Marry a eunuch to catch demons

In the sky of the twelfth lunar month, there was heavy snowfall in the city of Cangzhou for nearly a day, and it was barely stopped until the lanterns were turned on.

The north wind was still blowing, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.

Red lanterns were hung in front of the gate of the Fuyue Troupe in the west of the city, and the theater garden was still full of luxury and luxury.Western electric lights illuminate the Changxiang Building on the second floor, and fresh tassel tassels are poured down layer by layer, making the beams and columns carved with bats and longevity more delicate.

"The first turn of the island ice wheel---"[1]

On the stage, Xiufang, a newly-produced famous actress, is babbling and singing "The Drunken Concubine". The warm candlelight reflects her emerald and beaded phoenix crown, and a pair of gold-faced fans cleverly Covering half of her face, it was the passionate play of the passionate daughter.

Holding a rag in her hand, Ye Ge quietly hid behind a pillar while no one was paying attention.After a while, I dared to stick out my little head cautiously, and looked towards the second floor with my bright black eyes.

It's just that what he was watching was not a show, but a person.

"Just like Chang'e leaving the Moon Palace—"

That person was sitting in the private room on the second floor at the moment. From Ye Ge's perspective, half of his body could be seen through the open carved window.

His clothes were not conspicuous, a black and blue long gown that was not at all bloated in winter, and the neckline was surrounded by a mink fur collar.Such a deep color, on the contrary, made his face a little pale, his eyes were long and narrow but not evil, it only added a bit of indescribable nobility and warmth to that face.

Ye Ge was like this, hiding behind the colonnade, looking up at him, quietly without making any sound.

In the private room upstairs, Wu Youdong, the owner of the opera troupe, was talking to the man courteously. Ye Ge vaguely looked at him and smiled back, then seemed to frown, and then a boy of fifteen or sixteen came Walked into the private room.

It's Baoying!Ye Ge has worked in this theater for two years, so of course he knows who the boy is.This Baoying is just the newcomer in the class who was promoted to the stage recently. Because of his talent, the class leader Wu Youdong is very precious, unexpectedly he is willing to let him out at this moment.

Ye Ge's hands clenched the rag unconsciously, not even caring that the muddy water dripped down and got into his gray trousers.

That Baoying was indeed born with a good appearance, and at the moment her fair face was not made up, making her look even more pitiful and lovely.

It's all... about to depend on that person!

Ye Ge stared at Baoying's movements, and unconsciously widened her eyes.But fortunately, the next moment, the man took the opportunity of holding the cup to avoid the boy who was directly hitting him.This made Ye Ge heave a sigh of relief.

"Pigeon, what are you doing here?"

When his name was called out of nowhere, Ye Ge almost jumped out of his heart just letting go, and even threw the rag in his hand.He turned his head abruptly, and was right in front of a plate with a big white face, which almost made his hair explode in fright.

"Pigeon," the big-faced plate didn't get angry at all when he saw him like this, he just patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Come on, come out and do something for me."

Ye Ge hesitated for a moment when he heard the words, this big-faced man was surnamed Meng, he was the cousin of the troupe leader Wu Youdong, and he always took care of trivial matters in the theater on weekdays, so everyone called him Meng Guanshi.

"Why, you don't want to come?" Seeing Ye Ge not moving, Meng Guanshi urged again.

Ye Ge knew that he had no room to refuse, so he had no choice but to carry the water basin he had just used to clean the stairs, and followed Guanshi Meng out of the door of Changxiang Building.

Manager Meng didn't go out again, but stood on the veranda outside the theater building with his hands in his hands, as if he had something to say.Although the heavy snow outside has stopped, as the cold wind blows, some snow foam will still fall sporadically, occasionally staining Yege's face.

"Gezi, were you just looking at the one upstairs?"

Ye Ge was poked at the center, but she didn't feel guilty, she just lowered her eyebrows and nodded.

Manager Meng wasn't annoyed at all, he still had that amiable look, with a hint of persuasion in his tone: "I know you still don't give up, but what's the use of seeing him now?"

"You don't really think that those old men who play tickets can look up to the people in our theater?"

Ye Ge didn't speak, he just lowered his head blindly, but there was a bit of stubbornness in his eyes, and the hand holding the basin turned white.

Meng Guanshi couldn't see him like this, and sighed a long way: "I know, you grew up in this garden, you know it in your heart, but you just don't want to admit it yet."

"Those people, no matter how nice their mouths are, they just come to our place to have fun, at most—at most they can watch our drama."

The word "play" suddenly fell on Ye Ge's heart, and instantly shattered his stubbornness.

Why didn't he know that Guanshi Meng was telling the truth, he and the person upstairs were originally Yunni.The only thing that can connect them together is the word "drama".

Ye Ge from two years ago was the most popular star in the Fuyue class, relying on his good voice, he was full of vigor on and off the stage, full of love and hatred.

But now he... his voice has been ruined, he is just the most inconspicuous servant in the theater, doing these low jobs every day.

Perhaps, he really shouldn't have gone to see that person.

Guanshi Meng knew that Ye Ge had figured it out, so he softened his tone, patted his thin shoulder and said, "Okay, I'm doing this for your own good too."

"It's all over. There will be no night show at Liuxiang Pavilion tonight, so you can clean it over there."

Ye Ge nodded in a daze, as if she agreed, picked up the water basin in her hand again, and walked west along the veranda.

The opera garden of the Fuyue class was originally said to be the private residence of a senior official of the previous generation. Later, the senior official committed an unspeakable crime, and the whole family was sent to prison. It was sold to the former troupe owner of the Fuyue troupe at a low price, and it was converted into an opera garden.

In the courtyard of the most spacious main house in front, a theater building was built, and it was named Changxiang.In addition, there are three other courtyards with better views, and a stage has also been set up, which can be regarded as a place for private entertainment.

