Ghost in the palace

The afternoon sun hung high above the Imperial Palace.

Unlike the bustling morning court, the palace was now unusually peaceful.

Golden light filtered through carved wooden windows.

A gentle breeze stirred the silk curtains.

After lunch, most nobles had retired to their chambers for their afternoon rest.

Even the palace guards spoke in quieter voices.

For a brief moment...

The enormous palace seemed calm.

No one knew that within moments, that peace would be shattered.

---

Princess Zhi’s Courtyard

Princess Zhi sat beneath the shade of a flowering osmanthus tree.

A half-finished embroidery frame rested on her lap.

Since recovering from her previous illness, she had gradually regained her cheerful nature.

Beside her stood her most trusted personal maid.

Her name was Mei Lan.

Mei Lan had served Princess Zhi since the princess was five years old.

She was more than a servant.

She was family.

She knew the princess’s favourite meals, remembered every birthday, comforted her after nightmares and stayed awake through countless nights whenever the princess fell ill.

Princess Zhi smiled gently.

"Mei Lan."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"I’m a little thirsty."

"I’ll prepare your favourite jasmine tea."

Princess Zhi nodded.

"Thank you."

Mei Lan smiled warmly before walking toward the tea table.

Several younger maids chatted quietly while trimming fresh flowers nearby.

Two eunuchs stood outside the courtyard entrance.

Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.

---

Mei Lan poured hot water into the delicate porcelain teapot.

The fragrance of jasmine slowly filled the courtyard.

She carefully placed the teacup onto a lacquered tray.

"Please enjoy, Your Highness."

Princess Zhi reached out with a grateful smile.

Then—

A sudden chill swept through the courtyard.

The wind stopped.

The birds perched on the roof flew away all at once.

The younger maids frowned.

"...Did it suddenly become cold?"

One maid rubbed her arms.

"I felt that too."

Princess Zhi looked up.

The courtyard had become strangely silent.

No insects.

No birds.

Nothing.

---

Then...

Something moved.

Not a person.

Not an animal.

A black shadow.

It darted across the courtyard faster than the eye could follow.

One maid gasped.

"What was that?"

Before anyone could react—

The shadow passed straight through Mei Lan’s body.

It lasted only a heartbeat.

Mei Lan froze.

The teacup slipped from her fingers.

Crash!

Porcelain shattered across the stone floor.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Her expression became completely blank.

Princess Zhi stood immediately.

"Mei Lan?"

The maid opened her mouth as though trying to speak.

But no sound came out.

Then—

Her body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"Mei Lan!"

Princess Zhi rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside her.

"Mei Lan! Wake up!"

There was no response.

Her skin rapidly turned pale.

Her eyes stared blankly toward the sky.

The younger maids screamed.

"Someone collapsed!"

"No... she’s not moving!"

One servant cried in terror.

"I saw it!"

"The shadow went through her!"

Another maid burst into tears.

"I saw it too!"

The entire courtyard erupted into panic.

---

Princess Zhi held Mei Lan’s shoulders.

"No..."

"No..."

"Wake up..."

"You promised to teach my daughter embroidery..."

"You promised..."

Her voice trembled violently.

Mei Lan did not move.

Not even a finger.

---

Outside the courtyard, frightened servants began shouting.

"Call the Imperial Healer!"

"Hurry!"

"Someone has died!"

Guards immediately rushed inside.

Several palace maids were crying uncontrollably.

One eunuch nearly stumbled while running toward the Imperial Medical Bureau.

---

Princess Zhi continued shaking her maid gently.

"Mei Lan..."

"Please..."

"Don’t leave me..."

Tears streamed freely down her face.

She remembered the little girl who had entered the palace alongside her decades ago.

The loyal maid who had never once betrayed her.

Who stayed awake whenever Princess Zhi cried.

Who celebrated every small happiness with her.

Who mourned every sorrow beside her.

Now...

She lay completely still.

---

Only moments later—

Footsteps echoed through the corridor.

The Imperial Healer arrived with two medical assistants.

"Move aside!"

The assistants knelt immediately.

The healer quickly examined Mei Lan’s pulse.

Nothing.

He checked her breathing.

Nothing.

He inspected her eyes.

His expression gradually became grave.

Princess Zhi desperately asked,

"She’ll wake up... won’t she?"

The healer remained silent for several long moments.

Finally...

He slowly withdrew his hand.

Then bowed his head.

"Your Highness..."

"I’m sorry."

"There is no pulse."

"No heartbeat."

"She... has already passed away."

Princess Zhi stared at him.

As though she had misheard.

"No..."

"No..."

"You must save her!"

"You’ve saved people before!"

"Please!"

The healer lowered his eyes.

"I cannot save someone whose life has already departed."

Princess Zhi broke down completely.

She hugged Mei Lan’s lifeless body.

Crying uncontrollably.

The courtyard echoed with heartbreaking sobs.

Many maids wiped away tears.

Even several guards lowered their heads respectfully.

Everyone in the palace knew how close Princess Zhi and Mei Lan had been.

---

One trembling maid stepped forward.

"I..."

"I saw it..."

