Chapter 174
Having finally taken a few days off, Cui Xie put his studies aside for a bit and immersed himself in working on his grand Jinyiwei blockbuster.
Hollywood had Ocean’s Thirteen1, but he was going to make 《The Fourteen Jinyiwei》!
The Avengers movies only assembled a handful of heroes? He had fourteen here!
No, if you counted the Northern Pacification Commissioner Xie Ying, that made fifteen!
If he could pull this off, he’d take one giant leap straight to the peak of Ming-era film production, surpassing perhaps even the Americans!
With grand ambition, Cui Xie opened his hard drive to browse… and unexpectedly, in the folder titled International Relations – United States – U.S. Relations with Extraterrestrial Civilizations, he stumbled upon a jumble of hot-blooded, violence-filled crossover mashups involving the Avengers.
Looking through the 《Avengers》, 《Captain America》, and the《Thor》 movies there, he had mixed feelings. All these years, he’d been watching… let’s say “small, colorful (pornographic)” videos for drawing reference, and for the first time he realized this hard drive actually contained films without any “colorful (pornographic)” material at all.
…Which was utterly useless!
Chinese films only ever seemed to hoard the “colorful (pornographic)” stuff, so every time he needed to reference clothing, he’d have to slog through scene after scene of people not wearing any. No wonder his drawings were giving him eye strain. American films, meanwhile, did have proper, normal movies, but even so, could he really put Captain America’s outfit on a Ming dynasty Colonel?
When designing characters, he still had to sift through endless unclothed scenes just to find something with clothing!
He clicked through a few at random, but found they didn’t fit the Jinyiwei’s worldview at all. Disappointed, he closed that folder and went back to searching for Chinese historical dramas and films, so he could lock down the character designs first.
In the Ming dynasty, theater was under strict control, only cheerful, celebratory plays were permitted, along with tales of gods and immortals, or virtuous men and chaste women.
All those Colonel dramas out there, starting with Yang Tinghe’s 《The Story of Wang Yao and the Pipa》, never dared set their stories in the current Chenghua reign, much less give the Colonel an actual name. They always blurred the era and hid the names.
The only famous one, Feng Yun, was a completely made-up character.
So for his big ensemble drama, Cui Xie would push the setting even further into the realm of fiction–placing it in the Han or Tang dynasties, where he could use more distinctive costumes and not be bound by the strict dress codes laid down by the Hongwu Emperor.
As for the problem that the Han and Tang dynasties didn’t have a Jinyiwei… well, he was only producing a design outline anyway. The actual writing and staging would be someone else’s problem. Who was going to come after him for that?
Smiling faintly, Cui Xie started with Xie Ying’s design.
The beauty of the Jinyiwei was that they could wear both straight-cut court robes and yesa robes. Since Xie Ying was a Commissioner, he should be shaped into a figure as steady and dignified as Bao daren, often in straight robes, only switching to the yesa robe for the climactic duel with the villain, to give the audience a visual shock.
By regulation, a fourth-rank official’s yesa robe should be embroidered with one-and-a-half-inch floral patterns and a tiger-or-leopard chest patch, with a plain gold belt. But since his setting was fictional, raising the style a notch wouldn’t hurt. He could go for full-body floral medallions and cloud-lamp brocade, a jade-studded belt, and high-soled boots with gold-trimmed tops. This time, no hidden lifts, let the tall soles stand proud and proclaim the commissioner’s uniqueness!
He had seen Xie Ying’s official robes often enough, and painted far too many portraits of him, so drawing him was like water flowing from a spring. Pencil in hand, he casually sketched: a pair of deep, tender eyes; a straight, proud nose; lips with a full, arched bow and the faintest upward tilt; clean, decisive cheek lines; a firm, powerful jaw…
The man on paper seemed stamped straight from his heart, landing out vivid and exact without need for a draft.
Cui Xie particularly loved that almost-smiling expression of Xie Ying’s. Finishing the front view, he couldn’t resist drawing a profile, then a three-quarter view, then his head tilted down, then looking up… and before he knew it, he had drawn every expression he’d seen on him since they met–serene, cold, tender–until his neck was stiff. Only then did Cui Xie realize he had spent far too much time on this one man.
There were still fourteen Colonel designs waiting to be done, how had he ended up drawing just the one he liked?
With a faint smile, Cui Xie shook his head and switched to a new sheet of paper, beginning to sketch Colonel Li from the Central Guard.
