The Rise of Phoenixes

Afterward, she heard Madam Feng speak in a quiet voice, “Madam… Zhiwei is still too young and doesn’t know how to act. She was greedy for food, but I hope you can be generous…”

Feng Zhiwei stumbled a step backward.

It was as if a bolt of lightning and struck her heart and cleaved it through, leaving only a burnt and blackened abyss and scattered pools of blood.

And yet her face still kept a light smile, faint and clear. For a moment, her smile was unnatural, like a perfect and rigid curve drawn in dark ink. Her eyebrows were raised slightly and her eyes glittered like the scintillating surface of a lake under the noon soon. In a frozen moment between motion and stillness, she had an aura of beauty and terror, freezing the heart like the austere face of a Terracotta Guard.

Madam Qiu paused. She knew this brother-sister pair well, and understood the spoiled brat of a son. What had happened today was clearly this piggish and cowardly Feng Hao’s attempt at framing his sister, and Madam Qiu had thought that her tough sister-in-law would definitely defend Feng Zhiwei. When she had stormed in and shouted out angrily, everyone could tell that she was going to accuse the son to save the daughter, but… things turned out differently.

In the end, the son was more important… Madam Qiu observed indifferently. She thought about how the Feng Family daughter, always so kind and gentle, had stayed quietly in her corner of the Qiu Mansion all this time, living indifferently but still preventing others from taking advantage of her and her mother.

She remembered the day that her sister-in-law had knelt before the Mansion Gate with her son and daughter. Madam Qiu had ordered everyone to keep silent about the matter, and Master Qiu had suitably pretended he knew nothing. Madam Feng had passed out from sickness and cold, and the four-year-old Feng Zhiwei didn’t panic. She immediately dragged her brother with her into the street and they knelt together. They said nothing, kneeling with silent tears in their eyes. Every passing man and woman pitied and sighed for the children, and after only a day had passed, the Qiu Mansion could no longer bear the gossip. They were forced to take them in.

At such a young age, she had already understood how to pressure the Qiu Mansion with the street gossip, and had known to act when her mother passed out so that no one could blame Madam Feng for using her children as tools. She knew the proper limits and had great wisdom; anyone who understood what had happened would be by the capability of this four-year-old.

Later, when Madam Qiu had wanted to marry Feng Zhiwei to Manager Lou’s son, the child hadn’t said a word of protest in front of her at all. Some days later, when she had “accidentally” met her uncle, she had led him to ask after the origin of a jade hairpin, and had explained to him that “The Third Young Miss likes my jade hairpin, so I’m going to give it to her.”

She continued, “The Liu Family gave this to me. Sister rarely likes these small things, so now I finally have something I can give to her.”

General Qiu had been furious at his wife’s carelessness. If Feng Zhiwei had actually been allowed to give this hairpin to the young and naive Third Young Miss and someone gossiped about this gift from outside the family, it would definitely have hurt her reputation.

Throughout all these years, Zhiwei had been in an awkward position in the Qiu Mansion, and all the while maintaining a low profile, she had prevented anyone from manipulating her. The amount of patience and wisdom this required made outsiders uncomfortable to think about.

And finally, there was an opportunity to deal with this.

“This is not very serious.” Madam Qiu smiled in an almost kindly way. “You are part of the family and there is no way I will make things hard for you. I’ll just have the servants offer some other things tomorrow when His Majesty is here. The Imperial Family has always been kind to our Qiu Family, they will not mind these little things.”

Madam Feng’s face showed some happiness and she turned to look at her daughter, but Feng Zhiwei was looking to the side as if oblivious, watching a flower through the window swaying in the wind. Her hands were clasped in her sleeves.

“It is just that…” And as expected, Madam Qiu’s voice changed. “It’s difficult to keep our servants all silent, and the beans have already fallen out of the sack. General Qiu has also already heard about this matter, and you all know that he is a tough and strict master. I am afraid that Niece will have to suffer when he hears about this…” She smiled and looked at Feng Zhiwei. “I think you should hide outside the Qiu Mansion temporarily. You don’t have to worry, Aunt will take care of everything.”

Everyone smiled faintly in understanding. Madam Qiu was going to kick her out of the Qiu Mansion.

Even if Feng Zhiwei was not respected in the house, she was still a Young Miss raised in seclusion. Everyone understood what would happen to a young miss when she was kicked out of her family. Even if she managed to return in the future, she would never be able to marry decently.

Old Lady An smiled joyfully now that her enemy would be gone.

Urgency appeared on Madam Feng’s face and she opened her mouth, but at that moment, Madam Qiu turned to look at her. The Madam reached out and helped tidy Madam Feng’s hair and even retrieved a flower from her own hair and placed it carefully in Madam Feng’s. She smiled and said, “Hao-er is still immature, and Wei-er does not understand her actions. Sister has had it tough and has aged so much.”

Madam Feng closed her mouth at these words and shivered with cold. The battle-hardened mistress turned her face away, lifting a trembling hand to touch the flower in her hair.

She looked down and replied in a quiet voice: “Thank you for your concern….”

The evening sun shone through the open doorway and lit up the room, but that storied hero and valiant woman stood in a shadowed corner. The evening light touches her face, but all it showed was the frost white of cold moonlight.

Feng Zhiwei stood in the evening sun of winter. She felt the thinness of her clothes and the coldness of her sleeves and she couldn’t help but pull her sleeves in more closely. Her eyes floated from Feng Hao’s red lips and white teeth to the little flower in her mother’s hair. The red pearl of a flower was bright and beautiful, but it was placed in the once raven hair. Here and there you could see the traces of white, and it was a sad ruin of past beauty.

This was her brother. Her mother.

Feng Zhiwei looked down, and at that moment, a small smile crossed her face. It was not cold and not sad, not mocking or angry. Her smile was filled with peace.

The expectant crowd was stunned, and in one swift movement, Feng Zhiwei turned and strode forward.

Even Madam Qiu was dumbfounded.

Feng Zhiwei looked straight, only stopping when she reached Old Lady An.

Her hair bun had already broken apart because of the old crone’s slap, and through her scattered hair, red finger marks were clear and distinct. The old crone looked at her in fear and thought about how she had offended her superior. Now that the Feng Family Young Miss was being kicked out, if she wanted to get a revenge slap as she left, Madam Qiu would do nothing.

Old Lady An stepped back in fear, and in front of her, Feng Zhiwei raised her hand.

Everyone waited for the loud slap.

Feng Zhiwei smiled faintly.

Her bright spirit shone through her smile, and her yellowed and sallow face still made her beautiful, and people couldn’t help but stare.

In the silence as everyone held their breath, Feng Zhiwei raised her hand… and touched the red mark on her face.

She had a thoughtful, reminiscing expression as if she wanted to relive the pain through the touch of her fingertips.

She lowered her hand and smiled gently, leaning in and placing her mouth beside Old Lady An’s ear.