Rising Phoenix

Prologue I: In My Dreams I Am Still Emperor ¹

“How will you kill me?” In the dim light of a cold, secluded palace, a woman asked, her palms on the table and her smiling face like a rose in the wind before his face. “Poisoned wine? A white silk rope? Carrying a dirt bag? [1] Knife?”

“What kind of death do you want?” The man poured himself a cup of wine with steady hands, the transparent rice wine that filled the tilted cup reflecting her misty eyes… These years, she had lived a life of mystery, and even to death refused to let him see through her.

“The most delightful way, I mean for you.” She smiled and rolled up her cuffs gently, showing him her palms. “Allow this concubine to attend you one last time.”

He smiled back, his thin lips curling up in mockery as he handed over the cup of wine.

The wine was green like jade, and her wrist white like snow. A line of deep emerald green fell from her slender fingers and into a white jade cup like the tinkling of jade jewels. It was quiet, and the colorful silk bed curtain hung around the bed, covering all earthly sounds.

This included the massacre of the rebels in the palace.

Her people, the rebels.

The blood and smoke were blocked; their ears could hear nothing except their breathing in the silence… Calm, peaceful, and almost in unison—in and out. Under the light incense smoke from the gold censer, their exhalations met and mingled, lingering and separating together.

She held the wine cup and turned it carefully. “Not afraid I’ve poisoned it?”

“This Hidden Palace has been empty for many years.” He answered calmly, “This wine has been sealed in a concealed compartment, and no one has ever touched it.”

“As for you…” He took a sip, leaving his sentence hanging. His gaze was like a blade, and his smile was the cold light shining on the edge.

She smiled without a word while staring at her finger as if looking into a distant place. When she had been tricked into the Hidden Palace, she had been checked by the best poison master, the best hidden weapon master, and the best assassin. Even the finest piece of hair that didn’t belong to her was destroyed, not to mention any poisons.

Truly at this point, no one could poison him and reverse her ugly circumstances.

However…

She smiled as she slightly bent her eyebrows in a surprisingly playful and cute curve.

“Do you feel the pressure in your chest?” Her naturally misty eyes stared at him, and he couldn’t see the true expression behind those eyes. “Do you feel the stings in your Dantian? Do you feel your Qi flowing backward, rushing back to your Qihai ² ?”

He stared at her, his face gradually greening.

“But what about before?”

“It is true that no one has come to this heavily guarded Hidden Palace since it was built.” She clasped her hands behind her back and walked a few steps before turning back and smiling.

He trembled slightly.

That year when the hidden palace was being planned, from design to the last stone, he had never let her participate in any of it. It was only just after the palace had been built that he had taken her once to look around.

He still remembered the day the pear flowers fell like light snow in front of the Ji Ying Palace—her silver dress brushing quickly over the moonlit floor, and her spinning movement like the opening of an elegant flower. She had leaned against a pillar in the corridor, looking back and smiling, lit by the dappled moonlight and the shadow of flowers. His heart was defeated by that smile.

At that time, the love was strong.

But it was during that beautiful night—with the light scent of pear flowers hung in the air—when they had looked into each other’s eyes as her slender figure briefly touched the concealed compartment. Did she leave behind a poison for years later?

That beautiful smile, those lovely eyes, and the warmth when they held hands underneath the pear trees were just the empty flowers of a dream?

While he had been immersed in the happiness of sharing a secret, she had already silently prepared for a disaster years in the future.

She had been his enemy from the beginning.

He didn’t know where the pain was and couldn’t even say if he was in pain; it was only as if something had shattered like a broken crystal. He seemed to hear the soft shatter, but he didn’t know what had broken.

A meeting like a long dream, both of us passing through.

He slowly raised his cuff to cover his lips, leaving behind a scarlet mark. He wiped it calmly and quietly, and when he looked up, she had already turned around. Her straight back was slender and delicate, and as he stared at that silhouette, he felt that if he didn’t ask now, he might never get the chance.

“You… did you ever love me?” Just a few words, but so hard to ask….

She paused, and after a brief moment, she turned around and smiled sweetly.

She said clearly, “Never.”

