Chapter 707 A Play

At 9:00 AM, the fundraising at the Prince's Mansion villa officially began.

The Wei family spared no expense, inviting the most popular opera troupe in the capital to perform, which the young ladies thoroughly enjoyed.

Lin Yuesha had been busy for most of the morning, and she also came to watch the excitement. In order not to disturb the crowd, she chose to stand in the back row of the crowd.

"Sister Yue Sha, please sit here."

Bai Youran, with her sharp eyes, spotted Lin Yuesha while she was distracted and waved to her.

"Sister Bai, I'm not here to relax. I still have to go back to the main kitchen to work later."

Lin Yuesha politely declined, but Bai Youran, being cunning, was someone she had to be wary of. Lin Yuesha, however, only wanted to stay out of it and didn't want to get involved. She was eager to cheer on Wei Lan and Li Ruoxue as they fought over a man, making the drama even more exciting.

Lin Yuesha chose a corner to listen to the opera in peace, but as she listened, she realized that something was wrong.

Logically, since the opera troupe was hired by the Wei family, they should have avoided suspicion and chosen a moderate play. However, the play on stage was the opposite. It was about a scholar who passed the imperial examination after getting married, while his wife was very wealthy. His studies and examinations were entirely supported by his wife's dowry.

After arriving in the capital, the scholar happened to save the daughter of an official who had fallen into the water. He felt indebted to the official and offered himself in marriage. The official's daughter overcame many obstacles and was willing to become the scholar's concubine. However, the scholar remained unmoved and even when he was framed and imprisoned, he still refused to yield to death.

"He is a man of integrity."

"If a man is chosen to marry such a woman, and she succumbs to power, even if the daughter of an official becomes his concubine, how can he possibly let the principal wife go?"

There is no shortage of wealthy people in the capital, and there are many with immense wealth. These businessmen are fond of scheming and always seek to associate with powerful people.

The young ladies were deeply moved that the scholar was able to stick to his original aspirations and remain single-minded, and some even shed tears.

As the group discussed the matter briefly, Wei Lan's complexion grew increasingly worse.

This play is clearly a reference to her; the story of her falling into the water and being rescued is exactly the same as how she met Bai Dingfeng.

The difference is that she was engaged to Bai Dingfeng and entered the family as a secondary wife, unlike the official's daughter in the play who voluntarily became a concubine.

Did Bai Dingfeng lose his integrity just because he agreed to marry her? It's because he fell in love with her and discovered her good qualities.

He once said that although she had a bit of a temper, she was very cute. When you like someone, you can find something adorable in their flaws.

Isn't that clear enough? Bai Dingfeng was forced to marry Li Ruoxue, and the fact that he didn't divorce her already shows he has a sense of responsibility!

"Sister Wei, this whole drama..."

Lin Yue'e noticed this, pointed at Wei Lan with her hand, and hesitated before speaking.

"It's just a coincidence."

The opera troupe was hired by the Wei family, and these low-class actors didn't dare to sabotage the performance.

Wei Lan firmly believed that she should patiently continue watching the play.

The climax of the play is here!

When the daughter of an official learned that the scholar refused to take her as a concubine because his wife was pregnant, he worried that the daughter might harm him and cause harm to his offspring.

"If we have no children, would you still be willing to marry me?"

After being rejected repeatedly, the housekeeper's daughter lost all face. Since her beloved cared about the unborn child and refused to marry her, she would make the child disappear...

However, she was clever and did not act directly. Instead, she arranged to meet the scholar's wife.

"If you don't back down, I'll have him tortured to death."

"How could I, a young lady, let someone else have what I cannot have?"

In the final scene on the stage, the wife drinks a potion that induces pregnancy, collapses in a pool of blood, and both she and her unborn child die.

The scholar, upon emerging from prison and witnessing this scene, looked up to the sky and wept bitterly…

The opera troupe performed a tragedy.

Lin Yuesha sighed, "As expected of a famous opera troupe in the capital, every movement and detail is very moving, drawing people into the story and making them feel deeply saddened."

"Waaah, that official's daughter is so heartless! How could she treat an innocent woman like this?"

"With such deep affection, even a scholar like him might not survive."

There's a small detail in the final scene: the scholar is holding a small porcelain bottle and a pot of white wine. The small porcelain bottle has the words "arsenic" written on it.

"A gentleman helps others achieve their goals, and we women should do the same."

Pangpang wiped away her tears and sighed deeply.

Then she realized that the scene was completely silent, and all eyes were on Wei Lan and Li Ruoxue. Even Lin Yuesha, who was not far from Li Ruoxue, felt like she was being pricked.

The young ladies were slow to realize what was happening, and dared not say anything that might offend Wei Lan, making the scene quite awkward.

From the moment the play began, Bai Youran had been in a daze. She was certain that this play was not arranged by Wei Lan, and she couldn't understand why the opera troupe hired by the Wei family would be so clueless.

She and her sister-in-law Li Ruoxue planned to frame Wei Lan, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the opera troupe.

"Sisters, please don't misunderstand. Sister Wei and Young Master Bai are in love, and she is also good friends with Miss Li. This way, they can have a harmonious relationship after becoming family."

Lin Yue'e took the initiative to save the day. It was impossible to ignore the situation, so it was better to be frank and dispel everyone's doubts.

Otherwise, if Li Ruoxue gets into trouble, no matter who is behind it, Wei Lan will have to take the blame.

"Sister Li, you're the elder sister now that you've entered. I'll offer you a cup of tea instead of wine."

Before even entering the house, Wei Lan, as the Empress's younger sister, offered a toast to the daughter of a minor official, demonstrating a humble attitude that won the favor of everyone.

There was a precedent in the capital where two close sisters married the same man. They lived together harmoniously, without distinction of age, and often went out shopping and to see plays together.

When a daughter of a prominent family marries into another prominent family, her husband is bound to have concubines. Rather than marrying a troublesome man, it's better to have familiar sisters around, so that they can chat and play cards together occasionally when they have free time.

"Come on, let's have a drink, sisters, so that we won't be misunderstood."

Li Ruoxue responded immediately, stepping forward with a smile, without the slightest restraint.

Bai Youran stood there dumbfounded. This was far from what she had estimated. Even if Li Ruoxue was stupid, she wouldn't believe that Wei Lan had no hostility. It was one thing for others, but how could the Empress's own sister be subordinate to someone else?

After drinking a bowl of tea, Li Ruoxue's smile cracked, her face suddenly turned pale, and she swayed.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

Bai Youran's expression changed drastically, and she grabbed Li Ruoxue's waist with both hands and twisted it hard.

"Blood, it's blood!"

One of the onlookers screamed, and everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene.

Wei Lan didn't have time to retract her hand, and it stopped in mid-air.

What's going on? Is Li Ruoxue trying to stage an accident with her?

"Dr. Yan is in the other courtyard. Go find Dr. Yan!"

Lin Yue'e shook Wei Lan and spoke up to remind her.

The bleeding is increasing, which doesn't seem like a sign that my period is coming. Could it be...?

"It wasn't me!"

Wei Lan screamed in terror. If she were to harm Li Ruoxue's illegitimate child, she wouldn't choose to do it in front of everyone, especially since the opera troupe on stage had just finished performing that tragedy!