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Lu Man didn’t mind doing those things. In her previous life, there were many children who introduced new partners to their elderly father or mother when they were alone. After she started working, she had asked someone to introduce a partner to her mother, but unfortunately, her mother had no interest in men and refused. If only she had really found a partner for her mother back then, her mother wouldn’t have been so lonely and sad after her death.
But He Cheng couldn’t do it. His face turned bright red with embarrassment, filled with contradictions, even sweating on the tip of his nose. He felt that doing such a thing was unfilial, yet at the same time, he felt that only by doing so could he truly be filial.
Lu Man saw his awkwardness and teased, “Look at how embarrassed you are, as if I were talking about finding you a wife.” Suddenly remembering what Lady Yang from Xie Family had said yesterday, she added, “Sister Yang told me that there’s a nice girl from the Xie family. The girl is the granddaughter of the old Duke’s cousin, fourteen this year, gentle in nature, pretty, and her father is a fifth-rank military officer…”
He Cheng quickly interrupted Lu Man, saying, “Sister, your brother is still young. Let me learn my skills well first before talking about other things.”
Then, he stood up and called Baizhi from the courtyard to take the lamb leg and went home.
As news of the Xie family’s army’s great victory over the enemy spread throughout the streets and alleys, the heroic deeds of Grand Marshal Xie and General Jiang the Younger also became widely known among the people. Various opera troupes rushed to rehearse several plays in praise of them, and storytellers also turned their heroic deeds into stories.
The two opera troupes from the Princess Changting’s residence also wrote a play overnight, with the protagonist, of course, being the brave and invincible, strategically brilliant, universally loved, and flower-blooming General Jiang.
After hearing this news, Jiang Zhankun specially went to the opera troupe to ask them to add a scene called “The Princess Teaches Her Grandson.” He also specifically explained that the Princess should be portrayed as a woman of great righteousness.
The troupe leader was very interested and saw this as a great opportunity to flatter. He smiled brightly and bowed to Jiang Zhankun, thanking him for providing the troupe with such a good material. He quickly gathered several “writers” to discuss and write the play.
On the evening of the nineteenth of September, the masters of Donghui Courtyard and He’s mother and son were all invited for dinner, along with a performance celebrating the hero of the battle, Jiang Zhanwei, and his grandmother, the righteous Princess Changting. The entire play had not been fully rehearsed yet, but one segment, a short play titled “The Princess Teaches Her Grandson”, had been prepared.
The Hall was brightly lit, with all twelve glass palace lanterns lit up. Unlike before, the masters did not sit at two separate tables for men and women, but instead sat two to a table, forming a three-sided arrangement in the room, with the Princess and the old Marquis sitting at the front, and the actors performing in the middle.
Several subordinate officials and dignified servants were also granted the favor of having a small, embroidered stool at the end, allowing them to sit and watch the performance.
The play depicted how, when the border was engulfed in war and the people were being oppressed by the enemy, Princess Changting learned of the situation and became anxious, unable to sleep. She thought it over and encouraged her grandson to join the army, teaching him to be “loyal to the Emperor and serve the country by joining the military.” She also requested that Grand Marshal Xie place her grandson in the most difficult positions. The grandson followed her teachings, gave up a comfortable life, and went to the border to fight the enemy…
This segment of the play featured only three characters: the renowned old actress Sai Yuexian playing Princess Changting, the famous martial artist Yu Qilin playing the young General Jiang, and the renowned old actor Xin Yutang playing Grand Marshal Xie. Despite the rush, these three actors had solid skills and performed admirably. The well-written dialogue was highly emotional and touching.
Especially Sai Yuexian, who played the Princess, with her high-pitched and stirring singing, perfectly portrayed the image of a heroic grandmother who understood the importance of the nation, taught her grandson well, encouraged him to join the military, and imparted wisdom and virtue.
There were also several lines that made the audience’s blood boil:
“Zhanwei, my grandson, stand before me and listen to your grandmother speak. A good man should strive to be renowned throughout the land. Your grandmother has spent over ten years teaching you to grow up, hoping that you will harbor great ambitions and protect our family and nation…”
However, Lu Man found it difficult to get into the play. It wasn’t just because she didn’t like listening to operas and had trouble understanding them, but also because she remembered how Princess Changting had repeatedly gone to Grand Marshal Xie to request that Jiang Zhanwei be transferred to the central camp…
Seeing the women, including Princess Changting, moved to tears and the men applauding and cheering, Lu Man couldn’t help but find it amusing. This was the essence of the transformation from reality to art, and she thought that she shouldn’t take it too seriously.
After the performance, Princess Changting was overjoyed and praised the actors, saying that the play was well-written and well-performed. She rewarded the opera troupe with one hundred taels of silver, Sai Yuexian with fifty taels, and the other two actors with twenty taels each. The scriptwriters were also given twenty taels each. She said that she would take them to the Xie family to perform the next day and later have the opera troupe perform for the Emperor in the palace.
She also specifically took out a piece of clothing that she had never worn and asked Sai Yuexian to wear it for the performance. She then asked Lu Man to also provide a new piece of clothing that Jiang Zhanwei had never worn for Yu Qilin to wear, so that it would look more authentic.
The old lady had already heard that it was Jiang Zhankun who had suggested adding this segment to the play, so she called him over, held his hand, and laughed, saying, “You little monkey, I knew you were smart and good at handling things.” She then rewarded him with a set of Hetian jade carved brush washer and brush holder from the previous dynasty.
Lu Man hadn’t interacted much with Jiang Zhankun before, but now she realized that he was actually a master at flattery, just as smooth and shrewd as the Third Master and Third Madam, and very likable.
The other masters all laughed and applauded Princess Changting’s generosity. The three masters each rewarded the opera troupe and the actors with twenty taels of silver, while others were given five taels each. Even the less than one-year-old Jiang Zhen, the eldest granddaughter-in-law, was represented with a reward of five taels. Since the time Jiang Zhanju and the eldest granddaughter-in-law were scolded by the Marquis and the Princess, they had become much better at socializing and appeared to dote on Jiang Zhen.
The old Marquis was also pleased with the performance and pointed at Sai Yuexian, saying, “You sang well, with a bit of Changting’s aura. I’ll reward you with fifty taels of silver.”
Sai Yuexian happily bowed in thanks.
He also said to Xin Yutang, “You sang well too, resembling the Xie family boy. I’ll reward you with twenty taels of silver.”
Xin Yutang quickly bowed in thanks as well.
Finally, he pointed at Yu Qilin and said, “You, with your pretty face, only know a few fancy moves and come here whining, just as annoying as Zhanwei, worthless.”
Yu Qilin was the leading martial artist of the opera troupe. His performances were not only loved by the people of the Princess’s residence, but also received countless praises when performed elsewhere. Even the Emperor and Empress had rewarded him with silver. Although he knew that the old Marquis’s displeasure was due to his dislike of the Third Young Master, having his skills, which he had practiced since the age of five, dismissed as “fancy moves”, “whining”, “embarrassing”, and “worthless”, was still deeply upsetting. He was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes.
Princess Changting felt that Yu Qilin was unjustly treated, but she was unwilling to offend the old Marquis for the sake of an actor. The other descendants shared the same sentiment and did not speak up.
Lu Man, however, was not willing to let it go. Everyone knew that Jiang Zhanwei had implicated Yu Qilin, and while others remained silent, she could not.