Empress Dowager Bo had always been a frugal woman, and her son, Liu Heng, had been deeply influenced by her, sharing her love for simplicity. As Ajiao entered the house, she noticed that while the structure was sturdily built, the interior lacked lavish decorations. Instead, it was adorned with many fresh flowers and plants.
Dou Yifang held Ajiao close, leading her forward to be presented to Liu Heng and Empress Dowager Bo.
Ajiao had been but a small child when Empress Dowager Bo passed away, and her memories of the woman were sparse. She dutifully performed a formal prostration toward the two figures seated at the head of the room. "Ajiao pays her respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and to her Grandfather."
Before she could finish, Empress Dowager Bo waived the formalities. "Good child! Yifang, help her up." Having been in the Underworld for decades, seeing a junior she had once held as a babe stirred a deep sense of grandmotherly affection within her.
She remembered that although there were many children in the palace back then, Ajiao was the Empress’s only daughter and the Empress Dowager’s only granddaughter. Consequently, she was often kept in the palace to be looked after. Whenever Dou Yifang went to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Bo, she would bring Ajiao along, so the elder woman had seen her frequently.
Empress Dowager Bo recalled that of all the children in the palace, they loved the maltose candy made in her kitchens the most.
Ajiao thanked them and stood up. Seeing the Empress Dowager beckon her, she hurried over and knelt on the mat by the elder's side.
Empress Dowager Bo took Ajiao’s hand and spoke to Liu Heng. "This is the Ajiao that Yifang is always talking about, Apiao’s daughter." She turned back to study Ajiao carefully, sighing. "When I left, she was just a tiny thing, always being carried about by the palace maids."
During his years in the Underworld, Liu Heng had often heard the younger generation mention this girl. They spoke of her childhood charms and her later arrogance; it sounded lively, much like her mother’s temperament.
"She looks like a fine child, very much like Apiao!" Liu Heng could not help but chuckle. In truth, he desperately wanted to ask about her deposition due to the sorcery incident. It was a major affair, after all; when Apiao first arrived in the Underworld, she had even quarreled with Lady Wang over it, and a rift remained between them to this day. However, seeing how happy his mother and Yifang were at this moment, he found it difficult to bring up. He decided it would be better to ask Apiao about it later.
"Ajiao, your grandmother and mother have loved you dearly all these years. Now that you are here, spend as much time with them as you can."
The group continued to reminisce about the past.
***
In the city of Yidu.
Shen Zhi verified his waist token at the gate and set off toward Liu Heng’s residence. He had personally guided more than half of the ghosts in Yidu from the mortal realm to the Underworld, so he maintained a fair amount of social connections.
"Lord Shen." A carriage emerged from a street corner across the way, and a woman lifted the curtain, waving to him. She turned back into the carriage and smiled. "Yan, it’s Lord Shen."
A small head peeked out from the carriage. The girl looked to be about eight or nine years old, her jet-black hair woven into a thick braid that hung down her back, topped with a crown of flowers. The young girl gave Shen Zhi a shy smile and offered a greeting.
Shen Zhi returned the gesture. "Greetings, Garden Administrator Zhang, and Lady Bo. What brings you two to Yidu for a stroll today?"
Bo Si waved her hand dismissively. "I’ve come to bring some flower seeds to my Great-Aunt. Yan was bored being by herself, so I asked her to accompany me. Is Lord Shen on his way to handle some business?"
"That is a coincidence. I am also heading to Liu Heng’s place. Liu Qi’s niece entered the Underworld today; I allowed them to have an early reunion, and now I am going to collect her."
"I see. You have worked hard, Lord Shen." Bo Si fell silent for a moment, her hand instinctively tugging at the young girl’s braid. She wondered if she should still visit her Great-Aunt today. Since Ajiao had arrived, Liu Qi and Wang Zhi would surely be there as well. Although she shared no lingering affection with Liu Qi as husband and wife, and aside from the blow to her pride regarding her own deposition, she felt little connection to him, she couldn't stand how her Great-Aunt would sigh and lament every time she saw the two of them together.
Seeing the conflicted look on Bo Si’s face, Zhang Yan knew she didn't want to encounter Liu Qi again. She gently squeezed Bo Si’s hand. "Since Lord Shen has important business with Liu Heng today, it wouldn't be convenient for us to intrude. We should visit another day. Si, what do you think?"
Bo Si rubbed her forehead and agreed that Zhang Yan was right.
The three bid their farewells, and Shen Zhi continued toward Liu Heng’s estate.
Zhang Yan was originally the granddaughter of Grand Empress Lü Zhi and the niece of Emperor Hui, Liu Ying. Later, to maintain her grip on Emperor Hui, Lü Zhi had forced Liu Ying to take Zhang Yan as his Empress. However, Liu Ying refused to harm his own niece. It was only after Zhang Yan’s death that the palace attendants discovered she was still a virgin. To honor her, the common people worshipped her as a Flower Goddess.
When Zhang Yan arrived in the Underworld, the Yama King took pity on her tragic life. Seeing that she was revered as a Flower Goddess by the living and received offerings from all directions, she possessed the form of a Ghost Immortal. After consulting with Nüyi, the goddess who governed the flora and fauna of the Underworld, the Yama King appointed Zhang Yan as a Garden Administrator in the "Nüyi Bureau"—making her a legitimate Earth Immortal.
