Ghost in the palace

Seventeen days had passed since Shin Gu’s death.

Seventeen days since the dark magic that had haunted the palace for so long had finally been brought to an end.

And for the first time in many months, the Imperial Palace seemed peaceful.

There were no strange whispers.

No servants collapsing after wandering into forbidden courtyards.

No mysterious shadows appearing beneath the palace lanterns.

No sudden illnesses.

No reports of people behaving strangely.

Life had slowly returned to normal.

The Emperor had resumed his ordinary duties.

The Empress had begun spending more time in the palace gardens.

The three ghosts—Fen Yu, Wei Rong, and Li Shen—had returned to their usual arguments.

Even the palace servants had stopped looking over their shoulders every few moments.

Everyone believed the nightmare was finally over.

But nobody understood one thing.

Darkness did not always return with a warning.

Sometimes—

It returned quietly.

And on that particular night, the first person to hear it was a palace maid.

---

The moon was high in the sky.

The palace corridors were unusually quiet.

Most of the servants had already retired for the night.

Only a few palace guards remained stationed along the outer corridors.

A young maid named Mei Lan carried a small lantern as she walked toward the eastern servants’ quarters.

She had been ordered to deliver fresh bedding to one of the rooms.

The palace was peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Mei Lan yawned softly.

"Finally, I can sleep."

She adjusted the folded blankets in her arms.

Then—

She heard something.

A faint sound.

"Ah..."

Mei Lan stopped.

She looked around.

"What was that?"

Nothing.

Only the sound of the wind moving through the trees.

She continued walking.

Three steps.

Four.

Five.

Then she heard it again.

A cry.

This time—

Clearly.

Someone was sobbing.

"Help..."

Mei Lan froze.

The lantern in her hand trembled.

She looked toward the dark corridor behind her.

"Who is there?"

No answer.

Then—

A woman’s voice.

Soft.

Broken.

"Why..."

Mei Lan’s face became pale.

She slowly placed the bedding on the floor.

Her heart began beating faster.

"Is someone hurt?"

She picked up her lantern properly.

The crying seemed to be coming from the old servants’ quarters.

But that area had been closed for several days because the rooms were being repaired.

Nobody should have been there.

Mei Lan swallowed.

She should have gone to call a guard.

She knew that.

But curiosity overcame fear.

She walked toward the sound.

Step by step.

The crying became louder.

"Please..."

"Please..."

"Don’t leave me..."

Mei Lan’s breathing became shallow.

She reached the entrance of the old servants’ courtyard.

The gate was slightly open.

That was strange.

She was certain the guards had locked it earlier.

She pushed the gate.

Creak.

The sound echoed through the empty courtyard.

Mei Lan raised her lantern.

"Is anyone there?"

Silence.

Then—

A sudden gust of cold wind blew across her face.

Her lantern flame flickered.

And she saw something.

A figure.

Lying on the ground.

Mei Lan’s eyes widened.

The lantern nearly slipped from her hand.

"Ah!"

She stumbled backward.

Someone was lying beneath the old tree.

A palace servant.

A woman.

Completely motionless.

Mei Lan stared at her.

"No..."

She rushed forward.

"Miss!"

She knelt beside the woman.

"Miss, wake up!"

There was no response.

Mei Lan touched her shoulder.

Cold.

Far too cold.

She immediately pulled her hand away.

Her face drained of color.

"Someone..."

Her voice shook.

"Someone help!"

She screamed.

"GUARDS!"

Her cry echoed across the courtyard.

Within moments, footsteps thundered through the corridor.

Two palace guards rushed inside.

"What happened?"

Mei Lan pointed toward the ground.

"There!"

The guards looked.

Their expressions changed immediately.

One rushed forward and checked the woman’s breathing.

His face became grim.

"She’s dead."

Mei Lan covered her mouth.

"No..."

The second guard immediately looked around.

"How did she die?"

"I don’t know!"

Mei Lan was trembling.

