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The waiting was rather tedious.

Zhou Fengxu glanced sideways. "Do you want to know what this drama is generally about?"

"Yes," Chu Yuening's interest piqued. She had come in a hurry and hadn't read the synopsis of The Imperial Daughter's Flower.

And so...

Under Zhou Fengxu's patient and deep-voiced explanation,

She grasped the storyline.

The Imperial Daughter's Flower narrates the story during the late Ming dynasty when the fifteen-year-old princess, Changping, is ordered by the emperor to choose a prince consort. The son of the imperial stable master, Zhou Shixian, wins her heart. However, the ill-fated Li Zicheng, leader of the peasant rebellion, conquers the capital, leading to the fall of the Ming dynasty. Emperor Chongzhen, in despair, kills his daughters before taking his own life.

Princess Changping, against all odds, is saved and later reunites with Zhou Shixian.

The Qing emperor, to appease the people, coerces and entices the couple to return to the palace. Amidst national enmity and personal grudges, they pretend to comply. Princess Changping asks the Qing emperor to give her father, Emperor Chongzhen, a proper burial and release her royal brother. In the end, she and Zhou Shixian wed beneath a tree in the Qianqing Palace and, together, they consume arsenic in a tragic double suicide.

"It sounds like a tragedy," Chu Yuening sighed.

Due to Guo Fengdan's influence, she had developed an interest in opera, but was it too late for her to leave now?

Zhou Fengxu replied with a faint gaze, "It depends on how you interpret it. When the kingdom was on the brink of collapse, Chongzhen killed his daughters but spared his sons. Why?"

"Perhaps he wanted to leave his son alive for revenge," Chu Yuening found it deeply unjust.

He killed his daughter to protect her from humiliation but intended to preserve his son's life for vengeance.

Who could have foreseen that, in the end, it would be his daughter who saved his son's life?

After a while, murmurs of conversation started to drift over from nearby.

"This act features Liang Xiaodie; we haven't seen her perform in a while."

"Yes, indeed. I grew up watching her on stage, a once-in-a-generation leading soprano. Ah, it's rare to find such a remarkable woman in today's opera world."

"Is this her final performance, then?"

"After all, age catches up with everyone. It's time for her to take her final bow."

A sigh echoed in the air.

"Even Liang Xiaodie has aged. I wonder if anyone still remembers Guo Fengdan from those days?"

The old man speaking sat not far away, his beard entirely white, his cataract-blurred eyes squinting as if he could still see Guo Fengdan performing on stage.

A younger voice questioned, "At least Liang Xiaodie is a respected professor in the arts. I've never even heard of Guo Fengdan."

The old man shook his head. "Guo Fengdan was Liang Xiaodie's mentor. Had that tragic incident not occurred, with her profound understanding and passion for Cantonese opera, her accomplishments would certainly not have been inferior to Liang Xiaodie's today."

He sighed deeply. "Fate can be so whimsical."

Someone asked, "Grandpa, who are you? How do you know so much about Guo Fengdan and Liang Xiaodie?"

"Age-old tales fade before the curtain rises on a good show," the old man replied, shaking his head.

With a swish, the performance began.

The crowd's attention gradually refocused on the stage.

The auditorium was more than half empty, with most of the audience being elderly folks. A few young people, accompanying their elders, were scattered among them. While the performance was underway, they idly chewed gum, looking around with their legs crossed, seemingly uninterested.

In short,

they could watch anything.

Just not the actors on stage with their full attention.

Zhou Fengxu, however, was different. Unable to stretch his long legs, he sat slightly bent, his hands resting on the chair without engaging in any trivial matters. He tapped rhythmically to the music with his fingers, his eyes fixed intently on the performers, fully immersed.

Chu Yuening could tell that Zhou Fengxu didn't often attend such performances.

But his good upbringing allowed him to show respect for the artists' efforts.

She reoriented her gaze and began to attentively watch the play as well.

Before she knew it, the final act had arrived.

The act is called "Fragrant Tragedy," a tale of a princess and her prince consort who choose to die together in love.

Princess Changping and Prince Zhou Shixian stand beneath a tree, each holding a cup of wine.

With tears in her eyes, Princess Changping says, "The kingdom no longer bears the surname Zhu, its customs transformed by foreign attire."

Prince Zhou Shixian responds, "The faithful shed their blood for the land, upholding righteousness and loyalty. They resist the Qing with unwavering resolve, saving the people from calamity. Yet, it is lamentable that traitorous officials betray the nation, bringing misfortune upon the Han dynasty."

...

Princess Changping: "The palace flowers shed their brilliance into your embrace, weeping for the princess's doomed fate."

Prince Zhou Shixian: "Magnificent is the groom's devotion to his nation."

Princess Changping gazes at the poisoned wine in her cup, then drinks it all in one go, tears streaming down: "I swallow the arsenic with a choking sob."

Prince Zhou Shixian follows suit, drinking deeply: "To rouse the spirit of our people."

Princess Changping's cup tumbles to the ground as the poison takes effect. Unsteady on her feet, she leans into her prince and slowly sinks down, resting her cheek against his chest.

"Couple in embrace, leaning together, like intertwined old trees forever inseparable."

In unison: "In the Han dynasty, loyal subjects emerged through the ages, raising their arms to restore the nation and wipe away the sorrow of its fall."

Their necks entwined, they closed their eyes in a final, tender moment.

Chu Yuening was deeply moved by the ending.

As the actors took their final bow, many audience members rushed onto the stage to offer flowers.

However, these bouquets were not for the actress who portrayed Princess Changping, but for an elderly lady.

The lady wore a jeweled headdress, her kind and benevolent expression shining through. She politely waved off her agent's assistance, accepted the flowers from the audience, and then descended from the stage.

Amidst thunderous applause, an old man, leaning on his cane, approached Leung Siu-dai and presented her with a large bouquet. "Congratulations on your retirement, Professor Leung. Your unwavering spirit honors the legacy of the opera house. If my father were still alive, he would surely be proud of you."

Taking the flowers with a smile, the elderly lady responded, "I hope the old troupe leader, wherever he may be, knows that Siu-dai has not brought shame upon our opera house."

Her vision had dimmed with age, yet as she turned back to the stage, it was as if she saw Guo Fengdan once more, teaching her the nuances of singing, guiding her hand as they circled the stage together.

After the tragedy that befell the Guo family, she vowed to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to the world of opera.

Decades had passed in the blink of an eye.

She had now reached retirement age.

As memories of the past flooded her mind, Old Lady Liang's eyes glistened with tears. "If Sister Dan Dan were still here, she... she would surely have done it better than me."