Reign of the Phoenix

Chapter 53 – I’ll Exchange the Treasure for Freedom
Yan Feng seethed with fury. He pointed at Chiyun Nan, who he’d summoned to the Imperial Study, with a trembling hand. “Commandery Prince Yan truly knows how to raise your child! Do you know where your son has gone to and what he has done?!”

Chiyun Yan was frightened. He urgently said, “I haven’t seen him for over a month. Several months ago, he drowned himself unconscious every day in wine in depression. After I locked him up in the underground prison for five days, he finally expressed his willingness to repent. After observing him for a period of time, I saw that he had returned to normal and stopped keeping watch over him.”

Yan Feng angrily flung a tea cup, which shattered on the ground. “Your good soon went to Shangxia without permission, did you not know about it?”

Chiyun Nan’s brows tightly knitted. “What did he run to Shangxia for? Has that rebellious son of mine provoked some serious trouble again?”

Yan Feng punched the table. “I only want to ask you, just how many more times do you two father and son plan on humiliating me? I had just sent an envoy to propose to Princess Fengyi, and General Chiyun immediately ran to Shangxia and took her away. Should my dignity be repeatedly trampled by him like this?”

Chiyun Nan finally realized the gravity of the matter. “Your Majesty, please quell your anger. It’s all my fault that I failed to bring up my child right. Please give this pitiful old man some face and forgive him only this once. When that bastard son of mine returns, I’ll definitely discipline him!”

Yan Feng hang his head and sighed. “I have forgiven him too many times. Today, I called you here only to inform you that, this time, I absolutely won’t let him off again. Every crime he has committed calls for the death sentence. Even if you seek His Majesty the Retired Emperor, I will not change my mind on this. You can leave.”

Just as Yan Feng had expected, a short time later, the retired emperor sent people to summon him to Jingci Palace.

Yan Feng arrived at Jingci Palace in a fury. He felt greatly wronged because Yan Han had repeatedly chosen to defend Chiyun Yuexuan.

After the courtesy, Yan Han dismissed everyone else. Empress Dowager Xiao was displeased, “What are you going to talk to our son about that you cannot say it in front of me?”

Yan Han raised his voice at her, “I said step down!”

With a complex expression, Empress Dowager Xiao cast Yan Feng a glance before she grudgingly walked out of the hall.

Yan Han frowned, his voice extremely light, “I heard that General Chiyun had committed an offense again and you wanted to punish him. In my opinion, the Chiyun clan has been upright and loyal for generations, not to mention General Chiyun has rendered a fair number of meritorious deeds for Huayan. It’s true that he’s young and rash, but he’s also a rare talent for military. Even if he has done something wrong, you should give him a chance to redeem himself.”

Yan Feng’s face was filled with grief and indignation. “I really don’t understand why you keep defending him over and over again. He repeatedly defied the imperial edict, but I never once punished him. This time, however, after hearing that I had sent people to propose to Princess Fengyi, he instantly ran to Shangxia without permission and captured her. He even left a letter saying he was taking her hostage. He openly despises the imperial power and humiliates me, fine, I can stand that. But you know Huayan and Shangxia have been on friendly terms for generations. General Chiyun’s behavior this time will cause the two countries to turn against each other!”

After pondering for a long time, Yan Han said, “The situation has yet to be past redemption. If General Chiyun has feelings for Princess Fengyi, why don’t you send an envoy to Shangxia and propose for their marriage? This way, things will be perfectly resolved.”

Yan Feng stared at Yan Han, enraged. “Am I still your son? Have you decided to side with an outsider in everything and treat your own son’s dignity like nothing? Please forgive me for being unfilial, for I shall use death to make an example of him for everyone to see!”

Yan Feng’s attitude was quite resolute. He stood up to leave right after finishing what he had to say, leaving no room for negotiation.

Yan Han growled. “Sit down! Just hear me out, okay? And don’t lose your calm. Actually, Chiyun Yuexuan he… he is your little brother.”

Yan Feng’s eyes widened in shock. “No wonder you keep favoring him, over and over again. However, even a prince must be punished like a commoner when he violates the law.”

Yan Han’s face twisted in anguish and his voice choked, “Why don’t you ask me, how did my son, a prince, end up in the Chiyun Estate? It’s all thanks to your good mother. To make you the crown prince, she used extreme measures to frame my empress, forcing her to give birth to Xuan’er in the Cold Palace all alone, driving her to hang herself to death while still harboring resentment! Most recently, I’ve only found in my investigation that your mother had a part in setting up my empress. As for the real cause of her death, I shall keep investigating till the end.”