Looking from a window in the Hidden Palace, a beautiful begonia in full bloom withered and fell.

“Alright.” After a long pause, he smiled, and even on his beautiful face, the smile was no better than that withered and fallen flower.

He turned away from her, the brightness in his eyes fading. He clapped his hands once.

The clear and calm sound hung in the air.

From the distance came a great roar that could challenge mountains and overturn the seas, rising up like a great wave underneath a hurricane—it was like a wall shooting up in front of the palace, subduing the noise of battles and death all of a sudden.

He smiled.

From every crossroad and every corner of the palace, black shadows came out—they were his elite army. They would use their tempered steel to kill anyone who tried to rebel against imperial might, and slaughter every rebel who set foot on the jade stairs.

Deep love and kindness were nothing; life and death were equal, and they had chosen different sides. His twenty years of love could no longer be used to water this poisonous poppy flower—letting her run wild until today was enough.

“Aih, I still lost.” She stretched her neck to look outside, her tone relaxed. “What a shame.”

“Yes, it is a shame.” He coughed lightly as he spat out some blood. “Look, even though you’ve planned for so many years, and even though you’ve taken my life, your precious Da Cheng Empire will still fall today.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She smiled. “To die together with you is my honor.”

He looked at her; the gentleness and sweetness in her smile were the same as the day they met. He looked away as the jade cup in his hand shattered.

He ignored the bleeding and spoke to the air in an indifferent tone, “Come.”

Shadows of men appeared from every corner of the palace.

She glanced at them and turned around calmly. Her long lashes lowered, covering her dark fluctuating gaze.

Those secrets that couldn’t be said would be buried with her body…

His cold voice echoed behind her, every word cutting gold and breaking jade.

“Take her below, lock her in the prison. Three days later…”

He closed his eyes.

“Ling Chi.” ** [2]

T/N

[1] *背土袋– carrying a dirt bag. You force a prisoner to carry a dirt bag and if they cannot support it (I’m guessing) it crushes and buries them.

[2] **凌迟 known as death by a thousand cuts, but records indicate it can go upwards of 3000 (3357).

…

Prologue II

The leader nodded silently and turned away. Xiao Liu tried to speak, but his voice acupuncture had been sealed.

The slender man ruffled Xiao Liu’s hair and smiled gently. “Xiao Liu, you are the last heir of the Tian Zhan Family ³ . You have to live well.”

He turned and met the leader’s eyes for a moment before looking away.

His eyes pierced the darkness, peering into the rain as if looking for a face in the night. A look of pain filled his eyes for a moment as he bid a silent farewell, and without another look, he rushed forward at the enemy.

As he took his steps, he gently shook his wrist.

“Shua!”

A jet-black rope, almost invisible in the night, flew from his sleeve, tangling with the legs of the first horse. The slender man rolled forward before going to the side. As he landed, he pulled the rope taut, and the horse flipped with a miserable neigh. The horseman riding it lost his grip on his bow and arrow and fell to the ground, collapsing with the horse. A second horseman rode up, and just as his horse was rearing its legs, the slender man dashed forward, unsheathing a hidden blade. With a flash of cold, metallic light, he hacked off the head of the first horseman before spinning and cutting through the rearing horse’s legs. As the crippled horse fell, the slender man stilled for a moment, and just before the horse crashed into the ground, he jumped forward and landed comfortably on top of the horse. With a quick stab, he pierced the heart of the second horseman and pulled his blade free.

As the horse hit the ground, the third horseman neared and slashed with his longsword. Cang Yan jumped backward, his thin blade parrying the longsword in midair. The two weapons clashed, and amidst the sound of metal against metal, there was an almost silent click.

The horseman felt his blade push through with barely any resistance, but before he could even react with happiness, the point of the blade lunged toward him like a venomous snake and pierced his neck.

Three elite soldiers killed were in a handful of seconds.

This was the number one expert of Blood Pagoda!

Xiao Liu ran forward, the leader’s hand still gripping him tightly. He turned his head and stared at Cang Yan’s silhouette.

