Ghost in the palace

Wei Rong stood his ground.

”I am not asking you to stop for the entire afternoon. I am asking you to allow the travelers to refill their bottles.”

”And I have already told you that there will be no unnecessary stops.”

”Water is not unnecessary.”

The instructor’s expression darkened.

”Do you intend to challenge my authority?”

Wei Rong looked at him steadily.

”If your authority requires exhausted people to continue walking without adequate water, then perhaps you should reconsider how you are exercising it.”

Several travelers slowed down.

The instructor’s face turned red.

”You insolent—”

”General Wei Rong,” the Emperor called from a short distance away.

Wei Rong turned.

The Emperor’s expression was calm, but his eyes conveyed a clear warning.

Not yet.

Wei Rong understood.

He took a slow breath and stepped away from the instructor.

But his gaze remained cold.

The instructor watched him retreat with satisfaction.

”Remember your place,” he shouted.

Wei Rong did not answer.

He returned to the Emperor’s side.

Prince Liang leaned toward him.

”You were about to hit him, weren’t you?”

”No.”

”You looked as though you were imagining at least seven different ways to do it.”

”I was imagining eight.”

Prince Liang stared at him.

Wei Rong’s expression remained perfectly serious.

For the first time since the confrontation began, Prince Liang burst out laughing.

Even the Emperor’s lips twitched.

But the brief amusement vanished when they heard a child crying behind them.

The journey continued.

And the sun grew hotter.

### One Meat Bun

By midday, the refugees were exhausted.

The road passed through a stretch of open countryside where the trees stood far apart. There was little shade, and the heat seemed to rise directly from the earth.

The travelers had been walking for hours.

Some had slowed to a weary shuffle. Others had stopped talking entirely, saving their strength for the road ahead.

At last, the instructors ordered the group to halt near a supply cart.

”Food distribution!” one of them shouted.

The announcement brought a brief spark of hope.

People gathered in an orderly line.

A wooden basket was brought forward, revealing rows of small meat buns wrapped in cloth.

They smelled delicious.

Unfortunately, there were not nearly enough to satisfy the hunger of the crowd.

The instructor stood beside the basket.

”One bun per person. Take it and move aside. Do not ask for more.”

An elderly man accepted his bun with trembling hands.

A young mother received one and immediately broke it into two pieces for her children.

A boy stared at the small portion in his palm.

”Mother, is this all?”

His mother forced a smile.

”Yes, sweetheart. Eat slowly.”

”But I am still hungry.”

She brushed his hair away from his forehead.

”I know. We will have a proper meal when we arrive at the next resting place.”

The boy looked at the bun again.

Then, instead of eating it, he broke it into two pieces and offered one to his younger sister.

The mother turned away quickly, wiping her eyes.

Nearby, Prince Liang examined the bun he had received.

He held it up.

”Is this a meat bun or a joke?”

General Wei Rong glanced at it.

”Both, apparently.”

Prince Liang sighed.

”I have seen dumplings larger than this.”

The Emperor gave him a warning look.

Prince Liang lowered his voice.

”I am only making an observation.”

”You are making it loudly.”

The Empress approached with Princess Zhi and Lady Chen.

She had received her own bun, but her attention was on the children sitting near a cart.

One little girl was carefully dividing her bun into tiny pieces.

The Empress crouched beside her.

”Why are you cutting it so small?”

The girl looked up.

”My little brother is hungry too.”

”Where is he?”

The child pointed toward a young boy sitting beside their mother.

”He is too little to stand in line.”

The Empress looked at the mother.

The woman hurried to explain.

”Please forgive my daughter, madam. She has done nothing wrong. I will not ask for another bun.”

The Empress shook her head.

”You have nothing to apologize for.”

She glanced toward the distribution basket.

Then she looked at the instructor.

”Are there any additional provisions for young children?”

”No.”

”What about elderly travelers who cannot stand in line?”

”They will receive the same ration as everyone else.”

