Rising Phoenix

He wanted to her to sleep on the floor. Feng Zhiwei stared at the pillow and repeated to herself silently.

I can’t grab it and smother him… I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t.

Breath… that notebook said to breath in and out three times whenever I want to burst in anger… Breath…

After the third breath, Feng Zhiwei calmed down.

Sleeping on the floor was nothing, and being kicked off the bid was nothing. Wasn’t it just a man stealing my bed and not letting me sleep on another one.

I’ll just consider myself as the servant girl. All servant girls sleep at the foot of the bed.

Feng Zhiwei started making her bed, folding the blanket so half of it was her mattress and the other half covered her and then placed her pillow neatly at the head. The night wind carried the spring through the half opened window and across the hallway to where Feng Zhiwei lay, and the cool and sweet wind swept away most of her suppressed indignation, and she looked up through the window at the deep sky filled with stars and the lightest smile grew on her face.

To be alive and stay alive, and every season smelling the new flowers. That was already good, very good.

Gu Nanyi suddenly moved.

He leaned over until his face was right above Feng Zhiwei’s, and through that thin veil, the dark abyss of his eyes met her warm and gentle smile.

The faint smile bloomed at the most impossible moment, like the unfurling of a flower bud on a frosted pear at midnight, a silent enchantress met by the east wind.

A dream of a spring night, floating lightly —- a thin veil like mist, and he stared from behind the mist and she was just beyond, the trace of a smile upon her lips.

The silence was sudden, and even that man who seemed so lost in his own world couldn’t bear to break it.

And though it took many words to describe, the moment passed.

In a blink, he was back in his world, and it was as if that moment had never occurred.

Feng Zhiwei had looked away before he had, and for all her intelligence she couldn’t fathom what the zombie statue was doing.

And so she arranged her blankets around her, and as the zombie lay back down she turned away and slept.

Soon, she began to dream, and the smile clinging to the corner of her lips fell away and her eyebrows tightened.

The man on the bed breathed just as steadily as before, but it was clear he had fallen asleep as well. His veil stirred gently with his breath, hiding his expression from the world; his dreams were a mystery.

Or perhaps, he did not dream, and his face was expressionless behind the veil.

Outside their window, the moon gazed tranquilly over the still night.

Feng Zhiwei very quickly learned the consequences of her impulsive and foolish decisions.

Not only was she to sleep by the foot of the bed – Young Master Gu also had a delicate and precious body, and so his clothes couldn’t be too thick or heavy or cheap. They had to be thin and soft, and as light as possible, as comfortable as another layer of skin. His clothes couldn’t have a single wrinkle, and even the smallest fold was unbearable. If his clothes were not suitable, he would immediately throw his attendant out.

That’s right, attendant. Not only did Feng Zhiwei have to take care of Young Master Gu’s folding needs, she also had to do all the chores. It was impossible to count on Yan Huaishi; it was already quite good that that young master could look after himself, and as for Young Master Gu…. If his clothes weren’t spotless, he was liable to trap Feng Zhiwei on the roof.

Feng Zhiwei lamented; this was the reason people didn’t just take free servants randomly from the street. He wasn’t her bodyguard! He was clearly her master!

Her hands were covered with soap foam as she scrubbed the clothes in the basin, and as she cleaned the soft and expensive robes and trousers, she wondered playfully why she never washed Gu Nanyi’s underwear.

She was lost in thought for a moment and blushed slightly, but then the bells tolled and she quickly wiped her hand and rushed out.

She had been assigned to the Politics and History department, and as she made her way over, everyone cast sidelong glances at the zombie statue following her. She was quickly becoming famous, and her mysterious attendant attracted a lot of attention. Soon, a bet spread among the students about how ugly Gu Nanyi must be under the veil.

That’s right, an ugly face and an even uglier personality!

Despite all the other drama, Feng Zhiwei was still excited about her classes. The academy was not overly constrained by tradition, and taught things beyond the four Confucian classics. The academy occasionally hosted seminars and although the seminar leader stuck mostly to examining the affairs of the previous dynasty, they could not completely avoid talking about modern affairs, though always in a subtler way of course. Even this was of great benefit to the students.

Today, the seminar was on politics, and Feng Zhiwei sat in her seat expectantly. The greying Teacher Hu led with a question.

“In the 13th year of Shou Sheng, of the Da Cheng dynasty, on Emperor Li’s fortieth birthday, all the princes presented gifts. The Fourth Prince, the Emperor’s favorite, was charged with the defense of the borders. He went through many hardships and finally acquired a horse precious beyond compare. The Emperor was born in the year of the horse and loved these animals very much, and so the Fourth Prince sent a heavily armed troop to guard and deliver the horse. The Emperor was sure to love the present.

At the time, the Emperor had not yet chosen a Crown Prince, and many expected the Fourth Prince to gain the spot. If you are an attendant to the other princes, what advice would you give?”

The hall went silent, and all the students were shocked by the question. Feng Zhiwei looked down thoughtfully; Emperor Li had passed away before his fortieth birthday, and his weak and incompetent fourth son had never guarded the borders. Which dynasty’s emperor was he asking about?

Today’s question…

Was it wise to answer?

As she quietly turned the questions over in her mind she no longer noticed the tense atmosphere, and she also failed to notice a half hidden figure leaning against a tree in the shadows outside the hall.

“Find a better present! Impress by outperforming him!” Someone finally yelled, breaking the silence.

Half the students made various sounds of agreement, but the tutor just stroked his beard in silence.

“Use connections to mess with the horse!”

The other students held their laughter and gestured in approval, but the tutor just shook his head slightly.

“Kill the horse!”

A voice called out with clear killing intent, filled with an indomitable will. Everyone turned their heads in shock, and Feng Zhiwei turned slightly, following their gaze as their eyes landed on an exquisite face.

The speaker was a fourteen or fifteen year old boy with a pair of eyes brilliant as gems, his gaze sharp as a well-forged blade. Feng Zhiwei could detect a faint strangeness to his face, an out of place stiffness around his eyes and nose, as if he’d used some disguising makeup. She fixed her eyes on the boy’s strangely familiar face, examining the contours and bend of his chin and nose.