In his own play, Colonel Li was imagined as a handsome middle-aged man, sporting a neat beard, composed and dignified, with a mind that saw ten steps ahead. But such a figure overlapped with too many other stock characters–nothing distinctive, nothing memorable. He couldn’t just use it as is. Instead, what Cui Xie had coaxed from Xie Ying’s mouth about the man’s real-life quirks was far more endearing–Colonel Li liked to keep birds, cats, and fish; even at a young age, he was fond of restorative herbal stews; he wasn’t much for drilling or sparring, and his combat skills were frankly lacking.
Such a man was perfect for the role of a strategist, someone of frail health, not much of a fighter, but full of deep schemes.
So Cui Xie unceremoniously gave him slightly furrowed brows, half-lowered eyes, and a plaintive, refined air. He dressed him in a white robe patterned with ink-bamboo like Gongsun Ce’s2, and placed a folding fan in his hand, so that he would only emerge during council scenes, fanning himself while offering clever plans.
The next was Colonel Xu of the Rear Guard. There were, in fact, two Colonel Xus in the Jinyiwei: “Big Xu” of the Rear Guard, and “Little Xu” of the Central-Rear Guard. Since there were two of them, why not pair them up?
Though unrelated by blood, the two were as close as brothers. Big Xu was the steady, reliable “steward” of the Jinyiwei, always looking after others; Little Xu was the lively, mischievous vanguard who occasionally landed himself in trouble. In a later plot arc, Little Xu could be captured by the enemy through a slip-up, and Big Xu–usually so mild–would suddenly explode with fierce determination, charging through enemy lines to rescue him.
Little Xu would be the classic young hero in white–white robe, white sash, silver spear, white horse. Big Xu would wear a deep-blue uniform, projecting steadiness and heartfelt loyalty.
Three Colonels down in one go–splendid efficiency!
Piling the finished sketches aside, Cui Xie pulled over another sheet and started on perhaps the easiest character to define, the most stylish and unique of them all: Colonel Yao of the Elephant Training Office.
Riding elephants into battle, now that was practically a walking cheat code ah!
The only drawback was that Colonel Yao had put on a little weight and, unlike others, wasn’t especially keen on slimming down. If he portrayed him exactly as in real life, the character wouldn’t look especially dashing; but if he slimmed him into a handsome young man, he’d lose the original’s distinctiveness.
After some thought, Cui Xie decided against trimming his figure, and instead designed for him a set of glossy black silver-inlaid armor. Once encased in armor, his build wouldn’t be apparent; and sitting atop an elephant, clad in black gleaming plate and looking down on the masses, his very presence would be imposing, regardless of his face!
Beyond this Elephant Training Office Colonel, the Jinyiwei also had another Colonel Yao–Yao Jing–who had succeeded Xie Ying as the head of the Front Guard. Two years older than Xie Ying, he had dutifully supported the young man when Xie Ying had inherited his father’s post in his early twenties.
Mm… For him, Cui Xie wouldn’t overcomplicate things—he could simply be the utterly loyal protector, Yao Yuanfang. And what did Yuanfang3 usually wear? If memory served, it was a two-piece set: a Tang-style round-collared court robe underneath, with a loose-fronted black cloak over it.
He kept his head down, working away on character designs. Once the fourteen Colonels, he began laying out storyboards. For an ensemble drama like this, the plot didn’t need to be especially intricate; as long as the audience knew the faces, the fights looked good, and the special effects dazzled, they’d flock to see it.
For fight scenes with a graceful, almost otherworldly feel, wirework was a must.
As for safety… well, the stage platforms were narrow and low; they didn’t need to fly very high. Using iron wire instead of steel cable ought to be fine, shouldn’t it? The Tang dynasty had already staged 《Emperor Minghuang of Tang Visits the Moon Palace》with actors walking in midair; surely the Ming Dynasty had the technique too. Cui Xie would have to ask around.
Once the character sheets were complete, he moved on to backgrounds and action choreography. With wirework in play, the fights couldn’t be choreographed like traditional stage combat, he would need to sketch the moves and set pieces in detail, so the actors could rehearse properly and highlight the vast difference between the Jinyiwei’s skill, bearing, and image, and those of common thieves.
He borrowed fight scene ideas from the 【Local Wetlands War】 folder in his hard drive, and for several days straight shut himself in his study, working like mad. Even at mealtimes, he only emerged to fetch snacks or meat pies before locking himself back in to draw, chewing as he plotted out story boards.
Little Songyan, seeing him shut away every day, thought he must be cramming for the metropolitan exams and feared he’d wear himself out, to the point of wanting to report him. But the Old furen, suffering from a bout of her head illness brought on by the unrest outside, was bedridden and unable to intervene. As the study was normally off-limits, the little servant was helpless, and so went to find Cui Qi to bring him food.
