Ghost in the palace

Three days passed quickly.

The Imperial Palace appeared peaceful on the surface.

Behind closed doors, however, preparations had been underway since dawn.

The Emperor had ordered everything to be arranged as an ordinary northern inspection. No royal banners would accompany them. No grand procession would announce their departure. Even the number of guards had been reduced so that their journey would not attract unnecessary attention.

Only a handful of people knew the real purpose of the journey.

The Emperor.

The Empress Lian An.

The Dowager Empress.

Prince Liang.

Princess Zhi.

Lady Chen.

And General Wei Rong.

The three ghosts—Fen Yu, Wei Rong, and Li Shen—were also secretly accompanying them.

Although nobody could see the ghosts except Lian An, their presence somehow made the Empress feel less alone.

---

The Departure

Before sunrise, a large but ordinary-looking carriage waited behind the eastern palace gate.

It was deliberately plain.

There were no golden decorations.

No imperial crest.

No rows of ceremonial guards.

Only a small emblem hidden beneath the driver’s seat identified the carriage as belonging to the imperial household.

The Emperor stepped outside first.

He wore a dark blue travelling robe rather than his imperial robes.

His hair was tied simply, and a sword hung at his waist.

Lian An followed.

She wore a pale green travelling dress with a dark cloak over her shoulders.

She looked toward the palace one last time.

For some reason, she felt uneasy.

Not frightened.

Just...

Alert.

Fen Yu floated beside her.

”I don’t like this.”

Lian An glanced sideways.

”You don’t like anything.”

Fen Yu frowned.

”I am serious.”

Ghost Wei Rong stood behind the carriage, looking toward the road.

”The atmosphere is strange.”

Li Shen adjusted his robe.

”Perhaps because we’re leaving the palace.”

Wei Rong shook his head.

”No.”

His expression became serious.

”It’s something else.”

Lian An’s smile disappeared.

She trusted the general’s instincts.

Before she could ask more, the Emperor approached.

”What happened?”

Lian An quietly replied,

”Wei Rong says something feels wrong.”

The Emperor’s gaze immediately became sharper.

”Where?”

Wei Rong pointed toward the northern road.

”Not here.”

”Then where?”

”The farther we travel north...”

He paused.

”...the stronger it becomes.”

The Emperor didn’t dismiss him.

Instead, he quietly ordered the guards to remain vigilant.

”We leave.”

---

The carriage began moving.

Slowly.

The palace gates disappeared behind them.

Lian An sat beside the Emperor.

Across from them were Princess Zhi and Lady Chen.

Prince Liang occupied the second carriage with General Wei Rong.

The Dowager Empress travelled in the third.

Although they were travelling together, the carriages were separated enough to make the group appear like an ordinary royal inspection party.

For the first few hours, nothing happened.

The road remained peaceful.

Farmers worked in distant fields.

Merchants travelled between villages.

Children chased one another beside the road.

Lian An gradually relaxed.

Princess Zhi lifted the curtain.

”We’ve already travelled quite far.”

Lady Chen smiled.

”Perhaps this journey will be easier than we expected.”

The Emperor looked outside.

”Don’t become careless.”

Lady Chen nodded.

”We won’t.”

Lian An glanced at him.

”You really never relax, do you?”

He looked at her.

”Not when you’re with me.”

Her cheeks warmed slightly.

Princess Zhi immediately looked away.

Lady Chen covered a smile.

Lian An glared at both women.

”Don’t.”

Princess Zhi pretended innocence.

”I didn’t say anything.”

”Your face did.”

Everyone laughed softly.

For a brief moment, the danger seemed distant.

---

The First Sign

By afternoon, they reached a narrow mountain road.

The surroundings changed.

The villages became fewer.

Trees grew denser.

The road became uneven.

The sky darkened slightly as clouds gathered above the mountains.

Prince Liang rode ahead on horseback.

Suddenly—

He raised his hand.

