The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #132

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“Do you see clearly now? You can get lost now!” With a raise of his hand, Chun Yu tossed the man’s burley body away. 

Seeing the man landed with a resounding thud a few feet away, dead silence descended on the crowd. 

“Who is this guy?” Watching the men struggling to get up, Zhi Wei asks. 

“Kuercha’s eldest son.” Peony leans close to Zhi Wei’s ear and wipers “He is refusing to give up his military control over twenty thousand men.” 

“The Golden Lion’s royal army is different from the other tribes’ own army.” Zhi Wei says, “Because of the Golden Lion’s support of the Emperor, the Golden Lion’s royal army is not only independent but a portion of its food ration is supplied by Yun Province. (So the emperor is paying for part of the royal army’s food). He is not willing to give up control? This is simple. I will write a letter and have Chun Yu deliver it to the governor of Yun Province. I will tell the governor that currently the wild grassland has enough food stored but since a big snowstorm is expected this winter and there is not a big enough grain storage on the wild grassland, we shall request to store half of the grain in Yun Province’s storage. Then…you know what to do.” 

A look of delight crosses Peony’s face but then hesitates “I know, take the rest of the grain of those twenty thousand men. But how are we going to have enough to feed those twenty thousand men once we regain control?” 

“Then we will just go ask for more.” Zhi Wei smiles, “Chun Yu is going to take a portion of the wedding guards with him to the Yun province military base. At that point, the Golden Lion tribe can just send over some additional men- just enough as a token gesture. It will be a goodwill gesture of helping the emperor so Yun Province would not try to keep the grain.” 

“ My precious Zhi Wei.” Peony excitedly grabs her hand “To be able to get you as his bride is certainly my Lucky’s good fortune…” 

Zhi Wei smiles but suddenly sees out of the corner of her eyes a white shadow flashing by. It was Zong Chen calling for her. 

Excusing herself, Zhi Wei walks with Zong Chen to a corner. Zong Chen says “We investigated Kelie. The moment he left the tent meeting, he immediately headed for Saint Da Ma’s place. He then came back here before you guys. After you guys are back, he has been wandering around. Seeing how heavily guarded we are, he stopped trying to get close. This person is indeed suspicious. You should be careful.” 

“There must be some connection between him and Hong Jile.” Zhi Wei says, “Let’s make sure the second palace is guarded well. I still need to go deal with that old guy and the pile of relatives.” 

Walking through the crowd, the tribe leaders all saw what had just happened but they collectively pretended ignorance. 

After the golden tent meeting, all the tribe leaders gained first hand knowledge that this woman is not to be trifled with. It is obvious that these young lads who have their sights set on the throne are about to have a rude awakening. 

The tribe leaders came bright and early to pay their respect to Saint Da Ma who rarely leaves his monastery. The old guy is 113 years old, he is the oldest person on the wild grassland. After guiding the tribes out of various hardships throughout the years, he is revered and has widespread respect among the people. Helian is about to officially take the throne and the ceremony must be presided over by Saint Da Ma. 

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“Saint!” The tribe leaders bow on the floor outside of the old man’s door, reverently paying their respect. 

“Helian! Helian!” A raspy breathless voice came from inside the room, hollering for Helian. 

Taking hold of Zhi Wei’s hand, Helian walks into the room. 

Even though the weather is not exactly cold, the room has three fire basins in it. Sitting on a carpet facing the door, Saint Da Ma whose body has shrunken in his old age about the size of a child is peering through a binocular towards the door’s direction. 

Greeted by a binocular sticking right in front of her face, Zhi Wei was quite startled.

“This woman–” Seeing a giant Feng Zhi Wei appearing in his binocular lens, Saint Da Mu suddenly roared “Get out!” 

Helian stood dumbfounded. 

The smile on the tribe leaders’ face froze. 

Peony who was about to step across the door, completely forgot what she was doing and stood with one foot inside the threshold and the other out. 

In the dead of silence, only Feng Zhi Wei expression remained normal. Standing with her hands clasped behind her, with a slightly chilling smile, she asks “Why?” 

“You are a she-wolf lurking in the grassfield. Every hair on you carries incurable poison.” With a body that looks like dried up sticks of wood, Saint Da Ma hissed “You are dragging a trail of blood and war behind you and it will eventually spread to the fertile grassland. You are Helian’s curse and death trap. Him holding you on his arm is like him walking with a skeleton.” 

In the courtyard, there was a collective sharp intake of breath. Saint Da Ma has lived a quiet life, has foretold countless people’s fate but he has never uttered such chilling statements. 

“Oh?” Her tone remaining exactly the same, Feng Zhi Wei asks with a smile “If I remember right, I just met you so how can you be so certain?”

Giving her a glance, Saint Da Ma doesn’t reply. 

Not backing down, Zhi Wei calmly stands in front of him, her gaze unwavering. 

