Chapter 192

Yandu has been very lively recently. First, the rumor that the captain of the guards was Mr. Xie spread like wildfire, and people talked about this matter every day in taverns and teahouses after dinner. Now a storyteller has come. His storytelling is fascinating and his voice is sonorous and powerful, so he is very popular. There is also a troupe of operas performing in the restaurant. The actors have good looks and acting skills, which attracts countless people to watch.

A huge stage was built on the outskirts of Yandu City, and the people spontaneously took benches and sat on the stage to watch the show. In a short while, the entire venue was crowded with people coming and going, including those who watched the show, vendors who loved things, and those who came to join in the fun.

Someone stopped a man who was holding a bench in one hand and food in the other and asked, "What are you doing here? Why are there so many people?"

"Come to see a play. Are you from another place?" It was rare for the people of Yandu not to know this.

"I am a merchant from out of town. I saw there were so many people here, so I came to take a look."

"I guess you are from out of town. This is the most fashionable thing in Yandu now. Do you see that stage?" The man pointed to the stage over there and said, "It's being performed there. A few days ago, it was Mr. Lu Ming's "Xuan Ming Ji". You know Mr. Lu Ming, right?

“I know, I know. Who doesn’t know the famous Mr. Lu Ming?

"It was the scene when Ye Luoqiu became the Emperor of Xuanming and married the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. It was very exciting to watch. The actress who played the role of the Emperor's daughter was so beautiful..."

"Wait, so this is what's being performed on this stage?" The vendor interrupted the man, whose face was flushed with excitement.

"Yes, it's much more exciting than the acrobatics I've seen before, and it's free. But I don't know what's being performed today. It's said that this acrobatics troupe came from the northwest or Wei County. Even if you pay a fortune, you can't hire them there."

"Really?" the vendor said to himself.

"I won't tell you anymore. I took a seat yesterday, but I don't know if it's still there. If someone takes it away, I'll be at a big disadvantage."

The vendor looked at the man's receding back, thoughtfully, and followed the crowd to squeeze forward.

With the sound of gongs and drums, the show has begun.

I saw a man mixed in the crowd, and suddenly a group of ferocious-looking robbers with disheveled hair and dressed in foreign costumes came out and abducted a group of people. I saw an old man being dragged on the ground. The man stepped forward and knocked the robber to the ground, but was rushed by other robbers and knocked unconscious. When he woke up again, he was already in the robbers' den.

The subsequent scene was very interesting to watch. The man used a trick to make the robbers fight among themselves in the robbers' den, and then took the opportunity to escape. Just when the merchant thought that the man was going to fight back, he unexpectedly joined the army, was promoted all the way, and returned with the army to destroy the bandits.

It's a very common revenge story, but the performers have great posture and singing voice, and the plot is full of ups and downs. After watching this show, the vendors couldn't help but applaud loudly. No wonder it attracted so many people to watch.

When the show was over, he left with the crowd.

"I heard there's another one this afternoon. What's the story?"

The merchant thought about what he heard and decided to go into the city to finish his business before coming out to see the price. It didn't cost any money anyway.

The next time he came, he found that there were even more people. It seemed that the morning show had spread like wildfire and everyone came to see it. Now that he had experience, he went to a nearby stall and bought a bench to sit on and watch, as he was a little tired from standing in the morning.

But the more I watched the play in the afternoon, the more angry I became. The protagonist of the play was an ordinary person who worked in a paper mill in the county. Unexpectedly, a county magistrate came and took over the mill for himself. He also exploited the people to work every day, making them miserable.

Just when he thought that the protagonist would endure humiliation and return after many years to bring the county magistrate to justice, the protagonist was imprisoned, tortured, and finally sentenced to city confinement because he offended the county magistrate.

The vendor gritted his teeth in anger. He was going to resist this time, right? He quickly stood up and killed that dog official to avenge himself.

Unexpectedly, a foreign army came when the protagonist was defending the city. He hurriedly sounded the alarm. Just when the people in the city were panicking and at a loss, suddenly there was news that the county magistrate had abandoned the people and ran away.

The county was dead silent, and the people thought a disaster was about to happen. It was the county magistrate who stood up and organized the people and soldiers to resist. Although they defended the city, the foreigners still abducted a large number of people and property. The protagonist was also killed in the process of defending the city.

The people around were cursing, what kind of protagonist is this? It's too aggrieved. Can't he just join the army and lead people to fight back like the protagonist in the morning?

The vendor was also furious. He had wasted an entire afternoon watching a disappointing variety show. He decided to go back to work. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he heard someone say, "Is the county magistrate here the one from the Ding family who went to the northwest?"

"Now that you mention it, I think it's somewhat similar. The scene in the morning was similar to that of the Guard Captain."

The vendor came over and asked, "What Ding family?"

"You don't know the Ding family? They are the family that is even more grand than our Majesty." The commoner lowered his voice and said, "The acrobatics just now look more and more familiar to me. One of their family members ran to the northwest to become a county magistrate. When the Huns attacked, they abandoned the people and fled the city."

"Is it true? Then he must be punished." asked the vendor.

"Oh, who would dare? It is said that the governor of Dingyuan County couldn't do anything to him, so he tied him up and prepared to send him to Yandu. But think about it, once he gets to Yandu, wouldn't the Ding family be able to release him with just a flick of their fingers?"

