Ghost in the palace

You have been given permission to rest, not to create chaos. Keep your voices down and stop running around the camp.”

A few travelers lowered their heads.

Others exchanged glances.

They had done nothing particularly dangerous. They had simply laughed after a miserable day.

Still, nobody wanted to invite another confrontation.

The Empress placed the bowl of vegetables on a nearby table and stepped forward.

”Sir, everyone is tired. They were only joking with one another.”

Instructor Zhao turned toward her.

”Did I ask for your opinion?”

The Empress’s smile faded.

”No. But I thought you might appreciate knowing that nobody was fighting.”

”That is not for you to decide.”

Instructor Sun looked at the gathered commoners.

”From now on, no one is to leave the designated resting area. Nobody will approach the supply carts without permission. And tomorrow, everyone will rise before dawn.”

A weary groan passed through the crowd.

”Before dawn?” someone whispered.

”I have barely recovered from today!”

”My legs are still shaking!”

Instructor Zhao immediately pointed toward them.

”What did I say about complaining?”

Silence fell.

The instructor looked satisfied.

”Good. Perhaps you are finally learning.”

He turned and walked away with Instructor Sun.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Then the young thief cautiously emerged from behind his friends.

”Does anyone know whether sweet potatoes have a guardian spirit?”

The stout man raised his ladle.

The young man ran.

Laughter erupted once more.

The instructors, already some distance away, turned sharply.

”Unbelievable!” Instructor Zhao muttered.

Instructor Sun rubbed his temples.

”If this continues, we will lose all authority over them.”

Neither man noticed the Emperor watching them from beside the cart.

Nor did they realize that General Guo Han had begun quietly checking the area around the supply wagons.

The Emperor had no intention of allowing the instructors to turn an already difficult journey into a punishment for the refugees.

But first, he needed to understand what they were trying to conceal.

### Dinner Beneath the Trees

By the time darkness settled over the clearing, dinner was ready.

The meal was simple: rice porridge, vegetables, a little salted meat, and several pieces of roasted sweet potato that had survived the earlier dispute.

The travelers gathered in small groups.

Someone passed around bowls.

Someone else distributed chopsticks.

The stout man guarded the sweet potatoes as if they were treasures.

The young thief sat several places away, pretending not to look at them.

”Do not even think about it,” the stout man warned.

”I am looking at the moon.”

”The moon is over there.”

”I have poor eyesight.”

”You had excellent eyesight when you stole my sweet potato!”

The nearby travelers laughed.

The Empress sat beside Princess Zhi and Lady Chen, sharing a bowl of porridge.

The Emperor sat opposite them, with Prince Liang and General Guo Han nearby.

For a while, everyone concentrated on eating.

Then Prince Liang looked at his bowl.

”Brother, do you think the instructors will inspect our bowls tomorrow?”

The Emperor raised his eyes.

”Why would they?”

”To make sure we are not hiding extra food.”

General Guo Han nearly spat out his porridge.

The Empress lowered her spoon, trying to hide her smile.

Prince Liang continued solemnly.

”If they do, I shall tell them that I swallowed the evidence.”

The Emperor shook his head.

”Finish your dinner.”

”I am trying to protect our supplies.”

”You are trying to avoid eating your vegetables.”

Prince Liang looked offended.

”How could you accuse me of such a thing?”

”Because you have been moving the same piece of vegetable around your bowl for five minutes.”

The Empress finally laughed aloud.

Prince Liang pointed at her.

”Your Majesty, please tell him that a man should be allowed to have preferences.”

The Empress lifted her bowl.

”A man should also be allowed to finish his dinner before it becomes cold.”

Prince Liang stared at her.

”Even you have betrayed me.”

”Eat your vegetables, Prince Liang.”

He sighed dramatically and swallowed the offending piece.

The people around them laughed.

For a little while, the worries of the day faded.

The elderly couple shared their meal beneath a tree. The mother fed her little boy, who had finally stopped complaining about hunger. The young traveler who had collapsed earlier sat near the fire with his friend, looking much better after resting and drinking water.

General Guo Han had made certain that the young man received extra porridge.

When the Empress noticed, she nodded approvingly.

It was a small kindness.

But on a journey where people had been made to feel like burdens, small kindnesses mattered.

The Emperor noticed it too.

He looked around the clearing.

These people had lost their homes. Some had lost family members. Others had abandoned everything they owned in the hope that the government would lead them to safety.

Yet they still found reasons to laugh.

They shared their food.

They teased their friends.

They comforted their children.

They continued living.

The Emperor felt a quiet ache in his chest.

He had spent years receiving reports about commoners, hearing officials discuss them as numbers on a page.

Now he was sitting among them.

He could hear their jokes.

He could see their exhaustion.

And he could no longer pretend that a report stating the refugees have been safely transported would be sufficient.

He needed to know what happened between departure and arrival.

Every step.

Every meal.

Every decision made by the people entrusted with their lives.

He silently resolved to investigate the journey thoroughly.

