That evening, Cuizhu arrived at Changyin Pavilion under the cover of darkness and told Mu Sheng about Liu's feelings. Mu Qingyang had long since rekindled his old feelings for Liu, and upon hearing this, he naturally agreed immediately. Needless to say, they arranged a time to meet.
On this day, Lady Fucha felt bored. In the past few days, she had taken her wife to visit all the scenic spots in the Yuanmingyuan Garden. Now that she was bored, she wanted to go and listen to a play.
"Princess, I heard that the Mu family troupe that Master invited is quite the star. His performances of The West Chamber, The Peony Pavilion, and The Peach Blossom Fan have captivated many noble ladies in the capital," Hongqiao said hurriedly when she saw that Lady Fucha was going to see a play.
"Really? Shall we go listen to some opera today?" Lady Fucha looked at Hongqiao, knowing that this girl really enjoyed listening to opera, and said. Anyway, we're just idling around in the house, so why not go out for a walk?
After having breakfast and sitting in the room for a while, Lady Fucha, supported by Hongqiao's hand, followed by Ping'er, walked towards Changyin Pavilion.
The Yuanmingyuan Garden in autumn was a feast for the eyes, and Empress Fucha and her two maids walked slowly along the way, simply because the scenery was so captivating.
Upon arriving at Changyin Pavilion, Lady Fucha discovered that Lady Liu and her maid were also inside. Their residences were quite far apart, so they rarely had the chance to meet; she hadn't expected to encounter them so unexpectedly at Changyin Pavilion.
"Sister Liu is here to watch the opera too?" Lady Fucha, holding her maid's hand, looked at Mu Qingyang, who was famous throughout the capital, on the stage. Seeing his appearance, she found him to be quite outstanding.
Liu was completely absorbed in her spiritual encounter with Liu Mengmei, as if in a dream.
Upon hearing Fucha's words, Liu's face turned pale, perhaps due to a guilty conscience. It took her a while to react before she said, "Sister Fucha has arrived!"
Fucha naturally took in Liu's reaction. Seeing her reaction, she was puzzled, but she didn't think much of it and sat down in the seat to Liu's left.
The two of them watched Mu Qingyang on the stage together, listening to his perfect voice and lifelike gestures and postures.
Hongqiao and Cuizhu were both their respective masters' trusted maids, and they were also sworn enemies in private, each looking down on the other and always bickering whenever they met. At this moment, the two stood behind their respective masters, looking at Mu Qingyang on the stage, but their eyes kept glancing at each other.
“Young Master Mu’s portrayal of Liu Mengmei is the best I’ve ever seen,” Hong Qiao couldn’t help but say.
Cui Zhu chuckled and said, "You haven't seen Eunuch Mu dressed as Wang Sheng, he's absolutely stunning!"
When Hongqiao saw Cuizhu say this, she rolled her eyes at her and said, "It seems that you've read quite a few of Young Master Mu's plays, Cuizhu?"
Cuizhu glared back defiantly and said, "I serve my princess every day, how could I have time to go see her? I'm just getting a little bit of good fortune by following her!"
Hongqiao said, "So your princess loves listening to operas so much that even the maids love watching them."
Cuizhu naturally understood the sarcasm in Hongqiao's words. Coupled with the relationship between Liu and Mu Qingyang, Hongqiao shut her up and she couldn't say anything back.
"Sister, could we change the play? This tragic tune is really hard to listen to," Lady Fucha said to Lady Liu after listening for a while. She didn't like these kinds of plays about talented scholars and beautiful women; she preferred classic plays like "Mu Guiying Takes Command" and "Yang Guifei Gets Drunk."
Liu was already annoyed by Fucha's sudden arrival, and now that she wanted to change the play again, she was even more displeased. She said, "If you want to hear something else, you'll have to wait a little longer."
Seeing Liu's firm attitude, Lady Fucha was immediately displeased. She felt that Liu had been there for quite some time and had been listening for a while; it was time for someone else to choose a play.
“If you ask me, it’s not good for the baby in my belly to sit here listening to the opera with such a big belly. What will happen to the baby inside with all this banging and clanging?” Fucha said, glancing at Liu’s belly.
Liu was so angry that her eyelids twitched. She puffed out her belly and said coldly, "I ordered the entire Mu family troupe today. I'm sorry, sister, if you want to listen to the opera, please come again tomorrow."
When Cuizhu saw that her mistress had spoken up, she quickly stepped forward and patted Liu's back, saying, "Princess, please don't get angry. The master specifically came to give instructions that if you encounter anything unpleasant, don't get angry, and just go to him if you need anything."
Seeing Cuizhu showing off like this, Hongqiao also walked behind Fucha and said, "Our princess just wanted to listen to a play, how could that have angered Princess Liu? If you ask me, you have quite the temper."
Fucha chuckled, clutching her handkerchief, and said, "That's right! Hongqiao, go and call the steward in the back; this princess wants to order a performance."
Lady Fucha did not take Lady Liu seriously, even though she was pregnant at the moment. However, the power of the Fucha family in the capital was far beyond what a prefect of Shaanxi could match.
Seeing Fucha's forceful insistence, Madam Liu became even angrier. She had already arranged with Cuizhu that after the performance, she would go backstage to give her a reward, and then have Mu Qingyang accompany her back to Xinghuachun Pavilion in the sedan chair. Unexpectedly, Fucha appeared out of nowhere and disrupted everything.
When the steward of Changyin Pavilion trotted out, he saw the two princesses sitting there, their faces ashen, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He was most afraid of these two mistresses vying for the spotlight; offending either of them would have dire consequences.
"This servant greets the two princesses!" the steward said with a beaming smile.
"You must be the manager here. I'd like to request a play. Is there anyone suitable to play my part?" Lady Fucha asked, glancing sideways at the manager.
"Well, Consort Liu has already requested this play, 'Liu Mengmei Meets Du Liniang.' After she finishes, it will probably take another half an hour. Perhaps Consort Fucha could wait until this play is over before I make further arrangements for her?" The steward looked at the two consorts, naturally favoring the pregnant Consort Liu.
"Who do you think you are! Our princess wants to change the play, didn't you understand?" Hongqiao saw Fucha glance at her and immediately stood up to scold her.
“Our princess’s play isn’t finished yet!” Cuizhu immediately exclaimed.
The two maids were cursing at the steward, while the two princesses remained seated in their chairs, silent. Mu Qingyang, on stage, saw this but didn't call for a stop, so he had no choice but to continue singing amidst the maids' shouting.
"My two elder sisters, what am I to do? It's always the case that it's first come, first served!" The steward said with a bitter face, his hands covering his head as he was caught between Cuizhu and Hongqiao's words.
"Your Highnesses, my junior brother's singing is also very good. Why don't you invite Princess Fucha over there and let my junior brother sing for you?" Mu Qingyang on the stage couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he stopped the performance and said to Liu and Fucha in the audience.
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