Home / Ghost in the palace / Chapter 368: Unnamed A New Shadow

Read free on Ficlyn

Ghost in the palace

Chapter 368: Unnamed A New Shadow · Nov 02, 2026

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Chapter List (462)

Page number / 10

351 Chapter 351: The Message in the Night 2026-11-02
352 Chapter 352: The Dowager’s Warning 2026-11-02
353 Chapter 353: the kingdom uneasy 2026-11-02
354 Chapter 354: the kingdom in the brink 2026-11-02
355 Chapter 355: The Forgotten Shadow 2026-11-02
356 Chapter 356: whisper in the garden 2026-11-02
357 Chapter 357: the women who returned from the forest 2026-11-02
358 Chapter 358: the trails lead to north 2026-11-02
359 Chapter 359: Whispers Across the Kingdom 2026-11-02
360 Chapter 360: hunt for the hidden cult 2026-11-02
361 Chapter 361: The Suggestion No One Had Considered 2026-11-02
362 Chapter 362: midnight inspection 2026-11-02
363 Chapter 363: The Traitor’s Letter 2026-11-02
364 Chapter 364: The Empire Stands Firm 2026-11-02
365 Chapter 365: The Fallen Minister 2026-11-02
366 Chapter 366: The Shadow on the Terrace 2026-11-02
367 Chapter 367: The Man Beneath the Hood 2026-11-02
368 Chapter 368: Unnamed A New Shadow 2026-11-02
369 Chapter 369: The Mysterious Letter 2026-11-02
370 Chapter 370: The Hand Behind the Shadows 2026-11-02
371 Chapter 371: The Man Who Walked Among Ghosts 2026-11-02
372 Chapter 372: doomed 2026-11-02
373 Chapter 373: The Letter of Doom 2026-11-02
374 Chapter 374: – The Price of Dark Magic 2026-11-02
375 Chapter 375: The Second Phase 2026-11-02
376 Chapter 376: The Shadow Over the Kingdom 2026-11-02
377 Chapter 377: The Shadow in Princess Zhi’s Courtyard 2026-11-02
378 Chapter 378: A Shadow of Death 2026-11-02
379 Chapter 379: The Black Magic Plague 2026-11-02
380 Chapter 380: The Courtyard Without Life 2026-11-02
381 Chapter 381: ghost staring 2026-11-02
382 Chapter 382: A Dangerous Truth 2026-11-02
383 Chapter 383: the empty cotyard 2026-11-02
384 Chapter 384: doubt 2026-11-02
385 Chapter 385: the trap 2026-11-02
386 Chapter 386: The Trap Behind the Trap 2026-11-02
387 Chapter 387: The Rumor That Set the Capital Ablaze 2026-11-02
388 Chapter 388: The Ministers Who Demanded Judgment 2026-11-02
389 Chapter 389: The Ministers’ Demand 2026-11-02
390 Chapter 390: The Missing Talisman 2026-11-02
391 Chapter 391: — A Midnight Visit 2026-11-02
392 Chapter 392: Fen Yu’s Terrible Date 2026-11-02
393 Chapter 393: The Silent Courtyard 2026-11-02
394 Chapter 394: The Ghosts Who Would Not Stop Fighting 2026-11-02
395 Chapter 395: The Court Demands Blood 2026-11-02
396 Chapter 396: The Whisper That Turned Into a Storm 2026-11-02
397 Chapter 397: The Mystery Beneath the Palace 2026-11-02
398 Chapter 398: The Maid Who Wasn’t What She Seemed 2026-11-02
399 Chapter 399: Whispers Beneath the Moon 2026-11-02
400 Chapter 400: The Black Altar 2026-11-02

The morning court had barely begun when hurried footsteps echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The ministers exchanged puzzled glances as Prince Liang strode inside, his usually composed expression replaced by visible concern.

He stopped before the dragon throne and bowed deeply.

”Your Majesty.”

The Emperor looked up from the memorials in his hands.

”Rise, Liang. What has happened?”

Prince Liang stood.

”There is... another problem.”

The hall fell silent.

The Emperor slowly set aside the scroll.

”What problem?”

Prince Liang took a slow breath.

”The palace is in chaos.”

Several ministers frowned.

”What do you mean?”

”The guards have been reporting the same incident since dawn.”

Prince Liang continued, ”A hooded man has been seen throughout the palace.”

The ministers immediately began whispering.

”The eastern gardens...”

”The imperial library...”

”The lotus pavilion...”

