The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #365

Cold sweat had instantly drenched her back.

Consort Mi’s daughter! 

The fact that Consort Mi had given birth to a daughter– this she knew. When she had forced her way into the inner hall back then, the child had already disappeared. Once she got this information after interrogating the nanny, she immediately had the nanny killed. But somehow, this secret still got out. She tried to recall Consort Mi’s appearance and compared it with that little girl named Gu Zhi Xiao, but her mind just went blank— as the high and exalted Empress, she had always despised the concubines and rarely spared a direct glance at their direction. After Consort Mi went mad, she painted her face like a ghost every day. Over time, everyone gradually forgot what she really looked like. Only now, did she finally realize this had all been Consort Mi’s painstaking design! 

After interrogating the nanny, she immediately raced toward the Emperor’s bedchamber— no matter what, she has to take care of the girl today! 

And now, as she stared coldly at Gu Zhi Xiao, she was contemplating how to deal with her. The girl’s identity was a problem. She was the adopted daughter of Marquis Wei of Tiansheng. If she died in Xiliang’s palace, they would not be able to explain this to the Marquis Wei. Wei Zhi was a formidable man. It might cause countless troubles if they touched one of his people. A Shu (the Regent) had also repeatedly reminded her to take good care of this little girl, but how could she let her walk out of here alive when she knows of her identity now? 

Her eyes flickered as her mind kept going back and forth, unable to decide. 

Seeing her expression, Feng Zhen Wei’s heart sank, and she quietly inched several steps forward. 

She had only taken a few steps when two big, burly eunuchs stopped her with outstretched arms and barked, “You ignorant girl! Step back!” 

Feng Zhi Wei quickly lowered her head and retreated to the side, silently calculating the distance she would have to cross if Empress Dowager made a move. While calculating thus, she was also busy musing that Empress Dowager Dong and the Regent are truly a match for one another– even within this heavily guarded inner palace, they still remember to plot their every step. 

On the Empress Dowager Dong’s side, she has already made up her mind. No matter what happened today, she has to make sure to end the child’s life before all else!

But she absolutely cannot do it in front of so many people– not a single outsider must be present. 

She stood rigid and tall as she barked sharply, “Emperor!” 

Her voice was not loud, but there was authority in it. The young emperor, who had grabbed a paperweight and was about to strike a maid on the head with it, was so startled that he stopped mid-motion and raised his head to look at her. 

“Emperor, stop making trouble.” Wearing a kindly expression, Empress Dowager Dong said, “Go get on the palanquin first. I need to teach Miss Gu some etiquette, and I will come right after.” 

The young emperor’s face lit up with joy, and he asked with wide eyes, “Really?”

“When has your mother ever lied to you?” Empress Dowager Dong smiled lovingly as she personally lifted him down from the table, straightened his crooked hat before handing him to a palace maid, and gave her a meaningful glance at the same time, “Quickly escort the emperor to the palanquin. Don’t miss the auspicious appointed time.” 

 “Mother.” The young emperor lay trustingly on the palace maid’s shoulder and reached his hand towards her, “You two, hurry up, okay?”

“Rest assured, Emperor.” Empress Dowager Dong smiled as she watched him leave. Then she turned around, her voice calm as she said, “Leave us all of you. Oh, Nanny Li, stay.” 

Her trusted palace maid, Nanny Li, bowed while all the other filed out one after another. Feng Zhi Wei remained standing until the eunuch who had brought her in tugged secretly at her sleeve and whispered, “Go, let’s go.” 

How would Feng Zhi Wei be willing to leave at such a time, but in the second it took her to hesitate, a eunuch beside the Empress Dowager Dong was already casting a sharp glance her way. Her heart sank. After a moment’s thought, she realized this truly wasn’t the right time to make a move, so she could only grit her teeth and leave. 

As she stepped over the threshold, she stole a glance backward. Gu Zhi Xiao did not lift her head but kept clutching the cage, seemingly shrinking timidly into herself. Nanny Li pulled down the curtain, hiding the child’s small figure. 