Yes, everyone on the squad took orders from their leader, and all of them sacrificed their lives to charge forth and fill in the breach. However, Ah Yan was not like them.

Only Xiao Liu knew that Cang Yan was the leader’s blood brother!

And more importantly, he was a father. His only son was the last descendant of that family… and that child… that strange child. Without a father, how could he survive?

This substitution of Cang Yan for Xiao Liu cost two lives and sealed the fate of the Cang Family.

How could the leader bear to make this decision?

Xiao Liu stopped his struggles, his disheveled hair drooped with rain and covered his eyes. The leader looked at him and patted him with sympathy, unsealing his acupoint.

“I am worried that there will be enemies waiting in front of us,” the leader whispered. “If that happens, I’ll draw them away, and you have to remember to bring…”

“Go!”

Before he could finish, the young man reached out, grabbed the package the leader was hugging, and threw it forward.

The tiny ball flew through the air, and one could almost hear a feeble cry coming from inside the wrapping. The leader bolted forward and rushed to catch, and it was only after he caught the package that he breathed again.

When he turned his head, the young man’s thin body had already rushed in the midst of the battle.

Ah Yan turned his eyes away from the killing and looked at Xiao Liu; it was impossible to tell whether his glance was filled with happiness or sadness. The young man chuckled and said quietly, “The children of Tian Zhan always die with their brothers.”

The torrential rain was like an elegy from the heavens, marking the final stand of the last loyal men of the dying dynasty—the end of men who chose to smile to their graves.

The leader hugged the package close, but his attention was in the distance, on those two figures fighting back to back. His eyes glimmered for a moment, but then he bit his lips and turned away.

If he could, he would have chosen to die a thousand deaths for his brothers, but he couldn’t.

This tiny thing in his arms was almost weightless, but the duty to keep it safe was heavy as a mountain. Before he fulfilled his oath, he could not put it down.

The sounds of battle disappeared into the rain and night, and the leader dashed forward faster than lightning. Behind the gap between the peaks of the mountain appeared a small group of trees.

Happiness filled the man’s eyes. His destination was just past that group of trees.

But his eyes suddenly froze as he turned around. “Who is there!”

The dark woods were silent, and the sound of leaves tossing in the wind was like the clapping of evil spirits. His powerful shout sank into the silence.

The leader frowned and focused his true force. He directed his voice to the cottage hidden behind the trees, “The Emperor’s heir ask to see Valley Master and requests Valley Master to fulfill the agreement passed down from generation to generation!”

He called out three times, but no sound returned from the woods, and no light appeared in the cottage.

The leader’s heart sunk, and he knew something had happened. He took three slow steps back, took his bearings, and covered his back with an old tree that had a decent vantage point.

The place had the best view of the area, and the tree could protect his back. If there were enemies in the woods, they wouldn’t be able to surround him.

Choosing the most advantageous position in dangerous situations was a lesson all members of Blood Pagoda learned.

The man took every precaution, and before he leaned against the old tree, he had already examined every part of it and found nothing suspicious. It would not harm him.

But just as his back touched the tree, he roared and dashed away.

When he landed, his leg was already covered in blood.

Men came out of the woods, and several old men in grey robes appeared silently and surrounded him.

The leader’s face paled, and his eyes pierced forward as he stared at the roots of the tree. There was nothing special, just moss and regular roots, but then the leader’s eyes flashed as if he had seen a demon crawling out of the earth.

There was no demon, just a lone hand pushing its way out of the dirt.

A small, pale hand like a child’s.

The woods were dark and blurred in the grey storm, and everything lost focus as the pale hand pushed out of the roots of the old tree. The leader’s heart raced, and his face barely kept its usual calm.

The hand pushed forward and slowly revealed an arm as the moss and roots were pushed aside. After a while, a raven-haired figure climbed up from under tree.

It raised its head, and the leader stepped back in shock.

The boy must have been six or seven, looking pale under the dark, furred coat that had camouflaged him against the tree trunk. The coat was ugly, but the child wore it like an imperial robe. Even though he stood in the rain like everyone else, muddied and soaked, his effortless posture could only be described one way—jade.

A pure and brilliant light like the most beautiful jade.

