Ghost in the palace

The morning after Mei Lan had been given more responsibility, Shin Gu’s courtyard seemed strangely different.

Nothing had changed.

The same dark wooden corridors surrounded the courtyard. The same stone lanterns stood beneath the old trees. The same faint fragrance of incense drifted from the inner chamber.

Yet to Mei Lan, every corner seemed dangerous.

She had learned to look at everything twice.

A closed door was no longer simply a closed door.

A bowl of incense was not merely incense.

And a quiet room could conceal something far more frightening than an ordinary secret.

Most frightening of all was Shin Gu herself.

For several days, Shin Gu had begun treating Mei Lan differently.

She spoke to her more often.

She entrusted her with small tasks.

She even allowed her to enter rooms that had previously been forbidden.

To anyone else, it might have looked like kindness.

To Mei Lan, it was terrifying.

Because trust from Shin Gu meant only one thing.

Shin Gu was slowly letting her guard down.

And Mei Lan needed to discover why.

---

That morning, Mei Lan entered Shin Gu’s chamber carrying fresh tea.

"Lady Shin Gu, your tea."

Shin Gu looked up from the scroll in her hand.

"Put it there."

Mei Lan placed the tray on the table.

She turned to leave.

"Wait."

Mei Lan stopped.

Her heart immediately began pounding.

Shin Gu looked at her.

"From today onward, you will organize the incense room."

Mei Lan blinked.

"The incense room?"

"Yes."

Shin Gu’s expression remained calm.

"I don’t want the older maid handling everything anymore. You are careful with your hands."

Mei Lan bowed.

"Yes, Lady."

"You will clean the shelves, replace the incense, and keep an account of what enters and leaves."

Mei Lan lowered her eyes.

"As you command."

Shin Gu watched her for another moment.

Then she smiled.

"You’ve been with me long enough. I think I can trust you."

Mei Lan’s stomach tightened.

Trust.

That word frightened her more than suspicion.

She forced herself to smile.

"It is my honor."

Shin Gu nodded.

"Go."

Mei Lan bowed and left.

The moment she stepped outside, she released a slow breath.

Her palms were damp.

She looked back at the closed door.

Why had Shin Gu suddenly trusted her?

Was it because Shin Gu truly believed she was loyal?

Or was there another reason?

---

The incense room was located at the back of the courtyard.

It was small, dark, and rarely visited.

Rows of wooden shelves held jars of herbs, incense sticks, dried flowers, oils, powders, and small sealed containers.

Mei Lan entered carefully.

She closed the door behind herself.

For several moments, she simply stood there.

Then she began working.

One jar at a time.

One shelf at a time.

She checked the labels.

Some were ordinary.

Others were unfamiliar.

She remembered what the Dowager had told her.

Do not rush.

Do not reveal that you are searching.

Look for what Shin Gu thinks no one would notice.

Mei Lan continued organizing.

Then—

She noticed something.

One shelf was almost completely empty.

Except for three small black containers.

There were no labels.

Mei Lan stared at them.

Her fingers moved toward one.

Then stopped.

She remembered the black altar.

The candles.

The strange symbols.

The cold air.

She quickly pulled her hand back.

Perhaps these were connected.

But she couldn’t touch them.

Not yet.

She memorized their position.

Then continued cleaning.

---

By midday, Shin Gu called for her again.

Mei Lan hurried into the chamber.

"You’ve finished?"

"Yes, Lady."

"Good."

Shin Gu handed her a small bundle.

"Take these to the shrine."

Mei Lan looked down.

"To the shrine?"

"Yes."

"The eastern shrine."

Mei Lan’s eyes flickered.

The eastern shrine was rarely used by the main palace servants.

It was an old place of worship hidden behind several gardens.

Shin Gu continued,

"Light the incense and leave the bundle there."

Mei Lan bowed.

"Yes."

"And don’t open it."

Mei Lan’s heart skipped.

"I won’t."

Shin Gu looked at her.

"I know you won’t."

Mei Lan bowed again and left.

