Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 107 Yu Fengxian, the Famous Actress of Pingjing!
Yan Xun's face instantly turned ashen, and his chest heaved violently.

He had never been treated like this before.
An actor from humble beginnings dared to refuse him to his face and even compared him to a merchant selling goods.

This is blatant humiliation.

At the same time, Deng Ming rushed in after hearing the noise. Upon seeing Yan Xun's extremely ugly face, he knew in his heart that something was wrong.

"Mr. Yan, Mr. Yan, please calm down, let's talk this out..."

Deng Ming had to use all his persuasive skills and kind words to finally get this troublesome man out of the backstage area.

As Yan Xun walked outside Guang Le Lou, a cool night breeze blew, and the anger on his face gradually faded.

He suddenly laughed.

good very good.

What a principled actor!

However, some things cannot be solved simply by having backbone.

The greed in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it became even more intense, and even gained a hint of ruthlessness that would stop at nothing.

the next day.

At the Qingchun Training Camp's residence, Guan Sihai was instructing his disciples on their training in the courtyard.

A well-dressed young man walked straight in, surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black.

Guan Sihai frowned, about to step forward and ask.

But the young man didn't even glance at him. His gaze swept across the dilapidated courtyard of the Qingchun Classroom, as if he were assessing the quality of a piece of merchandise.

Then he looked at Guan Sihai and said in an unquestionable tone, getting straight to the point.

"You're Guan Sihai, the troupe leader?"

“Name your price. I’ll buy your Qingchun Troupe.”

Yan Xun's tone was as if he were picking out a cabbage at a market, full of arrogant self-righteousness.

Guan Sihai has lived most of his life and has seen all kinds of people, but he has rarely seen anyone so arrogant.

His expression turned cold. "This boss is joking. Qingchun Class is the culmination of generations of my Guan family's hard work, and it is also the home of these children. It is not something that can be measured in money."

Tie Dan, Chun Yan, and the others who were practicing in the courtyard also stopped and silently walked behind their master, glaring angrily at Yan Xun.

Yan Xun merely scoffed at this.

He didn't take Guan Sihai's words to heart at all, nor did he care about this group of poor kids.

In his view, there is nothing in this world that money cannot buy; if there is, it means you don't have enough money.

"Old Master, don't be so quick to refuse." With that, Yan Xun took out a thick wad of silver notes from his pocket and casually tossed them onto the stone table in the courtyard.

"This is a silver note worth ten thousand silver dollars, enough for you and your disciples to live a life of comfort and ease for the rest of your days."

Ten thousand silver dollars is a considerable sum no matter where it is, but Guan Sihai didn't even blink. He simply said, "Boss Yan, you may understand business, but you don't understand opera, much less our Peking Opera circle."

At this point, Guan Sihai straightened his back and said, word by word, with a firm and resounding voice, "The Qingchun Troupe is our root, and a person cannot live without roots. So no matter how much money you have, you can't buy away the backbone of us Peking Opera performers!"

"Master is right!"

“We don’t sell it!”

Yan Xun's smile froze, and his eyes turned cold.

He never imagined that his high offer would be rejected in public by the head of a small opera troupe.

Enraged, Yan Xun laughed, "Good, what a fine backbone of the Peking Opera! I'd like to see just how tough your bones really are!"

Guan Sihai refused to budge an inch, coldly retorting, "We Peking Opera performers kneel to heaven, earth, and our ancestors, but we will never kneel to bullies who use their power to intimidate us. Boss Yan, please leave. Qingchun Troupe does not welcome you!"

"We'll see!"

Yan Xun was completely enraged and turned to leave.

"Wait, take this filthy money and leave." Guan Sihai pointed to the stack of silver notes on the table and said coldly.

"Hmph!" Yan Xun picked up the silver note and left in a huff.

As he watched Guan Sihai's retreating figure, Guan Sihai's expression also became serious.

He knew very well that this person was definitely not after the opera troupe, after all, Qingchun Troupe was just an unknown little opera troupe with little value.

Therefore, his purpose is obvious: Chen Ye.

This is precisely what Guan Sihai is most worried about.

"Tell everyone that no one is to go out during this period. Everyone should stay in the opera troupe and behave themselves. Also, have people take turns keeping watch at night to prevent bad guys from taking advantage of the situation," Guan Sihai said in a deep voice.

Tie Dan and the others hurriedly nodded, "Yes, Master!"

Meanwhile, after leaving the Qingchun Troupe, Yan Xun immediately began to deal with Chen Ye and Guan Sihai.

But he soon discovered that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

The local bullies and clerks he found all shook their heads like rattles when they heard that he was going to deal with Lingxian Chen Ye.

