Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chen Xi’s face twitched twice, but in the end, he didn’t speak; he had already guessed who the other party was. If we go by a certain version’s statement, that person is one of the top experts of this era, but when he thought about it, it made sense—only a master of such caliber could calmly offer such a secret technique in return.

Once the audience settled down, the stage play officially began. Chen Xi glanced over and didn’t recognize anyone, but then he thought about it and it seemed right. No matter how lenient the conditions he gave to the maids, given Fan Jian’s temperament, it was unlikely he would truly allow them to perform outside the city. And it wasn’t just about status, but also safety issues.

Seeing a woman in white and another in green come onto the stage, Chen Xi knew right away what the play was about. However, it was funny to think that Chen Xi originally started this to find something for Liuu Luo’s subordinates to do, which resulted in an unspoken rule that only women would sing in operas. But what about Fa Hai? Could it be that Fa Hai had turned into a nun too? That really was a brilliant idea!

”Hey, Zichuan, right now your expression can only be described as looking forward with eager anticipation. What are you waiting for?” During an intermission, Fa Zheng managed to compose himself and happened to catch Chen Xi’s expression, so he asked with interest.

”Waiting for Fa Hai!” Chen Xi was startled, then smiled and answered. Thinking about a female version of Fa Hai was quite amusing indeed—actually, Chen Xi was quite curious now, the girl playing Lady Bai did have a bit of an ethereal quality about her.

”Oh, Taoist Priest Fa Hai, right? He’s quite a master!” Fa Zheng said softly, ”I’ll tell you, I’m not interested in Bai Suzhen, but I really admire that Taoist priest. He’s the real deal. Bai Suzhen flooding Mount Jinshan and all that—it’s simply too contrary to moral principles. No wonder she was rightly defeated and killed.”

”Be careful with your words; some people here haven’t watched it yet,” Zhuge Liang pointed out as he noticed Lu Xun’s eyes shining brightly. Sure enough, in an era where entertainment was scarce, the first encounter with it made Lul Xun very happy. Looking at Patriarch Lul and Lul Jun, they too were completely engrossed.

”Say that again?” Chen Xi cleaned his ears and said, ”Fa Hai is a Taoist priest, who wrote this script?!”

”Wasn’t it you who wrote it? Fa Hai is the disciple of Taiqing Daode Tianzun, who, due to his restless mind, was sent down by the Tianzun to experience the world in hopes of transcending the Three Realms and the Six Paths,” Fa Zheng asked bewildered.

”When have I ever written such an absurd script,” Chen Xi said with a grimace. ”And how could Bai Suzhen be defeated and killed? She is a disciple of the Old Lady of Lishan, and descended the mountain simply to fulfill a vow. And isn’t there that someone else? The God of Wealth? Didn’t he reincarnate as Bai Suzhen’s son? Then he becomes a Chancellor, saves his parents twenty years later, and his parents become immortals.”

”What’s this plot you’ve got!” Fa Zheng said with a twisted mouth, ”How could an immortal reincarnate as a demon’s son? And her fulfilling a vow is obviously problematic, isn’t she harming people this way?”

”I just want to know who wrote this storyline; it’s destroying the original story!” Chen Xi said with a conflicted expression, ”How can this plot tug at the heartstrings!”

”Tug at the heartstrings? What’s wrong with it—demons die, the Taoist priest’s tribulations end as he ascends, and Xuu Xian joins Fa Hai, bound to become immortal eventually. Isn’t that a perfect ending?” Fa Zheng’s eyes flickered with incomprehension as he asked Chen Xi. In his view, this was surely a plot of Great Perfection. What on earth was Chen Xi dissatisfied with?

”I just want to know who altered my script into this bizarre mess!” Chen Xi asked with a darkened face, as this was not the plot he had originally written at all.

”The original was definitely written by you, and the later versions must have also come from your household, maybe just embellished a bit. But thinking about your previous plot and then this one, I think in the future you should let your wives and concubines help you find someone to polish it.” Fa Zheng delivered a merciless blow to Chen Xi, and seeing Lul Xun with flushed cheeks and clenched fists, Chen Xi realized that apparently, the current plot aligned more with the Han Dynasty people’s sense of right and wrong and aesthetic preferences.

”Damn it, if it’s this version, Chen Yun and Chen Ying would be blackened to death.” Chen Xi remarked, tugging at his mouth. Considering the current audience’s fervor, there was no way Chen Yun and Chen Ying would have an easy time.

”Pfft, back then, the version you talked about, the ethereal Chen Yun and the naive, stubborn Chen Ying had already drawn enough tears from the people of Mount Tai. Then your bored wife went to watch it and afterwards had Great Scholar Cai change the script into this. Although, I think this version suits the reality better,” Fa Zheng said with a dismissive sneer, appearing totally indifferent.

In fact, Fa Zheng cared a great deal; he had been fooled into teary eyes back then, a fact he would absolutely never tell Chen Xi. So, he was quite in favor of the revised version. The previous one was too tear-inducing, although the memories of that plot were still fresh in his mind.

”Jian’er...” Chen Xi tugged at his mouth, ”Afterwards, will Yun’er and Ying’er no longer go out to perform dramas?”

”Oh, they seemed to rarely perform after that, but there’s still a high demand for them to perform again. Great Scholar Cai’s revised script may be gracefully eloquent, but it couldn’t surpass your original plot. I heard that you initially had Great Scholar Cai write the verses, right?” Fa Zheng asked curiously.

”Hmm,” Chen Xi said, distractedly. He was very clear on the situation with Chen Yun and Chen Ying. He knew without a doubt that Fan Jian was worried that as their fame grew, they would eventually be taken into his chambers, considering that in this era, maids were also a kind of confidante.

However, Chen Xi wasn’t worried that Fan Jian would make things difficult for Chen Yun and Chen Ying. At most, she would just stop them from performing for a short time, and have them stay quietly at home; there would certainly be no other restrictions. Besides, with Chen Lan there, nothing wrong would happen.

Chen Xi had realized early on that Fan Jian was only worried about losing his favor due to his increasingly high status and the fact that they spent little time together. She didn’t have any ill intentions, and with this situation, Chen Xi really didn’t know what to do. The best solution was just to accompany her until she felt secure...

[Forget it, I should spend more time with them when I get back. But with the atmosphere in the inner courtyard, how could Fan Jian ever feel at ease?] Chen Xi thought exasperatedly. In his family’s inner courtyard, apart from himself with one wife and one concubine, the rest were all maids. Normally, no man would enter the inner courtyard, and Zhuge Liang was even making a fuss about moving out, resulting in a complete dominance of yin over yang.

[Maybe I should send a few away?] Chen Xi then gave up on that thought, as it was clearly not a good idea. As for waiting for these maids to marry, Chen Xi could only fantasize about it. Given the leniency in the Chen Family, it would be better for them to wait for their true love than stay, at least Fan Jian was kind-hearted and wouldn’t deliberately trouble them. The Chen Family was considered a very good place to be, and Chen Xi was sure that some were definitely waiting for a chance with him.

The play came to an end, and indeed, as Fa Zheng had said, the White Snake died, the Green Snake, aiding the tyrant, was suppressed under the river, Fa Hai achieved Great Perfection and ascended to the Heavenly Realm, Xuu Xian was free of worries, saw through the mortal world and aspired to become an immortal...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)