Ghost in the palace

The night was quiet.

A cool breeze drifted through the open windows of the Duke residence, carrying the faint fragrance of blooming jasmine.

After another busy day of wedding preparations, most of the household had retired to their chambers.

Only a few lanterns still burned.

Inside the Duke’s library, however, two men remained awake.

The Emperor sat beside the window, a cup of tea resting untouched on the table.

Across from him sat Prince Liang.

The two brothers rarely had the opportunity to speak privately.

Tonight was one of those rare nights.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them was comfortable.

Finally, Prince Liang broke it.

”...Brother.”

The Emperor looked up.

”What is it?”

Prince Liang stared at the flickering candle.

”Do you ever think about Father?”

The Emperor remained quiet.

After a long pause, he answered.

”Every now and then.”

Prince Liang smiled faintly.

”I barely remember him.”

”I was still young when he died.”

The Emperor nodded.

”You were.”

”He spent most of his time teaching me state affairs.”

Prince Liang sighed.

”Everyone says Father was a wise emperor.”

”He was.”

”But...”

The Emperor looked toward the dark sky.

”...he carried many burdens.”

Prince Liang leaned forward.

”When I was younger, I once overheard old servants talking.”

”They stopped the moment they saw me.”

The Emperor frowned slightly.

”What were they saying?”

Prince Liang hesitated.

”They mentioned a woman.”

”A woman?”

Prince Liang nodded.

”They said she tried to destroy Father’s marriage.”

The Emperor’s expression became thoughtful.

”I’ve heard fragments of that story.”

Prince Liang continued.

”They said she deliberately approached Father.”

”She tried everything to become his favored woman.”

The Emperor nodded slowly.

”I remember hearing something similar.”

”But Mother never spoke about it.”

Prince Liang lowered his voice.

”The servants claimed that after Father rejected her...”

”...she suddenly appeared months later carrying a baby.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

”They claimed the child belonged to Father.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”Yes.”

The room fell silent.

The Emperor finally spoke.

”Father never accepted that claim.”

Prince Liang looked at him.

”You know more than I do.”

The Emperor exhaled quietly.

”I only know what my tutor once told me.”

”Father ordered a thorough investigation.”

”There was no proof the child was his.”

Prince Liang frowned.

”So...”

”The woman lied?”

The Emperor nodded.

”That was the conclusion.”

”They discovered she had fabricated witnesses.”

”She bribed servants.”

”Even forged letters.”

Prince Liang’s eyes widened.

”So Father...”

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

”He considered it treason.”

”Not because she wanted power...”

”But because she tried to stain the reputation of the Imperial Family.”

Prince Liang looked down.

”The servants also said...”

”...Father made an example of her.”

The Emperor was silent for several moments.

Then he answered quietly.

”Yes.”

”The law at the time was severe.”

”She was publicly executed.”

Prince Liang swallowed.

”And the baby?”

The Emperor slowly shook his head.

”...No one knows.”

Another silence settled between them.

The crackling fire seemed unusually loud.

Prince Liang finally whispered,

”What if...”

”What if that child survived?”

The Emperor’s gaze became distant.

”I’ve wondered the same thing.”

”If the child truly wasn’t Father’s...”

”Someone could have taken the baby away.”

Prince Liang leaned back.

”And if the child lived...”

”They would be around our age now.”

The Emperor nodded.

”Perhaps.”

Prince Liang frowned deeply.

”Do you think they might still be alive?”

The Emperor did not answer immediately.

Instead, he stared into the candlelight.

”So many records disappeared after Father’s death.”

”The palace was in mourning.”

”Officials changed.”

”Documents were lost.”

”Some... intentionally.”

Prince Liang’s brows furrowed.

”So no one knows what really happened.”

The Emperor sighed.

”Exactly.”

Prince Liang looked thoughtful.

”Could someone have raised that child with hatred?”

The Emperor’s expression darkened.

”It is possible.”

”If they believed the palace destroyed their family...”

”They might seek revenge.”

The room became very still.

