Rising Phoenix

Translator: Aristophaneso

Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei had been too careless; they had not expected the Chang Family to have already extended their power here. They had not known about the family’s deep ties to this Imperial Official, and they had not thought the Shen Family would be so bold. They had not prepared well enough for this situation, and they and their men had suffered greatly. From now on, Feng Zhiwei would only err on the side of caution.

When they left the mountain, Gu Nanyi’s hidden guards had sent off messages through many different channels. Helian Zheng had called for his Eight Valiants, and Ning Yi had sent his bodyguard Ning Cheng to command the Longnan province soldiers and bring them to Ji Yang1. They would not wait idly for the Imperial Envoy Guards to arrive, calling for reinforcements from an old general in Prince Chu’s camp.

Now they only needed to wait.

Since they could not reveal Ning Yi and Wei Zhi’s identity, naturally Helian Zheng and Gu Nanyi had to step up. Only the Emperor knew that Prince Helian was following Feng Zhiwei, and Gu Nanyi was simply a mysterious guard. None of Shen Xuru’s men would recognize the censor.

And just in case portraits of them had circulated, Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi both wore masks disguising them as scholars.

Feng Zhiwei’s words shocked everyone. Everyone knew that thought Special Censors often held lowish ranks, they supervised all manners of officials, inspecting counties and investigating the justice system, and even disciplining officials. They reported directly to the Emperor, and their power went far beyond their rank. Any Special Censor would be Master Shen’s most honored guest and treated with the highest attentiveness, and that was without mentioning the incredibly important Hu Zhuo Prince.

Inside the house, everyone could see the two men playing chess on the bamboo couch, casual and self-assured. Their temperament was obviously that of lofty Dijing, and it would be believable even if they claimed to be nobility, much less Special Censor.

Helian Zheng smirked and pulled out a golden token engraved with a flying Gyrfalcon. The token glistened under the light, unmistakably displaying the Prince’s rank — one deserving of a token commissioned by the Emperor himself for those who held a status of Duke or higher.

Advisor Liu looked on in a stunned dazed while a pale-faced Shen Junxin stood numbly. Magistrate Peng watched everything with clear eyes, his face indecipherable.

Helian Zheng picked up his boot and put it back on, sending a massive sigh of relief through the yard as everyone finally breathed freely.

“You are all so bold!” Feng Zhiwei called out, drinking her tea as she focused on her game. “You’ve seen the Prince’s token and yet you refuse to salute?”

The Hu Zhuo Tribe was King of the Steppes, recognized by the throne of Tian Sheng.

“Greetings to the Hu Zhuo Prince!” The domineering officials could only clasp their hands and call out courteously. Advisor Liu and Shen Junxin had been petrified by the bearing of Feng Zhiwei’s group, and they knelt and performed the formal greetings. To the side the Yamen Bailiffs threw aside their weapons and kowtowed.

Helian Zheng returned his token to his waist and turned away. Even though Feng Zhiwei had asked him to act a little as long as it was not inconvenient, the noble prince could not summon up the patience to talk to this group of bastards. For the tricky mission of pleasantries, he deferred to Feng Zhiwei.

His hands were restless… incredibly restless… and he had to clench his fists until they cracked just to control himself.

A helpless Feng Zhiwei had to finally leave the bamboo couch, dragging her feet as she brought her tea cup out into the yard. Finally, she quirked a smile and spoke: “I am Longxi Province’s Special Censor, Tao Yixi. Greetings to the honored men.”

Though she spoke of greetings, she did not even bend her waist.

Advisor Liu and the others calmly accepted her actions — all Special Censors were like this. Though they were low ranking officials, they all put on lofty airs, not even bowing to Master Shen. Advisor Liu and Shen Xuru hurriedly returned her salute, stammering: “We dare not accept this grace. It is our failure for being such poor hosts…”

As they spoke, guilt rose in their hearts and they hesitantly glanced at each other.

Feng Zhiwei missed nothing, smiling into her tea as she replied: “This was just a misunderstanding. I did not reveal my identity, so it was not your fault.”

Advisor Liu and Shen Junxin sighed in relief and quirked their stiff lips into a hideous smile, saying: “Many thanks for the Censor’s generosity.”

Feng Zhiwei calmly continued: “It is true that I was sent to supervise Longxi Province, but I am not authorized to interfere with local personnel change…”

The two smiled even more happily.

“But since this has coincidentally happened before my eyes…” Feng Zhiwei continued, frowning intensely at the difficulty of the situation and the obvious demands of the subsequent coverup. “I cannot simply ignore this matter…”

Advisor Liu and Shen Junxin paused at her expression and exchanged a look before smiling and replying: “This is just a temporary change. Mr. Peng’s crime has not been confirmed. Since the honored Censor is here, we beg for the Censor to preside.”

Then they quickly sent people to prepare a banquet for the “Hu Zhuo Prince, Master Special Censor, and Honored Guard” to enjoy.

They could no longer forcefully tear away Magistrate Peng’s Official Cap, and the magistrate led the Yamen Bailiffs out front to continue with his duties, still in a daze from the series of events.

“Sour Confucian!” Shen Junxin spat venomously behind Magistrate Peng’s back. “Just wait!”

Feng Zhiwei watched everything with a quiet smile that never reached her eyes, following Advisor Liu and Shen Junxin into the reception hall. Helian Zheng ignored everyone and strode to his seat, only glancing at Ning Yi.

Ning Yi did not meet his gaze — after all, he was blind.

When Young Master GU sat down, he pushed away the chairs on his left and right and claimed half of the table for himself, forcing everyone else to sit on the other side.

Feng Zhiwei ignored the liquor — the past few days she had avoided alcohol as if it were a plague, and she could only smile awkwardly and claim that she was bad with alcohol, taking away the alcohol offered to Ning Yi as well.

Ning Yi smiled quietly and drank his tea.

Even though he could no longer sea, his expressions were still very natural and his gaze not at all stiff; as long as he looked down, no one would notice his eye troubles.

Feng Zhiwei admired this side of him the most — His Highness was so good at acting; if he did not want to be blind, then no one would be able to tell.

“I offer the glass as a toast to…” Shen Junxin began. Advisor Liu had still not recovered from his beating and was sitting long faced beside him, but Shen Junxin was a slippery man and already trying to mediate the situation.

But before he could truly begin his toast, Young Master Gu grabbed a dish of Dongpo Pork and dreamily walked over.

“A toast to…” Shen Junxin stuttered.

Young Master Gu ignored him and began calmly counting the chunks of meat: “One, two, three…”

“A toast to…” Shen Junxin said again, clutching his glass dumbly, his words completely forgotten.