Ghost in the palace

The moon hung high above the imperial palace, casting pale silver light over the ancient roofs.

Unlike other nights, there was no music.

No laughter.

No sound except the rustling of cold wind through the bamboo leaves.

The palace seemed to be holding its breath.

A group of palace lanterns slowly moved through the darkness.

Leading them was the Dowager Empress.

Beside her walked the Emperor, dressed in a dark robe instead of his usual dragon robes.

Following closely were Prince Liang, Princess Zhi, Lady Chen, Captain Xu with twenty Imperial Guards, and the Dowager Empress’s most trusted attendants.

No one spoke.

Every footstep echoed against the stone pathway.

The Emperor finally broke the silence.

"No one leaves."

"No one enters."

Captain Xu bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With one command, guards spread through every entrance surrounding Shin Gu’s residence.

Within moments, the entire courtyard was sealed.

No servant could escape.

No outsider could enter.

---

The group stopped before the weathered wooden gate.

The Emperor looked toward the Captain.

"Open it."

The heavy doors creaked slowly.

A gust of icy wind rushed outward.

Princess Zhi instinctively rubbed her arms.

"...It’s cold."

Prince Liang frowned.

"It shouldn’t be this cold."

Lady Chen looked inside.

The once carefully maintained courtyard looked...

Dead.

Flowers had withered.

Grass had turned yellow.

The lotus pond was covered with black algae.

Several trees had lost nearly every leaf despite it not being the season.

Even the air felt strange.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

The Dowager Empress whispered,

"This place..."

"It wasn’t like this."

The Emperor slowly stepped inside.

Every guard followed cautiously.

The deeper they walked—

The more uncomfortable everyone became.

Prince Liang stopped beside a dried flower bed.

He crouched.

The soil was black.

Completely lifeless.

He touched it.

It crumbled into powder.

"...Nothing grows here."

Princess Zhi looked around.

"There aren’t even insects."

Everyone suddenly realized—

There were no birds.

No crickets.

No butterflies.

Nothing living.

An unnatural silence surrounded the courtyard.

Lady Chen quietly whispered,

"It feels..."

"...like death."

No one disagreed.

---

The Emperor looked toward Captain Xu.

"Search everything."

"Leave nothing unchecked."

The Captain saluted.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Immediately, dozens of guards divided into teams.

Some searched the bedrooms.

Others inspected the kitchens.

Storage rooms.

The well.

The garden.

Every corner.

Every cabinet.

Every chest.

The Emperor himself walked into Shin Gu’s main chamber.

The room was surprisingly clean.

Almost too clean.

The furniture was simple.

A prayer mat rested neatly before a small table.

Books were arranged carefully on wooden shelves.

Incense still lingered faintly.

Princess Zhi frowned.

"This doesn’t look suspicious."

Prince Liang opened several cabinets.

Nothing.

Only ordinary robes.

Tea.

Medicine jars.

Lady Chen quietly examined the writing desk.

"There are many scriptures."

The Emperor walked over.

Dozens of scrolls lay neatly arranged.

Some discussed Buddhist teachings.

Others spoke of meditation.

Spiritual cultivation.

Ancient philosophy.

Nothing appeared forbidden.

The Dowager Empress slowly entered the chamber.

Her brows furrowed.

"This is all..."

"...too ordinary."

The Emperor nodded.

"If someone practiced forbidden arts openly..."

"...they wouldn’t leave obvious evidence."

Captain Xu entered and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

"We have searched the east wing."

"Nothing unusual."

Another guard arrived.

"The kitchen is empty."

"No suspicious items."

A third guard.

"The servants’ quarters are abandoned."

"There is no one."

The Emperor looked up sharply.

"No one?"

The guard swallowed.

"Only one maid was assigned to Shin Gu."

"She is missing."

Prince Liang’s expression darkened.

"So is Shin Gu."

The Emperor slowly clenched his fists.

"They’ve disappeared."

Lady Chen lowered her eyes.

"They knew."

The room fell silent.

Did Shin Gu somehow learn of the inspection?

Or had she fled before anyone suspected her?

The Dowager Empress slowly looked around the empty chamber.

Despite finding no altar...

She couldn’t ignore the overwhelming feeling pressing against her heart.

The courtyard itself felt wrong.

As though something evil had once lived there...

And had only recently vanished.

Outside, a guard suddenly shouted,

"Your Majesty!"

"I found something!"

Everyone turned toward the voice and hurried into the rear garden.

Near an old stone wall—

One guard stood beside a patch of freshly disturbed earth.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

"Dig."

The guards immediately knelt and began removing the soil.

Within moments—

The sound of metal striking wood echoed through the silent courtyard.

Thud.

Captain Xu looked up.

"Your Majesty..."

"There’s a wooden chest buried here."

The Emperor stepped forward.

"Bring it out."

The guards exchanged tense glances as they carefully lifted the mud-covered chest from beneath the earth...

The heavy wooden chest was lifted carefully from the ground.

Mud clung to its sides, and the iron lock had long since rusted.

Every person standing in the rear garden watched silently.

The Emperor spoke first.

"Open it."

Captain Xu drew his sword and struck the lock.

Clang!

The lock broke apart and fell into the dirt.

The guards slowly lifted the lid.

Everyone instinctively leaned forward.

Inside...

There were no skulls.

No blood-stained talismans.

No cursed dolls.

No strange herbs.

Instead—

Neatly folded yellow silk cloths.

Prayer beads.

Bundles of incense.

Bronze statues of the Buddha.

Small wooden statues of Guanyin.

Ancient Buddhist scriptures.

