Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 147

Chapter 147

Writing a play can be both difficult and easy. 

For someone like Cui Xie, who could not even distinguish the lyrics in Beijing opera, writing a play seemed harder than learning eight-legged essays or composing poetry. However, in this time period and space, scholars considered lyrics as extensions of poetry and songs as extensions of lyrics, making it something that even ordinary musicians could do without finding it overly challenging.

Currently, northern operas are still mainly arranged in four acts. To write a play, one just needs to select a set of palace tunes based on the content. Each set contains multiple tunes: a small set like the Zhonglü palace tune includes twelve introductory movements, fifty intermediate movements, four slow movements, seven closing movements, and one movement with mixed tunes, totaling sixty-two tunes. Larger sets, like the Nanlü palace tune, have up to 118 movements. Simply choosing a convenient set and following the formula would suffice.

When writing, the playwright fills in the appropriate lyrics and tunes according to the roles and plot, interspersing dialogues and comic relief in between, creating a script that is presentable.

The real challenge was not in filling the lyrics but in crafting a captivating and fresh plot that people liked to watch and creating vivid characters through the lyrics.

After listening to Cui Xie’s story, Li Dongyang felt that the play was already seventy-five percent complete. The remaining task was to have someone compose the lyrics and write the dialogues based on the story, and it was sure to become a good play.

However, to turn it into a masterpiece, extra effort outside of the script was necessary. Li Dongyang earnestly advised him, “Currently, all scripts are derived in some form from each other. The lyrics in one script can be found in every other script. When musicians and actors perform on stage, they will often ignore your script and add their own crude jokes—with your Wang San playing the pipa and performing, who knows what vulgar comments they’ll insert. To stage this play well, you need not only a good script writer but also a reliable troupe that will adhere strictly to your script and perform on stage accordingly.”

Cui Xie nodded, “This story is just a prototype. I originally intended to write a draft for others to refine. Since Master has said so, I’ll try writing some dialogues myself and then ask you to review the finished manuscript.”

The Cui family had previously collaborated with a troupe that performed the ‘Five Beauties’ plays, and the actors were quite respectful when rehearsing, taking special effects seriously. Cui Xie estimated that if he explained it carefully during the production of the new play, the actors probably would not improvise too much on stage.

Li Dongyang agreed, ‘Of course’. Cui Xie then asked, “This is student’s first time writing a play. Are there any taboos I should avoid, like in regards to writing about the Imperial Censor of the court or having the Emperor decree Wang San a virtuous woman…”

Li Dongyang chuckled, “As long as you specify it is not set in the current dynasty, it is fine. In such plays of loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness, there are often themes of Emperors granting favors and graces. However, since the beginning of the dynasty, plays featuring the Jinyiwei are rare, and their reputation is not great. People might not want to watch it. How about changing Colonel Xie’s role to a local magistrate or provincial official?”

No way! We are going to redeem the reputation of the Jinyiwei! We are going to praise Colonel Xie!

Cui Xie stubbornly replied, “This is based on current events. The common people are already telling this story. We are just adapting based on the truth, why do we have to change his identity?”

“The common people are really telling such stories?” Li Dongyang looked at him with a smile. “I’ve heard a tale about a Jinyiwei capturing a black-clad bandit at a tavern. But in that story, the pipa player was not a virtuous and heroic woman. Where did you hear your story of this righteous woman?”

Cui Xie confidently replied, “Using Wang San as the protagonist, is it not just to leverage the popularity of  the 《Story of Zhao Wu and the Pipa》. If Master thinks it’s inappropriate, we can change it to 《Story of Wang Yao and the Pipa》’ and change Wang San’s name. Since all names are aliases, no one can criticize us.”

Cui Xie did not name Colonel Xie as Xie Ying in the play, just Xie- qianhu. Surely there could be several Colonel surnamed Xie in the world?

Seeing Cui Xie’s justified and confident stance, Li Dongyang had nothing more to say and decided to let him draft the script—Li Dongyang would then find talented lyricists to refine it, ensuring it would be better than the routine works of opera musicians that could only copy.

Cui Xie had found a new task for himself, but he was so filled with a passion for the arts that he didn’t mind the effort at all. Back at the Cui Residence, he had people prepare thick, sturdy paper and sharpen a row of pencils, then he began drafting storyboards.

These were not proper storyboards, just like the ones he designed when organizing a play for Commander Gao. He designed the backgrounds and the transitions. 

Since it was his first time writing a script, he worried about doing poorly, so he compared it with the stacks of traditional playbooks brought by Cui Liangdong. First, he drew background illustrations for different scenes. After drawing the scenery, Cui Xie estimated the performance time based on the word count of other plays, allocated time for each scene, designed the appearance of characters, wrote the central dialogues, and reserved space in the dialogues for lyrics.

