Chapter 361: The Suggestion No One Had Considered
The Imperial Palace had returned to its usual rhythm.
Officials hurried through the corridors carrying memorials.
Servants bowed as they passed.
Guards stood motionless beneath the palace gates.
Yet beneath that orderly surface—
An invisible tension lingered.
The kingdom still had no answers.
---
After dismissing the morning court, the Emperor stood outside the entrance to Phoenix Palace.
His footsteps stopped.
For the first time in years—
He hesitated before entering his wife’s courtyard.
Ever since the night she nearly died...
Everything between them had changed.
She no longer looked at him with resentment.
But neither did she look at him with complete trust.
There was now...
A careful distance.
The Emperor quietly exhaled.
I hope... she won’t ask for a divorce again.
That single sentence she had spoken weeks ago still echoed in his heart.
He wasn’t ready to hear it again.
Not after realizing how much she meant to him.
The palace maid noticed him and bowed.
"Your Majesty."
He nodded.
"Is the Empress inside?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"She has been reading and writing since morning."
The Emperor smiled faintly.
"Don’t announce me."
"As you command."
---
Inside the courtyard...
The Empress sat beneath a flowering tree.
A gentle breeze stirred the pages of the notebook before her.
Brush in hand, she carefully wrote line after line.
Sometimes she paused.
Sometimes she crossed out an idea.
Then continued writing again.
Three invisible ghosts floated nearby.
The female ghost peeked over her shoulder.
"What are you writing?"
"A recipe?"
The scholar ghost shook his head.
"No... she’s organizing information."
The general ghost folded his arms.
"Humans really like writing."
The Empress ignored all three of them.
She had grown used to their constant chatter.
Footsteps echoed softly across the stone path.
She looked up.
The Emperor.
For a brief second...
She seemed surprised.
Then she calmly closed the notebook.
Standing gracefully, she bowed.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Emperor stepped forward.
"No need for formalities."
She smiled politely.
"As you wish."
Silence followed.
An awkward silence.
Neither knew how to begin.
The Emperor suddenly realized—
He had come simply because...
He wanted to see her.
He had no official reason.
No political discussion.
No imperial decree.
He simply...
Missed her.
The realization made him feel strangely embarrassed.
The Empress noticed his silence.
She gestured toward the seat opposite hers.
"Please sit."
"Thank you."
Tea was served.
The servants quietly withdrew, leaving the courtyard peaceful once again.
The Emperor looked around.
"This courtyard feels different."
The Empress smiled softly.
"It finally feels like home."
He nodded.
"I can see that."
Again...
Silence.
The ghosts floated nearby.
The female ghost whispered dramatically,
"They’re worse than newlyweds."
The general ghost sighed.
"Someone say something."
The scholar ghost covered his face.
"This is painful."
Fortunately...
Neither human could hear them.
Finally, the Empress broke the silence.
"How is the investigation?"
The Emperor looked at her.
She continued,
"Did you discover who is behind the strange incidents?"
His expression became serious.
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Nothing."
"We searched villages."
"Temples."
"Forests."
"Abandoned houses."
"We questioned witnesses."
"We investigated every report."
He looked down at his teacup.
"We found no evidence."
"No rituals."
"No practitioners."
"No clues."
The Empress frowned thoughtfully.
"So..."
"They disappeared without leaving anything behind?"
"Exactly."
The Emperor sighed.
"It feels like chasing shadows."
The Empress tapped her finger lightly against the table.
Thinking.
The Emperor quietly watched her.
Whenever she thought deeply...
She unconsciously traced circles on the table.
He had only recently begun noticing such small habits.
After several moments...
She suddenly looked up.
"Your Majesty."
"Yes?"
"You’ve searched outside the capital."
"Yes."
"You’ve searched villages."
"Yes."
"You’ve searched remote areas."
"Yes."
She tilted her head slightly.
"...Then why not investigate inside the capital?"
The Emperor blinked.
"The capital?"
She nodded.
"And the palace."
He stared at her.
She continued calmly.
"If I wanted everyone to believe the danger came from outside..."
"I would make sure everyone searched outside."
"The safest hiding place..."
She paused.
"...is often the place no one suspects."
The Emperor’s eyes slowly widened.
She continued,
"What about noble residences?"
"The wealthy merchant districts?"
"Old mansions?"
"Unused warehouses?"
"The abandoned quarters within the capital?"
"And..."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"...the palace itself."
The courtyard fell completely silent.
The Emperor felt as if something had suddenly clicked into place.
His breathing slowed.
He replayed every investigation.
Every order.
Every report.
All of them...
Had focused outward.
Beyond the capital.
Beyond the palace.
Not once...
Had they thoroughly investigated those closest to them.
He slowly stood.
A look of realization spread across his face.
"...You’re right."
The Empress looked at him.
"If the enemy wants us to look away..."
"They’ll hide where we’re looking the least."
The Emperor nodded.
"A palace investigation..."
"...conducted secretly."
"And inspections within the capital."
He looked at her with admiration.
"I should have thought of this."
The female ghost crossed her arms proudly.
"Our girl is smart."
The scholar ghost smiled.
"Very smart."
The general ghost laughed.
"The Emperor finally caught up."
The Emperor took a step closer.
"Thank you."
The Empress smiled gently.
"I only offered an idea."
"It may lead nowhere."
He shook his head.
"No."
"Even if it doesn’t..."
"It’s the first new direction we’ve had in weeks."
Hope...
For the first time in many days...
Returned to his eyes.
He looked at the notebook resting on the table.
"What were you writing?"
The Empress smiled mysteriously and closed it with one hand.
"A secret."
The Emperor laughed softly.
"I suppose I’ll have to wait."
She met his gaze.
"Some things are worth waiting for."