Only once she reached the corridor did she look down at the bundle.

It was wrapped in black cloth.

A faint scent came from inside.

Not incense.

Something bitter.

Something earthy.

Something she couldn’t identify.

She tightened her grip.

The shrine.

Perhaps this was the clue she had been waiting for.

---

The walk to the eastern shrine took nearly half an hour.

Mei Lan deliberately walked slowly.

She didn’t want anyone to notice that she was nervous.

Along the way, she passed several servants.

She smiled when they greeted her.

She behaved normally.

But inside, her mind raced.

What was inside the bundle?

Why had Shin Gu ordered her to take it alone?

And why had she specifically warned her not to open it?

When Mei Lan finally reached the shrine, she stopped.

The old structure stood beneath enormous trees.

Moss covered portions of the stone steps.

The wooden doors were faded.

The shrine seemed abandoned.

Yet someone clearly maintained it.

There were fresh footprints in the dust.

Mei Lan’s eyes narrowed.

She looked around.

No one.

She stepped inside.

---

The interior was dim.

An old statue stood at the front.

Incense bowls rested below it.

Mei Lan placed Shin Gu’s bundle on the altar.

She lit three incense sticks.

Then she bowed.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

But she did not leave.

Instead, she looked carefully around.

There were several old wooden cabinets along the wall.

One was slightly open.

Mei Lan’s heartbeat quickened.

She moved closer.

Inside were old prayer books.

Nothing unusual.

She checked the second cabinet.

Nothing.

The third—

Locked.

Mei Lan stared at it.

A faint black mark had been carved into the wooden door.

The same kind of shape she had seen near Shin Gu’s altar.

Her breath caught.

It was not proof.

But it was a connection.

She reached toward the lock.

Then stopped.

Footsteps.

Someone was approaching.

Mei Lan immediately stepped away.

She lowered her head and pretended to pray.

The shrine doors opened.

An elderly palace caretaker entered.

He looked at her.

"Mei Lan?"

She bowed.

"Master."

"What are you doing here?"

"Lady Shin Gu sent me to offer incense."

The old man nodded.

"Leave when you’re finished."

"Yes."

He walked toward the side room.

Mei Lan waited.

After several moments, she glanced toward the locked cabinet.

The old caretaker hadn’t noticed it.

She memorized its location.

Then she left the shrine.

---

When Mei Lan returned to Shin Gu’s courtyard, Shin Gu was waiting.

"Did you complete the task?"

"Yes."

"Did you open the bundle?"

"No."

Shin Gu smiled.

"Good."

Mei Lan bowed.

Shin Gu turned away.

"You can go."

Mei Lan left.

But this time, something had changed.

She was almost certain now.

The shrine was connected to Shin Gu’s secret.

She just didn’t know how.

---

That night, Shin Gu sat alone in her chamber.

The room was dark except for a single candle.

She opened a hidden drawer.

Inside were several pieces of black paper covered in strange markings.

Her fingers moved across them.

Then she smiled faintly.

"Everything is still proceeding."

She closed the drawer.

But after a moment, her expression changed.

She remembered Mei Lan.

The girl had been useful lately.

Quiet.

Obedient.

Careful.

Perhaps too careful.

Shin Gu’s eyes narrowed.

"Trust is a dangerous thing."

She extinguished the candle.

---

Meanwhile, Mei Lan stood outside beneath the moonlight.

She looked toward the distant eastern shrine.

Her heart was pounding.

She had found something.

Not enough to expose Shin Gu.

Not enough to convince the Emperor.

But enough to prove that her suspicion was not imagination.

The shrine.

The black markings.

The unmarked containers.

The hidden altar.

They were connected somehow.

Mei Lan clenched her fists.

She would return.

But next time—

She would not go merely to pray.

She would search.

Carefully.

Quietly.

And she would find the truth.

Because somewhere inside the palace, someone was practicing the forbidden darkness that had nearly destroyed the Empress.

And Mei Lan was determined to uncover it before Shin Gu could use it again.

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