"Young Master Yan, it's not that we don't respect you, it's just that... we can't afford to offend that gentleman!"

"You might not know this since you're from out of town, but that young master Li Kang went mad and died because he offended Boss Chen. Nobody knows how he did it. The wealthy Lu and Constable Qi from the Six Doors are both protecting him!"

What troubles Yan Xun even more is that Chen Ye's prestige in Zhenhaiwei is now at its zenith, especially among wealthy ladies and young ladies, where he is practically worshipped as a god.

Individually, these women may seem insignificant, but the families of their husbands and wives together form a vast network of relationships covering the entire upper class of Zhenhaiwei.

Anyone who dares to touch Chen Ye is essentially going against all the ladies and young women in the city.

After being rebuffed, Yan Xun finally realized that Chen Ye had long been deeply rooted in Zhenhaiwei, and that he, as an outsider, could not easily shake him.

A strong dragon will not overwhelm a local snake.

This principle applies universally, so even though Yan Xun was extremely angry, he was helpless.

But then a crazy idea popped into his head.

Since I can't have it, I might as well destroy it.

With this in mind, Yan Xun stopped all attempts and boarded the train back to Pingjing early the next morning.

Pingjing, Tianyunlou.

Unlike the ancient simplicity of Zhenhaiwei, this place was the center of power and culture in the country, so its extravagance and decadence can be imagined.

Tianyunlou is the premier opera house in Beijing, and all those who can perform here are pillars of the Peking Opera world.

At this moment, a performance of "The Drunken Beauty" is being staged on the stage.

The actress who played Yang Guifei was none other than Yu Fengxian, the top female performer in Peking Opera today, who was cherished by countless princes and nobles.

His appearance was stunning, his figure graceful, and his singing voice magnificent and melodious. Every smile and gesture was full of charm, captivating the nobles and dignitaries in the audience, who cheered incessantly.

After the performance, backstage.

Yu Fengxian removed her makeup, revealing a handsome face that also carried a hint of meanness and arrogance.

He sat in his chair, enjoying the flattery from his apprentices and attendants, his eyes brimming with self-satisfaction. "Master, your performance today was absolutely brilliant! I saw those princes in the audience practically popping their eyes out!"

"That's right, even the Four Great Dan Actors have to step aside in front of you, Master!"

Yu Fengxian listened to these words with a slight, contemptuous smile on her lips.

He was highly skilled, but also narrow-minded and could not tolerate anyone being more outstanding than him.

Just then, Yan Xun walked in with a big smile on his face, led by the manager of the theater.

Upon meeting him, he bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Boss Yu is truly a divine being! After hearing your performance today, Yan Xun finally understands what heavenly music and unparalleled beauty truly mean! You are the only immortal being in the world of Peking Opera!"

Yu Fengxian felt completely at ease after hearing these words. He glanced at Yan Xun sideways and casually said, "Looks like you know a thing or two about opera too."

"Sigh, it's precisely because I understand that I feel sorry for you, Boss Yu!"

"Oh?" Yu Fengxian's interest was piqued. "What do you mean?"

Yan Xun revealed a pained expression: "A few days ago, I even heard someone in Zhenhaiwei dare to call himself a 'Fairy of Actors,' which is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world. After all, how dare such a country bumpkin be compared to you? This is not only presumptuous, but also an insult to you and to this art!"

"Lingxian?"

Upon hearing those two words, Yu Fengxian's beautiful eyebrows immediately furrowed, and a hint of undisguised contempt curled at the corner of her mouth.

"What kind of Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to call themselves immortals? They're just some ignorant actors trying to attract attention in some remote, impoverished place. They're not worth mentioning."

That's right.

Even though Zhenhaiwei has now developed into a decent big city thanks to its seaport, in the eyes of some people in Beijing, it is still a poor and remote place.

This was especially true in Yu Fengxian's eyes.

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Yan Xun immediately added fuel to the fire, saying, "What Boss Yu said is right. What's infuriating is that this person not only calls himself a celestial musician, but his singing style and movements are also imitating yours in every way. But he tried to draw a tiger but ended up with a dog instead. That's simply defiling your art. I feel angry and sorry for you when I hear it."

Upon hearing the word "imitation," Yu Fengxian's face darkened.

This is the thing he hates most.

Yan Xun, observing the expressions on the face, continued to vividly describe the performance of the ritual to appease the gods.

Of course, in his words, the spectacular celestial phenomenon was transformed into an illusion created by Chen Ye in collusion with charlatans, intended to deceive the ignorant and foolish, and a disgrace to the orthodox path of Peking Opera.

