Republic of China: My great warlord, many children, many blessings.

Hankou, Yiyuan.

This is the largest theater in Hubei, a stage that countless famous actors yearn for.

If you succeed in performing here, you'll become famous overnight.

Wang Keqin, a renowned Kunqu opera singer, will be performing at Yiyuan Garden tonight, and many people have arrived early.

At this moment, only Duan Zhigui, Yuan Kewen, Shen Hao, Cheng Shuzhen, Qingqing, and Hong Guniang were sitting in the private room on the second floor.

No one else is allowed to come up; there are guards at the stairwell.

Duan Zhigui knew that Yuan Kewen loved opera, and this time he happened to invite Wang Keqin, which was very difficult to invite.

Shen Hao, sitting next to him, was eating sunflower seeds and seemed uninterested. Yuan Kewen excitedly explained, "Wang Keqin first studied Peking Opera, and later specialized in Hua Dan (female role) roles. You could say she's skilled in singing, recitation, and acting. I think your trip was worthwhile."

Not wanting to offend Yuan Kewen, Shen Hao said:

"Really? Well, we'll have to see."

At the same time, the entire Yi Garden was bustling with activity, even more prosperous than usual.

Downstairs, it was packed with people, as lively as a superstar attending a press conference.

With such popularity, Shen Hao couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems Wang Keqin is still quite famous."

Yuan Kewen laughed and said, "Of course, would I lie to you?"

Duan Zhigui said, "It's okay if Brother Shen doesn't like Wang Keqin. I'll arrange a great show for you later, one that will make you laugh so hard you won't want to leave Guangdong, and your legs will go weak, hehe."

After saying that, he and Yuan Kewen exchanged a glance, and the two old lechers burst into laughter, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

At this moment, the opera troupe's gongs and drums sounded, and a female lead dressed in an opera robe, holding a feather in her hand, walked out with small, quick steps.

It was Wang Keqin, whom Duan Zhigui and Yuan Kewen had been eagerly anticipating.

"it is good!"

Immediately, the entire audience erupted in cheers.

Shen Hao didn't quite understand either, so he could only go with the flow.

21 At this moment, there was a lot of discussion downstairs.

"Have you heard? Duan Zhigui spent eight thousand silver dollars to buy furniture and daily necessities for Wang Keqin in order to please Yuan Kewen, the second son of Yuan Shikai.

I heard that they want to offer Wang Keqin to Yuan Kewen.

'Really?'

'Of course it's true, it's all over the place, would I lie to you?'

"I can confirm that the furniture they bought was all foreign goods, and very expensive. I just came in to see what was going on."

'That guy on the second floor looks like Young Master Yuan, but who's that handsome young man next to him? I don't recognize him.'

'So handsome, could he be that male actor?'

'Possibly, if her singing skills were a bit better, she would definitely be a star.'

Not only was Yiyuan bustling inside, but there were also many people outside, all there to see the gossip.

Among the crowd, Hu Shian, the manager of the Da Han Bao newspaper, and his editor were also watching the play on the first floor of Yi Yuan, hoping to find out if the gossip was true.

However, people gossip as they please.

Wang Keqin's singing skills are still very impressive.

This drew cheers and applause from the entire theater.

Today, Wang Keqin is singing "Meilong Town," and she plays the role of Sister Feng.

There's a line in the show: "The general has money, but he can't buy what Sister Feng won't sell."

When Wang Keqin sang this line, she glanced sideways at the second-floor private room, where Duan Zhigui was sitting, looking adorably annoyed.

This scene was witnessed by Hu Shian, the manager of the Da Han Daily, and his editor, who were overjoyed.

The subtext of this line is that even if Duan Zhigui is rich, I, Wang Keqin, will not sell to him.

This further confirms that the news that Duan Zhigui spent eight thousand silver dollars to give Wang Keqin to Yuan Kewen as a concubine is true; this is big news.

Yuan Kewen, the second son of Yuan Shikai, was known for his love of poetry, women, and opera. Duan Zhigui was very likely to do the same.

Having learned the truth, the two exchanged a glance. Now that the investigation had confirmed the information, they immediately returned to the newspaper office, intending to use this as an excuse to publish their findings in the newspaper the next day.

Shen Hao looked at Duan Zhigui with a puzzled expression. The meaning of that line and Wang Keqin's expression were obvious to even a fool. Could it be that they hadn't communicated well?

