哈哈漫画

Li Xia had originally thought it would be entertaining, but as she watched, she found it rather dull. This was supposedly based on her, but she had never been so flirtatious and flashy – truly a boring depiction.

Li Xin, who had been enjoying the show, turned to see Li Xia frowning. "Xia Xia, are you feeling unwell?"

"Sister, I'm going out for a bit," Li Xia said, rising and heading out. Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan followed behind.

Outside the private room, Li Xia asked a maid standing by the door, "Where is the dressing room?"

"This way, Miss," the maid bowed and led Li Xia to the dressing room in the back building, which resembled the restrooms at modern-day shopping malls. Li Xia went inside to freshen up, then came out after washing her hands.

Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan stood outside, calling out, "Miss."

"It's stuffy inside. I'll stand out here for a bit. You two go ahead and watch," Li Xia said, not wanting to go in.

Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan exchanged glances. Though they wanted to watch, they didn't move.

"Go on, nothing will happen to me in this public place," Li Xia waved them off. Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan didn't return to the second floor but went to the entrance on the first floor to watch the stage in the main hall. From where they stood, they could see Li Xia standing not far away.

Between the front and back buildings was a small garden, where Li Xia stood, taking in the soothing green atmosphere, which helped dissipate her frustration. The physical pain was becoming more and more severe, and she didn't know when Zhou Heng's prescription would be adjusted.

Lost in thought, she walked to a corner and glanced through a window gap, catching sight of Fourth Miss Lu and the prince embracing each other.

Unbelievable, they weren't even married yet, yet they were hugging and embracing like that – how daring! Or perhaps they had already decided to be together. Li Xia pondered, slowing her steps as she listened to the sounds from the private room.

After being persuaded by Old Madam Lu and Uncle Lu, Mrs. Lin had finally agreed to betroth Third Miss Lu to Old Madam Lu's maternal nephew.

Once Third Miss Lu's marriage was settled, the engagements of Lu Er and Fourth Miss Lu were also put on the agenda. Old Madam Lu and Uncle Lu did not intervene further, leaving it to Lu Madam to arrange the marriages for her two younger daughters.

For Lu Er, Lu Madam had chosen the son of a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites, who was the supervisor of Lu Er's cousin.

As for Fourth Miss Lu, her aunt had always been favored by Uncle Lu, leading Mrs. Lin to dislike Fourth Miss Lu. Mrs. Lin intended to marry her off to a particularly strict and rigid family.

Fourth Miss Lu had secretly inquired about that family. The matriarch was known for being exceptionally strict, and the son she had raised from a concubine was of no accomplishment. He was meek and submissive, unable to defy his mother, and had no say in the household. He had studied but failed to achieve success in the civil service examinations, leaving him with no prospect of an official career.

Such a man would have no prospects in life, relying on others for his livelihood – a life that Fourth Miss Lu had experienced enough of. She absolutely refused to let her descendants suffer the same fate.

The Fourth Prince had subtly expressed his affection for her, without explicitly stating it. Fourth Miss Lu enjoyed the ambiguity and had never confronted him about it, allowing their relationship to remain in that obscure state.

But now, Lu Madam was about to arrange Fourth Miss Lu's marriage. If her marriage was settled, it would be too late. Anxious, Fourth Miss Lu paid no heed to propriety and arranged to meet the Fourth Prince at a teahouse, intending to ask when he would take her as his wife. In her heart, Fourth Miss Lu desired to become the Prince Consort.

However, as the daughter of a lowly fourth-rank official, the Fourth Prince would never grant Fourth Miss Lu the position of his Prince Consort. At most, he would make her a concubine.

But the Fourth Prince could not tell Fourth Miss Lu this. Through their interactions, he could see that she desired a once-in-a-lifetime, everlasting love – something that did not exist. So the Fourth Prince had kept her in ambiguity, intending to exploit her value to continuously profit from her ideas.

If he rejected her outright, an enraged Fourth Miss Lu might turn to his three elder brothers, which would be a loss for him.

But now, Fourth Miss Lu had grown impatient and spoke her intentions plainly. Seeing her hopeful expression, the Fourth Prince felt annoyed but hid it well. He pondered how to resolve the situation when he suddenly remembered the Li Manor carriages he had seen earlier and formed a plan.

"Fourth Miss, you know that I cannot decide my own marriage," the Fourth Prince feigned difficulty.

"You must fight for our future," Fourth Miss Lu was dissatisfied with her beloved's response.

"I am trying to find a way to marry you as soon as possible," the Fourth Prince said passionately, taking Fourth Miss Lu's hand.

"What solution have you thought of?" Fourth Miss Lu wished to leave the Lu Mansion immediately.

The Fourth Prince revealed his plan – Fourth Miss Lu must attend Li Xin's coming-of-age ceremony at the Li Manor, where he and Cao Fugui would also be present. Then, Fourth Miss Lu should pretend to fall into the water, and he would rescue her. With this heroic act, he could then petition the Emperor to grant them permission to wed, making it a celebrated tale.

Fourth Miss Lu became lost in fantasies of her future blissful life with the Fourth Prince, failing to notice his dubious expression. But Li Xia could see it clearly and surmised that not only did he desire Fourth Miss Lu, but he also had designs on the Li family.

Li Xia did not care how the princes schemed against each other, but if their plots threatened to disturb her own family's peace, she would not allow it.

Maintaining her composure, she returned to the private room. Seeing Li Xin's concerned expression, Li Xia smiled to show she was alright. The performance downstairs continued, reaching its most riveting moment. The gambling expert unveiled her black cloak, revealing a red dress underneath. With her dark tresses, red lips, fair skin, and exquisite features, she resembled a seductive enchantress. Picking up a card, she cast a disdainful smile at the gamblers.

The audience downstairs erupted into cheers and applause. Even Li Shan clapped enthusiastically. Li Xin, hands clutching her handkerchief, seemed deeply engrossed.

This novel stage performance kept the audience captivated until the end.

As they left the theater, the group excitedly discussed the play, especially Li Guang, who would have loved to try his hand at gambling at a real den if not for Li Hui's presence.

On their way back to Qingyue Street, they passed by the garden of the Li Manor, where Li Xia paused, her steps faltering.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Qiu Ling also stopped walking and followed Li Xia's gaze toward the pool, not seeing any problem.

"How deep is this pool?" Li Xia suddenly asked. Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan exchanged glances, shaking their heads, unaware of the depth.

"Let's test the depth," Li Xia said, and Qiu Chan immediately jumped into the pool.

"Miss, the water reaches my waist, about four feet deep."

Seeing Qiu Chan grinning at her, Li Xia was speechless. When she said to test the depth, she meant for Qiu Chan or Qiu Ling to find a bamboo pole and measure it, not for Qiu Chan to directly jump in.