For a brief moment...
Neither spoke.
The distance between them still existed.
But unlike before—
It no longer felt impossible to cross.
Night settled over the Imperial Palace.
The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the towering palace walls, leaving only rows of crimson lanterns illuminating the stone pathways.
Unlike the peaceful appearance of the palace—
The atmosphere inside the Emperor’s study was tense.
A single imperial decree lay open on the desk.
The Emperor remained standing before the large map of the capital.
His eyes rested on the palace grounds.
For the first time...
He wasn’t looking beyond the borders of the empire.
He was looking inward.
A knock echoed through the study.
"Enter."
The heavy wooden doors opened.
Prince Liang stepped inside, dressed in a simple dark blue robe instead of his usual ceremonial attire.
Seeing the Emperor still awake, he bowed.
"You summoned me, Brother?"
The Emperor nodded.
"Close the doors."
Prince Liang immediately understood.
This was no ordinary discussion.
After the guards secured the room, silence filled the study.
The Emperor gestured toward the chair opposite him.
"Sit."
Prince Liang sat, noticing several new maps spread across the table.
Not maps of provinces.
Not military routes.
Instead...
The Imperial Capital.
The palace.
Every noble district.
Every marketplace.
Every temple.
Every abandoned residence.
His brows slowly knitted together.
"What is this?"
The Emperor poured tea for both of them.
"I visited the Empress today."
Prince Liang smiled faintly.
"I heard."
"The servants said Your Majesty spent quite some time at Phoenix Palace."
The Emperor ignored the teasing.
"She gave me an idea."
Prince Liang became serious.
"What kind of idea?"
The Emperor slowly pointed toward the capital map.
"We’ve searched everywhere..."
"The forests."
"The villages."
"The mountains."
"The abandoned temples."
"The borders."
"We found nothing."
Prince Liang nodded.
"Nothing at all."
The Emperor looked directly into his brother’s eyes.
"So..."
"What if we’ve been searching in the wrong direction?"
Prince Liang remained silent.
The Emperor continued,
"The Empress asked me a simple question."
He paused.
"’Why not investigate the palace and the capital?’"
Prince Liang blinked.
For several moments...
He said nothing.
Then he slowly stood.
His eyes returned to the map.
"The palace..."
"The capital..."
He whispered the words repeatedly.
His expression gradually changed.
Realization.
Then excitement.
Finally—
Hope.
He looked at the Emperor.
"Brother..."
"This..."
He let out a quiet laugh.
"...is actually brilliant."
The Emperor nodded slowly.
"I thought the same."
Prince Liang walked around the table.
"If someone wanted us distracted..."
"They would make us chase ghosts outside the capital."
The Emperor finished his thought.
"While hiding inside."
Prince Liang smiled.
"We’ve spent months looking outward."
"Not once..."
"...did we truly investigate the people closest to us."
The Emperor folded his arms.
"The palace contains thousands."
"Servants."
"Eunuchs."
"Maids."
"Officials."
"Concubines."
"Guards."
"Artisans."
Prince Liang added,
"And the capital has hundreds of noble residences."
"Wealthy merchants."
"Private academies."
"Old abandoned estates."
The Emperor nodded.
"If dark magic exists..."
"It doesn’t need to hide in the wilderness."
"It could be hidden behind wealth."
"Behind status."
"Behind influence."
Prince Liang’s smile disappeared.
"Which makes this investigation dangerous."
The Emperor agreed.
"If word spreads..."
"The guilty will erase every trace."
Prince Liang understood immediately.
"So..."
"We investigate quietly."
The Emperor nodded.
"No public announcements."
"No mass inspections."
"No arrests without evidence."
Prince Liang walked toward the palace map.
His finger slowly traced different sections.
"The old eastern palace..."
"Hardly anyone lives there."
"The abandoned storage compounds."
"The unused ancestral halls."
He continued.
"The homes of nobles who rarely appear in court."
"The warehouses near the western market."
"The underground tunnels beneath the capital."
The Emperor looked impressed.
"You’ve already begun planning."
Prince Liang smiled.
"I’ve learned from you."
The Emperor shook his head.
"No."
"This time..."
"We’re learning from her."
Both brothers smiled faintly.
For the first time in weeks...
There was genuine optimism in the room.
Prince Liang suddenly became thoughtful.
"There is one more thing."
The Emperor looked at him.
"The attack on the Empress."
"It happened outside the palace."
"But..."
"The attackers knew exactly where she’d be."
The Emperor’s expression hardened.
"Someone leaked information."
"Or someone observed her movements."
Prince Liang nodded.
"Which means..."
"The capital itself is already compromised."
The Emperor slowly rolled up the map.
"Exactly."
He picked up an imperial seal.
"I’ll authorize only five people."
"You."
"My shadow commander."
"The commander of the Imperial Guards."
"The Minister of Justice."
"And myself."
"No one else."
Prince Liang accepted the sealed order.
"I understand."
"We’ll investigate in complete secrecy."
The Emperor looked out the window.
The palace looked peaceful beneath the moonlight.
Yet now...
Every corridor.
Every courtyard.
Every noble mansion.
Every smiling face...
Had become a possible suspect.
Somewhere—
Hidden among them—
Was the person pulling the strings.
And this time...
Instead of chasing shadows beyond the kingdom...
The Emperor and Prince Liang would begin searching...
Inside their own home.
Far away...
In a quiet palace courtyard...
A single black candle suddenly flickered.
Someone slowly opened their eyes.
As if sensing...
The search had changed direction.
A cold smile appeared in the darkness.
"The Emperor..."
"...has finally begun looking the right way."
The smile widened.
"But..."
"Will he discover the truth..."
"...before it’s too late?"
The candle went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
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