The remaining soldiers and attendants did not dare to linger. All could see that the emperor's mood was dark, and none wished to become the target of his anger. One by one, they returned to their carriages, and soon the convoy was moving again.
Mei Liang did not wake until they arrived at the final resting place for the day. When her eyes fluttered open, a dull ache throbbed at her neck, as though she had been struck. Blinking in confusion, she looked around and found herself in a strange room.
How could she be here? The last thing she remembered… she had been sitting in the carriage, watching the road ahead.
She tried to sit up, but her body felt as though it had been broken, every bone protesting with pain. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright on the bed. Just then, the creak of a door opening reached her ears. Her head snapped toward the sound, unease tightening in her chest as she stared at the figure entering the room.
