Chapter 419: The Man Who Finally Saw the Darkness

The night had settled over the imperial palace.

Moonlight spilled across the tiled roofs, silver and cold.

Most of the palace had already fallen silent.

Yet in one chamber, Prince Liang remained awake.

He sat beside the window, staring into the darkness beyond the palace walls.

His expression was troubled.

For several days, he had been unable to shake one thought from his mind.

Shin Gu.

Everyone was talking about her.

Or rather—

Everyone was beginning to suspect her.

The strange incidents.

The sleepwalking.

The inexplicable disturbances.

The black altar.

The strange feeling that something unseen was moving through the palace.

At first, even Prince Liang had suspected her.

He would be lying if he said otherwise.

When the first incidents happened, Shin Gu’s name had naturally appeared in people’s minds.

She had knowledge of rituals.

She understood strange scriptures.

She often spent long hours alone.

And there had always been something about her that Prince Liang could never completely understand.

But suspicion was not proof.

And when the investigation began—

Nothing was found.

No forbidden objects.

No obvious ritual materials.

No witnesses.

No written instructions.

No evidence connecting Shin Gu directly to the incidents.

The investigators searched places connected to her.

They questioned servants.

They inspected courtyards.

They even examined some of the places where people claimed to have heard strange chanting.

Still—

Nothing.

Meanwhile, something had been discovered in the Empress’s courtyard.

A black altar.

That discovery had changed everything.

The court immediately became suspicious.

Some officials quietly began asking whether the Empress herself was involved.

The rumors spread faster than anyone could stop them.

Prince Liang had heard them.

His mother had heard them.

The Dowager had heard them.

Even the Emperor had been forced to confront them.

Lady Chen had heard them.

Princess Zhi had heard them.

And despite everything—

Prince Liang had begun to doubt his own judgment.

Perhaps Shin Gu truly was innocent.

Perhaps everyone had simply chosen her because she was strange.

Perhaps the Empress was hiding something.

He had even found himself thinking that the Empress might need to be punished if the black altar truly belonged to her.

The thought made him uncomfortable.

But he had tried to be rational.

If evidence pointed toward the Empress, then her position could not protect her.

That was what he believed.

Until tonight.

Prince Liang closed his eyes.

He remembered the Empress’s words.

She had insisted that she had seen a black altar in Shin Gu’s courtyard.

Yet when the investigators searched Shin Gu’s residence—

They had found nothing.

And when they searched the Empress’s courtyard—

They found the altar.

It had been devastating.

Prince Liang opened his eyes.

Something still bothered him.

A detail.

A small detail everyone seemed to have ignored.

The altar had appeared too conveniently.

He frowned.

"If she really was behind everything..."

He murmured to himself.

"Why would she leave the evidence in her own chamber?"

It made no sense.

Unless—

Someone wanted it found.

His eyes narrowed.

At that moment, a thought struck him.

He stood abruptly.

"No."

He shook his head.

"I’m thinking too much."

He walked away from the window.

But the thought refused to disappear.

The Empress had no reason to create an altar in her own chamber.

And according to her own statement—

She had seen one somewhere else.

In Shin Gu’s courtyard.

Prince Liang stopped.

His breathing became slower.

"What if..."

He didn’t finish the sentence.

He couldn’t.

Because accepting the possibility meant admitting something much worse.

The investigation had been manipulated.

Someone had wanted the palace to discover the altar in the Empress’s chamber.

Someone wanted suspicion directed toward her.

Someone had been careful enough to leave no evidence elsewhere.

And Shin Gu—

Was still free.

Prince Liang stared at the door.

He suddenly felt uneasy.

"I need to see her."

Not tomorrow.

Not after another investigation.

Tonight.

He put on his outer robe and left his chamber.

---

Shin Gu’s Courtyard

The farther Prince Liang walked, the quieter the palace became.

The imperial palace at night was completely different from the palace during the day.

During daylight, there were officials everywhere.

Servants carrying trays.

Guards changing shifts.

Court ladies walking through corridors.

Eunuchs delivering messages.

At night—

The same palace became enormous.

Empty.

Almost eerie.

Prince Liang walked with only one attendant at first.

But as he approached Shin Gu’s residence, he stopped.

"Wait here."

The attendant looked surprised.

"Your Highness?"

"I said wait."

"Yes."

Prince Liang continued alone.

He didn’t announce himself.

He didn’t send a servant ahead.

He didn’t want Shin Gu to know he was coming.

The courtyard entrance appeared quiet.

