Chapter 434: The Last Rites of Princess Shin Gu

The palace did not sleep that night.

The news had spread through the inner palace before dawn.

Princess Shin Gu was dead.

But because Shin Gu was not merely a palace attendant or an ordinary noblewoman, her death carried consequences far beyond the palace walls.

She was a royal princess, born into an influential royal family.

Her family was not in the capital.

They had been staying in their own fiefdom, far from the imperial palace, and the messenger sent from the capital had not yet reached them.

Therefore, the Emperor could not simply allow the matter to disappear into the night.

A royal princess had died.

And the circumstances surrounding her death were still unclear.

The Emperor had ordered that her body be treated with the dignity appropriate to her rank.

A formal message had already been prepared.

A fast horse would carry the news to her family.

The letter was sealed with the imperial seal.

It contained only the essential truth:

Princess Shin Gu had died within the capital.

Her family was being summoned.

The Emperor did not yet reveal everything they had discovered about her connection to the dark rituals.

That information remained part of the investigation.

---

The Morning After

The eastern sky had barely begun to brighten when the palace gates opened.

A group of imperial guards entered the courtyard.

Behind them came servants carrying ceremonial items.

White cloth.

Funeral lanterns.

Incense.

Wood for the funeral rites.

The atmosphere was unusually solemn.

No one laughed.

No one whispered unnecessarily.

Even the palace servants who normally hurried through the corridors slowed their footsteps.

Shin Gu’s body had been prepared according to royal funeral customs.

Her face had been carefully covered.

Her clothing had been changed into formal garments suitable for a princess.

A small jade ornament belonging to her family had been placed beside her.

It was one of the few personal belongings recovered from her chambers.

The Emperor had ordered that nothing belonging to her family be removed.

Whatever Shin Gu had done in the past—

She was still a princess of royal blood.

And until her family arrived, the palace had the responsibility of completing the immediate rites respectfully.

---

The Empress stood quietly in the courtyard.

Beside her stood the Emperor.

Prince Liang was also present.

The Empress Dowager had come.

Princess Zhi stood a short distance away, her expression complicated.

General Wei and several senior officials stood behind the Emperor.

Nobody spoke for several moments.

The funeral drums began.

Boom.

One deep sound.

Then another.

Boom.

The sound traveled through the courtyard.

Lian An lowered her eyes.

She had once feared Shin Gu.

She had once wondered whether Shin Gu was responsible for the darkness surrounding her.

She had seen strange things happen because of the forbidden magic.

She had suffered because someone had deliberately made her appear guilty.

And yet, looking at Shin Gu’s covered body now, Lian An felt no satisfaction.

Only sadness.

Because death had taken away the possibility of answers.

She quietly whispered,

"She should have had the chance to speak."

The Emperor heard her.

His gaze moved toward her.

"That is why we will continue the investigation."

Lian An nodded.

"But her family..."

"They have been informed."

"Have they arrived?"

"No."

The Emperor’s voice remained calm.

"The messenger left before dawn. They are still far from the capital."

Lian An looked toward the palace gates.

"They must be devastated."

The Emperor did not answer immediately.

Then he said,

"They will be given every opportunity to perform the rites themselves when they arrive."

---

The Royal Funeral Rites

The ceremonial officials stepped forward.

One of them bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, the preparations are complete."

The Emperor nodded.

"Begin."

The drums sounded again.

The priests and ceremonial officials began the traditional rites.

The courtyard filled with the scent of incense.

White cloth fluttered from the surrounding pillars.

The imperial guards stood in two orderly rows.

No one moved unnecessarily.

The Empress watched quietly.

Then she noticed something.

At the edge of the courtyard stood several palace servants who had known Shin Gu personally.

One elderly maid was crying.

Another servant kept wiping his eyes.

Lian An looked at them.

Even someone who had done terrible things could have people who remembered her differently.

Perhaps Shin Gu had once been kind to someone.

Perhaps she had once laughed.

Perhaps she had once dreamed of something completely different.

People were rarely only one thing.

Lian An lowered her eyes.

---

The Message to Her Family

Meanwhile, outside the palace—

The imperial messenger rode without stopping.

The sealed letter was protected inside a waterproof case.

Two additional riders accompanied him.

The Emperor had given strict instructions.

The message must reach Shin Gu’s family as quickly as possible.

Her family needed to know that their daughter was dead.

But they also needed to know that the palace had not abandoned her body or treated her death casually.

She was a royal princess.

Her family deserved to see her one final time.

The messenger pushed his horse forward.

The road ahead was long.

He did not know what awaited him when he arrived.

He only knew one thing.

The news would break a family.

---

Back at the Palace

The funeral rites continued.

The Emperor stood throughout the ceremony.

The Empress remained beside him.

The Empress Dowager sat quietly.

Princess Zhi lowered her head.

Even Lady Chen, who had been questioned several times regarding the recent incidents, remained silent.

Then—

A servant approached the Emperor.

"Your Majesty."

The Emperor turned.

"What is it?"

"The carriage for Princess Shin Gu’s final procession is ready."

The Emperor nodded.

"Proceed."

The ceremonial officials bowed.

The funeral procession began moving slowly.

The guards led the way.

Then came the ceremonial attendants.

Then the coffin.

Behind it walked the imperial officials.

The Emperor followed.

The Empress followed beside him.

The entire palace seemed to hold its breath.

---

The Cremation

The funeral procession eventually reached the designated royal cremation grounds.

The area had been prepared before sunrise.

Large ceremonial lamps surrounded the platform.

White cloth hung from wooden poles.

The imperial guards formed a protective perimeter.

The Emperor stood silently as the final preparations were made.

