The Rise of Phoenixes

Chapter 128

The Fifth Prince smiled and gestured with the yellow handkerchief. “This name should have changed already, so I will not be polite!”

“So that was the plan...” Feng Zhiwei sighed. “You really are not polite at all, so we will not be polite either.”

The Fifth Prince paused, turning to eye the suddenly recovered Feng Zhiwei.

“Cha.”

Light shone in from every direction, throwing everything into the open.

“Pa.”

Countless crossbows were steadied along the artificial mountain, their quarrels gleaming coldly in the moonlight, surrounding the Fifth Prince.

A man walked down the long corridor, his figure adorned with an elegant robe, a gentle smile on his face; the light gold mandala flower bloomed gorgeously under the starry sky.

“Fifth Brother had a brilliant plot.” The man praised, clapping quietly, his smile cutting through the early autumn breeze.

A man stood by the railing, lightly dressed and quivering, supported by the Chief Imperial Guard.

“Sinful son!” He called out furiously. “First poisoning me then stealing the edict, and even planning to murder the National Scholar to hide your evil plan to usurp the throne. You have lost all heart and all mind! Such gross extremes!”

Another figure sat lazily against the railing, hugging a platter to herself, idly grabbing a bedecked steamed bun and taking a satisfying bite. Sauce dripped down the corner of her mouth, and she idly rescued the sauce and lapped it off her finger.

The Fifth Prince stepped back, his face turning deathly pale as he turned from one witness to the other.

“Good! Good!” He finally barked out, laughing despairingly. “What a great show! Crossing the sea to deceive the heavens, all the while removing the tinder from under the pot!”

He turned and stared venomously at Feng Zhiwei, “Wei Zhi, a brilliant plot!”

Feng Zhiwei met the prince’s gaze, her heart suddenly on high alert — in this desperate moment, the prince should be fleeing or begging for forgiveness — why was he still so hostile?

Thoughts flashed through her mind as she thought back over what the prince had said.

You will die at the hands of the Imperial Guards for stealing secrets from the Imperial Study.

Since the prince had already attacked her, all the Imperial Guards would discover was her body. How could he be sure that the Imperial Guards would cover his tracks and claim responsibility for her death?

And which Imperial Guard would have been first at the scene?

Unless the Chief Imperial Guard...

Feng Zhiwei leapt to her feet and raced towards Ning Yi.

But it was already too late.

A great force pushed her from behind and into the embrace of the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince grabbed her hair and pulled it back, tearing at her scalp as he held a dagger against her back.

At the same time, a sword was drawn and the Tian Sheng Emperor called out in fury.

The Fifth Prince laughed.

“Ning Yi!” He called out, “Father Emperor or this brat, you can only save one!”

“Whom will you save?”

Whom would he save?

The Chief Imperial Guard held his sword to the Tian Sheng Emperor’s neck, while outside the corridor, the Fifth Prince pressed his dagger against Feng Zhiwei’s waist.

The answer needed no consideration.

All the crossbows on the mountain were still aimed at the Fifth Prince. No one had lowered their weapons because Feng Zhiwei was in the Fifth Prince’s grasp. Half of the Imperial Guard was from the Chang Ying Guard, and half was from the Yu Lin Guard, and Ning Yi’s Chang Ying Guard had all been assembled.

“Wei Yong!” The Tian Sheng Emperor scolded with fury. “Have you lost your mind?! You dare hold me hostage! Do you think you will leave the Palace with your life?”

“This Minor Guard never planned on leaving here alive.” Chief Imperial Guard Wei Yong announced calmly. He was the one who had pushed Feng Zhiwei and then held the Son of Heaven hostage, his voice calm but his eyes dim. “The Chang Family has given this Minor Minister a new life, and they have watched over this Minor Minister’s old mother. This life belongs to the Chang Family.”

“The Chang Family.” The Tian Sheng Emperor sneered, “Chang Family!”

“Wei Yong, put down your sword.” Ning Yi finally spoke, not even glancing at the Fifth Prince or Ning Yi, his eyes only on the two men inside the corridor. “It is better late than never. If you turn back now, I promise that your mother will be fine.”

Wei Yong shook his head, smiling in miserable silence.

“What do you want?” Ning Yi frowned, turning to the Fifth Prince. “Fifth Brother, why are you doing this? Why struggle to the death? How can you do this to your father? Why force our Ning Imperial Family to fratricide?”

“What do you know!” The Fifth Prince sneered. “Do you still not understand the cruelty and decisiveness of Father Emperor? Have you forgotten how Third Brother died? At Wang Chuan Bridge, Father Emperor once said that the past could be forgotten and forgiven and the harmonious bond of father and son could be renewed, but when Third Brother knelt and surrendered his sword, what awaited him?”

Ning Yi’s face flashed and his eyes dimmed. The Tian Sheng Emperor snorted angrily, and at that noise Ning His recovered, his face straightening as he calmly replied: “You refuse to turn from your foolishness.”

Ning Yi stepped back, turning his eyes into the shadows.

The Fifth Prince instantly stiffened, instinctively feeling danger, but when he turned and saw the Imperial Study’s door thrown open and the study lit and empty, his eyes brightened.

“We will not speak out here any longer.” He announced, tightening his grip on his knife and forcing Feng Zhiwei forward. “We will speak inside the Imperial Study. Summon all the Cabinet Ministers!”

“Fifth Brother, spare yourself this effort.” Ning Yi smiled coldly. “No matter where you go, the end will be the same. Stop wasting your energy.”

Ning Yi loomed in the shadows, his face completely hidden. The longer he stayed still, the more upset the Fifth Prince became; the prince was sure that he was surrounded, so it was clearly better to barricade himself in the Imperial Study and hide from the hidden enemies around him.

“Hey, listen to me Fifth Prince.” Feng Zhiwei whispered into his ear. “You definitely should not go into the Imperial Study. Look at that screen and that desk, there are definitely people hidden there. If you want to seek misfortune, don’t drag me into it.”

What nonsense! The Fifth Prince sneered. The Imperial Study screen was milky-white silk and could not even hide an ant. The desk had been intentionally designed to never hide an assailant. These two were trying to bamboozle him again.

He listened carefully and heard the quiet tensing of bow strings, and he nervously remembered Sixth Brother’s talented artisans, each of them specialized in a particular weapons construction. Was this tensing string the centerpiece of a powerful crossbow that could cut him down from a great distance?

“Into the Imperial Study!” The Fifth Prince called out, gesturing for the Imperial Guard to bring the Emperor as well.

As he pushed forward, the prince spotted the map facing the door. The Chang Ning Vassal State in the Xiping Province was clearly labeled in blue, and the Minnan Province was marked with red. The large characters of: Imperial Ning Forever Stood boldly inscribed along the top of the Imperial Study.

A plan emerged in his mind, and the more he thought the more he latched on to this final chance to leave this mess alive.

Hurriedly, he pushed Feng Zhiwei forward.