The Phoenix Reborn Book II

Chapter 85 A Message

“Ayahanda, I don't really understand your point,” Wang Chengliu replied as he straightened his body. “However, it makes no sense if I am happy when our kingdom is experiencing a disaster,” he explained with a flat face, as if not lying at all.

Emperor Weixin was silent as he looked straight at his son's face. “Is that?” he said in the end. The man invited himself to sit on one of the chairs inside the pavilion.

When he saw his father grabbing the teapot provided, Wang Chengliu intended to help him. However, Emperor Weixin raised his hand, hinting he would do the thing himself.

“When was the last time you visited your mother, King Hui?”

The call used by Emperor Weixin made Wang Chengliu feel strange, as if the relationship between him and his father was so foreign. Moreover, the question that the man was asking made the sixth prince feel perplexed. “I ended up settling in the palace today with the intention of visiting Mother. Unfortunately, Mother—”

“I'm talking about your birth mother,” cut off Emperor Weixin, instantly making Wang Chengliu shut up.

After a moment of silence, Wang Chengliu replied, “Last year, Father, on his memorial day.” The radiance of his eyes looked calm, but when observed with jelly, there was a meaningful vibration there. The man smiled faintly, then said, “What made Father talk about Mother?”

“Ibunda”, “Ibu”, they are obviously talking about two different people. “Ibunda” refers to Xue Kexin, and “Ibu” refers to Chen Meilian.

Wang Chengliu's question caused Emperor Weixin to turn her eyes to the prince. “Am I not allowed to ask that?” His hand reached for the teacup to then sip it.

“Certainly not so, Ayahanda,” reply Wang Chengliu. He no longer dared to say much after Emperor Weixin asked such a challenging question.

Wang Weixin tasted, then placed the teacup in her hand onto the table. “In two days, I will send troops to the border of Zhou-Shi.” He continued, “Deputy General Huang will lead the war this time, and Wang Junsi will lead the forces of Tubo, Shiyan, as well as some of the soldiers that Emperor Wu gave to help.”

“I believe Fourth Brother is able to carry out his duties well,” Wang Chengliu said, not knowing what else to say. ‘If he knew those soldiers should attach importance to the safety of his country ...,’ the man snorted inwardly.

A meaningful glance was cast by Emperor Weixin to the sixth prince. “You didn't ask why this time I didn't send you?” Normally, the man sent Wang Chengliu to address the issues between Shi and Zhou.

The gust of wind on the side of Wang Chengliu's face made the man's ears tingle. The question that Emperor Weixin was asking made the man smile thinly. “After my cooperation with the Zhou Kingdom earlier, there are certainly many eyes that suspect me. Not involving me in a war is an attempt by Father to avoid strife."

A nod of the head was given by Emperor Weixin to his son's answer. “Good if you understand.” Then, the man stood up from his chair, making Wang Chengliu bow in salute. While walking past his son, Wang Weixin said, “Don't let ambition rule yourself, King Hui. We do not know when the meaning of a name can change [1].”

After the figure of the father slowly moved away from where he was, Wang Chengliu clenched his hand. The gentleman's calm eyes were shrouded in darkness as well as a deep desire for hatred.

‘Wang Weixin ...’

Suddenly, Wang Chengliu's ears caught a movement not far from where he was. He turned his head and found Chenxiao's figure emerging from the darkness.

Chen Xiao saluted. “Your Majesty, I have delivered your message,” reported.

A smile bloomed on Wang Chengliu's face. “Good. Let's wait what game will be presented by the woman.”

***

After leaving the courtyard of the residence while Wang Chengliu was in the palace, Emperor Weixin deliberately walked down the palace behind him. Li Shijing's gate was tightly closed, according to the orders given by the Emperor. Not with the other concubine gates. All the gates were wide open, expecting the emperor to step in and visit, even if only for a moment.

Ah, naw. Other than Li Shijing's gate, there was still one more gate locked, even for the emperor himself.

‘Kexin,’ Inner Wang Weixin while stopping before the gate of the residence of Xue Xianfei, the concubine who raised Wang Chengliu to be her son.

Seeing the radiance of Emperor Weixin's eyes, Eunuch Gao immediately asked, “Your Majesty, do you want me to ask you back?” He guessed that the son of heaven missed talking to the woman who was inside the courtyard.

Wang Weixin shook her head. “Even his son is not allowed to visit, let alone myself,”. “Immediately inform Defei residence that I will be visiting.” Sadness enveloped the emperor's expression. “The Fifth Prince's death .. certainly so surprising to him.”

It didn't take long before Emperor Weixin reached Yang Defei's courtyard. Different from the previous days, the welcome from the concubine's residence did not look luxurious and friendly. The faces of the servants forced a smile, trying to cover up the tiredness and sad emotions that were crawling their souls.

As soon as he reached the room of his concubine, Emperor Weixin saw the figure of Yang Defei sitting on the edge of the bed holding a jade slip. His eyes were not separated from the jade, not even for a second. The woman did not even care about the arrival of Emperor Weixin.

Seeing his master's attitude towards the emperor, maid Yang Defei immediately whispered, “Y-Your Majesty, please forgive Defei, she—” The woman stopped her speech when she saw Emperor Weixin's hand raised, saying, hinted for him to be quiet.

“Go,” Wang Weixin's orders while approaching her concubine.

Hearing the emperor's orders, no one else dared to make a sound. All the servants rushed out and closed the door tightly.

