However, this seems quite interesting...
But how exactly does one play this?
The theme for today was "The Peony Pavilion", and the protagonists of this story were Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei.
If they were really going to do role - playing, according to common sense, it should be the most esteemed guests who would play the male and female leads.
After all, one couldn't possibly ask the Emperor and the Princess Royal to play roles like maids, constables, Taoist nuns, or coachmen... The Princess Royal would probably massacre everyone on the spot!
But if the Emperor and the Princess Royal were to play the lovers Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei...
They'd probably immediately draw their long swords and massacre everyone on the spot!
Hearing Li Wanming's concerns, Xiao Jingnan gave a soft smile and said, "My lady, you don't need to worry about this. Let them decide."
He stepped forward, handing the script of "The Peony Pavilion" to Zhao Yanke and Princess Danyang. Then, with his hands clasped in front of him, he lowered his eyes respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Royal, this is the new game our inn has launched."
"The two of you can choose the roles you want to play on your own, and then follow the guidance of our maids to explore the plot."
"Originally, the role of Du Liniang was to be played by a female student from Zhaoyu Academy. But since the Princess Royal is here, we don't dare to make a decision... It's all up to your wishes."
Danyang picked up the script, casually flipped through it, and then closed it.
"Rumors have been spreading like wildfire in the capital. Some say your inn is blessed by the Goddess Cheng Huang, and others say the games are so novel that they're unheard of. But it turns out... this is it?"
"Letting the guests perform on stage themselves is your new game?"
"It seems the rumors in the capital have greatly exaggerated things..."
Before Danyang could finish speaking, Zhao Yanke had already grabbed the script and stood up.
"Sister, do you not want to play?"
"That's great."
"I want to play!"
He handed the script to Xiao Jingnan and said impatiently, "Hurry up and dress me up. I want to play Liu Mengmei!"
...
Princess Danyang's face turned pale with anger before she could finish her sentence, and her fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly.
She loathed this stupid younger brother of hers to the core.
The late Consort Hui, although gentle, was also intelligent and elegant. She couldn't understand how she'd given birth to such a fool!
It was a pity that her father, the late Emperor, hadn't been a man who'd brought good fortune to his descendants. Among all the concubines in the palace, he'd only had this one son... Otherwise, how could this man be the Emperor today?
Danyang was a woman of great guile. In front of the world, she always appeared wild and unrestrained, making it hard for others to fathom her thoughts. But for some reason, whenever she met this younger brother, she'd always lose her composure.
In her eyes, Zhao Yanke was like a toad wearing a crown. If you didn't poke him, he'd keep croaking there. Once you did, he'd jump around the world in a frenzy!
Seeing Zhao Yanke tugging at Xiao Jingnan's sleeve, insisting on going on stage to perform, Danyang couldn't hold back any longer. She threw the script in her hand at him.
"Stop this nonsense!"
"You're the Emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the Son of Heaven. Yet you come here to act like an actor! Aren't you ashamed? Don't you have any sense of propriety!"
Zhao Yanke immediately ran to one side, pushing Feng Xiao and screaming:
"Did you see that? She hit me! She hit me!"
"Quickly check if I'm injured... Don't just look at the external wounds. There might be internal injuries!"
"When Mother asks later, Lord Feng, you must tell her everything as it happened and testify for me - it was her who started first!"
Feng Xiao didn't want to get involved in the feud between these two siblings at all. He desperately tried to pry Zhao Yanke's fingers off his clothes, but he couldn't. He didn't dare to use too much force for fear of hurting the fragile Emperor, and he even broke out in a cold sweat.
Just as the inn was in chaos, there was a sudden noise outside the door, as if someone was arguing.
There was a crisp "slap", followed by a clear female voice shouting angrily, "Who do you think you are? How dare you stop me!"
Hearing this voice, Li Wanming's heart tightened suddenly, and then she felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
It was as if the heart that had been hanging for days had finally died.
As the saying goes, enemies are destined to meet.
Come on, everyone!
Let it all be destroyed. She was tired!
Li Wanming bowed slightly to the two noble guests in the hall, then stepped back and walked towards the door.
Outside the inn, Fang Zhi was pointing angrily at a silver - armored guard. There was a clear five - finger print on the guard's face.
The Princess Royal's trip this time was a private matter, so she'd only brought the personal soldiers from her mansion and no princess entourage.
And Fang Zhi had come to visit Li Wanming this time, thinking they were all acquaintances, so she'd only brought a few servants and no personal guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion.
So when they met, neither side recognized who the other was.
Both sides were used to being arrogant and refused to give in to each other. After just a few words, they'd started to argue.
The guards from the Princess Mansion thought the people in front of them were just ordinary thugs. They spoke very impatiently and pushed them back, as if driving away a pack of wild dogs.
The people from the Prime Minister's Mansion had never suffered such humiliation. They were also red - eyed with anger and held onto the guards' sword hilts without giving an inch.
In the chaos, a guard from the Princess Mansion accidentally bumped into Fang Zhi. Fang Zhi was immediately furious and slapped him across the face:
"Dog slave! How dare you touch me! You're blind!"
The guard was stunned by the slap. Angry and ashamed, he drew his long sword and put it on Fang Zhi's neck!
...
Li Wanming walked out just in time to see this scene.
Fang Zhi's face was flushed with anger. Although the blade was against her neck, she was not afraid. She stared firmly into the guard's face and kept scolding.
When the servants from the Prime Minister's Mansion saw that the other side had dared to draw their swords, they also started screaming wildly:
"Let go of our young lady!"
"You blind fool! If a single hair on our young lady's head is harmed, we'll have your whole family executed!"
Hearing this, the guard began to have his doubts. The girl under his sword might not be an ordinary person.
But he'd been slapped for no reason, and he couldn't just let it go.
So the two sides were at a standstill.
...
Li Wanming watched from the side and sighed repeatedly.
The guards from the Princess Mansion and the servants from the Prime Minister's Mansion were all top - notch talents in the Great Sheng Dynasty. But among these twenty - odd people, there wasn't even one who knew how to talk properly!
Such a trivial matter had turned into such a tense situation.
They were really embarrassing their masters!
They should all be locked up in Pingkangfang and undergo systematic training and rectification under the leadership of Lu Ping, Wu Yao, Cai Wei, and Qing Lan.
In less than a month, they'd definitely learn what "politeness" was.
Li Wanming bit her finger and thought secretly...
Out of the corner of her eye, Fang Zhi saw her and immediately shouted, "Li Wanming, you're out? Where did these blind slaves in your yard come from? Tell them to put down their swords!"
Li Wanming sighed softly and reluctantly stepped forward.
If she wasn't worried that this silly Fang Zhi might actually bump her neck into the blade and bleed on the spot, making it hard to clean up... she'd actually like to watch for a while longer.
Li Wanming said calmly, "Sir, the young lady under your sword is none other than the only daughter of Prime Minister Fang, the current Chief Secretary of our court."
"If you don't want to cause any trouble, it's best to put down your sword..."
The guard was shocked. The sword in his hand loosened, and he withdrew it from Fang Zhi's neck, looking panicked.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Fang Zhi was still angry. She stepped forward and raised her hand to slap the guard again.
Li Wanming grabbed her and said, "Miss Fang, I suggest you go into the inn and take a look first..."
"What's going on?"
Fang Zhi was pulled back by her and was very unhappy.
Li Wanming winked and said playfully, "Go in first and see for yourself."