Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Chapter 3866 The Emergence of Storytelling

Go to the Martial Temple across the street first, it's the closest one.

Unfortunately, the core area is not open to the public; it is only opened for official sacrificial ceremonies.

Ordinary tourists can only stroll around the outer area, where monuments are erected to commemorate the achievements of famous generals.

Li Renxiao read the inscription with great interest and found the titles bestowed upon the famous generals to be particularly interesting.

It was not a lengthy posthumous title or peerage, but rather a very brief two-word name.

The main character is naturally Jiang Ziya, whose title is "Ancestor of War." Zhang Liang is the "Sage of Strategy," Sun Tzu is the "Sage of War," Han Xin is the "Immortal of War," Xiang Yu is the "Sage of Martial Arts," and Li Jing is the "God of War"...

Li Huo, standing nearby, explained, "My lord, you may not know, but since these martial arts steles were erected, their stories have been widely circulated."

Folk dramas also like to fabricate their stories.

In recent years, a new type of storytelling has emerged, specifically the tale of Li Jing and the Red Buddha Girl.

The term "storytelling" existed at least as early as the Yuan Dynasty.

However, it truly rose to prominence after the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital south. Initially, it was used to comment on Buddhist scriptures and stories, to talk about cause and effect, retribution, and to persuade people to do good.

"What is storytelling?" Li Renxiao asked curiously.

Li Huo explained, "It's about commenting on the stories of historical figures, mainly stories from operas."

Movable type printing is very convenient now, and the price of paper has dropped significantly, so the writing is getting longer and longer.

Even the high-ranking officials in the imperial court enjoyed it. Many common people in the city were illiterate, so storytellers told their stories to them; this was called storytelling.

Emperor Li Renxiao of the Western Xia Dynasty has never seen it, let alone knows what it is.

He inquired carefully from Li Huo, becoming more and more curious as he listened, and soon headed straight for the bookstore.

Arriving at the street lined with bookstores, Li Huo recounted:

"There are two book markets in Kaifeng. One is next to the Daxiangguo Temple. The bookstores there were originally temple property and sold Buddhist scriptures in the early Song Dynasty."

Later it became a book market, selling all kinds of books. At the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the book market at the Great Xiangguo Temple was confiscated and separated for sale to private booksellers.

"The other book market is here, next to the Imperial Academy's dormitories."

The Imperial Academy and the National University used to be located here, so when students and scholars wanted to buy books, it naturally became a book market. They also sold writing implements and painting supplies.

Li Renxiao was quite pleased: "This Imperial Academy book market is very close to my home. In the future, I can just walk a few hundred steps to buy books."

Li Huo led him into a bookstore and headed straight for the category books: "My lord, this is it."

Li Renxiao spotted a large book at a glance.

It was so eye-catching, with the most pages and the thickest cover, and it even had a yellow paper cover.

"What is this?" Li Renxiao reached out to take it.

Li Huo hurriedly called out, "Young master, this book must be brought to you with both hands. It was written by the current official when he was young."

Li Renxiao was taken aback and quickly switched from using one hand to both, respectfully taking down "Journey to the West".

The final printed version of "Journey to the West" was only released four years ago and has undergone another major official revision.

The main changes are to the deities in the story. For example, Erlang Shen should not be called Yang Jian. This is because there is no such deity name yet, and because Yang Jian was a treacherous eunuch serving Emperor Huizong of Song.

There are many similar deities, which arose during the Southern Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, and they are vastly different from the deities of today.

Chapter 3867 Ancient Novels

Li Huo said, "This book tells the story of Tang Sanzang's journey to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures."

"Then you should read it carefully." Li Renxiao was a Buddhist, and his interest immediately grew.

Little did he know that "Journey to the West" had never been favored by monks, but rather by Taoist priests who regarded it as a classic.

It's full of Taoist terminology and poems. What kind of reaction would monks have when they read it?

In addition to bestowing houses and land upon him, Zhao Yuan also rewarded him with some silver dollars and daily necessities. Li Renxiao immediately took out his money to buy a copy of "Journey to the West".

