A master of comedy!

Chapter 76 The Peony Pavilion

Rich woman!!
Zhou Sheng stared in shock at the box full of incense money and silver notes, unable to calm down for a long time.

This isn't some phoenix from the Jade Terrace, it's practically Du Shiniang!

And this box is Du Shiniang's treasure chest.

"I've been performing for so many years, so I've saved up a bit of money. And sometimes the city lord will call our troupe to perform, and he gives us a lot of tips."

Yao Taifeng smiled faintly and said, "Boss Long, you don't need to be so polite with me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to see this second volume of 'The Legend of Hong Fu'."

Zhou Sheng felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. He naturally knew that the other party was saying this to save face for him.

Otherwise, given her looks and reputation, if word got out, countless people in this ghost market would be willing to go to great lengths for her.

"I will only borrow three strings of cash, and I will definitely pay it back."

Zhou Sheng took three strings of coins from the box. The heavy incense money seemed to contain some kind of strange energy, making his hands feel warm.

After saying that, he closed the box, not even glancing at the rest of the money. He thanked Yao Taifeng and then prepared to return to the Ghost Market.

"Wait a moment."

Yao Taifeng called out to him, as if she had thought of something, and said, "Why are you suddenly borrowing so much money? Are you going to the Ghost Market?"

Zhou Sheng nodded.

Her gaze instantly sharpened as she stared intently into Zhou Sheng's eyes, saying, "You're a living person. If you go to the ghost market and get discovered, are you out of your mind?"

She stood up and walked towards Zhou Sheng, her expression solemn, her gaze sharp, and her slender figure exuding an indescribable sense of oppression.

"And tell me honestly, did you go to the... brothel in the ghost market?"

"That place is a money pit; no amount of money could cover your spending..."

For some reason, Zhou Sheng felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze, and quickly said, "I never go to brothels. This money is for buying five-colored mica to improve my cultivation."

He recounted the events at Qinghetang, and saw Yaotai Feng's gaze soften gradually.

"Oh, I see. You should have said so earlier."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

She thought for a moment and said, "After the show ends tonight, I'll go to the ghost market with you. I've heard of that Boss Wei; he's cunning and treacherous. With me there, I can help you bargain."

Zhou Sheng had a strange look in his eyes. Why did he always feel that Boss Feng still didn't trust him and wanted to accompany him to supervise in person?

As if sensing his gaze, Yao Taifeng slightly raised her sharp eyebrows, but looked to the other side.

"From now on, I am your creditor. As your creditor, I must supervise you to ensure you don't indulge in debauchery and womanizing, otherwise I won't be able to get my money back..."

"Not just brothels, there are too many temptations in the Ghost Market. You are not allowed to go to places like gambling dens and opium dens, unless... you pay back all the money you owe me."

Zhou Sheng knew she was doing it for his own good, so he smiled and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Feng, tonight."

"No problem, no problem. Mr. Long's attitude is very good. I'll waive 100 coins of your debt for now."

The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

……

"The Han army has seized territory, and the songs of Chu echo from all sides."

"With the king's spirit broken, what reason is there for this lowly concubine to live?"

On the stage of Juxianlou, accompanied by the mournful and poignant singing, Yu Ji finally tricked the King of Chu into giving her the sword at his waist, and then drew the sword to commit suicide.

“Waaaaaaaaaaa——”

As Zhou Sheng, playing the role of the Overlord, let out a tragic roar, stomped his feet and trembled his hands, causing the beads on his eight-sided majesty to rustle.

"Concubine - son -"

He held Yao Taifeng's light and soft body in his arms, watching the blood flowing from her neck fall onto the stage like plum blossoms blooming.

Immersed in the role, I was also filled with immense sorrow.

The Overlord and him, Yu Ji and Yao Tai Feng, seemed to gradually merge into one, developing an indescribable tacit understanding.

Accompanied by the mournful and desolate sound of the erhu, the tune of "Deep Night" was played. The musician deliberately lowered the pitch by half a degree, making the sound even more desolate and highlighting the tragic sense of the hero's end.