***
Upon arriving at Liu Heng’s residence, Shen Zhi took his token and tapped it against the beast-head plaque on the main gate. This plaque was linked to the master of the house; a simple tap would alert them to a visitor.
Within a few breaths, the gates swung open. Liu Heng, leading Liu Qi and Liu Wu, came out personally to greet him. "The youngsters in my family have been unruly; I have troubled you today, Lord Shen." Liu Heng had been in the Underworld long enough to know that Ajiao was not a soul who required a high-ranking official like Shen Zhi to personally reap and escort her. It must have been Liu Qi and Guantao who had gone behind his back to trouble the man.
Shen Zhi returned the bow with a smile. "It is no great matter. Liu Qi and I are well-acquainted; helping with such a small favor is nothing."
These former emperors could not become Earth Immortals upon arriving in the Underworld. However, because the Underworld was currently undergoing a massive restructuring, there was a severe shortage of ghost messengers and officials in many areas. The Yama King had come up with a solution: he conscripted the former emperors, generals, and ministers as "volunteer labor." He promised that their contributions to the Underworld would be recorded in their Ledgers of Merits, aiding their future cultivation.
Which of these ghosts didn't want to become an immortal? In life, they all aspired to be celestial beings. Now that they couldn't be celestials, even being an Earth Immortal was better than being an ordinary ghost. Liu Qi had been assigned to the Soul-Reaping Bureau, becoming a temporary colleague of Shen Zhi.
The men exchanged pleasantries as they entered the house.
The moment Ajiao saw Shen Zhi enter, she stood up abruptly and bowed. Her eldest uncle had just told her that this Shen Zhi was one of the Twelve Commandants of the Soul-Reaping Bureau, an elite among ghost officials, and deserved great respect.
"Oh! Has the time come so soon?" Guantao couldn't help but pull Ajiao into her arms again, her voice thick with suppressed sobs.
Ajiao hurried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Mother. We have a long time together ahead of us. Don't cry!"
After bidding everyone farewell, Shen Zhi led Ajiao toward the Judgment Bureau.
The Netherworld was governed by the Yama King and the Great Lord Yanluo. It was divided into three departments: the Judgment Bureau, the Soul-Reaping Bureau, and the Nüyi Bureau. The Judgment Bureau handled legal documents and decrees; the Soul-Reaping Bureau was responsible for seizing souls and slaying malevolent spirits; only the Nüyi Bureau was a peaceful place, overseeing the plants and animals of the shadows.
A few years ago, a new decree had been issued: all souls entering the Underworld had to be taken by a ghost messenger to the Judgment Bureau first. There, their life's merits and faults would be judged—the virtuous rewarded and the wicked punished. Once their accounts were settled, they would be assigned to live in various ghost cities.
Following behind Shen Zhi, Ajiao caught a glimpse of a distant palace. It stood towering and majestic, appearing even more solemn and imposing than the palaces of the mortal realm.
Her uncle had told her that the twin offices of Rewarding Virtue and Punishing Vice had been established about a hundred years ago. These offices judged based on the records in one's Ledger of Merits. In life, she had been accused of the crime of sorcery. That was a capital offense in the world of the living; she didn't know how it would be judged here in the shadows.
*Sigh.* Ajiao couldn't help but let out a heavy breath.
After walking another fifty or sixty yards, they reached a main thoroughfare. Shen Zhi then led her onto a narrower path. After a hundred yards or so, the number of ghosts on the road gradually increased. Most were led by a single ghost messenger, though some messengers led several souls at once. They were lined up in ten orderly rows, moving slowly forward.
The ghost messengers on the road nodded to Shen Zhi as they passed, continuing on their way.
Shen Zhi led Ajiao to the end of one of the nearby lines.
Ajiao opened her mouth to speak but ultimately didn't dare. There was a sea of ghosts here, yet not a single sound—no footsteps, let alone conversation. It was truly unnerving.
The line moved forward bit by bit, but its length never seemed to change. As those at the front entered the great hall, others joined at the back.
There was no sunrise or sunset in the Netherworld. For a mortal accustomed to judging time by the sun, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed.
As the line advanced, Ajiao finally got a clear look at the hall. It was built of stone, with a plaque hanging above that read: "From Whence You Came." The hall had three entrances. The ghosts led by messengers all entered through the rightmost door, which was guarded by other officials. It was only then that Ajiao noticed the ghost messengers wore different colored robes. Lord Shen was dressed in solid black, while the messengers guarding the hall wore yellow—the first bright color Ajiao had seen outside of Yidu since entering the Underworld.
*Weren't we going to the offices of Rewarding Virtue and Punishing Vice to judge merits and faults? What is this place?*
Upon reaching the entrance, the messengers in the queue handed the souls over to the yellow-robed officials. The yellow-robed official held a brush and tapped the forehead of each ghost, leaving a yellow dot. The black-robed messenger then produced a token and swept it lightly across the ghost's brow; the token flashed with a white light, and the yellow dot vanished.
Then, the ghost would enter the hall alone, and the messenger’s task was considered complete.
Shen Zhi said nothing more. He verified his token, handed Ajiao over to the yellow-robed official, and turned to leave with a casual air.
Ajiao took a deep breath and, following the direction pointed out by the yellow-robed official, walked forward.
***