”The western corridor...”

Prince Liang nodded.

”Yes. He has appeared in all of those places.”

Minister Xu frowned.

”Then why hasn’t he been arrested?”

Prince Liang’s expression darkened.

”Because no one has managed to catch him.”

Silence.

Captain Zhao stepped forward.

”We surrounded him three different times.”

”Each time...”

”He disappeared before our eyes.”

A murmur swept across the court.

One minister laughed nervously.

”Perhaps your guards imagined it.”

Captain Zhao’s face hardened.

”More than eighty guards witnessed it.”

”They all described the same man.”

The laughter instantly disappeared.

The Emperor leaned back on the throne.

His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.

”So...”

He spoke quietly.

”A new problem has appeared.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”Yes, Brother.”

The Emperor closed his eyes briefly before rubbing his forehead.

”We have not even uncovered the person behind the strange sleepwalking incidents...”

”Nor the dark rituals.”

”And now...”

He sighed.

”A mysterious hooded man is wandering inside the palace.”

The ministers remained silent.

No one dared interrupt.

After several moments the Emperor opened his eyes.

”They are moving faster than we are.”

Those simple words made everyone’s heart sink.

Whoever stood behind these events was always one step ahead.

---

Minister Han stepped forward cautiously.

”Your Majesty...”

”There is something I wish to report.”

The Emperor nodded.

”Speak.”

Minister Han lowered his head.

”Some officials have begun suspecting...”

He hesitated.

”...Minister Shen.”

The court erupted.

”What?”

”Impossible!”

”Minister Shen has served the court faithfully for decades!”

Minister Shen himself looked utterly shocked.

”What nonsense is this?”

Minister Han quickly raised both hands.

”I am only reporting what is being whispered throughout the capital.”

The Emperor’s gaze became cold.

”Why would they suspect Minister Shen?”

Minister Han answered carefully.

”The rumors claim that because the hooded man was first seen near the Ministry of Rites...”

”And because Minister Shen oversees several palace ceremonies...”

”People believe he may be involved.”

Minister Shen stepped forward immediately.

”Your Majesty!”

”I have never met any hooded man.”

”My family has served the imperial family for three generations.”

”I would never betray the throne.”

The Emperor studied the elderly minister for several moments.

”I know.”

Minister Shen looked up in surprise.

The Emperor continued calmly.

”Rumors are not evidence.”

”I will not condemn a loyal minister based on whispers.”

Minister Shen bowed deeply.

”Thank you, Your Majesty.”

---

Prince Liang crossed his arms.

”This feels deliberate.”

The Emperor looked toward him.

”You think someone started these rumors?”

Prince Liang nodded.

”First the palace becomes frightened.”

”Then suspicion falls upon an innocent minister.”

”The true culprit remains hidden while we fight among ourselves.”

Several experienced ministers slowly nodded.

It was a familiar strategy.

Create fear.

Spread doubt.

Destroy trust.

---

The Emperor rose from the throne.

His voice echoed across the hall.

”Listen carefully.”

”The hooded man is to be investigated.”

”But no one is to accuse any official without evidence.”

”If I discover anyone spreading false rumors for personal gain...”

”They will answer to me.”

Every minister bowed.

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

---

As the court was dismissed, Prince Liang remained behind.

The hall gradually emptied until only the two brothers stood beneath the towering pillars.

Prince Liang spoke quietly.

”Brother...”

”I have a feeling.”

The Emperor looked toward him.

”This hooded man...”

”...may not be the mastermind.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

”No.”

”I think he is a messenger.”

”A distraction.”

”Or perhaps someone sent to test our defenses.”

The Emperor walked toward the open doors overlooking the palace.

His gaze swept across the endless rooftops.

Somewhere...

Someone was watching.

Someone was patiently moving pieces across an invisible chessboard.

He clenched his hands behind his back.

”No matter who you are...”

”I will find you.”

Far beyond the palace walls, hidden beneath the shade of an ancient pine tree, a lone hooded figure watched the imperial city from a distant hill.

A faint smile appeared beneath the shadow of his hood.

”The game has begun.”

With that, he turned and vanished into the forest, leaving only the whispering wind behind.

Shadows Behind the Conspiracy

The Imperial Palace had fallen into silence.

Moonlight spilled through the carved windows of the Emperor’s study, illuminating stacks of memorials, maps, and sealed reports. A single candle flickered beside him.

The Emperor had dismissed everyone.

Even the eunuchs waited outside.