"I heard crying... I came here... and she was already lying here..."

The first guard examined the body carefully.

"There are no obvious wounds."

The second guard frowned.

"Then how?"

"I don’t know."

A third guard arrived.

Then a fourth.

Within minutes, the courtyard became crowded.

The servants woke from their sleep.

Doors opened.

Whispers spread.

"What happened?"

"Someone died."

"Who?"

"Was she murdered?"

"Where?"

"Near the eastern quarters."

The peaceful palace suddenly became chaotic.

And then—

Someone screamed.

"She’s dead!"

Another servant began crying.

"Someone killed her!"

"No!"

"Call the palace physician!"

"Call the Imperial Guard!"

"Don’t touch the body!"

The courtyard erupted.

---

Inside the Empress’s residence—

Lian An woke suddenly.

Her eyes opened.

For a moment, she didn’t understand why.

Then she heard it.

Crying.

Far away.

But unmistakable.

She sat up slowly.

"What..."

The sound came again.

A woman’s sob.

Then another.

Then another.

Lian An’s expression changed.

She immediately got out of bed.

At the foot of the room, Fen Yu was already floating near the window.

Her playful expression had disappeared.

"An’er."

Lian An looked at her.

"You heard it?"

Fen Yu nodded.

"Yes."

Wei Rong appeared beside the door.

His face was serious.

"Something is wrong."

Li Shen slowly emerged from the shadows.

He had been reading moments earlier.

Now his book was closed.

"There are more voices than there should be."

Lian An looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Li Shen listened carefully.

"Listen."

They all became silent.

The palace was filled with distant cries.

Not one.

Not two.

Many.

Some were coming from the eastern courtyard.

Others seemed to come from farther away.

Lian An’s brows knitted together.

"Why are there so many people crying?"

Fen Yu’s expression became uneasy.

"I don’t know."

Wei Rong looked toward the palace walls.

"It sounds like a mourning hall."

Li Shen shook his head.

"No funeral has been announced."

Lian An immediately called for her maid.

"Go and find out what happened."

The maid hurried inside.

"Your Majesty?"

"Why is the palace in chaos?"

"I don’t know, Your Majesty."

"Then find out."

"Yes."

The maid rushed out.

Lian An turned toward the three ghosts.

"You stay here."

Wei Rong immediately objected.

"We should investigate."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don’t know what we’re dealing with."

Wei Rong frowned.

"But—"

"Wait."

The firmness in her voice stopped him.

Lian An looked toward the window.

Her heart was beating strangely.

Seventeen days.

Exactly seventeen days since Shin Gu died.

Everything had been peaceful.

And now—

Someone was dead.

And the palace was filled with crying.

She didn’t believe in coincidences anymore.

---

The news reached the Emperor within minutes.

He was still awake in his study when a guard rushed inside.

"Your Majesty!"

The Emperor immediately looked up.

"What happened?"

"There has been a death in the eastern servants’ quarters."

The Emperor stood.

"A death?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Who?"

"We are still identifying her."

"How?"

"We don’t know."

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

"Take me there."

"Your Majesty, it may be dangerous."

"I said take me there."

"Yes!"

The guard immediately bowed.

The Emperor walked out.

His personal guards followed.

But before leaving, he stopped.

"Where is the Empress?"

"In her residence, Your Majesty."

"Send someone to stay with her."

"Yes."

---

When the Emperor arrived at the eastern courtyard, the scene was chaotic.

Servants stood in groups.

Some were crying.

Others were whispering.

Several guards had surrounded the body.

The palace physician knelt beside the dead maid.

The Emperor’s arrival immediately silenced everyone.

"Move."

The guards stepped aside.

The Emperor walked toward the body.

He looked down.

The dead woman appeared to be around twenty years old.

There were no wounds.

No blood.

No obvious sign of violence.

The physician slowly stood.

"Your Majesty."

"What happened?"

"I cannot determine the cause of death yet."

"Examine her."

"I already have."