"I think so too. Such a corrupt official is getting such a good deal for nothing." More and more people gathered here, and someone interrupted. They were obviously the people who had just finished watching the acrobatics and were very angry but did not want to leave.

"The Ding family has no talent, but they can still be high officials. Look at them. Lord Wei killed the Xiongnu Chanyu, and Lord Lin held out for more than a month when the Xiongnu invaded. They are much better than the Ding family." He looked around quietly, "but they are hated just because they are better than that family. The rumors a while ago were probably caused by the Ding family."

"I think so. Lord Wei and Lord Lin are young heroes. They will definitely be stronger than their descendants in the future. They must be killed so that their family can dominate."

The merchant pondered silently and asked, "These two gentlemen are good officials. Are they okay? Have they not been harmed by the Ding family?"

"No, no, they are fine, but they came from the northwest, and they probably don't have any backers. Maybe the Ding family will come up with some shady tricks to harm them next time."

The merchant said goodbye to a few people and went into the city, where he saw a lot of people gathered in front of a teahouse.

The gavel made a loud bang. "It is said that in some dynasty there was a young general who was good at fighting. Once a foreign enemy invaded, the young general led his men to defeat the foreign leader and made him flee. The young general won the battle and was appointed a high official. He led his troops to garrison at the border with the foreign tribe. Over the years, he has repelled countless foreign invasions."

The storyteller told the story slowly and leisurely, accompanied by the sounds of fighting on the battlefield and arrows breaking through the air, making people feel as if they were there, and along with the storyteller's voice, they witnessed the young general's turbulent first half of his life.

The merchant was fascinated by the story and felt that it was worthy of Yandu to have such a good storyteller. He had obviously been planning to go into the city to do some business, but he didn't want to move until he had finished listening to the story.

"The young general married and had children. He had a pair of sons and daughters, and his grandchildren were even more outstanding. It seemed that the whole family would prosper under his leadership, and he should have lived a happy and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, the young general was loyal by nature and did not want to go along with the powerful officials. He was framed for treason. Unfortunately, the powerful officials controlled the government, and even the emperor was controlled by them."

The people who were listening to the story gasped. The crime of treason was so vicious. However, some people had already heard that the storyteller concealed the name of the dynasty and only said it was a certain dynasty, but this was clearly a matter of the current dynasty.

This was clearly the case of the Ding family framing the Xie family for treason many years ago. He looked a little panicked and looked around. He didn't see the Ding family bringing anyone over. He could only see the people around who were listening to the story wiping their tears and their faces turning red with anger.

But when the story reached a crucial point, a waiter came out and said, "Dear guests, this is all for today. If you want to listen to the story, please come back tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow again? Can't you just finish the story at this point?" The commoner slammed the table in anger, "I'll pay, can you please invite the storyteller out for me?"

"Come out, we want to hear what's next."

The vendors didn't hear the stories and felt like they were being disturbed by a cat. When the people who came to listen to the story saw that there were no more stories to listen to, some of them left, but most of them stayed to continue drinking tea and chatting.

The vendor also walked in and ordered a pot of tea and a few side dishes.

"Do you want to hear the rest?" a young man suddenly said, with a tone that sounded like he was the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.

"Do you know what happened next?" someone asked.

“Yes.”

"You can just brag. How can a storyteller hired by a teahouse let you know the rest of the story? Doesn't he make money?"

"You don't know this. The storyteller reminds us in every sentence that this story is fictional. However, many years ago there was a person in my dynasty who was not exactly the same as the protagonist of the story, but was 70% similar to him." said the young man.

"Who is it? Just tell me." Someone said impatiently when he saw that others were keeping him in suspense.

"You mean the Xie family." Someone glanced around secretly and then lowered his voice.

The young man did not answer, but said: "So the ending must be that the whole family of the young general will be killed, and the powerful minister will be at the peak of his power. He even supported the new emperor to ascend the throne after the emperor's death, and almost controlled the whole world with one hand. It's a pity that the young general was loyal to the emperor and the country all his life, but ended up with his death and the extinction of his family. It's really sad and lamentable."

The audience in the teahouse remained silent after hearing this. It was a hero's last days. Even if he died on the battlefield, it could be considered as what he desired. It was a pity that he died in the vortex of power struggle.

The vendor also bowed his head and said nothing, "The Xie family you are talking about..."

"Keep your voice down. The Xie family was once a distinguished family, especially the younger generation. I heard that the young master has quite the demeanor of Mr. Xie back then."

"That's not all. Just looking at his looks, Young Master Xie is even better. He is the dream lover of countless ladies in Yandu. Once, when Young Master was traveling, the ladies in Yandu blocked the entire Changwu Street. It was such a grand occasion. It's a pity that the Xie family is gone, and Young Master is naturally..." someone sighed.

"That powerful official is Ding..." The merchant suddenly realized something. After putting together what he had seen and heard today, he realized that today's events must not be simple. His intuition after years of traveling around the country told him that it would be better to leave as soon as possible.

Just as he was about to move, he saw the cold light of a ring-handled sword flash, and a man who looked like a military commander came in with a team of soldiers, "Those who spread rumors wantonly in Tianxuan Teahouse, arrest them all."