One could only imagine what such a beautiful child would become after reaching adulthood, and whether he would subdue everyone he met.

The leader hugged the package as he warily examined the child. He was not distracted from the fact that it was this harmless boy that had managed to quietly and patiently hide by that tree in the pouring rain, successfully ambushing him, a veteran expert.

A well-trained Blood Pagoda expert would always retreat to the most advantageous position, and even as cautious as he had been, he would never have expected a child to hide in a tiny space among the roots of the tree.

Had he been unlucky, or had this child predicted his movement?

If this had been intentional, then this child was already terrifying—he was familiar with Blood Pagoda’s training and understood where to hide, displaying bravery and careful patience, in addition to decisive ruthlessness.

If the leader had not reacted fast enough, his knife would have already cut into an artery.

The kid cocked his head and examined the leader curiously. His eyes swept past the package, and he indifferently spoke, “Some people are so foolish. What’s the point of sending so many people to chase after you all to die like dogs? Instead of chasing for a thousand miles, wouldn’t it be better to wait patiently by the tree for the hare? What do you think?”

The leader licked his lips, and his eyes flicked to the side. The boy spoke again, “There’s no point in looking, the person you’re waiting for is already gone.”

The leader’s gaze shook. The Valley Master had made an agreement with the founding emperor and would never leave before fulfilling his bargain. However, even after so much noise, the stone house behind the woods was silent.

He pushed down his despair and kept a cautious gaze on the child as he looked around at the others. On the other hand, the child just chuckled, his smile incomparably brilliant, but his eyes cold and biting.

“You don’t believe me? It was actually quite easy. What do you think would happen if, before you could reach these woods, someone had already come along with a Blood Pagoda Seal, carrying a treasure just like yours, asking for the Valley Master’s help? Tell me, what would the noble Valley Master do?”

The leader’s mind shook, and he glared at the child. “How could you know….”

This secret had been guarded by the Imperial Family for hundreds of years. How could this child know so much?

“How do you think?” A thin smile danced on the child’s lips, mocking and cold. “All secrets in this world will be revealed sooner or later as long as people have lips.”

The leader clenched his fists… Blood Pagoda had a traitor!

The Dynasty had fallen, and all the princes and dukes had surrendered. The loyal ministers were slaughtered, and now beneath the boundless heaven, only Blood Pagoda remained. Generation upon generation living under the auspices of the Imperial Family, free from every struggle, given only one duty—to protect the bloodline of the emperor. On this thousand miles chase, how many men had died? How many men had stood their ground to defend their backs until only the final few remained? Cang Yan, Lao Shi, San Hu, Xiao Liu … they were all elites of the squad with positions to match; each man’s loyalty was without a question. Every single one was a brother he would trust his life with, a brother he would die for.

Then… who betrayed them? Who could it be?

He couldn’t doubt. He didn’t dare to doubt. These thoughts could only destroy and bring darkness. If someone had betrayed them, then was all their loyalty and sacrifice fake? How could he accept that?

He exhaled a deep breath. Now was not the time to linger on these problems; after all, there was a more pressing matter at hand as he needed to fulfill his oath.

He stepped backward, and the grey-robed elders stepped forward, maintaining the same distance between them.

His heart sank again. There was no doubt that all of the old men were masters of martial arts with excellent judgment and power. With his exhaustion and injuries, he wasn’t a match for even one of them. He could see no way out of their encirclement.

The sound of the pouring rain faded away, and all that was left was heavy breathing. One of the grey-robed men raised his hand and pointed at the package the leader was protecting.

The leader narrowed his eyes and replied calmly, “You want this? Buy it with your life.”

The child smiled and waved his hand.

With a muffled thud, an object was thrown from the woods and landed heavily in the mud. For a moment, it was hard to tell what the thing was, but the leader stared at it, and his nails bit into his flesh as his hands tightened.

It was San Hu.

If it wasn’t for the relative shortness of the figure and the barely recognizable Blood Pagoda Seal at his waist, even San Hu’s clever little daughter might not be able to recognize her father’s corpse.

The leader remained silent and wordless, and the woods remained still. No one moved, and the air was heavy and tense.

