Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Although there was no complete "opera" in the Tang Dynasty, there were already various art forms such as "song and dance drama", "puppet show", and "comedic drama".

Among them, "comedy" was the most popular.

"Comedy plays" often involve two characters: the "soldier" (the one being teased) and the "hawk" (the one teasing). They perform through humorous dialogue and actions, and are the origin of the "clown" role in traditional Chinese opera. They also have some connection with the later crosstalk.

In his previous life, Li You was not a fan of opera, but he had witnessed the grand spectacle of opera troupes performing.

With the abundance of entertainment options, traditional opera culture has somewhat faded into obscurity.

However, in the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, if a play telling a complete and fantastical story were to appear, it would likely attract a large audience.

Without further ado, Li You approached Chao Yang and several of his friends, and together they studied the case in Yutai County as a blueprint, quickly producing a rough draft of a theatrical piece.

Li You did not choose the gentle and melodious style of Huangmei Opera, but instead opted for a more bold and unrestrained approach similar to Qinqiang Opera, with a spirited and powerful singing style.

The duration of traditional opera is also more compact, emphasizing the story and reducing the boring scenes of music and martial arts.

The plot involving digging up graves to ward off evil spirits incorporates more supernatural elements and is performed at night, which makes it very captivating.

After the rough draft of the opera was prepared and a trial performance was held, everyone found it very interesting.

The brothers Lu Qing and Lu Ze, as eyewitnesses, also offered some new perspectives.

For example, Lu Qing suggested creating a character of a wronged soul in the opera to commemorate the poor woman who was used as a waste by a local bully. Although this was somewhat superstitious, Li You eventually agreed.

It's a pity that the other two main villains, Master Hu and Master Zhao, had already enjoyed the "happy water" of love and passed away early. Otherwise, their suggestions would have been even more interesting, allowing for a different perspective on the story.

Of course, the themes of the opera are still "equal distribution", "land distribution" and "land must not be bought or sold".

After revisions and polishing by everyone, the first opera produced by Huang Chaojun, "The Story of Fighting for Land," finally made its debut. A stage was set up next to the 500 mu of paddy fields where the story takes place, and the actors performed on stage.

Famous overnight.

When they went on roadshows in other places, the streets were packed with people.

It's a huge hit, and it's shocked Shandong.

Junping Society's fame spread throughout Shandong.

More and more villagers are becoming wary of the scoundrels in the village who covet other people's land.

People who joined the Equalization Society due to various grievances were numerous.

Many abandoned babies are brought to the camp every day and adopted.

Huang Chao's army's influence began to expand outwards, from Caozhou to Yanzhou and Yunzhou. The people of more than twenty counties began to stir, coming to the Junping Community Office for all sorts of things, and the results were generally quite good.

Li You's actions in Shandong are gradually improving.

And another thing that started before the new year is finally beginning to show its power.

That was the printing industry managed by Chao Yang, and the more than 8,000 sets of "Confucian Examination Manual" that they had already printed.

To improve efficiency, Chao Yang used a combination of deception and coaxing to bring several of his friends, Zhao Ju, Fan Kun, and Shen Ji, to his side to help. With everyone's combined efforts, along with the hard work of hundreds of craftsmen, they were able to print so many books.

These books, along with the simplified Chinese text within them, Chao Yang's new work criticizing aristocratic families (more than a dozen pieces), and the book he had promised to Mr. Wang Fangde, were all packaged together and made into a set, which will soon be delivered to scholars across the land through the Huitonghuo logistics system.

Of course, eight thousand sets were still a bit few, so the printing workers under Chao Yang's command continued to work hard. During the printing process, they invented and improved many things, and Chao Yang was often impressed by the ingenuity of the craftsmen.

Among them, there was a craftsman named Duan Rong who was particularly outstanding. He was skilled in firing ceramics and had a sudden inspiration to fire a set of porcelain movable type, which was cheaper than copper movable type and the characters were quite clear.

Chao Yang reported Duan Rong's invention to King Qi. Li You was overjoyed and immediately named the movable type "Duan Rong Porcelain." He also rewarded Duan Rong with 20,000 strings of cash to encourage him to continue his inventions, especially those related to porcelain.

Yin Shaokang's saltworks business along the Shandong coast has taken off after several months of exploration and investment. He has also taken the opportunity to eliminate many local villains, and his cash flow is becoming increasingly stable.

Besides being sold in various places, salt packages would occasionally flow into Chengwu County for Huang Chao's army to use and resell. In this way, white salt appeared in the market in more than a dozen counties around Chengwu County. Although the price was twice as high, the people were still willing to buy it. Huang Chao's army also started other industries that could be done, such as oil pressing, brewing, and charcoal making, forming an economic interaction with Yin Shaokang, who was not far away.

Meanwhile, the more than eight thousand sets of books were transported directly to the front door of the scholars' homes via waterways and land routes.

Hebei, Shandong, Central Plains, Shanxi, Guanzhong, Jiannan, Jiangnan, and Shannan—except for Lingnan, which is too remote and has a small population—all other regions received the grants.

These scholars were, of course, those poor students who had no chance to see the so-called "high-end textbooks from aristocratic families" in ordinary times.

Among them were those from wealthy families and those from poor families.

Whenever Huang Chao's army found out about something that could be delivered, they would entrust Huitong Logistics to deliver it to him.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Jiannan Bank, Chang'an Bank, Huinong Bank, and Yangzhou Bank, as well as the cooperation of merchants from various regions, this near-nationwide delivery feat was successfully achieved.

Of course, most of the people who are responsible for delivery are illiterate, so they don't know what's inside the package.

During the book delivery process, Li You also discovered a rather special type of person.

That is the group of hermits who live hidden in the mountains and forests, unwilling to "go with the flow" of the world.

In ancient times, there were many mountains and forests, and the world was in turmoil. Some people who sought peace of mind abandoned worldly life and retreated to the mountains and forests. From the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, such people have always existed.

These people are not very active in politics, but they are often innovative in the cultural sphere.

Li You ordered that books be sent to any hermits that could be found.

In this way, within two months, a large number of scholars found a package in front of their own doors.

A letter was tied to the package.

For example, in Fenyang County, Shanxi Province, there was a scholar named Fan Cang who saw this letter when he went out in the morning.

He was puzzled: he didn't have many friends, and even fewer people gave him gifts.