Cui Qi, also uneasy, hurried to the kitchen to load up several heaping plates of food, soup, and snacks into a large meal box, and carried it to the study.
No one but Cui Qi was allowed inside. Hearing his footsteps, Cui Xie knew immediately who it was, and without looking up called out, “You’re here? Perfect timing, I’ve just about finished revising these sketches. Help me ink them into finals.”
Cui Qi first set the food on the bedroom table outside, urging him to wash his hands and eat. Only after watching him take a few bites did he turn to the desk and glance at the sketches piled in one corner, pencil drawings of warriors locked in combat. Judging by their clothes, it was hard to tell who they were. Surprised, he asked, “Da-ge has drawn new pictures again? Are they from the Three Kingdoms? Or Feng Yun?”
Cui Qi picked up the drawings for a closer look. The figures all seemed to float in midair, their robes billowing, their faces strikingly handsome, so much so that even he couldn’t help but like them. Surely, when buyers saw them, they would be even more reluctant to put the book down.
The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, and Cui Qi said with a smile, “Ever since we finished printing those two complete sets of storybooks, we’ve been putting out nothing but civil service exam notes. At most, we add a few color plates, and they don’t even come with illustrations inside. The new craftsmen can handle that kind of printing just fine, and all our veteran engravers have been sitting idle, fingers twitching for work.”
He was exaggerating somewhat, but it was true that in Cui Qi’s heart he longed to produce another bestseller like《 Romance of the Three Kingdoms》 or 《The Story of Wang Yao and the Pipa》.
After all, those examination notes could only be understood by the scholarly class, what commoner would enjoy reading them? Lately, the customers who came to browse the shop, upon seeing that their illustrated storybooks were all old prints from long before the provincial exams, kept urging the clerks to bring out something new.
Even if they didn’t reprint 《Water Margin》, couldn’t they at least do a 《Yue Fei》4?
Cui Qi muttered on and on, flipping through the sheets to see what story this was.
The new design drafts were crowded with unfamiliar characters, dressed in styles he had never seen before. He leafed through the pages from start to finish and, in the end, recognized only one face, a face that appeared the most often. It was none other than Xie Ying, the very man who had sparked the first wave of Jinyiwei plays.
Only then did Cui Qi realize what it was and let out a little exclamation: “Ah, so da-ge is putting on another Jinyiwei opera? Did da-ge write the script yourself this time, or get the same troupe as last time? I’ve always thought the 《Headless Case at the Barracks》 wasn’t good enough. A beheading ought to be terrifying, but it didn’t come across that way at all. Better to have the same talented fellow who wrote 《The Story of the Pipa》 do it.”
Cui Xie swallowed a bite of duck meat and gave a wry smile. “You give me too much credit. Just persuading him to write 《The Story of the Pipa》 already used up all my luck. Where would I find such a gifted team again?”
The authors of those operas might use names no one had ever heard of, but lift the mask and you’d find a whole team of Hanlin Academy luminaries, the very same people who compiled his civil service exam notebanks. Back then, they had thought his opera idea novel and were willing to write one to be the first in the market. Now that the capital was flooded with Jinyiwei plays, those venerable gentlemen were probably sick of the sight of them, and even less inclined to pen one themselves.
Cui Xie sighed, lost patience for lingering over the meal, and simply scooped up some fish soup to soak his rice. Adding a few mouthfuls of chicken breast, he quickly finished eating and went back to study his scene sketches.
Cui Qi shooed him away from the table, poured him a cup of tea, and told him to sit and digest before coming back. He himself kept his eyes fixed on the drawings, asking, “This new story, is it about Xie-daren too? How come there’s no Feng Yun here? And why aren’t any of these Colonel wearing flying fish robes? And this one in bamboo-patterned clothing, he looks all gentle and scholarly, like a civil official.”
Cui Xie smiled in satisfaction. “The market is full of Jinyiwei plays. I thought I’d gather them all into one production. Wouldn’t that feel familiar and welcoming to the audience? Of course Feng Yun will be in it. I’ll draw him later.”
Cui Qi’s gaze fell on an illustration of three Colonel locked in combat with the enemy, straight blades in hand. In the picture, the men rose like coiling dragons soaring into the ninth heavens: one flying through midair; one sweeping his leg in a low kick; one holding his blade horizontally before his neck, the tip streaked with blood. Across from them, an enemy’s neck bore a thin red line, yet he seemed unaware that death was upon him. The sight made Cui Qi’s head spin; he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Magnificent!”