When it came to the final transitions, because in most plays, common women only had a few sets of jackets and skirts, and there were no precedents for Jinyiwei costumes in earlier plays, Cui Xie simply decided to disregard everything and start creating on his own, using his own hard drive for reference.

After all, it was a heroine-centric drama and what would it look like if the female lead had only a few outfits throughout? The second male lead, Colonel Xie, who was the soul of the play, also needed different costumes for the last scene. Even the somewhat useless male lead needed a set of clothes for dates; otherwise, he would be completely overshadowed by the other Jinyiwei in the background!

Since Cui Xie had money now, and keeping it would only worry him about Cui Que finding excuses to spend it, he decided to treat it like an investment in advertising for the fabric merchants. He did not spend much time writing the script but was fully invested in designing costumes for the main characters, putting in his full-hearted effort. The heroine, Wang Yao, needed about ten sets of clothes, all with gold-plated copper accessories, and she needed two sets of mourning clothes! One for when her parents just died, made of hemp, and another white dress for playing the pipa in the capital, inspired by the ethereal style of Xiaolongnü¹. If not, the actor would be replaced!

The Jinyiwei generally wore the fashionable modified yesa. The male lead and the background Jinyiwei wore bright red robes, black gauze caps, and thin-soled boots. Colonel Xie had several scenes that required him to wear his official green yesa with a white cloak with brocade trim or an inky black cloak. For scenes where they were not in official attire, the male lead wore a stylish (inexpensive) white outfit, while Colonel Xie, as the superior officer, who had to dress more elegantly, wore dignified red or blue yesas, or tighter-fitting robes.

However, to match the real-life inspiration, Colonel Xie’s boots in the play needed modifications and the shoemaker was instructed to secretly add hidden heels.

Cui Xie spent over a month on this draft. He wrote only a few thousand words of the outline but mainly focused on drawing design sketches. Li Dongyang even found young scholars to write the lyrics, waiting for Cui Xie’s draft. Yet, every time he asked, Cui Xie would say there was just a little more to finish.

This dragged on and on, until the talented lyricists found other commissions, and Master Li could not wait any longer. He pressed Cui Xie, “How much have you written? You said it was just a draft for others to amend. Seeing your enthusiasm,  it seems like you’re writing a novel! I think you might as well stop trying to stage a play. Your writing is good, why not publish it as a novel and find a place to print it? It might be more fulfilling than painstakingly writing a story that will be adapted by others in the end.”

Indeed, romance novels are quite popular these days. Their Zhirong bookstore published a romance novel that was still being pirated and sold. However, from his past life to this one, he had been writing argumentative essays for years. He was afraid that writing a novel might not suit his skills.

Moreover, the play praised the relationship between the military and the civilians. What was the point of having the officials read it? It needed to be something the common people loved to watch, so when they saw the Jinyiwei, they would think of Colonel Xie, who impartially enforced the law and loved the people like his own children!

Cui Xie reassured the elder, “It’s almost done, Master. This disciple just wants to ponder a bit more about the characters.”

“Are you worried someone else will not write it well?” Li Dongyang laughed. “What’s there to fear? Bring your script here first and teach someone what to write, and if there are any issues, I’ll help you revise it!”

However, he… could not revise it.

Only after receiving Cui Xie’s draft did Master Li realize that what Cui Xie had been pondering wasn’t the dialogue but the character portraits. The thick draft contained only about ten pages of the outline; the rest were various illustrations, with the script’s edges shallowly stitched together so that more illustrations could be added at any time.

The illustrations were drawn with graphite pencils and were not colored, only marked with lines to indicate which parts should be colored. But even these simple sketches depicted the characters’ faces vividly, with uniquely designed outfits and intricately and exquisitely detailed backgrounds, making it awe-inspiring.

At first glance, the characters resembled those shallowly imitating Cui Beauty’s popular drawing style, but a closer look revealed more lifelike features. The women in the play, though dressed in different clothes and hairstyles, were clearly the same person. The Jinyiwei, though all in uniform, had subtle facial differences. Even characters like the Emperor and the Imperial Censor, who might not appear on stage, were carefully illustrated with their matching costumes.

The best drawing, however, was of Colonel Xie who looked exactly like one he had seen before, who had received the imperial edict to patrol and capture criminals in the capital!

Li Dongyang could not help but suspect once more who should play the lead role in this play.

Cui Xie noticed Master Li staring intently at Xie Ying’s character design and approached, asking, “Did this disciple not capture the likeness well? I was concerned that the official court dress might not be suitable for the stage, so the designs were roughly modified.. Should I take it back and revise it?”

“You drew these yourself? Didn’t an artist do it?” Li Dongyang glanced at him sharply. “I never heard before that you could draw?”

Well… was it not because he avoided exposure since the ‘Cui Beauty’ nickname spread?

