As soon as Zhong Cui finished speaking, the guard "plop" knelt down on the ground. I saw his shoulders trembling, although the amplitude was very low, it was enough to see clearly. Then he said in a trembling voice, "Miss Yu, this humble servant has failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you. I beg Miss Yu to forgive this humble servant this time. When Miss Yu needs this humble servant in the future, this humble servant will definitely be loyal and will not hesitate to die."

As he spoke, he knelt down and used his elbow to push open the gates of the Princess's residence. Then he said, "Miss, please go ahead." With the support of Yin Yin, I passed by him and stepped over the high doorstep of the Princess's residence. I turned back and smiled at Zhong Cui in a place where the guards couldn't see. Zhong Cui pointed to the still kneeling guard and made a gesture. It suddenly dawned on me that to put on a show, we had to go all the way. So I raised my voice and put on an air of superiority, saying, "Enough! You are a guard of the Princess's residence. I dare not rely on you. You can die a thousand deaths. If you see me again in the future, make sure to wipe your dog eyes clean. Next time, I won't be so lenient." After speaking, I disregarded the guard's reaction, slightly lifting up my skirt, and stepped over the threshold with my other foot.

"Miss, I don't understand why the guard was indifferent to us at first, but so polite to... to a... to a prostitute." Once we entered the gate of the princess's mansion, Yin Yin couldn't hold back her words any longer. When I heard the word "prostitute" from her mouth, the image of Zhong Cui standing with a gentle and charming smile suddenly popped into my head.

I hurriedly turned around and looked towards the direction of the Princess's mansion's main gate. I noticed that the scarlet lacquer gate had been closed at some point, as if it had divided the entire world into two halves. Inside the resplendent gate, there was only me, wandering and helpless. Outside the gate, there stood the graceful and charming Zhong Cui, wearing a delicate smile. In that moment, I felt an emptiness in my heart, as if I had lost something precious.

I turned my head and glanced at Yinyin, lowering my voice as I said, "Don't say such things anymore. How can a lady constantly use the word 'prostitute' without finding it crude?" I spoke with a righteous tone, but only after I finished did I recall the moment when I first met Zhong Cui. At that time, I myself was casually throwing around terms like 'thousand men riding' and 'ten thousand men bedding,' without a shred of feminine demeanor. As I thought about this, my face grew slightly warm, and I let out a light cough, as if that could somehow conceal my embarrassment.

Yinyin in front of me widened her eyes and opened her mouth in an "o" shape, clearly showing disbelief in my words. Compared to my previous misdeeds, I knew very well that my words were far from convincing. I glanced at Yinyin with disdain and pretended to be calm as I said, "What are you staring at? Even flowers have their moments of not blooming. Can't your young mistress change her ways?" After speaking, as if to validate the phrase "change her ways," I carefully straightened my clothes and tucked a few strands of hair that had been blown down behind my ears. I whispered, "Zhong Cui, she deserves everyone's respect." After finishing my words, I didn't even care if Yinyin had heard them. I walked towards the place where the princess's feast was being held, following the footsteps taught by the etiquette maid. Perhaps because it was already late, I didn't encounter anyone along the way and there were no maids from the princess's mansion to guide me. Fortunately, I had been to the princess's mansion a few times before, so I didn't get lost.