My years as a menswear boss

Eunuchs were very popular from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century, firmly controlling the music scene, and originated in Italy during the Renaissance.

In other words, the world's top eunuchs gather here.The reason why this kind of existence exists is that women are prohibited from participating in the choral chorus. People in the church have been looking for boys with great singing talents since childhood, and castrated them in the early stage of voice change. Many of them died of wound infection. on the operating table.

Jiqiu sat in the Bennett Theater, everyone's face was full of anticipation for the next performance, and their whispers condensed into a sound of friction on paper.

She never thought that the crowd's pursuit of eunuchs' singing was far higher than yesterday's inexplicable opera.

"Are they... all right?" Jiqiu couldn't help asking Dantès beside him.

Dantès patted the boy's head reassuringly, he understood what Jiqiu meant, "These special singers are like this every time they perform."

Just when Jiqiu wanted to ask something more, the whole theater went dark, and she sat back in her chair and devoted herself to the performance.

The halo created by the electric candle hit the stage, and Jiqiu saw a man with an unusually fat body slowly walking onto the stage, gesturing to the audience.Loud applause erupted in the theater.

Immediately afterwards, she saw the giant open his mouth, his voice was clear and sweet, like a ding-dong spring, he sang the first song delicately and beautifully, the music gradually strengthened, and the pitch began to become higher.

After a while, it descended roundly again, more like a musical instrument than a human being, and the whole spirit was washed again.

No wonder Voltaire, who discriminated against eunuchs, had to lament their wonderful singing voices. '

The eunuchs on the stage stopped singing, and the audience applauded enthusiastically.

"How?" Dantès asked.

Jiqiu came back to her senses and replied honestly, "It's indeed what everyone said, like an angel singing. But I still think this is not very humane."

"Most eunuchs are selected from the children of poor families. The Holy See gives them the opportunity to receive higher education, ensures that they have no worries about food and clothing, and enjoys the pursuit of many people, while children of the same class as them are still asking for a piece of bread. worry."

Dantès rubbed his son's chubby face with a smile in his eyes, "Our Simon is so kind."

'Kind? Jiqiu heard this kind of evaluation for the first time, and she felt that the Dantès filter was eight meters thick.

"If I had a choice between getting a higher education and trying to feed myself, I'd choose to be a castrato too."

Jiqiu said softly, she looked at the man on the stage with an indifferent expression, and there was no wave in her heart. The inhumane sentence was not her sympathy, but the conclusion drawn by comparing the laws of later generations.

"Don't worry, I'd rather go to the pier to move goods than send you to the opera house." Dantès said with a smile as he looked at the boy's serious face.

"Then I have to have that kind of talent." Jiqiu knew herself very well. In order to disguise her identity, she honed her voice to be thicker than ordinary girls, not to mention the boy who specially made her voice round. .

Dantès didn't answer Jiqiu's words. When he couldn't fall asleep, the caring little armor sang him a lullaby, which made him dream back to the Chateau d'If prison at night.

After the first singer left the stage, the second eunuch walked onto the stage, and the applause from the audience was even warmer than before.

Jiqiu frowned subconsciously, "Isn't this really a woman pretending to be?" She looked at the bill in her hand, and the eunuch's name was Giovanni Grossi.

On the stage, Grossi has a graceful figure, wearing a white ancient Greek robe, a golden laurel wreath on his head, and his demeanor is a bit shy.

Jiqiu is leaning against the front row, you can see his gentle eyes, reminiscent of a deer in the forest, his facial features are soft and beautiful, even if you know his identity, you are still attracted by his whole person.

"He is so beautiful." Jiqiu said, she has experienced so many worlds, and she can't find a man or woman who is more beautiful than Grossi. Looking at this face, one can eat a few black pieces without changing face bread.

"Yeah." Dantès also lost his mind for a moment, came back to check Jiqiu's state immediately, and confirmed that her eyes were only admiring, and there was no disgusting look in other people's eyes. After that, he breathed a sigh of relief, his cub is still a child.

Grossi is Eurydice, the heroine of this opera "Orfeo", which is an opera about Greek mythology.

A green curtain was spread on the stage to show the scene of the plain.The shepherd and the river goddess sang the love of Orfeo and Eurydice on the first floor of the platform.

When Jiqiu heard Grossi speak, his singing voice was not as soft as that of the last eunuch.

But appearance has added a lot of points to him. It is human instinct to pursue beautiful things.The Italians were intoxicated by Grossi's beauty and were overwhelmed by his every move.

Operas in this era like to end in tragedy. Orfeo did not save Eurydice in the end, and returned to heaven alone.There was the sound of sobbing in the theater.

"Is Orfeo playing an eunuch too?" Jiqiu asked uncertainly. Seeing the actor's tall stature, she was a little uncertain for a while.

