Chapter 352: The Dowager’s Warning
The first light of dawn spread across the palace roofs.
Usually, this hour was peaceful.
Servants swept the stone paths.
Maids prepared morning tea.
Officials gathered for court.
But today—
The atmosphere was unusually tense.
Throughout the night, not a single servant in the Dowager Empress’s courtyard had slept peacefully.
The strange crying had echoed through the residence again and again.
Every time the guards rushed outside—
Nothing.
No figure.
No footprints.
No shadow.
Only silence.
Yet the moment they returned inside—
The mournful weeping began again.
It was enough to leave every person shaken.
---
The Dowager Empress sat in the main hall, looking far older than she had the previous evening.
Dark circles rested beneath her eyes.
The prayer beads in her hand moved slowly.
She had already made a decision.
Turning to her head maid, she said calmly,
"Invite the Emperor."
"Invite the Empress."
"Princess Zhi."
"Prince Liang."
"And Lady Chen."
"Tell them I require their presence immediately."
The maid bowed.
"Yes, Your Highness."
---
News spread quickly through the palace.
"The Dowager Empress has summoned everyone."
"So early?"
"Has something happened?"
"No one knows."
Even senior palace servants whispered among themselves.
It was highly unusual.
The Dowager Empress rarely called so many members of the imperial family together at dawn.
Something serious had happened.
---
The Emperor had only just finished changing into his morning robes when the summons arrived.
He frowned slightly.
"My mother?"
"At this hour?"
The eunuch nodded.
"She requested Your Majesty’s immediate presence."
Without delay, the Emperor left for her courtyard.
---
Elsewhere, the Empress also received the message.
She looked at the maid with surprise.
"The Dowager Empress wishes to see me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lian An exchanged a brief glance with Princess Zhi, who had arrived almost at the same time.
Princess Zhi whispered,
"This feels unusual..."
The Empress nodded.
"It does."
Together, they headed toward the Dowager Empress’s residence.
---
Lady Chen was equally surprised.
She adjusted her sleeves while walking.
"What could Mother wish to discuss so early?"
She couldn’t think of a reason.
Still, she hurried there.
---
Prince Liang also arrived soon afterward.
One by one—
Everyone gathered.
The hall remained unusually quiet.
No one spoke.
The Dowager Empress simply looked at each of them.
Her expression was solemn.
Even the Emperor noticed something was wrong.
He stepped forward.
"Mother."
"You summoned us."
She nodded.
"I did."
Her voice sounded calm—
But beneath it lay unmistakable exhaustion.
She looked around the room before speaking.
"...None of us slept last night."
The Emperor frowned.
"What happened?"
The Dowager Empress slowly placed a folded sheet of paper on the table.
"I will explain."
She looked first at the Emperor.
"Last night..."
"While I was praying..."
"I heard someone knock against my open window."
The room fell silent.
"I believed it was the wind."
"So I continued praying."
"But moments later..."
"There was a folded paper lying beneath the window."
Princess Zhi’s expression became serious.
"The guards?"
"They searched immediately."
The Dowager Empress nodded.
"They searched the entire courtyard."
"The gardens."
"The walls."
"The rooftops."
She paused.
"They found no one."
Lady Chen frowned.
"...Perhaps someone escaped?"
The Dowager Empress slowly shook her head.
"There were no footprints."
"No signs of anyone climbing over the walls."
"Nothing."
She unfolded the paper carefully.
"I want all of you to read it."
The Emperor reached first.
His expression darkened as he read the large black characters.
YOUR SON IS GOING TO PAY.
His jaw tightened.
He silently handed the letter to the Empress.
She read it carefully.
Her brows knitted together.
Princess Zhi received it next.
A chill ran through her.
"...Who would send something like this?"
Prince Liang’s usually relaxed expression disappeared as he finished reading.
Lady Chen accepted the paper last.
She forced herself to remain composed, though inwardly she was startled.
The hall remained silent.
Finally, the Emperor asked,
"Mother..."
"Did anyone truly see the messenger?"
The Dowager Empress answered firmly.
"No."
"Not a single person."
She looked toward the head guard.
"You tell them."
The guard stepped forward and knelt.
"Your Majesty."
"My men searched immediately."
"We found no intruder."
"No damaged walls."
"No footprints."
"No hidden person."
He lowered his head.
"It was as though the paper... simply appeared."
The words settled heavily over the room.
Princess Zhi instinctively glanced toward the Empress.
Both remembered the strange force that had once drawn the Empress toward the lake against her will.
Neither spoke.
The Emperor folded the letter again.
His expression was unreadable.
"And the crying?"
The Dowager Empress nodded slowly.
"It continued all night."
"The guards heard it."
"The servants heard it."
"I heard it."
"But every time someone stepped outside..."
"...there was nothing."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"I have lived in this palace for decades."
"I have seen rebellions."
"Plots."
"Assassination attempts."
"But never..."
"...anything like this."
Silence.
The Emperor placed the letter on the table.
His voice was steady.
"No one is to spread rumors about this."
The servants bowed immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He continued,
"I will personally investigate."
The Dowager Empress looked at her son.
There was worry in her eyes—not for the throne, but for him.
Quietly, she said,
"I do not know who left this message."
"I do not know whether it was the work of a person..."
"...or something beyond our understanding."
She looked around the hall.
"But until we learn the truth..."
"Every one of you must be careful."
No one argued.
Outside, the palace bustled with the beginning of another day.
