The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #102

“….something big happened?” A few of the prison guards are chatting as they make their rounds, “we saw a lot of soldiers rushing towards the direction of West Huai street.” 

“I have never seen soldiers with that particular style of uniform but they sure look scary and intimidating. Did some clan do something wrong?”

“To send out over a thousand men in one shot, dang!”

The keys on the guards’ waist jiggled as their footsteps got further and further away. Listening intently, the corner of Madam Feng’s lips slowly pulls into a strange smile. 

The time has come. 

She stood up abruptly, her hand shot out and suddenly pulled a small but sharp ax from her bag! Before the dumbfounded Feng Hao could give any response, she had already raised the ax and thrown a hack at the wooden prison fence! 

*split* The thick wooden panel promptly broke into two. Ignoring the flying wood chips, the ax in Madam Feng’s hand makes a second contact. 

Grabbing his head with his hands, Feng Hao lets out a scream and retreats to the corner of his prison cell in fear. His eyes wide with shock as he stares at Mada Feng frantically hacking at the prison door– mother is crazy! Is she planning on breaking him out of prison? Is this possible? What sort of person will try to break out of prison by hacking at the door with so many people around? 

 “Mother, you have gone crazy!” He screams as he presses his back against the stone cold wall in fear then yells loudly towards outside, “She is crazy, she is crazy! I didn’t tell her to break me out of prison! It’s not me, it’s not me!” 

The ear splitting loud raucous made the prison guards who had just barely walked past promptly turned around in disbelief— there is really someone in this world that would attempt a prison escape right in front of the guards?! They were so stunned that they stood there staring in disbelief. 

Seemingly not hearing any of Feng Hao’s screams, Madam Feng broke through the door in a few wacks, stepped into the prison cell and started running out after grabbing Feng Hao’s hand. “Son, let’s go!” 

Pulled by Madam Feng, the still shell shocked Feng Hao stumbled a step forward but immediately came to his senses and pulled himself backward with all his might, “No, no, no…I am not going with you, you are crazy, you are trying to kill me!” He won’t die sitting in prison but to escape prison by force is a crime punishable by death! 

Feng Hao struggles violently but Madam Feng’s hand firmly clasped around his waist in an iron grip. While struggling in terror, Feng Hao wonders how his mother still kept up with her fighting skills? By this point, the guard has recovered from their shock and is running towards their direction. Someone is yelling in anger: “Catch them!” Someone has dashed out to ask for backups while more and more people seem to be closing in on them. 

With a hand on Feng Hao, Madam Feng kicks up the little pack, swinging it onto her back before charging at full speed out again. In the mess of chaos and terror, Feng Hao’s dazed gaze falls on his mother’s face and suddenly discovers that there is a bizarre expression on it. As more and more guards rush in, a strange smile surfaced on her lips while at the corner of her eyes, a single droplet of tear silently falls down. With a tilt of her head as the droplet of tears disappears into her hairline, her expression changed to one of unrelenting determination. His little heart quivering with fear, Feng Hao looks around at the crowd of guards that has completely blocked their exit while his hand is still firmly in his mother’s. In the next instant, Feng Hao hears his mother’s voice whispering by his ear: “Hao Er, I am sorry.” 

At the same time, the Qiu manor’s door is kicked open immediately followed by soldiers rushing in. Surrounding Madam Feng and Feng Zhi Wei’s courtyard, a captain walks out and yells: “Where is Feng Zhi Wei!” 

Three days ago. 

On the west side of the palace, quite close to where the Cold Palace is, there is a forbidden area that only the top royal family members know and it houses a dungeon that is heavily patrolled by the Gold Feather Guards. (Cold Palace is an area in the palace where the emperor banishes his wives and concubines that have fallen out of favor with him.) The dungeon has sat empty for over ten years but today, it finally has new guests. 

Under the flickering lantern light that shines on the deep green metal wall, Madam Feng sits on the floor with her legs crossed and eyes closed without saying a word. Feng Hao sits cowering across from her, his body trembling as he looks around at the dungeon surrounding that is scarier than his last prison cell. 

“Mother! Mother!” He crawls to Madam Feng, the shackles on him clinking as his hands shake his unmoving mother, “Where is this? How did it come to this? Tell me! Tell me!”  

