Free Web NovelChapter 333: The Courtyard of Too Much Silence
The conversation in the Dowager Empress’s hall had ended.
Yet the words refused to leave her mind.
"Whenever Shin Gu disappears, something happens..."
Lady Chen’s observation echoed repeatedly in her thoughts.
The Dowager Empress sat alone in her chamber.
A cup of tea rested untouched beside her.
Normally she would have dismissed such suspicions immediately.
But tonight felt different.
For the first time—
She found herself remembering details she had ignored before.
The lake incident.
The strange events surrounding the Empress.
Princess Zhi’s tragedy.
The recent attack.
And always—
Shin Gu seemed absent.
The Dowager Empress closed her eyes.
"No..."
She whispered.
"Perhaps I am overthinking."
Yet even as she said it—
She did not believe her own words.
A strange unease had settled in her heart.
Finally she stood.
The maid nearby immediately bowed.
"Your Majesty?"
The Dowager Empress shook her head.
"Do not announce me."
The maid looked surprised.
"Your Majesty?"
"I wish to take a walk."
The maid did not dare question further.
Soon the Dowager Empress left her palace quietly.
No attendants.
No grand procession.
Only one trusted maid following several steps behind.
The night air was cool.
Moonlight illuminated the palace pathways.
The entire palace seemed peaceful.
But the Dowager Empress felt no peace.
Her feet moved almost unconsciously.
Until—
She found herself standing before a familiar courtyard.
Shin Gu’s courtyard.
The entrance looked exactly as it always had.
Simple.
Elegant.
Peaceful.
A place dedicated to cultivation and prayer.
The guards bowed respectfully.
Neither seemed surprised to see her.
The Dowager Empress frowned slightly.
Perhaps she was imagining things.
She stepped inside.
The courtyard was quiet.
Very quiet.
Almost unnaturally so.
The lanterns burned softly.
The small garden looked perfectly maintained.
A gentle breeze moved through the trees.
Everything appeared normal.
And yet—
Something felt wrong.
The Dowager Empress slowly walked deeper into the courtyard.
No servants.
No disciples.
No attendants.
Nobody.
Only silence.
Then—
She heard something.
A faint voice.
Very faint.
As though someone had been speaking.
The Dowager Empress immediately stopped.
Her eyes narrowed.
The voice seemed to come from deeper inside the residence.
She took another step.
Then another.
Her instincts told her to continue.
To see who was there.
To find the source.
But before she could reach the corridor—
A familiar voice suddenly spoke behind her.
"Your Majesty."
The Dowager Empress froze.
Her heart skipped slightly.
She turned.
And there—
Standing several steps away—
Was Shin Gu.
Smiling calmly.
As though she had been waiting.
The Dowager Empress stared.
For a brief moment—
Neither spoke.
Then Shin Gu bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty honors this humble courtyard."
Her expression remained serene.
Perfectly composed.
Perfectly polite.
Too perfect.
The Dowager Empress looked at her carefully.
"When did you arrive?"
Shin Gu smiled softly.
"I was taking a walk."
"A walk?"
"Yes."
"I enjoy peaceful nights."
Shin Gu’s voice remained gentle.
"While walking, I happened to see Your Majesty entering."
"So I came to welcome you."
The explanation sounded reasonable.
Completely reasonable.
And yet—
The Dowager Empress felt a chill.
Because she was certain.
Absolutely certain.
No one had been outside.
No one could have seen her enter.
The path she took had been hidden by trees.
The courtyard had been empty.
So how?
How had Shin Gu known?
The Dowager Empress’s gaze sharpened.
But Shin Gu simply smiled.
Calm.
Patient.
Unbothered.
As if nothing unusual had happened.
"Would Your Majesty like tea?"
Shin Gu asked politely.
The Dowager Empress stared at her.
Something felt wrong.
Not enough for an accusation.
Not enough for certainty.
But enough to make her uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
The faint voice she heard earlier—
Had vanished.
The empty courtyard felt even stranger now.
And the timing—
Too perfect.
Far too perfect.
For the first time—
The Dowager Empress found herself wondering if she was standing before someone she truly did not know.
Shin Gu continued smiling.
Waiting.
Watching.
The Dowager Empress suddenly felt she had made a mistake coming here alone.
A feeling she had never experienced before.
She forced a calm expression onto her face.
"No."
She spoke lightly.
"I was merely walking."
"I happened to pass by."
Shin Gu nodded.
"I understand."
The Dowager Empress offered a faint smile.
Then she turned.
"I shall return."
"As Your Majesty wishes."
Shin Gu bowed again.
Perfectly respectful.
Perfectly composed.
The Dowager Empress walked away.
Slowly.
Maintaining dignity.
But inside—
Her thoughts were racing.
The moment she exited the courtyard—
She stopped.
Not visibly.
Only for a heartbeat.
And looked back.
The entrance remained silent.
Still.
Peaceful.
Yet now—
It no longer felt peaceful to her.
It felt like a mask.
Back in her own residence later that night—
The Dowager Empress sat alone.
Unable to sleep.
She replayed every moment.
Every word.
Every expression.
Most importantly—
One question.
"How did she know I was there?"
The answer refused to come.
And that frightened her.
Because the more she thought about it—
The more she realized something. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Lady Chen’s words had planted a seed.
Tonight—
That seed had taken root.
The Dowager Empress was no longer merely curious.
She was suspicious.
