The Rise of Phoenixes- Novel Translation 16

Zhi Wei froze as she remembers the statue and the seductive position it was in.”
“See that secret passage?” Ning Yi angrily points towards the passage’s direction “My father. That father of mine still wanted to satisfy his own carnal desire after all. He couldn’t risk other people seeing him coming here so he had this passage built, had the statue made…made THAT!”
Getting more furious as he spoke, Ning Yi finally coughed out a mouthful of blood, followed by more incessant coughing.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhi Wei slowly reaches out a hand and direct a bit of her energy to run through his body. Thinking back to the statue she saw, Zhi Wei can understand why Ning Yi is so furious. Someone like the Emperor who built such a passage with such a statue, there was simply no chance a man like that would allow Ning Yi’s mother to truly devote herself to her belief.
As for Ning Yi’s mother… What and how did she endure for a chance to spend a few precious moments with her son? Perhaps she had remained silent out of fear that if she opened her mouth then the tears couldn’t be stopped.”

“…She is a very pious person. If she was going to do something, then she would do it sincerely…” Supporting himself by holding the bed frame with his hands, Ning Yi mutters “She was a nun but she still had to…how tormented she must’ve been…”
Silence fall as Ning Yi voice trails off as he stares at the fire basin.
Zhi Wei’s hand is still pressed against his back…and for a second, she started to reach towards his shoulder but finally slowly pulls back after the hand hangs mid-air for a long moment.

 

Turning to stare at Zhi Wei as the fire cast a gentle amber light on her face along with the slightest sign of pain hiding in her brows, Ning Yi suddenly grabs her hand and says after a long moment of silence “Zhi Wei…”

This is the first time he called her by name, Zhi Wei looks up in surprise.

Shaken by her clear transparent gaze, eyes that seem to hold the world…a world he wants to spend his whole life in, Ning Yi finally blurt out the words that have been hiding deep within.

“Zhi Wei, even if the whole world is against me, the only thing I care about is that you are not one of them.”

Her body trembles at Ning Yi’s words. In contrast to the paleness of his face, Ning Yi’s eyes seem especially dark as if a deep bottomless abyss is hiding in them…instantly making Zhi Wei’s heart quiver. She has never seen such expression nor has she ever imagined that he would say such heartfelt words to her one day. From the moment they met, they were instantly mired in each other’s conspiracy, suspicion, probing, avoidance, everything under the sun. Except for trust…they have never had.

 Yet, right at this moment he is holding her hand, earnestly, at the most intimate distance, calling her name.

The rain is pouring outside, she is enveloped by the warmth from the fire basin even as the smoke seems to be fanning the turmoil in her.

Returning his stare, the words “How could I!” almost burst out of her but suddenly loud yells from a crowd of people breaks through the sound of rain and silence.

As the sound of steps come closer, the yells also became clear “Check over here!”

Zhi Wei and Ning Yi both jumped with alarm.

What chaos would it raise if Prince Helian’s fiancée and Ning Yi were found together in a room in a state of undress?!

In one smooth move, Zhi Wei jumps up, grabs her clothes and begins to put them on as she darts over to the window only to see a group of guards has already arrived.

Quickly buttoning up her clothes, Zhi Wei suddenly remembers the other day Princess Shao Ning had said “The best is yet to come…” while standing at the palace garden. Come to think of it, this place is behind the palace garden and Princess Shao Ning was looking right towards this direction when she said it.

It’s her own fault that she got distracted first by the rain then Ning Yi so she didn’t even make the connection.

Princess Shao Ning’s laugh can be heard now as the crowd gets closer “Prince Helian, I have been here once when I was young. It has long been abandoned but it will probably be good to check anyway. Who knows perhaps Zhi Wei mistakenly came this way….”

Zhi Wei abruptly turns around, her gaze meeting Ning Yi’s who has been putting on his clothes as well and they both instantly realize what Princess Shao Ning is planning. The plan is quite simple really. The only thing Princess Shao Ning wants is to catch Ning Yi at this place. As long as she can catch him here, then there is nothing Ning Yi could say to clear his own name. On the day when everyone is celebrating Royal Concubine Chang’s birthday in the palace, if Ning Yi is found here then the Emperor, who knows the real meaning of this place will be displeased and become suspicious of Ning Yi.

Ning Yi knows full as well that he can’t be found here or else he would not have chosen to show up here without a single guard on the day when the whole palace is preoccupied with the festivities.

As for Zhi Wei…no one expected her to be here. She was just the unlucky gal at the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, if she was to be discovered with Ning Yi, then the damage to her reputation is a small matter but she won’t be able to escape unscathed either if something else worse resulted from it.

Their gaze meets again, both know clearly what’s at stake.