The Rise of Phoenixes

Chapter 96

When Feng Zhiwei turned around, Helian Zheng froze, amazement filling his eyes. A smile crossed his lips as he spoke: “Incredible, I never thought you would dress up so well.”

Feng Zhiwei touched her yellow face and drooping eyebrows — was he blind? Did he not see his Little Aunt’s “otherworldly” face?

But Helian Zheng seemed oblivious to all of this, smiling happily as he looked Feng Zhiwei over. He did not think any part of Feng Zhiwei’s face was ugly. A yellow face? That was the color of smooth gold! Drooping brows? A sign of longevity! No matter what anyone else said, he felt that this yellow-faced Little Aunt had a true charm to her.

“Let’s go.” Helian Zheng said, reaching for her hand.

But Feng Zhiwei stepped aside, dodging away.

“Hu Zhuo Prince, there is one thing I must say first.” Feng Zhiwei calmly announced. “For this celebration you acted first and then asked after, and for both your sake and mine I will attend this feast like this, but I will speak the blunt truth first. This does not mean I agree to marry you, and I will not allow this a second time.”

Helian Zheng cocked his head at her and smiled, replying: “I understand, I understand, you Central Plain’s women most highly value your reputation. That was why I wrote fiancée on the lists — if I hadn’t taken you into consideration, I would have directly written concubine.

“I don’t like lamb, and I’m not interested in serving ten madams.” Feng Zhiwei spoke again, smiling faintly. “Rather than one of many steppe king’s concubines, I’d rather be the head wife of a common family in Dijing.”

“You might be able to conquer me once more and make me willingly break our steppe royal tradition, and then you will be my only wife.” Helian Zheng replied, arms crossed as he hugged his legs to his chest

His glittering eyes staring into Feng Zhiwei’s. “Beautiful, pay me more attention.

“For a great king, I could.” Feng Zhiwei smiled, sweeping past the prince. “Come back when you have enough achievements.”

Helian Zheng remained still, watching the slim, decisive woman’s back as she strode past him, his diamond eyes deepening with growing interest — her words were arrogant beyond belief, but coming from her, they seemed to demand a solemn respect.

Contained in that slim body of hers was a greatness and unyielding strength that outstripped all the commons, like a glowing flame in a field of darkness.

Feng Zhiwei stepped into Helian Zheng’s prepared carriage followed by two young, clever servant girls. She had learned her lesson and did not dare bring Gu Yiyi with her today, so she had had to shell several bags of walnuts to comfort her Yiyi.

Young Master Gu ate walnuts everyday, ordering his snacking in groups. He would only ever eat eight walnuts in one round, just like how he ate meat. Eight first, then eight later, and no matter how many walnuts he ate, it was always in multiples of eight.

In order to curry favor with her Yiyi, she even separated the cracked walnuts into bags of eight that he could hang from his waistband. When the students of Qing Ming Academy heard the light clunking of the walnuts, they that the veiled monster Master Gu was near.

The coach took an hour to reach the gates of the Imperial Palace where Feng Zhiwei and Helian Zheng were separated, an Imperial Harem Maid bringing the former to the Inner Palace while an Imperial Guard led Helian Zheng to the outer palace.

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Helian Zheng was already jumping down from his horse and rushing over to the door, extending his hand. Officers and servants all stopped what they were doing to watch, everyone of them curious as to which family’s Young Miss had managed to tame the arrogant and unbridled Hu Zhuo Prince.

As the curtain was pulled back, a delicate, snow white, jade hand reached out, almost translucent in the sun. Only a large, dark-green pearl decorated the slim and long fingers, setting off her elegant, glowing hand.

“Gorgeous!” A bachelor from the Han Lin Academy shook his head in amazement, sighing to himself.

A light blue sleeve followed the jade hand, the rare, pale blue like a fresh, summer breeze over a calm sea, the pretty white surf meeting the fine beach sand like a promise. Nothing extra adorned the simple, elegant combination of white embroidered hem and soft fabric.

“Incredible! Marvelous!” A scholar from the Chun Shen Palace shook his head in amazement, sighing to himself.

By this point, every gaze had turned to watch and a pregnant silence had fallen over the palace gates.

Horses drove in from the road and stopped by the gates, but no one paid them any mind.

Helian Zheng’s eyes shone brilliantly, a smile quirking his lips as he reached out to take the beautiful hand. As the hands touched, an unconscious sigh susurrated through the crowd.

The woman inside the carriage finally extended a foot outwards, her thighs slim and exquisite, the beautiful curves of her hips and waist and bust accentuated by the perfect interchange of taut and relaxed fabric, the stunning beauty of her body completely satisfying the expectations set by her jade hand.

“Gorgeous!” The Vice Prime Minister stopped beside the Han Lin Academy Bachelor and the Chun Shen Palace Scholar, all of them shaking their heads and sighing.

The murmurs of breathy sighs passed through the crowd once more, and even Helian Zheng felt greatly flattered.

The beauty finally stepped down, elegantly leaning slightly into Helian Zheng’s proffered hands, her steps quiet and able, filled with an athletic and dignified charm.

But then the beauty lifted her head.

“Ah..oh....”

The first cry of surprise was quickly subdued as the courteous guests realized their rudeness, smothering their outbursts.

“How pitiful! Her face!” The three old men shook their heads in dismay, flicking their sleeves and sweeping away.

None of the onlookers knew what to think.

How could someone with such beautiful bearing have such a pinched tallow face and drooping brows? Was this not the archetypal face of the daughter of a ruined family?

Dismay, disappointment, sadness. What a waste, truly a waste.

But Helian Zheng paid no attention to the change in the onlookers, still supporting the beauty beside him as if she were a precious treasure, offering her his arm and scoring him to the Imperial Palace palanquin.

Feng Zhiwei had noticed the reactions of the people around her from the very beginning, and she could only smile faintly in response — the world was filled with the slow-witted who could not decipher beauty from ugliness. How many people were like Helian Zheng, unattached to the superficial?

But as she walked a few steps forward, she suddenly felt a sting in her back.

She turned. Ning Yi stood not too far away in his Imperial Robe and golden crown garb, his hands clasped behind his back, calmly looking watching the guests arrive.

His eyes did not fall on her, but were instead locked onto Helian Zheng’s hand. At that moment, Feng Zhiwei felt as if his gaze was sharper than a knife’s edge.

But when her eyes flicked back for a second glance, Ning Yi had already turned away and was staring into the emptiness, so Feng Zhiwei could only smile and turn back.

After she mounted the palanquin she was taken to a side palace where she was educated in the formal mannerisms of the celebration. With that finished, she joined a group paying a formal visit to Noble Imperial Consort Chang. The aged consort was still filled with elegance and poise, her features majestic, looking at least a decade younger than her age. The only flaw was the exhaustion that peeked out from the heavy makeup on her face — one could only imagine how difficult and tiring it must be to maintain her position this past ten years.

“This must be the Feng Young Madam?” Noble Imperial Consort Chang spoke, spotting Feng Zhiwei through the crowd gathered in front of her, gesturing for the young girl to near.

Feng Zhiwei could only lower her head for a moment and sigh self piteously. When she lifted her head, a natural, warm smile filled her face, and she unhurriedly climbed the lotus steps, following the new etiquette to the letter as she suddenly was once again the center of attention.