Xiao Ying stood, the crown of the empress cradled to his chest, and staring into the eyes of her unknowing son.
He winced at the knowledge of the fact that he had just given up the little potential dignity that he had he could have achieved.
Xiao Ying closed his eyes, and tried to shake his head to clear up his thoughts up a little more, trying to decide what he really ought to do now.
Remembering back to what had happened, he vaguely recalled having a crisis over what he would be doing for the remainder of his life in that tiny room, until he presumably finally was allowed to fall into the underworld or the cycle of reincarnation or wherever.
He felt his face twist up when he failed to recall any more of what had happened afterwards.
He remembered lying there in pain, the world fading to black around him, and then waking up in the body of the ghost that he was currently occupying now.
He sighed, bringing up the crown to his face, and trying to gain some semblance of control in his racing mind, his thoughts travelling so fast that his brain was almost beginning to go numb with all that he was feeling.
He swallowed once, before gasping, and pulling down the crown, holding it now in one hand, dangling loosely from his side.
If he was so frazzled by what had just happened to him, then he could only guess at what sort of paranoia that Ming Cheng was currently facing.
Should he continue the charade, or would it be better to just come clean about everything that had happened and Ming Cheng's origins and current existence?
If he continued to act as Ming Cheng's deceased mother, then he would be, at least, following the plot of the book that he wrote, and he would be reducing any potential influences that could drastically change the plot into something that he couldn't guide Ming Cheng through, and when his identity was eventually discovered, it would only increase the credibility of the advice that he would be giving later.
However, it would be taking the high road to finally spill the beans and inform Ming Cheng of the world that he was currently living in, even if it meant confessing Xiao Ying's part of Ming Cheng's horrible and continued life, and bearing the blame of it finally...
No.
This was about making sure that Ming Cheng would live a happy life, regardless of the way he got there.
If it got Ming Cheng where Xiao Ying wanted him, then he would confess, but anything before that critical moment should be avoided to give Ming Cheng the happiest possible life.
It was the least that Xiao Ying could do to atone for his sins.
"Ming Cheng! You are free for this night, but as soon as the sun rises, the next phase of your life begins," Xiao Ying declared to the boy, trying to funnel in as much strength and authority he could, ignoring the pathetic show that he had put on before.
It suddenly occurred to Xiao Ying then, that now, he was free to actually leave.
In the body of the ghost, he would be able to leave through the door now, and he could now explore the palace, and work much more efficiently in giving Ming Cheng the life that Xiao Ying had promised him.
And because Ming Cheng was the only one to actually see him, Lan Chang not reacting to his speech, Xiao Ying was free to walk outside and scream at the sky for a while, to calm down, and have a shot at property damage to take out his emotions.
Xiao Ying paused at that thought.
What were the limits of being a ghost in this story?
The ghost of the dead empress was supposed to be a system in the original novel, advising Ming Cheng on what he needed to do and when, and just generally ensuring his success and rise through the palace.
All she did was give convenient plot advice and initiate the occasional mission.
There wasn't a stat system in place that gave Ming Cheng skills to go on, because shounen anime was Xiao Ying's guiding hand at the time.
Goku didn't need a system of stats when he could have easy skippable training montage scenes, so Xiao Ying had done the same with Ming Cheng, and because his world was dumb, it worked every single time.
If Xiao Ying wanted to learn how the world worked, he would have to figure it out himself, and what better time than right now.
Xiao Ying, during his panic at first waking up, had clutched the door frame, without falling through, and was currently standing with both his feet planted on the floor, so objects were at least solid to him, at least to an extent.
The world around him was a stupid one, though.
Therefore, Xiao Ying theorised that at least a few of the classic clichés would be integrated to be a part of it, otherwise, what was the point of Ming Cheng winning the kitchen trio of servants to make friends with them so easily.
Xiao Ying swivelled around to look at the door in front of him and brought a hand upwards to the door, wondering whether the surface would be solid if he willed his fingers to pass through the wood.
To his surprise and fear, he watched the tips of his finger pads sink into solid surface in front of him, and he quickly recoiled to tuck his hand back to his chest, stepping slightly away.
Xiao Ying sighed through his nose, now firmly secure in the knowledge that it was only a matter of will power that determined that he could pass through objects.
If he wanted to pass through and get over his apprehension, it would be truly best for himself to close his eyes and dive straight in, headfirst.
"Are you alright now, little Cheng?"