Mei Liang stirred awake, her lashes fluttering as drowsiness still clung to her. She blinked in confusion at the sudden stillness. "Why has the carriage stopped?" she asked softly.
"The Emperor asked the carriage to stop and prepared lunch," Cuìyù explained. "Some soldiers and concubines were hungry."
Mei Liang was immediately puzzled. "Had they not bought dry rations to eat on the road? Why were they preparing lunch now?" she asked Cuiyu, while Lanxin, equally puzzled, softly remarked, "Perhaps His Majesty does not like the dry rations."
Lanxin brought water for Mei Liang to wash her face, while Cuiyu fixed her hairpin. Once she was properly dressed, the two maids supported her as she stepped down from the carriage.
As Mei Liang stepped onto solid ground, her gaze fell upon Ming Mei and Mei Lang, who were speaking with the Emperor. Not far away, De Fei and Wen Fei leaned close to each other, whispering quietly, their expressions unreadable.
