Feng Zhi Wei picked at the rice in her bowl, thinking to herself: Could it be that in order to make this trip, Ning Yi had instructed the Minnan general to submit the petition to the emperor? That’s too much commotion and trouble for such a thing.
After the meal, Hua Qiong pulled her out for a walk, making it clear that no men were allowed to follow. Ning Yi just smiled and watched the two slowly making their way toward the garden, a faint, strange look in his eyes.
Hua Qiong led Feng Zhi Wei through several twists and turns before finally stopping in a place she deemed sufficiently secluded. Without any preamble, she got straight to the point: “I have already found quite a few of the old Fire Phoenix troops, and have received His Majesty’s approval. I am forming the Fire Phoenix Army again. The people in this area are known for their fierce nature, and women have a low social status. Besides the veteran soldiers from back then, there are surprisingly many women willing to enlist. Once the Ten Thousand Mountains are opened up and counties are established, there are plenty of women from the various tribes with exceptional, unique skills. I reckon we will gain another wave of fresh recruits. In the future, the Fire Phoenix Army may exceed our expectations.”
Feng Zhi Wei said nothing, clasping her hands behind her back as she pondered. After a while, she said, “A-Qiong, even though I have never explicitly said it outright, I think you understand my intentions. This is no child’s play. It’s something that can cost one’s head and wipe a clan out. I must remind you, it’s not too late to back out now.”
“Eh? You made a trip to Xiliang and got your head all muddled?” Hua Qiong scoffed with a laugh, “You should know that the moment the petition to rebuild the Fire Phoenix was given, there was no turning back!”
“Then why are you still helping me like this?” Feng Zhi Wei turned around, her misty eyes quietly gaze at her only female confidant.
“I didn’t think that much about it.” Huao Qiong leapt onto a rock on the artificial mountain, plucked a wild blade of grass, and chewed on the root with relish, “I guess this is my nature? I have been wild since I was little, never one for calm and quiet. My father always said I wasn’t meant to be born into the family of an ordinary teacher. It seems that even the blood flowing in my veins is blood that craves to surge. I like battlefields, I like adventure, I like the sort of battles that are fought with white knives in and red knives out, I like to risk everything for the people I care about, and I like throwing all caution to the wind to do what I feel needs to be done.”
She raised her hand and pointed towards the capital, “I don’t like that old man sitting at the very top. He plays power games, letting his sons fight for the throne. He spends his days in that big palace, pondering and scheming who knows what while the people of the four seas suffer under the exploitation of corrupt officials. That year, you and Ning Yi killed over three hundred officials in Long Xi, all but wiping out the entire Long Xi bureaucracy. But what about Jianghuai? What about the dozen or so regions in the south and north of the mountains? And along the Nanhe River? In Longnan and Longbei? Where aren’t there some despicable officials who squeeze the people until their very bones break? Even Zhou Xizhong, the supposedly incorruptible governor of Nanhai, still collects some inexplicable “tea tax” every year! That old man, it’s bad enough that he is lax in his governance, but he is also heartless and immoral. He built his empire and laid the foundation for his dynasty with the help of a single woman. Yet, in the end, he chose to personally drive her to her death— I can’t stand him!”
She spat out the grass root, and concluded with a wave of her hand: “I’d rather rob the rich to help the poor and be executed on the chopping block than, not daring to try despite having the opportunity and the ability, living the rest of my life with a belly full of resentment, and finally dying at home full of regret. Since heaven arranged for me to meet you and brought us step by step to where we are now, why shouldn’t I dare to pick up a stone and try to smash that oppressive sky?”
Her words were truly outrageously rebellious. If anyone else were here, they would break out in a cold sweat listening to these words. Yet one spoke with relish, while the other listened with a faint smile. After a long while, Feng Zhi Wei sighed and said, “Throwing a stone at the sky…the more likely result could be crushing oneself…”
“What’s gotten into you today?” Hua Qiong leaned close, stared into her eyes and grabbed her face with both hands, shaking it curiously, “Are you really Feng Zhi Wei?”
Speechless and amused at the same time, Feng Zhi Wei smacked Hua Qiong’s hands away and said with a laugh, “Fine, you fearless, crazy woman. You are not doing this for me, you just want the thrill. I won’t interfere with you.”
“You just take care of those two over there.” Hua Qiong said, pointing in the direction of Xiliang. For some reason, her expression darkened slightly.
A flicker passed through Feng Zhi Wei’s eyes, and she fell silent.
After a while, she said, “A-Qiong, in Xiliang, I often thought about giving up. If this path doesn’t work, I will find another way. I don’t want them to make sacrifices like this.”
“Then why did you still help Zhi Xiao take the throne and let Xiao Gu stay there?” Hua Qiong shot her a sideways glance.
“There’s something you don’t know. That year, I buried my mother and younger brother in a small grove outside the capital,” Feng Zhi Wei said softly, “I swore over my mother’s last letter to me that I would avenge them in this lifetime. At that time, Gu Nan Yi also made a vow.”
Hua Qiong remained silent. She didn’t need to ask. She already knew what kind of vow Gu Nan Yi would make.
“What he is like, you know.” Feng Zhi Wei turned her head, under the moonlight, her eyes shimmered with tears. “Once he truly decides to do something, no one can stop him. Just like when he swore as a child to follow and protect me for the rest of his life, he will then never waver. If I refused, he would still go and do it in secret, no matter the cost. But without my help, someone like him, who is not good at scheming, how could he achieve the result he wants?”
Hua Qiong remained silent. She knew Feng Zhi Wei’s concerns were justified. Once Gu Nan Yi made up his mind, even if Feng Zhi Wei refused, he would still go through with it. To keep him from facing danger alone, Feng Zhi Wei had no choice but to go all out.
Only when Zhi Xiao secured the throne would he truly be safe.
She watched Feng Zhi Wei quietly. Sitting behind the artificial rock mountain, she seemed a little cold, hugging her shoulders. Her long black hair was spread out, veiling her face. Curled up with her arms wrapped around herself, she no longer carried her usual composed, perpetual air of calm and control. Instead, there was a rare fragility and sorrow— sorrow for life’s helpless choices and losses.
Hua Qiong let out a soft sigh. She knew Feng Zhi Wei had always treated Gu Zhi Xiao as her own daughter. And Gu Nan Yi, after nearly four years of constant companionship, she had long grown accustomed to the quiet presence of that young man. Now, with their sudden separation, though Feng Zhi Wei remained calm and cheerful on the surface, the confusion and emptiness in her eyes had already betrayed her.
A tender feeling welled up inside Hua Qiong. She sat down beside her, gently wrapping an arm around her slender shoulders and said in a low voice, “Zhi Wei…since things have come to this, let’s keep going…once everything begins, they will all come back…don’t worry, I will always be with you…”
Feng Zhi Wei buried her face in her shoulder. After a long while, she gently pulled away. Her expression had already returned to calm. She then took out a dark greenish-black wooden plaque from her robes. On the wooden plaque, there were several strange lines carved on it. She placed it into Hua Qiong’s hand.
“What is this?” Hua Qiong turned it over and over, examining it.
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