“You can’t be the grand queen.” After a while, Saint Da Ma calms down a bit, “I will allow you to remain next to Helian as his woman. This is my biggest blessing I can grant you. You can leave now.” (Meaning instead of being the queen, he wants Zhi Wei to be Helian’s concubine.) 

“No!” 

This wasn’t said by Zhi Wei but was uttered by Helian who had just come to his senses. 

“He is my grand queen!” Stepping forward, his voice firm as steel “There will be no one else!”

“Helian, are you crazy!” Saint Da Ma abruptly sits straight up, his dry withered body seemingly puffed up with anger, “Do you want to die?”

“So what? What she-wolf? What skeleton? What curse and death trap? No one knows better than me what kind of person Zhi Wei is. My yearning for her to be my grand queen is like the eagle yearns to soar in the sky– Saint Da Ma, you don’t need to say anything more concerning this matter! Who knows if your prophecy is wrong this time?” 

“King!” This time the shout came from the tribe leaders. Saint Da Ma is the god of grasslands. How can Helian question his prophecy? 

“It is just giving up the position of the grand queen,” Some thought perhaps Helian doesn’t dare to go against the Emperor and tries to reason with him, “There have been other Han women given by the Emperor who didn’t end up becoming the grand queen. The wild grassland has wild grassland rules. The Emperor usually doesn’t meddle with these matters. King, you don’t have to worry about these sorts of things.” 

“I am not afraid of offending the Emperor!” Helian retorts, “My mind will not be changed, no one else, just her!” 

“King! Anyone who goes against Saint Da Ma without a reasonable cause will have to be punished by being whipped publicly!” 

By this time the sounds of their arguing had already reached outside. The hundred plus nobles crowded around the door and upon hearing the man’s words someone started to yell “Tell this Han woman to get lost!” 

“Tell her to get lost!” 

“The wild grassland will not harbor a she-wolf with evil intent!” 

“Get lost!” 

“You get lost!” Standing behind the crowd a furious Chun Yu yells angrily and starts to motion for his men to start fighting. Zhi Wei calmly turned her head, signaled with her hand for Chun Yu to hold back. Her gaze swept through the crowd. Everyone who met her misty yet chilling gaze all shiver unconsciously. Unable to get themselves to utter the curses anymore, the crowd continues to block the door, their expression still full of hostility. 

Helian started to laugh coldly. 

He suddenly took big strides towards Saint Da Ma. The tribe leaders thought he wanted to do something to the saint and yelled in alarm “King, you can’t…” 

Yet all Helian did was to pull a young monk out from behind Saint Da Ma to him. The young monk had been standing behind Saint Da Ma holding a thorny whip. The thorny whip has always been reverently held behind Saint Da Ma wherever he goes, but no one had ever personally experienced it. As the holy living god, the people of grassland have always worshiped the Saint, no one would think to go against him. 

Gripping the thorny whip in hand, there was a momentary expression of confusion in Helian’s eyes. He is also a devout member of the grassland who worshiped the Saint. Before today, he had never thought to disobey the Saint who is like a grandfather to him. He even hoped that Saint Da Ma would favor Zhi Wei like he did his mother and helped the new grand queen to become fully accepted by the wild grassland and she, in turn, would fall in love with the land. 

But things are not always to be as one hopes. 

The expression of confusion was only there momentary before he immediately gripped the thorny whip tightly. The whip really is just a sturdy cow whip that is wrapped with countless thorns. With a tightening of his hand, Helian’s hand begins to bleed, droplets of blood dripping onto the ground. 

Seemingly not noticing the blood at all, Helian grabs Blue Bear tribe leader Hute and pulls him out of the room. Confused, Hute follows behind as an equally confused crowd part to each side to let them pass. 

In a move, Zhi Wei blocks Helian’s path and says mildly “Go back. There is no reason to suffer bodily harm unnecessarily. Grand queen or not, it is not important.” 

Helian pushes her aside and laughs “I have never done anything for you. You at least have to give me a chance.” 

In the time Zhi Wei blinks with surprise, Helian has already walked away with big strides, blood dripping from his palm trailing all the way until he reaches the outer courtyard. In front of the hundred plus nobles of the wild grassland, he ascended to the seat on the high platform that was originally set up to honor him. Kicking over the seat, Helian gives the whip to Hute, takes off his shirt revealing his honey colored firm skin, kneeling down with his back to the crowd and yells “Come on!” 

Helian’s yell shocked everyone. He is really going to kneel on this high platform, in front of everyone, as the king, to be whipped! 

Despite kneeling on the ground, Helian holds his body tall and proud as he declares loudly towards the direction of where Saint Da Ma is “To disobey the Saint is punishable by whipping. I don’t need to be judged, I will take the punishment myself!” 

He will judge himself and punish himself, telling everyone clearly — I will disobey no matter what. 

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