The thirteenth day of the fifth month, summer, in the third year of the Yuanding era.
Changmen Palace.
It was just past the hour of *Wei*. No servants were attending within the room, making it feel exceptionally quiet against the backdrop of the incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window. In the sweltering heat of midsummer, a strange, inexplicable chill drifted through the air.
"Your Highness?" a voice called out tentatively from outside the door.
Chen Ajiao recognized the voice as Ren Qiao, her personal lady official at Changmen Palace and the person her mother had originally arranged for her.
Years ago, when the witchcraft scandal broke out, all the servants in her palace were imprisoned and interrogated. Though she had narrowly escaped with her life, the Emperor had ordered her relocation to the Northern Palace.
The Northern Palace was a remote place, once home to Empress Xiaohui and the late Emperor’s Empress Bo. Ajiao was the third deposed empress to reside there. At that time, Grand Princess Dou, worried that Ajiao would suffer alone in the Northern Palace without proper care, had specifically sought a decree of grace from the Emperor. She handpicked a lady official from the Princess’s manor to serve her. Later, when Ajiao moved to Changmen Palace, this official followed her and had served her faithfully until this day.
Receiving no response, the lady official grew bolder and called out twice more.
"Sigh—" Ajiao stood by the door, answering with a lazy, drawn-out tone.
"She can't hear you."
A voice suddenly rang out right beside her ear. Startled, Ajiao leaped up and scrambled onto the roof beam.
She froze, staring blankly down at the bed where a very familiar woman lay. The woman was gaunt and emaciated. Ajiao looked for a long time before it suddenly dawned on her—that was herself.
She was dead?
She was dead. Ever since her two brothers committed suicide due to their crimes two years ago, she had been intermittently ill for a long time. The Imperial Physician had visited and said her mind was clouded with melancholy; now, the oil was spent and the lamp had run dry.
Thinking this, it didn't take Ajiao long to accept the fact of her own death.
"Who are you?" She slowly turned her gaze toward the man in black standing in the room, her eyes full of scrutiny and wariness.
Since he could appear silently in the room and see ghosts, he was certainly no mortal. She wondered if this person was good or evil, friend or foe.
The man in black watched as Chen Ajiao, who had been moving sluggishly moments before, "whooshed" up to the roof beam, where she now hung trembling like an autumn leaf about to fall. His lip twitched slightly.
"Come down."
Chen Ajiao didn't dare. From the corner of her eye, she realized she had no sense of touch.
Since she was a ghost, the house couldn't hold her.
With that thought, Ajiao leaped backward. As expected, she passed right through the walls of the building and was exposed to the sun.
In an instant, a searing sensation surged through her entire being. Ajiao felt as if she were about to die all over again. She strained her eyes open, but in her daze, she could only see the distant, lush green mountains.
She wondered where Chang'an was.
Ajiao fainted from the pain.
Shen Zhi stared at Chen Ajiao’s actions in disbelief. It was his first time seeing such a flighty and impulsive ghost. With a wave of his hand and a flash of dark light, both of them vanished from Changmen Palace.
Because of Chen Ajiao’s passing, Changmen Palace, which had been silent for over a decade, became lively once more.
One could only wonder what kind of waves the news of this long-sequestered deposed empress’s death would stir in the city of Chang'an.
***
Ajiao looked at the figure clad entirely in black before her, feeling her head grow increasingly dizzy. She couldn't help but raise a hand to rub her temples, but her fingers felt nothing. She forced herself to speak: "May I ask your esteemed name? I am Chen Ajiao. This is my first time being a ghost, and I am unfamiliar with the rules of the dead. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive me. It is just that I am feeling somewhat unwell at the moment, and I fear I may be poor company!"
She figured that as a new ghost, she should possess the grace to be adaptable—to stoop or stand tall as needed. Since she had tried to "stand tall" by fleeing and failed, it was time to "stoop."
Suddenly becoming a ghost, she didn't know what she was supposed to do, and it seemed she didn't have much desire to do anything anyway. She might as well pass the time with this creature before her, whether it was man or ghost.
The man in black watched the woman before him. Her already incorporeal form looked even more fragile in the wind, as if she might dissipate at any moment.
Mortals have a set span of life. When a person is about to die, the Underworld sends a Soul Reaper to collect the spirit—partly to prevent ghosts from causing chaos in the mortal realm, and partly because the *yang* energy of the living world is too potent for ordinary ghosts to endure.
It just so happened that today, the Kings of Hell had detained him to discuss some urgent matters, leaving this new ghost to be "steamed" in the peak *yang* energy of midsummer for nearly four hours. Fortunately, she had received much respect from the common people during her time as Empress, which allowed her to barely endure it.
Shen Zhi didn't waste words, stating bluntly: "Chen Ajiao. Ancestral home: Dongyang County, Donghai Commandery. Born in the first year of Emperor Xiaojing, the first day of the eighth month, at the first quarter of the hour of *Yin*. Died in the third year of Yuanding, summer, the thirteenth day of the fifth month, at the first quarter of the hour of *Wei*." Seeing Ajiao’s dazed expression, he couldn't help but frown. He reached out and tapped her forehead. "Your soul shows signs of scattering!"
Too lazy to read the official documents further, he quickly unfastened his cloak, bundled Chen Ajiao’s ghost into a ball, and wrapped her up. A Soul Reaper’s clothing had the effect of nourishing spirits, just as their weapons could slay them.
Holding the cloak containing Ajiao’s soul, Shen Zhi stepped onto the Yellow Springs Road. A smooth, wide path meandered out from the thick mist. Every ghost entering the Netherworld had to walk the Yellow Springs Road to condense a ghostly form; otherwise, their souls would be scattered by the chilling winds of the Underworld.