"No." Dantès replied, "They are easy to distinguish, without exception."

Only then did Jiqiu realize that there is no concept of fitness in this era, even if Dantès gets up early every morning to practice sword, he is also preparing for a duel.

After watching the performance, Dantès stood up and motioned Jiqiu to follow, "It's time for us to go home, Simon."

Jiqiu slowly got down from the chair, and Xiaobu followed behind him. After leaving the theater, she saw Dantès's men running over and said something to him in a low voice.

Dantès looked serious, he looked at Jiqiu hesitantly, then stepped forward and knelt down, "I want to see an old friend, let Jacob take you home."

"Okay~" Jiqiu nodded her head obediently, she tried her best to restrain her happy expression, and waved her small hand towards Dantès' carriage going away.

"Master, it's time for us to go back." Jacob showed a kind smile, but actually his heart was a little beating.

Ever since he followed Dantès, he felt that the little master was terrible. He had been a pirate for so many years, relying on this keen intuition, he avoided many dangers that would kill him.

"It's still early, let's go shopping." Jiqiu showed a big smile. It was not in vain that she tried her best yesterday to pass the news of Dantès' arrival in Venice to the tobacco supplier who was eager to see him, and to give her guardian more time during the journey. A little work.

Jacob's smile disappeared, "Where are you going shopping?"

"Phoenix Grand Theater." Jiqiu replied.

Jacob looked puzzled. He didn't understand why the little master just came out of the theater and went to another theater. He hadn't heard that he liked opera very much before. Because he didn't follow Dantès yesterday, he didn't know what happened in the theater yesterday. episode.

"I like an actress named Christina in the theater very much, and I want to meet her." Jiqiu said with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, trying hard to suppress his blushing.

Jacob immediately understood, 'So the young master is also at that age? '

A smile appeared on his face again, "Of course, we can go now... Does she look good?"

Jiqiu watched Jacob trying not to show his hunger, and nodded affirmatively, "It's very beautiful."

On the way to the Phoenix Theater, Jacob drove the horse twice as fast as usual.

"We're here, master." Jacob hurriedly opened the door.

Jiqiu jumped out of the carriage, she looked at the closed door of the theater, 'Is there no performance? '

"They are rehearsing for a new opera, so there is no performance." Jacob ran back and explained to Jiqiu after reading the notice posted at the theater entrance.

Jiqiu rubbed the ruby ​​on the clothes, she picked it off hard, and handed it to Jacob, "It's okay to take a look at their behind-the-scenes work, you say a painter wants to get inspiration."

Jacob reluctantly looked at the expensive ruby ​​in his palm, and he still took the gem to negotiate with the guard of the theater.

Jiqiu watched the doorman hesitate for a while, but closed his eyes and accepted the bribe. She was not surprised, after all, the sale of this gem was enough to make his whole family rich.

"...Actually, the reason why the theater is closed is not because of the rehearsal of the new opera. Two days ago, the leading actor of the theater fell from the stage and broke his leg, and then a female actress was frightened by the sudden rise of the curtain at night. Crazy."

After the big and round doorman took the bribe, so much money made him feel unreal, and he babbled about the strange things that happened in the past few days, "In short, people are panicking now, and many actors want to leave Phoenix."

Jacob was a little confused, he looked at the determined young man, "Why do I feel so cold all of a sudden?"

"Don't scare yourself." Jiqiu said calmly, pointing to the open-air theater, "Accidents happen every day in the world, Phoenix's stage is exposed outside, if it is not maintained regularly, it is possible for people to wrestle.

After all, there are so many unlucky people, and when the curtain rises, it may be blown by the wind. When people are in fear, they usually exaggerate the point of horror. "

"Master, you are right." Jacob felt much relieved.

The doorman walking in front glanced at the pair of master and servant in surprise. He was also surprised just now that the so-called painter was such a young boy, like a young master who sneaked out of the house.

"The front is where the actors put on their makeup, so I won't take you there." The guard pointed to a small room in front and slipped away as if oiling the soles of his feet.

Jacob spat behind his back, "Coward!"

Jiqiu made a booing gesture to Jacob, and heard the quarrel coming from inside. Seeing that the quarrel was getting louder, she had to flatten the wrinkles on her clothes, bent her index finger and knocked on the wooden door, "Hello, We are Ms. Christina's suitors, and we came here to visit."

The room became quiet, and after a long time, the door inside was opened, and Christina smiled reluctantly, "Sorry, I'm not feeling well today, so I can't entertain you... you?"

Jiqiu looked at Christina with a surprised face. She had just reached the position of her chest, and her face was full of childishness. "Ah, I acted too abruptly."

She peered through the gap between Christina and the door, the small dressing room was empty.

"Are you still a child?" Christina breathed a sigh of relief, her face became gentle, "The theater is not a place for children to play, go home quickly."