Home / Ghost in the palace / Chapter 412: The Ritual That Never Began

Read free on Ficlyn

Ghost in the palace

Chapter 412: The Ritual That Never Began · Nov 02, 2026

Prev Chapter Novel Info Next Chapter

Chapter List (462)

Page number / 10

401 Chapter 401: The Cry of the People 2026-11-02
402 Chapter 402: The Maid Who Knew Too Much 2026-11-02
403 Chapter 403: The Shrine Behind the Courtyard 2026-11-02
404 Chapter 404: The Brother Who Never Existed 2026-11-02
405 Chapter 405: The Truth Behind Shin Gu 2026-11-02
406 Chapter 406: The Daughter Who Should Not Exist 2026-11-02
407 Chapter 407: The Palace Beneath a Storm 2026-11-02
408 Chapter 408: The Shadow Behind the Curtain 2026-11-02
409 Chapter 409: A Secret Investigation 2026-11-02
410 Chapter 410: Tea Beneath the Garden Trees 2026-11-02
411 Chapter 411: The Ominous Feeling 2026-11-02
412 Chapter 412: The Ritual That Never Began 2026-11-02
413 Chapter 413: The Shadow Behind the Flowers 2026-11-02
414 Chapter 414: The Secret Behind Shin Gu 2026-11-02
415 Chapter 415: The Whisper Behind the Shadows 2026-11-02
416 Chapter 416: The Threat Beneath the Palace 2026-11-02
417 Chapter 417: The Letter of Punishment 2026-11-02
418 Chapter 418: The Palace Behind Closed Doors 2026-11-02
419 Chapter 419: The Man Who Finally Saw the Darkness 2026-11-02
420 Chapter 420: The Most Patient Husband 2026-11-02
421 Chapter 421: no proof 2026-11-02
422 Chapter 422: The Sign Beneath the Moonlight 2026-11-02
423 Chapter 423: mei lan 2026-11-02
424 Chapter 424: The Plan in the Dawgress’s Courtyard 2026-11-02
425 Chapter 425: The Actors Who Entered the Dawgress’s Courtyard 2026-11-02
426 Chapter 426: The Ghosts’ Trap 2026-11-02
427 Chapter 427: The Crying Shadow 2026-11-02
428 Chapter 428: The Three Nights of Fear 2026-11-02
429 Chapter 429: The Fear Behind the Mask 2026-11-02
430 Chapter 430: the man behind everything 2026-11-02
431 Chapter 431: A Change of Strategy 2026-11-02
432 Chapter 432: The Last Night of Shin G 2026-11-02
433 Chapter 433: The Black Altar 2026-11-02
434 Chapter 434: The Last Rites of Princess Shin Gu 2026-11-02
435 Chapter 435: the silence 2026-11-02
436 Chapter 436: The Shadow Left Behind 2026-11-02
437 Chapter 437: The Kingdom That Lost Its Royal Family 2026-11-02
438 Chapter 438: The Night of Crying Voices 2026-11-02
439 Chapter 439: The Darkness Behind Shin Gu 2026-11-02
440 Chapter 440: The Journey Beyond the Northern Border 2026-11-02
441 Chapter 441: The Journey No One Must Know 2026-11-02
442 Chapter 442: The Road to the North 2026-11-02
443 Chapter 443: The Family That Went North 2026-11-02
444 Chapter 444: The Family That Left Everything Behind 2026-11-02
445 Chapter 445: The Emperor Behind the Mask 2026-11-02
446 Chapter 446: The Family at the Northern Gate 2026-11-02
447 Chapter 447: The Road to the Northern Border 2026-11-02
448 Chapter 448: Ordinary People, One Journey 2026-11-02
449 Chapter 449: The Woman Who Was Dead to the World 2026-11-02
450 Chapter 450: shin gu is alive 2026-11-02

Night had settled over the imperial palace.

The moon hung high above the tiled roofs, its pale light spilling across the silent courtyards.

Most of the palace had already gone to sleep.

But in one secluded courtyard, a single woman remained awake.

Mei Lan stood beneath the covered corridor, quietly waiting.

She had been waiting for a long time.

Tonight was supposed to be important.

