Ghost in the palace

The Imperial Palace had finally become quiet.

Too quiet.

For several weeks, the palace had been free from the strange incidents that had once terrified everyone. There had been no unexplained footsteps in the corridors, no servants collapsing after claiming they had seen someone who wasn’t alive, no shadows moving where nobody stood.

After Shin Gu’s death, everyone had hoped the nightmare was finally over.

But the Emperor knew better.

Something had changed.

The danger had not disappeared.

It had simply moved somewhere no one could see.

And now, the northern reports had given them their first real direction.

---

Inside the Empress’s private courtyard, the atmosphere was unusually serious.

Only a small group had been permitted inside.

The Emperor.

The Empress, Lian An.

The Dowager Empress.

Prince Liang.

Princess Zhi.

Lady Chen.

And General Wei Rong.

No ministers.

No palace officials.

No servants except two trusted attendants stationed far away.

Even the guards outside had been told that the meeting concerned an ordinary family matter.

The truth was known only to the people inside this courtyard.

The Emperor placed a map on the table.

Everyone gathered around it.

The northern kingdom stretched across the parchment in dark ink.

Mountains.

Forests.

Rivers.

Remote villages.

Old roads.

And several regions that had barely been explored.

Lian An stared at the map.

"This is where the reports came from?"

The Emperor nodded.

"Three separate locations."

He pointed toward the northern mountains.

"People have reported hearing voices at night."

His finger moved.

"Some travelers disappeared."

Then toward another region.

"And several villagers claim their relatives began behaving strangely after returning from the mountains."

Princess Zhi frowned.

"Behaving strangely how?"

The Emperor’s expression became darker.

"They claimed that something had entered them."

Silence filled the room.

Lady Chen’s fingers tightened.

"Possession?"

"We don’t know."

The Emperor looked at everyone.

"And that is exactly why we are going ourselves."

The Dowager Empress immediately looked up.

"All of us?"

"Not publicly."

Prince Liang understood immediately.

"You want to keep the journey secret."

"Yes."

The Emperor folded the map slightly.

"If word spreads that the imperial family is investigating the northern disturbances, whoever is behind them will know."

General Wei Rong nodded.

"And they may destroy the evidence."

"Exactly."

Lian An looked toward the northern mountains.

"So the palace must believe we are still here."

The Emperor nodded.

"No one outside this room can know."

Princess Zhi stared at him.

"Not even the ministers?"

"Not even them."

Lady Chen quietly asked,

"What about the royal guards?"

"Only the guards personally selected by General Wei Rong will accompany us."

General Wei Rong bowed.

"I will choose people who have no connection to the northern command."

The Dowager Empress looked concerned.

"How many?"

"Enough to protect us."

The Emperor paused.

"Not enough to attract attention."

That distinction mattered.

They weren’t going to war.

They were going to investigate.

And the greatest danger might not be an army.

It might be something that could not be fought with ordinary weapons.

---

Lian An looked at Princess Zhi.

"You said earlier that some of the strange incidents reminded you of what happened to you."

Princess Zhi became quiet.

Her hand slowly moved toward her sleeve.

"Yes."

She didn’t elaborate.

She didn’t need to.

Everyone in the room knew what she meant.

There had been a time when Princess Zhi herself had experienced something that no physician could explain.

Her behavior had changed.

Her memories had become confused.

And for a period, something had seemed to influence her actions.

At the time, they had blamed illness.

Later, they had realized it might have been something far darker.

Princess Zhi took a slow breath.

"If something in the north is doing the same thing to other people..."

She looked at the Emperor.

"Then we need to find it before it reaches another kingdom."

"That’s our purpose."

The Emperor’s voice was firm.

"We aren’t going there to fight blindly."

He looked at General Wei Rong.

"We observe first."

Wei Rong nodded.

"Understood."

"Then we identify the source."

Another nod.

"And only then do we act."

---

The Dowager Empress remained silent for a long time.

Finally, she asked,

"When do we leave?"

The Emperor looked at her.

"In three days."

Everyone became still.

"Three days?"

Lady Chen repeated.

"Yes."

Lian An looked surprised.

"That soon?"

"If we wait longer, the northern situation may change."

Prince Liang nodded.

"Three days gives us enough time to prepare quietly."

Princess Zhi looked toward Lady Chen.

"And the palace?"

The Emperor answered,

"The palace will continue operating normally."

"But if all of us leave..."

"They won’t know."

Prince Liang smiled slightly.

"Then who will appear in the palace?"

The Emperor looked toward him.

"That is the difficult part."

Lian An’s eyes suddenly brightened.

"I have an idea."

Everyone looked at her.

She pointed toward the palace map.

"We don’t need everyone to disappear at once."

The Emperor waited.

"The Dowager Empress can remain in the palace for the first few days."

The Dowager Empress raised an eyebrow.

"And then?"

"The journey can be staggered."

Prince Liang immediately understood.

"We leave separately."

"Exactly."

Lian An continued.

"The Emperor can leave under the appearance of inspecting military supplies."

Princess Zhi added,

"Prince Liang could leave for a hunting expedition."

Lady Chen smiled.

"And I could leave for my religious retreat."

The Dowager Empress looked at them.

"And the Empress?"

Lian An paused.

Everyone looked at her.

She sighed.

"I suppose I need an excuse too."

Prince Liang smiled.

"Visit one of your estates."

Lian An shook her head.

"Too obvious."

