Ah-Jiao followed Shen Zhi forward, her movements guided by an invisible pull.
As they navigated through various districts, she was surprised to find that the Underworld was teeming with spirits—a bustling throng that mirrored the world of the living. As they progressed, the roads gradually widened, yet the crowd of souls began to thin.
"Jiao-jiao! Jiao-jiao!"
Cries echoed from the thick mist in the distance.
Ah-Jiao looked up blankly. The voice was hauntingly familiar, yet for a moment, her mind failed to place it. As the voice drew nearer, her muddled thoughts finally cleared—it was her mother!
*Mother! She has been waiting for me in the Underworld all this time!* Ah-Jiao’s eyes grew moist, though as a ghost, she could shed no tears. Heedless of anything else, she threw herself toward Princess Guantao.
Guantao gathered her daughter into her arms, calling her name over and over while stroking her hair. She had not expected that only two years after her own departure, Ah-Jiao would meet such a tragic end. Her anger flared when she thought of her two sons, who had committed such depraved acts and then taken their own lives out of fear; she resolved that after this reunion, she would hunt those two worthless wretches down and give them a thorough lashing.
Ah-Jiao knelt on the ground, clinging to her mother’s waist. She could not utter a single word. In the sudden surge of overwhelming joy, her spirit flickered and she collapsed into a faint.
Guantao panicked, crying out repeatedly, "Lord Shen! Lord Shen! What has happened to my Jiao-jiao?"
Shen Zhi examined her briefly and offered a word of comfort. "Do not worry. She lingered in the mortal realm for too long and absorbed too much yang energy. Furthermore, since the thirty-fifth day of her mourning has not yet passed, her soul is still fragile. She simply needs to rest here in the Underworld for a while, and she will be fine."
"That is good to hear. Thank you, Lord Shen. It was a great imposition to ask you to fetch Jiao-jiao personally. My mother and I will surely find a way to thank you properly another day. For now, may I take Ah-Jiao to see my father and mother? The Empress Dowager has been waiting all day." Guantao lifted Ah-Jiao—had the girl not been a new ghost with a body as light as a feather, she would not have been able to carry her.
"I brought her here specifically for your reunion," Shen Zhi replied. "However, I have been delayed today. You only have half an hour together. After that, I shall come to find you." With a light tap of his finger on Ah-Jiao’s brow, she slowly drifted back to consciousness.
Guantao thanked him hurriedly and led Ah-Jiao behind the thick curtain of mist.
As they passed through the fog, a massive city-state appeared before them. High walls stretched into the distance, their corners and ends lost to the horizon. A plaque hung over the great gate, inscribed with two characters: *Yidu*.
Once souls entered the Underworld, they were not permitted to wander aimlessly; such chaos would be impossible to manage. Thus, the Yama King had constructed several cities modeled after those of the living for the spirits to inhabit. Among them, the emperors, generals, and ministers of the mortal world possessed merits and demerits from their reigns. Those who had ruled well were shielded by the providence of their deeds, making them far stronger than the ghosts of commoners.
Consequently, different spirits were assigned to different residences. Yidu was originally reserved for emperors, empresses, and empress dowagers whose titles had been proclaimed to Heaven and Earth during their lives. Later, because the population of Yidu was too sparse, the Yama King decreed that any sovereign or consort could bring one blood relative to reside with them. Furthermore, emperors who were solitary due to the deposition of a consort could choose one of their former empresses to accompany them there.
When Guantao first arrived in the Underworld and was registered, the soul-reapers had brought her straight to Yidu. Seeing her father, her mother, and her two brothers, she had nearly fainted from excitement. It turned out that shortly after Liu Heng arrived in the Underworld, he had been reunited with his younger son. At that time, because Lady Bo held the title of Grand Empress Dowager, she was permitted to stay. Liu Heng, seeing his mother well-provided for and his younger son so filial, kept him by his side. When Dou Yifang arrived, she kept her dearly beloved daughter with her.
Liu Heng, Liu Qi, and Dou Yifang had all been guided to the Underworld by Shen Zhi, and over time, they had developed a bit of an acquaintance. Thus, Dou Yifang had requested Shen Zhi to personally fetch her granddaughter. Hearing that the poor child had suffered in life, she wanted to see her, gather the family, and offer her some comfort.
Entering Yidu, Ah-Jiao could not help but be struck with awe. From the outside, the city merely looked vast, but once inside, she saw clusters of palace complexes standing tall. Their boundaries were distinct, surrounded by mountains and winding waters that seemed both distant and near at once.
Guantao smiled and stroked Ah-Jiao’s head. "Don't be afraid, Jiao-jiao. This is how Yidu is. The dimensions here can expand or contract; the small patch of ground beneath your feet can stretch for a thousand miles. I was startled when I first arrived, but I grew used to it. Just stay close to me, and don't be afraid!"
