第4章 · 第1节
霸王别姬 Chapter 4, Section 1
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In 1966, the Cultural Revolution erupted. The Red Guards stormed into the theater, smashing costumes and props, and burning traditional scripts. Peking opera was labeled as "feudal dross," and all traditional performances were banned.
Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou were dragged out for public denunciation. They were forced to wear tall hats and carry placards reading "monsters and demons," parading through the streets. Once-admiring audiences had now turned into the very crowd denouncing them.
At the denouncement meeting, the Red Guards pressured Duan Xiaolou to expose Cheng Dieyi's "crimes." They interrogated Cheng Dieyi about his relationship with Master Yuan and pressed him on his performances for the Japanese. Under immense pressure, Duan Xiaolou finally broke down.
Duan Xiaolou began to betray Cheng Dieyi. He revealed Cheng Dieyi's performances for the Japanese, spoke of his ambiguous relationship with Master Yuan, and even called Cheng Dieyi a "performer," a "thing that is neither male nor female." Each word felt like a knife stabbing into Cheng Dieyi's heart.
Cheng Dieyi was engulfed in despair. In his hopelessness, he too began to retaliate against Duan Xiaolou. He exposed that Juxian had once been a prostitute and revealed that Duan Xiaolou had frequented brothels. Two once-close friends turned on each other in this frenzy of madness.
Juxian watched all of this unfold, her heart turned to ashes. She threw the precious sword—Cheng Dieyi's most cherished possession—into the flames. This sword, which once symbolized Yu Ji's loyalty to the King, was now reduced to ashes.
That night, Juxian returned home alone. She took out the red wedding dress she had worn on her wedding day and silently put it on. Then, she tied a rope to the beam of the house. The next morning, Duan Xiaolou discovered her lifeless body.
Cheng Dieyi was locked in a cattle shed, enduring endless torment. His hands were broken, and he could no longer wave his sleeves as he once did. The once-glorious Yu Ji had now become a shattered person.