Chapter 208: Before and After the Feast (6)
Translator: Iris
Since there was no stage being set up there, most of the women guests had chosen the singing and dancing pieces of the opera.
Old Madam Lu requested the episode ‘Lecturing Son’ in ‘One Knife Meeting’ (It was said that her fifty years old son hadn’t been so obedient lately). Old Madam Qin requested the episode ‘Bringing Justice’ in ‘Coming to Light’ (That play told the story of a mother-in-law made peace with her daughter-in-law after they resolved the misunderstandings between them.) Wang shi requested the episode ‘Returning Pearl’ in ‘The Qin Stage’ (The story of a man finally recognizing his wife’s goodness after he had been through so many love affairs. And at the end, the man thoroughly reformed himself and remained a devoted husband all through the rest of his life).
‘The Story of Liu Yunqiao’ was the most popular play. Lots of the guests there had requested the episodes in that play. At last, Minglan found the performers nearly played the whole play.
This play had been performed in many occasions for almost a hundred years from the former dynasty and was favored especially by the ladies.
Here was the outline of the story: In middle ages of X Dynasty, a famous prostitute got acquainted with a young Tan Hua (T/N: The man who got a third place in the Imperial Examination) by coincidence. Although they were in different status, they still fell in love at the first sight. After that, the Tan Hua boy bought back the prostitute’s freedom and cleared her name. But his family still refused to take in a prostitute into their family. And the prostitute, as tough as she was, only left a letter to the Tan Hua, telling him to marry a noble lady.
Having failed to find her anywhere, he had to obey his parents’ order and marry another woman. After many years, the Tan Hua whose wife had just deceased was appointed as the censor of the border. One day when he was going on patrol on the border, lots of Jie Nu (T/N: An ancient nationality of China) happened to intrude into the country. The Tan Hua summoned the troops and the citizens to resist. However, he was outnumbered by the enemy and the reinforcements never came. At the critical moment when the Jie Nu army was going to take down the city, the Tan Hua put a sword by his neck, trying to commit suicide. However, suddenly, there was a chaos in Jie Nu’s military camp. The Tan Hua then seized the opportunity and ordered the solders to stage a surprise attack. At last, the attack went successful and the crisis was resolved.
After the war, the Tan Hua knew that a woman had spent a huge sum of money to purchase five hundred cattle, sheep and horses in the critical moment. She had also lit the tails of those livestock and let them rush to the back of the Jie Nu’s army who were completely unprepared, following the example of the Fire Cattle Formation of Tian Shan. The Tan Hua was suspicious of the woman’s identity. After thorough inquiry and investigation, he finally found that the woman was no other than that prostitute.
At last, they had a happy ending. The man and the woman remained a devoted couple through the rest of their lives and had lots of kids.
The story was quite a cliché but still touching. Because it was adapted from a true event.
The Tan Hua called Gao Qin, a man from a prestigious family in Eastern River Area who enjoyed success at a young age. He had taken the third place in the imperial exam at the young age of sixteen and assisted three emperors in his life. He had been through big rises and falls and brought benefits to countless people. At last, his story had been recorded in a history book called ‘Famous Officials’.
His wife’s story was even more legendary. She was a prostitute in the Qinhuai River area, called Madam Liu Li by the later generations. Actually, even if her contemporaries knew about her unpresentable identity, the records on the paper could still be modified to give her a more respectable origin for later generations. However, this Madam Gao was too famous and their story was well-known to all. Even if the history book didn’t record her identity or some modifications had been made, the unofficial books would also cover all of their lives.
–Right now, a light sound of the drums suddenly came through from the octagonal pavilion. The drumbeat gradually became urgent while four of the musicians plucked the strings in a fast speed. The music sounded pathetic and touching, stirring everyone’s mind. Minglan raised her head to look at Zhu shi who was beside her, then at her sisters-in-law, finding them being imbibed in the music. Then Minglan realized that the play had reached the climax:
After Gao Qin came back from the border, he begged her parents to let her marry Madam Liu Li. At last, her parents finally agreed to accept Madam Liu li as his concubine. However, Madam Liu Li refused. When she faced her lover, she only sighed and uttered a well-known saying, “I love you a lot. But I also love myself.”
