gnovel Chapter 40 Storytelling
Chapter 40 Storytelling
Let's turn to two different parts of the story.
Now, at the northern end of the Imperial Street in Kaifeng, there stands a magnificent restaurant.
This building has three floors facing each other, five floors facing each other, flying bridges and railings, light and dark spaces, beaded curtains and embroidered lintels, and flickering lamps and candles.
It is called Baifanlou, also known as Fanlou.
Fanlou, which later became the top of the 72 official restaurants in Bianliang (Kaifeng), was built in the first year of Guangshun. It was the largest den of iniquity in Kaifeng, and countless wealthy merchants, nobles, princes, and literati loved to come here for entertainment and feasting.
Although it was afternoon, the building was already packed. Waiters moved about, and the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter filled the air. People were in small groups, sipping wine or discussing current events, all quietly waiting for the storyteller to appear.
At the quarter-hour mark, just as dawn broke, the storyteller appeared precisely on the high platform in the center of the first-floor lobby.
The storyteller was dressed in a dark blue robe with a cloth belt around his waist. He had a thin face and bright, piercing eyes.
He walked slowly to the table and stood there, his gaze sweeping over the guests in the room. Then he raised his hand and picked up the gavel from the table.
“Pah!”
The gavel struck heavily, the crisp sound instantly piercing through the noise in the hall, making the surrounding clamor suddenly subside.
The storyteller cleared his throat, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, and began to speak in a loud, clear voice:
"Greetings, esteemed guests! Today, I will tell you a new story, about the turbulent times of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, a tale of loyalty and righteousness, and of romance."
He paused briefly, then his voice suddenly rose, and he recited in a clear and resonant voice:
"As the saying goes, blood stains the battle robe but the will is not over; a promise made in the Peach Garden is worth a thousand pieces of gold; he single-handedly rescued his lord, startling Cao Cao's army; he held a candle until dawn to guard the Han Tower; he poured out his heart and soul to repay his former lord; he sacrificed his life to face danger, disregarding kings and nobles."
"Gentlemen, listen to this new tale—Romance of the Three Kingdoms!"
It must be said that the storytellers who can perform in Fanlou are all quite skilled. This opening speech was powerful and had a touch of literary elegance, instantly arousing the interest of all the guests.
"Stories from the Three Kingdoms period are quite rare."
In a private room by the window on the second floor, a handsome man leaned against the window, sipping his wine and looking at the high platform on the first floor with great interest.
“Pah!”
On the high platform, the storyteller struck the gavel again, made a sword gesture with two fingers, raised it diagonally in front of him, then lifted the hem of his robe, took two steps with measured strides, and slowly began to speak in a deep, magnetic voice:
"It is said that the world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide..."
"At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the seven states fought for supremacy and were eventually annexed by Qin. After the fall of Qin, Chu and Han fought for supremacy and were also annexed by Han. The Han Dynasty began with Emperor Gaozu's uprising after slaying the white snake, which unified the country. Later, Emperor Guangwu revived the Han Dynasty, which continued until Emperor Xian, when it was divided into the Three Kingdoms."
The deep voice echoed slowly in the hall, and everyone was stunned. The Fanlou restaurant, which had been somewhat noisy, fell completely silent after those few words.
"The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide..."
The handsome man on the second floor repeated a sentence to himself, his eyes gleaming. He took a sip of his wine and sighed softly.
"That's interesting."
"I wonder if this world, which has been in turmoil for decades, has finally reached the point of 'unity after a long period of division'..."
Those who could sit in Fanlou were naturally high-ranking officials, noble families, and literati, all of whom were knowledgeable and had extremely high standards for storytelling.
In the past, if a storyteller's content was bland and his skills were poor, it was common for him to be booed off the stage by the guests.
But today, the very first chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has captured people's hearts with such insightful and worldly pronouncements.
The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unity, and after a long period of unity, there will be division. Doesn't this perfectly describe the situation of various states dividing up the country since the end of the Tang Dynasty?
As everyone pondered this in their hearts, their interest in this new story grew stronger, and they subconsciously lowered their breathing.
Seeing that the room was completely silent, the storyteller felt relieved and immediately perked up, vividly recounting his tale:
"At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperors Huan and Ling were incompetent and tyrannical, the government was corrupt, eunuchs held power, and the people suffered greatly. The Zhang brothers of Julu rose in rebellion, proclaiming themselves 'Generals of Heaven,' and led the Yellow Turban Rebellion to sweep across the land, shaking the court and the country..."
His speech varied in pace, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow, with his tone changing according to the plot, accompanied by gestures, vividly depicting the turmoil of the chaotic world.
Before long, the story began with the encounter between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in the Peach Garden.
"...The three hit it off immediately and found common ground. So they prepared a black ox and a white horse in the peach garden, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and became sworn brothers."
The storyteller clasped his hands together, his tone solemn:
"Thinking of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, although they are not of the same surname, they have become sworn brothers, and together they will help those in distress and danger; they will serve the country above and bring peace to the people below."
"I do not wish to be born on the same day, month, and year, but only to die on the same day, month, and year. Heaven and Earth bear witness to this heart; those who betray righteousness and forget kindness shall be condemned by both Heaven and man!"
