Chapter Sevent-Six: Only the Empress

When Jian Xiao peeled open his eyes, he had a moment of panic that he had once again lost all his memories.  He was in an unfamiliar bed, tucked under a warm, unfamiliar blanket, and wearing a pair of red silk pajamas that were definitely unfamiliar.  But when he searched his own mind, he found that it was intact…mostly.  He knew his own names…both of them.  He knew his own strange history.  When he turned his head on the pillow he recognized the care-worn face of his mother.  However, his last memory was of MeiLan's face fading as his body grew cold, and his soul pulled away from his body. 

He remembered dying. 

He did not remember how he had come to be alive again, or how he ended up in this bed.

When he tried to open his mouth to speak, his tongue was dry, and his voice came out as barely a rasp.  "Where is Zheng MeiLan?" he whispered hoarsely.