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

Yuan Kewen kept babbling in her ear, but she didn't hear a word he said and paid no attention at all.

Wang Keqin was taken aback for a moment and said, "Young Master Yuan, what did you just say?"

Yuan Kewen said again:

"Master Wang, what do you think of these three actors' performance? Tell my brother Shen what you think; he doesn't understand opera."

Upon hearing this, Wang Keqin suddenly realized that Shen Hao's gaze towards her was completely indifferent, without the slightest ripple.

After all that, I still don't understand drama.

Of course I have no feelings for her anymore.

This disappointed Wang Keqin somewhat, since opera was her forte and the source of her confidence.

But if others don't understand, your confidence is useless.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Keqin looked at the three women on the stage and explained, "Governor Shen may not know, but Zhou Yu, Cao Cao, and Guan Yu on the stage are actually a mother and her two daughters."

The mother's name is Xiao Lanying, who played Cao Cao; Guan Yu was played by Yao Yulan; and Zhou Yu was played by Yao Yuying.

In the world of traditional opera, there are very few female opera singers who can portray the male lead (red-faced male role) like Yao Yulan, but her performance of Guan Gong was so masterful that it was truly remarkable.

Shen Hao was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Seeing this, Wang Keqin thought that her explanation had piqued Shen Hao's interest, so she became more confident and continued, "The three of them, mother and daughters, sang 'The Gathering of Heroes' and 'Huarong Road,' which are both well-known and very popular stories in our opera world."

Shen Hao nodded, but his mind wasn't on the play at all; it was on the names of the two women, Yao Yulan and Yao Yuying.

If Shen Hao remembered correctly, he had watched short videos of Du Yuesheng.

The above explanation suggests that the Yao sisters, Yao Yulan and Yao Yuying, were both concubines of Du Yuesheng.

After all, Du Yuesheng was famously powerful in later generations, and Zhang Zuolin was nothing in his eyes.

Rumors circulated that Du Yuesheng, while possessing the Yao sisters Yao Yulan and Yao Yuying, also took their mother, Xiao Lanying, as his own.

Although Xiao Lanying was already 32 years old at the time, she still retained her charm and had a very good figure.

Shen Hao remembers feeling his blood pumping when he read the introduction.

Seeing Shen Hao staring blankly, Duan Zhigui chuckled and said, "Brother Shen, Xiao Lanying's husband was Yao Changhai (stage name Yidoujin), a Bangzi opera actress, who passed away at the beginning of the year."

This mother and her two daughters are now all alone and helpless, relying on each other for survival. Without any support, they are easily bullied.

Originally, the mother and her two daughters were going to Shanghai to try their luck, but coincidentally, I heard from Kewen that you, Brother Shen, were coming to Hubei.

Therefore, I left the mother and daughters at Yi Garden for the time being.

I knew you liked this, Brother Shen, so I specially saved it for you.

Shen Hao: ? ? ?

My mind is racing with a million thoughts.

Damn it, who spread these rumors and tried to ruin my reputation?

Its heart is awkward!

How vicious!

Then, Shen Hao looked at Duan Zhigui, who had an expectant expression, like a primary school student who had received an award and wanted to be praised by his parents.

With that shiny bald head, it's actually kind of comical.

Duan Zhigui, that bastard, truly deserves to be called the number one pimp in Beiyang.

203. I haven't gone to sleep yet, Shen Hao.

However, in Shen Hao's view, Duan Zhigui must be an extremely intelligent person with both high emotional and intellectual abilities to be able to stand firm in a chaotic world full of warlords.

To have risen to this position step by step, one must possess exceptional qualities.

Despite his bandit-like appearance, Duan Zhigui was different from Zhang Zuolin and Lu Rongting, who came from humble bandit backgrounds.

Duan Zhigui was a genuine top student from a military academy, a graduate of the Tianjin Military Academy, and a true professional.

Compared to the fake diploma from the Japanese Military Academy that the principal often mentioned, that was infinitely more impressive.

Although Duan Zhigui was a pimp, Shen Hao still liked him very much.

Women, the more the merrier.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Wang Keqin, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

She never expected that both of today's performances were actually orchestrated by Duan Zhigui to win over Shen Hao and Yuan Kewen, the second son of Yuan Datou.