Then, eyes wide with excitement, he pleaded with his da-ge, “What incredible skill! What a thrilling picture. Da-ge, tell me, what story is this? I’m dying to know!”
Instead of answering directly, Cui Xie asked with a smile, “What’s the most popular Jinyiwei play on the market right now? If we want something new, it still has to be fresh and have a big audience.”
Cui Qi answered almost without thinking,“It’s the story of Colonel An from the Front Guard arresting a fake nun who was kidnapping girls! That kidnapper was a man dressed as a nun, going to wealthy households to preach, tricking and stealing away several well-born daughters. Luckily, Colonel An and Feng Yun visited those families, noticed the nun’s suspicious behavior, set up defenses around the city for days, and finally caught the kidnapper, just as he had shaved the heads of those kidnapped girls and was about to take them away as nuns…”
Cui Xie listened to the end and drew out a long “Mmm.” “Our new play will follow right after 《Colonel An’s Clever Trial of the False Nun》. It’ll tell the story of how, after handing the fake nun over to the Pacification Office, Commissioner Xie uncovered that these fake nuns were actually agents of the White Lotus Sect. Leading fourteen Colonel , he tracked the sect’s clues and brought them all to justice in one sweep.”
Cui Qi was struck speechless. Looking from the drawings in his hand, he felt certain that if the troupe could stage martial scenes as good as what was on paper, the play would be a smash hit, enough for them to live on for a lifetime.
Still, even in his excitement, he had the sense to caution, “Maybe it’s not a good idea to use the name ‘White Lotus Sect’? Our bookstore is a real place with a real name. If those White Lotus cultists took offense, what if they burned the shop or killed the clerks?”
Cui Xie sucked in a sharp breath. The rebel forces in the Ming were that powerful? He’d better mention this to Xie-xiong and have the Jinyiwei look into these cult organizations more thoroughly.
But Cui Qi had a point, better safe than sorry. A villainous group didn’t have to be called White Lotus Sect. They could call it the Ming Sect, the Sun and Moon Cult…
No, those wouldn’t work either! The “Ming” in Ming Sect was the very “Ming” of the Great Ming dynasty. If he put a villainous cult with that name into a story during the Ming era, wasn’t he just asking Emperor Chenghua to launch a literary inquisition?
He pressed his lips together and waved it off.“Never mind inventing a cult, let’s just make them Japanese pirates.”The wokou, Japanese pirates, had already begun harassing the coastal defenses in the Chenghua reign, and by the Jiajing era a few decades later, they would be landing every year to kill and plunder. Not to mention, five hundred years later in the Republic era, they’d do even worse. Giving them this role was perfectly reasonable. Whether now or later, they were more than capable of such atrocities, and in no way wronged by the accusation.
Footnote:
- Ocean’s Thirteen: This is a movie released in 2006 where Danny Ocean and his gang hatch an ambitious plot for revenge after a ruthless casino owner double crosses Danny’s friend and mentor. ↩︎
- Gongsun Ce: is a fictional character in the Chinese novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. Highly intelligent and very familiar with traditional Chinese medicine, he was an able assistant to the upright official Bao Zheng (Bao daren) ↩︎
- Yuanfang: Pop culture reference to to a famous character from the TV series, Amazing Detective Di Renjie called Li Yuanfang, He is a high ranking general, captain of the guards and Di Renjie’s right hand man/bodyguard. ↩︎
- Yue Fei: Chinese military general in the Song dynasty and is remembered as a patriotic national hero. In popular culture, he has evolved into a paragon of loyalty in Chinese culture. ↩︎
TN: Hi everyone!! I think Cui Xie is onto something in regards to Avenger-like movies…funnily enough I’m rewatching all the Marvel movies right now with my boyfriend!
Near the end of this chapter, I am flagging that there is some sort of anti-Japanese sentiment coming through that stems from from traditional portrayals of the wokou and their later association with twentieth-century Sino-Japanese conflict. While this is rooted in specific historical contexts, I think the author’s framing risks reinforcing harmful generalizations and hence, I presented the original translation here for transparency rather than endorsement and realize that this may be hurtful or harmful to contemporary readers. I include this note to acknowledge the historical context without endorsing the framing/sentiment potentially embedded in this seciton.
Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters to my current works (TMD and Spring Tree North of the Wei River), 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!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter ε=(｡♡ˇд ˇ♡｡）
LikeLiked by 1 person