Yan Feng couldn’t stand straight. He staggered back on his seat. “Do you have any evidence?”

Yan Han wiped the corner of his eye. “Of course I do, both human testimony and material evidence. The only problem is that once the evidence is made public, your mother can’t avoid being punished. I have no pity for she only reaps what she’s sown, but I can’t overcome misgivings about how this will affect you.”

……

Locking himself up in the Imperial Study, Yan Feng sat in silence. He couldn’t bring himself to accept that his mother had done such a heinous act to let him sit on the throne. The proud him was also unable to accept that his supreme imperial status wasn’t a result of his own strength, but a bloody battle of the imperial harem.

Pain and resentment intertwined inextricably in his heart. Yan Feng felt guilty towards Chiyun Yuexuan, but at the same time harbored a bone-deep hatred against the very same man for taking Murong Zhining away from him. His heart had been thrown into boiling oil, rolling in torment by unspeakable agony.

Could it be that karma truly existed? Did fate really have its own arrangement? Did he, Yan Feng, really have no choice but to offer his beloved woman to Chiyun Yuexuan like a tribute to compensate for his mother’s mistake?

——

Chiyun Yuexuan was embracing Murong Zhining as they rode on Flash. Seeing her sullen demeanor, he softly blew in her ear and tried to cheer her up, “Let me tell you a good news. I have ordered people to bring Cai Sang and Siyao to pick you up. You’ll probably see them in just a few days.”

Murong Zhining fiddled with a lock of hair. “It would be wonderful if General could send me and Cai Sang back to Shangxia. I’m willing to tell you a secret to exchange for my freedom.”

Chiyun Yuexuan tightened his hold around her waist as a warning. “I disdain exchanging secrets and all that, but you actually have my curiosity. Tell me about it first.”

Murong Zhining crossed her left leg over so that she sat side saddle. Turning to face Chiyun Yexuan, she looked directly in his eyes. “Surely you’ve heard about the treasure of the Murongs of Beiyan?”

Chiyun Yuexuan who had been attracted by the very Murong Zhining herself couldn’t care less about whatever treasure. He bent down, wanting to kiss her lips.

With a frown, Murong Zhining used her hand to block his lips. “Can you focus here? I am being very serious. I’ve uncovered two of the three clues to the Murongs’ treasure. I can tell you all about it in exchange for my freedom, how does that sound? I can even guarantee that I won’t marry for the rest of my life, so you don’t have to worry about your dignity being trampled.”

Chiyun Yuexuan suddenly dismounted. He lifted Murong Zhining off the horse as well and threw her into the carriage with a furious, dangerous expression. Jumping into the carriage himself, he then loomed over her, staring at her with ferocious eyes.

Murong Zhining’s eyes widened in fright as she stared at Chiyun Yuexuan. Her arms were firmly pinned down by him and couldn’t move one bit.

Slowly, the fury in Chiyun Yuexuan’s eyes turned into gentleness. He had exerted every bit of his strength to calm his outrage.

He sat up and pulled Murong Zhining to his chest. “If you ever say this kind of nonsense again, I’ll just handle you on the spot. I took you, not because I’m afraid of losing my dignity by letting Yan Feng marry you, but because I’ve realized that I cannot lose you. I cannot give up on the fate between us. And I don’t care for any treasure either, I wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

For no reason, Murong Zhining had suffered another shock. Her eyes brimming with tears of fright, she angrily bit on Chiyun Yuexuan’s arm.

Letting her bite him as she pleased, Chiyun Yuexuan gently kissed her hair. As if thinking of something, he smiled wryly, but his arms refused to let go of her. “In front of you, I actually have no temper at all. Goodness, does this mean I’m a henpecked husband?”

All of a sudden, Flash issued two brief neighs that alerted Chiyun Yuexuan. He let go of Murong Zhining and deftly leaped up to look behind the carriage. Then, he jumped off and pressed his right ear against the road. After all of that, he mounted Flash and led the carriage into a small side path, hiding themselves behind thick rows of trees.

Returning to the carriage, Chiyun Yuexuan looked Murong Zhining in the eyes. “There were over twenty fast horses behind us on the main road, heading for our direction. For safety reasons, we’ll temporarily take shelter here. Princess wait in the carriage at ease, I’ll go scout around the roadside.”

