Song of Youth 玉楼春 Episode 1

As night fell, the prosperous Jiangnan ancient town was singing and dancing everywhere, merchants gathered, people coming and going on the bridge, awning boats shuttled in the river, on both sides of the bank were feasting wine shops and tea houses, Lin Shaochun had no time to appreciate this beautiful night scene, she just focused on it. Want to find Sun Yulou. Lin Shaochun saw from a distance a man who resembled Sun Yulou standing on the bow of the boat. She went through the crowd to chase the boat, only to find that she had admitted the wrong person.

When Lin Shaochun was at a loss, he suddenly heard the children meeting to watch the shadow play, Lin Shaochun followed, and heard the man behind the curtain directing the shadow play to sing the story of Wang Baochuan’s eighteen years of guarding the cold kiln. The audience had already listened. Many times, I have asked for a refund. Lin Shaochun recognized that it was Sun Yulou who sang the shadow puppet show. With tears in her eyes, she hurriedly stepped up to relieve her siege, claiming that Sun Yulou has a story. Lin Shaochun and Sun Yulou were relatively speechless. The audience put the money back and quietly. Sitting down to listen to the play, Lin Shaochun left silently.

Sun Yulou recounted his past when he was 18 years old. It was during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty and also a year of Sun Jiaxuan. Sun Yulou’s eldest sister, Sun Youzhen, was elected to the palace as a noble concubine. The emperor loved her very much. Therefore, her father Sun Xun was promoted to the first minister of the cabinet. Sun Yulou’s mother Shen Qingyao was the eldest wife. She ate fast and recited the Buddha every day and treated people very kindly. But Sun Xun’s wives were very afraid of her. When she passed away, only Aunt Mei waited in front of the Shen family, and she obeyed Shen Qingyao's words.

Sun Xun has four children and four daughters. The eldest son, Sun Shijie, is full of poems and books. He was forced to marry Wu Yuehong, the daughter of General Wu Da, as his wife. Wu Yuehong saw Sun Shijie staring at a drawing of Luoshen every day, so she tried everything to please Sun Shijie. Sun Shijie not only didn't buy it, but also said coldly to her. The second son, Sun Junhao, married Su Yingxue, the first talented daughter in Beijing. Soon after they got married, Sun Xun gave Sun Junhao the military power in his hand. Sun Xun's third son, Sun Jinge, was so lazy, he often went secretly to find flowers and ask Liu, his wife Xu Fengqiao would beat and scold him, and Sun Jinge fled in fright. Sun Yulou's elder sister Sun Youde and Sun Yourong have long been married, and Sun Yulou and his fourth younger sister, Sun Xiaoxian, are playing together.

Today is Sun Xun’s birthday. Guests at the Sun’s mansion and all the civil and military officials came to celebrate. Sun Xun specially invited Lady Yu from the troupe troupe to sing pipa music. Sun Yulou loved shadow puppetry since he was a child. Fangrong, hurriedly followed Sun Xiaoxian to the birthday banquet. At the beginning of the performance, Lady Yu started to play the pipa under her veil. When a gust of wind blew, Lady Yu’s veil was lifted. Some officials recognized that the young girl on the stage was a fake. The girl repeatedly explained that Lady Yu was her master and that Lady Yu was unwell and could not come. The officials refused to forgive her. Sun Yulou stood up to relieve the girl, begging Sun Xun to give her a reward, and Sun Xun considered again and again to give the girl a reward.

Sun Yulou was obsessed with the girl, so she came directly to Ms. Yu to inquire about her whereabouts. Ms. Yu lied that the girl had died from the cold, so Sun Yulou had to return in disappointment. It turned out that the girl was Lin Shaochun from the Baixi troupe. She knocked Madame Yu stunned and stole Madame Yu's pipa, and then she shined in Sun's Mansion. Lin Shaochun distributed the rewards to the brothers and sisters in the troupe. Master gave her a severe lesson, accused her of being impetuous, and forcibly kicked her out of the troupe.

Sun Yulou went home in despair, and saw Lin Shaochun standing on the bridge from a distance. He was so scared that he thought he had encountered a ghost. Sun Yulou plucked up the courage to step forward and say hello. Lin Shaochun deliberately pretended to be a ghost to scare him, but Sun Yulou was not afraid. Invite Lin Shaochun to have a drink together. Lin Shaochun wanted to take Sun Yulou to the Guimenguan first. She jumped into the river without saying anything. Sun Yulou also jumped down to find someone. As a result, she found nothing. Lin Shaochun quietly walked ashore from the other side of the river.

Lin Shaochun was originally the daughter of Lin Yuandao, the servant of the household department. Lin Yuandao was planted and framed to death by traitorous officials. His mother committed suicide by poisoning. The maids and family members in the house were all exiled. The officers and soldiers wanted to take Lin Shaochun away. Lie that Lin Shaochun was her daughter Xiaoya, and watched the officers and soldiers snatch Xiaoya away. Lin Shaochun's family was destroyed overnight. She was forced to go to the Baixi troupe to find her master to study art, and she wanted to pretend to be a woman dressed as a man and take part in the scientific examination to defend her father.

Lin Shaochun came back to explain the situation to the mother. Mother was in a hurry. Lin Shaochun hung up the portraits of the civil and military officials who framed her father in the room, vowing to get rid of them and avenge her father in the future.