Ghost in the palace

Night had fallen over the imperial palace.

The day had been filled with ordinary sounds—officials leaving the court, servants carrying lanterns through the corridors, guards changing their posts, and distant bells marking the passing hours.

But inside the Emperor’s private study, everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

The Emperor sat alone behind a broad sandalwood desk.

A single lamp burned beside him.

Its flame trembled whenever the night wind slipped through the narrow gap in the window.

Before him lay several ledgers.

He had been reading them for nearly an hour.

Taxes.

Grain shipments.

Military expenses.

Reports from distant provinces.

Normally, numbers and accounts were enough to occupy his mind.

Tonight, however, he found himself repeatedly losing focus.

His eyes would move across a line of figures, yet his thoughts would return to the same matter.

The Empress.

Her strange illness.

The lake.

The black altar.

The talismans.

The inexplicable events that had followed her wherever she went.

And now—

The attack outside the palace.

The Emperor slowly rubbed his forehead.

He had thought that once the Empress returned safely from the Duke residence, he might finally breathe.

Instead, every answer seemed to produce another question.

Someone had known she would leave the palace.

Someone had known her route.

Someone had wanted her dead.

And whoever was behind it was still hiding.

The Emperor reached for another document.

Then—

Tap.

He stopped.

His eyes lifted.

The sound had come from the window.

He remained perfectly still.

For several heartbeats, nothing happened.

Only the faint sound of wind.

The Emperor slowly lowered the document.

His hand moved toward the sword resting beside his chair.

Then—

Tap.

This time, the sound was unmistakable.

Something had struck the stone floor near the window.

His expression changed.

He stood.

The room was still empty.

The guards stationed outside had not reacted.

That alone made the Emperor’s instincts sharpen.

He approached the window.

His hand remained near his sword.

He looked outside.

Nothing.

The courtyard was empty.

Lanterns illuminated the stone path.

No servant.

No guard.

No shadow moving between the trees.

The Emperor opened the window.

Cold air entered the study.

He looked down.

A small folded piece of paper lay on the stone.

His eyes narrowed.

He stepped outside.

His boots touched the cold stone.

He looked around again.

Nothing.

No person.

No footsteps.

No disturbed grass.

No footprints in the thin layer of dust near the wall.

Whoever had thrown it had either possessed extraordinary skill—

Or had never walked there at all.

The Emperor crouched and picked up the paper.

It was folded tightly.

He unfolded it.

There were only a few lines.

His expression became colder as he read.

> Punish the Empress.

> If you refuse, the people of this kingdom will suffer.

> Her life is not the only life at stake.

The Emperor stared at the words.

His fingers tightened around the paper.

A threat.

But not an ordinary threat.

It wasn’t simply—

Kill the Empress.

It was an attempt to force him to punish her.

To make him believe that protecting her would endanger everyone else.

He looked around the empty courtyard again.

"Who are you?"

His voice echoed faintly.

No answer.

He stepped toward the wall.

There should have been footprints.

There should have been some indication of where the messenger had stood.

There was nothing.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

This wasn’t ordinary palace espionage.

He returned inside.

Closing the window behind him, he placed the paper on the desk.

He studied it carefully.

The handwriting was unfamiliar.

The ink looked ordinary.

The paper itself was inexpensive.

Nothing.

No seal.

No family mark.

No identifying symbol.

Yet the message had reached his private study without a single guard noticing.

The Emperor’s jaw tightened.

He immediately understood what this meant.

They were still playing with him.

---

A few minutes later, the secret door opened.

One of the Emperor’s trusted shadow guards entered and knelt.

"Your Majesty."

The Emperor held up the paper.

"Tell me how someone entered this courtyard."

The guard looked confused.

"Your Majesty?"

"This was thrown into my study."

The man’s expression changed.

He immediately examined the courtyard.

After several moments, he returned.

"There are no tracks."

"I know."

"Perhaps it was thrown from the outer wall?"

The Emperor looked at him.

"Then why did no one see anyone?"

The guard lowered his head.

"We do not know."

The Emperor’s gaze became sharp.

"Then find out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guard hesitated.

"Should we increase the guards around the study?"

The Emperor shook his head.

"No."

The guard looked surprised.

"Do not change the pattern."

"Why?"

"Because whoever sent this message wants us to know they can reach me."

The Emperor folded the paper.

"If we suddenly double the guards, they will know we are frightened."

The guard understood.

"They may change their methods."

"Exactly."

The Emperor looked toward the window.