Li Renxiao then glanced at the lower shelf of the bookshelf, where there were many booklets.

The entire series is called "Records of Knights-Errant Throughout History," which expands and recreates stories of knights-errant from the Tang, Song, and Five Dynasties periods.

Similar to the Ming Dynasty novel "Thirty-Three Swordsmen", but without the swordsmen from the Southern Song Dynasty.

The complete set consists of six books. There is a discount if you buy them all together, or you can buy just one book.

It features characters such as Nie Yinniang, Kunlun Slave, and the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust.

Zhang Tang's ancestor, Zhang Yong, had a story that was compiled into a separate book called "Guaiya Sword Collection," which contained more than 30,000 words.

The first half describes Zhang Yong's life before becoming an official, roaming freely in Shandong and Hebei with his sword; the second half turns into a story of solving cases, depicting Zhang Yong's handling of various wrongful convictions after becoming an official.

Li Renxiao randomly picked up a book containing eight stories, including "The Old Man Turns into an Ape" and "The King of Buyeo".

Jin Yong's "The Sword of the Yue Maiden" is an expansion of "The Old Man Turned into a Monkey"!

Li Renxiao read two stories and found them very interesting, so he decided to buy the entire set of "Records of Ancient and Modern Knights".

Soon, he came across another book, "One Thousand and One Nights".

Li Huo introduced, "This book is called 'One Thousand and One Nights'."

"It was compiled by the current emperor who gathered scholars from the Ming Dynasty and scholars from various overseas countries."

"The final revisions were done by the renowned Li Bangyan. It's full of overseas stories, featuring many foreign lands, and it was printed earlier this year."

"It was reprinted twice in Kaifeng and sold very well. Storytellers also loved to tell this story."

Li Renxiao opened the book again and found that he liked it too.

The bookstore owner was very happy and saw Li Renxiao off with great enthusiasm an hour later, because the guy had bought six sets.

Li Renxiao actually had his eye on more than ten sets, but gradually realized something was wrong. If he followed his preferences, he could buy out the entire bookshelf.

As he left the bookstore, he couldn't help but exclaim, "I only knew that the Ming Dynasty was powerful and mighty, but I never knew there were so many stories about it."

"Those nobles of the Great Western Xia, even with their luxurious lives, have they ever had the privilege of reading about the Ming Dynasty?"

Li Huo laughed and said, "A lot of it is just copying each other. Some people copy and turn it into a script, and some people copy the script into a play. They often end up in court because of plagiarism."

"Often it turns out that everyone was just copying, only they copied from Tang Dynasty legends or folk tales."

“That’s really interesting.” Li Renxiao laughed as well.

As the master and servant were talking, a man hurried over, repeatedly calling out, "Excuse me, excuse me..."

Li Renxiao asked, "Is that a food box he's carrying?"

Li Huo explained, "Those are idle men who deliver food. They existed as early as the Song Dynasty, and now that people are getting richer, there are more and more people making deliveries."

"It's like ordering food from a restaurant or eatery, and having it delivered when it's ready."

Chapter 3868 The Fallen Prince

Li Renxiao clicked his tongue in admiration: "Our Great Ming is truly prosperous. You can't see any beggars on the streets, and even food is delivered to your home."

Not long after he finished speaking, he saw a disheveled man begging on the street.

There was only this one beggar on the whole street, and the police didn't even bother to do anything about him.

Li Renxiao said, "Give him a few copper coins. His clothes aren't shabby, yet he's reduced to begging on the street; he must be a heartbroken and dejected man."

Li Huo laughed and said, "Young master, don't worry about him. This man is a former prince of the Song Dynasty. He lived a very prestigious life a few years ago."

"He brought this upon himself."

"Besides, he's not begging. If you actually give him money, he'll start cursing at you."

"The former Song emperor?" Li Renxiao was greatly surprised.

Seeing the down-on-his-luck Zhao Kai, Li Renxiao felt a sense of shared fate.

But fearing trouble, he asked his servant, "May I speak to him?"