But then someone opened their mouth and spoke nonchalantly.

“Such a great dynasty, but there is only your Blood Pagoda left, only you willing to fight with your life.” The child’s words were gentle with even a hint of sympathy. “I have to say that you all are really… foolishly loyal.”

“Do you see his fate?” The child pointed to the corpse, calm despite his youth. His indifference was enough to freeze a man’s spirit. “If you keep down this path, your fate will be no different.”

The leader lifted his eyes and looked at the child and smiled.

“Da Cheng Dynasty has our group of fools who will fight to the last…” He laughed. “When your dynasty falls, who will fight for you?”

“What a pity, you won’t see that day.” The child smiled faintly, his tone changing slightly. “But don’t you want your children to see it one day?”

The leader’s expression changed.

“Your family has difficulty producing heirs every generation.” The child looked at him, his face indifferent. “But with your generation, miraculously, there was you and your brother, but then your luck ended. Your brother married early but only has one boy, and even he is…” He chuckled and stopped.

The man’s face paled with anger, and his steady hands shook slightly. He stared at the child. and his eyes let some of his shock seep through.

Everything related to Blood Pagoda was the most well-kept secret. For someone in his position of leadership, and especially for his family’s private matters, there should be only a handful of people who even had access to that information. However, this child knew every detail like the back of his hand.

The child ignored his shock and continued calmly, “I know you aren’t afraid of death, and I know that riches and wealth can’t buy the loyalty of the leader of Blood Pagoda. However, I believe that the 37th generation head whose family has guarded Xue Fu Tu generation after generation is unwilling to let his family line end by his hands.”

The simple sentence struck the leader like a giant hammer. He fell back a step, his face distraught.

There was no hero that was afraid of death, but there were many great men trapped by responsibility.

If his family line ended with him today, he wouldn’t be able to face his ancestors in the afterlife.

The child’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “I won’t hurt you, and I won’t even ask you to do anything. Just put down the wrapping and walk away. Your family’s child can sleep safely.”

He lifted his palm to make the oath, and even his young, high pitched voice rang out solid and true. “I swear by the holy Ning Bloodline; let whoever breaks the oath have no heir!”

Everyone gathered in the woods paused for a moment in shock. The mighty Ning Family that had overthrown Da Cheng was actually related to the Imperial Family through marriage, and many hundred years ago, had been the royal family of its own sovereign kingdom, vassalized and annexed by Da Cheng long ago. He had sworn an oath on the bloodline of countless generations, a family line that even dared to title itself “Holy”.

The leader’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes took on a thoughtful look. He was clearly moved by the oath.

“Bring it here…” the child said after he had examined the man’s expression and posture. He reached forward, palm up, and waited.

In the darkness of the dim woods, that delicate wrist and jade palm stretched out. The child’s words had seeped into the leader’s very being like a delicate wisp of smoke, curling around his anxious heart.

“You are all that’s left of Blood Pagoda… No one under heaven will know. The people here will not speak, and no one will know what you have done…” A quiet voice almost cooed with temptation. “If you put that down, no one will ever bother your family again…”

The man was silent and thoughtful. His eyes were sad and alone, and he looked up into the night sky as if trying to peer into the darkness and find familiar faces.

Everyone held their breath and waited, waiting for him to give or to advance.

They waited for the end of the glorious dynasty, and they waited for the last spark to die.

The silence was heavy with the weight of a thousand souls, mired thickly, chaining down the body and thought.

The moment stretched on.

Finally, the man looked back at the boy and smiled.

The smile was a thin morning mist hanging in the oppressive gloom.

The child’s eyes narrowed and flashed with coldness.

The man’s hand was already raised, his palm red with his True Force.

The child’s pupils shrank, but he didn’t move.

The man didn’t move to release the package and instead lashed downward at his chest, directly into the silk wrapping.

At the same time, he laughed out with pain and grief, his voice shaking leaves from the trees around them.

“The kingdom has fallen; what is the fate of the family? Since it has come to this, let it end cleanly!”