"And?"

The physician hesitated.

"Her body shows no external injury."

"Poison?"

"I cannot confirm it."

"Magic?"

The physician looked uncomfortable.

"I don’t know."

The Emperor’s eyes sharpened.

"Then find out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A servant suddenly began crying loudly.

The Emperor looked toward her.

"What happened?"

The servant covered her face.

"I knew her..."

"Speak."

"She was fine yesterday."

"Was she sick?"

"No."

"Did she behave strangely?"

The servant shook her head.

"No."

"Then when did you last see her?"

"Before dinner."

"And she was normal?"

"Yes."

The Emperor looked at the body again.

"Who found her?"

A trembling maid stepped forward.

"Me, Your Majesty."

"Tell me exactly what happened."

Mei Lan repeated everything.

The crying.

The courtyard.

The body.

The strange coldness.

The Emperor listened without interrupting.

When she finished, he asked,

"You said you heard someone crying?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Did you see anyone?"

"No."

"Did the crying continue after you found the body?"

Mei Lan hesitated.

"Yes."

"Where?"

Her face became pale.

"Everywhere."

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I could hear crying from the palace corridors."

She swallowed.

"Even after the guards arrived."

A silence fell.

Then—

A servant whispered,

"I heard it too."

Another nodded.

"So did I."

"I heard someone calling my name."

"I heard my mother."

Everyone became quiet.

The Emperor looked at them.

"Your mother?"

The servant began crying.

"My mother died ten years ago."

The Emperor’s expression changed.

Another servant stepped forward.

"I heard my younger brother."

"My brother died during the border war."

Someone else whispered,

"I heard my daughter."

She covered her mouth.

"She died when she was a child."

The courtyard became completely silent.

The Emperor looked around.

Now he understood why everyone was terrified.

They weren’t simply hearing crying.

They were hearing the voices of dead people they had loved.

---

Back in the Empress’s residence—

Lian An stood near the window.

The crying continued.

Fen Yu looked deeply uncomfortable.

"An’er..."

"What?"

"I think they’re ghosts."

Lian An turned toward her.

"How many?"

Fen Yu closed her eyes.

She concentrated.

Then her face changed.

"Too many."

Wei Rong immediately became alert.

"How many?"

"I don’t know."

"Dozens?"

Fen Yu shook her head.

"More."

Li Shen’s expression became serious.

"That shouldn’t be possible."

Lian An looked between them.

"Why?"

Li Shen answered quietly.

"Ghosts usually remain connected to the place where they died, their memories, or someone they loved."

He looked toward the palace courtyard.

"But tonight..."

His voice lowered.

"It feels as if something is calling them."

Lian An’s heart tightened.

"Calling them?"

"Yes."

Fen Yu suddenly shivered.

"I don’t like it."

Wei Rong stared toward the darkness.

"Neither do I."

Then—

A new voice came from outside.

A woman’s voice.

Very close.

"Lian An..."

Lian An froze.

Fen Yu’s eyes widened.

"Did you hear that?"

Lian An nodded slowly.

Someone whispered her name again.

"Lian An..."

The voice sounded like it was coming from the courtyard.

Lian An walked toward the window.

"Don’t."

Wei Rong immediately blocked her.

"Stay back."

But Lian An looked beyond him.

The moonlight illuminated the courtyard.

At first—

Nothing.

Then—

A figure appeared.

A woman.

Standing beneath the palace tree.

Her face was pale.

Her clothes were soaked.

Water dripped from her hair.

Lian An stared.

The ghost lifted her head.

And smiled sadly.

"Help us."

Then she disappeared.

Fen Yu rushed forward.

"Wait!"

But the ghost was gone.

Li Shen’s face was unusually grim.

"That was not a normal wandering spirit."

Lian An turned toward him.

"What was she?"

Li Shen looked at the empty courtyard.

"I don’t know."

Outside—

The palace bells suddenly rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then—

Every lantern in the eastern courtyard went out.

