Chapter 32: The Story of the Incense

It's called a flower viewing banquet, but attending the banquet is definitely not just about viewing flowers.

From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, apart from major festivals, people gather together to have fun. Any day of the week can be an excuse to hold a banquet.

There are outing banquets in spring, peach blossom banquets when peach blossoms bloom, peony banquets when peonies bloom, lotus banquets in summer, red maple banquets in autumn, plum blossom banquets and snow-viewing banquets in winter.

Some families even invite relatives and friends to gather together when their cats or dogs give birth to kittens or puppies.

As a person, you have to find some fun for yourself.

Just like today, the princess invites everyone to come and enjoy the flowers, but it is not just about enjoying the flowers.

"Today I have invited a troupe to perform The Story of Lucky Incense. This is the first time this legendary play has been performed. I don't know how to invite everyone to watch it together."

"But is it the "Tales of Pity and Incense" by the Lonely Fishing Man?"

By now, I'm afraid that half of the people in the capital have seen "The Story of Linxiang". I heard that all the major opera troupes in the city are also rehearsing this legend.

There is no doubt that whichever troupe performs first and performs well will surely create a sensation in the capital.

Operagoers, regardless of class or social status, from the elderly to children, can all understand the opera. Illiterate people cannot understand the legend, but they can understand the "performance".

This is also one of the meanings of the existence of opera.

The legend of "The Story of Ing-wen" can be spread so widely, so the performance of "The Story of Ing-wen" will only be better than the legend.

A round-faced lady clapped her hands and said, "I had someone inquire about it earlier, and they said that the earliest performance would be next month. I didn't expect that the one who could perform was invited by the princess. We are all blessed today."

Of course, some people present were puzzled by this, "What kind of legend is really so good?"

"Whether it's good or not, you'll know after you see it."

There is no need to build a stage in this yard. The actors can just put on their costumes and start performing in an open space. It is quite different from watching the performance in a theater in the past.

Shen Yuan seldom watched a serious opera before. The last time she watched one was probably when she was in Jinling and her grandmother celebrated her birthday. The family invited an opera troupe to perform, and to suit the occasion, the plays were mostly stories about several generations living together and family reunions.

People prefer reunions to stories with flaws, so no matter whether it is a vernacular story or a legendary story, no matter what twists and turns there are in the middle, there will definitely be a happy ending in the end.

Of course, each reader has a different definition of perfection.

However, Shen Yuan feels that the "perfection" of the story of "The Story of Linxiang" is much better than the stories in previous books about men who passed the examinations, were appointed as officials and prime ministers, and had harmonious relationships with their wives and concubines.

Although this legend is definitely not only worthy of praise for its ending, Shen Yuan doesn't know why other people like "The Story of Linxiang", but she was indeed enlightened by the ending of the book.

"If I were to say the best part of this play is the ending. Yunxian and Jinniang are so happy together. If she really had to spend her life with that ugly merchant, I would be vomiting."

It seems that someone shares the same opinion as her. Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes while sitting in the back.

"Isn't this just God's envy of beauty? Two beautiful and talented girls are paired with ugly and talentless men."

As they were talking, the play happened to be about the day when the heroine Yunxian got married. As soon as her veil was lifted, she was shocked by the appearance of her husband in front of her.

The appearance of this ugly character is also very exquisite. His hunchback figure, face full of black moles and protruding mouth form a sharp contrast with the beautiful heroine Yunxian who is wearing a bright red wedding dress. The audience feels sorry for Yunxian in their hearts.

Every day after the marriage, Yunxian tried every means to avoid her husband's affection, which made her husband angry and he ignored her. He soon married another woman, Jinniang, who was more beautiful than Yunxian, in order to make Yunxian jealous so that he could have both of them.

But Yunxian didn't feel jealous at all, instead she felt lucky in her heart.

Jinniang is different from Yunxian. Jinniang was sold to the Hu family as a concubine by her parents. Even though she was dissatisfied, she did not dare to resist.

Gradually, Yunxian changed from just watching from the sidelines to sympathizing with Jinniang.

It's a pity that this beautiful and lively woman can only marry a stupid and ugly man.

When the play reached the part where Jinniang was beaten by an angry man for refusing Hu Caiquan's affection, and Yunxian stood up to defend Jinniang, many of the audience shed tears.

When the two of them were imprisoned in the Buddhist temple for being punished for contradicting their husbands, the audience also worried about their fate.

But soon, the situation changed and Hu Caiquan, who was traveling for business, unexpectedly encountered bandits.

When the news reached his home, the servants were scattered due to the death of their master, and many people who had done business with Hu Caiquan came to visit.

Hu Caiquan had received deposits from these people when he went there. Now that they had been killed, he naturally could not deliver the goods.

The two women, who had not had time to think about their future destiny, were forced to take responsibility.

Yunxian is talented and thoughtful, while Jinniang is smart and clever. The two of them, one in charge of internal affairs and the other in charge of external affairs, not only successfully overcame the crisis, but also took the Hu family's original business to a higher level.

But before the audience could relax, Yunxian and Jinniang encountered a new crisis.

When one of Hu Caiquan's uncles heard about this, he not only wanted to seize the Hu family's money, but also wanted to drive Yunxian and Jinniang away, on the grounds that Yunxian and Jinniang were outsiders and had no children of the Hu family.

In the end, the two of them managed to adopt the child of a distant relative of the Hu family, thus foiling the uncle's plan.

Since Hu Caiquan already had an heir, it was natural that the property would not go to an uncle who was not close to him.

The story is almost over at this point. Yunxian and Jinniang raise the children together and manage the huge family business.

The plot of "The Story of Linxiang" is very intertwined, with one wave after another, making the audience dare not relax at all.

Of course, the troupe also performed very well, and Princess Kangle also gave the troupe generous rewards.

"So this is what the book 'The Story of the Incense' tells. I heard about it before and was very curious. I wanted to find the book and read it, but my husband wouldn't let me. He said it wasn't well written and not worth reading."

After watching the play, she had a vague idea in her mind, and she wanted to grasp it, but she didn't know where to find the clue.

Shen Yuan looked at the young woman who was speaking. She looked to be about the same age as his sister-in-law He Ying. At the moment, her brows were furrowed, as if she was still thinking about the play she had just watched.

A lady nearby sneered when she heard this, "Most men naturally don't like this kind of play. Perhaps they are afraid that they will become like Hu Caiquan, and their wives and concubines will become like Yunxian and Jinniang."

After saying this, he did not care that there were unmarried girls here, and continued: "I say that those who have unmarried girls at home should be careful, and be sure to choose the kind of men they don't want to marry."

This statement was clearly saying that the lady just now had married the wrong person. These people usually had to think three times before speaking a word, so they were all stunned when they heard such straightforward words.