"Those ignorant people of Zhenhaiwei actually regard this kind of lowly evil magic as a miracle, and instead say that our famous actors in the capital are all just for show, having long lost the true essence of opera!"

These words struck Yu Fengxian's sore spot precisely.

Yan Xun observed Yu Fengxian's expression and knew that the time was right.

He slapped his thigh suddenly and said in a tone that was both angry and aggrieved:
"I was so angry at the time that I spoke up for you and questioned Chen Ye in public whether he knew the name of Pingjing Yufengxian?"

At this point, Yan Xun lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"Who would have thought that after hearing this, Chen Ye burst into laughter in front of all the onlookers in the building, saying..."

Yan Xun paused, raised his head, and imitated an extremely arrogant tone:

"Yu Fengxian? Who's that street performer from some remote corner? Never heard of her!"

Click!

A crisp cracking sound.

He actually managed to crack the precious gilded enamel teacup in Yu Fengxian's hand.

He slowly raised his head, his handsome face devoid of any smile, only filled with sinister rage.

He asked word by word:
"What was that place called again?"

"Zhenhai Guard." Yan Xun was overjoyed, but his face still showed the same grief and indignation.

"Excellent! Well done, Zhenhaiwei!"

Yu Fengxian slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, her chest heaving violently.

"I want to go and see for myself which ignorant country bumpkin dares to insult me ​​like this."

Yu Fengxian made up his mind to go south. He wanted to make that country opera singer named Chen Ye kneel before him and admit who was the only immortal in the opera world!

Upon seeing this, Yan Xun immediately offered to act as his vanguard and take care of all the arrangements for the southward journey.

This matter quickly alarmed Yu Fengxian's backer, Prince Yu, who was obsessed with opera.

Upon hearing this, the prince not only did not try to dissuade her, but found it quite amusing. With a wave of his hand, he sent his own top-notch opera troupe, the Tongqing Troupe, to accompany her, and even used government resources to promote Yu Fengxian's trip south.

The news quickly reached Zhenhaiwei via telegram and newspaper.

The renowned Peking Opera star Yu Fengxian, along with her troupe, will soon be performing in Zhenhaiwei!

The enormous headline on the front page caused an uproar throughout Zhenhaiwei.

Ordinary people were thrilled to be able to see the top actor in the capital.

However, Lu Dahu, Qi Shihao, and all of Chen Ye's die-hard fans sensed an intense, irrepressible tension between the lines.

Chen family.

Mr. Lu frowned and said, "Mr. Chen, I find this matter very strange. Is Yu Fengxian targeting you?"

At this moment, Chen Ye was feeding the koi in the tank. He threw down a handful of breadcrumbs, clapped his hands, and said indifferently, "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"

“But…” Mr. Lu was somewhat worried.

Chen Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, even if he's coming for me, it doesn't matter. We opera singers are ultimately judged by our skills. As for fame... that's of little use."

Hearing Chen Ye's confidence, Lu Dahu felt a little relieved and nodded, no longer continuing the topic.

Meanwhile, in Zhenhaiwei, a storm was brewing.

Ever since the news from the Beijing newspapers reached Zhenhaiwei, the entire city was like a pond tossed with a giant rock, creating ripples everywhere.

In the teahouses on every street corner, the storyteller has stopped striking the gavel; all the conversations revolve around the upcoming Boss Yu.

"Have you heard? Yu Fengxian, the number one dan (female role) performer in the capital, is coming to perform in our Zhenhaiwei!"

"They're not just here to perform; they've brought the Tongqing Troupe, bestowed by the Prince himself. I think this whole entourage is clearly aimed at our Boss Chen!"

"That's right! I heard that even newspaper reporters and big theater fans from Beijing have come. This is going to be quite a show!"

Not only in Zhenhaiwei, but also in major newspapers in Beijing, this news was reprinted.

Countless opera enthusiasts and fans were discussing and wondering why this proud and aloof Mr. Yu, who rarely left the capital, would suddenly condescend to perform in Zhenhaiwei.

As a result, various rumors about Ling Xian of Zhenhaiwei were embellished and spread back to the capital by busybodies.

Actually, there were rumors about Chen Ye in Pingjing before, but they didn't cause much of a stir. The reason for this was that the two cities were hundreds of miles apart, and even with a train, they weren't considered close.

After all, trains are very slow these days, and in some complicated areas they are not even as fast as horse-drawn carriages.

Secondly, the people of Heijing were too arrogant in their pursuit of opera, believing that no other place could produce any good performers, so they were too lazy to bother to learn about it.

For a time, some were curious, some were dismissive, and some even bought train tickets to travel south to Zhenhaiwei to see the spectacle for themselves.

(End of this chapter)