Wang Weixin sat herself on the edge of Yang Defei's bed, but the woman did not react at all. “Yuechan,” call him gently. However, there is no reply.

Wang Weixin's eyes turned on the table that was still filled with food. Even without the reports from the servants, it was clear that not a single bit of the food was touched by Yang Defei.

Emperor Weixin's remarks provoked a reaction from Yang Defei. The woman's eyes glared and she said, “He's dead. Can the dead be sad?”

The defiant sentence thrown by Yang Yuechan made Wang Weixin a little impatient. The man put the plate full of food back on the table, and he said in frustration, “What do you want me to do, Yuechan? Do you think I'm not sad about this?! Wuyu is also my son!”

The high tone of the husband did not scare Yang Yuechan, he replied, “Our son was killed, and I see nothing you did to give him justice!” The woman put on a mocking smile. “Entailah, probably because you still have four other sons who are still breathing!”

“Business!” w.a.n.g Weixin snapped with an angry expression. “We will be at war with Zhou soon, and it takes time and preparation!” emperor Weixin. “What? You want me to immediately ride to Zhou Kingdom right now to behead Qing Zhuang? What about my death did you just assume that I was giving justice to our son?!”

Yang Yuechan could no longer harbor his anger. “Our son was killed by the Huang clan girl! Ah ... She is now Madame Liang, isn't she? Were it not for her, Wuyu would not have walked out of the palace and died on the way!”

Wang Weixin fell silent, realizing that the concubine's mind was no longer clear. Under these circumstances, Yang Yuechan would obviously blame everyone involved. Incidentally, the closest person he could vent his anger on was Huang Miaoling.

In the end, Wang Weixin could only sigh. “You are not thinking clearly,” he said.

Yang Yuechan's eyes grew bigger. “Oh, but I think very clearly! Our son's killer is in the capital, and if you don't intend to act, then I alone will avenge him!”

Wang Weixin looked at Yang Yuechan with a sharp gaze. “Don't you dare touch Mingwei Junzhu,” he commemorated the woman before him with a terrifying aura, making the concubine freeze on the spot. “You don't know what kind of calamity Shi will befall you if you dare to touch him.”

Hearing this, temple Yang Yuechan twitched. ‘What may Your Majesty know that Liang Fenghong is ...’

Finally, Wang Weixin sighed. He turned around and said, “I'm not here to argue with you.” The man walked out of the room. “Since you don't want my presence, then I'll leave here!”

Yang Yuechan did not say anything and just silently watched her husband's departure. After all, there was nothing to talk about between the two at the moment. With his emotions out of control, Yang Yuechan was already very lucky since the emperor did not impose punishment on him.

Suddenly, a servant stepped into the room. He approached Yang Yuechan carefully, then said, “Defei, there is a message for you.”

***

The streets of the capital looked so quiet that night. Issues regarding the imminent war between Shi and Zhou began to be heard in Zhongcheng. Therefore, most people are reluctant to spend time outdoors at this prone time. It is something that is used by a figure who darted down the main streets of the capital.

When he arrived before the Huang residence, the figure took a back path to jump in through the defenses of the place. Just as he landed, his freshly landed gaze on the ground found a number of spears pointed at him.

“Who are you?!” furious one of a number of soldiers Huang residence that caught the intruder wet.

The black-clothed intruder immediately raised both of his hands. “It's me!” the statement made all of Huang's soldiers frown their foreheads, not feeling the person's words prove anything. Realizing that he was unrecognizable, the figure unfolded his face cover.

“Meihua?” Xiaofei, who was in charge of leading the night guards, hurriedly ordered his subordinates to lower their weapons. “Why are you here this way?!” hisses. The security of the Huang residence had been tightened due to the advice of the proud son-in-law of Huang Qinghao, and the arrival of Meihua who was secretly as if to challenge the Huang warriors. “Is this your employer's way of testing our security?” dengus Xiaofei's.

Xiaofei's words made Meihua chuckle. “Maybe,” reply is short. “I'm here to deliver a message. However, I have to convey it verbally,” his words show that this message is so secret, and should not be known carelessly.

Xiaofei furrowed his brows. “I understand.” Then, he hurriedly reported Meihua's arrival to Huang Qinghao.

In a matter of minutes, the higher-ups of the Huang family had gathered in the living room. Welcoming the arrival of Liang Fenghong's subordinates in the middle of the night showed that something was going on.

Huang Qinghao looked towards Meihua who was in the middle of the room while kneeling on one leg. “What did you say?!” he said half exclaiming. He slammed his back on the chair and touched his head, reflecting the frustration and pressure he felt.

“This is crazy ...,” murmured Huang Jieli. “Does Qing Zhuang plan to flatten four kingdoms and make it one?” His hands clenched as his emotions stirred. “What revenge for the death of his father is mere reason?!”

Huang Yade who for a while just fell silent suddenly said, “What did Miaoling say something?” At a time like this, it was better to listen to his sister's thoughts first.

Meihua replied, “Because Shi still has to overcome the Sihan Tribe and Zhou Kingdom, originally the Chairman did not want to trouble Shi in their war.” Then, he added, “However, Mistress ...”

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[1] “Do not let ambition rule yourself, King Hui. We do not know when the meaning of a name can change.”

Emperor Weixin's speech is a wordplay from “Hui” which means smart or noble. When the tone of the pronunciation changes, then the meaning can be regret or destruction.

In essence, Emperor Weixin's remarks were a warning to Wang Chengliu.

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A/N: Next episode is . a bit intimate. Want some hot? Or more sweet?