However, Duan Zhigui saw it but didn't care. In his opinion, even if Wang Keqin was famous, she was just an actress, and her opinion was not that important.

Soon, the play ended, and everyone was somewhat reluctant to leave.

Duan Zhigui immediately ordered two gold bars to be thrown onto the stage.

Such generosity prompted everyone to drink their tea loudly.

Next, the other actors went on stage to perform.

After removing her makeup, Wang Keqin went up to the second floor.

Although he disliked Duan Zhigui, he still obediently went up to the second floor.

Once she reached the second floor, she immediately spotted Yuan Kewen sitting next to Shen Hao.

Everyone says that girls love to look good, and she had never seen such a handsome man before, so she couldn't help but take a few more glances.

He thought to himself: If only he were Yuan Kewen.

For no apparent reason, this thought popped into my head.

Seeing Wang Keqin come up, Yuan Kewen said happily, "Please, have a seat, Master Wang."

After saying that, he hurriedly helped Wang Keqin move a stool.

Shen Hao scoffed at his sycophantic behavior. "You're supposed to be the president's son, can't you have some class?"

Then, Shen Hao's gaze fell on Wang Keqin.

To be honest, Wang Keqin is extremely beautiful, with a plump and smooth figure, fair skin, and a gentle smile with dimples. She possesses both elegance and sweetness.

Moreover, she was very fashionable. Her hair was permed with pliers and was slightly curled. She wore mid-heeled shoes and a light purple georgette cheongsam that perfectly accentuated her figure, making her curves look stunning.

She doesn't seem like an actress; she's more like a sophisticated lady.

Her every gesture was incredibly alluring.

Wang Keqin smiled and said, "I've met Governor Duan and Young Master Yuan. May I ask who this gentleman is?"

His eyes were fixed on Shen Hao, watching him with curiosity.

Yuan Kewen smiled and said, "This is my brother-in-law, Shen Hao, who is also the Governor of Guangdong."

Wang Keqin's beautiful eyes lit up and she said, "You must be Shen Hao, the Governor of Guangdong. I've heard so much about you."

It is truly an honor for me to meet Governor Shen today.

"I never expected Governor Shen to be so handsome and extraordinary, with such a commanding presence."

One doesn't hit a smiling face, so Shen Hao said, "You're too kind, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Duan Zhigui was overjoyed to see Yuan Kewen's eyes widen.

Those eight thousand dollars were well spent.

It's totally worth it!

So Duan Zhigui said, "Kewen, after we're done, you can take Keqin home. It's getting late and the road isn't very safe."

Yuan Kewen nodded and said, "That's necessary. The world is not peaceful these days; safety comes first."

Then, Wang Keqin saw Cheng Shuzhen, Hong Guniang, and Qingqing, all chatting and laughing around Shen Hao.

She knew in her heart that these three women must be Shen Hao's women, and the thought of Shen Hao's three women made her feel somewhat frustrated.

If no other women were present, she would have been somewhat confident in approaching Shen Hao.

She wanted to ask Shen Hao to block Duan Zhigui for her, but it seemed that this method was not feasible.

Moreover, the three women were just as beautiful as her, which made Wang Keqin lose her former confidence.

At this moment, a new actor began performing in the audience, singing "Huarong Road".

Duan Zhigui said mysteriously, "Brother Shen, do you see these three women?"

Shen Hao looked at the three people, who were dressed in theatrical costumes. Some looked like Guan Yu and some looked like Cao Cao, so he couldn't make out their appearances at all.

"You can't see clearly with makeup on; you have to take it off to see."

"Haha, Brother Shen, you're right. It looks better when it's all taken off. I'll leave this to you tonight, Brother Shen," Duan Zhigui said smugly, stroking his beard.

Seeing that Shen Hao couldn't understand the opera, Yuan Kewen, who was standing to the side, decided to have Wang Keqin explain it to Shen Hao so that he could make a better impression.

"How do you think their singing and dancing are?"

Wang Keqin sat obediently next to Yuan Kewen, occasionally glancing at Shen Hao out of the corner of her eye.

His mind wasn't on Yuan Kewen; he was only thinking about how to refuse Duan Zhigui so that he could get away unscathed.

Duan Zhigui, a warlord with immense power, was not someone a mere actress like her could afford to offend.