Now that he saw the jokes landing one after another, the audience’s expressions gradually relaxed, focusing on his words rather than solely trying to capture his face on their phones, and he slowly introduced the main topic.
“…Speaking of my mom, she is the quintessential beautiful female star who loves beauty. In her life, she doesn’t allow anything unattractive. So the story I’m going to tell next has to feature a beautiful protagonist.”
Qi Shejiang smoothly transitioned from Xia Yiwei to the story.
“This story takes place not too long ago during the reign of Xianfeng. In Changzhou City, there was a scoundrel named Yang Haoshan, who is the protagonist of this story. He was orphaned, and even his relatives and neighbors didn’t care for him. When a household named Zhao on the street was robbed, he was the first one they suspected.
“Yang Haoshan, having lost his parents, had no one to support him, and within half a month of being imprisoned, he starved to death! In the past, prison conditions were poor, and the jailers were not easy to deal with.
Many prisoners who weren’t sentenced to death ended up dying in there due to cold, hunger, illness, etc.—this is called ‘starved to death.’ You tell me, was his death unjust?”
Qi Shejiang spoke with a controlled rhythm, maintaining clarity in his pronunciation and managing the pace well. While the jokes may not have packed together as densely as earlier warm-up remarks, they still captivated everyone.
“After Yang Haoshan died, he arrived at the underworld and, of course, claimed injustice. The King of Hell checked with the local city god and said that Yang Haoshan should be acquitted. Yang Haoshan replied, ‘I’m already dead; being acquitted means being set free to become a wandering ghost?’ The King of Hell reassured him, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not like that muddle-headed county official. Right now, your body is decaying at the potter’s field, but don’t fear, there are two living people whose lives have come to an end. You can borrow a body to return to life and live out the remainder of your days, and also get your grievances avenged. Choose one of the two options; which one do you want?’
“Yang Haoshan was delighted—he could choose!
