In the Eastern Palace's main hall at midnight, red candles blaze, yet the air is chilling. The nuptial wine has barely been sipped before a cold frost forms upon it. Behind the drooping phoenix curtains, Shen Zhiyi sits alone on the edge of the bed, her phoenix crown still on. Beads reflect her solitary figure, and the room's festive decorations only deepen its desolation.
- Whispers and footsteps come from the outer hall. The palace maid Liu Ying'er approaches with medicine, the hem of her clothes damp with night dew. The Crown Prince, Xiao Jingheng, parts the curtain and steps out, taking the bowl from her himself, his eyes avoiding the inner chamber.
- The scene shifts from bustle to silence, retreating from the liveliness of the wedding to the icy desolation of someone left alone in an empty room. The camera slowly passes over the untouched nuptial cups, the untrimmed red candles, and the waning moon scattered across the ground outside the window.
