Ghost in the palace

The night breeze swept through Shin Gu’s courtyard, rustling the prayer flags hanging beneath the old eaves.

The Imperial Guards had searched every room.

Every cabinet.

Every floorboard.

Every hidden compartment.

Nothing.

Not a single forbidden object had been found.

The Emperor stood in silence, his expression unreadable.

Captain Xu lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, the search is complete."

The Emperor gave a slight nod but did not speak.

Just then—

Footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

Everyone turned.

A palace maid hurried inside, breathing heavily.

"Your Majesty... Shin Gu has returned."

Before anyone could react, a slim figure in pale robes appeared at the entrance.

Shin Gu stopped the moment she saw the Imperial Guards surrounding her residence.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Then she looked around at the overturned boxes, opened cabinets, and disturbed flower beds.

"...What happened here?"

Silence answered her.

Her gaze finally settled on the Emperor.

She bowed.

"Your Majesty."

Then her eyes moved to the Empress.

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across her face before disappearing behind calm composure.

Prince Liang stepped forward.

"We searched your courtyard."

Shin Gu looked at him in confusion.

"...May I ask why?"

Prince Liang answered honestly.

"The Empress believed there might be evidence connected to the strange incidents in the palace."

The words lingered in the air.

Shin Gu slowly turned toward the Empress.

There was hurt in her expression.

"Your Majesty..."

"I have always respected you."

"I have never spoken against you."

"Why would you suspect me?"

The Empress met her gaze calmly.

"I did not accuse you because of personal dislike."

"I only followed what I believed might help us uncover the truth."

Shin Gu lowered her eyes briefly.

"I understand wanting answers."

"But finding nothing..."

She looked around the courtyard.

"...has still brought suspicion upon me."

Lady Chen remained silent.

Princess Zhi also said nothing.

Both women watched carefully, unable to tell whether Shin Gu’s surprise was genuine or carefully controlled.

The Emperor finally spoke.

"No conclusion has been reached."

"We searched because questions remain."

"No judgment has been made."

Shin Gu bowed respectfully.

"I thank Your Majesty for saying so."

Then she looked back at the Empress.

"If I have unknowingly offended Your Majesty in the past, I apologize."

"But I have never wished you harm."

The atmosphere became heavy.

Prince Liang folded his arms thoughtfully.

"If we searched one residence because of suspicion..."

"...then fairness demands the same standard for others."

Several people looked toward him.

He continued,

"If we wish to remove doubt completely, perhaps every important residence should be inspected."

The courtyard fell silent.

Before anyone else could respond, the Empress nodded.

"I agree."

Everyone turned toward her.

She spoke without hesitation.

"If the goal is truth, then no one should be exempt."

She looked first at Lady Chen.

"Lady Chen’s courtyard may be searched."

Then at Princess Zhi.

"Princess Zhi’s as well."

Finally, she turned respectfully toward the Dowager Empress.

"And if Mother permits, her residence may also be inspected."

The Dowager Empress held the Empress’s gaze for several moments.

Then she spoke firmly.

"If searching my residence removes suspicion and brings peace to this palace..."

"...I have nothing to hide."

"You may search it."

Princess Zhi stepped forward immediately.

"My courtyard is open as well."

Lady Chen inclined her head gracefully.

"I have no objection."

The Emperor slowly looked around at everyone gathered beneath the lantern light.

"Very well."

His voice carried through the silent courtyard.

"At first light, Captain Xu will organize inspections according to palace procedure."

"No residence will receive special treatment."

"If someone truly seeks to harm this palace..."

"...the truth will eventually come to light."

No one spoke.

The search of Shin Gu’s residence had answered nothing.

Instead—

It had deepened the mystery.

And as the moon disappeared behind drifting clouds, everyone left the courtyard with more questions than answers.

The first rays of morning sunlight stretched across the palace roofs, washing the imperial courtyards in pale gold.

Yet despite the beautiful morning, the atmosphere inside the Hall of Harmony was anything but peaceful.

No one spoke.

The previous night’s search had only deepened the mystery.

Shin Gu’s courtyard had yielded nothing.

No altar.

No ritual tools.

No forbidden books.

Nothing.

The Emperor sat upon the raised seat, one hand resting on the armrest, his expression calm but unreadable.

To his right stood the Dowager Empress.

Princess Zhi remained quietly beside her.

Lady Chen stood several steps away, her face composed as always.

The Empress stood opposite them, her brows slightly knitted.

Something didn’t feel right.

Her ghost companions had never lied to her.

They had clearly sensed dark spiritual energy.

If Shin Gu’s courtyard was clean...

Then where had it gone?

Or...

Had someone moved it?

Her thoughts were interrupted as hurried footsteps echoed outside.

A palace guard rushed into the hall before dropping to one knee.

"Your Majesty!"

"I request permission to report."

The Emperor nodded.

"Speak."

