The night had settled over the imperial palace.
Most of the servants had returned to their quarters. The corridors were quiet, and only the occasional footsteps of a night guard could be heard beneath the silver moonlight.
But Mei Lan had not slept.
She sat alone in her small room, staring at the little packet of flower seeds still lying on the table.
The seeds were the excuse Shin Gu had given her.
But Mei Lan knew now that they had never been the real reason she had been sent away.
She had witnessed something she was never supposed to see.
A hooded man.
A secret meeting.
A slap.
And words that had changed everything she thought she knew.
The Empress is alive.
Finish the task.
One more failure, and you won't receive another warning.
Mei Lan's fingers trembled.
Until tonight, she had believed Shin Gu was the mastermind.
Now she knew she was wrong.
Someone stood above Shin Gu.
Someone powerful enough to frighten her.
Someone who could enter the palace secretly.