The Emperor looked at her.

"Then you don’t need an excuse."

She blinked.

"What?"

"You will leave with me."

Lian An stared at him.

"That’s even more obvious."

The Emperor smiled.

"Not if everyone believes you are accompanying me on an ordinary royal inspection."

She considered it.

That could work.

The imperial couple occasionally traveled outside the capital for official matters.

No one would immediately suspect a secret investigation.

The Emperor continued,

"We will announce only that I am visiting the northern military routes."

Lian An’s eyes narrowed.

"And secretly investigate the paranormal incidents."

"Yes."

---

General Wei Rong stepped closer to the map.

"There is another problem."

Everyone looked at him.

"The northern region is enormous."

He pointed toward the mountains.

"If the reports are scattered across these locations, we cannot investigate everything at once."

The Emperor nodded.

"Then we divide."

Prince Liang looked interested.

"Into groups?"

"Yes."

The Emperor pointed at the map.

"One group will investigate the villages."

His finger moved.

"One will follow the disappearances."

Then toward the mountains.

"And one will investigate the old temples and abandoned settlements."

Lian An looked at the mountains.

"That last one."

The Emperor looked at her.

"Yes?"

"That is where I think we should begin."

"Why?"

"Because people don’t usually invent the same story in different places without some reason."

She pointed toward several locations.

"Look."

Everyone leaned closer.

"The reports mention abandoned temples, old mountain roads, and strange lights."

Princess Zhi’s eyes widened.

"They’re all near the same mountain range."

"Exactly."

General Wei Rong studied the map.

"Then that’s our starting point."

---

Suddenly—

A faint breeze passed through the courtyard.

The candle flame flickered.

Lian An’s eyes shifted toward the empty corner.

She knew that feeling.

The ghosts were nearby.

She whispered,

"Fen Yu?"

Nothing happened.

Then—

A tiny voice came from behind her.

"Here!"

Lian An turned.

Fen Yu floated through the wall.

Behind her came Li Shen.

And finally Wei Rong.

The three ghosts had clearly been listening.

The Emperor looked at them.

"You heard everything?"

Fen Yu nodded enthusiastically.

"We heard enough."

Li Shen adjusted his invisible spectacles.

"The northern disturbances sound unusual."

Ghost Wei Rong crossed his arms.

"I want to investigate."

The Emperor looked at him.

"You are already dead."

"I know."

"Then how do you intend to travel?"

Wei Rong frowned.

"I’ll figure it out."

Fen Yu immediately laughed.

"He always says that."

Wei Rong glared at her.

"At least I don’t spend half my existence arguing with other ghosts."

Fen Yu gasped.

"That’s unrelated!"

Li Shen sighed.

"Please don’t start."

Lian An rubbed her forehead.

"Not now."

The three ghosts became quiet.

For approximately three seconds.

Then Fen Yu whispered,

"Can we come?"

Lian An looked at the Emperor.

He considered it.

Finally, he nodded.

"You can."

Fen Yu immediately smiled.

Wei Rong looked satisfied.

Li Shen simply nodded.

But the Emperor added,

"You will not interfere unless necessary."

Fen Yu raised her hand.

"Define necessary."

"When someone’s life is in danger."

"Oh."

She lowered her hand.

"What if someone is merely extremely annoying?"

"No."

"What if they’re very annoying?"

"No."

"Terribly annoying?"

"No."

Fen Yu sighed.

"Fine."

Lian An laughed despite herself.

---

That evening, preparations began.

But no one in the palace knew what was really happening.

The official message stated that the Emperor would soon leave the capital for a northern military inspection.

The Empress would accompany him.

Prince Liang would travel separately.

Princess Zhi would visit a temple outside the capital.

Lady Chen would begin her religious retreat.

General Wei Rong would accompany the imperial party under the official explanation of military security.

The Dowager Empress would remain in the palace.

Everything sounded ordinary.

That was precisely what they wanted.

---

Three days later, before sunrise—

The palace gates opened.

A small royal convoy departed.

No enormous procession.

No hundreds of officials.

No grand ceremony.

Only several carriages and a carefully selected group of guards.

The Emperor sat inside the main carriage with Lian An.

For several minutes, neither spoke.

Lian An looked through the curtain.

The capital slowly disappeared behind them.

She lowered the curtain.

"So this is really happening."

The Emperor nodded.

"We are going north."

She smiled faintly.

"To find out whether ghosts are truly living among humans."

"And why people are disappearing."

"And who is causing the paranormal disturbances."

"And whether Shin Gu was connected to it."

Lian An looked toward him.

"You think he was."

"I think we don’t have enough evidence to say."

She nodded.

"Good."

The Emperor looked at her.

"Good?"

"We investigate first."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"You’ve learned caution."

"I had a good teacher."

"Who?"

She smiled.

"You."

The Emperor laughed quietly.

Outside the carriage, the road stretched northward.

Behind them—

The palace continued its ordinary life.

Ministers attended court.

Servants carried trays.

Guards changed shifts.

Nobody knew that the Emperor, Empress, Prince Liang, Princess Zhi, Lady Chen, General Wei Rong, and three ghosts were already on their way toward the northern kingdom.

Nobody knew what waited there.

Nobody knew whether the stories were superstition.

Possession.

Dark magic.

Or something far older.

But one thing was certain.

The investigation had begun.

And this time—

They would not wait for the darkness to come to the palace.

They were going to find it first.