”And what if one bun is insufficient for someone who has been walking since morning?”

The instructor folded his arms.

”Then they should learn to manage their food.”

The Empress’s expression became very still.

”Manage their food?”

”Yes. We cannot feed everyone according to their appetite.”

She looked at the tiny bun in the little girl’s hands.

Then she stood.

”An elderly person who has walked for hours, a mother carrying a child, and a healthy young man all have different needs. Giving them the same small ration does not automatically make the distribution fair.”

The instructor scoffed.

”Are you planning to teach me how to manage a government journey?”

”No,” she replied. ”I am asking you to remember that the people you are managing are human beings.”

Several travelers raised their heads.

The Empress continued.

”We are commoners and refugees. We have followed your orders. We have walked when you told us to walk, and we have accepted the food you distributed without demanding special treatment. But we have a right to eat properly and drink enough water to continue safely.”

The instructor’s expression darkened.

”Another troublemaker.”

”No,” the Empress answered. ”Just someone who refuses to pretend that suffering is acceptable because an official has ordered it.”

Silence spread through the nearby crowd.

Then an elderly man spoke.

”She is right.”

Another traveler nodded.

”We have not asked for luxurious meals. We only want enough food to keep walking.”

A woman holding an infant added, ”And water for our children.”

The instructor’s jaw tightened.

”You have already been warned. Anyone who continues challenging the officials will be punished.”

The crowd immediately grew quiet again.

Fear returned to their faces.

The Empress noticed.

She understood why they were afraid.

These people had nowhere else to go. They depended on the very officials they were challenging to transport them safely to the north.

A punishment might mean losing their place in the procession, their food, or even the limited protection the journey offered.

She could not ask them to risk everything simply because she was angry.

So she lowered her voice.

”We will continue the journey,” she said to the travelers. ”But we should remember what has happened today. If the officials refuse to provide adequate supplies, we must report it to someone who can investigate.”

The Emperor watched her carefully.

She was angry, but she was thinking clearly.

She had not forgotten the larger purpose of their journey.

Neither had he.

### No Lunch, No Rest

The short food distribution ended.

The instructors ordered everyone to gather their belongings and return to the road.

A man near the back raised his hand timidly.

”Sir, will we have another rest before evening?”

The instructor looked at him.

”No.”

The man hesitated.

”But we have been walking for hours.”

”And you will continue walking for several more.”

”What about lunch?”

”You have already received your meat bun.”

”But that was only one small bun. We were told there would be a lunch break.”

The instructor’s expression hardened.

”Who told you that?”

The man fell silent.

The instructor stepped closer.

”Listen carefully. There will be no lunch break today. You will continue walking until we reach the designated resting place. Anyone who falls behind will have to catch up without delaying the others.”

The man’s face drained of colour.

A woman beside him whispered, ”What are we going to do?”

He shook his head.

”I don’t know.”

The announcement spread through the group.

There would be no proper lunch.

No scheduled rest.

Only one small meat bun and hours of walking beneath the hot sun.

Several travelers began looking toward the distant road with dread.

An elderly woman gripped her husband’s sleeve.

”I don’t think I can walk that far.”

He tried to reassure her.

”We will go slowly.”

”But what if they leave us behind?”

He had no answer.

Nearby, a young mother shifted her sleeping child into a more comfortable position.

The little boy woke and began crying.

”Mother, I am hungry.”

She kissed his forehead.

”I know, sweetheart.”

”Can I have more food?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

”Not yet.”

The boy buried his face against her shoulder.

The Empress watched them.

Her own bun remained in her hand.

She had been hungry before. She knew what it felt like to travel without knowing when the next meal would arrive.

But she had never imagined that government officials entrusted with helping refugees could treat their suffering so casually.

She looked at the Emperor.

He met her gaze.

Neither spoke.

They did not need to.

They had both reached the same conclusion.

Something was terribly wrong with the management of this journey.

And they were going to find out why.

### Fear on the Road

The travelers began walking again.

This time, there was little conversat