I hadn't even managed to summon the motivation to get out of bed when Zhao Meiling sent me a handwritten invitation. Shi Yaozu stopped the maid before she could enter my chambers, but I could still hear her voice echoing in my head as she sputtered an explanation.
Rolling my eyes, I let out a big yawn and called out to Yaozu to bring it to me.
Seriously, people didn't seem to appreciate sleep nearly as much as they should.
Yaozu returned quickly and stood beside me as I opened the envelope.
The ink was pressed delicately, as if the brush had barely dared to touch the paper. Polite, formal, full of empty words about sisterhood and harmony. She requested my presence at tea later that morning, claiming she wished to "ease the atmosphere" between the Crown Prince's women.