The servants screamed.

The Emperor immediately drew his sword.

"Protect everyone!"

Guards surrounded the servants.

Then the crying began again.

But this time—

It wasn’t coming from one place.

It came from every direction.

From the corridors.

From the gardens.

From the rooftops.

From the abandoned halls.

Hundreds of voices seemed to cry at once.

Some called for their mothers.

Some called for their children.

Some begged for help.

Some simply sobbed.

The Emperor looked around the darkness.

His expression became cold.

"Seal the palace."

The commander immediately bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"No one enters."

"No one leaves."

"Search every courtyard."

"Yes!"

The guards scattered.

But none of them noticed—

Above the palace walls—

A thin mist was slowly spreading.

And within that mist—

Countless pale figures were gathering.

They were not attacking.

They were not wandering.

They were looking toward one place.

The Empress’s residence.

And all of them—

Were crying.

---

Lian An stood inside her chamber.

She could see them now.

One.

Five.

Ten.

Dozens.

Ghosts filled the palace gardens.

Some were dressed as servants.

Some wore old military uniforms.

Some wore noble clothing.

Some looked like ordinary villagers.

Some appeared to have died many years ago.

And some—

Looked as if they had died only hours earlier.

Fen Yu floated beside Lian An.

Her face was pale.

"There are so many..."

Wei Rong clenched his fists.

"This isn’t natural."

Li Shen stared at the crowd.

"No."

He slowly closed his book.

"This is organized."

Lian An looked at him.

"What?"

"They are all facing us."

She looked again.

He was right.

Every ghost in the palace was staring toward her residence.

Then—

One ghost stepped forward.

An elderly woman.

She bowed.

"Please..."

Lian An’s expression softened.

"What happened to you?"

The woman began crying.

"We died."

"How?"

The woman looked terrified.

"We don’t know."

Another ghost spoke.

"We woke up here."

Another cried.

"We were called."

Another whispered,

"Something took us."

Lian An’s heart sank.

"Who?"

The ghosts looked at one another.

None answered.

Then—

A child ghost pointed toward the darkness beyond the palace.

"Her."

Everyone turned.

The child pointed again.

"She is coming."

The wind suddenly stopped.

Every ghost became silent.

Fen Yu’s face changed.

"An’er..."

Lian An whispered,

"Who?"

The child looked toward the palace gate.

A dark shadow appeared in the mist.

Slowly—

It began walking toward them.

Step.

Step.

Step.

The ghosts backed away.

Even Wei Rong became tense.

Li Shen’s eyes narrowed.

The Emperor arrived at the courtyard entrance at that exact moment.

His sword was drawn.

He saw the figure.

"Who is there?"

No answer.

The shadow stopped.

Then—

A woman’s voice echoed through the palace.

"You thought it was over."

Lian An’s blood ran cold.

The Emperor stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

The figure laughed softly.

"You killed one."

A pause.

"But you forgot..."

The mist thickened.

"There are many more."

The Emperor raised his sword.

"Show yourself."

The woman laughed again.

Then the shadow disappeared.

The crying returned.

Louder than before.

And somewhere beyond the palace walls—

A village bell began ringing.

Once.

Twice.

Again and again.

A guard came running toward the Emperor.

"Your Majesty!"

"What?"

The guard was breathless.

"Another message has arrived."

"From where?"

The guard swallowed.

"From the western village."

"What happened?"

The guard’s face was pale.

"They say..."

He hesitated.

"Everyone in the village heard crying tonight."

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

"And?"

The guard looked toward the Empress.

"They found another dead person."

Silence.

The Emperor’s hand tightened around his sword.

"Where?"

The guard answered quietly.

"In the village outside the imperial border."

Lian An stared into the darkness.

Seventeen days of peace.

Seventeen days after Shin Gu’s death.

And now—

The crying had begun again.

Only this time—

It wasn’t confined to the palace.

It had reached the villages.

And whatever had awakened in the darkness—

Was spreading.