Feng Zhi Wei stood in the outer hall, feeling uneasy even as she was signaling the hidden guards to find a way onto the roof. She is worried that if something truly happened inside, they might not be able to react in time. 

This was not like before when she could hide Gu Zhi Xiao deep within the palace, where no one dared to touch her. Now it seemed Empress Dowager Dong had found out about something. If she decides to make a move, how could Gu Zhi Xiao protect herself?

The palace attendants are all guarding the door so tightly that not even a fly could slip past their eyes. Feng Zhi Wei thought for a moment, then went close to the eunuch who had brought her in earlier and slipped a small pouch into his sleeve.

The eunuch, as one who had been appointed by Lu Rui for this task, was naturally a very smart person. With just a squeeze of his fingers, he knew what it was. Surprised, he looked toward Feng Zhi Wei. Feng Zhi Wei pursed her lips towards the two eunuchs and made a hand signal behind her back. 

A hidden guard hiding in the shadows flicked a pebble into the courtyard with a sharp snap sound. 

“What was that sound!” Someone immediately demanded. A crowd of eunuchs, nannies, and palace maids all headed in that direction, except the two eunuchs guarding the inner hall who remained unmoved. 

Having anticipated this, Feng Zhi Wei gave the eunuch who brought her in a look. Catching her meaning instantly, he staggered, as if losing his balance, and dropped a pouch that he had been holding. The pouch burst open on the ground, instantly releasing dazzling lights. It was a bag full of jewels and jade. 

The thousand golden brilliance instantly drew the two eunuchs’ attention. 

“You little thief! Stealing!” The two hurried over and right away stepped on the scattered jewels with their foot. 

“My two good brothers…please keep quiet…this, this…is a gift, a gift from me…” The eunuch wiped cold sweat from his brows, his fingers scraping at the ground beneath their feet. 

The two men exchanged a glance, greed flashing through their eyes as they bent down to pick up the items. 

With them bending over, Feng Zhi Wei, who had already slipped behind them, was able to slip into the hall. 

The spacious hall was thickly carpeted. The floor was littered with items the emperor had thrown earlier. Feng Zhi Wei carefully avoided the thrown items and slowly approached the curtained canopy behind the screen. 

She had only taken a few steps when something suddenly made a noise under her foot. A shout immediately came from inside the hall, “Who’s there?”

Empress Dowager Dong poked her head out and looked around cautiously. Assured when she didn’t see anyone, she withdrew. 

Feng Zhi Wei, clutching a tant hanging on the ceiling, wiped the sweat from her head— if she had not reacted quickly and leapt up, she would have been discovered. Once she was discovered, with Zhi Xiao being so close to them and that Nanny Li knowing some martial arts, it would have been troublesome if they then used Zhi Xiao as a hostage. 

More cautious this time, now that she knows there are hidden mechanisms in this hall that will cause certain places to make noise if stepped on. All the servants in the hall would have been aware of this, but the outsiders would not. 

She had no choice but to cautiously test each step by step as she moved forward. She heard Empress Dowager Dong say to Zhi Wei  in a voice that could almost be counted as loving, “Miss Gu, aren’t you going to change your clothes?”

Gu Zhi Xiao seemed to be shaking her head, clinging to her cage, refusing to let go. 

“This thing…” Empress Dowager Dong frowned as she stared at the owl inside the cage. Inwardly, she thought with disdain: As expected of a child of that lowly woman. Even when it comes to having a pet bird, she chose such an unlucky breed of bird. According to reports, this child is inseparable from this bird. How can she tolerate having such a repulsive thing. 

“You can’t take this bird to the royal hall. You must put it down.” 

Gu Zhi Xiao still shook her head, “It’s fun.”

“I have something even more fun.” Empress Dowager Dong said with a smile, her expression sincere. She pointed to a lamp on the wall behind the couch that was in the shape of a beautiful woman and said, “There is a hidden clock there. A western clock. If you twist it, a little bird will pop out to report the time. It sings very beautifully.” 

Behind her, Nanny Li’s body suddenly gave a slight shudder.

　All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com