Chapter 170 Main Gate Square: Public Execution
After the "baby-making plan" was temporarily shelved, Dongfang Yuning devoted all his unbridled energy and a little bit of resentment to his work.
Her primary goal is to manage the "Lucky Star Theater" that she founded.
Today's Fuxing Theater is no longer the small troupe that first made its mark in the capital, but has become the leading entertainment destination in Yanmao Port and even the entire Dayan South.
The theater is magnificent and the stage mechanisms are exquisite. The plays rehearsed range from sentimental love stories to magnificent naval epics.
There is also a group of handsome men and beautiful women, both young and old, who are personally screened by Dongfang Yuning and recruited or trained from all over the country. They form a dazzling list of lucky stars, attracting countless audiences and making tickets hard to come by.
The steward in charge of the theater is named Mo Ying. He is one of the secret guards trained by Nangong Ye in his early years. He is agile, meticulous, and loyal to the prince and princess.
Nangong Ye placed him in this position because he valued his ability to handle secret affairs.
For example, some artists become arrogant after becoming famous, some shady transactions, and some dark hands trying to reach out to the theater.
The prince has issued a strict order: these dirty things must be dealt with cleanly, and the princess's ears and the reputation of the theater must not be tarnished!
Dongfang Yuning was not completely unaware of this.
She comes from the modern age of information explosion. Hasn't she seen enough news about celebrities becoming arrogant, having their reputations ruined, and having their personal morals corrupted?
At the beginning of the establishment of the Lucky Star Theater, she publicly set an iron rule:
"Fortune Star Theatre relies on its skills to make a living and relies on its artistic ethics to establish itself!
Anyone who dares to engage in pornography, gambling, or drugs, anyone who dares to bully others by taking advantage of their power, anyone who dares to abandon their love and play with others’ feelings, and crosses the bottom line - will bear the consequences at their own risk!
I'm always looking for talented, hardworking, and disciplined people to step up here!"
She thought that, having said this, and with the presence of Mo Ying, the "scavenger", it would be enough to deter the villains.
However, it still happened.
On this day, Dongfang Yuning suddenly had an idea and went to the backstage of the theater without saying hello, wanting to see how the new rehearsal of "Legend of Poseidon" was progressing.
As soon as I reached the door of the rehearsal room, I heard fierce quarrels and crying coming from inside, mixed with the sound of broken objects!
"Let my father go! Mr. Liu! You are such a heartless person! Give me back my daughter's life--!" A middle-aged man roared hoarsely with deep grief and indignation.
"Get lost, old bastard! Your daughter is being a slut and having her mind turned, it's none of my business! If you keep pestering me, I'll have you thrown out!"
A young man's sharp and arrogant voice sounded, full of impatience and contempt.
Dongfang Yuning frowned and suddenly pushed open the heavy carved wooden door!
The scene before my eyes was a mess.
A middle-aged man in coarse clothes and with a haggard face was held tightly by two theater guards. His eyes were red, veins on his forehead were bulging, and he was staring straight ahead.
Next to him was a woman who was also dressed simply and almost fainted from crying. She was his wife.
The object of their glare was a handsome young man dressed in gorgeous costumes and with slicked-back hair and powdered face.
He was being protected by several servants, with undisguised disgust and arrogance on his face. He was none other than the handsome young man who was currently very popular on the Fortune List - Liu Hanzhang!
"What's going on?!"
Dongfang Yuning's voice was not loud, but it carried a cold majesty that penetrated the noise, instantly quieting the entire rehearsal room.
Mo Ying had quietly appeared half a step behind her without her noticing, his face extremely grim, and whispered:
"Princess...it's my fault. Liu Hanzhang had an affair with a girl named Xiaohe from a fishing village outside the city...and she's pregnant.
Xiao He's parents had already planned the wedding, but Liu Hanzhang changed his mind, speaking harshly and slandering Xiao He's innocence. "Miss Xiao He... was so upset that she... committed suicide by jumping into the river last night."
He spoke very quickly, his voice filled with suppressed anger.
He had just found out about the matter and was preparing to deal with it with thundering means, but he didn't expect the victim to come to his door and be caught by the princess!
"Throw yourself into the river...and commit suicide?"
Dongfang Yuning felt a chill rushing from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, freezing her blood instantly!
She suddenly looked at Liu Hanzhang, her gaze like a sharp blade tempered with ice!
Liu Hanzhang was already frightened when Dongfang Yuning appeared. At this moment, his legs went limp when he was swept by this gaze, and he fell to his knees with a plop, his face as pale as paper.
"Princess...Princess! It's unfair! That little He was so fickle. When she couldn't seduce me, she...she slandered me! Who knows whose bastard she's carrying! She's committing suicide. What does it have to do with me?"
He spoke incoherently and tried to make excuses.
"Bullshit!"
The middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot, and he broke free from the guards' grip and was about to pounce.
"Liu! You looked like a beggar at the dock! My daughter took pity on you and gave you food! You tricked her with your sweet words!
It was you who swore and vowed to marry her when you became successful! It was you... it was you, the beast, who took her body!
Now that you've climbed up the social ladder and put on this human skin, you're turning your back on your responsibilities! You're even slandering my daughter! I...I'm going to fight you!"
The grief-stricken and angry accusation, every word heart-wrenching, echoed in the silent rehearsal room.
Dongfang Yuning clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, his nails digging deep into his palms!
She looked at Liu Hanzhang's handsome face, which was distorted by fear and guilt, and then at the grief-stricken parents who had lost their daughter. A surge of rage mixed with intense self-blame almost swallowed her up!
Her territory! Where she made the rules!
Such a despicable and shameless scum who harmed lives had actually appeared! And Mo Ying hadn't been able to stop him immediately!
"Shut up!"
Dongfang Yuning shouted, interrupting Liu Hanzhang's futile sophistry and the man's roar.
Her voice was like shattering ice, filled with unquestionable majesty and wrath:
"Liu Hanzhang, you're very good!"
She glanced around at the actors, musicians, and servants in the rehearsal room, all silent and hushed. Her gaze finally fell on Mo Ying, filled with deep disappointment and questioning:
"Manager Mo, this is the theater you managed for me? A beggar who survives on the mercy of women, puts on a costume and becomes a star, and then he becomes ungrateful and forces people to death?!"
Mo Ying knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply:
"I have failed in my duty! Please punish me, Princess!"
He knew that any explanation would be useless at this moment.
"Punishment? Of course I must punish!"
Dongfang Yuning's voice suddenly rose, with a determination to burn his boats.
"But before that, let this scum show everyone what happens when someone crosses the line of our Lucky Star Theater!"
She turned around abruptly and announced to everyone, and seemingly to the entire Yanmao City:
"Order! All performances at the Fuxing Theater are to be suspended immediately! This case will be publicly handled in the main square in one hour!
All theater staff and artists on the Lucky Star List must be present! We also welcome all residents of Yanmao City to witness this event!
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