" She handmade it herself?"
" Yes! It was on the occasion of the emperor's upcoming birthday. While all of us were thinking of what to possibly give him for his birthday, Mei Hua was a step ahead of us as she was working on something for weeks. I couldn't have possibly forgotten that moment, as, during those weeks, she didn't spend time with her husband."
Going back in time right into the past, further away from the storyline—------------------
" The emperor's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Do any of you have the slightest idea of what to get as a gift?"
" I haven't the slightest idea. What about you, Lucy?"
The concubines were gossiping among themselves as to what to give the emperor for his birthday. Not far away, in the floral pavilion, the emperor's wife was working on something. She was so focused on her craft that she didn't hear the emperor's footsteps approaching from her location.
" There you are, my wife! What are you doing?"
