Noon came and went, but there was still no sign of Gao Qian. Liang Wan was furious. If she had known she'd be waiting this long, she would have bathed and changed her clothes instead of enduring the discomfort.
Liang Wan put away the finished drawing and said to Xiang Lan, "Prepare my bath."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Go and lock the hall doors from the inside. No one is to disturb me right now, not even His Majesty."
Xiang Lan's heart jumped in alarm, and she looked as if she wanted to say something but held her tongue. 'This Consort Liang is new, after all. Has she ever witnessed a concubine being executed?'
'Never mind His Majesty's temperament—who could possibly stop him? And even if they did manage to, what then?'
'Consort Liang may be basking in favor right now, and His Majesty might be reluctant to punish her. But if she truly incurs the emperor's wrath, who in Hanguang Hall could escape the consequences?'
