Qing'an, to put it simply, is when the concubines from the various palaces come over to pay their respects to Empress Wen, have a casual chat, and then return to their respective palaces when there is nothing else to attend to.

Today was supposed to be no exception, but Ning Fei, who was seated on the right side of Empress Wen, suddenly cleared her throat and said, "Your Highness, when I passed by the Plum Garden earlier, I noticed that all the red plum blossoms had bloomed. They were truly beautiful. It has been a long time since we sisters went out together for a walk. How about we all go to the Plum Garden today and take a look?"

As soon as Lady Ning finished speaking, before Noble Consort Wen had a chance to say anything, Lady Mu, who was sitting next to Chu Qitong, yawned indifferently and said, "In this cold weather, one should be staying indoors by the warm stove for a nap. What's the point of appreciating plum blossoms? They are just a few flowers. Seeing them in paintings all the time, there's nothing novel about it."

Mu Meiren's action undoubtedly caused Ning Fei to lose face in front of everyone. Although Ning Fei did not want to have any entanglement with Mu Meiren, she knew that she couldn't just swallow her pride in the face of Mu Meiren's blatant provocation.

Ning Consort covered her lips with a handkerchief and chuckled softly. Then, she raised the corner of her eyes slightly and assumed a superior posture before saying, "In the past, I heard servants gossiping that Lady Mu was truly a vulgar person. Initially, I didn't believe it and even punished those servants for blabbering. But now, I finally realize that Lady Mu has indeed lived up to her reputation as a vulgar person. Upon reflection, I should apologize to those servants whom I wrongly accused."

Ning Consort's words were just as sharp as Mu Consort, if not more. Everyone thought that Mu Consort, who was always arrogant, would run up to Ning Consort and berate her, pointing at her nose. However, to everyone's surprise, Mu Consort just tilted her head and smiled.

Just as everyone was curious about why Lady Mu's temperament had changed today, Lady Mu suddenly stood up from her chair. As everyone had initially expected, she walked over to Lady Ning and said, "I am a simple person and do not have the same interest in appreciating plum blossoms as Your Majesty. Right now, all I want to do is go back to my chamber and sleep. I won't accompany Your Majesty to appreciate the plum blossoms. However, Your Majesty should be careful of the slippery snow-covered paths. Don't end up with scratched face from the plum branches before you even have a chance to enjoy the blossoms."

After Murong Meiren finished speaking, she didn't even bother to bid farewell to Empress Wen Gui, and instead turned around with her maidservant and left the Qingyu Palace.

After Lady Mu left, the atmosphere in Qinyu Palace became lively. Lady Ning glared resentfully in the direction Lady Mu had departed, the handkerchief in her hand had long since been crumpled by her agitation.

Chu Qitong stood up from her position and bowed to Empress Wen, speaking in a gentle tone, "Your Highness, Liu Hua's proposal is excellent. Liu Hua's Qiwu Palace is the closest to the Plum Garden. I could smell the fragrance of the plum blossoms from the garden last night. I was actually planning to go and take a look after paying my respects to you, Your Highness. Unexpectedly, Ning Consort had the same idea as me. Why don't we go together?"

Chu Qitong's words completely resolved the awkwardness of Ning Fei. Ning Fei gratefully nodded towards Chu Qitong and also stood up, walking to Chu Qitong's side and said, "This concubine never expected to be able to be associated with Princess Liu Hua. I wonder, what does the Noble Consort and the other sisters think?"

The concubines in the harem spend their time playing the flower instrument and doing flower arrangements when they are not serving the emperor. This deep palace is already boring, so when they heard Ning Consort's suggestion, they all started to speak in agreement. Empress Wen also stood up with the support of a maid, and then let the maid put a heavy cloak on her.