Home / Ghost in the palace / Chapter 27: ghostly chaos

Read free on Ficlyn

Ghost in the palace

Chapter 27: ghostly chaos · Nov 02, 2026

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Chapter List (462)

Page number / 10

1 Chapter 1: Waking in silk 2026-11-02
2 Chapter 2: Morning greetings 2026-11-02
3 Chapter 3: Whisper in silk 2026-11-02
4 Chapter 4: Fire and smoke 2026-11-02
5 Chapter 5: Taste of home 2026-11-02
6 Chapter 6: Confiscated 2026-11-02
7 Chapter 7: Plan 2026-11-02
8 Chapter 8: Whisper in dark 2026-11-02
9 Chapter 9: Night before the fire 2026-11-02
10 Chapter 10: the rite of smoke and water 2026-11-02
11 Chapter 11: heaven judgement 2026-11-02
12 Chapter 12: shadow behind the lie 2026-11-02
13 Chapter 13: restored white 2026-11-02
14 Chapter 14: lady’s chen 2026-11-02
15 Chapter 15: collision 2026-11-02
16 Chapter 16: waiting 2026-11-02
17 Chapter 17: dawager measure 2026-11-02
18 Chapter 18: homecoming under watch 2026-11-02
19 Chapter 19: the secret visit 2026-11-02
20 Chapter 20: the night of promise 2026-11-02
21 Chapter 21: the dawn escape 2026-11-02
22 Chapter 22: buns and new path 2026-11-02
23 Chapter 23: purchase 2026-11-02
24 Chapter 24: purchasing 2026-11-02
25 Chapter 25: the small beginning 2026-11-02
26 Chapter 26: a place to stay 2026-11-02
27 Chapter 27: ghostly chaos 2026-11-02
28 Chapter 28: the ledger 2026-11-02
29 Chapter 29: emperor unease 2026-11-02
30 Chapter 30: before the dawn 2026-11-02
31 Chapter 31: return before dawn 2026-11-02
32 Chapter 32: the emperor arrived 2026-11-02
33 Chapter 33: fire beneath politeness 2026-11-02
34 Chapter 34: the breakfast with the duke family 2026-11-02
35 Chapter 35: shadow and silk 2026-11-02
36 Chapter 36: tooth 2026-11-02
37 Chapter 37: ghost in the picture 2026-11-02
38 Chapter 38: arrows 2026-11-02
39 Chapter 39: back to the palace 2026-11-02
40 Chapter 40: a bowl 2026-11-02
41 Chapter 41: helping princess 2026-11-02
42 Chapter 42: the smile that’s cut 2026-11-02
43 Chapter 43: a silly afternoon 2026-11-02
44 Chapter 44: promise over wine 2026-11-02
45 Chapter 45: shadows between brother 2026-11-02
46 Chapter 46: smoke on the border 2026-11-02
47 Chapter 47: bread of hunger 2026-11-02
48 Chapter 48: midnight order 2026-11-02
49 Chapter 49: fire in the grain yard 2026-11-02
50 Chapter 50: price of loyalty 2026-11-02

By midmorning, The Whispering Bowl was a storm of activity.

Sunlight poured through the open shutters, dust sparkled in the beams, and laughter echoed between the newly polished walls.

Buckets of paint lined the floor, brushes stuck out from bowls, and Yao Qing stood with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, holding a cloth like a weapon.

”We’ll start with the walls,” she declared. ”Then the tables, then the sign outside. And no one leaves until this place looks like a real shop.”

Lian saluted awkwardly. ”Yes, Sister Qing!”

Lin giggled, her small hands already clutching a brush almost as tall as she was.

Ananya stood in the middle of it all, watching with quiet amusement. She’d tied her hair with a ribbon, her pale robe tucked neatly at her waist, sleeves rolled up just enough to show she meant business.

”All right,” she said calmly. ”Let’s see if we can survive this without turning each other into paintbrushes.”

It started simply — sweeping dust, wiping counters, washing windows.

Then the ghosts arrived.

Fen Yu floated in first, wide-eyed. ”It’s so bright! Did you open Heaven’s door?”

Wei Rong appeared next, smirking. ”So this is what you’ve been doing while we were gone — nesting.”

Li Shen followed quietly, his translucent form shimmering faintly. ”It’s cleaner than the palace kitchens. I’m impressed.”

Ananya didn’t even look up from her sweeping. ”If you’re impressed, grab a broom.”

Wei Rong blinked. ”You’d make a fearsome general.”

”Only when my soldiers float instead of work.”

Fen Yu giggled and picked up a wet cloth — which immediately slipped through her ghostly fingers and splattered paint across the floor.

Yao Qing gasped. ”Who did that?!”

Lian froze mid-brush. ”Not me!”

Ananya pressed her lips together to hide a smile. ”Just the wind,” she said quickly.

Lin squinted at the moving cloth. ”That’s... some strong wind, miss.”

By midday, they’d managed to wash half the floor and paint one wall — mostly without disaster.

Then Wei Rong decided the shop looked ”too quiet.”

He blew gently across a bowl of paint, sending a spray of white droplets across the newly cleaned table.

Yao Qing shrieked. ”Who—who did this?!”

Ananya sighed softly, her brush pausing mid-stroke. ”The wind again.”

”The wind,” Yao Qing muttered, glaring at the perfectly round splashes on her skirt, ”has terrible aim.”

Fen Yu tried to help by picking up a wet rag — and accidentally swung it straight through Lin’s hair.

The little girl squealed, jumping three steps back. ”Something cold touched me!”

Lian dropped his brush, brandishing the broom like a sword. ”Who’s there?!”

Ananya quickly stepped forward, hiding her laugh behind her sleeve. ”Calm down. Just the draft. These old buildings are full of them.”

From the corner, Wei Rong whispered to Fen Yu, ”She’s covering for us again.”

Fen Yu beamed. ”She must love us.”

”Or she’s too tired to yell,” Li Shen murmured.

Despite the chaos, the shop began to change.

The dull walls turned warm cream; the wooden tables gleamed under a new coat of polish.

Lin hummed softly as she worked, leaving streaks of paint across her cheeks, while Lian stood on a stool to hang a small lantern by the window.

Ananya mixed herbs into a bowl of water, the faint scent of mint and clove filling the air.

When Yao Qing sniffed curiously, Ananya said, ”It’ll keep insects away. My grandmother used to do it.”

Yao Qing smiled. ”You’re full of old tricks.”

Ananya’s eyes softened. ”They’re the kind that keep places like this alive.”

Fen Yu floated quietly above them, watching the scene unfold. ”It feels like a home,” she whispered.

Wei Rong rolled his eyes but didn’t disagree.

Li Shen folded his hands behind his back, his voice faint. ”She’s building more than a shop.”

By sunset, everyone was exhausted. The twins collapsed against the wall, covered in paint and laughter. Yao Qing leaned on a chair, fanning herself dramatically.

Ananya stood by the doorway, gazing out at the lanterns flickering to life along the street.

A faint smile touched her lips — soft, satisfied, the kind that comes only after honest work.

The ghosts hovered quietly behind her.

Fen Yu sighed dreamily. ”I like it here.”

Wei Rong stretched. ”Don’t get too sentimental.”

Li Shen said nothing, only watching as Ananya brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her expression peaceful for the first time in weeks.

From the corner, Lin yawned. ”Miss Ananya?”

”Yes?”

”Can we call this home now?”

Ananya turned to her, her smile gentle but sure. ”Yes,” she said softly. ”You can.”

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter