I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 26 Adaptation is not random editing
There were actually quite a lot of mythological plays in the Ming Dynasty, but they were all things like "Eight Immortals Celebrating Their Birthday" and "The Pilgrimage of Immortals". Just by looking at the names you can tell that they were mainly lively and festive, with some feudal values ​​added in at the end.

As the most luxurious prison in the Ming Dynasty, the Prince's Mansion is naturally equipped with all kinds of entertainment facilities, or in other words, the facilities are very high. For example, the Prince of Jing's Mansion has a drama troupe, but in the past two or three years, due to the mourning period for the late king, the troupe has not performed for a long time, and has not rehearsed new plays for a long time.

It was only a while ago that Zhu Houxun asked the palace's opera troupe to perform a few shows out of curiosity, but as a result, Zhu Houxun lost interest in Ming Dynasty drama.

Because it was really bad, the story was clichéd, there was no plot twist, he could guess the ending just by watching the beginning, and he didn't understand the singing style.

You have to know that at this point in time, even Kunqu Opera, which was later called "the ancestor of all operas, the teacher of all operas" and has the elegant name of "the mother of Chinese opera", had not yet developed into a complete form.

Therefore, Zhu Houxuan really cannot appreciate the opera singing style that is popular in the Ming Dynasty. He feels that it would be better to speak in vernacular directly, so that it can be understood more clearly.

But no matter how many reasons he had for not wanting to listen to Ming Dynasty opera, when he saw the name, Zhu Houxuan was still very curious.

"Journey to the West: Kingdom of Women"!!!
Has this play already been rehearsed during the Ming Dynasty?

It was with this strong curiosity that Zhu Houxuan came to the theater in the palace.

In the Ming Dynasty, family opera was a mainstream performance venue and form, and almost every home of a high-ranking official would have a theater.

When Zhu Houxuan arrived at the theater, Concubine Liu was already waiting there, with Liu Yourong, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, by his side. However, Liu Yourong didn't even make eye contact with him.

The seats in the audience were already full, and it seemed that all the officials of the palace, both big and small, had arrived.

When everyone saw Zhu Houxuan coming, they all saluted him.

"Thanks to the Concubine Dowager's grace, she told us that the palace has invited a famous opera troupe from Nanjing, so let us all come and watch the new play," the Right Chief Clerk Zhan Bin explained with a smile.

Zhu Houxuan did not comment on this because Concubine Liu was already waving at him.

"My son has become much healthier recently!" Concubine Liu exclaimed.

"Thank you for your concern, my son is indeed much stronger now. He eats one more bowl of rice at each meal than before."

"That's good!" Concubine Liu said with relief, "I know you've been very busy recently, but you should also pay attention to combining work and rest. Today you should accompany your mother to listen to the opera."

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Houxuan sat down.

Yu Chunlai came over holding a tray.

"Your Highness, please choose a play." Yu Chunlai handed the tray to Zhu Houxuan.

There were only red wooden signs on it, with the names of plays written in black on them.

"Mother, you choose first!" Zhu Houxuan said modestly.

"Xun'er, please make your choice quickly. There are so many people waiting." Concubine Liu said with a smile.

So Zhu Houxun directly took out a sign that read "Journey to the West: The Kingdom of Women" from the tray and handed it to Yu Chunlai.

"Your Highness has good taste. This play is very popular in Nanjing!" Yu Chunlai said flatteringly after taking the sign.

Liu Yourong, who was standing by, spat in her heart when she saw the brand chosen by Zhu Houxun - ha, man!
Yu Chunlai quickly sent the sign to the backstage of the theater. Behind the scenes of the theater, there were also two pairs of eyes quietly observing the people below the stage.

"Is that the prince? He is so tall and handsome." said a teenage girl.

"He is indeed a descendant of a royal family with a royal atmosphere. He cannot be compared with the noble families in Nanjing. It's just that Qizhou City is not as prosperous as Nanjing City." The speaker was a thin teenager.

Just as they were about to continue talking, a plump middle-aged man grabbed them and said, "Still playing here? Hurry up and put on your makeup. The show is about to start. The prince has already ordered the show. If you dare to make a mistake today, I will skin you alive!"

"Got it, boss!" The two of them quickly ran backstage to make preparations.

Soon, the erhu of the opera troupe began to sound, and the Ming Dynasty fairy drama "Journey to the West: The Kingdom of Women" officially began.
The opening music did not give Zhu Houxuan any surprise, it was still the same old music.

There didn't seem to be anything innovative in the singing style, and he couldn't tell any difference from the Ming operas he had heard before, which affected his concentration a bit.

The image of his character makes him feel a little out of place, as it is very different from the image known to later generations. His costumes and makeup are not very good either, but his role can still be identified. The image of Sun Wukong is a bit ugly and not very friendly, but he can do somersaults very well; Zhu Bajie is even uglier and does not have that kind of naive feeling; the image of Sha Seng is just average.

What surprised him most was that the image of Tang Monk was that of a skinny middle-aged man. If he hadn't been wearing a cassock and a monk's robe, Zhu Houxuan would not have recognized him as Tang Monk.

Although he was a little disappointed by the image, he still watched it very seriously. To be honest, after seeing the images of the four masters and apprentices, he knew that there was nothing to look forward to further, but he couldn't help but continue reading. He hoped to see something familiar.

Concubine Liu, who was watching the show on the side, had been paying some of her attention to Zhu Houxun. Seeing Zhu Houxun's serious look, she also showed a satisfied smile.

The performance on the stage was still going on, and the plot finally progressed to the time when the Queen of Women appeared. The Queen of Women's performance made Zhu Houxuan begin to feel something was wrong, because she did not show any affection for Tang Monk at all.

She always talked about sexual pleasure and the harmony of yin and yang. Her main goal was to have children and grandchildren and pass on the empire forever. As for who this man was and whether she was attracted to him, it was not important. She was only surprised to learn that Tang Monk was handsome. Moreover, she said these words in front of all the civil and military officials in the court without any shyness or taboo.

Zhu Houxuan's brows were tightly furrowed.

The subsequent plot made his brows frown even more. As soon as the queen saw Tang Seng, she grabbed him and asked him to get on the dragon carriage and go to the Golden Palace to be a couple. Her coquettish behavior only showed the most primitive desire, but no friendship.

After being teased by Sun Wukong, Tang Seng actually started crying. Finally, after being scolded by Sun Wukong, he wiped away his tears and followed the queen into the dragon carriage.

This plot directly made Zhu Houxun a little upset. Is this crying Monk still Tang Monk?
Zhu Houxun finally watched the entire play with a frown on his brow, and didn't find any familiar feeling at all.

Empress Dowager Liu, who had been paying close attention to Zhu Houxuan, was overjoyed. It was the first time she saw Zhu Houxuan's emotions fluctuate so greatly.

At the end of the show, all the officials in the palace cheered, but Zhu Houxuan was so frustrated by the show that it was too ridiculous!
"Xun'er, how about this play? Do you like it?" Concubine Liu asked deliberately.

Zhu Houxuan let out a long sigh, as if he wanted to let out all the depression in his chest.

"It feels like a thorn in my throat! Like a thorn in my back! Like sitting on pins and needles!" Zhu Houxun said coldly.

Everyone looked at each other and felt that something was wrong with Zhu Houxuan, but they did not understand why Zhu Houxuan said that.

"Why do you say that, Your Highness?" Yu Chunlai asked stiffly.

Zhu Houxuan slammed his fist heavily on the coffee table in front of him:
"The play is not nonsense, and the adaptation is not random fabrication!"

(End of this chapter)