Therefore, the Yellow Springs Road had to be walked by each ghost, step by step. No one could help them, nor could anyone do it for them.
Ajiao poked her head out from the cloak in a daze, shocked to find she had been turned into a ball. Her previously dizzy head began to wander again, wondering if she had fallen prey to some evil spirit.
Seeing that Ajiao had regained consciousness, Shen Zhi restored her human form and took back his cloak. He said tonelessly, "I am Shen Zhi, a Soul Reaper of the Netherworld. I am here to lead you to the Underworld." He pointed toward the Yellow Springs Road. "This is the Yellow Springs Road. Once you cross it, you will have arrived in the Netherworld." He suddenly barked sternly, "What are you dazing about for? Get on your way!"
Hearing the Soul Reaper’s sharp shout, Ajiao felt the words echoing through her head, rattling her spirit. She had no choice but to drift toward the Yellow Springs Road.
Shen Zhi followed behind her at a leisurely pace. Among the Soul Reapers, his cultivation was top-tier, and he had never made a mistake in his duties. For the sake of stability, the King of Hell often sent him to collect the souls of emperors, empresses, nobles, and others with great karmic ties. Ordinary Soul Reapers often found it difficult to intimidate the ghosts of such people.
However, Chen Ajiao was not an empress who had lived a full life to a peaceful end, and her karmic ties weren't particularly massive. Normally, she wouldn't have required his personal attention, but someone had requested to see her, so he had come himself.
Who would have thought he’d almost make a blunder?
The *yin* energy grew increasingly heavy. Ajiao felt her entire body stiffen, her steps becoming harder to take. She bent over, one hand clutching her chest and the other propped against the ground, unable to move another inch forward.
Shen Zhi stood behind her, his voice laced with a biting chill. "Stand up. Otherwise, if the demon beasts snatch you away, I won't save you."
Ajiao looked up and was startled to see the silhouettes of beast-like creatures in the thick mist flanking the road. She wanted to stand, but her strength failed her. She could only struggle to crawl closer to Shen Zhi.
Seeing that Shen Zhi wasn't looking at her, she reached out to grab his clothing, seeking protection. She had originally thought that once a person died and entered the Underworld, everything would be over. She never expected she wouldn't even be able to finish the walk to the Underworld.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her ghostly form became increasingly transparent. Shen Zhi’s brows furrowed. She had stayed in the mortal realm too long; her soul was so weak that he shouldn't have let her onto the Yellow Springs Road so abruptly.
He sighed. He had come to guide this Chen Ajiao because of an old friend’s request. If she died on the Yellow Springs Road due to his oversight, he would be failing that friend.
He took off his cloak and draped it over Ajiao. "Wrap yourself up and crawl forward on your own. If you still can't make it across, you really will just be food for the beasts here."
Ajiao quickly wrapped the cloak tightly around herself and began to crawl forward on her elbows.
If she couldn't even manage to die properly, then she, Chen Ajiao, would have no dignity left at all. A surge of stubbornness rose in her heart, and she suddenly found her movements a bit easier.
Shen Zhi took this scene in. The Yellow Springs Road not only weeded out those with naturally weak souls but also those who were muddled and lacked purpose.
Earlier, Chen Ajiao had fit both categories. Though he didn't know what thought had crossed her mind just now, it was a good thing regardless.
***
As the space before her grew wide and bright, Ajiao felt her previous discomfort vanish in an instant. She scrambled up from the ground with agility.
This was likely the end of the Yellow Springs Road. The *yin* energy was even heavier here, yet Ajiao felt her malaise disappearing bit by bit, and her muddled mind cleared. As she walked forward, she saw her transparent body becoming solid again, and she regained her sense of touch.
Rounding a bend, she reached the end of the road—the entrance to the Netherworld. A stone tablet stood by the path, inscribed with the words: "Where souls return to the Yellow Springs, where gods of the Netherworld remain hidden." Only then did Ajiao realize she was surrounded by a bustling crowd of people—no, ghosts.
Shen Zhi stepped forward and patted Ajiao on the shoulder, instructing, "Follow me. An old friend wants to see you."
"See me? Who?"
Shen Zhi did not answer.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 元鼎 | Yuanding | Reign era of Emperor Wu of Han (116–111 BC). |
| 长门宫 | Changmen Palace | The palace where Chen Ajiao lived after being deposed. |
| 未时 | Hour of Wei | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. |
| 任乔 | Ren Qiao | Chen Ajiao's lady official/maid. |
| 巫蛊案 | Witchcraft Scandal | Refers to the incident involving sorcery that led to Ajiao's deposition. |
| 孝惠皇后 | Empress Xiaohui | Empress of Emperor Hui of Han. |
| 薄皇后 | Empress Bo | The first empress of Emperor Jing of Han, also deposed. |
| 窦太主 | Grand Princess Dou | Also known as Princess Guantao, Chen Ajiao's mother. |
| 陈阿娇 | Chen Ajiao | The protagonist, the deposed Empress Chen of Han. |
| 沈致 | Shen Zhi | The Soul Reaper (Gui Chai). |
| 阴司 / 地府 | Netherworld / Underworld | The realm of the dead. |
| 鬼差 | Soul Reaper | An official/messenger of the Underworld. |
| 阎罗 / 阎君 | King of Hell / Yanluo | The ruler(s) of the Underworld. |
| 孝景皇帝 | Emperor Xiaojing | Emperor Jing of Han. |
| 寅时 | Hour of Yin | 3:00 AM – 5:00 AM. |
| 黄泉路 | Yellow Springs Road | The path the dead walk to reach the Underworld. |
