Chapter 30 Listen to my summary
On the sand boat, Xiang Zhen sat obediently aside, looking at Ou Zanghua with eyes full of admiration.

Is this the demeanor that a disciple of a prestigious and upright sect should have?

So cool!

Ou Zanghua didn't know that he had a new little fan. At this moment, he was enjoying Ling Dangjia's performance of "Lin Gu Bed", which tells the first story of the Eastern Jin Dynasty:
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Niu Wenyan, a woman from a ruined scholarly family, killed her sister-in-law and absconded. She sold herself as a slave in the house of Shangshu Zhang Zhi, and attempted to become his concubine. She flirted with Zhang Zhi, but was expelled.

Later, she was adopted as a daughter by the treacherous minister Xu Shili and presented to the King of Jin.

Wen Yan was blinded by greed and took advantage of the drunkenness of Prince Jin to sneak into the unicorn bone bed and sleep with the king, and finally wore the crown of imperial concubine.

She became more aggressive and conspired with Xu Shili to poison the wine in an attempt to kill Prince Jin and the Queen.

Unexpectedly, King Jin discovered the abnormality, and the beautiful dream about supreme power disappeared in an instant.

Ou Zanghua watched it very seriously. He was from the south and was not very familiar with northern opera.

So he didn't know that Bangzi opera is called Yu Opera in Henan Province. It is an art form formed by combining Qinqiang and Puzhou Bangzi after they were introduced into Henan with local folk songs and minor tunes.

However, this period was the early development stage of Henan Opera, and it had not evolved to the level of its own school in the Qing Dynasty.

After Ling Dangjia finished his performance, Ou Zanghua applauded: "Thank you, Ling Dangjia, for letting me see a different kind of art."

Ling Dangjia was shocked and said quickly, "Ou Jieyuan is joking. I am not worthy of being called an artist. I am just a little trick to support my family."

In ancient times, art referred to the six arts and various skills such as numerology and medical skills, especially classics. The Biography of Fu Zhan in the Book of the Later Han records that in the first year of Yonghe, Zhao Wuji and Huang Jing, a councilor, proofread the Five Classics, the Hundred Schools of Thought, and art.

So when Ou Zanghua said that Bangzi opera was an art, Ling Dangjia naturally did not dare to accept it.

After hearing this, Ou Zanghua smiled and no longer emphasized this point. Instead, he turned to discuss the characteristics of Bangzi Opera with Mr. Ling.

While discussing, Ou Zanghua wrote down some useful knowledge points to prepare more materials to be memorized for friends who will learn Henan Opera a hundred years later.

Whenever Ou Zanghua thinks of the scene five hundred years later, when the children learning Henan opera and Bangzi opera will recite at night with sad faces, he becomes full of energy!
This made Ling Dangjia a little confused. He didn't know why a distinguished scholar didn't read books of sages, but was so interested in Bangzi opera.

"Master Ling, based on what you said, I think we can make some conclusions."

Ou Zanghua held the brush and said seriously: "For example, the roles here can be divided into four categories: sheng, dan, jing, chou, and then further subdivided. For example, sheng can be divided into four categories, namely old sheng, red sheng, second red sheng, and young sheng."

"There is also the role of 'dan', which can also be divided into 'four dan'. The main dan is called Qingyi, or the heroine. The minor dan is called Huadan and Guimendan. The others are Laodan and Caidan."

"Well, let's call it 'Four Male Characters and Four Male Characters'. The Jing and Chou roles can be improved gradually in the future. What do you think, Mr. Ling?"

Headmaster Ling opened his mouth, and now he wanted to kneel down and watch.

Why could he understand each sentence Jie Yuanlang said separately, but couldn't understand them when they were put together?
Why does he make Bangzi opera sound so complicated, but it doesn’t seem to be the same when I learn it myself?
Why are the two characters divided into four?
There is also a heroine, what is that?

"Well, it seems that Master Ling also thinks that my summary is very good." Ou Zanghua nodded and continued, "In this case, why not create a drama based on the model of four male and four female characters? What do you think, Master Ling?"

creation?

