“Master, the hibiscus, rose of Sharon, and osmanthus flowers outside our courtyard are all in bloom. Why don’t we go for a walk?” Cuizhu said to Liu, who hadn’t been to Changyin Pavilion to watch opera for five or six days.
Since her argument with Madam Fucha that day, Madam Liu seemed to have regained her former alertness and humility. She forced herself to stop thinking about Mu Qingyang, and even began to worry that his existence was a real threat to her.
"Alright, let's go for a walk!" Liu was really bored, so she stood up with the help of Cuizhu. She was wearing a lotus-colored cheongsam with a subtle chrysanthemum pattern, and her belly looked a little bigger.
"Master, be careful!" Cuizhu helped Liu Shi walk towards the back of Xinghua Chun Pavilion, where a large area of flowering trees was planted.
The mistress and servant walked on the already yellowed grass, following the fragrance of flowers into the grove of flowering trees. As expected, Liu was attracted by this grove of flowering trees, seemingly forgetting her sorrows, and reveling in the sea of flowers.
"Cuizhu, this place is so beautiful!" Liu couldn't help but reach out to touch the hibiscus and rosebud flowers. Each delicate flower was as tender as the face of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.
"Yes, my lady, these flowers are so beautiful!" Cuizhu was also captivated by this kingdom of flowers.
The two stopped and lingered before the flowers, admiring one after another, finding another even more beautiful, and gradually they drifted apart. Liu walked and walked, losing track of where she was. Behind the Apricot Blossom Spring Pavilion, the sea of hibiscus flowers covered several acres.
"Cuizhu, Cuizhu!" Liu realized that she had walked alone into the depths of the flower sea, and Cuizhu was nowhere to be seen behind her. She couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Yao'er!"
Just as Liu turned around to look for Cuizhu, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice called out from behind her.
Liu was stunned, frozen in place, as if struck by lightning. She knew that "Yao'er" all too well—it was him!
Mu Qingyang emerged from under a tree behind Liu Shi. He was dressed in a blue robe and wore a small dark green cap trimmed with black fur. His features were striking: "Like jade piled up on rocks, like verdant pines in rows. His beauty is unparalleled, unmatched in the world." Such descriptions perfectly capture Mu Qingyang's presence at that moment!
Liu turned around, staring blankly at Mu Qingyang. It had been two years since she'd last seen him, and he had grown even taller. Although Liu had seen him before, it was always on stage, with heavy makeup, unlike now, where he stood clean-cut, tall and handsome, right before her. Mu Qingyang was indeed handsome, with large, innocent eyes looking at Liu. His square face had a straight nose, and his lips were perfectly proportioned.
"Yao'er! I miss you so much!" Mu Qingyang saw that Liu was just standing there blankly without saying a word, so he walked up to her and stopped when he was only a foot away from her, and said to her.
Liu's heart pounded. She didn't know how to answer the man before her. She also didn't know how to deal with the growing affection she felt for him. Although she forced herself to forget him time and time again, whenever he stood before her like this, she would fall irrevocably in love with him again and again.
Mu Qingyang raised his hand to brush Liu's face. Seeing that she did not push him away, he became bolder and moved his hand to Liu's shoulder, then down her back to her waist.
The next moment, the two embraced tightly. Liu didn't know how she had become entangled with this actor, but whenever she saw him, she couldn't help but fall into his arms, even though she was pregnant at the time.
"Yao'er! Why did you leave back then!" Mu Qingyang also loved this woman. She was so innocent and kind back then. She even gave up her status as a young lady in order to elope with him.
"I!" Liu Yuyao didn't know how to answer Mu Qingyang's question. She regretted it then and there. When she ran away with Mu Qingyang, she hadn't taken any money with her, only some valuables. But those things couldn't be pawned for much silver, and soon they were penniless and struggling to make ends meet. In those few days, Liu Yuyao experienced firsthand what it meant for a poor couple to face endless sorrows. When she had to cook for herself and wash her own clothes, she truly understood the kind of life she was about to face. So, in the end, Liu Yuyao gave up. She secretly left, returned home, and never saw Mu Qingyang again. She personally denied that pure love and personally killed the last bit of hope for freedom in her heart. She chose to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection, marry a prince, and enjoy a lonely life of wealth and luxury.
"I know, it must be your father, right? He forced you to leave me," Mu Qingyang muttered to himself. He never imagined that the pure and beautiful Yao'er would give up their love.
Liu fell silent, letting Mu Qingyang hold her as they reminisced about their past happiness. She knew that now that she was married to the Fourth Prince's daughter, she could no longer have any connection with this man, so this moment was a final tribute to their love.
The two embraced, letting the hibiscus petals drift down from the branches, landing on their heads and shoulders.
After lingering among the flowers for a while, Liu said to Mu Qingyang, "Qingyang, it's impossible for us to be together anymore. Listen to me, do you see? I'm pregnant with the Fourth Prince's child, and he's not my father. If people find out about us, he'll kill you, and he'll kill me too! So, Qingyang, let's end it here. You continue being the pillar of your Mu family troupe, and I'll be my princess."
Mu Qingyang never expected that the woman who had just been in his arms would suddenly change her expression and say such things. He shook his head and said, "No, Yao'er, I can't forget you. I think about you every single day!"
Looking at Mu Qingyang, Liu felt a sense of satisfaction, but even more so, fear. She quickly comforted him, saying, "Qingyang, don't forget where you are. He could kill us with just a flick of his finger. Qingyang, listen to me, our love can only exist in our hearts. I have you in my heart, and you have me in yours—that's enough. Do you understand?"
Mu Qingyang finally had to calm down and said to Liu Shi, "Yao'er, are you still willing to come with me?"
Liu stared blankly at Mu Qingyang, unsure how to refuse the man before her. He was as beautiful as a piece of jade, without any impurities, and the light in his eyes could shine directly into your heart.
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