The entire convoy stopped.

The Emperor immediately stepped outside.

”What is it?”

Prince Liang pointed ahead.

”Tracks.”

General Wei Rong dismounted.

He examined the ground.

”Several horses.”

The Emperor frowned.

”How many?”

”At least ten.”

”Recent?”

”Very.”

The Emperor looked around.

”Are they ours?”

”No.”

Silence.

The guards immediately became alert.

Lian An stepped out of the carriage.

The Emperor turned toward her.

”Stay inside.”

She frowned.

”I’m not helpless.”

”I know.”

”Then don’t order me around.”

He sighed.

”Fine. Stay close to me.”

She smiled.

”That’s better.”

Fen Yu floated above the road.

Suddenly her expression changed.

”Wait.”

Lian An looked at her.

”What?”

Fen Yu pointed toward the forest.

”There are people there.”

Lian An’s heart tightened.

”How many?”

”Many.”

Ghost Wei Rong immediately appeared beside the Emperor.

”Ambush.”

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

”Everyone!”

Before he could finish—

WHOOSH!

An arrow flew from the forest.

It struck the wooden side of the carriage.

Another followed.

Then another.

The road exploded into chaos.

”Protect His Majesty!”

Guards rushed forward.

Princess Zhi pulled Lady Chen down.

Lian An grabbed the side of the carriage.

The Emperor drew his sword.

”Everyone stay together!”

Arrows continued raining from the trees.

One guard fell.

Another shielded Prince Liang.

General Wei Rong charged toward the forest.

But then—

A loud explosion shook the mountain road.

BOOM!

The ground beneath the first carriage cracked.

The horses panicked.

The carriage tilted violently.

Lian An lost her balance.

The Emperor caught her around the waist.

”Hold on!”

The carriage swung sideways.

Princess Zhi screamed.

Lady Chen grabbed the wooden frame.

Outside, guards shouted.

The horses reared.

Then—

The carriage overturned.

---

Chaos

Lian An opened her eyes.

Everything was upside down.

Wooden pieces lay scattered around her.

Dust filled the air.

For several seconds, she couldn’t hear anything except ringing in her ears.

”Your Majesty?”

The Emperor’s voice.

She turned.

He was beside her.

Blood ran from a cut near his forehead.

”Are you hurt?”

She immediately looked at him.

”You’re bleeding.”

”It’s nothing.”

”Don’t say that.”

She touched his face.

The Emperor caught her hand.

”I’m fine.”

A cry came from the other side.

”Princess!”

Lian An turned.

Princess Zhi was trapped beneath a broken section of the carriage.

Lady Chen was beside her, holding her arm.

”I’m all right!”

The Emperor immediately moved toward them.

”Prince Liang!”

”I’m here!”

Prince Liang appeared outside the wreckage.

Together, he and the Emperor lifted the broken wooden frame.

Princess Zhi crawled out.

Lady Chen followed.

Everyone looked around.

Several guards were injured.

Two horses had escaped.

The road was covered with arrows.

The enemy had disappeared into the forest.

General Wei Rong returned.

His expression was grim.

”They’ve retreated.”

The Emperor looked toward him.

”How many?”

”Too many to be ordinary bandits.”

”Did you capture anyone?”

”No.”

Wei Rong clenched his jaw.

”They knew exactly how to attack us.”

Lian An slowly stood.

Her ankle hurt.

She tried to hide it.

The Emperor noticed immediately.

”You’re injured.”

”It’s only a small cut.”

He looked at her ankle.

”You can barely stand.”

”I’m fine.”

He didn’t argue.

Instead, he supported her.

---

The Second Attack

Suddenly—

A strange sound came from the forest.

A low whistle.

Wei Rong’s expression changed.

”Down!”

Everyone ducked.

Something flew from the trees.

Not an arrow.

A small black object struck the ground.

Smoke exploded across the road.

”Cover your faces!”

