After obtaining Chu Qitong's assurance, Zhijin let go of her hand and stood back behind Empress Wengui.

Ning Zhuangyan saw Zhijin leaving, so she reached out and pulled Chu Qitong behind her. She looked into Empress Wen's eyes, which carried a hint of coldness.

Consort Wen lowered her head and glanced at Nanny Tian beneath her feet. In a cold tone, she said, "A servant should behave like a servant. Your impudence in disrespecting the mistress is enough to warrant your death several times over."

Nanny Tian was presumably frightened by the words of Concubine Wen, her expression flickering. She looked towards Chu Qitong again, her eyes filled with pleading. However, this time her gaze was completely blocked by Ning Zhuangyan.

Madam Tian's subtle actions were all seen by Empress Wen. Empress Wen snorted coldly and stepped on Madam Tian's shoulder with her embroidered shoe. She said, "At this point, don't even think about begging Liuhua anymore. Liuhua is a good child and has always been obedient. If she agrees with me, she will definitely not help you again."

After Empress Wen finished speaking, the expression on Tian Mama's face turned pale. She slowly shook her head, but it was unclear whether she was shaking her head in response to Empress Wen's words or to her own fate.

Just as Concubine Wen was about to speak again, a maid carrying a red umbrella hurried over in the vast snowfall. As she approached, everyone realized that the person was actually Liluo, who served in the Chu Qitong Palace.

After entering the pavilion, Lilo was initially startled by the scene inside. However, she quickly regained her composure and respectfully greeted the concubines in the pavilion one by one. After everyone had returned her greetings, Lilo spoke up, "Ladies, I have already informed the people in your palace, so someone should be coming to escort you shortly."

"How did you know we were here?" Ningpin couldn't help but ask after hearing Liluo's words. It was understandable that she was curious. Although Meiyuan was very close to Qiwu Palace, it was snowing, and even if the maidservants in Qiwu Palace were smart, they probably wouldn't have thought of coming to Meiyuan to pick them up, let alone Liluo informing the maidservants from all the palaces. In this way, it seemed that Liluo had already confirmed that they were trapped in Meiyuan.

Li Luo's expression remained unchanged as she spoke in her usual calm and composed tone. She explained the reason why Chu Qitong took Ning Zhuangyan out this morning, saying, "Returning to all the ladies, this lowly servant recently caught a cold and was unable to accompany the princess to Qinyu Palace to pay respects. Therefore, I stayed in Qiwu Hall. Just a short while ago, Mu Meiren passed by the entrance of Qiwu Hall, muttering and cursing. Out of curiosity, this lowly servant eavesdropped on a few sentences."

All the imperial concubines present were clever individuals. Speaking up to this point, there was no longer a need for Li Luo to say anything further. They were already able to guess the general idea.

Yimo Meiren, with her temperament, must have been talking about how this group of imperial consorts is merely indulging in refined elegance as she passed by Qiwu Palace. They must have been discussing the enjoyment of viewing flowers in the snow. And Lilo, by chance, overheard. Now that it has started snowing, and Chu Qitong has yet to return to the palace for a long time, it reminded her of Yimo Meiren's words. So she hurriedly came to the Meiyuan and sought someone's presence, taking the opportunity to inform the other palaces.

During their conversation, a servant holding an umbrella had already come over. It was Xiuhe, another senior maid from the Palace of the Elegant Consort. Although the Plum Garden was quite far from the Orchid Palace, it did not prevent Xiuhe from being the first to bring an umbrella. The concubines from each palace seized the opportunity and began to praise Consort Wen's excellent management skills.

Concubine Wen was delighted by the praises from the other concubines, and she glanced at the maid Tian beside her. Lifting her foot, she said, "I am in a good mood today, so I will spare your worthless life. Go and kneel outside the pavilion until the snow stops."