Murong Zhining grasped his sleeves in panic. “You won’t be like last time and abandon me here, will you?”

Chiyun Yuexuan cradled her face with both hands and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. “Worry not. I will never leave you in this lifetime.”

……

On a high ground, Chiyun Yuexuan poked through the grass and fixed his eyes on the road. Over twenty horses galloped by, carrying a group of uniformly armed and armored men who seemed to be pursuing someone. From just a glance, Chiyun Yuexuan was startled. He instantly recognized the man at the very front to be Gao Chenghao.

In any normal day, Chiyun Yuexuan possessed extraordinary abilities for observation. However, he had nearly fallen to a disadvantage from being too immersed in love. Had it not been for Flash’s keen sense to sniff out danger, heavens only knew what the two of them would end up like after being caught off guard. Chiyun Yuexuan didn’t even dare to imagine the consequences if Murong Zhining fell into the hands of Gao Chenghao again.

When Chiyun Yuexuan returned to the carriage, Murong Zhining’s almond eyes lit up with visible gladness upon seeing him. His heart softened at the look in her eyes and he was secretly delighted. However, the situation greatly worried him.

“It’s that animal Gao Chenghao again. He brought a team of troops here. If my guess is correct, he must be after us. Seems like the last time was far from enough to teach him a lesson. This fellow is extremely dangerous and difficult, we must get rid of him. If he keeps going down the main road, he’ll surely find out that we have taken another road and will turn around to pursue us.”

Chiyun Yuexuan removed the horse from the carriage and tied the important items to it. He then lifted Murong Zhining onto Flash, got mounted himself, and rode down along the small path. The other horse was quite obedient as it docilely followed behind.

Just as Chiyun Yuexuan had predicted, Gao Chenghao realized that something was off after galloping for two hours. Two days ago, he received reports that Chiyun Yuexuan and Murong Zhining had been sighted on the main road to Huayan. He instantly brought over twenty heavily armed men to chase all the way here with little rest. At noon today, he got information from a roadside inn that a man and a woman highly resembling Chiyun Yuexuan and Murong Zhining had left this inn early in the morning.

According to his calculations, it would take less than two hours on fast horses to catch up with Murong Zhining’s carriage. That was why two hours later, he realized that Chiyun Yuexuan must have discovered him and taken Murong Zhining on another path. When discussing a countermeasure with his underlings on the roadside, out of frustration, Gao Chenghao slashed out his blade and cut down a tree as thick as a bowl.

As expected of someone who had experience leading troops into battle, Gao Chenghao decisively turned around. At every intersection, he would stop and observe carefully. Finally, he found some new rut marks at the entrance of a small path. Gao Chenghao’s eyes gleamed with a deep light like a hungry beast excited to find its prey.

Not far off the path, a horseless carriage leaned against a tree trunk. Gao Chenghao walked over, lifted the curtain, and inhaled a deep breath with his eyes closed. His nostrils were filled with the faint, unique fragrance that belonged to only Murong Zhining.

Gao Chenghao swung his hand, signaling the troops to follow him down the small path. Taking just a few steps, the horse under him suddenly buckled its front legs and violently threw him on the ground. Gao Chenghao was about to crawl up when the sound of wind roaring was suddenly heard. Extremely quick to react, he turned his head and rolled on the spot. A big, sharp rock tied to a rope narrowly grazed past his face.

Gao Chenghao broke into a cold sweat. If he hadn’t reacted in time, that stone would have firmly landed on his forehead. He carefully observed the ground. It turned out that his horse had stepped on a bunch of iron spikes scattered across the road. And when the horse fell, it perfectly triggered the big rock hanging on the nearby tree. Gao Chenghao didn’t dare to underestimate the enemy. He knew full well that Chiyun Yuexuan’s reputation was nothing unearned.

The group dismounted and carefully searched ahead. After walking some distance to find no other traps, Gao Chenghao ordered several men to go ahead and scout the road while he himself remained at a steady pace.

After walking not long, Gao Chenghao found the scouting troops entangled in the ropes on the trees on both sides of the path, men tied and horses tripped. Worst still, the horse-tripping ropes had iron spikes tied to them. The horses had injured their legs and were no longer fit for travel.

A grim light flashed in Gao Chenghao’s eyes. He had to admit that he had met a formidable enemy; a frightening one who was calm and resourceful. The fire of rage ran rampant in Gao Chenghao’s heart. He swore to himself that he would definitely make Chiyun Yuexuan pay a huge price.