In the third year of Jianxing, at the imperial palace in Chengdu. Just after the hour of the Snake, the empress urged Liu Shan to attend court. He pulled the covers over himself and burrowed deeper into bed. “I haven’t had enough sleep.” It was rare to have a morning off from court, and he wanted to spend some time with his wife, but Zhang Yuan struggled and insisted they couldn’t. He rolled his eyes. “You’re the empress. Why are you acting like we’re having an affair?” Zhuge Liang will be here soon.