Madam Feng slowly opens her eyes, her gaze is as calm as the depth of the sea. “This is Gold Feather Guard’s Dungeon. A top secret dungeon of the royal family.” Quietly looking at Feng Hao, she explains “In other words, the Heaven Dungeon that exists in legends.” 

Sucking in a cold breath, FengHao’s face contorted, “Mother! What crime did we commit that we are being locked away in the Heaven Dungeon?” Struck by a sudden thought, he asks “Is it because you tried to break me out of the prison?”  Getting on his feet, Feng Hao says bitterly, “I didn’t tell you to do that, I didn’t!”

“Go explain to them clearly!” Pulling Madam Feng up, Feng Hao demands, “Tell them that you did this on your own! It has nothing to do with me, get them to let me out, I will come back and rescue you after I am out!” 

Staring at him with a steady gaze for a few moments, Madam Feng finally lets out a sigh, closes her eyes and falls silent. 

Seeing the futility of his efforts with his mother, Feng Hao throws himself against the prison door and pounds on it loudly, “Let me out! Let me out! It wasn’t me that was trying to escape prison! I am innocent!” 

No one paid him any heed, the only thing that came back was his voice echoing off the metal walls.

“It’s no use.” Madam Feng’s airy voice comes from behind him, “This is a metal prison with countless traps. There is no need to have guards. Moreover, the walls are made of thick metals, no sound will get out.”

“You are crazy!” Feng Hao abruptly turns around, his eyes red as he glares at Madam Feng and demands through gritted teeth, “Even if you want to kill yourself, why are you dragging me with you!” 

“It might not be a path to certain death.” The expression in Madam Feng’s eyes was complicated with a mix of sadness and gladness. 

“What do you mean?” Feng Hao immediately asks hopefully with bright eyes. 

“I have some past matters that have dragged you in.” Madam Feng smooths her son’s messy hair and explains gently, “These are matters that you have no knowledge of and should stay that way. You know well that there are some matters that will only harm you if you gain knowledge of them.” 

Feng Hao nods, he has spent enough years among the noble families to know the truth of his mother’s words. 

“As they say, one can’t blame those who are ignorant of the crime. Whatever wrongs there are, I will bear them. So you just need to remember to be mindful of your words.” Madam Feng holds her son’s hand, “In the next few days, no matter what happens, you just need to say that you don’t know anything. You must remember that.” 

“Alright.” Feng Hao nods, “I tell them that I don’t know anything and then I will be able to get out of here?” 

Looking deep into his eyes, Madam Feng says after a few moments: “Yes.”

With half of a forced smile, Feng Hao stares at Madam Feng intently and asks in a hushed tone: “Mother, I am your son, you can’t lie to me.” 

Madam Feng looks over Feng Hao’s disheveled state. There are small scratch marks on his face that were the result of being dragged in by the Gold Feather Guards. Fang Hao has always lived on the finest things she could provide for him and has never suffered any sort of physical hardship. If this has been in the past, he would’ve been screaming bloody murder but now, he is so scared for his life that he has completely forgotten to whine to her. Pulling out a small tube of medicinal cream she had carefully hidden away that had avoided Gold Feather Guards’ discovery, Madam Feng gently pulls her son’s head towards her and says: “Let me put some medicine on you.” 

Obediently turning his head to the side, Feng Hao feels his mother’s hand ever so gently moving on his face, her touch was cool as she says softly “Hao Er, don’t worry, I will always be with you.” 

“Mmm.” Feng Hao replies, his heart somewhat assured. Feeling the pain on his face fading away, a bubbling sense of fatigue suddenly rush up within him. Wrapping his arms around his mother’s waist, Feng Hao yawns: “Then I will get some sleep.” 

Madam Feng softly pats his back, like when he was small. Even though there is still a lingering sense of uneasiness inside him but Feng Hao feels the fatigue washing over him like waves until he couldn’t resist the bone deep exhaustion and falls asleep in his mother’s arms. 

Sitting on the prison cell’s dry hay, Madam Feng lowers her head to look at her son’s slightly frowning sleeping countenance. Her finger tenderly traces the outline of his eyes and brows, again and again until every inch is carved into her heart. Abruptly feeling something wet falling and is about to land on Feng Hao’s face, Madam Feng’s hand shoots out in a lighting move to catch it in her palm. She looked at the droplet for a long moment. Then, slowly, more tears fell.

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