She said that she had been disdained by others for half of her life. After her name had been cleared, she had already decided to live with dignity. What’s more, she had opened a workshop, recruited apprentices, engaged in trade and earned a decent life for herself. She was having a wonderful life now.
Gao Qin was still determined to marry her as his wife. This time his parents disagreed resolutely. This affair was known to all and provided an inexhaustible topic for the citizens. At last, Gao Qin gave up his promising future and significant position. He was even dispelled from the Gao’s family clan and kicked out of his house.
After that, the couple who had been battered by criticism lived in seclusion in the countryside of Prefecture Yong. Although they lived a poor life, they loved and supported each other the whole time. Gao Qin who concentrated on studies authored lots of famous books and had many pupils. Madam Liu Li led the local poor to dig the mines in the mountain and store water for irrigation.
After ten years, even the new emperor had already ascended the throne, Gao Qin got his fame widespread again because of a few of his great books opposing the Neo-Confucianism. The scholars all over the country admired him so much that they all came to him to listen to his lectures. The Imperial Court issued edicts three times to reinstate him. After that, he got a rapid advancement in his career, having both civil and military abilities. He had gone back to the countryside three times and returned to the office three times. He even became the imperial tutor with students all over the country. At last, his story was recorded in the ‘Famous Officials’ and his memorial tablet was placed in the Upright Official Ancestral Temple.
As for Madam Gao, this woman who had used to be a prostitute became a madam who was ennobled by the imperial court. Her life really was legendary.
When Minglan had read about her story (In both official and unofficial history books), she had asked Sir Zhuang, “Is it legal to dig out mines without the government’s permission?”
“Not for the other kinds of mines. The kind Madam Liu Li dug, yes.” Sir Zhuang answered, “Because it was not gold, silver, copper, iron, coal or salt. The thing she dug out was a strange kind of quartz which could be utilized for calcining the glass. Even the government didn’t know what that quartz was for.”
Glass! Right, glass.
With her pupils contracting a bit, she looked at the opened windows around her. There was bright and clear one-piece glass inlaid in the windows decorated by smaller and colorful pieces designed into flowers and birds patterns, making the hall bright and splendid.
In the ancient times when the technology was in a low level, Madam Liu Li had done lots of the sophisticated experiments. In the initial stage of her experiment, she had calcined small items to earn some startup funds. After dozens of years, she had managed to fabricate the convex lens for telescope or magnifying lens uses. Then after another dozens of years, she finally renovated her technology and calcined the thin and sold glass in large size.
This Madam Liu Liu must have transmigrated here– Minglan stared at the glass window in a daze– According to the manuscripts left by Madam Liu Li, Minglan assumed that this woman was majored in science and engineering.
What a good major. Minglan lowered her head and sighed with admiration.
There was a burst of applause in the hall. The performer suddenly sang in a grave tone with deep affection in her eyes. Even a girl who pretended to love art like Minglan had to admit that the play was a great work.
The play was written by a gifted scholar from the previous dynasty who was also a disciple of Gao Qin. In his seventies, he always dreamed of his boyhood when he could always see the gray-haired Gao Qin and Madam Liu Li going for a stroll by the river with their hands holding together, still deeply in love.
One day the scholar woke up with tears covering his face, and, with all the appreciation and admiration toward the couple, wrote down this masterpiece in memory of his respected teacher and his teacher’s wife. As talented as the scholar was, ‘The Story of Liu Yunqiao’ had dulcet tunes and delicate lyrics. Most of the lines could even be compiled into poetry. No one would doubt that it was a fine piece of writing.
Minglan checked the faces of the women around her, some were jealous, some were sad. Anyway, everyone was being through an emotional fluctuation. Zhu shi sighed slightly, “Gosh... If only I could really live a life like Madam Liu Li’s...”
The existence of Madam Liu Li became a symbol and a token to tell all the women that there truly were devoted and affectionate guys in this world. But they just weren’t that lucky to run into one.
However, for Minglan, Madam Liu Li’s existence only told her that she did have fellows from the modern times.