Granny Yao hesitated, her eyes fixed on the Eighth Prince's wife, as if she would disappear in the blink of an eye. The Eighth Prince's wife sat before her dressing table, gazing at her no-longer-young reflection in the mirror, finding no satisfaction in her attempts to adjust her appearance.

"I still remember when I first entered the manor, it was Granny Yao who did my hair and makeup every day..." The Eighth Princess removed the gold hairpin from her hair and said with a smile to Granny Yao in the mirror. Granny Yao was taken aback, and recalled, "This servant remembers that back then, the Eighth Prince always said that the Princess looked good in pink clothes, so the Princess specially asked this servant to prepare many sets of pink clothes for you..."

The Eighth Prince's wife nodded and smiled, "Yes, as long as the Eighth Prince is happy, I will be content."

Granny Yao walked behind the Eighth Prince's wife, picked up a wooden comb, lifted her hair bun, and carefully combed it gently. She sighed, "The Princess is still so beautiful. Time always seems to favor her."

The Eighth Prince's wife knew that Granny Yao was saying this on purpose, but she still couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing, "You always say nice things to tease me, how can I be pretty?"

When Yao Mama saw that the Eighth Prince's wife was smiling, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and whispered in the Eighth Prince's wife's ear: "Let me comb your hair again, Princess!" The Eighth Prince's wife nodded and let Yao Mama do her hair.

After a while, putting down the wooden comb, the Eighth Princess looked at her neat and unique hairstyle and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the popular lily bun hairstyle?"

Granny Yao selected a few hair ornaments from the jewelry box and gently put them on the Eighth Prince's wife. She nodded and smiled, "You have a good eye, Princess. I have styled your hair into a lily bun, which symbolizes a long and happy marriage with your husband..."

The Eighth Prince's wife touched her hair shyly, shook her head in disappointment, and lamented to herself, "A hundred years of happiness? Is there really such a thing as a hundred years of happiness in this world?" As she spoke, two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.

When Granny Yao saw that the Eighth Princess Consort was crying, she panicked and quickly comforted her, "Princess Consort, don't be sad. It was my fault. I'll redo your hair right away..."

The Eighth Prince's wife sobbed, blinked to stop her tears, and smiled at Granny Yao, saying, "No... I like this hairstyle!"

Granny Yao knelt down, half-kneeling at the feet of the Eighth Prince's wife, and earnestly pleaded with her, "Princess, I know that such a terrible thing has happened to the Eighth Prince's mansion this time, and you must be feeling very lost and helpless. But I believe we will get better. So...you must live well, and wait for the Prince to come out so you can grow old together in happiness..."

The Eighth Prince's wife pulled up Yao Mama, deliberately feigning reproach, "What are you saying, Mama? How could I be so heartless? I will live well, and I will stay with the Eighth Prince forever..."

Seeing that the Eighth Prince's wife spoke so casually, Granny Yao thought that she must have been overthinking it. Pingrui came from outside to urge her, saying that Madam Chen had finished packing and the carriage was waiting outside the Prince's mansion. It was time to leave!

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Princess's eyes flickered slightly, but quickly returned to their usual eager gaze towards Granny Yao. Though only for a moment, Granny Yao's heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong. She gripped the Eighth Princess's hand tightly, saying, "Princess..."

The Eighth Prince's wife patted Granny Yao's hand to indicate that everything was alright, nodded, and saw Granny Yao off. She said sadly, "Go on, I won't see you off! Have a safe journey... You must take good care of Madam Chen and her son, they are the Prince's only flesh and blood!"

The gates of the Prince's mansion slowly closed, and Chen's carriage receded into the distance. The Eighth Prince's wife sat inside, gazing absently into the distance. She seemed to hear the carriage depart, and suddenly a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. That desolate, cold smile was like the last, frozen ice on a river in the dead of winter—so cruel and resolute.