Then Prince Liang leaned toward him.

”Brother.”

”What is it?”

”If I give you half my vegetables, will you give me half your sweet potato?”

The Emperor stared at him.

”You have already eaten your sweet potato.”

Prince Liang froze.

Then he slowly turned toward General Guo Han.

The general was chewing.

Very deliberately.

Prince Liang pointed at him.

”You thief!”

General Guo Han swallowed.

”I have no idea what you are talking about.”

”You stole my sweet potato!”

”I received my own portion.”

”Then why are you chewing so suspiciously?”

The entire group burst into laughter.

The Emperor closed his eyes briefly.

He had faced rebellions, assassination attempts, and political conspiracies.

Yet somehow, travelling with these people was proving more exhausting than any court meeting.

### Trouble in the Darkness

After dinner, the refugees began preparing to sleep.

Some rolled out thin blankets beneath the trees. Others arranged their belongings inside the carts. Parents settled their children, while the older travelers looked for places where the ground was relatively soft.

The instructors had ordered everyone to remain inside the designated area.

General Guo Han quietly assigned a few men to watch the perimeter.

The Emperor noticed.

”Have you seen anything suspicious?”

”Not yet,” the general replied. ”But I would rather be cautious.”

The Emperor nodded.

”Keep the guards discreet. I do not want to alarm the refugees.”

”As you command.”

The Empress approached them, carrying a folded blanket.

”Are you two planning to stand here all night?”

General Guo Han straightened.

”No, madam.”

”Good. Because if you collapse tomorrow, I shall not listen to either of you complain.”

Prince Liang, who had appeared behind her, immediately raised his hand.

”Does that rule apply to me?”

”Especially you.”

He lowered his hand.

The Empress gave the Emperor a meaningful look.

”Make sure everyone rests properly.”

”I will.”

She nodded and returned to Princess Zhi.

The Emperor watched her leave before turning toward General Guo Han.

”Double the watch near the supply carts.”

The general’s expression became serious.

”You suspect an attack?”

”I suspect that someone may take advantage of the confusion surrounding this journey.”

General Guo Han bowed.

”I understand.”

The men dispersed quietly.

Meanwhile, the clearing grew peaceful.

A few travelers were still whispering jokes.

Somebody snored loudly enough to startle a nearby child.

Prince Liang threw a small piece of grass toward the sleeper.

”At least the instructors cannot accuse him of disobeying orders. He is sleeping with extraordinary dedication.”

The Emperor lay down on his blanket.

”Sleep.”

”Yes, brother.”

For nearly a minute, Prince Liang remained silent.

Then he whispered, ”Do you think the instructors will make us walk before sunrise?”

”Yes.”

Prince Liang groaned.

”I knew happiness could not last.”

The Emperor turned away, hiding a smile.

Soon, the commoners fell asleep one by one.

The fires burned low.

The stream murmured softly in the darkness.

And the night appeared peaceful.

Until a sharp shout shattered the silence.

”THERE! THEY’RE OVER THERE!”

The Emperor’s eyes opened immediately.

General Guo Han was already on his feet.

Another voice rang out.

”Stop them! Don’t let them reach the carts!”

Then came the unmistakable sound of running feet.

The refugees woke in confusion.

”What happened?”

”Is there a fire?”

”Why is everyone shouting?”

A child began to cry.

The Empress sat up, immediately reaching for Princess Zhi.

The Emperor rose and looked toward the supply wagons.

Several shadowy figures were moving between the carts.

One of them was carrying a sack.

Another was attempting to cut a tether.

A third had already been surrounded by two guards.

”Thieves!” General Guo Han shouted.

”Protect the people!”

The clearing erupted into chaos.

### The Rouges Make a Terrible Mistake

The attackers had apparently expected a sleeping camp.

They had not expected the guards to be alert.

One of the men abandoned the sack and tried to flee between two carts.

He collided with the stout man who had spent the evening guarding his sweet potatoes.

Both men fell to the ground.

The stout man stared at the stranger lying across his legs.

Then he screamed.

”MY SWEET POTATOES!”

The attacker looked bewildered.

”What?”

”You knocked over my food!”

The man tried to scramble away.

The stout man grabbed his ankle.

”You’re paying for every single one!”

”Let go!”

”Not until you apologize!”

The attacker kicked wildly.

The stout man clung to him with the determination of a man defending his family inheritance.

Nearby, the young thief who had stolen the sweet potato earlier woke up, saw the struggle, and immediately rushed over.

”Uncle! I will help you!”

The stout man looked delighted.

”Good! Hold him down!”

The young man threw himself onto the attacker’s back.

Unfortunately, he misjudged the distance and landed partly on the stout man’s shoulders.

All three men tumbled sideways.

A nearby refugee stared at them.

”Are they fighting or making dumplings?”

Nobody answered.

Because another attacker had just tried to run through the cooking area and tripped over a cooking pot.

He landed face-first in the dirt.

Prince Liang sat up, rubbed his eyes, and s