In the Palace of the Jade Lion — Richard Parks

It's normal to fear a ghost. What's not normal is marrying one.Xu Jian is just a poor scholar. An official post in the north of the country is a great opportunity. It is also a great danger. The road north is infested with bandits, and worse, it winds through a land of spirits.Ghosts crave a human's life force like the thirsty are drawn to water. When he inadvertently trespasses on the tomb of the beautiful Lady Green Willow and her servants, he is doomed.Or, perhaps not.Lady Green Willow is a gentle spirit who does not want to harm Xu Jian, yet her nature as a ghost doesn't leave any option.Until he offers her one: marry him. Take his life force only in small doses which he can replenish, until the balance of her yin and yang energy is restored.In short, make her human again.A wild plan, but will it work?Even if it does, how will they survive the attention of a greedy king who wants the only possession Lady Green Willow retains from her past life, the one and only thing she cannot give up without being utterly destroyed?Perhaps a smart ghost and a smart human, together, might find a way. Maybe.Get this stirring novelette and see for yourself.