Prince Liang spoke again.

”Brother...”

”...do you think everything happening now...”

”The strange incidents.”

”The dark magic.”

”The attacks on the Empress.”

”...could somehow be connected to the past?”

The Emperor slowly folded his hands.

”I don’t know.”

”But one thing has become clear.”

Prince Liang waited.

The Emperor’s voice became calm but firm.

”We are no longer facing ordinary palace schemes.”

”Someone has been planning carefully.”

”For a very long time.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”And if the child truly survived...”

”They may not even know the whole truth.”

The Emperor looked out into the darkness.

”Perhaps.”

”Or perhaps someone gave them a false story.”

Outside, the wind stirred the lanterns.

Their flames danced uneasily.

The Emperor quietly murmured,

”The past never truly disappears.”

”It simply waits...”

”...until someone brings it back.”

The two brothers fell silent once more, neither realizing that the mystery surrounding the former emperor’s reign might hold the key to the dangers now surrounding the palace.

The Imperial Palace was wrapped in silence.

The lively atmosphere of the Duke Residence felt like a distant memory.

Moonlight poured over the palace roofs, painting the glazed tiles silver. The guards patrolled quietly along the corridors, while the distant sound of a night watchman’s wooden clapper echoed through the peaceful darkness.

Inside the Emperor’s study, only two people remained awake.

The Emperor.

And Prince Liang.

A pot of tea sat between them, untouched.

Several intelligence reports lay scattered across the table.

Neither brother spoke for a long while.

The Emperor stood beside the open window, looking toward the dark palace grounds.

His thoughts refused to settle.

Finally, Prince Liang broke the silence.

”Brother...”

The Emperor turned slightly.

”Hm?”

Prince Liang sighed.

”I’ve been thinking about everything Mother told us tonight.”

The Emperor nodded.

”So have I.”

Prince Liang picked up one of the reports and slowly rolled it closed.

”When I was younger...”

”I always believed Mother hated superstition.”

”I never imagined she had witnessed something like that herself.”

The Emperor gave a faint smile.

”Neither did I.”

”She hid it well.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”She carried that secret for decades.”

Silence returned.

The Emperor looked back toward the moonlit courtyard.

”She also sounded certain.”

Prince Liang looked up.

”Certain?”

The Emperor nodded slowly.

”She didn’t say ’perhaps.’”

”She didn’t say ’maybe.’”

”When she spoke about that woman...”

”...Mother believed she was responsible.”

Prince Liang leaned back thoughtfully.

”I noticed that too.”

The Emperor crossed his arms.

”If Mother, who rarely accuses anyone without proof, is convinced...”

”...then whatever happened twenty-five years ago must have been far worse than she described.”

Prince Liang slowly nodded.

”I think she still spared us many details.”

The Emperor agreed.

”She did.”

The room fell quiet again.

After a while, Prince Liang asked,

”Do you think that woman is still alive?”

The Emperor did not answer immediately.

Instead, he walked back to the table and poured tea for both of them.

”I don’t know.”

He handed one cup to Prince Liang.

”But if she’s not...”

”...someone inherited everything she knew.”

Prince Liang accepted the cup.

”And that may be even more dangerous.”

The Emperor nodded.

”Knowledge survives longer than people.”

Prince Liang took a slow sip before speaking again.

”Brother...”

”The northern reports.”

The Emperor’s expression became serious.

”You’ve read them all?”

Prince Liang nodded.

”Every single one.”

”I also asked my own intelligence network to investigate.”

The Emperor looked at him with interest.

”You found something?”

Prince Liang reached into his sleeve and removed another scroll.

”This arrived just before sunset.”

The Emperor opened it carefully.

As he read, his expression gradually darkened.

”It says...”

”...another village has reported unusual activity.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”The villagers claim they hear voices at night.”

”They refuse to leave their homes after sunset.”

The Emperor continued reading.

”’Livestock disappear without tracks.’”

”’People wake with memories that don’t belong to them.’”

He lowered the scroll.

”This is becoming frequent.”