Several copies of handwritten prayers.

Princess Zhi blinked.

"...That’s all?"

Captain Xu carefully picked up one of the scrolls.

"It contains only sutras."

Another guard opened another bundle.

"Prayer flags."

The third checked the bottom of the chest.

"Nothing suspicious."

The Emperor frowned.

"Search everything."

The guards inspected every item one by one.

The bronze statues were solid.

The scrolls contained ordinary prayers.

Even the incense was common sandalwood used in temples.

Nothing appeared forbidden.

The Dowager Empress slowly walked closer.

She picked up a string of old prayer beads.

She recognized them immediately.

"These are from White Cloud Temple."

She looked toward the Emperor.

"They’re genuine."

Captain Xu searched the chest again.

Then looked up.

"Your Majesty."

"There is nothing related to forbidden rituals."

Silence filled the garden.

Everyone looked at one another.

This wasn’t what they had expected.

The Emperor’s brows knitted tightly together.

"Continue searching."

The guards spread through the courtyard once more.

Bedrooms.

Kitchen.

Storehouses.

Roof.

Garden.

Well.

Every brick was tapped.

Every floorboard inspected.

Nothing.

One hour passed.

Then another.

The result remained the same.

Nothing connected Shin Gu to dark rituals.

The atmosphere gradually became strange.

Prince Liang folded his arms.

His expression became thoughtful.

Finally, he spoke.

"Brother..."

The Emperor looked at him.

Prince Liang hesitated before continuing.

"We searched every room."

"We searched the garden."

"We searched the buried chest."

"There is nothing."

He glanced toward the Empress.

"Perhaps..."

He stopped.

The Empress quietly looked at him.

"...Perhaps what?"

Prince Liang sighed.

"Perhaps Shin Gu isn’t the person we thought."

Princess Zhi frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Prince Liang answered carefully.

"Everything here points to someone devoted to religious practice."

"Nothing points toward black magic."

He looked at the Emperor again.

"I’ve known Shin Gu for years."

"She has always prayed."

"She spent hours copying scriptures."

"I never saw her harm anyone."

The Dowager Empress remained silent.

Prince Liang continued,

"Could it be..."

He looked toward the Empress.

"...that what you saw wasn’t real?"

The words hung heavily in the cold night air.

The Empress’s eyes widened slightly.

"You think I imagined it?"

Prince Liang quickly shook his head.

"I didn’t say you lied."

"But..."

He struggled to find the right words.

"You nearly died."

"You were unconscious for days."

"You’ve been under tremendous stress."

He lowered his voice.

"Sometimes people remember things differently after experiencing trauma."

Princess Zhi immediately objected.

"No."

"I believe Sister-in-law."

Prince Liang sighed.

"I’m not saying she’s dishonest."

"I’m saying memories can be influenced."

Lady Chen, who had remained quiet the entire time, finally spoke.

"Prince Liang has a point."

Everyone turned toward her.

She lowered her eyes modestly.

"If Shin Gu truly practiced forbidden arts..."

"There should be evidence."

"But we found none."

She looked at the Empress with a sympathetic expression.

"Your Majesty has suffered greatly."

"It would be understandable if fear caused misunderstandings."

The Dowager Empress slowly nodded.

"It is difficult to accuse someone without proof."

The Emperor remained completely silent.

His gaze swept across the empty courtyard.

Something felt wrong.

Too wrong.

This place carried an oppressive feeling he could not explain.

Yet...

Every object they had found was ordinary.

He looked toward Captain Xu.

"Did you overlook anything?"

Captain Xu immediately knelt.

"No, Your Majesty."

"My men searched three times."

"We even removed the floor stones."

"There is nothing hidden."

The Emperor clenched his fists.

He hated mysteries.

Especially ones without evidence.

The Empress quietly stepped toward the prayer table.

She looked at the Buddha statue resting peacefully beneath the lantern light.

Her heart became unsettled.

"This..."

She whispered.

"...doesn’t make sense."

Fen Yu, the female ghost floating beside her, looked equally confused.

"This room isn’t the one I saw."

General Wei Rong frowned.

"Someone cleaned everything."

Scholar Li Shen adjusted his sleeves thoughtfully.

"Or moved everything."

The Empress slowly shook her head.

"No."

"It feels..."

She closed her eyes briefly.

"...empty."

The three ghosts looked at one another.

They understood.

The spiritual pressure they had sensed before was gone.

As though whatever had existed there had vanished without leaving a trace.

The Emperor noticed the Empress’s troubled expression.

He walked beside her.

"You still believe Shin Gu is involved?"

The Empress met his eyes.

Without hesitation, she answered,

"Yes."

"I know what I felt."

"I know what happened to me."

Her voice remained calm.

"I cannot prove it."

"But I cannot deny it either."

The Emperor studied her face for a long moment.

He saw no uncertainty.

Only conviction.

He turned back toward the empty courtyard.

Then spoke firmly.

"We found no evidence."

"But this investigation is not over."

Captain Xu bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor continued,

"Seal this residence."

"No one enters."

"No one removes anything."

"If even a single object changes..."

"I want to know immediately."

Captain Xu saluted.

"It will be done."

Prince Liang watched his brother quietly.

He understood.

Although no proof had been found—

The Emperor wasn’t satisfied.

Neither was the Empress.

As the group slowly walked toward the courtyard gate, the Dowager Empress looked back one final time.

The little shrine.

The prayer flags.

The Buddha statues.

Everything appeared peaceful.

Yet...

She couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her heart.

Something important was missing.

And somewhere—

Someone had stayed one step ahead of them.

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