Ghost in the palace

The morning sun climbed higher as the Emperor’s group finished preparing for the journey.

After bathing, everyone felt considerably fresher. Their clean clothes, damp hair, and refreshed faces made them look less like exhausted travelers and more like ordinary people who had finally managed to get a proper night’s rest.

The makeshift bathing tent had already been dismantled.

The Emperor himself had helped remove the ropes and fold the bedsheet. The wooden poles were tied to the cart, while the remaining heated water was used to wash their basins and utensils.

Nothing was left behind except a few footprints and the ashes of their small fire.

Across the resting ground, the other refugees were also waking up. Some were rolling their blankets, some were packing their belongings, and others were searching for something to eat before the day’s journey began.

The officials had already started organizing everyone into groups.

”Everyone, gather your belongings! We will depart shortly!”

The instructor’s voice carried across the clearing.

Prince Liang, who had just finished tying his belongings to the cart, looked toward the man.

”Shortly? We have barely eaten anything!”

General Guo Han glanced at him.

”You ate last night.”

”That was last night. This is today.”

”An astonishing discovery.”

Prince Liang glared at him.

”General Guo Han, I am beginning to think you take pleasure in insulting me.”

”I would never dare.”

”You are doing it right now!”

The Empress shook her head, unable to suppress a smile.

”Enough, both of you. Come and collect your breakfast.”

At the mention of breakfast, Prince Liang immediately abandoned his argument.

”Finally! Someone in this group understands my suffering.”

The Emperor watched his younger brother hurry toward the food distribution point.

Then his expression changed slightly.

He had already noticed something that bothered him.

The officials were distributing food to the travelers, but the quantities were small. The previous evening’s meal had been barely sufficient for people who had spent the day walking, and the morning ration did not look much better.

He remembered the order he had issued before leaving the capital.

Every refugee traveling north was to receive adequate food, drinking water, and basic supplies. The government was responsible for ensuring that the journey did not become another disaster for people who had already lost their homes.

Yet, from what he had witnessed, that order was not being followed properly.

He said nothing for the moment.

He wanted to understand what was happening before intervening.

”Let’s see what they give us today,” the Empress murmured.

The Emperor glanced at her.

”Are you hungry?”

”A little.”

”Then make sure you eat enough.”

She looked at him with amusement.

”Your Majesty, if I could simply ask for more, I would have done so yesterday.”

He paused.

She was right.

They were no longer traveling with the authority of the imperial household. Nobody knew their true identities, and the officials treated them as ordinary commoners.

If he demanded special treatment, they might attract unwanted attention.

Worse, the other travelers could become suspicious.

For now, he had to endure the same conditions as everyone else while observing the officials responsible for the journey.

He nodded.

”Then we will eat what we receive.”

The Empress gave him a knowing look.

”You sound very unhappy about that.”

”I am perfectly content.”

”Your expression says otherwise.”

Before he could answer, Princess Zhi came running back with a small food container.

”Look! We received meat pancakes!”

Prince Liang appeared behind her, holding his own share.

”Two each!”

He examined the pancakes.

”They smell good, at least.”

The instructor responsible for distribution called out, ”Two meat pancakes per person! Eat now or keep one for later. There will be no separate lunch distribution during today’s journey.”

A murmur spread through the travelers.

”No lunch?”

”Then we have to make these last until evening?”

”What if we become hungry before we reach the next resting place?”

The instructor raised his voice.

”Stop complaining! You have been given food. Keep the line moving!”

The Emperor’s fingers tightened around his food container.

Two meat pancakes.

That was all they had been given for the morning and midday.

He looked around.

An elderly man was carefully wrapping one pancake in a piece of cloth, intending to save it for later. A mother broke one pancake into smaller pieces for her two children. A young traveler ate one immediately and tucked the second into his bag.

Nobody wanted to waste food.

Nobody knew when the next proper meal would arrive.

The Emperor’s expression grew colder.

He had personally ordered sufficient provisions for the journey.

Where were they?

Had the supplies been delayed? Had the officials miscalculated the number of travelers? Or had someone decided that the refugees could survive on less?

He could not reach a conclusion without evidence.

Beside him, Prince Liang had already taken a bite.

He chewed thoughtfully.

Then he looked at the remaining pancake.

”Brother, do you think I should eat both now or save one?”

The Emperor looked at him.

”That depends on whether you want to be hungry later.”

Prince Liang sighed.

”That is precisely the problem.”

The Empress sat beside them.

”Eat one now. Keep the other for later.”

Princess Zhi nodded.

”That’s what I am doing.”

Lady Chen carefully wrapped her second pancake in a clean cloth.

”We should be grateful that there is meat in it. Some families might not have eaten meat for days.”

The Empress glanced at her.

”Being grateful does not mean we cannot expect the officials to fulfill their responsibilities.”

Lady Chen fell silent.

The Emperor looked at his wife.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he quietly said, ”You are right.”

He ate one pancake and kept the other.