Ling Dangjia opened his mouth. If he had this ability, why would he sing a Bangzi opera? Wouldn't it be much easier to write a play at home than to sing one? "Well, it seems that Ling Dangjia also thinks it's feasible." Ou Zanghua understood and asked with a smile: "What is the most popular Bangzi opera theme on the market? Historical allusions or myths and legends?"

This question brought Ling Dangjia back to his senses, and he immediately said, "It depends on the situation. During temple fairs, myths and legends are the main focus, while during private banquets, historical allusions are the main focus."

"I see. Then let's create a myth based on historical figures!" Ou Zanghua understood and began to think about what kind of story would be liked by the general public and dignitaries.

He accidentally saw the Yuncang Sword hung on the wall by Qu Feiyan, and suddenly thought of a person, the Pure Yang Zhenren Lu Dongbin, who was known as the 'Emperor Fuyou'.

There are two most famous stories about Lu Dongbin. One is that Lu Dongbin was bitten by a dog and did not recognize his kindness, and the other is that Lu Dongbin flirted with White Peony three times.

Especially the story of Lu Dongbin's three plays with White Peony, the secrets hidden behind it are even more intriguing.

Before this, the version Ou Zanghua knew was the plot in the TV series "Journey to the East", in which Lu Dongbin used the beauty trap to steal the hairpin of the Queen Mother and made the Peony Fairy fall in love with him.

In order to help Lu Dongbin, the Peony Fairy stole the Queen Mother's hairpin, and was punished to be sent to the mortal world to be a prostitute for three lifetimes.

Then, in order to help the Peony Fairy return to heaven, Lü Dongbin tried to be reasonable and acted as the top leader. As a result, Bai Mudan, the reincarnation of the Peony Fairy, fell in love with him again and would rather not become a fairy than not marry him.

In the end, Bai Mudan died, and Lu Dongbin blamed himself for everything. He only let go of his worries after being enlightened by Guanyin.

The plot of this TV series is a bit outrageous. Tongtian Jiaozhu was killed by a pangolin, and the pangolin was defeated by Tathagata Buddha.

It's hard to comment.

What’s even more interesting is that the version Ou Zanghua heard in the Ming Dynasty was somewhat different.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, many geishas in brothels were represented by flower names, among which White Peony was the most famous.

The original intention of "Lü Dongbin's Three Plays with White Peony" was a Taoist exhortation to people to be good. Since brothel girls were considered the lowest existence in feudal society, such exhortations became a typical story for the spread of Taoism.

There are many such plots in Miao Shanshi's "Records of the Mysteries of the Pure Yang Emperor" in the Yuan Dynasty, such as the 57th incarnation of saving Hou Xingshou, the 60th incarnation of saving Huang Yingji, the 75th incarnation of seducing Yang Liuhui, the 80th incarnation of saving Zhang Zhennu, and the 87th incarnation of saving Cao Sanxiang.

Before the Ming Dynasty, Lu Dongbin, as a master, not only adhered to the method of pure cultivation, but also used the theory of pure cultivation to save prostitutes, persuading them to escape from disasters and regain a new life.

But after the Ming Dynasty, the story began to take an unusual turn.

The version that Ou Zanghua had heard before was very erotic, and there was even a landlord who came to ask his teacher Wu Xun, "Is Taoist dual cultivation really like this?"
Then he must be a Taoist genius with extraordinary talent.

Wu Xun was so angry that he cursed that this was a disgrace to civility and Taoism.

There is another version with the same erotic story, but the male protagonist is changed from Lu Dongbin to Yan Dongbin.

It tells the story of Yan Dongbin, a Taoist priest in the Song Dynasty, who used the name of Lu Dongbin to defraud people and seduced the courtesan Bai Mudan three times in a brothel.

Yan Dongbin's story was later added to the Yang Family Generals. He became the villain of the Yang Family Generals story and was beheaded in the Tianmen Formation.

This is interesting. Ou Zanghua can see that there are two pairs of hands pulling each other outside this story.
(End of this chapter)