Chapter 5 chapter Five
The sound of gongs, drums and cymbals in the hall.Bamboo sounds into one piece.Dozens of Taoist priests smiled and sat side by side among the vermilion lacquer pillars, happily watching the singing on the stage.
Master Zhenzhi led Di Gong to a high platform at the back of the hall, and all the Taoist priests stood up one after another when they saw Zhen Zhi and Di Gong present at the table.Zhenzhi waved his hand to ask everyone to sit down, and let Di Gong sit on a carved ebony chair, and he sat next to Di Gong.A chair on the other side was empty.
The lights on the stage were brightly illuminated, and what was being performed was the lively scene of the Queen Mother of the West's birthday and the congratulations of the immortals.The Queen Mother of the West sits in the center with a beaded crown and necklace, an embroidered skirt and a colored collar, leaning on a dragon stick. All the gods ride a colorful luan, ride a white crane, ride a red dragon, or ride a red phoenix, and float down on the auspicious clouds.Congratulations on the next day, reciting longevity poems, worshiping and dancing at the head, each presenting talisman seals, all of which are dragon and phoenix seals, colorful and dazzling.
Duke Di asked Zhenzhi: "Who will play the Queen Mother of the West and the fairy girl riding a red phoenix?"
"The Queen Mother of the West is played by Ms. Dingxiang from the troupe, and the one who plays the role of the female fairy who crosses the phoenix and scattered flowers is Guan Laizi's wife."
Di Gong looked at it for a while, but felt bored.So, Fang began to observe the people watching the theater with relish.At this time, he found an embroidered curtain hanging low on the high platform on the left side in front of the stage, and behind the embroidered curtain sat two women who were engrossed in watching the play.One is a bejeweled lady, wearing a black satin dress and holding a sandalwood fan, with a graceful and luxurious look; the other is a young woman, who does not wear makeup but has beautiful eyes and radiance.
Zhenzhi said: "Sitting behind the embroidery over there are Mrs. Bao and her daughter Bai Meigui."
All the gods on the stage retreated slowly surrounded by the Queen Mother of the West, and the slight celestial music was drowned out by the praise and cheers of the Taoist priests.
At this time Tao Gan walked behind Di Gong, bent his ears and said in a low voice: "Master, that fat Dao Tu Dharma name is Dao Qing, he said that this Chaoyun Temple has never drawn and compiled a diagram."
Digong nodded.The hall has quieted down, and the following is an allegorical play: how the soul of a young woman is tormented by a demon.
A slender woman in a white dress came onto the stage and danced gracefully.She went astray and was complacent.She spun and swayed triumphantly, sometimes like a falling flower, sometimes like a cloud.
Watching her face, Di Gong felt startled, and hurriedly looked at the girl behind the embroidery curtain, but Mrs. Bao blocked his sight.
"Tao Gan, the woman on stage is not played by an actress, but White Rose! It is the woman behind the embroidery. Why does she want to act on stage?"
Tao Gan raised his heels and looked behind the embroidered curtain.
"No, sir, White Rose is still sitting behind the embroidered curtain, and is not acting."
Di Gong also craned his neck to take a look, and couldn't help being secretly surprised.Said: "White Rose looks extremely flustered, I don't understand why the actor wants to dress up as White Rose."
Suddenly, a tall samurai wearing a white helmet and holding a sharp sword appeared on the stage.He has a large body and a formidable appearance. The whole face is covered with red oil paint, with a few white stripes in between.
Di Gong was startled and said: "This warrior is the one who tortured the woman with the disabled arm: Tao Gan, hurry up and call the troupe leader Guan Laizi here!"
On the stage, the samurai began to dance with the woman in white. The sharp sword in his hand quickly stabbed at the woman's body.The samurai came fiercely, as if he was really assassinating.Suddenly a sword stabbed at the woman's chest; behind the embroidered curtain, Bai Meigui screamed and stood up.Di Gong looked up and saw her panic-stricken, her face was pale, her hands were tightly grasping the railing in front of the high platform, and her eyes were fixed on the woman in white on the stage.Mrs. Bao was trying to comfort her, but she didn't hear her at all.
Di Gong was also very nervous, so he couldn't help asking Zhen Zhi beside him: "Who is that sword dancer on the stage?"
"That actor's stage name is 'Momo', it's a bit baffling." Zhenzhi replied with a frown.
Di Gong saw Momo's sword dancing very fiercely.The woman in white obviously couldn't resist Momo's attack. Sweat flowed down her pink face with make-up, her breasts heaved, but her eyes were heavy, stern and piercing.Duke Di vaguely felt that there was something abnormal about the woman's left arm, which was always close to her chest and never raised.The fluttering long sleeves were too wide, and Duke Di could not see whether the left arm was really sick or it was intentional.
Suddenly, there was another shrill scream from behind the embroidered curtain, and the warrior's sword cut off a corner of the woman's left sleeve!
Di Gong stood up involuntarily, and the tense atmosphere infected him.He forgot about his headache and sore eyes.