The child’s eyebrow twitched as he flashed forward. As he moved, all the surrounding figures pounced forward like tigers. The dark grey shadows closed in like a tightened net, surrounding the man from all directions, moving to stop his strike.

But no matter how fast they were, they couldn’t reach him before his palm flashed down and hit the silk.

Before the cry could sound out in full, it was already cut off.

The weak cry reached feebly into the night, and like a spark, it fell and died.

The grey-robed men’s faces paled.

The child’s eyes turned a bitter cold as he stared at the leader. Even in his youth, he was already a young dragon stretching in the vast sky, peering down coldly at a leaping tiger.

But as his eyes swept over the silent and motionless silk wrapping, some doubt still remained.

But the man tossed the package away and laughed angrily. “You have died with the dynasty, what does it matter where you are buried!”

The silk wrapping flew forward.

Everyone turned their eyes to follow its flight, and the Flying Dragon Dancing Phoenix embroidery drew a golden arc in the air, falling toward the cliff behind the woods.

The child’s eyebrows were raised as he hurriedly commanded, “Stop it!”

Immediately, some of the grey-robed men jumped forward, but the man suddenly rushed forward past the elders and, with a cold light flashing in his hand, struck downward at the child’s skull.

All the men gasped in fear. They turned around and rushed toward the child, ignoring the embroidered silk wrapping. Just as the leader neared the child, he laughed out again. “Blood Pagoda and the dynasty live and die together. One does not outlive the other!”

As he cried out, he reached down and gripped San Hu’s mangled corpse. He then turned around and rushed toward the cliff even more quickly than the wrapping.

No one expected him to have such a burst of speed after the ten thousand miles chase, and at that moment, none of them could catch him. As they watched him turn away from attacking their master, they all sighed a breath of relief.

But all of a sudden, a shocking change occurred!

“Hong!”

The grey gloom under the heavens suddenly burst out in vibrant light, and a dark gold flower blossomed in the air. A giant blast of heat stopped the rain for a moment and filled its space with a downpour of blood and flesh.

In the black and red blast, the child collapsed silently.

The cries and shouts of the grey-robed men were abruptly cut off as their hearts froze in terror.

For a long while, red flesh fell quietly from where it had splattered on the trees, gathering in the mud in small piles—they were the last remains of a Blood Pagoda Guard whose body had been carelessly tossed out of the woods not so long ago.

The man had pretended to grab the corpse and run, but at the moment when his enemies let down their guard, he had triggered the explosive hidden in the body.

Robes flapped in the wind as all the men rushed forward toward their master.

A long, sorrowful laughter filled the air alongside the cloud of gunpowder.

“With our life dedicated to death, even as a corpse, we can take a calamity’s life. Third brother, you can rest now!”

The black-clothed man was soaked in blood. As he flew toward the cliff, he turned toward the piles scattered in the mud, and his eyes were filled with pain and relief.

All of the top brass of Blood Pagoda had a Thunder Pellet bomb planted in their body to trade even their last dignity for the lives of their enemies. Blood Pagoda Elites all had extraordinary survival and killing techniques, and whether they chased or were chased, all of them understood that one of their brothers might find a chance to take out an important figure while using their corpse to shake enemy morale. And so all of them had waited—even as each of them was surrounded and cut down one by one, they had all hidden patiently.

In death, what fear was there left for the body?

The man turned around, and the pain he felt was ignited as a powerful roar escape his lips.

The roar filled the dark woods like the cry of a great dragon, shaking a glistening dewdrop from a leaf that fell like a hero’s last tear.

The men surrounding the child were shocked by the roar, and all of them turned their heads in astonishment.

All they saw was a black and bloodied robe fall and disappear beyond the edge of the dark cliff.

Everyone was stunned, and their faces were ghastly pale in the gloomy light of the moon. When the black cloth finally disappeared beyond the cliff, they couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

But even in their relief, they couldn’t hide the change in their eyes as if they had lost something.

They had witnessed the greatness, the magnanimity, and now… the fall.