Inside the Dowager Empress’s hall, however, everyone understood one thing—
The strange events were no longer isolated incidents.
Someone...
Or something...
Had begun to make its move.
The atmosphere inside the Dowager Empress’s audience hall was unusually solemn.
The doors had been closed.
The servants had been dismissed.
Only a handful of people remained inside.
The Dowager Empress, the Emperor, the Empress, Prince Liang, Princess Zhi, and Lady Chen.
No one spoke at first.
The silence itself felt heavy.
The Dowager Empress slowly placed her teacup onto the table before looking at everyone gathered.
"I did not invite Shin Gu to the betrothal banquet."
The statement immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Lady Chen blinked in surprise.
"Mother..."
The Emperor frowned.
"You deliberately left her out?"
The Dowager Empress nodded.
"Yes."
She spoke slowly, choosing every word carefully.
"I have no evidence against her."
"I have no witness."
"No documents."
"No confession."
She sighed quietly.
"But something inside me keeps telling me that she is connected to everything that has happened inside this palace."
Silence followed.
The Emperor folded his hands.
"You believe she is responsible?"
"I don’t know."
The Dowager Empress shook her head.
"I only know that every time something terrible happened..."
"...my heart remembered her face."
Lady Chen lowered her eyes.
After a long hesitation, she finally spoke.
"I... have begun to feel the same."
Everyone looked toward her.
Lady Chen continued quietly.
"I have known Shin Gu for years."
"She has always appeared kind."
"Calm."
"Helpful."
"But recently..."
She clenched her hands.
"Whenever I think about everything that has happened..."
"...I cannot stop thinking about her."
Princess Zhi remained silent.
The Emperor noticed.
"Zhi."
"What are you thinking?"
Princess Zhi looked toward the window.
"The night I lost my child..."
Everyone became quiet.
She rarely spoke about it.
"My body suddenly became cold."
"I heard strange whispers."
"I wanted to walk outside."
"I couldn’t explain why."
She slowly looked back at everyone.
"When Sister-in-law described walking toward the lake without controlling her own body..."
"...I remembered that same feeling."
The Empress gently reached out and held Princess Zhi’s hand.
Neither spoke.
The simple gesture was enough.
Prince Liang finally broke the silence.
"I investigated Shin Gu months ago."
Everyone turned toward him.
"I searched her family records."
"Her teachers."
"Her servants."
"Her travels."
"I questioned people who knew her."
The Emperor nodded.
"I ordered the Shadow Guards to investigate as well."
Prince Liang sighed.
"And what did they find?"
The Emperor answered calmly.
"Nothing."
"Not a single suspicious record."
Lady Chen frowned.
"How can that be?"
Prince Liang leaned forward.
"That is exactly what troubles me."
"A normal person always leaves traces."
"They quarrel."
"They make mistakes."
"They owe favors."
"They have enemies."
"But Shin Gu..."
He paused.
"It is as if someone erased half of her life."
The room fell silent again.
The Dowager Empress looked toward the Emperor.
"You found nothing."
Prince Liang found nothing.
"And yet..."
"...the palace continues to suffer."
She began counting slowly.
"The crying voices heard in empty corridors."
"The strange accidents."
"Princess Zhi’s tragedy."
"The Empress nearly drowning."
"The attack outside the palace."
She looked around the room.
"How many coincidences are we expected to believe?"
The Emperor did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the Empress.
"You have been unusually quiet."
Lian An met his gaze.
"I don’t want to accuse someone without proof."
Her voice remained calm.
"But..."
She remembered the icy feeling pulling her toward the lake.
She remembered waking after days between life and death.
She remembered the invisible force that had taken control of her body.
"...someone wanted me dead."
No one argued.
Because everyone in the room believed that much.
Lady Chen looked down.
"If..."
She hesitated.
"If Shin Gu truly did these things..."
"...then I never really knew my own friend."
There was sadness in her voice.
The Dowager Empress softened slightly.
"That is why we must be careful."
She stood.
"No accusations."
"No confrontation."
"No careless words."
Prince Liang nodded.
"If she is guilty, confronting her now will only make her disappear."
"Or destroy whatever evidence remains."
The Emperor agreed.
"She will become cautious."
"Then we learn nothing."
The Dowager Empress’s eyes sharpened.
"Exactly."
She looked at Lady Chen.
"You will continue treating her exactly as before."
Lady Chen looked surprised.
"You still want me to meet her?"
"Yes."
"But never alone."
The Dowager Empress turned toward Prince Liang.
"I want discreet protection."
Prince Liang nodded.
"It will be arranged."
Then she looked at everyone.
"Smile."
"Talk normally."
"Invite no suspicion."
"Let her believe we trust her completely."
The Emperor understood immediately.
"You want her to lower her guard."
The Dowager Empress smiled faintly.
"A hunter does not frighten prey before setting the trap."
The room became quiet once more.
Outside, the palace gardens looked peaceful.
Servants carried tea.
Musicians practiced for the upcoming celebrations.
Everything appeared ordinary.
Yet inside that chamber, every person understood the truth.
From this day onward...
Every smile shown to Shin Gu...
Every polite greeting...
Every shared cup of tea...
Would hide silent observation.
The game had changed.
And somewhere else in the palace, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place...
Shin Gu smiled to herself.
Believing everyone still trusted her.
She did not realize...
That for the first time—
The palace had begun watching her just as closely as she had been watching everyone else.
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