It was not because he could not afford more food.

It was because he had chosen to travel as an ordinary person, and he would not expose their identities merely to satisfy his own appetite.

But his patience had limits.

If the officials were deliberately withholding supplies, he would not allow it to continue.

By the time the travelers departed, the sun had risen above the distant hills.

The road to the north stretched ahead, winding through fields, patches of woodland, and uneven ground. Carts moved slowly along the wider sections, while those on foot followed in long, dusty lines.

The first hour passed without much difficulty.

People chatted quietly as they walked.

Children pointed at birds flying overhead. Some travelers discussed where they hoped to settle after reaching the north, while others worried about relatives they had left behind.

The Emperor walked beside the cart.

The Empress sat inside with Princess Zhi and Lady Chen, although she occasionally stepped down to stretch her legs.

General Guo Han and General Yao Qing remained nearby, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

Prince Liang walked for a while before eventually approaching his brother.

”How much farther?”

The Emperor did not look at him.

”We have barely started.”

”I know that. I am asking how much farther until we stop.”

”We have barely started,” the Emperor repeated.

Prince Liang stared at him.

”Your Majesty—”

He immediately corrected himself.

”Brother, must you answer every question in the most irritating way possible?”

The Emperor’s mouth twitched.

”Perhaps you ask too many questions.”

General Guo Han, walking behind them, laughed.

Prince Liang turned around.

”Do you ever intend to support me?”

”When you say something sensible.”

”Then I shall never receive your support.”

”At least you understand yourself.”

The conversation might have continued if the sun had not begun beating down more fiercely.

By midmorning, the road had become hot and dusty.

The coolness of dawn disappeared.

Sweat gathered along people’s foreheads and necks. Dust clung to their clothes, and the air grew dry enough to make every breath uncomfortable.

The travelers began drinking water more frequently.

Some took small sips from their bottles. Others tilted their heads back and swallowed greedily before wiping their mouths with their sleeves.

The Empress drank from her own water bottle and looked toward the road ahead.

”Why is it so hot today?”

Princess Zhi fanned herself with a folded piece of cloth.

”Because the heavens have decided we haven’t suffered enough.”

Lady Chen gave a tired laugh.

”Don’t say that. The heavens might hear you.”

Prince Liang, walking outside the cart, wiped his forehead.

”If the heavens are listening, I would like to request a shaded pavilion, a proper bed, and a large meal.”

General Guo Han looked at him.

”You forgot a servant to fan you.”

”That is an excellent suggestion. Please add it to the request.”

The Emperor shook his head.

But his amusement faded when he noticed a group of elderly travelers struggling near the back.

One man had stopped walking and was leaning heavily on a wooden staff. A woman beside him was trying to help him stand upright.

”Are you all right?” she asked anxiously.

The man shook his head.

”I only need a little water.”

She reached for the bottle tied to her waist, but it was nearly empty.

A few steps away, a child was crying.

”Mother, I am thirsty.”

The woman holding his hand looked helplessly toward the officials at the front of the procession.

They continued walking.

The Emperor’s brows drew together.

He turned toward General Guo Han.

”How much water do we have left?”

”Enough for us for now, Your Majesty.”

”Keep some ready for anyone who becomes seriously unwell.”

Guo Han nodded.

The Emperor’s gaze remained on the refugees.

It was only the second day.

If people were already struggling to remain hydrated, what would happen when the journey continued for weeks?

The north was still far away.

And the journey was supposed to last months.

### The Water Source

Not long afterward, the travelers passed a small water source beside the road.

Clear water flowed from a rocky slope into a shallow channel before collecting in a natural pool.

Several people immediately noticed it.

”There is water!”

”Please, let us fill our bottles!”

A young woman hurried toward the pool with a clay vessel.

An elderly man followed her, carrying a small container.

Even the children began pointing excitedly.

The sight of water brought fresh energy to people who had been walking beneath the hot sun.

But before they could approach, an instructor raised his arm.

”Keep moving! Nobody is stopping here!”

The travelers slowed in confusion.

One man pointed toward the water.

”Sir, we only need a moment to refill our bottles.”

”Did you not hear me? Keep moving!”

”But the water—”

”Move!”

The instructor’s voice was harsh enough to silence several people.

The young woman stopped with her empty vessel in her hands.

A mother pulled her child closer.

The elderly man stared at the water, his shoulders slumping.

The Emperor halted.

He looked at the water source, then at the travelers who had been ordered to continue walking.

His face darkened.

”Why are they refusing to let people refill their water?” he asked quietly.

General Guo Han answered, ”Perhaps the instructor is trying to maintain the schedule.”

”At the expense of their health?”

Guo Han did not reply.

The procession continued moving, but several people kept looking back at the water.

One elderly woman stumbled.

Her daughter caught her arm.

”Mother!”

”I’m fine,” the old woman whispered.

But she was clearly exhausted.

A few paces ahead, a young man rubbed his temples and complained of dizziness.