Six hundred years of prosperity over ten thousand miles of splendid rivers and majestic mountain. Ten thousand states coming from afar to pay homage, the Emperor’s mighty arm stopping streams and moving mountains… Their might unsurpassed under heaven, ruling the four seas… all the pride and glory of the brilliant Da Cheng Dynasty…

Today…

It fell, and the age turned.

==========

***

In the Sixteenth Year of He Guang,

After six hundred years of rule, the prosperous Da Cheng Dynasty was overthrown.

On the steps across the broken tiles and ruins of the golden and jade palaces were the corpses of the Imperial Family.

And so began the first year of the Tian Sheng Dynasty.

…

Chapter 1

The Twelfth Year of Chang Xi, Winter.

Tian Sheng Dynasty’s Capital, Dijing. [1]

On an early winter morning, a thin gossamer mist floated gently between the sky and the earth as its coolness fell upon the Xi Hua Valley, onto the clear and brilliant dark-red glazed tiles of the Qiu Family Mansion. The mist raised a faint layer of white-pink over the frost flowers on the glaze, softening the splendor and nobility of the building and revealing a gentler and cuter appearance, like a frost-covered persimmon.

A frozen persimmon…

Feng Zhiwei swallowed her saliva and rubbed her grumbling stomach.

A ripe, late autumn scarlet persimmon frosted by the first snows of winter and lightly flavored with the Nine Exquisite Honeys. It was offered on a delicate Jing Feng Snow Porcelain Cup, which was vibrant red, brilliant, and made of precious jade and masterwork glass. With a gentle bite and pursing of the lips, the refreshing coolness spread on the tongue and left the mouth with a subtle aftertaste of sweetness and flavor as it slid smoothly down the throat and into the middle of her chest where it rested. It emanated a soothing balm of ice, calming the unbearable parched heat in her body.

How unfortunate… that enjoyment was already a lifetime ago…

Feng Zhiwei was mesmerized but eventually tore her gaze away and let out a faint sigh, focusing on the slow strokes of here broom. All the snow on the road was swept into the artificial lake.

The cold wood still had some frost, but even though normal people would have avoided the freeze however they could, Feng Zhiwei only felt a comforting chill.

At that time, the tinkle of jade spotted the morning air, and brought with it a heavy fragrance. Feng Zhiwei continued her work, pressing on her broom gently. The frost fell to the ground and rolled slightly before coming to a stop.

“Oh, isn’t this our Young Lady Feng?” The feminine voice was tinged with a smile of scorn and freezing winter air. “What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

“As you see,” Feng Zhiwei looked back as she gathered the snow, “sweeping snow.” [2]

“This is servant’s work, how could they let our noble and esteemed niece do this?” The young lady was around twenty years of age, and her face was made up elegantly, with the corners of her eyes turned up slightly and her cheeks dusted with silver-red rouge. This was the popular “Fei Ye makeup” in the Capital this winter. “If your Uncle knew about this, I can’t even imagine how pained he would be.”

Feng Zhiwei smiled and lowered her eyes.

“Uncle attends to a myriad of affairs daily, how could I trouble him with insignificant matters? It is enough that Fifth-Aunt cares for me.”

“That’s true. Your Uncle is both Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies and the Commander of the Flying Shadow Guard. He’s one of the top military officers of Tiang Sheng Dynasty. He has no time to manage the backyard affairs. You know what is appropriate, and Fifth Aunt will take care of you.”

Fifth Aunt was the fifth wife of Feng Zhiwei’s maternal uncle, and had fallen into disfavor long ago. Fifth Aunt looked at Feng Zhiwei’s amiable and downturned face with satisfaction… This girl was always good-tempered and wouldn’t react when others pushed her. It was hard to imagine that the shameless Qiu Family Great Aunt could give birth to such a gentle daughter.

“Aunt, why are you out here alone?” Feng Zhiwei asked, stepping to the side and standing humbly, holding the broom slantwise in a respectful stance. She even omitted the word “fifth”.

Fifth Aunt was delighted. She tapped her lips with a slender scarlet-painted nail and her smile showed in her beautiful eyes. With a smile, she said, “There are some important people coming over, and I might need to accompany… En, you don’t need to ask.”