"Instead, I want you to investigate quietly."

"Yes."

"And send someone to observe Shin Gu."

The guard’s expression became serious.

"Still?"

"Especially now."

The Emperor’s voice hardened.

"We still haven’t caught her."

---

He dismissed the guard.

But he didn’t return to his ledgers.

Instead, he walked toward the wall where several maps of the kingdom hung.

His eyes moved over them.

Capital.

Northern provinces.

Western border.

Eastern river.

Southern mountains.

The threat had mentioned the kingdom.

That could mean anything.

Perhaps the writer was bluffing.

Perhaps they genuinely possessed the ability to cause harm.

Or perhaps—

They wanted him to believe they did.

The Emperor’s gaze darkened.

He had spent too long treating each strange incident separately.

The Empress’s strange movements toward the lake.

The black altar.

The talismans.

The strange illnesses.

The reports of unexplained events.

The rumors of ghosts.

The stories from distant kingdoms.

The attack on the road.

And now this message.

They were not separate.

Someone was connecting them.

And the Emperor already had one name in mind.

Shin Gu.

---

Earlier, the palace had searched Shin Gu’s courtyard.

Nothing had been found.

Not a single black altar.

Not a suspicious talisman.

Not one object that could prove she had performed forbidden rituals.

But the Emperor had never forgotten what the Empress told him.

She had seen the black altar.

She had seen something in Shin Gu’s courtyard.

And later—

That same kind of dark object had appeared in other places.

The Empress’s courtyard.

Lady Chen’s courtyard.

Princess Zhi’s courtyard.

Even the Dowager Empress’s courtyard.

Too many places.

Too many coincidences.

Someone had been moving through the palace.

Someone who understood the dark rituals.

Someone who knew where to plant evidence.

And someone who knew exactly when the Empress was vulnerable.

The Emperor clenched his hand.

"Shin Gu..."

His voice was barely audible.

"You cannot hide forever."

---

The Empress’s Courtyard

At the same time, the Empress was asleep.

She knew nothing about the message that had just reached the Emperor.

Her courtyard was quiet.

Moonlight fell through the trees.

The three ghosts were gathered nearby.

Fen Yu sat on the roof, staring toward the palace wall.

Wei Rong stood with his arms crossed.

Li Shen held an old scroll.

None of them looked particularly peaceful.

Fen Yu suddenly turned.

"Something happened."

Wei Rong looked at her.

"What?"

"I don’t know."

Li Shen frowned.

"You sensed something?"

Fen Yu nodded.

"Something dark."

Wei Rong’s expression became serious.

"Where?"

She pointed toward the distant palace.

"The Emperor’s study."

Li Shen’s eyes narrowed.

"Then we should investigate."

Fen Yu jumped down.

"No."

Wei Rong looked at her.

"Why not?"

"Because if we suddenly appear in the Emperor’s study, he will think we are spying on him."

Li Shen sighed.

"We are spying on him."

Fen Yu glared.

"That isn’t the point."

Wei Rong rubbed his forehead.

"Both of you are impossible."

Fen Yu crossed her arms.

"And you are irritating."

Li Shen sighed.

"Can we focus?"

They all fell silent.

The ghosts could feel it.

Something had shifted.

The palace itself seemed tense.

Even the spiritual energy moving through the courtyards felt disturbed.

Li Shen slowly closed his scroll.

"This isn’t ordinary."

Wei Rong nodded.

"No."

Fen Yu looked toward the Empress’s chamber.

"We need to tell her."

---

Inside, the Empress stirred.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The three ghosts immediately appeared beside her.

She blinked.

"Why are all three of you standing over me?"

Fen Yu pointed toward the door.

"Something happened."

The Empress sat up.

"What?"

"We don’t know."

"Then why did you wake me?"

Fen Yu hesitated.

"...Because we were worried."

The Empress stared at her.

Then sighed.

"You ghosts are becoming more dramatic every day."

Li Shen looked offended.

"We are enlightened spirits."

"Enlightened spirits can also be dramatic."

Wei Rong nodded.

"She has a point."

Li Shen glared at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

"The truth."

Fen Yu burst out laughing.

The Empress couldn’t help smiling.

For a moment—

The tension disappeared.

Then Wei Rong’s expression became serious.

"We felt a disturbance near the Emperor’s study."

The Empress’s smile vanished.

"What kind of disturbance?"

"We don’t know."

Li Shen added,

"But something happened."

The Empress immediately got out of bed.

"Then we should find out."

