Chapter 117: The Ruthless Actor (25)
After taking Davis to the garden and having the ghost maid take him away, Miao Jue quickly walked away.
She followed Shisui's instructions and ran towards the guard room near the garden gate without looking back.
Zhan Mingzhe had been waiting for her there for a long time.
He nervously watched Miao Jue running towards him, opened the door for her, took her hand and led her into the guard room, then immediately locked the door, pasted yellow ghost-exorcising talisman paper on the crack of the door, and tied the peach wood sword to the door handle.
"Is everything going well?" Zhan Mingzhe asked Miao Jue with concern.
"Fortunately, everything is going according to plan!" Miao Jue looked towards the garden. "Where are the people you invited? Have they all arrived? Have the servants who need to leave been withdrawn as well?"
Zhan Mingzhe nodded: "The guests are all in the garden... The chief steward has already taken all the servants away this afternoon, so we just need to stay here and guard."
...At this time, the garden of Zhan's house was illuminated by the lanterns in red.
Foreigners, traitors, and many other guests gathered together.
As soon as they stepped into the gate of the Zhan residence, they were attracted by a special aura.
The Zhan residence was decorated with the utmost luxury, and it seemed as if laughter and joy were everywhere. Everyone was caught up in a kind of illusory, unreal happiness, similar to the euphoria one experiences after smoking opium...
On the rectangular stage, there is a very eye-catching red "Shou" character hanging.
The servants dressed up to welcome them and set up several long tables near the stage, which were piled with all kinds of delicious food.
Although it was dark, the auditorium was filled with big red candles, lighting up the garden like daylight.
Everything these mortals saw was an illusion created by Shi Sui...
Mr. Zhan and the Second Mistress sat steadily in the center of the audience seats under the stage, with upright postures and kind faces.
The guests came in groups of three or four and bowed to congratulate him, wishing him good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains.
Mr. Zhan and the Second Wife responded with a smile one by one.
No one noticed... Their hands were all tucked behind their backs, tangled in the long hair of the red-dressed maids sitting next to them... They didn't dare to move at all...
...in the dressing room behind the stage.
Shisui was wearing a gorgeous and exquisite costume, facing the mirror, smearing thick ink on her face.
First-rate emperors and ministers, second-rate military officers and generals, third-rate gentry and merchants;
The fourth-rate sects are teaching gangs, the fifth-rate craftsmen, and the sixth-rate doctors and farmers;
Seventh-rate witches and beggars, eighth-rate thieves, swindlers and robbers, ninth-rate entertainers and prostitutes;
Actors have always lived at the bottom of society since ancient times.
Those who sing operas and those who beat gongs are all displaced and helpless people.
If a man or woman from a wealthy family insists on entering the industry, it is considered extremely disgraceful and they will not be included in the family tree during their lifetime, nor can they be buried in the ancestral tomb after their death.
Before marrying into the Zhan family, the third and fourth concubines were also orphans of war. They were adopted by opera troupe masters when they were young and made a living by performing arts everywhere.
Ten years of practicing voice training, leg stretching and martial arts training every day.
The actor is in the painting, his life is far away. The actor takes off his makeup, the song ends and the audience disperses.
Who would know the pain in my body and the sadness in my heart?
Shisui looked up at the pitch-black sky outside.
She put down her paintbrush and turned to a huge suitcase.
This is the costume trunk left by the third concubine, which can be considered her relic.
Ever since her death, the box has been sealed by the cowardly Mr. Zhan. He has nailed a circle around the box and put a seal on it.
Shisui squatted down, tore open the seal with her fingernails, then gently pushed up the lid of the suitcase and pushed the suitcase open.
More than a dozen gorgeous costumes were neatly stacked inside, and a stale, musty smell filled the air.
"Everyone, get up...it's your turn to perform..."
Tokiho flicked the sleeves of her costume, and the beautiful costumes in the suitcase seemed to come alive, floating up one after another, suspended in the air, and surrounding Tokiho.
Clang——
A shrill gong sounded from the stage.
The big show officially begins.
Tokiho poked her head out from behind the curtain and looked at the packed audience with satisfaction.
Today she is dressed as a female warrior and is going to perform the classic play: "Mu Guiying Takes Command".
"All soldiers, follow my orders!!"
As Shisui started the story with a monologue, a violent cold wind blew through the garden.
The candlelight flickered wildly, but no matter how strong the cold wind blew, it still burned stubbornly...those were all ghost lights!
Unless there are special circumstances, the troupe will not perform at night.
Because people watch plays during the day, ghosts watch plays at night...
Once the play begins, people from all directions come to listen. One direction is for people, the third direction is for ghosts, and the fourth direction is for gods. The play cannot stop in the middle.
Mr. Zhan, the second wife, the fifth concubine, and Zhan Deyun, these four loving family members were the only ones present who were not deceived by Shi Sui.
What the other people present saw was a lively stage.
On both sides of the stage, there are big gongs, cymbals, small gongs, suonas, sea flutes, and cymbals... The musicians each perform their duties and play the instruments with all their might.
In the center of the stage, two dazzling female warriors were picking up spears, doing somersaults, and singing and reciting lines.
But in the eyes of the Zhan family... the two sides of the stage were empty. The fourth concubine was the only one on the stage, and the only thing she was acting opposite was a piece of empty clothing fluttering in the wind...
But none of the Zhan family members dared to say a word. They were so scared that cold sweats broke out on their heads and their calves shook uncontrollably like sewing machines. They didn't dare to escape.
Around them, translucent familiar faces kept floating by.
There were men, women, and babies... They all died in this magnificent mansion for various reasons.
These souls stared at them with fierce eyes, as if they were ready to pounce and bite them at any time.
Dongdongdongqiang——
The sound of gongs and drums came from the stage.
Shisui took her spear, ran around the stage for a long time, and then began to sing the most ambitious and heroic part in the play.
"Suddenly I heard the sound of golden drums and painted horns, which aroused my lofty ambition to break through the gate of heaven!
I remember the peach blossoms on the horse were so majestic, and the enemy's blood splattered on her pomegranate skirt.
We must fulfill our duties while we are alive. How can we let an inch of our land belong to others?
The foreign king and clown are nothing to be mentioned; one sword can defeat a million soldiers."
...At the same time, on the bank of the Huangpu River, Mr. Guang'an put on his Taoist robe and, surrounded by his disciples, held his breath and concentrated as he began to perform a ritual.
"The sky is clear and the earth is bright, the Yin is turbid and the Yang is clear. Five or six Yin Lords, they come out of the dark and go into the underworld. Burn incense and pray to the heavens, their souls go to the Naihe River, their spirits gather the Yin spirits! Hurry as the law commands!"
Mr. Guang'an scattered talisman paper into the sky and pointed his peach wood sword at the surface of the Huangpu River.
The originally calm river water immediately rippled a little, and then quickly formed a whirlpool.
Soon, the vortex grew larger and larger, and a shrill scream came from it, which was breathtaking!
Immediately afterwards, white ghosts scrambled out of the water, screaming and floating in all directions.
“…Quick! Retreat!”
When Mr. Guang'an saw that the door of the underworld was open, he called his disciples and ran away quickly.
The hole in front of him was no longer under his control.
Next, it all depends on Shihui’s performance!
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