"good--!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted throughout the hall, with many guests applauding and expressing their excitement.
"No wonder Emperor Zhaolie of Han treated Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with such sincerity, regarding them as brothers and even sleeping side by side with them; it turns out there was such a connection behind it..."
Some people took the fictional account as historical fact, their faces showing sudden realization, and they turned to discuss it with the people next to them.
But some people repeatedly pondered the phrase, "We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we wish to die on the same day, month, and year," their faces showing longing: "What a blessing it is to have such a brother!"
Even the handsome man on the second floor couldn't help but show a moved expression.
He recalled His Majesty's "Ten Righteous Brothers".
Although he wasn't one of them, he knew that the support of those brothers-in-arms had played a crucial role in His Majesty's success.
He was supposed to leave on time, but he showed no intention of moving. His interest grew stronger as he listened intently to the storyteller on stage continue his tale.
The storyteller took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued his tale, the plot becoming increasingly dramatic and unpredictable.
When the story of Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital and his subsequent chaos, ordering his warriors to strangle Consort Tang and then poisoning the young emperor, many upright people in the hall showed expressions of grief and indignation, and muttered curses against Dong Zhuo's cruelty.
The handsome man simply sighed softly and muttered to himself:
"The young emperor's death was not unjust. In chaotic times, when the emperor loses his power, someone with a strong army will take his place..."
"However... compared to Dong Zhuo, His Majesty is truly much more benevolent and righteous."
The handsome man shook his head. Compared to Emperor Shao of Han, it was already quite remarkable that Emperor Gong of Zhou was able to die a peaceful death.
Who else would have the magnanimity to tolerate the successor and the successor of the previous dynasty?
Thinking this, the handsome man finished his drink and refocused his attention on the storyteller's tale.
Under the storyteller's skillful performance, those otherwise dry historical figures seemed to come alive instantly.
The loyalty, bravery, and righteousness of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei; Lü Bu's unparalleled bravery; Dong Zhuo's cruelty and tyranny; and Cao Cao's ruthless and ambitious nature, as exemplified by his famous line, "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me"...
These few words vividly resonated in everyone's minds.
The audience listened with rapt attention, many becoming so engrossed that they completely forgot everything around them.
Some people even picked up their glasses but forgot to drink, their arms just frozen in mid-air.
Inside the entire Fanlou, only the storyteller's magnetic voice remained, accompanied by the occasional gasp and low exclamations of admiration.
"...The three men pursued Lü Bu straight to the pass, where they saw a blue silk canopy fluttering in the west wind. Zhang Fei shouted, 'This must be Dong Zhuo! What's the point of chasing Lü Bu? We should capture that traitor Dong first, to nip it in the bud!'"
He spurred his horse and rode to Guanzhong to capture Dong Zhuo. Indeed:
To capture a thief, one must capture the ringleader; extraordinary feats await extraordinary individuals.
"To find out what happens next... *smack*!"
The storyteller paused, then abruptly lifted the hem of his robe, slammed his gavel down, and said in a deep voice:
"Let's find out tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, the crowd was first taken aback, and then instantly erupted in uproar.
"Your enthusiasm has vanished so quickly? How disappointing!"
"That's right, according to past practice, it should have been a full hour! Why did it only last half an hour today and they said 'to be continued tomorrow'?"
The storyteller suddenly stopped speaking, which made everyone feel restless and eager to hear what was going on, and they all urged him to continue.
Even with the composure of a handsome man, he couldn't help but refill his glass, his face showing a hint of lingering enjoyment.
"Ahem, esteemed guests, please calm down!"
Seeing that he had incurred the wrath of the crowd, the storyteller quickly stepped forward and cautiously apologized and explained:
"It's not that I'm unwilling to speak more, it's just that this new story was only delivered today, and I only received five drafts, which I've already finished reciting..."
Seeing that the crowd was showing signs of anger again, the storyteller quickly added:
"But rest assured, esteemed guests! The gentleman who delivered the storybook said he would write five chapters and send them over every day. I will be here waiting for you all at this time tomorrow to continue the tale!"
Hearing this explanation, the resentment in the room subsided somewhat.
Although the crowd still couldn't help but complain, their tone softened considerably.
"Only five times a day... damn it, it's driving me crazy!"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight."
That being said, such a wonderful story is fortunate even if one can only hear it five times a day.
Everyone made plans with two or three friends to meet again at Fanlou at this time tomorrow.
In an inconspicuous private room on the second floor, Lu Duoxun watched this scene and breathed a sigh of relief.
In order to get Fan Lou to tell the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he spent his life savings and pulled strings to finally get his wish fulfilled.
This was exactly what Zhao Dezhao had entrusted to him.
As the largest restaurant in Kaifeng, nothing could be easier to make the name of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" known more easily.
Lu Duoxun glanced at the sky outside the window and was about to get up and go back to his residence when he saw a tall, handsome man flash by at the corner of the stairs on the second floor.
"Pan Mei?"
Lu Duoxun recognized the man, paused slightly at first, then his eyes lit up, and he murmured with uncontrollable joy:
"What a coincidence! Right from the start, a fish was already taking the bait..."