---

The Emperor’s Discovery

By the time the Emperor finished examining the message, another thought had entered his mind.

He had been wrong.

Not completely.

But dangerously close.

He had spent days thinking about how to protect the Empress from attacks outside the palace.

The ambush had seemed to confirm that the enemy was operating beyond the palace walls.

But this message proved something else.

The enemy could reach him inside.

Which meant—

The distinction between inside and outside was meaningless.

Someone had connections everywhere.

The Emperor walked back to his desk.

He picked up the paper again.

The words were simple.

But the threat was clear.

Punish the Empress.

Why?

Because someone wanted him to turn against her.

Perhaps the person wanted the court to believe she was responsible for the strange events.

Perhaps they wanted the people to demand her punishment.

Perhaps they wanted to isolate her.

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

They had underestimated one thing.

He no longer believed the Empress was guilty.

He believed she was the target.

And if someone wanted her punished—

That meant they feared what would happen if she remained alive.

His eyes narrowed.

"What are you afraid she will discover?"

---

A shadow appeared outside the door.

The Emperor immediately reached for his sword.

"Enter."

His chief guard stepped inside.

"Your Majesty."

"What happened?"

"We found something."

The Emperor’s eyes sharpened.

"Where?"

"Near the western wall."

The guard placed a small object on the table.

It was a piece of blackened wood.

The Emperor looked at it.

"What is this?"

"We don’t know."

"Where did you find it?"

"Near the garden wall."

The Emperor picked it up.

There was a faint smell.

Burnt herbs.

Something bitter.

Something unfamiliar.

He looked toward the guard.

"Take it to the palace physicians."

"Yes."

"And the spiritual investigators."

The guard hesitated.

"Your Majesty..."

"Speak."

"Some of them are refusing."

"Why?"

"They are afraid."

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

"Afraid of what?"

The guard lowered his voice.

"They say the palace has become spiritually contaminated."

Silence.

The Emperor slowly placed the object down.

"So the rumors have reached them too."

"Yes."

The Emperor looked toward the window.

The palace was becoming afraid.

That was exactly what the enemy wanted.

Fear.

Suspicion.

Division.

And if everyone became afraid—

They would eventually look for someone to blame.

The Empress.

He wouldn’t allow it.

---

A Decision

The Emperor summoned his most trusted people before midnight.

The General.

The chief investigator.

Two shadow guards.

And one elderly scholar who had studied forbidden rituals.

They gathered privately.

The Emperor placed the threatening letter on the table.

Everyone read it.

The General’s face hardened.

"This is a provocation."

"Yes."

The scholar examined the paper.

"Your Majesty, this may not be a simple threat."

The Emperor looked at him.

"Explain."

"The wording is unusual."

"How?"

"It doesn’t say the Empress will cause suffering."

"It says the kingdom will suffer if she isn’t punished."

The scholar’s expression was grim.

"This resembles an old form of coercive spiritual curse."

The General frowned.

"A curse?"

"Possibly."

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

"Can a curse actually harm the kingdom?"

The scholar hesitated.

"Not in the way ordinary people imagine."

"Then what?"

"A ritual can manipulate fear."

"People believe something will happen."

"They become frightened."

"They behave differently."

"Officials make poor decisions."

"Villages panic."

"Rumors spread."

"People begin fighting."

He paused.

"And eventually..."

"The kingdom suffers."

The Emperor stared at him.

"So the threat itself could be part of the ritual."

"Yes."

That made everything more disturbing.

The enemy might not need supernatural power to destroy the kingdom.

They only needed to convince people that supernatural power existed.

The Emperor stood.

"Then we cannot allow panic."

The General bowed.

"What are your orders?"

"Nothing publicly."

The General looked surprised.

"Nothing?"

"Not yet."

The Emperor’s gaze became cold.

"We will not announce another investigation."

"We will not publicly accuse Shin Gu."

"And we will not allow anyone to punish the Empress."

The General nodded.

"Understood."

The Emperor turned toward the shadow guards.

"From this moment onward, watch every person who approaches the Empress."

"Not just enemies."

"Friends."

"Servants."

"Officials."

"Everyone."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Quietly."

"Yes."

Then the Emperor looked at the scholar.

"And you."

"Yes?"

"Find everything you can about the forbidden rituals."

"Especially the black altar."

The scholar bowed deeply.

"I will."

The Emperor’s voice became quieter.

"And find out who else knows about it."

The scholar looked up.

"Your Majesty?"

The Emperor stared at the threatening letter.

"Because whoever wrote this knows far too much."