Prince Liang spoke quietly.

”The locals have started calling it...”

”...Ghost Breeding.”

The Emperor repeated the words under his breath.

”Ghost Breeding...”

”I dislike that name.”

Prince Liang smiled faintly.

”So do I.”

”But every report uses it.”

The Emperor returned to his seat.

”I’ve heard strange rumors before.”

”But never from so many places at once.”

Prince Liang rested his elbows on the table.

”At first I believed it was mass hysteria.”

”So did I,” the Emperor admitted.

”But then I noticed something.”

Prince Liang raised an eyebrow.

”The dates.”

The Emperor spread several reports across the table.

”Look.”

Prince Liang leaned closer.

The Emperor pointed to each document.

”Three months ago...”

”One report.”

”Two months ago...”

”Three reports.”

”Last month...”

”Eight.”

”This month...”

”...more than twenty.”

Prince Liang’s face became solemn.

”It isn’t isolated.”

”No.”

”It’s spreading.”

The Emperor stared at the map of the Empire hanging on the wall.

”And always from the north.”

Prince Liang followed his gaze.

”Why the north?”

The Emperor folded his arms.

”The mountains.”

”The abandoned temples.”

”The old battlefields.”

Prince Liang nodded slowly.

”There are many places rich in spiritual legends.”

The Emperor spoke thoughtfully.

”If someone wanted to hide forbidden rituals...”

”...those regions would be ideal.”

Prince Liang remained silent for a moment before asking,

”Do you think this is connected to the Empress?”

The Emperor didn’t hesitate.

”Yes.”

Prince Liang looked surprised by the certainty.

”You sound convinced.”

”I am.”

The Emperor’s voice was calm.

”First the sleepwalking.”

”Then the lake.”

”Then the attack outside the capital.”

”None of these are ordinary.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”And the attackers didn’t rob anyone.”

”They went directly for her.”

The Emperor’s eyes hardened.

”They had a purpose.”

Prince Liang sighed.

”Brother...”

”What if the Empress isn’t the target...”

”What if she’s the obstacle?”

The Emperor looked at him sharply.

”What do you mean?”

Prince Liang leaned forward.

”Think about it.”

”Every attempt has failed.”

”Something always protects her.”

”The sleepwalking failed.”

”The lake failed.”

”The ambush failed.”

The Emperor thought carefully.

”The ghosts.”

Prince Liang nodded.

”And perhaps something else.”

The Emperor looked down at his hands.

”For years I dismissed ghost stories.”

”But now...”

He gave a quiet laugh.

”I’ve reached the point where ghosts make more sense than politics.”

Prince Liang laughed softly as well.

”I never thought I’d hear you say that.”

The Emperor smiled faintly.

”Neither did I.”

Their laughter faded.

The Emperor’s expression became serious once more.

”Whatever Ghost Breeding truly is...”

”...we cannot allow it to spread.”

Prince Liang nodded firmly.

”I’ll strengthen intelligence along the northern border.”

”I’ll also quietly investigate every abandoned temple.”

The Emperor agreed.

”But do it carefully.”

”If someone is watching...”

”We don’t want them to know what we’re looking for.”

Prince Liang stood.

”I understand.”

He walked toward the door before stopping.

”Brother.”

The Emperor looked up.

”About the Empress...”

The Emperor waited.

Prince Liang smiled slightly.

”I’m glad you went to the Duke Residence tonight.”

The Emperor remained silent.

Prince Liang continued,

”She looked happier.”

”And so did you.”

For the first time that night, the Emperor didn’t deny it.

After Prince Liang left, the Emperor remained alone in the study.

He walked once more to the open window.

Beyond the palace walls, somewhere in the darkness, the northern mountains lay hidden beneath the night.

He looked toward the distant horizon.

”If this Ghost Breeding truly exists...”

”...I’ll find whoever is behind it.”

His voice was quiet.

But carried the weight of an Emperor’s promise.

Above him, the moon disappeared behind drifting clouds.

And the palace once again fell into silence.