It was a beautiful day in the palace gardens. Concubine MeiMei had just finished her morning chores and decided to take a walk around the garden. She loved spending time outside and admiring the beauty of nature. As she walked along the path, she heard a rustling sound behind some bushes. She froze, afraid that something dangerous might be lurking there. But as she slowly made her way towards the bushes, she saw a small bird perched on a branch.

The bird chirped merrily, and MeiMei smiled. She had never seen such a beautiful bird before, and she felt grateful to have stumbled upon it. She watched the bird for a while before continuing her walk. As she strolled through the garden, she noticed how peaceful everything was. The flowers were blooming, the trees were swaying gently in the breeze, and the air smelled fresh and clean. She couldn't help but feel happy. She spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the garden, taking in all the sights and sounds.

When she returned to her room, she felt tired but content. She knew that she would always treasure this moment in the garden. Later that evening the emperor had summoned all the consorts and concubines to dinner. Everything was going well until Lady Ying started a fight with Consort Ruyi. Lady Meng, Concubine Huan, and Concubine Xinyue all looked on until Emperor Lian Yan heard the noise on a walk with his Empress Hao Xiu.

Hurrying over to the noise, he and Empress Hao Xiu stopped to see the harem fighting amongst themselves.

"What is the meaning of this!!" Emperor Lian Yan's voice boomed over the shouting and screaming. Empress Hao Xiu tried to calm her husband down.

"Dear, let me handle this," Empress Hao Xiu said. "An empress's duty lies within keeping the harem in control."

"C-coming," MeiMei stammered, bowing to his majesty as well as Empress Hao Xiu. The other consorts and concubines started to bow to the emperor and empress. After a moment the emperor spoke again. "You may rise. You all are dismissed except for my empress." The consorts and concubines curtsied to the empress and bowed to the emperor then scurried away.

MeiMei watched as the emperor and empress walked away towards their chambers. She could still hear their conversation from afar but she kept walking.

"You can't keep avoiding this," Empress Hao Xiu said. "Choosing an heir is a major concern for our dynasty. Our son is five years old now, if this continues it will bring trouble to him and yourself as well."

"You think I am blind to this?" Emperor Lian Yan replied. "I am aware of all my children and their ages. I also have a soft spot for my son and I don't want him to be harmed."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Empress Hao Xiu pressed. "You're a wise man. You know as well as I do that having ten children with ten different mothers isn't the best situation for them. What are you going to do then?"

Emperor Lian Yan sighed but didn't answer.

"I want to see this matter solved by the end of the year," Empress Hao Xiu said firmly before entering the imperial chambers and shutting the door. The emperor didn't protest and left her in peace. He took in a deep breath then entered his own chambers.

After the evening's events, MeiMei took the opportunity to speak with her sister and a few other concubines who weren't involved in the fight. The group was made up mostly of low-ranked concubines who lived within the palace, none of whom had any children.

They had all been in the harem for a long time and knew how things went and who held power. MeiMei didn't speak about the afternoon's events to them, only about how peaceful she felt in the gardens and how beautiful everything was. The other girls listened intently and giggled at how innocent MeiMei was before they all retired to their rooms.

MeiMei didn't like fighting or gossiping. She preferred to read, walk in the gardens, eat, and talk with others. She only had five friends in the harem, all on the same rank as her. She knew that if she spoke about the afternoon's events, word would get around and cause more trouble between the women who had fought.

MeiMei had heard that Lady Ying was a niece of the prime minister and that Consort Ruyi was a daughter of the emperor's first wife. She knew the rules and kept her mouth shut.

The next day she was up early to eat and then decided to head to the library. She had heard that the empress would be out with her son visiting other consorts who had children, and that the emperor would be in meetings with his advisors and generals. She felt happy to be alone and free to roam about the palace without interruption.

She passed the imperial study when she saw one of the guards. She bowed to him. "May I enter the library?" she asked.

The guard smiled. "Of course, Concubine MeiMei."

She smiled and curtsied then entered the library. It was dark and quiet. She made her way towards where light was coming from. She looked at all the books on the shelves when she saw someone sitting at a table, a book opened in front of them.