"My lady, the sedan chair is ready," Cuizhu said to Liu, who had finished her afternoon nap. These days, Liu goes to Changyin Pavilion every few days to listen to operas, and the days pass quickly. Cuizhu also enjoys listening to the operas of Mu Qingyang, the leading actor of the Mu family troupe, and she's happy to go with him on these days. The eunuch who prepared the sedan chair outside was named Jinzi. He was very good at flattering Cuizhu, and over time, he became familiar with Liu.

"Okay, let's go." Liu looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, then stood up and touched her slightly protruding belly.

As the sedan chair moved through the slightly bleak autumn wind of early winter, Liu, sitting inside, recalled the flutter in her heart every time she saw Mu Qingyang. She thought she had forgotten that man, but when she was once again captivated by his voice and handsome appearance, Liu found herself increasingly unable to extricate herself.

When the familiar face reappeared before Liu Shi as her beloved Liu Mengmei, she once again fell for her without hesitation.

One of the two sedan chair carriers who had been waiting outside was Xiao Jinzi. He and Cuizhu were chatting by the door.

“Princess Liu really loves listening to this performance of 'The Peony Pavilion.' Every time she comes back, she requests this one,” Xiao Jinzi said.

"Boss Mu of the Mu Family Troupe really sings well. Even I'm mesmerized," Cuizhu said, listening intently to the opera on stage.

"You girls just like these good-looking actors. If you ask me, they're all looks and no substance!" Xiao Jinzi scoffed.

"You little eunuch, you say he's all looks and no substance!" Cuizhu turned her head, glanced at Xiao Jinzi, and teased him playfully.

Xiao Jinzi naturally understood what she meant and quickly said, "Miss Cuizhu is bullying me. I, Xiao Jinzi, am useless; I'm already a eunuch. But it's probably not appropriate for the princess to be so infatuated with this actor!"

The words were like a bolt from the blue, and Cuizhu froze, as if struck by lightning. She watched as Liu stared adoringly at the man on the stage, and a strange feeling stirred within her.

“Sister Cuizhu, am I right, Xiao Jinzi? If others seize on this and make a big deal out of it, Princess Liu’s reputation will be ruined,” Xiao Jinzi said.

Cuizhu had already realized the problem, and then she paid special attention to Liu Shi. Sure enough, she saw that Liu Shi seemed to be very infatuated with Mu Qingyang on the stage.

Mu Qingyang never expected to see Liu Shi again in this lifetime. He had almost eloped with her, but they were caught by Prefect Liu, severely beaten, and he was bedridden for over a month before recovering. He had promised his master he would forget this Miss Liu and even married another woman. But when he saw that same infatuated look in her eyes again, Mu Qingyang's heart stirred once more. He had never forgotten Liu Shi, but when he saw her again, she was already the Fourth Prince's princess—an unattainable status, an unbridgeable barrier between them.

"Princess, it's getting late, we should go back." Cuizhu walked to Liu's side and said to Liu, who was looking intoxicated.

Liu paused slightly, glanced at the man on the stage, nodded, and tossed a fan from her sleeve to him. It was a Suzhou-style folding fan with a jade handle.

Liu's actions were a way of rewarding Mu Qingyang. Like many noblewomen, when they enjoyed a performance, they would throw silver or other items onto the stage. When Cuizhu saw Liu throw out her favorite fan, she exclaimed in surprise, "Princess, this fan is your favorite item!"

Liu Shi, supporting Cui Zhu's hand, said calmly, "Mu Sheng sang well, so I'm giving him a reward."

Seeing that Liu's expression was cold, Cuizhu didn't press the matter further and could only help her leave Changyin Pavilion.

Meanwhile, Mu Qingyang bent down to pick up the fan that Liu had thrown to him, stuffed it into his sleeve, and then went down to remove his makeup.

"Brother Mu, this Liu Gege seems to really like your opera!" said a man who was removing his makeup with him. He played Mu Qingyang's page in the opera.

"Brother, what's wrong with my acting?" Mu Qingyang ignored him and continued removing her makeup.

After removing his makeup, he returned to his room and quickly took out the jade fan from his pocket. On the fan was written a poem from the Book of Songs. He looked at the fan for a long time, pondered for a while, and then folded it up and put it away.

Meanwhile, after returning to her own room, Liu called Cuizhu into the inner room, saying she had something to say to her.

"Princess, you...you know that Mu Qingyang?" Cuizhu stared wide-eyed at Liu Shi. Liu Shi had just briefly explained her relationship with Mu Qingyang to Cuizhu. Liu Shi knew that due to her status, her movements were inconvenient, and if she wanted to see him, she needed a trusted confidant who knew her well to deliver the message.

"Hmm. Cuizhu, actually, I knew you before you came into my life. Cuizhu, how have I treated you?" Liu asked.

“Your Highness treats me very well. I am so fortunate to have met you, my mistress. It is truly a blessing in disguise,” Cuizhu said.

"Now I'm sending you to inform him that I only want to see him once," Liu said.

Cuizhu was stunned by Liu's idea. He hadn't expected that what Xiao Jinzi had just said would immediately become a reality. He had been completely unaware, thinking that Liu simply enjoyed listening to the Mu family opera troupe's plays.

"Princess, you, you'd better not see him. And you'd better not go to listen to his operas anymore." Cuizhu felt that what Liu was doing was too dangerous; if people found out, it would be hard to explain.

“Cuizhu, I just want to see him. I know that with my current status, it’s impossible for us to be together, but that matter from back then hasn’t been resolved yet, and it’s already like this. I’m really upset about it. I just want to make it clear to him that it wasn’t because I regretted it, but because my family forced me to. Let’s just consider this as our fate being sealed in this life, and that we can continue our relationship in the next.” Liu said.

"My lady, your words will likely bring you trouble. You are now the Fourth Prince's concubine, and you are pregnant. Soon you will rise in status because of your child." Cuizhu completely failed to understand Liu's feelings at this moment. Logically speaking, she should be avoiding him like the plague. Why would she want to see him?

“Cuizhu, listen to me. I’m not going to see him for any particular reason, just to settle things. From now on, we’ll be even,” Liu said.

Cuizhu objected to Liu's insistence on seeing Mu Qingyang, but had no choice but to agree to pass on the message. Remembering Xiao Jinzi's words, she considered discussing it with him, but could she really tell an outsider about her mistress's secret?