Everyone looked toward her.

"The shadow..."

"It... it passed through Sister Mei Lan..."

Another servant nodded repeatedly.

"I saw it too."

"It didn’t touch anyone else."

"It only went through her."

Within moments, frightened whispers spread.

"It was a ghost..."

"No..."

"It was dark magic..."

"Heaven protect us..."

"No ordinary person dies like that..."

Fear spread faster than the truth.

---

The news travelled through the palace corridors like wildfire.

"A maid in Princess Zhi’s courtyard has suddenly died."

"People say a black shadow passed through her."

"The Imperial Healer couldn’t save her."

"Several witnesses saw it."

Servants whispered behind pillars.

Palace maids clutched prayer beads.

Even experienced guards looked uneasy.

By evening, almost every corner of the palace had heard the same terrifying rumour.

A mysterious shadow...

A loyal maid...

Dead in an instant.

And no one knew...

What that shadow truly was.

Far away, hidden in the darkness of an abandoned palace corridor, an unseen figure stood silently.

The figure’s lips slowly curved into a faint smile.

Then, without a sound...

It disappeared into the shadows once more

The Imperial Study was unusually quiet.

Several ministers stood in neat rows, none daring to speak first.

The atmosphere was heavy.

On the Emperor’s desk lay more than twenty memorials tied with black ribbons.

Each one reported the same thing.

Another death.

Another victim.

Another witness claiming to have seen a black shadow pass through the victim’s body before they collapsed.

The Emperor slowly placed the last memorial down.

"How many now?"

The commander of the Shadow Guards knelt.

"Your Majesty... since the death of Princess Zhi’s maid, sixty-three more deaths have been confirmed across the kingdom."

The ministers inhaled sharply.

The Minister of Justice stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, every investigation ends the same way."

"No wounds."

"No poison."

"No hidden weapon."

"No sign of struggle."

"It is as though their souls simply... disappeared."

The Emperor’s eyes darkened.

"And the witnesses?"

The commander answered,

"They all describe the same thing."

"A moving shadow."

"It appears without warning."

"It passes through the victim."

"Within moments, the victim dies."

"It vanishes before anyone can react."

The room fell silent.

---

The Minister of War spoke uneasily.

"This is no ordinary assassin."

Another minister shook his head.

"If it were one person, they could not appear in cities hundreds of miles apart on the same day."

Another added,

"The common people are terrified."

"Markets close before sunset."

"Temples remain full day and night."

"Travellers refuse to journey after dark."

"The kingdom is beginning to panic."

The Emperor remained silent.

He remembered Princess Zhi’s grief after losing her maid.

That tragedy had once seemed like a single, isolated incident.

Now...

It had become the beginning of something far worse.

---

"Have we discovered any connection between the victims?"

the Emperor asked.

The Chief Investigator opened another scroll.

"We compared age."

"No connection."

"Occupation."

"No connection."

"Family background."

"No connection."

"Noble and commoner alike are dying."

"Men, women, children, elderly..."

"There is no pattern."

The Emperor frowned.

"There is always a pattern."

"We simply have not found it yet."

---

The commander hesitated before speaking again.

"There is... one strange detail."

Every minister looked toward him.

"Several witnesses claimed the shadow seemed to hesitate..."

"...when passing holy temples."

The Grand Chancellor immediately objected.

"Superstition."

"We cannot build an investigation upon rumours."

The commander lowered his head.

"I understand."

The Emperor tapped the table thoughtfully.

"Even rumours have origins."

"Record every witness statement."

"Do not dismiss anything."

---

Far beyond the capital...

In another province...

A farmer hurried home before sunset.

He repeatedly glanced behind him.

Ever since hearing about the mysterious deaths, he refused to remain outside after dark.

As he reached the village gate—

A cold wind swept through the empty road.

The lantern beside him flickered.

The farmer froze.

His breathing became uneven.

Someone...

Or something...

Seemed to be standing behind him.

He slowly turned.

No one.

He sighed with relief.

Then—

A thin ribbon of darkness slid silently across the ground.

It rose like smoke.

Before the farmer could scream—

The shadow passed through his chest.

His eyes widened.

The basket slipped from his hands.

He collapsed.

The vegetables scattered across the dusty road.

By the time nearby villagers arrived—

The shadow had vanished.

Another life had been claimed.

---

That evening, another urgent report reached the capital.

The Emperor read it without changing his expression.

But the parchment in his hand slowly crumpled.

Another death.

Another village.

No clues.

No suspect.

No answer.

He looked out through the palace window toward the darkening sky.

"This enemy..."

"It wants the kingdom to live in fear."

His voice was quiet.

"But fear is exactly what I will not allow."

Turning back to his Shadow Guards, he gave a new order.

"Double the investigation teams."

"Send trusted agents to every province."

"I want every witness questioned."

"Every survivor protected."

"And every unusual occurrence reported directly to me."

The guards bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As they departed, the Emperor remained standing alone before the window.

Somewhere...

Hidden in the vast kingdom...

Someone was controlling the darkness.

And until that person was found...

The shadow would continue to claim innocent lives.