Suddenly there was a whistle, and a huge black bear roared and climbed onto the stage.The samurai retreated hastily, and the black bear approached the woman step by step.The woman was so terrified that she couldn't help covering her face with her right hand.The music stopped, and the hall was dead silent.
Di Gong couldn't help shouting: "That beast will hurt a woman!"
"No, master, that black bear was domesticated by Miss Ouyang herself, so there will be no accidents." Guan Laizi said. ——Tao Gan has led him to Duke Di.
The woman in white on the stage danced again, and the black bear did not hurt her.
Di Gong asked Guan Laizi: "Where will Momo go when he gets off the stage?"
Guan Laizi replied respectfully: "Maybe he has gone to take off his face wash."
"Was he here an hour ago?"
"Back to the master, he has been here since lunch, but he went out to the yard for a while to get some air during the acting break. This hall is too stuffy. The weight of Momo's play is very heavy, and he is very competitive. Today is him A great opportunity to show off your talent."
The black bear on the stage roared suddenly, as if stimulated, it stood up angrily and rushed towards the woman in white.The woman in white was startled and took a dozen steps back.The black bear pressed on and stretched out its giant paw.The woman fell to the ground on her back.The black bear opened its mouth wide, revealing a row of ferocious yellow teeth.
Just as Di Gong was about to cry out, the woman crawled out from under the black bear's feet, and danced again, with a smug smile on her face. ——Bai Meigui sits quietly on the seat behind the embroidered curtain. She has obviously lost interest in the drama, and her face is still very pale.
The woman in white smiled and nodded to the audience, patted the black bear on the back and left the stage.
Di Gong wiped off the sweat from his forehead, and couldn't help but praise it again and again.As the excitement wore off, he felt a splitting headache again.He stood up and was about to say goodbye, Zhenzhi smiled and said: "Master Di, go slowly, the poet Zong Li is coming to recite his masterpiece, and it will also serve as the end of tonight's drama."
Zong Li stepped onto the stage gracefully and began to chant his poem, which goes:
Don't make any noise in the four seats, and play the elegant and appropriate song at the end.
It is not necessary to work on diction to make a speech.
Who knows the dark, how hazy are the immortals and ghosts.
The long wind disperses the clouds, and the sky is clear.
After Zong Li finished reciting, he bowed and left the stage, a group of silk wind music played, and the performance ended.
Zhenzhi was furious, and said sharply to Guan Laizi, "Call that poor scholar Zong Li!"
Zong Li bowed respectfully to Zhenzhi, but there was a haughty look on his face.
"Mr. Zong, what do you mean by the last two lines of your poem 'the long wind disperses the morning clouds, and the sky is clear'? Don't you know that today is the celebration ceremony of Benguan, and it is also the birthday of Emperor Zhenwu? 'Scattering the Chaoyun' and 'Cleaning the Blue Sky', don't they mean to tarnish the dignity of my sect and tarnish the reputation of this concept!"
Zong Li said with a smile: "The old fairy thinks that composing poems is as easy as drawing mantras and talismans? With five characters and eighty years, not only must the rhyme come together, but also the rhyme and rhyme must be carefully crafted, and the two couplets in the middle must be well-balanced. The late students are most afraid of doing it right. Son, so the two couplets in the middle are often right or not. If it is a quatrain or a slogan, it seems much simpler. The old fairy, please listen to Wan Sheng's auspicious slogan:
The real person flutters up to the altar of the Dharma, stepping on the battle to proclaim the wonderful way;
Yulang drank the yellow spring, repented of eating the golden elixir, and mourned for his life.
After listening to Zhenzhi, he was so angry that his veins showed and his beard blew.He looked anxiously at Di Gong beside him, finally calmed down, and waved his hand to signal Zong Li to retreat.
Di Gong discovered that Zong Liyin's two poems seemed to point to something; this obviously disturbed Zhenzhi deeply.Zhenzhi's face was livid, and his body was trembling.He stood up and bid farewell to Di Gong.Di Gong didn't hold back either, seeing him staggering, walked out of the hall tremblingly supported by a boy.
Di Gong asked Tao Gan, "Do you know where the troupe actors take off their make-up? I want to talk to Momo, he is a suspicious person."
Tao Gan replied: "They also live in the east building, on the same floor as my room. Now I think about going back there to take off my makeup. There is a narrow corridor between us."
Di Gongdao: "You just said that Chaoyun Temple has never drawn and compiled diagrams?"
"My lord, I am also a little puzzled by this matter. Daoqing also revealed that there are many places behind the main hall that no one is allowed to enter except Zhenzhi and Tianshi Sun."
Di Gong frowned and said, "Could it be that there are many secrets here that are not being kept from the government?"
Tao Gan borrowed a lantern from the deacon in the hall, and suddenly he remembered something, and asked, "Master, did Zhenzhi tell you the details of the deaths of those three women?"
"He was evasive and vague and perfunctory. This made me more suspicious."
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