Back to the present, Zhao Jiu can't be worse than the king of a fallen country, the tyrant, and Mr. Qin, right?
As expected, Zhao Jiu thought for a long time, but he waved his hand and asked the two actors to come down to see him, and his tone was not very harsh. Seeing this, everyone around him breathed a sigh of relief.
Two actors came over, bowed, and stood with their hands behind their backs… Even though they had seemed brave before, they were still a little timid when they really came in front of the emperor.
Of course, Zhao Jiu would severely reprimand them, "You two didn't act well... You relied on homophones to make jokes, which may sound funny, but it's just a small story, not enough to be passed down as a famous article... It's not a good idea to try to get some fame from me. The matter of the two saints has been decided by the court since the first year of Jianyan, and it's not your business to say whether it's behind my head or not!"
The two actors looked at each other, one wanted to continue making jokes, while the other was a little frightened and prepared to apologize.
However, before the two of them could speak, Emperor Zhao continued to chatter: "According to me, whether it is a zaju, a storytelling, or a military drama, the essence is to tell a story. Only when the story is good, the characters are good, and there is connotation, can it be truly spread... Look at "Mulian Saves His Mother", although the Buddhist words are ridiculous and absurd, it is a complete story of mother and son after all. The son is filial and kind, and the mother is stingy and greedy. This is why the characters are prominent, and it is also mixed with the Buddhist theory of cause and effect and the promotion of filial piety. It can be said to have a main theme, so it can be called a famous zaju... And the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the storytelling, the stories of Cao Mengde, Liu Xuande, Guan Yu, and Zhuge Kongming are natural, so they can last for a long time... You who are engaged in these popular arts must certainly find inspiration from history and life, but the key is to make it artistic, perfect, and finished."
After these words, the surrounding ministers, the imperial concubine, and the two actors who came out to warm up the audience were already stunned. Although some of Emperor Zhao's words were indeed strange, Chinese characters and words are of the same origin, and these people still understood the general meaning.
Therefore, after a while, the 'military officer' who had already given up the idea of failing to cheat was very cautious: "Let the emperor know that we assistant teachers (the sorcerers and fortune-tellers call themselves) are only roughly proficient in writing, and we don't have the ability to write a good story. As for "Mulian Saves His Mother", it was written by a great Buddhist monk himself."
"What are you going to perform next?" Zhao Jiu frowned.
The military officer and the young man looked at each other and became more helpless: "It is "Mulian Saves His Mother"."
Emperor Zhao immediately lost interest: "If that's the case, I won't read it... However, Concubine Wu has always been talented. I asked her to write a "Legend of the White Snake" tonight to kill the bald donkey's prestige. You can come and get it tomorrow. When it's arranged, I'll come and read it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the military officer and the maid were overjoyed, but the two imperial concubines beside Emperor Zhao had sad faces. Yang Yi Zhong, Liu Yan, Lan Gui, Feng Yi, Li Ruo Pu, Fan Zong Yin, Yu Yun Wen and many other close ministers who were serving as civil and military servants today seemed a little powerless behind them.
By the way, the emperor wrote all those messy things in the name of Concubine Wu, and did all those messy things in the name of Father-in-law Wu... Who doesn't know?
Moreover, everyone knows that those things are inappropriate for an emperor.
But coming back to the point, although it was inappropriate, this official knew how to provide a cover and give face to his superiors and subordinates. Why would anyone bother arguing with a powerful official over these matters?
"You are such a generous person, you are not angry at all?"
The play "Mulian Saves His Mother" had already begun to be performed in Gyeongbokgung Palace, but Zhao Jiu left the imperial concubine and the eunuchs behind, and went out of the Yingyang Gate with Lu Haowen and several close ministers. They arrived at the stone pavilion in the fish pond, which was the official's favorite place to stay. As soon as they sat down, Prime Minister Lu Haowen greeted them with a smile.
"What's there to be angry about?" Zhao Jiu didn't care at all. "Since they are a group that can enter the palace, they are the most famous actors in Tokyo. These people usually only hang around in the circles of the rich and powerful, but they don't really understand reason. It's normal to regard some people's words as public opinion in order to gain a reputation. Why should we blame them for their attitude?"
Lu Haowen thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and then added: "When actors perform on stage, they always like to talk about things and show off their attitude."
This means that artists have a strong desire to perform... This is true, Zhao Jiu nodded immediately.
However, after Zhao Jiu nodded in approval, both the king and his minister became somewhat silent again.
By the way, the current situation in the court is very interesting.
On the surface, it looks very much like the late reign of the Supreme Taoist Emperor in "Two Sacred Rings"... The emperor is high and mighty, holding great power but rarely interfering in mundane affairs; the court officials are divided into different categories, each with their own position and attitude, and there is a subtle situation of clear factions; in addition to this, there is a high-ranking prime minister who lives behind the scenes, in charge of the most basic ideological work.
However, it might be fine for others, but for the king and his minister sitting opposite each other in the pavilion, they know the huge difference between the two.
In the later period of Emperor Taishang Daojun, although Cai Jing, as the prime minister, was getting older, he was the only person who truly enjoyed the power of the prime minister. After years of management, he had become astonishingly powerful. He could always offer opinions on all aspects of the court's work and exert influence... In other words, he was somewhat in a tug-of-war with Emperor Daojun behind the scenes at that time, but he just failed.
But does Lu Haowen have that ability?
Not to mention anything else, just say that it is now tied to Prime Minister Lu, almost becoming a trademark, and is also the original learning that maintains the prime minister's political life. In fact, it was all created by Emperor Zhao, and then studied and researched by Lu Haowen and his son.
Not only that, the so-called factions in the court, such as Zhang Jun's faction, the military faction, and the inner court faction, are actually all Zhao's faction! Even after Li Gang was dismissed, the remaining faction that seemed to be the most ruthless to Zhao, including key figures such as Chen Gongfu, had already made gestures in front of Zhao.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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