The guard took a deep breath.

"General Wei requests an audience immediately."

"Allow him in."

Moments later...

General Wei entered the hall.

His armor was dusty, and several soldiers followed behind him carrying wooden chests covered with black cloth.

Everyone’s attention shifted toward the boxes.

The General bowed deeply.

"This minister greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor studied him carefully.

"You look as though you have not rested."

"I have not."

General Wei answered honestly.

"After searching the remaining residences through the night..."

"...we found something."

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Prince Liang stepped forward.

"What did you find?"

General Wei lifted the cloth from the first chest.

Inside...

Lay dozens of folded yellow talismans.

Some were burned.

Others were stained with dark red marks.

Ancient symbols covered every piece.

Princess Zhi frowned.

"What are those?"

General Wei replied gravely.

"Protective talismans."

The Empress blinked.

"Protective?"

General Wei nodded.

"Not offensive."

"They appear to have been placed to ward off dark spiritual influence."

A murmur spread through the hall.

The Dowager Empress looked confused.

"Where were they found?"

General Wei answered one residence at a time.

"Several were hidden inside the Dowager Empress’s chambers."

The Dowager Empress looked genuinely surprised.

"My chambers?"

"I have never seen those before."

General Wei nodded respectfully.

"I believe Your Majesty."

He continued.

"More were discovered beneath Princess Zhi’s bed and behind her ancestral shrine."

Princess Zhi stared in disbelief.

"...Impossible."

"I never placed anything there."

General Wei looked toward Lady Chen.

"And another group was hidden inside Lady Chen’s residence."

Lady Chen’s eyes widened.

"My courtyard?"

Her voice was calm, but even she seemed startled.

"I know nothing about talismans."

The hall erupted into whispers.

The Empress remained silent.

Her eyes never left the talismans.

Her ghost companions floated beside her.

Fen Yu whispered,

"These aren’t evil."

Li Shen nodded.

"They’re meant to suppress something."

General Rong frowned deeply.

"Someone was protecting these residences."

The Empress slowly raised her head.

"If these are protective talismans..."

"...who placed them?"

No one answered.

General Wei walked toward the second chest.

"There is more."

The room fell silent again.

He uncovered another cloth.

Inside rested broken wooden stakes, fragments of black candles, ashes, and strange powders.

Prince Liang frowned.

"Where did those come from?"

General Wei’s expression grew solemn.

"They were recovered from..."

He paused.

"...the Empress’s chamber."

Silence.

Utter silence.

The Empress stared at him.

"My chamber?"

General Wei nodded slowly.

"Not inside your sleeping room."

He unfolded a rough sketch of the palace.

"The soldiers inspected beneath the wooden flooring after noticing an unusual hollow sound."

He pointed to a section beneath the Empress’s private meditation room.

"There was a hidden compartment."

The Emperor’s eyes sharpened.

"What was inside?"

General Wei took a slow breath.

"A black altar."

The words struck the room like thunder.

Princess Zhi covered her mouth.

"The Empress’s chamber?"

Lady Chen looked equally stunned.

The Dowager Empress gripped the armrest of her chair.

"A dark altar... inside the Empress’s residence?"

The Empress herself couldn’t believe it.

"I have lived there for months."

"I never saw anything."

General Wei nodded.

"It was extremely well concealed."

"The entrance had been sealed beneath the floorboards."

He continued,

"The altar contained black candles, dried herbs, strange symbols carved into stone..."

"...and a human-shaped wooden doll."

A chill swept through the hall.

Prince Liang asked quietly,

"Was there anything connecting it to the Empress?"

General Wei shook his head.

"No."

"In fact..."

"...the altar appears to have been directed toward the Empress."

The Emperor slowly stood.

His voice became dangerously calm.

"You mean..."

General Wei lowered his head.

"It appears the Empress was the target."

Not the owner.

The target.

The hall became deathly quiet.

The Empress felt her heartbeat quicken.

Her strange nightmares.

The sleepwalking.

The lake.

The mysterious pull.

The near-death experience.

Everything suddenly seemed connected.

Fen Yu whispered,

"I knew it..."

Li Shen’s face became grave.

"The altar wasn’t hidden in another courtyard."

"It was hidden where no one would think to search."

General Rong crossed his arms.

"A clever move."

"If discovered..."

"...everyone would suspect the Empress herself."

The Emperor’s gaze turned icy.

"This was planned."

General Wei nodded.

"I believe so."

The Emperor looked around the hall, his sharp eyes passing over every face.

"The palace has harbored an enemy for far longer than we realized."

No one dared respond.

The morning sunlight still streamed through the palace windows.

But inside the hall...

It suddenly felt much colder.

Because at last...

They had found proof.

Not enough to identify the mastermind—

But enough to prove one terrifying truth.

Someone inside the palace had carefully hidden darkness beneath the Empress’s own feet... while making her appear to be its source.

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