137 According to Plan

"Your Majesty, the hour grows late, if you do not rest, Imperial Concubine Yue will worry." 

Liu Yao looked up from where he'd been staring blankly at the script the state preceptor had sent to him just earlier in the day. His network of eyes and ears had found the mysterious man wandering the northwestern forests in search of rare herbs. They returned to the imperial city with a message that had consumed Liu Yao's mind ever since receiving it earlier in the day. 

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice tinged with fatigue as he leaned back into his seat and rubbed at his temples. The cushioned backrest that Yan Yun had insisted he used to support his lower spine made the red sandalwood chair far more comfortable but it still felt good to stretch and loosen up some of the muscles that had stiffened over from sitting down for most of the day.