Rising Phoenix

"Peony, I'm hungry, let's go eat."

Mudan Hua's train of thought was once again disrupted, and she happily followed her daughter-in-law in search of food.

Helian Zheng stared after the pair, dazed. Finally, he turned blank eyes towards his Eight Valiants: "Am I dreaming?"

But his men ignored him, all staring after Feng Zhiwei with admiration and amazement.

"Princess Sheng Ying is truly a saint… even the Trumpet Flower failed to break her…"

Only when Mudan Hua finally dug into her sheep's milk and sticky rice cake did the others dare enter the tent — now that the Steppe Queen was focused on her food, she would no longer terrify those around her.

Gu Nanyi quickly approached Feng Zhiwei, Gu Zhixiao in hand. "No milk."

The Central Plains wet-nurse had been terrified by the bloody slaughter and the stress was too much and she was no longer giving milk. Gu Zhixiao, the precious little girl, refused to eat rice soup, and so Young Master Gu came to Feng Zhiwei for help.

The young woman in question glared up at the man — why her? It wasn't like the girl was really her daughter.

"Where did this doll come from? How beautiful!" Mudan Hua gasped, surfacing from her empty dishes. She immediately pulled back her hungry hand and reached out for Gu Zhixiao, shreds of food still dripping from her mouth. "Weiwei you dear, you're so capable, not even married and already holding a child. Ji Doggy, you're pretty impressive…"

As the woman spoke, she lifted up the baby's little quilt and immediately dropped the cloth, turning and glaring. "But the seed isn't very good. Why is it a she?"

Helian Zheng spat out his milk tea, forcing poor Zong Chen off to find his third change of white robes.

"Not mine…" Helian Zheng barely managed. "Orphan."

"Oh." Mudan Hua sighed indecipherably, reaching up for the hungry and crying Gu Zhixiao once more. "Let me."

Young Master Gu naturally ignored her, and to the side Helian Zheng began shouting: "Let you? Let you my ass! You have milk?"

"Yes!" Mudan Hua roared back, pushing her plate aside and slapping her bosom. "I! Have! Milk!"

Everyone in the tent froze as Mudan Hua pressed herself proudly towards Gu Nanyi, jiggling her breasts. "Want to see? You want to see? It's obvious whether or not they have milk!"

For the first time in his life, Young Master Gu quietly retreated from the enemy…

Mudan Hua swiftly pursued, too fast for the martial expert as she stop Gu Zhixiao away. She smiled down at the baby, playing with her chubby cheeks as she turned slightly towards Feng Zhiwei. "Weiwei my dear, your baby is not allowed to be uglier than this one."

Feng Zhiwei calmly nodded, smiling. She paid little attention to the various nicknames Mudan Hua had for her — compared to Doggy Ji, Feng Zhiwei felt herself quite fortunate.

"You… another child…" Helian Zheng struggled. "I've only been gone for…. And you… another child?"

Another child? Did the Queen have many children?

"What do you mean another!" Mudan Hua snapped, jabbing her finger at Helian Zheng's nose as she scolded him. "In all my years I've only had seven, and it's your own fault you were reincarnated as a wolf! The Dama Living Buddha was right when he warned me of your fate to overcome your brothers! I've had seven children, and all seven have died! And my eighth child was abandoned in the King's Court when I was kidnapped. He…. He won't survive! You wolf! Ungrateful! Heartless! Wolf!"

Helian Zheng listened quietly, his expression regretful.

Mudan Hua vented and then quickly recovered her happy mood, joyfully untying her robes. "For better or worse, I can finally squeeze, it's really been killing me…"

Everyone who could flee fled.

"Little daughter, drink up, drink up." Mudan Hua unclad her bosom and lifted Gu Zhixiao maternally. "Your big brother doesn't need it anymore."

Big brother? How was Helian Zheng's little bro Gu Zhixiao's brother?

Feng Zhiwei watched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "You still have to feed your own child. Better save some."

"No need." Liu Mudan gestured generously. "He won't survive."

"Why?"

"It's certain." Liu Mudan replied. "Doggy Ji overcomes his brothers. If he cannot, then…"

The woman's voice cut off and her expression turned strange, but she quickly changed the subject and chuckled. "We must prepare. Since my kidnapping, I've been leaving markers along the road. The King's Army must be pursuing, and the soldiers will be coming to welcome Helian Zheng's return."

Feng Zhiwei watched the woman thoughtfully — the scorned Trumpet Flower, laughing as her husband is murdered, chuckling as she was kidnapped, laughing though her baby lay dying, and laughing while forced to trick her son across the river into a trap.

Since the death of the old king, she had stayed in the King's Court amidst the raging storm. Abducted, she flirted wildly with the Golden Roc Chieftain and mocked him for his caution. Along the banks of the river, she danced wildly as she warned her son of the trap. She faced everything with a smile, never worrying for her own life or death.

In this time of chaos after the old king's death and the prince in a distant land, how could the King's Army remained disciplined and unified in the bloody civil war? For them to standby, waiting loyally for the return of their prince — who managed this?

Feng Zhiwei looked at the other woman's thick makeup and terrible fashion sense and vulgar manners, a slow, knowing smile crossing her lips. She reached out and clasped the Queen's hand, saying gently. "The Queen has worked hard."

Liu Mudan paused, her smile stiffening, but her lips soon smoothed out. She calmly tossed the satiated Gu Zhixiao aside and stretched wildly, laughing bravely as she said: "Good daughter, you understand my troubles!"

Feng Zhiwei stepped forward and hugged the stretching woman.

The two queens hugged each other tightly, a dense, earthy fragrance filling Feng Zhiwei's face and tickling her nose.

Feng Zhiwei rubbed at her face, holding back tears.

For a moment, the conversation and laughter fell away and the tent was quiet. Two women hugged each other, understanding and compassion on their faces.

Mudan Hua only allowed herself a moment of rest on Feng Zhiwei's shoulder and then she was stepping back, her smile already back on her face.

Feng Zhiwei ignored the quiet wet stains on her shoulder, almost too faint for the eyes.

Outside, the earth shook with the roar of hoofs.

"Let's go." Feng Zhiwei said, smiling as she took the woman's hand.

The two women with completely different personalities but the same extraordinary will exited the tent and went out to meet the Steppe Army by the golden, gleaming beams outside the King's tent.