Ghost in the palace

The rumor did not die with the setting sun.

It grew.

By the following morning, the capital had become a place where people lowered their voices whenever the Empress’s name was mentioned.

In the grand hall of the Ministry of Rites, several senior ministers had gathered behind closed doors.

No servants were permitted inside.

No guards were allowed near the entrance.

The windows had been shut despite the warm weather.

On the long table before them lay reports collected from different provinces.

One after another, they had brought stories of strange occurrences.

Animals found dead without visible wounds.

People waking from inexplicable sleep.

Villagers claiming to hear voices in empty houses.

A merchant swearing that his dead father had spoken his name.

And, most troubling of all, reports of strange shadows and unexplained disturbances around several noble estates.

The ministers had suffered too.

Some had lost livestock.

Some had seen strange things in their homes.

Some had spent nights awake because of sounds coming from empty courtyards.

They were frightened.

And frightened men often searched for someone to blame.

At the head of the table sat Minister Han, the Minister of Rites.

His face was grim.

Across from him sat Minister Zhao, Minister Qiao, Minister Wen, and several other senior officials.

No one spoke for a long time.

Finally, Minister Zhao slammed a report onto the table.

"How much longer are we going to pretend this is normal?"

Minister Wen frowned.

"Lower your voice."

"Why?"

Zhao’s eyes were red from several sleepless nights.

"My youngest son heard someone calling his name outside his room three nights ago."

He swallowed.

"When he opened the door, nobody was there."

Minister Qiao looked uncomfortable.

"My household experienced something similar."

Minister Han looked around the table.

"Everyone here has heard the reports."

He tapped the stack of documents.

"And now we have another problem."

"What problem?" someone asked.

"The altar."

Silence.

The word alone was enough to change the atmosphere.

The discovery beneath the Empress’s meditation chamber had become the center of every rumor.

Minister Wen shook his head.

"We still have no proof that the Empress built it."

"No proof?" Zhao snapped.

"It was beneath her chamber!"

"That does not prove she made it."

"Then who did?"

Nobody answered.

Minister Zhao leaned forward.

"Who else would have access to that place?"

Minister Qiao frowned.

"The palace has hundreds of servants."

"And guards."

"And officials."

"Exactly," Wen replied.

"There are hundreds of possibilities."

Zhao’s expression hardened.

"But none of them have a black altar beneath their chambers."

The room fell silent again.

Minister Han slowly folded his hands.

"We must be careful."

"Careful?"

Zhao laughed bitterly.

"While our families suffer?"

He stood.

"My wife has not slept properly for days."

"My servants are terrified."

"Animals are dying."

"People are hearing voices."

"And we are still sitting here telling ourselves that it is coincidence?"

Minister Han’s expression became serious.

"No."

"I am not saying it is coincidence."

He looked around the table.

"I am saying we don’t yet know what it is."

Minister Zhao stared at him.

"Then perhaps we should ask the Emperor."

Everyone looked toward him.

The suggestion remained in the air.

Minister Qiao spoke first.

"Yes."

"We should."

"But what exactly are we going to tell His Majesty?"

Zhao answered immediately.

"We tell him what we found."

"The altar."

"The strange symbols."

"The reports from the provinces."

"And the disturbances around the palace."

Minister Wen shook his head.

"And what will you say after that?"

Zhao’s expression hardened.

"That the Empress must be investigated."

"Investigated?"

Zhao nodded.

"Publicly."

A few ministers exchanged uneasy glances.

Minister Han’s eyes narrowed.

"You are going too far."

"Am I?"

Zhao’s voice trembled with anger.

"If a common woman were found with forbidden ritual objects beneath her chamber, would we simply smile and wish her good health?"

"No."

"We would arrest her."

"Question her."

"And if she were proven guilty?"

He paused.

His next words were quiet.

"She would face execution."

The room became completely silent.

Minister Wen stared at him.

"You are proposing the death of the Empress."

"I am proposing punishment if she is guilty."

"You haven’t established that she is."

Zhao looked toward the window.

"Then let the Emperor investigate."

His voice became colder.

"But if she is responsible..."

"We cannot allow her to remain alive."

---

Another minister finally spoke.

"What about the Duke family?"

Everyone looked at him.

He continued carefully.

"The Empress is the Duke’s daughter."

"And recently the Duke family has become unusually powerful."

Minister Qiao’s eyes narrowed.

"You think they are involved?"

"I don’t know."

"But consider the circumstances."

He counted on his fingers.

"The strange events begin."

"The Empress becomes involved."

"A forbidden altar is found beneath her chamber."

"Her family immediately protects her."

"And the Duke had a grand marriage banquet."

Minister Wen frowned.

"What does the wedding have to do with this?"

"Influence."

The minister leaned forward.

"The Duke family is forming new alliances."

"The Chen family is joining them."

"The Empress owns a successful restaurant chain."

"She has connections throughout the capital."

"And the Emperor is increasingly close to her."

Minister Zhao’s expression changed.

"So you believe..."

The minister nodded.

"I believe we should not dismiss the possibility that the Duke family knows more than they are telling us."

Minister Han remained silent.

He didn’t like where the discussion was going.

Fear was turning into suspicion.

Suspicion was turning into accusation.

And accusation, if left unchecked, could become something far worse.

---

The Minister’s Residence

That evening, several officials secretly gathered at Minister Zhao’s residence.

The meeting was smaller this time.

More dangerous.

There were no official documents.

No seals.

No scribes.

Only whispered conversations.

Minister Zhao stood before them.

"We cannot rely on the Emperor to act."

One official frowned.

"Why?"

"Because he favors the Empress."

Another minister nodded.

"That is true."

"We have all seen the change."

"The Emperor personally visited the Duke residence."

"He stayed there."

"He ate dinner with them."

"And now he has agreed to attend their marriage banquet."

Minister Zhao’s jaw tightened.

"Exactly."

"If we approach him accusing the Empress, he may dismiss us."

"Then what do we do?"

Zhao looked at the men around him.

"We go together."

"How?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"We request an audience."

"And we present the matter as a threat to the entire kingdom."

One minister hesitated.

"And if His Majesty refuses?"

Zhao’s eyes hardened.

"Then we demand an investigation."

Another man lowered his voice.

"And if the investigation proves the Empress guilty?"

Zhao answered without hesitation.

"She must be removed."

"From the palace?"

"No."

His expression became grim.

"From this world."

The others stared at him.

No one corrected him.

No one challenged him.

Fear had already made their judgment.

---

The Following Morning

The imperial court was unusually tense.

The Emperor sat on the throne, listening to reports.

Military matters.

Tax matters.

Border disputes.

Trade agreements.

Everything seemed ordinary.

Until Minister Han stepped forward.

"Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at him.

"What is it?"

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