Cui Xie bowed his head and replied, “This disciple thought drawing was a minor skill, unworthy of mention, so I never said anything. When I was young, I studied mogu style painting with Teacher Lu and only occasionally painted a few strokes for relaxation when tired of studying. This disciple’s work was not that good.”

If this wasn’t considered good, then Cui Beauty should be embarrassed to death!

Master Li closed the draft with a heavy thud and seriously said, “This is excellent! Even your script draft is enhanced! You’ve worked hard these days, and it’s not in vain. With a draft like this, any skilled playwright would be willing to write the script!” Those who could not wait till today to write plays for others left, but so what? With such a foundation, how could one be scared that those playwrights would be unwilling to write one!

Master Li was filled with admiration for his disciple, feeling that he was too talented to appreciate alone and that others must know too. “I see your script draft is both well-thought-out and beautifully illustrated. Once the play is written, it will be no worse than any famous script and vernacular out there. When the talented playwright I contacted finishes the play, I’ll have it published with your name prominently on it.”

Cui Xie touched his face and shyly bowed his head, saying, “Actually, Master, this disciple had the same idea… just worried the talented playwright will not agree. Printing the script is easy. The Young Boss of the Peace of Mind Study, who is like a brother to me, is currently staying in our guest courtyard. Publishing this script is just a matter of a word.”

Master Li initially smiled, but when he heard that the young master of the Peace of Mind Study was staying at Cui’s house, his expression changed slightly, and he asked, “…Peace of Mind Study?”

Cui Xie nodded, answering honestly, “Yes, the same one that published the annotated《Three Kingdoms》by the Six Talents. Their printed color illustrations are excellent. If we publish the script, we can ask them to color the illustrations and print them as color illustrations.”

Li Dongyang’s lips pressed tightly together, his expression solemn.

The Peace of Mind Study was not just famous for the Six Talents’ Three Kingdoms. They also held a Beauty Contest of the Three Kingdoms, where the first place beauty, Xiao Qiao, Li Dongyang had written a poem about and received the painting as a reward. He even gave that painting to Cui Xie as an extremely precious meeting gift that everyone would want…

Since the Young Boss of the Peace of Mind Study was staying at Cui Residence, didn’t that mean Cui Xie could look at a Xiao Qiao painting every day if he wanted to?

Moreover, with such painting skills, the Peace of Mind Study’s prints resembled his style, albeit less lifelike. Could it be that the Peace of Mind Study had Cui Xie’s guidance…

Li Dongyang set aside the script and stiffly changed the topic, asking Cui Xie to work on a new homework problem he had devised a few days earlier. Only after Cui Xie left in the evening, did he sigh several times at the entrance of his study and remark to his sons, “Your Cui shixiong is truly a romantic figure…”

Li Zhaoxian, puzzled, asked, “In what way is he elegant? Looking at his attire, his writings, his singing… apart from his looks, he didn’t seem romantic at all!”

Li Dongyang did not explain to his son, letting him stay puzzled, and rolled up the script to return to his study.

The next morning at court, Li Dongyang tucked the script into his sleeve and directly approached Yang Tinghe, saying matter-of-factly, “This foolish junior has a draft for a play and would like to ask da-ren to write it into a complete script.”

Yang Tinghe instinctively responded, “Aren’t Northern tunes supposed to be written by Chancellor Qiu? I only write Southern tunes…”

Li Dongyang laughed and patted his shoulder, “We both work in the Hanlin Academy. Why would I seek  Qiu da-ren? Southern and Northern plays are not that different. Doesn’t Prince Xian of Zhou often mix Southern and Northern tunes in a single play, letting the male lead to sing Northern tunes while the female lead performs Southern tunes? With your talent, Jiefu, changing a few tunes and lyrics shouldn’t be difficult for you. Besides, I’m not asking you to create something from scratch; here’s a draft…”
He pulled out the still big IP-stamped《The Story of Wang Yao and the Pipa》 from his sleeve and waved it in front of Yang Tinghe, “Aren’t you a fan of ‘Legalist sayings’? This play tells the story of a valiant and righteous woman who sacrifices herself to help the Jinyiwei capture a notorious thief. Jiefu, it’s perfect for you!”

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Footnotes:

1. Xiaolongnü: a fictional female protagonist of the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong. In the novel, her physical appearance is described as follows: “skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent”. ↩︎

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TN: Have a good rest of your week everyone and enjoy the chapter! Li Dongyang is such a funny character! I love their dicsiple-master dynamic ~

Update 12/23/24: I just updated it so that all my advance chapters for TMD are up on patreon (and will be continually updated)! Sorry for being so lazy with it and apologies for taking so long to do so. I had to organize a lot of my random documents after a long hiatus last year.

Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a grad student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!

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