For the first time in many years—
Shin Gu’s smile no longer comforted her.
Instead—
It unsettled her.
And somewhere else in the palace—
Inside a quiet chamber hidden within her courtyard—
Shin Gu slowly opened her eyes.
A faint smile curved her lips.
She knew.
The Dowager Empress had come to investigate.
She knew.
The Dowager Empress had left with questions.
Yet she did not seem worried.
Not at all.
Because suspicion without proof was meaningless.
And she had spent years ensuring no proof would ever exist.
Or so she believed.
As moonlight spilled across the palace rooftops, two women sat awake in different courtyards.
One growing suspicious.
The other growing confident.
Neither realizing that their paths were moving steadily toward a collision that would shake the entire empire.
The palace was silent.
Moonlight spilled across the tiled rooftops and quiet courtyards.
Most of the palace had fallen asleep.
Servants rested.
Lanterns burned low.
Even the night guards moved with softer footsteps.
But inside the Dowager Empress’s residence, one person remained awake.
The Dowager Empress sat alone beside an open window.
A cup of tea rested untouched on the table.
The tea had long gone cold.
Yet she remained motionless.
Thinking.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Her mind refused to settle.
Every time she closed her eyes—
She saw Shin Gu’s smile.
That calm smile.
That peaceful expression.
That perfect answer.
"I was taking a walk."
The Dowager Empress frowned.
No.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
For decades she had survived the palace.
She had witnessed schemes.
Poisonings.
Assassinations.
Betrayals.
False smiles.
Hidden knives.
Her instincts had saved her countless times.
And tonight—
Those instincts were screaming.
The memory returned once more.
The empty courtyard.
The faint voice.
The strange feeling.
Then Shin Gu suddenly appearing.
As though she had known.
As though she had been waiting.
The Dowager Empress tightened her grip on the teacup.
"How?"
She whispered softly.
How had Shin Gu known she was there?
No maid had announced her arrival.
No servant had entered first.
No guard had reported her presence.
She had specifically chosen a hidden path.
Yet somehow—
Shin Gu had known.
The more she thought about it—
The less sense it made.
A cold feeling settled inside her chest.
For years she had trusted Shin Gu.
Respected her.
Protected her.
Defended her.
But tonight—
Doubt had become suspicion.
And suspicion had begun turning into fear.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for the palace.
Fear for her son.
Fear for Princess Zhi.
Fear for the Empress.
The Dowager Empress slowly stood.
Her expression hardened.
Enough thinking.
Enough guessing.
She needed answers.
Real answers.
She looked toward the darkness.
Then spoke quietly.
"Come out."
The room remained silent.
For several seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
A shadow appeared.
As though emerging from the darkness itself.
An invisible guard.
One of the palace’s hidden protectors.
A person few even knew existed.
The guard knelt immediately.
"Your Majesty."
The Dowager Empress stared at him.
Her voice became firm.
"I have a task."
The guard lowered his head.
"Please command."
The Dowager Empress hesitated.
For a brief moment.
Because once she gave this order—
There would be no turning back.
It meant she truly suspected Shin Gu.
A woman she had trusted for years.
Finally she spoke.
"Look into Shin Gu."
The guard froze.
Only slightly.
But she noticed.
The command had surprised him.
The Dowager Empress continued.
"Everything."
"Her movements."
"Her visitors."
"Her servants."
"Where she goes."
"What she does."
His expression became serious.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Dowager Empress stepped closer.
"No one must know."
"Especially not Shin Gu."
The guard nodded.
"It will be done."
Silence followed.
The Dowager Empress looked toward the moon outside.
A strange sadness appeared in her eyes.
Because part of her hoped she was wrong.
She desperately hoped she was wrong.
She wanted the investigation to find nothing.
She wanted Shin Gu to be innocent.
She wanted all of this to be a misunderstanding.
But another part of her—
The part shaped by decades of palace life—
Knew better.
Sometimes the people closest to you were the most dangerous.
The invisible guard suddenly spoke.
"Your Majesty."
She turned.
"If I find something..."
He hesitated.
The Dowager Empress understood.
"If you find something, report only to me."
"No one else."
"Not even the Emperor."
The guard bowed.
"As you command."
A moment later—
He disappeared.
Returning to the shadows.
As though he had never been there.
The room became quiet once more.
But the Dowager Empress felt slightly calmer.
At least now—
Something was being done.
She moved back to the window.
The moon hung high above the palace.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Deceptive.
The palace often looked peaceful from the outside.
Yet countless secrets lurked beneath its surface.
And perhaps—
One of the biggest secrets was hiding within Shin Gu’s courtyard.
The Dowager Empress closed her eyes.
For the first time in years—
She prayed not for prosperity.
Not for power.
Not for victory.
She prayed for the truth.
No matter how painful it might be.
Far away—
Inside her own residence—
Shin Gu sat in meditation.
The room was dark.
Only a single candle burned.
Her expression remained calm.
But suddenly—
Her eyes opened.
A strange feeling had passed through her heart.
As though something had shifted.
As though the palace itself had begun moving against her.
For the first time that night—
Her smile disappeared.
Only for a moment.
Then it returned.
Cold.
Faint.
Dangerous.
"Interesting..."
She whispered.
Outside, the wind began to blow.
And somewhere in the darkness—
An invisible guard had already begun watching.
The game that had remained hidden for so long—
Was finally beginning to move.
