Although the Twelve Rains may be able to interpret the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, Zhang Shou feels that they, who have been in the world for a long time, cannot act out the innocence of young boys and girls in the deep courtyards. On the contrary, if they play the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai with ill-fated fates, they can undoubtedly act out their true selves.
Zhang Kang's eyes suddenly flashed, and then he said with a smile: "Doctor Zhang, this certain dynasty, I think it is a fabricated story?"
"I don't know if it's fabricated or not. It's an old book that Lu Sanlang saw in a bookstore one day. It must be quite old, and there was only one copy, so he bought it." Seeing Lu Sanlang nodding in tacit agreement, Zhang Shou laughed and said, "Are there not enough fabricated allusions and stories in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad?"
Zhang Kang laughed and said, "Emperor Taizu's Journey to the West, which is a story about gods, demons and monsters, still needs to be set in the Tang Dynasty. Shi Naian turned the small-time bandit incident during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song into Water Margin. Luo Guanzhong made up stories about the Three Kingdoms and wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which even Emperor Taizu enjoyed. Why don't you change your dynasty to the end of the Southern Song Dynasty?"
Seeing that Zhang Kang was sure that he had made up the story, Zhang Shou did not say anything. He smiled and said, "I have thought about what you said before, but I was afraid that people would say it was made up. Well, there are so many made-up stories in the world anyway, so I might as well change the dynasty in the original story to the end of the Song Dynasty, and Nanjing to Lin'an."
Zhang Shou smiled and glanced at Zhang Chen and other people who didn't know what was going on. Then he explained leisurely, "Before, the Duke of Weinan hosted a banquet for me and Lu Sanlang here, and also invited Twelve Rain to dance. At that time, I was thinking that it was said that besides being good at dancing, many of the Twelve Rain were also good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and therefore famous in the capital. If they could perform on stage in their original appearance, I think it would be even more sensational."
After these words were spoken, Zhang Chen and Zhu Er could not help but look at each other, as did the others.
Tingyu Cottage is the most famous among all the romantic places in Beijing. Although the Twelve Rains are now very famous, they have actually gone through several generations, and their names have been used by their predecessors. They don't easily accompany guests, while other pavilions and courtyards rely on quantity, quality and bottom line to catch up. In recent years, it can't be said that they are the only ones leading the way.
If there is a new name, it would be really tempting.
However, Zhang Wu, who came to Tingyu Cottage only as Zhang Chen's follower, still couldn't help but persuade him tactfully: "Young Master, although the Twelve Rains each have their own talents, singing opera is different from poetry, calligraphy, painting and dancing... Besides, Tingyu Cottage is too expensive, and most people can't afford it. I think it's not easy for the already famous Twelve Rains to become more famous than before."
"It's not about asking them to sing, but just like we are sitting here talking now, speaking instead of singing. Of course, stage skills are very important, but you can't just act it out. You don't have to wear those fancy and complicated headgear and costumes, but you have to let people see that the character is there. In fact, it tests your skills more..."
Zhang Kang saw that Zhang Shou was explaining to others and had no time to pay attention to him, so he winked at Wan Yuanbao who was standing beside him. Seeing that Wan Yuanbao quietly withdrew tactfully, obviously to bring the girls over, he sat there and listened patiently and with great interest to Zhang Shou's explanation of the form of the so-called drama, and then began to talk about the story of Peach Blossom Fan to everyone.