Ghost in the palace

The young traveler lay beneath the thin shade of a tree, his face pale and his breathing uneven.

His friend knelt beside him, anxiously supporting his shoulders while the Empress examined him. Princess Zhi held a water bottle, and Lady Chen stood nearby, watching with concern.

General Guo Han had moved the cart slightly to provide more shade.

Meanwhile, the Emperor stood facing the instructor.

”Because one of the travelers has collapsed,” he repeated. ”That is why the procession has stopped.”

The instructor’s expression darkened.

”He should have managed his strength better. We all have to walk under the same sun.”

”Then perhaps everyone should be allowed to drink water when they need it,” Prince Liang retorted.

Several refugees exchanged glances.

Nobody had dared to speak so openly to the instructor before.

The official pointed at him.

”You! You have been questioning my orders since morning. Do you want to be punished?”

Prince Liang raised his eyebrows.

”Punished for asking permission to drink water?”

”For disobeying instructions!”

”I have not disobeyed anything. I merely asked you to explain why thirsty people cannot refill their bottles.”

”Enough!”

The instructor raised his hand.

The sudden movement caused several travelers to flinch.

”Everyone will stand up immediately! We are already behind schedule. Anyone who refuses to continue walking will be punished!”

The young traveler’s friend stared at him in disbelief.

”Sir, he cannot even stand!”

”Then leave him here until he can.”

The words fell like a stone into still water.

The Empress slowly raised her head.

For a moment, she thought she had misunderstood.

”Leave him here?” she repeated.

The instructor turned toward her.

”Yes. If he cannot walk, he can remain behind. The rest of us have a destination to reach.”

The Empress looked at the exhausted young man.

Then she looked at the hundreds of refugees standing along the road.

Some were elderly. Some carried infants. Several women had been walking with children in their arms. A few men were helping relatives who could barely keep pace.

They had already lost their homes.

Now they were being treated as though their lives were an inconvenience.

She rose to her feet.

”We are commoners and refugees,” she said firmly. ”We have lost our homes and everything familiar to us. We are following the government’s instructions because we believe we will be taken somewhere safe. But that does not mean we have surrendered our right to eat properly, drink water, and rest when we are unwell.”

Her voice was not particularly loud, yet the surrounding travelers heard every word.

”Food and water are necessities, not rewards for obedience. You cannot expect people to walk all day under this sun after giving them insufficient provisions, then threaten them when they become exhausted.”

A murmur of agreement spread through the crowd.

An elderly man stepped forward, leaning on his wooden staff.

”She is right. My wife is barely able to walk.”

A mother holding a little boy nodded.

”My son has been asking for water since morning.”

Another man spoke from behind them.

”We have not complained about the road. We know the journey is long. But how are we supposed to continue if we cannot drink?”

Soon, more voices joined in.

”We need water!”

”Please allow us to rest!”

”We are not animals!”

The instructor’s face flushed with anger.

”Silence! Who gave you permission to question the officials?”

The Empress met his gaze.

”Who gave you permission to treat the people entrusted to your care so carelessly?”

The crowd fell quiet.

Even the Emperor looked at her for a moment.

He had always known that she possessed a sharp tongue when someone crossed a line. But there was something different about her now.

She was not speaking as an empress accustomed to being obeyed.

She was speaking as someone who understood what it meant to be powerless.

And that made her words more difficult to dismiss.

The instructor looked around at the gathering crowd.

His authority was slipping.

He could see it in the faces of the travelers. Fear remained, but it was no longer the only thing they felt.

They were angry.

And he did not like it.

”Very well,” he said coldly. ”Since you all seem to know better than the officials, you can take responsibility for your own journey.”

He turned toward the other instructors.

”Listen carefully! We will not be stopping for lunch today. Each person will receive only one meat bun when we reach the next distribution point. There will be no additional food for anyone who complains or refuses to follow instructions.”

A shocked murmur swept through the refugees.

”One bun?”

”For the entire afternoon?”

”But we have been walking since morning!”

”What about the children?”

The instructor raised his voice.

”Anyone who refuses to obey will receive nothing more. You will walk until the next designated resting place. There will be no unnecessary stops!”

He climbed onto his horse and pointed down the road.

”Everyone, move!”

Nobody moved immediately.

For a few seconds, the entire procession remained frozen.

Then an older woman quietly picked up her basket.

”We should go,” she whispered to her husband. ”If they take away our food, what will we do?”

Her husband lowered his head.

”We have no choice.”

Their words seemed to settle over the crowd.

