Your Highness

At the director's order, filming began.

The moment Chu Jiang stepped in from the door, his eyes turned cold. In the blink of an eye, the usually gentle and polite Best Actor Chu was now the sinister and decisive Prince Chu Yu.

Seated at the table, Bai Yun's heart trembled as she looked into his eyes.

Perhaps, she thought, she had come into this world for this scene.

Despite being here at the invitation of His Majesty, Chu Yu was stopped by the eunuch before he could enter the hall. Under the pretense of searching for any hidden weapons that may alarm His Majesty, the eunuch's hands slid across his body inch by inch. Though, in actual fact, it was to humiliate him.

He gritted his teeth and was about to whip out the guard's knife to kill the eunuch when a voice sounded. "Eunuch, my pipa string is broken. The banquet is approaching and I can't find a suitable string. Can I trouble you to find it?"

That voice rang clear, like jade beads tinkling against the tray.

As Chu Yu looked in the direction of the voice, it felt as though a fog had dispersed. The woman's figure was slender, and her waist was incredibly slim. It was the slim waist that symbolized beauty in Great Wei.

She wore a bamboo hat and a thin veil that hid her face. Her fingers were long and slender, and she carried an ivory pipa in her arms. On it, there seemed to be the

Emperor's handwriting.

When the eunuch heard her words, his attitude became more respectful. "Miss Yun, how can your matter be considered troublesome? I'll see to it right away. Little Shunzi, lead Miss Yun there."

The woman holding the pipa bowed to Chu Yu.

The woman passed by the slightly stunned Chu Yu with the pipa in her arms. The moment the wind blew past, her veil lifted slightly. When Chu Yu looked sideways, he only saw an emerald earring and curved lips. He did not see her face, but he smelled her fragrance.

His pupils contracted, and he could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest.

His fingers slid along the girl's sleeve, but even though it was only briefly, it made him clench his fists unconsciously, as if he were savoring the memory. After sending Miss Yun off with a smile, the old eunuch lowered himself, half sneering, half cold. "Your Highness, please come to court."

Chu Yu sneered. To think a musician was more respected than a prince.

He had thought that he could soberly restrain his feelings of indignation and resentment, but that restraint all but shattered in the woman's faint voice, leaving him in a sorry state.

Chu Yu didn't fear being despised by anyone, but he was afraid that the lowly musical courtesan would look at him with pity.

He walked up the steps step by step, but the hands behind his back clenched tighter and tighter. The everlasting lights in the hall were always bright, and the Emperor on the high seat had a cold countenance, like an expressionless Buddha. In a mere few words, the Emperor could degrade him to nothing. The difference between life and death was no more than a touch of this man's upper and lower lips.

Chu Yu bent down and bowed to the 'Buddha' in the hall. Kneeling straight, his head hit the polished floor. Yet, the Emperor didn't ask him to rise. He could hear the whispers between the tables.

What could there be? Just the words 'useless', 'mediocre', 'maggot'.

He, Chu Yu, was a prince, but he did not have any freedom at all.

Before the whispers stopped, the clear sound of a pipa rang in the hall.

The hall fell silent. Only then did the Emperor sitting in the hall shout, "You may rise, Prince. Today's family banquet is a casual one, you may be at ease." After saying that, he did not look at him anymore and turned to praise the pipa music. "Everyone, today, we have invited the famous Lady Melody to liven up the atmosphere. With the Mid-Autumn Festival in full swing, there is nothing better than having Lady Melody accompany us."

Seated towards the back, Chu Yu could not see her face clearly. He could only see her thin figure.

She had helped him twice since they met, but he could not even get a glimpse of her.

The banquet was filled with toasts, but his table was cold and cheerless. At this moment, he had time to listen to her play. One note after another, she played a sad tune. Perhaps because it was autumn, it actually invoked a hint of desolation.

Raising his cup from afar, he toasted the pipa lady on the high platform. He clapped his hands along to the music, completely ignoring the gazes of others.

She played one song after another. A maidservant whispered to her, informing her that a noble wished to invite her to the pavilion behind the hall. She did not dare to disobey the noble.

Yun Xiang looked up at the emperor, but he seemed to be aware and did not look at her. After bowing, she followed the maidservant out of the banquet.

Yun Xiang's pipa was still in her arms. As they walked away from the hall, the sounds of the banquet and singing gradually fell behind them. Just as they turned a corner, the maidservant bowed and stopped.

A tad fearful, Yun Xiang bit her lip. In spite of that, she straightened her spine and entered slowly.

"Miss Yun," a desultory voice drawled behind her.

Chu Yu was standing under the corridor. The palace lights could not illuminate him, but Yun Xiang recognized his voice the moment he called out to her.

Standing under the crescent moon in the hallway, she called to him softly, "Your Highness."

Chu Yu finally had a clear view of her face as the greeting entered his ears. Under the moonlight, he was mesmerized by her beauty. He clasped his hands under the corridor and said, "Miss Yun, do you want to cross the bridge, or would you like to come to me?"