Feng Zhiwei kept her face downturned and expressionless… Tian Sheng’s Dynasty had very open customs, and the royalty and ministers were even more dissolute. In their daily interactions, sharing beauties together and gifting concubines was commonplace.

The Qiu Family Mansion had many concubines. Among them, Fifth Aunt was young and was not favored by Feng Zhiwei’s uncle, and so she was lonely. Today, she had dressed up and headed to the front yard alone likely because she had heard that one noble or another had come over and so she planned to have a “beautiful encounter” with him and maybe regain some status and change her fate.

Feng Zhiwei just didn’t know who the poor devil was.

“How can there be no one to serve you, Aunt?” Feng Zhiwei put down her broom and reached out to take Fifth Aunt’s arm. “Allow me.”

“No! Your hands are dirty!” Fifth Aunt yelled as she slapped Feng Zhiwei’s hands away, her eyes looking down disdainfully at the latter’s snow-covered fingers. She turned her eyes from Zhiwei’s fingers to the unhealthy redness between her brows and took a step away as if she was near a seriously ill person.

Feng Zhiwei smiled humbly and withdrew her hands into her sleeves.

“You are already fifteen, you shouldn’t be always staying in the backyard.” Fifth Aunt stood by a pile of snow and glanced at Feng Zhiwei. “Some other day, I’ll talk to the madam to match you with a man. You know him, Front Yard Manager Liu’s son. He’s not bad.”

Not bad at all. Even after five full years in a private school, he still couldn’t memorize the Three Character Classic.

Feng Zhiwei kept her smile which became gentler and calmer. On her slightly pale face, a pair of beautiful misty eyes shone brightly, decorating her face with a dancing light, gradually giving birth to charm and elegance.

Fifth Aunt cast another glance at her and was moved. This girl, if it wasn’t for her unhealthy color, then she would be a real beauty. No wonder people said she looked like that person…

But what was a beautiful appearance? With such an infamous birth, what was this sickly, short-lived girl? An empty beauty, destined to wither and fall in the mud.

Fifth Aunt smiled coldly and felt that she had already wasted too much time talking with this girl. Any other day, she wouldn’t even be in the mood to say anything to her. If she wasn’t happy because Prince Chu was coming and had asked her to meet him in the backyard secretly, she would have never cared about this girl’s marriage.

She lifted her chin and snorted coldly. Prince Chu was known as the most handsome and romantic man in Tian Sheng Dynasty. When Fifth Aunt thought about how she would no longer face these lonely days in the Qiu Family Mansion, even the tip of her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes were filled with happiness. She lifted her foot and started to walk.

“Chi…”

Her foot suddenly slipped on the ice, and she slipped backward screaming. She flailed and grabbed at the air, and her fingers reached for the broomstick stuck in the snow.

Feng Zhiwei moved quickly and took her broom.

Fifth Aunt only caught air as she fell heavily against the slippery ice on the ground and slid over to the lake. The winter water’s coldness could pierce through the bone.

Fifth Aunt yelled out in a panic while she slid uncontrollably. “Help! Help!”

Feng Zhiwei watched as the woman slid on the ground and unhurriedly returned her hands into her sleeves, saying gently. “No, my hands are dirty.”

“Putong!”

The sound of a person falling into water was in the end so light and subtle. Feng Zhiwei smiled and walked over to the shore with her broom in hand. Surprisingly, Fifth Aunt knew some moves and was still struggling in the water, but the lake was so cold that her face was already blue. Her smooth hair bun had already fallen apart, and wisps of her hair were stuck to her face like small snakes swimming around. She was too cold to make a sound, or maybe she knew that Feng Zhiwei was not going to save her, so she struggled back to the shore.

…

[1] 帝京– Loosely translated, King (/emperor) Capital

[2] “如您所见,”凤知微回头,将扫帚拢拢,”扫雪.” There’s some nice flavor here that is difficult to translate smoothly, so here’s a general explanation. Feng Zhiwei uses 您 which is the formal second person form of address. This indicates a formal respect, at least on the surface. However, she does not stop what she is doing and doesn’t turn around fully to face the speaker, and she replies tersely and without addressing the other with their appellation (title/position etc.)