Rising Phoenix

Ning Yi’s eyes flashed and he smiled. “You can tell me later, but I’m afraid you might not last that long.”

The golden chariot drove by, and the man reached out his hand to help Feng Zhiwei stand. She did not refuse his gesture, and composedly took his hand and stood – since her life was already in his hands, it would not hurt any more to take what advantage she could.

As their two hands touched, Ning Yi was startled. Feng Zhiwei was calm now, and her previously sweaty hand was dry, and there were no longer any distractions to the shape of her hand. Ning Yi suddenly felt that the softness and smoothness of her palm, the shape and size of her hand, and the temperature as cool as jade were somehow familiar.

He wanted to hold up her palm to take a look, but Feng Zhiwei had already retracted her arm, cocking her head and flashing a smile.

The warm and gentle smile moved his heart, and Ning Yi immediately grew wary. He reminded himself how witty and subtle this man was, and his eyes cooled.

The two of them returned to as they were, and the sitting Feng Zhiwei noticed Yan Huaishi looking over with a weird expression. Suddenly, Feng Zhiwei felt great, and after quietly rusting through her clothes, she extended the light blue cuff of her inner clothes and waved at Yan Huaishi.

Yan Huaishi stared in confusion, and Feng Zhiwei was worried that he did not understand. She waved the blue cuff again, the blue clothing¹ – Nan Yi — Suddenly, the man beside her asked, “What are you doing?”

Feng Zhiwei immediately put her arm down and straightened to sit properly. “Hot. I had to cool down.”

Ning Yi had to smile – only rarely did one meet a person who could lie so obviously without any shame. It was early spring march, how could she possible feel hot?

He looked down, and his eyes fell on her nape. The academy uniform was designed according to Tian Sheng fashion and Headmaster Xin’s romantic style; the neckline was loose and generous, and it was impossible to completely cover up. Feng Zhiwei usually kept her clothes firmly tied down, but as she had pulled at her inner clothing to sign at Yan Huaishi, she had left her nape completely exposed. As she was too busy scheming to notice, she had inadvertently given Ning Yi a show.

Her neck was smooth like jade… or maybe the comparison was with something too hard. Her neck was like the fresh fluff of well made rice, or that of newly spun cotton — three parts softness, another part elegance, and the brilliance of the sun and the smooth sheen of the moon. The definition of her fine bones were so delicate that it almost seemed that the weight of eyes might lean to heavily and overpower them, and the skin that the eyes followed from her neck downward was so delicate and translucent, as if the best porcelain masterpiece made at the most famous kiln, and as the eyes moved downward some more, there was the slight hint of… Ning Yi’s pupils narrowed.

Feng Zhiwei tided the sides of her hair, noticed her disheveled clothes, and as she dropped her hands to her side, smoothly rearranged her collar.

She looked downward and silently breathed in relief, but could not help but wonder whether her chest cloth had loosened. Ning Yi had not seen anything, right?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, she glanced forward into the crowd and saw that Yan Huaishi had disappeared. Happiness and worry fought in her heart, and she could not be sure that Yan Huaishi had understood her.

The brilliant gold chariot and the other imperial members had already settled into the forward hall, and were seated orderly behind the gauze. As the herald called out roll, it soon became clear that only the Fifth Prince was absent, and the Emperor, Crown Prince, and the other princes had all gathered here today.

Xin Ziyan still wore his usual large cuffed robe, calmly fanning himself even on this cool day as he gave his speech. He seemed completely at ease and forthright, and there was no trace of that fool who had fallen off a tree in the back yard of a brothel, nor any sign of conniving or hint of his secretive plans. Feng Zhiwei’s gaze flicked from Xin Ziyan to the white gauze hiding a group of the most important figures in the Tian Sheng Dynasty. What would befall them all after today?

As for the man beside her, who was he targeting? There was no way he could hope to sweep the entire group – he had no soldiers at his command. Even if he oversaw 18 000 men in the Jiu Cheng Infantry and Cavalry Bureau back in Dijing, the real power of command was in the hands of the Crown Prince. Meanwhile, the 20 000 men in the Chan Ying Imperial Guard were commanded by the Seventh Prince, and just twenty miles from the Capital was the permanent barracks of the Xu Wei Army. With just the troops she had seen the previous night, such a lofty target would be suicidal.

His target had to be more focused. The Emperor? The Crown Prince? Some rival prince?

Was Ning Yi fool enough to make a move on the Emperor? If not him, then the Crown Prince? But Ning Yi was a member of the Crown Prince’s camp, so there was no reason to attack his own support. Some other prince then? As long as the Emperor and the Crown Prince were present, even if he made a move on a prince, what could he achieve?

And why would Xin Ziyan conspire with this heaven defying, chaos inciting rebel? He had been incredibly close with Ning Yi, and then had pretended to distance himself. For all these years, Ning Yi had hidden his talent and bided his time, keeping a low profile in the Imperial Court, often reprimanded and without favor. Had he truly been forced so low that he had to resort to desperation, or was this the culmination of years of preparation?

Feng Zhiwei’s mind raced with the possibilities, while on stage, everything was proceeding calmly and happily. Students from the Politics & History Hall and the Military Hall separated into two classes and took turns performing. All of the students on display had been recommended by their teachers had rehearsed and been examined for all three days preceding the event. Since Feng Zhiwei and the others had caused such a big commotion at the dining hall, they had missed the opportunity.

She understood now that she had not been dragged down by Gu Nanyi, but rather had been pulled into the mess by Lin Shao. Xin Ziyan had obviously planned on using the isolation confinement to trap the Lin Brothers for the week, to have them out of the way as the cards fell.

Because she’d gotten involved, Feng Zhiwei could not join the Academy competition, and truly, breaking rules in front of the Emperor could merit a death sentence.

The Politics and History Hall began the competition with three segments. They worked through displays of political discourse, treatises on Confucian Classics, and read poetry and essays as an official from the Imperial Academy joined several teachers from their school as examiners. Feng Zhiwei’s heart was chaotic as she listened to the smooth words and copious quotations.

Suddenly the crowd began to murmur, and someone yelled in astonishment, “The Golden List!”

His voice was filled with envy and helpless defeat.

Feng Zhiwei looked over. In front of the white gauze curtains, a eunuch stood, holding a long and soft scroll made of golden thread.

Even Ning Yi was surprised, murmuring to himself, “So the old man brought out this thing again…” all around them, people exclaimed in astonishment.

The Golden List was also known as the Zhuo Ying Scroll¹, and was supposed to contain the three most obscure and difficult questions in all of the world. Anyone who could answer these questions was surely a Peerless Scholar, and with his employ, an Emperor could bring peace to the world. This legendary scroll had been passed down from the Da Cheng Dynasty Founding Emperor, and its fame had resounded for every generation since.

The founder of the Da Cheng Dynasty was incredibly talented, and had studied at the Immortal Firmament Palace, and was said to have possessed powerful theurgic abilities. His fame lingered in the imagination of the people, and the first Emperor was still the most admired and beloved. The scroll that he left behind could not be ordinary.

Every generation since the founding, the Zhuo Ying Scroll was considered the treasure of the Imperial Court. After the passing of the Da Cheng Dynasty, this inheritance had passed to Tian Sheng, and the Tian Sheng Emperor was like all others, an admirer of the mysterious Da Cheng Founder. At almost every Final Imperial Examination and Academy Competition, or some other important literary occasion, the Emperor would often bring out the Zhuo Ying scroll to test the talented people of the world, but no one had ever given a successful answer to these questions, and it was not even clear that anyone understood what the question was asking.