The Emperor pulled Lian An against him.

The smoke became thick.

Visibility disappeared.

People began coughing.

”Stay together!”

But the attackers had planned for this.

Through the smoke came footsteps.

Several figures rushed toward the convoy.

Guards fought blindly.

Steel clashed.

Prince Liang drew his sword.

Princess Zhi grabbed Lady Chen and moved behind a rock.

General Wei Rong fought two attackers simultaneously.

Lian An could barely see.

Then—

Someone grabbed her arm.

She froze.

Before she could scream, the Emperor struck the attacker away.

The man fell.

Another came from behind.

The Emperor turned—

Too late.

Lian An grabbed a fallen sword and swung it.

The attacker stumbled backward.

The Emperor stared at her.

She breathed heavily.

”Don’t look at me like that.”

”I wasn’t.”

”You were.”

”You nearly cut your own hand.”

She looked down.

Her fingers were trembling.

He took the sword from her.

”Stay behind me.”

This time—

She didn’t argue.

---

The battle lasted only minutes.

But those minutes felt endless.

Eventually, the attackers withdrew.

The smoke slowly disappeared.

The forest became silent again.

Too silent.

The Emperor looked around.

”We’re leaving.”

Prince Liang frowned.

”Continuing north?”

The Emperor stared toward the mountains.

”No.”

Everyone looked at him.

”We turn back.”

Lian An was surprised.

”But the investigation—”

”We’ve been discovered.”

His voice was firm.

”The moment we entered this route, they attacked us.”

General Wei Rong nodded.

”They knew our movements.”

The Emperor continued.

”If we continue, we’ll be walking directly into their hands.”

Princess Zhi asked,

”Then what do we do?”

The Emperor looked toward the road behind them.

”We return to the capital.”

Everyone fell silent.

”But we won’t enter the capital.”

Prince Liang understood.

”We change our identities.”

The Emperor nodded.

”We travel north again.”

Lady Chen looked confused.

”Then why return?”

”Because whoever attacked us believes they succeeded in forcing us back.”

A cold smile appeared on the Emperor’s face.

”We’ll let them believe it.”

Lian An’s eyes widened.

”You want to make them think we’ve abandoned the investigation.”

”Exactly.”

General Wei Rong nodded slowly.

”We disappear from the imperial road.”

”And reappear somewhere else.”

The Emperor looked at everyone.

”From this moment onward, we are no longer the imperial family.”

---

New Identities

The group gathered around the damaged carriage.

The Emperor gave orders.

”We return using the southern road.”

”No imperial guards.”

”No royal clothing.”

”No official documents.”

”Nothing that identifies us.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”What identities?”

The Emperor looked at him.

”You will be a travelling merchant.”

Prince Liang smiled.

”Me?”

”Yes.”

Princess Zhi laughed.

”That will be interesting.”

The Emperor looked at Princess Zhi.

”You’ll be his younger sister.”

She nodded.

Lady Chen became a merchant’s wife.

General Wei Rong would become their escort.

The Dowager Empress would travel separately as an elderly relative.

Then Lian An looked at the Emperor.

”And us?”

The Emperor looked at her.

”We’ll be ordinary travellers.”

”Married?”

He nodded.

Her cheeks immediately turned pink.

Fen Yu appeared beside her.

”Oh, this is going to be entertaining.”

Lian An glared at the ghost.

”Not one word.”

Fen Yu grinned.

Li Shen sighed.

”We have more serious problems.”

Wei Rong crossed his arms.

”Finally, something useful.”

The Emperor began walking.

”Tonight, we rest in the nearest village.”

”Tomorrow, we change everything.”

Lian An looked toward the distant mountains.

The northern mystery was still waiting.

But now—

Their enemies believed they had driven the imperial party away.

They didn’t know that the Emperor had just decided to enter the north more secretly than before.

The real investigation had not ended.

It had only begun.

And this time—

No one would know who they truly were