Lian An remained beside him.

She looked toward the covered coffin.

For a moment, she remembered the past.

The accusations.

The fear.

The night she had been blamed.

The whispers that she was cursed.

The people who believed she had brought dark magic into the palace.

She had survived.

But Shin Gu had not.

And there was something deeply unsettling about that.

The truth had begun to emerge only after the person who could have explained it had died.

The ceremonial official bowed.

"Your Majesty."

The Emperor nodded.

The final rite began.

The flames were lit.

They slowly spread.

The white cloth moved in the wind.

No one spoke.

Lian An’s eyes remained fixed on the flames.

She did not celebrate.

She did not smile.

She simply stood there.

The Emperor glanced toward her.

"You don’t have to watch."

"I want to."

"Why?"

She was silent for a moment.

Then she answered,

"Because regardless of what she did, she was someone’s daughter."

The Emperor’s expression softened.

"You’re right."

Lian An looked at the flames.

"And her family hasn’t even arrived."

Her voice became quieter.

"They won’t even get to say goodbye."

The Emperor looked toward the distant road.

"They will come."

"And when they do, I will allow them to perform whatever additional rites they wish."

Lian An nodded.

---

The Palace Learns the Truth

By afternoon, the news had spread beyond the palace.

Princess Shin Gu was dead.

At first, people whispered that she had been punished.

Others claimed she had died because of the forbidden magic.

Some said she had been murdered.

Others claimed she had taken her own life.

The palace immediately issued an official statement.

Princess Shin Gu had died in the capital.

Her royal family had been notified.

The imperial court was conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Nothing more was officially announced.

But rumors were impossible to stop.

Soon the nobles began talking.

"Why did the Emperor order such a large funeral?"

"Why was the princess’s family summoned?"

"Was she really connected to the dark magic?"

"What happened to her?"

"Why did she die before questioning?"

Every question created another.

---

Inside the Investigation Hall

That evening, the Emperor summoned Prince Liang and General Wei.

The Empress was also present.

On the table lay the objects recovered from Shin Gu’s hidden chamber.

The black altar.

Several pieces of cloth.

Strange symbols.

And the forbidden book.

The Emperor stared at them.

"Her cremation is complete."

Prince Liang nodded.

"Yes."

"And her family?"

"The messenger has not returned."

"Good."

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

"Until they arrive, nothing concerning her family is to be discussed publicly."

General Wei bowed.

"Understood."

Prince Liang looked toward the book.

"Your Majesty, there is another problem."

"What?"

"The investigation into Shin Gu’s death."

The Emperor looked at him.

Liang continued,

"If the royal family asks whether she was killed because of the dark magic, we cannot give them an answer."

"We don’t have proof."

The Emperor nodded.

"Then we tell them exactly that."

The Empress looked at the book.

"We still don’t know who created this."

"No," said Prince Liang.

"And that person may still be inside the kingdom."

The room became silent.

The Emperor looked at General Wei.

"Double the guards around the Empress."

General Wei bowed.

"Yes."

"Do not let anyone enter her private courtyard without authorization."

"Understood."

"And continue searching the abandoned buildings."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

---

The Empress’s Question

After the others left, Lian An remained with the Emperor.

She looked at him.

"Do you think Shin Gu was killed?"

The Emperor did not immediately answer.

"I think her death happened before we could question her."

"That’s not what I asked."

He looked at her.

"I don’t know."

Lian An nodded.

"At least you’re honest."

The Emperor smiled faintly.

"I won’t give you an answer simply because you want one."

She looked at the black book.

"Then what do you think?"

"I think Shin Gu knew more than she told us."

"And someone may have wanted that knowledge buried."

Lian An’s expression became serious.

"Then her death wasn’t the end."

"No."

The Emperor’s gaze hardened.

"It may be the beginning of the next part of the investigation."

---

That Night

The palace became quiet again.

But the quiet was different.

Shin Gu’s funeral had ended.

Her body had been cremated according to the immediate royal rites.

Her family had been informed.

Yet they had not arrived.

Her ashes were temporarily placed under imperial protection until her relatives could claim them and perform the family rites.

Lian An stood alone on her balcony.

The moon hung above the palace roofs.

Fen Yu appeared beside her.

For once, the usually playful ghost said nothing.

Wei Rong stood nearby with his arms crossed.

Li Shen held his ghostly pen.

Lian An looked at them.

"You’re all unusually quiet."

Fen Yu sighed.

"Even ghosts know when to be serious."

Wei Rong nodded.

"Her death doesn’t feel right."

Li Shen looked toward the darkness.

"Because the story ended before the truth did."

Lian An turned toward him.

"What do you mean?"

Li Shen’s eyes narrowed.

"Someone wanted Shin Gu’s secrets to die with her."

Fen Yu shivered.

"And if that’s true..."

Wei Rong finished her sentence.

"Then whoever did it is still alive."

Lian An looked toward the palace.

The same palace where she had once been accused.

The same palace where dark magic had almost destroyed her life.

The same palace where someone had been secretly manipulating events.

She slowly clenched her hands.

"Then we find them."

The three ghosts looked at her.

Li Shen smiled faintly.

"That’s the Empress I know."

Fen Yu nodded.

"We’ll help."

Wei Rong reached for his invisible sword.

"And this time, whoever is hiding won’t escape."

Lian An looked up at the moon.

The funeral had ended.

But the mystery had not.

Somewhere beyond the palace walls, a royal family was still riding toward the capital—

Unaware that their daughter was gone.

And somewhere in the shadows—

The person who had benefited from Shin Gu’s silence was waiting.

The palace had buried one secret that day.

But the deeper secret—

Was still alive.