At this moment, the audience below the stage no longer resembled any vengeful ghosts. Their appearances were almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, and many of them even shed hot tears, which turned into steam after falling to the ground.

The song ends, the curtain falls.

The original version of Farewell My Concubine had nine acts, starting with the King's personal campaign and ending with his suicide at the Wujiang River. However, Yao Taifeng discovered that after Concubine Yu committed suicide, the audience began to leave one after another, and no matter how the song was performed, the audience was not very interested.

She boldly changed the ending to Yu Ji committing suicide, and the result was excellent, always drawing thunderous applause. Just like the audience right now, the cheers and applause are endless and prolonged.

Many people were calling out the names of Yao Tai Feng and Ru Yun Long, hoping they could sing another song, but backstage, Zhou Sheng and Yao Tai Feng had already removed their makeup and changed into casual clothes.

"Master, I need to go to the Ghost Market with Boss Long, so we'll have to wait until the show ends."

Seemingly realizing that Zhou Sheng was still preoccupied with the five-colored mica, Yao Taifeng didn't wait for the play to end, but instead directly asked for leave from Master Guan.

Master Guan's gaze swept over the two men, and he nodded.

"The 'Farewell My Concubine' performance tonight was a beautiful finish, Boss Long. This is your share of the incense money. Including last night's performance, it's a total of forty-seven coins. I'll round it up for you to fifty coins."

As he spoke, Master Guan took out a money pouch from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Sheng.

However, a slender, snow-white hand with well-proportioned flesh took the money pouch from Zhou Sheng, casually weighed it in her hand, and raised her delicate eyebrows slightly.

"Master, the money is correct, I'll accept it."

Master Guan looked at his precious apprentice, his brows furrowed deeply, and said, "Xiao Feng, stop fooling around—"

"Uncle Guan, I borrowed money from Boss Feng. You can pay her all my wages until I pay it back."

Zhou Sheng coughed, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a little hesitant to look Guan, the troupe leader, in the eye.

"Master, let's leave while Hongxian is still on the stage, otherwise she'll start pestering us again."

After saying that, the two quickly left the backstage area and headed towards the Ghost Market.

Little did they know that as soon as they left, the backstage area erupted in excitement, with everyone discussing the play with great enthusiasm, forgetting all about watching it.

"Did you see that? Before the show even ended, Sister Feng was going to go to the ghost market with Boss Long!"

"Yes, Sister Feng never used to leave before the show ended; she was always the one who stayed the latest..."

"And, Sister Feng actually accepted Boss Long's wages so naturally..."

"I think the story of Xiang Yu and Yu Ji isn't just limited to the stage..."

"enough!"

With a loud shout, Master Guan silenced the increasingly excited chatter.

“Master, Xiao Feng is already of marriageable age. Haven’t you always wanted to arrange a marriage for her through a matchmaker? But she didn’t agree, so you gave up. Why are you reluctant to do it now?”

Some people joked.

Master Guan frowned, sighed deeply, and turned to leave, leaving many people puzzled.

He returned to his room, staring blankly at the wall, lost in thought.

After a long while, he suddenly sighed softly and sang a line from a traditional opera in a low voice.

"The vibrant colors of spring have faded, leaving only broken wells and crumbling walls."

The song being performed is the Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion," also known as "The Return of the Soul," which tells the story of the tragic love between Du Liniang and the scholar Liu Mengmei.

The two characters go through life and death, and then life again, eventually overcoming numerous obstacles to achieve a reunion.

"But it's just a play, after all. There are just too many things separating life and death..."

Master Guan muttered to himself.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a slightly panicked little head peeked out. It was Hongxian, who had just stepped off the stage and hadn't even had time to remove her makeup.

"Master, I heard that the eldest brother and Sister Feng ran off with your money?"

"Didn't they say they would take me with them?"

In an instant, Master Guan's face froze, and he was speechless for a long time.

"Who said that?"

After a long pause, he squeezed out those words through gritted teeth.

"That's what everyone says, but of course I don't believe it!"

Upon hearing this, the coldness in Master Guan's eyes softened slightly.

"If they were going to steal your money, they wouldn't have left without calling me. I can even keep watch for the boss!"

……

(End of this chapter)