He sat alone, rereading every report from the past several months.

The mysterious sleepwalking incidents.

The Empress’s near drowning.

The strange whispers heard by palace servants.

The missing palace records.

The forged memorials.

The intercepted letters.

The accusation against Minister Shen.

None of it made sense.

Unless...

He spread several documents across the desk.

One report described the Empress wandering toward the lake in the middle of the night.

Another reported guards seeing a hooded figure disappear into the darkness.

A third described strange sounds and unexplained occurrences that terrified even experienced palace guards.

The Emperor slowly connected each piece.

”No...”

He murmured.

”This cannot be a coincidence.”

He picked up the report about Minister Shen.

Months earlier, secret letters had supposedly proven that Minister Shen had exchanged messages with the neighboring kingdom. The evidence had appeared overwhelming.

Yet something had always bothered him.

The handwriting looked convincing.

The seals appeared genuine.

But the timing...

It was too perfect.

Every accusation had surfaced just when Minister Shen was preparing reforms that threatened several powerful officials.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes.

”If Shen truly intended to betray the Empire, why would he leave so much evidence behind?”

He rose from his chair and walked toward the map hanging on the wall.

”The letters were discovered...”

”...after the palace disturbances began.”

He looked back toward the reports.

”The hooded man.”

Every major incident had one thing in common.

Someone had seen a hooded figure shortly before it happened.

The Emperor remembered the frightened testimony of several servants.

They all described the same appearance.

A tall figure dressed in black.

Face completely hidden.

Appearing and disappearing without explanation.

Many had dismissed the servants’ words as superstition.

He had not.

The Emperor folded his arms.

”If someone can create fear...”

”...people stop questioning the truth.”

He recalled how easily rumors of ghosts had spread through the palace.

Servants blamed spirits.

Officials blamed curses.

No one searched for the person hiding behind them.

His expression darkened.

”What if the supernatural events were never the true objective?”

”What if they were merely a distraction?”

He returned to the desk and placed Minister Shen’s file beside the reports about the Empress.

The pattern became clearer.

First, chaos.

Then fear.

Then a political accusation.

The real target had never been the palace alone.

Someone was using terror to weaken the court from within.

The Emperor spoke quietly to himself.

”The hooded man creates confusion.”

”While everyone looks toward ghosts...”

”...someone plants evidence.”

He stared at the forged correspondence with the neighboring kingdom.

”Minister Shen was framed.”

The realization settled heavily upon him.

If Shen had been falsely accused...

Then someone powerful possessed access to confidential documents, official seals, and palace intelligence.

That meant the conspiracy reached far beyond a single assassin.

It stretched into the highest levels of government.

The Emperor’s eyes became cold.

”This is treason.”

He rang the small bronze bell on his desk.

Moments later, his trusted shadow guard entered and knelt.

”Your Majesty.”

The Emperor spoke in a calm but commanding voice.

”Reopen the investigation into Minister Shen.”

The guard looked surprised but remained silent.

”Quietly.”

”No one is to know.”

”Especially those who handled the original evidence.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

”Examine every letter again.”

”Verify the ink, the paper, the seals, and every witness.”

The guard bowed deeply.

”It will be done.”

The Emperor continued,

”And search for every report concerning the hooded man. I want every sighting, no matter how insignificant.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the guard departed, the Emperor looked once more toward the moonlit courtyard.

”If my deduction is correct...”

”...then the enemy has been manipulating both fear and politics.”

He closed Minister Shen’s file with determination.

”I will uncover the truth.”

”No matter who stands behind the hood.”

Outside the study, the palace remained peaceful.

But hidden somewhere within the darkness...

The true mastermind was still watching.

Unaware that the Emperor had finally begun to see through the illusion.

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Recommended Novels

Genius Doctor Black Belly Miss Dạ Bắc

My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead Mo Qi Jian

Genius Doctor Black Belly Miss North Night

The Deadly Hitwoman: The Heiress's Special Abilities Seven-leaf Hibiscus

The Golem Mage mystic dark

The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] Kairie

The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant Yan Xiaomo

Peaceful Farm Life Evergreen Tree

Reborn In The Three Kingdoms Tang12

The Golem Mage mystic dark

From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth! Lu Chengfeng

Stop Fooling the Us, China Really is Doing This! Shen Qian Zhi Jian

The Feng Shui Treasure Appraiser Chao Ji Xue Ba

The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me! Chu Qianmo

African Entrepreneurship Record Evil er er er