Rising Phoenix

There were still people who saw a deeper meaning to this decision. The Crown Prince only had mediocre achievements, and the rest of the princes were too powerful. Many ministers in the Imperial Court had chosen sides, and powerful men were constantly talking of passing over the eldest in favor of the capable. Some days ago, the power of the Crown Prince’s seal had been frozen, and the other princes had eagerly taken action. Princes fighting for dominance never heralded good for a dynasty, but the Emperor had watched without comment. Today, with the Qing Ming Academy’s outstanding display of merit and the achievement of the Crown Prince, the old man had finally made his move, and with this one action, sent forth a warning to all the princes and their allies – the Crown Prince was still favored in the court, cease your petty plans!

If the dynasty needed a Peerless Scholar, than even if the young man had just drawn random figures for his answers, he would still be the Peerless Scholar!

Some daring minds even began wondering if this might not be the result of collusion between the powers.

While violent rumblings swept all around in the undercurrents, peace and happiness bloomed on the faces of all. Everyone welcomed Feng Zhiwei with congratulations and smiles.

Feng Zhiwei was neither servile nor overbearing, and her natural poise and grace forced even the most suspicious to doubt their own doubts — just from her appearance, no one could say that she did not look the part.

Many of the princes were looking over, but their gazes were not always kind — a talented scholar from Qing Ming Academy could only be a person in the Crown Prince’s camp.

Ning Yi sat to the side, already calm again, elegantly sipping at his tea. His long eyelashes tilted downwards as he hid a faint smile.

Good, very good. In such a hopeless place you managed to find a path out, but… even if you’ve climbed back from the ledge, you’ve only found yourself at a dead-end!

Since she’d been called to present herself without time to prepare, and her position had been greatly elevated with the lofty title of “Peerless Scholar,” the etiquette demanded was comparatively simple. The Emperor and the Crown Prince were both courteous and kind to this scholar, and the Crown Prince especially made great gestures of attentiveness and appreciation, going so far as to hold Feng Zhiwei’s hand and constantly asking if she was comfortable. To the others watching, it almost felt like they were dear friends, reunited after a lonely separation that spanned many years.

Feng Zhiwei was not at all comfortable with her hand in the Crown Princesses soft palms, but she plastered a small smile on her face as she tried to subtly pull free.

But before she could do it, some people had already grown impatient.

“Make way!”

A cold bark stilled the courtyard, and before the sound fell silent, the figure had already passed into the hall. The crowd only saw a cyan-sky robe blur through the air, flashing forward like a shooting star.

As the man swept forward, his movement pulled at the trees around the courtyard, gathering leaves in his wake. The silent greenery fanned out behind him into the distance – huge and bright, connecting the heavens and the earth, heralding this otherworldly visitor as he pierced the sky.

 “Assassin! Protect the Emperor!”

Soldiers roared as the You Lin Army and the Imperial Chang Ying Guard stepped forward, charging to meet their enemy, but before they could even touch the man’s robes they were scattered aside and tossed through the air, their fine, tasseled weapons flying about, glittering in the sun.

As the great clamoring rang out in the courtyard, a dark red silhouette silently stepped past Xin Ziyan and flicked his hand towards the rushing sky-cyan. Immediately, the green fan shadowing the courtyard froze, and the cyan robe twisted unnatural in the air, rolling and dodging.

And this dodge, easily covering a thousand li, coincidently landed right in front of Feng Zhiwei.

Ning Yi moved, his tea cup transforming into a golden beam howling through the air as it pierced towards the assassin’s forehead.

The attacker flicked his hand, and the cup flew back, yet despite the violent movement, not a single drop of the tea spilled.

Blows and moves were exchanged in the span of a blink, and before anyone could stop him, the man had already neared Feng Zhiwei. With a flash of his cuff, his snow white fingers reached forward and pulled Feng Zhiwei out of the grubby paws of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince cried out in alarm, only saved from falling by a gentle hand. A man stepped in front of the Crown Prince and angled his body to guard the astonished Emperor. He chided calmly, “How daring! Seize him!”

Of course this man was Ning Yi.

And the one who had flown over to grab Feng Zhiwei was naturally the sobered Gu Family Young Master.

The soldiers from the Yu Lin Army and the Chang Ying Guard surrounded them, swords bare and arrows cocked, all of their weapons pointed at Gu Nanyi.

Gu Nanyi paid them no mind, and after slapping away the Crown Prince’s hands, he pulled Feng Zhiwei away. “Mine.”

 “…”

Feng Zhiwei wanted to cry — Young Master Gu, are you trying to help me or harm me? You were nowhere when I neended you, and now when the dust has settled you show up…

And… what do you mean “Mine?”

Feng Zhiwei thought that Young Master Gu’s words must have been a contraction of some sort. There words missing from this phrase, such as “this person is under my protection,” or something of that sort.

But if you say it like this, people will misunderstand!

When he recognized this Gu Nanyi, Ning Yi’s face contorted — if he remembered correctly, that shameless woman had disappeared with this man!

That shameless girl and this man had worked together to injure him, and this time they came together to sabotage his plans.

No wonder he kept thinking there was something familiar about this brat, it turns out he was that woman all along, that woman ——

As his anger peaked, Ning Yi’s face stilled and his breathing evened out. His black jade eyes sat under his tilted brows, and his glare was like a piercing needle frozen underneath a thousand years of snow.

This sharp needle had surfaced as soon as Gu Nanyi had landed, and when he claimed Feng Zhiwei, the glare cut the air.

Feng Zhiwei shivered and wondered at how the air froze around her.

She raised her eyes and looked at Ning Yi’s face — the beautiful and fine features of His Highness Prince Chu, so free and unrestrained in front of others, so profound and calm with her, but now frozen in a glare that she’d never seen before. It was as if air could touch his face and fall aside as frozen pearls, and if his look could congeal into physical force, it would smash down on her head.

Forget it… she and the prince were not fated, and his anger was his prerogative. The issue at hand was safety from Gu Nanyi.

Feng Zhiwei looked from the shocked Crown Prince lying paralyzed in shock to Ning Yi, calmly guarding the Emperor, and she could silently sigh in her heart. She stepped back and bowed. “Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, was the display of Kung Fu from this Jiang Hu commoner pleasing to your eyes?”

Her words stunned the gathered crowd, and the Crown Prince finally stirred. He asked dubiously: “…he… your friend?”

 “The wild men of the mountains do not understand ettiquette, and he deserves ten thousands death for the sin of offending Your Majesty.” Feng Zhiwei lowered her eyes and bowed her head, as if trying with all her heart to express in Gu Nanyi’s stead the respect and humility he did not understand. “He has only ever studied the ways of the Martial Arts, and is eager to serve the Imperial Family. This one’s commoner friend has longed for the patronage and guidance of the Imperial Court for many years, but because of his forthright and coarse nature, he lacks all sense of propriety. He definitely did not intend to disrespect Your Majesty… This one protester and hopes Your Majesty’s lofty and brilliant mind can bestow mercy.” Feng Zhiwei continued respectfully, and fell to the ground and kowtowed.