Rising Phoenix

“Then who did?” Old Lady An smiled coldly as she glared with aggressive eyes.

Feng Zhiwei squeezed her fingers again before replying calmly, “You have so many people in your kitchen, and just now, so many of them were rushing around. Anyone could have knocked…”

“Pa!”

The sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh startled the air.

Feng Zhiwei felt a slight buzzing in her ears and a numbness across her face. As the numbness faded, a hot pain heated her face. A fishy sweetness filled her mouth, and even her gums ached with pain.

What a cruel slap!

Old Lady An stiffened, her hand still in the air as if even she couldn’t believe what she had done.

She hadn’t planned this at all. In the end, Feng Zhiwei was still technically part of the family, and with the rigid class distinction in Tian Sheng Dynasty, it was a very serious crime to offend a superior. Today’s circumstances, however, had been too extraordinary. She had already been worried sick about the food tomorrow, and when she had looked at this little b*tch’s calm face, she had become so angry that her blood had rushed to her brain. She stopped thinking, and when she had recovered, Feng Zhiwei’s face already had a red palm mark across it.

The kitchen was silent.

Time trickled by, and a thin red thread flowed slowly from the corner of Feng Zhiwei’s mouth, her pale face forlorn like a broken flower. Everyone’s expression changed.

Feng Zhiwei touched the corner of her lip with a slender finger and as she examined the blood she… smiled.

Her hair hung messily and her half smile was hidden in her tangle of black, as if deep in a lingering vapor that had melted into the corner’s darkly bright shadow. She was gentle and terrible, and her paradox hung cold in the air. Old Lady An could not tear her stare away and shivered with cold fear.

She remembered. For better or for worse, Feng Zhiwei was still the Young Miss. Her mother was a true blue master of the house and was said to have quite the explosive temper…

But Old Lady An had found her nerve—the slap had already been given, and she couldn’t take it back. Old Lady An was always quiet and clever, and no one could find fault with her and there was no opportunity to teach her a lesson. The opportunity to act had come today and she had acted righteously to slap her. She deserved it. There was no way that she could escape the charge of “stealing the imperial offering.” I am the servant of the General’s Wife. I am respected in the mansion. There was nothing to be afraid for by teaching a lesson to the daughter of a disgrace!

These thoughts flashed through her mind and Old Lady An decided that since she had gone this far she might as well go all the way. She pointed at Feng Zhiwei and shouted: “Take this daring woman who stole the imperial offering. Take her to the Madam for judgment!”

“Kid, what are you doing here?!”

Just as Old Lady An’s words came out of her mouth, one of the other female servants screamed out. She had been startled by Old Lady An’s slap and had taken a step back, bumping open the half-ajar window. She had heard a feeble squeak of surprise, and when she looked down she saw the Feng Family Second Son hiding underneath the window.

A couple of people went over and grabbed Feng Hao. Feng Zhiwei wrinkled her forehead slightly at his pale face and wordless stammering, but Old Lady An’s face lit up as if she had found buried treasure. The old crone asked in a high voice: “Young Master Hao, what are you doing here? Did you also come to steal?”

Feng Hao shriveled up at the word steal, and he glanced over at Feng Hao before lowering his head in fear.

Old Lady An saw his expression and her eyes brightened with happiness. She spoke gently, “Young Master, you are still young and naive. You will be forgiven if someone else convinced you to do bad. All you need to do is tell me the truth. We don’t have to bother Madam Qiu or things might end badly.”

Feng Hao hesitated and he clenched his fingers together unconsciously. Everyone could see a thin golden thread on his fingertips and smell the light and unique fragrance floating out from his sleeves, but they quickly turned their eyes back to his face.

“Young Master Hao, this is very serious. Everything will be investigated.” The shadow of a smile appeared on the old crone’s face. She gestured with her jaw in the direction of the Front Yard. “Master Qiu rules the mansion with military regulation, and stealing is a very serious crime, not to mention stealing offerings for the Imperials. Tomorrow, even if His Majesty does not mind, as long as Master Qiu finds out about this he will definitely kick you out of the Qiu Mansion. Young Master Hao… what do you think…”

She dragged her words and Feng Hao cowered even further, even retreating a step.

Feng Zhiwei took a breath and slowly lowered the hand she had used to cover her face; she turned to look at Feng Hao.

This was her brother. They had grown up together…

Feng Hao shook under her stare and his knees curled involuntarily, but he quickly looked away and stepped further away from her. He stammered quickly, “… My sister told me that there would be delicious food here… she told me to come help her…”

Old Lady An let out a long breath and a cold smile grew on her face.

The women surrounding them all curled their lips in mockery.

Feng Zhiwei turned away, tearing her eyes from Feng Hao.

“Hao’er!” An angry shout came from behind the crowd, attracting attention. Beside Madam Qiu stood Madam Feng, glaring at Feng Hao.

As soon as he saw his mother, Feng Hao ran up and cried loudly, “Mom! They hurt me!”

Madam Feng’s face was pale with anger as she looked at the running Feng Hao. Her sleeves quivered in the still air, and her feet moved slightly before stopping firmly against the ground. She raised her hands stiffly and caught the incoming Feng Hao, embracing him.

Feng Zhiwei watched coldly from the sidelines and her eyes glittered slightly—her mother’s gesture just then… had been a little strange…

As if that had all been an illusion, in the blink of an eye, Madam Feng had her son in her arms and was murmuring to him in a gentle voice.

Madam Qiu stood calmly, listening to Old Lady An’s exaggerated report. She turned to Feng Hao, “Hao’er, did Zhiwei ask you to wait for her under the window?”

Silence filled the room. Feng Hao looked up stiffly; his lips moved silently before he turned back to look at his mother.

Madam Feng’s finger shook a little as she looked away. Feng Zhiwei saw her silently shake away a small golden speck of food that had stuck on her sleeve when Feng Hao had run over.

Feng Hao looked confused as if he couldn’t decipher his mother’s intentions, but when Madam Feng didn’t stop him from speaking, he gathered his courage. He did not want to be kicked out of the mansion, and so he hardened his heart and straightened his neck. Just as he opened his mouth to speak…

Madam Feng pulled him, stopping him as she stood up and turned toward Madam Qiu. She bowed.

Madam Qiu gestured lightly in return, a small smile crossing her face.

Feng Zhiwei looked at her mother with relief, and a moment of comforted happiness glimmered in her eyes.

There was still a person in the world willing to defend her…