A single lantern burned beside the gate.

Prince Liang frowned.

Where was everyone?

Shin Gu usually had at least one servant nearby.

Tonight—

Nothing.

He stepped through the gate.

The moment he entered—

He felt it.

Cold.

Not ordinary night air.

Something colder.

It seemed to crawl across his skin.

Prince Liang stopped.

His heart began beating faster.

He looked around.

The courtyard appeared normal.

Plants.

Stone path.

A small pond.

Several trees.

Nothing unusual.

Yet the air felt wrong.

He slowly moved forward.

Then—

He heard something.

A sound.

Very faint.

A voice.

Chanting.

Prince Liang froze.

His eyes widened.

He recognized the sound.

It wasn’t the Buddhist sutra he had heard Shin Gu recite before.

This was different.

The rhythm was slower.

Lower.

The words were unfamiliar.

And there was something disturbing about the cadence.

He moved toward the sound.

Every step made his unease grow.

The chanting became clearer.

Then—

He saw light coming from inside one of the rooms.

Prince Liang stopped outside the door.

The chanting continued.

He reached toward the door.

Paused.

Then pushed it open.

---

The Ritual

Prince Liang’s blood ran cold.

Shin Gu was inside.

She was sitting before a small black altar.

Her hair—

Was completely loose.

It fell down her back like a dark curtain.

Several candles surrounded her.

Their flames were strangely low.

A bowl sat before the altar.

Dark smoke curled upward from it.

Shin Gu’s eyes were closed.

Her hands were folded.

And she was chanting.

Prince Liang didn’t understand a single word.

But he knew—

This was not a Buddhist prayer.

He had heard enough Buddhist sutras throughout his life to recognize them.

This was something else.

Something darker.

His body became rigid.

For several seconds, he simply stood there.

Unable to move.

Unable to speak.

Everything he had been trying to convince himself of collapsed at once.

The rumors.

The suspicions.

The failed investigation.

The black altar in the Empress’s chamber.

The Empress’s warning.

Everything suddenly connected.

His heart sank.

Everyone had been right.

Shin Gu was involved.

She really was behind it.

Prince Liang’s hand slowly curled into a fist.

He wanted to rush inside.

He wanted to shout.

He wanted to call the guards.

But then—

He stopped.

His mind began working rapidly.

If he confronted her now—

What would happen?

Shin Gu would deny everything.

She would destroy the ritual.

She would hide whatever evidence remained.

And if she was truly as dangerous as everyone believed—

She might even manipulate the situation again.

Prince Liang remained in the doorway.

Watching.

Shin Gu continued chanting.

Her voice was calm.

Almost peaceful.

That frightened him more than anything.

How could someone perform something so dark with such serenity?

Prince Liang looked around the room.

There were objects arranged around the altar.

Black candles.

Small bowls.

Bundles of dried herbs.

Pieces of paper covered in unfamiliar symbols.

And—

A small wooden box.

His eyes narrowed.

He recognized the craftsmanship.

Palace-made.

Not something easily purchased in an ordinary market.

His suspicion became certainty.

This wasn’t some harmless private ritual.

Something serious was happening.

He slowly stepped backward.

The door remained partially open.

Shin Gu hadn’t noticed him.

Prince Liang left the room silently.

He walked several steps away before allowing himself to breathe.

His heart was pounding.

He pressed one hand against his chest.

"She really..."

He couldn’t finish.

He looked back toward the room.

For the first time—

He was genuinely afraid of Shin Gu.

Not because of her position.

Not because of rumors.

But because he had seen the truth with his own eyes.

---

A Dangerous Decision

Prince Liang returned to his chamber.

His attendant immediately approached.

"Your Highness?"

Prince Liang raised a hand.

"Don’t ask."

The attendant became silent.

Prince Liang entered his room.

He closed the door.

Then locked it.

He paced.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

His mind raced.

He needed proof.

Not suspicion.

Not rumors.

Not a statement from himself.

Proof.

Something undeniable.

If he simply told the Emperor what he had seen, Shin Gu might claim Prince Liang misunderstood the ritual.

She could say the symbols were harmless.

She could say the chanting was a private spiritual practice.

She could accuse him of spying.

And if the ritual had already been destroyed by the time the guards arrived—

There would be nothing.

Prince Liang stopped pacing.

He looked toward the candle.

An idea came.

He smiled faintly.

Not because the situation was amusing.

Because he finally understood what he needed to do.

"I won’t confront her."

He whispered.

"I’ll catch her."

---