“The Ninth Prince has grown so much! Time really flies. I remember the last time I saw him, he was still an infant.”

Upon hearing someone speak, Jingrou led Xiao Jiu in bowing. Although Xiao Jiu was usually mischievous, she was very obedient to her older sister in this unfamiliar environment, and at this moment she tugged at her sister's sleeve.

While still half-squatting, Jingrou was helped up by a pair of warm hands.

Consort Jing examined her closely. "She's a fine young lady. I don't go out often, so I didn't notice that such a beautiful and intelligent girl had come to the palace."

It's not just that she rarely goes out; Consort Jing probably doesn't go out more than a few times a year.

If that weren't the case, it wouldn't have been almost a year since I last saw the Ninth Prince...

The last time she visited with the other concubines was right after Consort Yi gave birth. This was the first time she had gone out this year.

She often claimed illness to avoid attending palace banquets. Combined with certain past reasons, no one deliberately made things difficult for her or forced her to attend, and she lived her life peacefully.

The group sat down, and then a nanny brought in some pastries. There was only one plate, and on it were four different pastries, clearly prepared for Xiao Jiu.

If someone else came over and only looked at these pastries, they might think the host was stingy.

But Jingrou knew her younger brother well. He could eat as many pastries as he wanted, but how could he eat so many pastries? He would get a stomachache!

Consort Jing is so considerate; she prepared less so he wouldn't have to worry about it!

"Can Ninth Prince eat some? I haven't seen a child in a long time, and I don't know if someone his age can eat..." Consort Jing smiled, looking at Little Ninth with a gentle gaze.

She had given birth to a girl years ago, but she didn't raise her. She hasn't had any more children since then, and now she's completely out of favor. She lives a peaceful and quiet life on her own, though she sometimes feels a little bored.

“Little Jiu has a big appetite. He was thinking about the palace snacks as soon as we came out. But he kept pulling me forward. It wasn’t until we walked this far that I realized it was all for the plum blossom at the entrance of the Empress’s palace!” Jingrou’s voice was clear and crisp.

That immediately explained why the two of them had come here; it was simply because the child had insisted on coming this way. "I didn't expect to disturb Consort Jing..."

"It's not a matter of disturbing you. I'm naturally happy that you've come. If the plum tree knew that a little child had come to see it, it would surely be happy too! The plum tree at my gate does indeed bloom auspiciously, earlier than the usual plum blossoms. If it's a flower that Little Nine likes, I can have my maids collect some petals and send them over every day. However, since I love flowers, I wouldn't want to break off any branches for it..." Consort Jing's eyes shone brightly.

Her words were surprisingly humorous, which immediately eased Jingrou's initial nervousness.

Jingrou nodded in understanding, her face beaming with joy. From the fact that Consort Jing was worried that the wind would blow the petals off, and had someone put a basket on them, it was clear how much she loved flowers.

A gentleman does not take what others cherish; how could we trouble her by breaking a branch from this plum tree?

“It’s already wonderful to have these petals… Xiao Jiu probably just likes things that are a little fresh. You never know what children like; maybe one day they won’t like them anymore… It’s best for petals and branches to stay on the tree.” Jing Rou said this with bright eyes, which made Consort Jing find it a little funny. She kept calling her a child, but little did she know that in their eyes, Jing Rou herself was just a child!

On the other hand, she takes very good care of her little cousin and doesn't act like a child at all.

At this moment, the nanny beside Consort Jing spoke up clearly, "That's exactly right! Princess, you may not know, but Her Majesty loves this plum tree very much, yet she can't bear to break off any branches. Even in winter, she makes a special trip out to see the plum tree, rather than breaking off branches and moving it indoors! We servants once thought of a way to move the plum tree to the courtyard so that Her Majesty could see it from inside. But Her Majesty understands that it's not easy for it to take root, and if it were moved indoors, it probably wouldn't survive, so we gave up on that idea!"

After the nanny finished speaking, Jingrou was deeply moved. It was truly rare to see someone love flowers to such an extent…

"Your Highness Consort Jing is compassionate, unlike me, who is just an ordinary person who likes things that bloom beautifully but doesn't put too much thought into them."

“Everyone has their own preferences. This tree has been here since I came here. I don’t know how many years it has been. If I were to damage it, it would be a detrimental thing to my merits…” Consort Jing smiled.

As soon as she finished speaking, she received a notification from the system saying that she had received some merit points. This was an unexpected surprise, since she hadn't expected that a mere palace concubine she encountered could provide her with merit points. In the past, only her aunt and the Emperor could provide them in the palace.

Xiao Jiu, of course, couldn't understand what they were saying.

Ever since the snacks were served, his wet nurse has been attending to him, feeding him little treats. He would grab one in his hand and chew on it, his eyes constantly darting to the flower petals he had just received. He was truly overwhelmed with delight and delighted by the sights.

Consort Jing's back was not as straight as that of ordinary palace concubines; instead, she leaned back somewhat lazily.

She wore a light blue blouse with a dark floral pattern, a light green cheongsam with scattered flowers, and a skirt hem adorned with beads. Her hair was styled in a very casual updo, without even a headdress.

The outfit is clearly quite complicated, yet the head is surprisingly easy to wear, which is rather contradictory.

Consort Jing probably noticed that Jingrou's eyes were on her. She spread out her hem and said with a hint of pride, "Isn't it beautiful? I love these the most, especially the beautiful clothes. It's just that I'm too lazy to do such complicated hairstyles, so I can only leave it as simple as this." She frowned slightly, looking rather playful.

The outfit was indeed quite exquisite, and even Xiao Jiu, who was originally immersed in the pastries and flower petals, looked up to examine it.

"look!"

Jingrou smiled gently, "Xiao Jiu is telling Your Majesty that the clothes are really beautiful!"