Shin Gu had told her earlier that everything had to be prepared before midnight. The incense, the candles, the ritual objects, the special water, and the sealed talismans had all been arranged.

Mei Lan had followed every instruction.

Everything was ready.

Yet Shin Gu had not come out.

Mei Lan glanced toward the closed doors.

Why is Lady Shin Gu taking so long?

She had expected to see her mistress begin the ritual hours ago.

Instead, the courtyard had gradually become silent.

Mei Lan waited another quarter of an hour.

Nothing.

She finally approached the chamber.

She knocked softly.

”Lady Shin Gu?”

No answer.

Mei Lan waited.

Then knocked again.

”My Lady?”

Still nothing.

She hesitated before carefully pushing the door open.

The room was dark except for a single lamp.

And there—

Shin Gu was lying on the bed.

Her eyes were closed.

She appeared to be sleeping.

Mei Lan stared at her in disbelief.

She looked toward the ritual preparations.

Everything remained untouched.

The incense had never been lit.

The talismans were still sealed.

The ritual bowl was empty.

Not a single step had been performed.

Mei Lan’s heart sank.

”She really isn’t doing it...”

She quietly closed the door.

For several moments, she simply stood outside.

She knew what this meant.

The people waiting for the ritual would be expecting news.

The Dawager Empress would be expecting confirmation.

And the Emperor’s hidden investigation would continue.

But Shin Gu had made her decision.

She wasn’t going to perform the ritual tonight.

Mei Lan lowered her head.

Perhaps Shin Gu had changed her mind.

Perhaps she had become frightened.

Whatever the reason, Mei Lan understood that she couldn’t force her.

She immediately turned toward the corridor.

There was someone who needed to know.

---

The Dawager Empress’s Courtyard

At almost the same time, the Dawager Empress was sitting inside her private chamber.

She had not gone to sleep.

The recent events in the palace had left her deeply unsettled.

The Empress had survived death.

The rumors surrounding her had become increasingly strange.

And now there were whispers about dark magic.

The Dawager Empress had never imagined that such things could become part of her son’s palace.

She was staring at the tea in front of her when a maid hurried inside.

”Your Majesty.”

The Dawager Empress lifted her eyes.

”What is it?”

The maid bowed.

”There is a message from Mei Lan.”

”Mei Lan?”

”Yes.”

”Bring it.”

The maid immediately handed her the small folded paper.

The Dawager Empress opened it.

Her eyes moved across the short message.

Her expression changed.

Lady Shin Gu has retired for the night. The ritual has not begun.

The Dawager Empress stared at the words.

For several seconds, she didn’t move.

Then—

She slowly crushed the paper in her hand.

”So she stopped.”

The maid lowered her head.

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Dawager Empress closed her eyes.

A strange mixture of relief and concern filled her heart.

Part of her was relieved that nothing had happened tonight.

Another part understood the danger.

If Shin Gu had stopped because she suspected something—

Then perhaps they had been noticed.

The Dawager Empress looked toward the dark window.

”We have to wait.”

The maid bowed.

”Yes.”

”Do not send anyone else.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

The maid withdrew.

The Dawager Empress remained alone.

Her fingers slowly loosened around the crushed paper.

She had once believed the situation was simple.

The Empress was supposedly cursed.

The palace was supposedly suffering because of her.

Shin Gu had promised that the problem could be removed.

But now—

Nothing seemed simple anymore.

The Empress had survived the lake.

She had survived the mysterious illness.

She had survived the accusation of black magic.

She had even survived what everyone believed was death.

And now Shin Gu had suddenly refused to perform another ritual.

The Dawager Empress felt an uncomfortable chill.

Something was changing.

She couldn’t see it yet.

But she could feel it.

---

A Message to the Emperor

The Dawager Empress finally stood.

She walked to her writing table and took out a fresh sheet of paper.

She wrote only a few lines.

The ritual has not been performed tonight. Shin Gu has chosen to wait. We must delay our plans.

She folded the message.

Then she called her most trusted servant.

”Take this to His Majesty.”

The servant bowed deeply.

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

”And make certain no one sees you.”

”Yes.”

The servant disappeared into the darkness.

The Dawager Empress remained by the window.

She whispered to herself,

”What are you planning, Shin Gu?”

