were only used for preaching, but now they were more and more important in the parish's income.
Unfortunately, times had changed, and the audience was getting fewer and fewer. The church had to hire some literati to write scripts that could attract mortals and cleverly convey religious philosophy for the church.
Abat's place did not have a strong literary style. Some of the secular dramas in the local theater were not as good as the well-tempered religious dramas. This part of the parish's income could still be maintained.
Now, the inexplicable "Lady Peony" came out of nowhere. Overnight, Abat became a sensation. Everyone rushed to buy tickets. All kinds of old plays were played, and half of the audience was taken away. Not to mention the religious dramas.
Looking for trouble … Although this Lady Peony had an incestuous plot of father and son fighting for the wife, it ended in a tragedy and taught the indulgent king a lesson. On the surface, there was nothing wrong.
The bishop thought. Looking out the window, half of the congregation had split up at the intersection: the other half went to the secular theater to see Lady Peony.
He could not help but become serious and clenched his beads.
*
"Go find that author for me! No matter what, buy Lady Peony's script, or ask that author to write one for us! "The theater owner's angry roar to a few of his subordinates was still ringing in his ears.
And his lack of respect for him in the past.
Was he worthy? Ingrate! Did he not think about how many scripts he had written for him in the past?
When he thought of this, Charlie Beckett's face fell.
As one of the slightly famous playwrights in Abat, Charlie Beckett had always been a guest of honor that all the major theaters fought over.
Today, the script that he had written was unexpectedly ignored.
The scenes that were arranged for his script were not scheduled for many performances throughout the day.
Lady Peony, Lady Peony, Lady Peony! Everyone was lining up to see this play!
He tried to imitate Lady Peony's story and wrote a script: The struggle between father and son, the love affair. The beauty who died.
However, he was met with a strange look from the theater owner. The plays he had written in the past, when put together with the same vulgar writer, didn't show anything. But when put together with Madam Peony's excellent play, it showed its inappropriateness — whether it was the long opening speech, the extremely exaggerated and rigid characters, or the stiff writing style that had to be finished within a day.
No one had even dared to speak to him like this, "Sir, your play is outdated! We want — want to be like Lady Peony. "
He remembered that day when he sat in the theater and watched Lady Peony. When he was about to leave, he faintly heard the voice of Old Cook and a woman talking. A sneer appeared on his donkey-like face.
In front of him, Old Cook was still sitting in the carriage, unaware. Charlie Beckett told the Coachman, "Follow that carriage closely for me."
*
Daiyu sent away Sir James Cook, who came to deliver the royalties in person. She roughly counted, about 30 gold. This didn't include the share at the end.
This was half a year's living expenses.
Miss Volgue asked curiously, "Did Sir James Cook come to deliver the royalties for you? If your play is performed, please be sure to tell us. "
They didn't seem to know that the popular "Lady Peony" in the city was written by their beautiful tenant.
Lin Daiyu simply said, "Hmm," and didn't have the slightest intention to say anything.
She still remembered that Madame Geran had only just learned the general plot of the play from Mademoiselle Vaugai, when the story of Madame Peony had spread among the most reclusive ladies. This lady, who grew up with a traditional church education, was horrified when she heard "Lady Peony", "God, it's incestuous! Oh, Lord, forgive me. What kind of person could write such a devil's play? "
It wasn't until she heard that Old Cook advertised that the play was based on a real overseas historical story. In the later plot, the two protagonists were "punished for their incestuous behavior" that she breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up her compassion and prayed for "this unfortunate person."
Even if it was also a story with an eastern background, she didn't suspect her tenant at all. In Madame Géron's opinion, how could a good girl write a play with an incestuous plot? The pure Lamb of God wouldn't listen to or read such a story.
On the other hand, Miss Fu Gai, this old lady who was born a citizen, secretly went to see Madam Peony. She came back with tears in her eyes.
Lin Daiyu didn't have time to think about this.
She had calculated the final income of "Madam Peony": four shillings per scene, eight shillings in total for two scenes. At the Civic Theater, it was much cheaper.
Sir James Cook had made a note that his so-called share was limited to his Gentlemen's Theater, not the Civic Theater.
In Abat's harbor city, there weren't many people who could go to the Gentlemen's Theater. According to Sir James Cook, there were only about two thousand people in total, and only about eight hundred people who often went to the theater. That was the approximate number she had heard from Miss Voltaire.
Even if someone watched it repeatedly, she would only get about sixty gold at most in the end. Although this number was enough for her to live a "comfortable life" in Abat for quite some time. But during this period of time, she had learned that for Bona's prices, sixty gold was not enough to live for a long time and eat and live decently.
After all, she didn't know how long she would have to live in Bona before she could meet the messenger of the Freedom Army again. Therefore, she had to save enough money to live in Bona for a long time before she left Abat for Bona.
She calculated for a moment and sighed softly. She had to pick up the pen again and write a new play.
It was getting late, and the kerosene lamp reflected her handsome silhouette on the thin curtains.
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