They treated her and her two daughters, Xiao Lanying and her two daughters, like commodities, available for people to choose from.

I felt extremely angry, yet also heartbroken and helpless.

Feeling a pang of sadness at the thought that she couldn't control her own destiny, Wang Keqin looked at Qingqing, Cheng Shuzhen, and Hong Guniang with a touch of envy.

Then, Wang Keqin sighed softly. Although she was a famous actress who was renowned throughout the country, in the end, she was just an actress.

They belong to the lowest of the low among all the various schools of thought.

Actors, also known as "lingding," were performers specifically for high-ranking officials and nobles. In layman's terms, they were playthings for the amusement of the wealthy and powerful.

The moment someone becomes an actress, they are labeled as heartless prostitutes and ungrateful actors.

Wang Keqin is dissatisfied with this label. She knows many opera singers who have a strong sense of patriotism and are willing to perform charity shows to raise funds to save the country.

Even so, she couldn't change other people's opinions of her as an actress.

After all, actors' performances often violated ancient moral ethics, so they were considered to be dissolute and lacking in loyalty and righteousness.

Moreover, no matter how famous an actor becomes, even if they become a renowned star, they still have no social status.

They might even have to live a life of flattery, constantly on edge, because once they're labeled as an actor, those people will follow them for life.

Moreover, they can't marry ordinary men, since they're too famous; marrying an ordinary person would be a disaster.

Therefore, many actresses who become famous want to find a powerful backer, hoping that their children can get rid of this label in the future.

Wang Keqin was no exception.

Now that she is in the prime of her life, she wants to find a powerful backer, and she wants to find one that she likes.

But this idea seems unrealistic.

She gained fame, but had no power or influence, and basically had no right to choose.

Don't be fooled by those celebrities and wealthy businessmen who fawn over her all the time; when it really comes down to it, no one will genuinely help her through this difficult time.

Who dares to offend Duan Zhigui?

The thought of her fate as a commodity made Wang Keqin tremble.

It's not that she's materialistic; you could say that almost every actress dreams of marrying a powerful figure.

Is it because you love performing opera? Of course not, who would do something for love?

Once those famous actors climb the social ladder and become connected with big shots, who would still want to perform?

The reason they work so hard to increase their fame is simply so they can meet even more important figures.

These days, those who can enter the world of Peking Opera are only doing so out of necessity.

No parent would willingly send their child to a Peking Opera troupe to learn to sing.

Wang Keqin lost both her parents when she was young and was raised by her aunt.

Unfortunately, his family fell into poverty, and he was forced by circumstances to enter the world of Peking Opera.

Wang Keqin had also dreamed of being noticed by warlords, great writers, and important figures one day, but she never expected that day to come so soon.

She had this idea before, when Duan Zhigui gave her a gift.

Wang Keqin refused.

As a result, Duan Zhigui didn't give her a chance to refuse and forced it on her; she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.

The methods were extremely brutal; they held guns to the guns and threatened the entire opera troupe that if Wang Keqin dared not agree, the entire troupe would be shot dead.

This left Wang Keqin feeling helpless, and she was forced to reluctantly agree.

Wang Keqin initially thought that Duan Zhigui had taken a liking to her, but it turned out not to be the case.

Instead, it's about dedicating yourself to others.

Although Duan Zhigui was a big shot, he was not Wang Keqin's ideal type.

She still wanted to try, but when she heard that it was Yuan Kewen, the second son of President Yuan, Wang Keqin felt a little comforted.

Being Yuan Kewen's woman at least gave them a common topic of conversation; they could all talk about drama, which made Wang Keqin's inner resistance somewhat weak.

But when I think of all the legends about Yuan Kewen in the Peking Opera world, I feel a bit resistant.

Yuan Kewen was known in the Peking Opera world for his dashing and romantic nature and his love of drama.

Although her fate was to become someone's concubine, Wang Keqin still wanted to find a better one.

Despite her reluctance, reality forced her to give in; she longed to experience that feeling of being in love.

To her utter surprise, Shen Hao's sudden appearance caused Wang Keqin's heart to race slightly.