Mei didn't know what to expect after death, but being a ghost was something she never thought possible. The irony was that she never even believed they existed. Yet now she was one.
She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament. She thought she would either reincarnate—maybe as a human or an animal, who knows—but being a ghost? That had never crossed her mind. But now she was one, and her grudge was too heavy for her to leave this life.
"How do you know he killed me?" she asked curiously.
Ling'er laughed.
"Oh, Duchess, I know. I saw the whole thing. I've been watching everything. No drama in this capital passes by me. I saw everything from the start."
Mei was curious and wanted to confirm her suspicion. "Why am I still here?"
Ling'er's grin stretched. "Unfinished business. Plus, you were murdered. That usually earns you a haunting pass."
"If you saw everything, you know that I was drugged. Set up," Mei said.
Ling'er's smile faded.
"I saw who started it. Your mother-in-law instructed your maid to put something in your tea. She needed you gone."
"She wants her son to marry the princess. You know—that piece of evil. She was giving your husband sneaky glances, flirting as they planned your downfall."
Mei's fists clenched, and she felt herself going dark as hatred took over her.
"She wanted you gone quietly at first," Ling'er continued, her voice surprisingly soft.
"But the princess suggested the ploy that took place. She wanted you to go with a bad reputation, even if it risked the Duke's own."
"The Duke was also there. And okay with everything."
"What happened to my guard?" Mei asked.
Ling'er's face darkened. She explained that they tortured the guard, then killed him—and fed his remains to the pigs.
Mei gagged at the cruelty. Her eyes darkened, her gaze locking in the distance, toward the direction of the study. Her mind reeled with the new information. She knew it was their plot—but hearing it was another experience. It was gut-wrenching.
"They are going to pay. Every single one of them will regret it," she said.
She didn't know her capabilities as a ghost, but she was more than happy she didn't disappear into oblivion.
The Duke's bedchambers reeked of sweat and incense, the air hot and heavy with the stench. Moonlight shone through the window, casting a light on the two bodies tangled in dance on the bed.
In the corner, Mei and Ling'er stood watching the couple in bed—unseen.
She had died only hours ago, and now her husband was in bed with someone else—the very woman who had helped conspire her death.
The girl was around eighteen, her eyes hazy as she moaned, making sounds that would rival a courtesan. Mei flinched—not from modesty, but from recognition. She had once faked those breathless sighs and moans to satisfy his ego.
She had always thought her husband had little interest in intimacy. But clearly, it was her he was uninterested in.
What cut Mei deepest was the hypocrisy—the man who killed her for "adultery" was now huffing and puffing over a woman he was not even married to.
Now, watching the Duke grunting with affection in his eyes, she wondered why she ever mistook his polite smile for love.
"Ten breaths," a voice beside her said.
Startled, Mei turned.
Ling'er sat on top of the wardrobe, legs swinging with a mischievous smile on her face.
"He always lasts just ten breaths."
Mei blinked. "As always? What do you mean ten breaths?"
Ling'er's grin widened. "It's how long he lasts. I've counted. And trust me, that's being generous."
"You've been watching?" Mei's voice was a low, dangerous hum.
Ling'er nodded, her expression shifting. The amusement faded.
"You didn't know? He always beds someone, Duchess. The maids or his concubine. Every night."
Mei's mouth tightened. She hadn't known that—and the realization cut her deeply. He hadn't even wanted her as a woman.
"Oh, don't look so disappointed," Ling'er said, floating down beside her.
"It's nothing grand. He goes limp after ten pumps. He's the second-worst in the entire ranking."
Mei was confused by "the ranking," but Ling'er's clear distaste made her smile—her first since this ordeal.
Feeling sick to her stomach, she didn't want to be in the room anymore. She floated away, with Ling'er hot on her trail, chirping about her "ghostly famous" list of men ranked by their bedroom abilities.
Mei wasn't interested in the list, but curiosity got the better of her.
"Who's the worst?" she asked.
Ling'er's response made her laugh.
Apparently, the only person her husband was better than was the Minister of Agriculture—who, according to Ling'er, was blessed with ancestral record-breaking fastness.
Still, with nothing to do, Mei floated aimlessly through the estate, zoning out. The events of the day replayed in her mind.
Ling'er, noticing her silence, wanted to help. Though she didn't know Mei well, she had watched helplessly as she was betrayed and killed by those closest to her. She knew her go-to place for distraction.
That place was a theatre of constant drama.
The mention of the palace made Mei visibly uncomfortable. There was someone there she didn't want to meet. But now that she was a ghost—unseen—she might as well go. She needed something to take her mind off everything.
"Okay, let's go," she said, floating close to Ling'er.
They reached the palace after a short journey. The sight amazed her—grand gold pillars, vast chambers—but what struck her more was the number of ghosts moving through the palace. All of them women. All of them are sad.
This was a graveyard for the most beautiful women.
Immediately after they entered the largest chamber, a vase flew through the air, passed right through Mei, and shattered against the wall.
The drama in the palace helped take the situation off her mind as she walked into the scene of the Empress, furious at her servants. And, as Ling'er promised, the results were nothing but scandalous.