This Liuxiang Pavilion is one of them.

Ye Ge finally reached the end of the veranda, where there is a very delicate hanging flower door, which is the place.

At this moment, the play in the pavilion has just ended, and the guests are walking out through the hanging flower door in twos and threes.Ye Ge was not in a hurry to go there, but just stood on the porch, watching the scene in front of the door, from bustling to deserted, until finally there was no one left, he moved his stiff arm from the cold, held the wooden Basin went in.

This used to be the place he was most familiar with. His plays started from here, and his reputation spread from here.

It's just that he hasn't been here since his voice was poisoned two years ago.

By chance, Ye Ge put down the wooden basin in his hand, and walked up to the stage where he had stood on countless times step by step.

At this moment, the audience is empty, no one is watching, and there is no sound of gongs and drums.But it was this environment that gave Ye Ge some courage.He half-closed his eyes, and slowly walked up the steps under his feet, as if the sound of drum music came from his ears again, he put on the python robe with red background and gold pattern, his vermilion lips did not move but seemed to be able to exude a very beautiful accent .

"In the past, Liang Hong and Meng Guang..."[2]

Looking up, the empty seat seems to be full of guests, but that person is also sitting in the shadow of his fragrant clothes, casting his eyes from afar——

But in an instant, when he opened his eyes wide, everything turned into afterimages.He was the only one on the stage, wearing a gray cotton coat, holding his right hand that was red and swollen from the cold, and there was no sound from his stinging throat.

Ye Ge was a little slumped, and slowly fell to the ground.

When he was 15 years old, it was here that he met that person.

The past is vivid in my memory, the first scene Ye Ge sang on stage, the troupe leader Wu Youdong was afraid that he would show his timidity, so he didn't let him go directly to the Changxiang Tower ahead, but arranged it on the small stage of Liuxiang Pavilion.

According to the rules, no outsiders will be invited to this first play. Most of the audience under the stage are regular customers in the garden, and they are here to cheer for the newcomers.

Ye Ge relied on his own ability, so he wasn't too nervous at all, but the moment the backstage curtain was raised, he saw a stranger sitting on the seat in the middle of the stage, which he had never seen before.

That man was really handsome. Although he was still in the Qing Dynasty, the long braided mandarin jacket did not make him look sluggish at all.

When Ye Ge looked at him, he was also raising his head, with a pair of gentle eyebrows and eyes reflecting the lights in the pavilion, he walked towards the stage with great interest, but for some reason, he happened to meet Ye Ge.

With just one glance, Ye Ge almost forgot those operas that he had been familiar with for a long time. It was not until the sound of the drums that he barely kept up with the beat. He brightened his voice.

That day he sang "Longfeng Chengxiang", Liang Hong played Meng Guang, Shang Xiang met Liu Wang for the first time, and he also met "Xie Sanye" that the class leader said.

Ye Ge once thought that it was really an excellent drama, the marriage was well matched, and the couple was born naturally.But it wasn't until later, when he huddled in the cold handyman's room, and listened to the man in the same room talking about the script of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", that he realized that this marriage ended in nothing but a dragon and a phoenix, and it was really like him. An empty dream.

The winter night wind blew up again, and Ye Ge slowly walked off the stage, balling up the past and stuffing it back into his heart.Then he took out the rag from the sink and started wiping the tables and stools.

But at this moment, he suddenly smelled a faint fishy smell.

Ye Ge didn't pay much attention to it at first, thinking it was left by some unruly guest, but as time went by, the smell became stronger and stronger.

He was so smoked that he couldn't stand it anymore, so he put down his work and wanted to open the windows in the pavilion to diffuse the smell.

But as soon as he opened the window, the north wind in winter rushed in, not only made him shiver with cold, but also blew out the only remaining kerosene lamp in the pavilion.

The surroundings suddenly darkened, and Ye Ge couldn't help being a little annoyed, but he had no other choice but to recall the position of the kerosene lamp, and walked forward in the dark.

"Slaves should allow the case of wearing red for marriage—"[3]

Straight voices came from the direction of the stage, it was supposed to be a good show, but it was sung like weeping.Ye Ge looked up subconsciously, the stage not far away was dark, and the long tassels swayed up and down with the wind, casting a shallow shadow on the empty stage under the dim moonlight.

"I'm ashamed to talk face to face—"

The shrill, whining voice was still singing, with a sinister and ghostly air in its tone.

A thin layer of sweat gradually broke out on Ye Ge's back. What happened in this attic? Could it be haunted? !

The biting north wind came in through the window, but it didn't dilute the stench in the room at all. Instead, it made it more intense, until Ye Ge could hardly breathe.

"If you cut this red string today—"

When the word "broken" was sung, the voice suddenly became sharper, and Ye Ge no longer hesitated, turned around and ran towards the gate, knocking over many tables and chairs along the way.

"Hee hee..." Suddenly, a strange chuckle came from nowhere.

Ye Ge opened his eyes wide and looked around, but still didn't see anyone.But on the walls around the pavilion, figures of different shapes appeared one after another.

They seemed to be wearing robes, the wide sleeves drooped awkwardly, and the shadows moved, and then suddenly slender fingers emerged from them.

Ye Ge's legs had already softened from fright, but he still stood on a table, trying to force himself to calm down, and even picked up a chair with trembling hands, trying to fight hard.

In the blink of an eye, those weird figures had covered all the walls, and more and more laughter sounded around him, and Ye Ge suddenly felt that he had fallen into the black withered claws of ghosts one after another. , there is no escape.

But at this time, the sound of the opera on the stage suddenly stopped, and the singer seemed to take a breath, and then dragged her delicate voice, and called out in a long voice: "My family, thank you all for coming to support—"