She took Ah-Jiao’s hand and approached the soul-reapers at the gate. She produced two tokens: one engraved with the words *Empress of Filial Emperor Wen of Han*, and another with *Soul-Seizing Department* on the front and the character for *Earth* on the back.
Ah-Jiao finally began to settle. Looking as far as she could, she saw that while the palace complexes were not entirely clear, several looked familiar, bearing a striking resemblance to the layout of Weiyang Palace.
The gate guards inspected Guantao’s tokens one by one. Once satisfied, they allowed them through.
Guantao led Ah-Jiao further in. After only two or three hundred paces, another city wall slowly appeared, though it was shorter than the first. Between the two walls sat rows of neat, one- and two-story houses.
"That was the outer wall," Guantao explained. "The gates there are guarded by soul-reapers. This is the inner wall; your grandmother and the others live inside. The space between these two walls is where the spirit officials live. The soul-reaper who guided you here also resides in this area. They live here to guard the city and prevent any malevolent spirits from causing trouble."
She pulled Ah-Jiao through the inner gate. "Don't be fooled by how narrow that alley looks. It only appears that way; once you step inside, ten carriages could drive abreast without issue."
Once they passed the inner gate, Ah-Jiao saw that her mother spoke the truth. The roads were incredibly wide, lined with trees and flowers that were meticulously pruned. Inside the inner city, the palaces were no longer visible; instead, there were rows of courtyard walls, about ten feet high, arranged in perfect order.
"Jiao-jiao, I’ll take you to see your grandfather and grandmother first. We can discuss the details of this place later." Guantao tightened her grip on Ah-Jiao’s hand. "Let’s hurry; Lord Shen said he could only grant us half an hour."
A man stepped out from a corner not far away. "Sister, Jiao-jiao."
"Little Uncle!" Ah-Jiao cried out in pleasant surprise. It was Liu Wu.
Liu Wu walked over quickly, looking at Ah-Jiao with a smile. "Mother is getting anxious. She feared something had gone wrong and sent me to check. Come, let’s go."
The two led Ah-Jiao into an alleyway. Though called an alley, it was over ten feet wide and did not feel cramped at all. Every two courtyards were separated by such a path. Ah-Jiao measured with her steps; each courtyard seemed to be about forty yards long and wide—not nearly as large as they had appeared from outside the city. However, remembering the miraculous spatial contractions of this place, she dared not judge by appearances. After a short walk, they stopped before a residence.
Guantao patted Ah-Jiao’s head and pointed to the house. "This is where your grandfather and grandmother live. Currently, Grand Empress Dowager Bo, your uncle, and I live here as well." She then pointed to an adjacent residence. "That is your eldest uncle’s house. He lives there with... ahem, with the Wang woman. But most of the time, he still comes over to stay with us."
Ah-Jiao followed them into the courtyard. The moment they passed the gate, the scene opened up into a vast expanse. Fields and woods stretched out, their boundaries seemingly infinite—nothing like the modest size suggested from the outside. A straight path of blue flagstones led from the gate, the surface smooth and clean, free of dust or soil.
Guantao waved her sleeve with a smile. "Everything here is tended to by our own hands. I haven't done such manual labor since I was a child. I arrived late; by then, many fields had already been cleared and the houses built, so I mostly help look after the crops and flowers."
"It’s incredible!" Ah-Jiao couldn't help but marvel.
The flagstone path ended at a small grove of trees. Liu Wu explained, "We’ve only paved half of this path. Eventually, it’s supposed to go all the way to the main house."
Ah-Jiao was speechless. She had imagined the Underworld would be a bleak, terrifying place filled with wandering ghosts, but instead, she found a scene of gentle, serene harmony.
Further ahead, past a cluster of low shrubs, was another courtyard. A woman in her thirties stood at the door, supported by Lady Wang. Seeing the kind face of the woman, Ah-Jiao understood who she was, and a lump formed in her throat.
Guantao hurried forward. "Mother, why did you come out? I’ve brought Ah-Jiao." Before she could finish, the woman and Ah-Jiao were already locked in an embrace.
"Grandmother, Ah-Jiao missed you so much!"
Dou Yifang held Ah-Jiao, looking her over inch by inch. When Ah-Jiao was born, Dou Yifang’s eyes had already failed her; only now, in the Underworld, had her sight been restored. *So this is it... Ah-Jiao is so beautiful, so lovely.* Dou Yifang held her only granddaughter, wanting to weep, but ghosts have no tears.
It was only after Wang Zhi arrived in the Underworld that Dou Yifang learned of Ah-Jiao’s deposition. Her precious granddaughter, her most beloved child... Alas! What a tragedy!
Guantao and the others stepped forward to offer comfort, and the group finally moved inside the house.
***
