Three days passed quickly.
The Imperial Palace appeared peaceful on the surface.
Behind closed doors, however, preparations had been underway since dawn.
The Emperor had ordered everything to be arranged as an ordinary northern inspection. No royal banners would accompany them. No grand procession would announce their departure. Even the number of guards had been reduced so that their journey would not attract unnecessary attention.
Only a handful of people knew the real purpose of the journey.
The Emperor.
The Empress Lian An.
The Dowager Empress.
Prince Liang.
Princess Zhi.
Lady Chen.
And General Wei Rong.
The three ghosts—Fen Yu, Wei Rong, and Li Shen—were also secretly accompanying them.
Although nobody could see the ghosts except Lian An, their presence somehow made the Empress feel less alone.
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The Departure
Before sunrise, a large but ordinary-looking carriage waited behind the eastern palace gate.
It was deliberately plain.