One by one, people began collecting their belongings.

The mother with the little boy wiped her eyes and adjusted him against her hip.

A young man helped his elderly father stand.

Two sisters picked up their bundles and looked nervously toward the instructors.

Nobody wanted to anger the officials.

They had heard stories of travelers being separated from their groups, having their supplies confiscated, or being forced to walk without assistance.

The thought of suffering such a punishment frightened them.

Even those who were furious gradually lowered their heads.

The Emperor watched in silence.

His hands had tightened at his sides.

He wanted to order the entire procession to stop. He wanted to summon the officials responsible for this journey and demand an explanation for every missing provision.

But he could not reveal his identity recklessly.

There were hundreds of refugees watching them, and the officials had not yet realized who he was.

If he exposed himself too early, the investigation into the missing supplies might become more difficult.

He needed evidence.

But that did not mean he would allow these people to suffer indefinitely.

He turned toward General Guo Han.

”Keep an eye on the injured traveler. Make sure he receives water and does not fall behind.”

Guo Han bowed slightly.

”I will.”

The Emperor then looked toward the inspector.

The man was already ordering the instructors to move the group forward.

His expression was completely indifferent.

The Emperor memorized his face.

You had better have a convincing explanation for this.

### The General Refuses to Obey Blindly

The procession began moving again.

The wheels of the carts creaked against the uneven road. Dust rose beneath hundreds of feet, drifting through the sunlight.

The refugees walked slowly, their earlier hope replaced by anxiety.

Nobody talked much.

They were thinking about the same thing.

How long would they have to walk before they could rest?

Would they receive the promised meat bun?

And what would happen if they became hungry before reaching the next distribution point?

Prince Liang walked beside the Emperor, his face unusually serious.

”I cannot believe that man.”

The Emperor kept his eyes on the road.

”Lower your voice.”

”I am speaking quietly.”

”You are complaining loudly enough for the people behind us to hear.”

Prince Liang glanced back.

Several refugees immediately looked away.

He sighed.

”Fine. I will complain in my heart.”

”An improvement.”

”Brother, I am genuinely concerned. Some of these people will not be able to continue walking without water.”

”I know.”

”And the instructor has just threatened to withhold food.”

”I heard him.”

”Then why are we walking?”

The Emperor stopped for a moment.

Prince Liang nearly walked into him.

”Why did you stop?”

The Emperor turned to face him.

”Because I need you to understand something. We cannot solve every problem by revealing our identities and issuing orders.”

Prince Liang frowned.

”But we could stop this immediately.”

”Perhaps. But if we expose ourselves now, the officials may conceal the evidence of their misconduct. The people responsible for diverting supplies could escape punishment.”

Prince Liang’s expression changed.

”Do you believe someone is stealing the provisions?”

”I believe the situation requires investigation.”

The Emperor looked toward the carts carrying supplies.

”Before we departed, I ordered sufficient food and water for the refugees. Yet the travelers are receiving inadequate rations, and the officials are refusing to let them refill their bottles. Either the arrangements were badly managed, or someone is deliberately withholding what was provided.”

Prince Liang’s jaw tightened.

”If they are stealing food meant for refugees...”

”Then they will answer for it.”

The Emperor resumed walking.

His voice remained quiet, but the promise in it was unmistakable.

Prince Liang followed.

After a moment, he muttered, ”I still dislike that instructor.”

”That is your privilege.”

”I hope he enjoys his meat buns.”

The Emperor glanced at him.

”Do not start another argument.”

”I said I would complain in my heart!”

”And yet I can hear you.”

Prince Liang closed his mouth.

For approximately ten steps.

Then he whispered, ”My heart is very loud today.”

The Emperor almost smiled despite himself.

### The General Has Had Enough

Further along the road, General Wei Rong had been watching the instructors with growing irritation.

He had endured the poor food distribution the previous evening. He had accepted the small breakfast ration because he wanted to understand how the officials were managing the journey.

But refusing the travelers access to drinking water was another matter entirely.

He watched an elderly couple struggle to keep up.

The husband had wrapped one arm around his wife’s shoulders. Her steps were becoming increasingly unsteady.

A few paces behind them, a young girl carried a bundle almost as large as her own body.

Wei Rong’s expression hardened.

He approached the instructor riding near the middle of the procession.

”Sir.”

The man glanced down.

”What now?”

”We need to stop at the next water source.”

The instructor gave a humourless laugh.

”Did you not hear the orders?”

”I heard them.”

”Then keep walking.”