Li Huo was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly having misunderstood. He said in a low voice, "My lord, there is no need to worry. The people inside and outside Kaifeng City initially dared not touch the former Song imperial family. Even if they did, they would keep a distance."

"Later, the court allowed them to move around freely, and many more dared to speak with the former Song imperial family. No one from the government ever came to investigate anyone."

Li Renxiao asked, "Were all the princes and nobles of the former Song Dynasty in such a sorry state?"

“My lord, you’re overthinking it,” Li Huo laughed. “Apart from the man in front of me, who is living a miserable life, everything else is not bad.”

"Even the worst farmers can make a living by farming, and the imperial court has also been providing them with oxen for plowing, so they live better than ordinary farmers."

“There are also people who open shops and do business there. The shops are located in an alley outside Nanxun Gate.”

Li Renxiao asked curiously, "How did he become like this?"

Li Huo said, "This fellow is called Zhao Kai. He was the most favored prince of the former Song Dynasty and almost became the emperor of the former Song Dynasty."

"He insisted on taking the imperial examination and became the top scholar at the age of fifteen or sixteen. It would be strange if the officials didn't help him cheat."

"After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this man made a lot of money by selling paintings and spent every night in Fanlou, enjoying himself immensely."

"Later, I tried to speculate on fabric products like others, but I lost a lot of money and ended up in debt."

"He had actually paid off his debts by selling paintings, but then he went to brothels to mingle and even took a fancy to a famous actress and wanted to marry her as a concubine."

“His wives and concubines started arguing, and in the midst of the argument, he got angry and beat one of the concubines.”

"In a fit of anger, the concubine went to file a lawsuit, requesting the court to grant a divorce..."

"Divorce?" Li Renxiao exclaimed in surprise, "The former Prince Song divorced his concubine? Or did the concubine sue for divorce!"

The sound was quite loud, and Zhao Kai, who was half-lying by the roadside, also heard it.

Zhao Kai looked up and glared at Li Renxiao, as if he might stand up and beat him at any moment.

Li Renxiao quickly shut his mouth and led Wang Shi and Li Huo away.

Li Huochao looked behind him and, seeing that Zhao Kai was not chasing after him, continued, "That concubine also has a family."

"Even though she couldn't become a prince's concubine, she was content to be a concubine for several years."

"But Zhao Kai really doesn't care about his family. He's always running off outside. Isn't that making him a widow in name only?"

"I heard that Zhao Kai doesn't bring much of the money he earns from selling paintings home, and even if he does, he gives it to his wife."

"Later, because she opposed Zhao Kai taking another concubine, the concubine was beaten by him, and she went to the government office to get a divorce."

Chapter 3869 Shameless Woman

Lady Wang quickly replied, "Your Majesty... my husband, I would never be such a shameless woman!"

Li Renxiao smiled at his wife, then asked, "And then?"

Li Huo said, "That lawsuit caused a great stir. Not only did the people inside and outside Kaifeng know about it, but it even spread to other prefectures and counties."

"On the day of the verdict, people from all over the city came to watch, blocking several streets and alleys outside the judicial office."

"When Zhao Kai came out of the yamen, everyone found out that they were really divorced, and they all laughed gleefully."

"After that, wherever Zhao Kai went, people would point and whisper, mocking him for not being able to keep his concubines."

"As time went on, Zhao Kai's mind started to go haywire."

"Have you gone mad?" Li Renxiao asked.

Li Huo laughed and said, "Many people say he's faking madness. Anyway, if anyone dares to smile at him, Zhao Kai will rush over and beat them up."

"He would often get drunk on the street, spouting illegal nonsense, and was reported and imprisoned several times."

“He drinks outside and he drinks at home. When he gets drunk, he beats and scolds his wives and concubines.”

"Later on, all of his concubines divorced him, and one of them even went to a Taoist temple to become a nun."

Li Renxiao shook his head repeatedly: "This person has no sense of responsibility whatsoever."

Li Huo sighed, "The most tragic one is his legal wife. She stayed at home and never divorced him, but she had to support seven sons and eight daughters."

"Even the children born to his concubines were treated as his own by his legal wife."