---

The Emperor’s Study

The Emperor was still awake.

He had been reviewing reports from his spies when a shadow appeared outside his study.

A guard entered and bowed.

”Your Majesty.”

”What happened?”

”A private message from the Dawager Empress.”

The Emperor immediately took it.

He opened the paper.

His eyes moved across the words.

His expression became complicated.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

Then—

He raised one hand and pressed his fingers against his forehead.

He let out a long sigh.

”So she didn’t perform it.”

”No, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor lowered the paper.

”Then everything has been delayed.”

The guard remained silent.

The Emperor walked slowly toward the window.

He looked out over the palace.

The same palace where he had once believed he understood every secret.

Now—

He wasn’t certain of anything.

The Empress had been accused of using forbidden magic.

But the more evidence they uncovered, the more suspicious the accusation became.

There were strange incidents.

Unexplained attacks.

Unusual spiritual disturbances.

And now—

Shin Gu.

A person who had been so confident before had suddenly stopped.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

”She knows something.”

The guard looked up.

”Your Majesty?”

”If she truly believed the ritual was necessary, she wouldn’t have stopped.”

He folded the message.

”She must have sensed something.”

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

”Or she knows that someone is watching her.”

The room became silent.

After a moment, the Emperor spoke again.

”We need to catch her.”

The guard hesitated.

”But if she doesn’t perform the ritual—”

”Then we wait.”

The Emperor looked toward the moon.

”We cannot arrest her based only on suspicion.”

His voice was controlled.

”But neither can we allow her to disappear.”

He turned.

”Place people near her courtyard.”

”Do not let her know.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

”And watch everyone who enters.”

The guard bowed.

”Yes.”

The Emperor paused.

Then added quietly,

”If she attempts another ritual...”

”Stop her.”

The guard nodded.

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

---

A Dangerous Silence

The palace returned to silence.

No ritual.

No explosion of spiritual energy.

No mysterious disturbance.

Nothing.

And yet—

That silence frightened the Emperor more than an attack would have.

Because someone had deliberately chosen not to act.

And that meant—

They were waiting.

Somewhere in the palace, Shin Gu was sleeping.

Or pretending to sleep.

The Emperor didn’t know which.

At the same time, the Dawager Empress sat awake, wondering whether she had trusted the wrong person.

And beyond the palace walls, the enemy’s plans continued to shift.

No one knew what would happen next.

---

Shin Gu’s Courtyard

Mei Lan returned quietly.

She stopped outside Shin Gu’s chamber.

She looked through the slightly open door.

Shin Gu was still lying on the bed.

Her breathing was slow.

Her face appeared peaceful.

Mei Lan sighed.

She had delivered the message.

The Dawager Empress knew.

That was enough.

She quietly closed the door.

But inside—

Shin Gu’s eyes opened.

She had never been asleep.

She stared at the ceiling.

She knew something had changed.

The feeling that had warned her earlier had not disappeared.

If anything—

It had become stronger.

Shin Gu turned her head toward the window.

For the briefest moment—

She thought she saw a shadow move beyond the courtyard wall.

Her eyes narrowed.

She sat up.

The shadow was gone.

She slowly clenched her hand.

”Someone is watching me.”

She didn’t know who.

But she was certain of one thing.

Tonight, stopping the ritual had been the right decision.

Yet she also knew—

Waiting would not solve the problem forever.

Eventually, she would have to move.

And when she did—

Someone else would be ready for her.

---

Far away, inside the Emperor’s study, the Emperor was looking at the same moon.

He whispered,

”Wait, then.”

His expression became cold.

”If you refuse to show your hand tonight...”

”We will simply wait for the next move.”

Neither side knew—

That the other had already begun preparing.

And between them stood the Empress.

Unaware that her survival had turned a hidden struggle into a battle for the entire palace.

Please don’t forget to redeem the code if you haven’t already:

🎁 ABDHYNVFLEL WCVSSA

10 users × 10 FP each! 🎉

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for supporting.

Thank you for staying.

And most importantly—

Thank you for believing in my story. ❤️

With lots of love and gratitude,

Your Author 🌸✨

Keep reading, keep supporting, and let’s make this story shine! 👑💖

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