Rising Phoenix

An ordinary faced guard appeared and examined Feng Zhiwei’s receding back. “Two possibilities. She’ll either break the cauldron and sink the boat, returning to the mansion for a final struggle, or she’ll suffer the injustice and bend to the Qiu Mansion’s will.

The guard laughed, pointing to the redlight district in the distance. “Regardless, she will return there immediately. She cannot stay in this place much longer; another minute and her name will be smeared even more. She cannot play with her reputation and her life.”

“Really?” The man smiled lightly, his words long.

“Let’s bet.” Ning Cheng offered enthusiastically.

The man didn’t reply, and the two stood on the bridge, watching the straight backed woman. She walked purposefully and stopped by a door beside an orchid lamp. She tied up her hair like a man, and knocked firmly on the door.

Ning Cheng’s face paled.

The woman’s face turned, speaking to the opened doorway, and the person inside paused for a moment in bewilderment. On the bridge, the lip reading Ning Deng stumbled.

The man laughed lightly.

In his dark jade pupils appeared a glimmer of interest, as if a long calm abyss suddenly stirred by the winter wind, blown over from beyond the horizon.

He stood in the shining sun, the golden Mandala Flower on his black cloak fluttering in the wind; he could almost hear on the cold piercing wind the last whispers of that conversation; the weak girl asking the Madam opening the door, calmly and outlandishly.

“Your place, does it still need a servant?”

…

“Xiao Zhi, I heard that there are new dying silk flowers, get me some!”

“Bring me some too. I want those light green and orangish ones!”

“A quarter of a kilo of Si Fang Zhai’s Lotus Root, stuffed with crystal sugar and sticky rice!”

Around noontime, the ten mile redlight district was just waking. Pleasant voices like nightingales and swallows passed through the windows of the LAN Xiang Yards delicate building. The girls leaned their bodies through the window and called out, assigning tasks to the footboy in black clothes as he walked by with his bamboo basket on his way to do some shopping.

The footboy was a distant relative of the popular Yin Er of Lan Xiang Yuan. He had arrived a month ago and didn’t speak much, but he was intelligent and good at reading the situation; all the girls liked him.

“Sister Yan Hong’s skin is white with just a tinge of blush; light green doesn’t suit your skin. Light pink is better – it will make your skin shine.” The footboy smiled upwards at the windows. “Sticky rice lotus roots are good, but it will sit in your stomach if you eat too much. Cui Huan Sister, you love food; you have to be careful or else you’ll be a fat beauty.”

“You’re terrible!” The girls shouted, but their smiles were happy and content. Yan Hong replied happily, “Xiao Zhi, if you weren’t Yin Ed’s relative and worked here as a servant, I would have really thought you were some rich family’s Gong Zi.”

“Is that even possible?” Yin er said, passing Yan Hong on her way out of her room. She patted her shoulder and continued, “Class hierarchy is still so strict in Tian Sheng Dynasty. A Gong Zi from a wealthy family would never work here even if his alternative was to beg and starve.”

But as the words came out of her mouth, Yin er still threw a complicated look at the footboy. He smiled back at her unperturbedly, just as he always did – he seemed clear and honest, but was through and through a mystery. He looked calm, but his actions were incredibly strange.

Xiao Zhi, a nickname for Wei Zhi; Feng Zhiwei.

After hiding out in this brothel for a month, Zhiwei had become very good at her job. Of course, this was also only possible with Yin er’s help – she hadn’t let Zhiwei become another working girl, but had instead pestered the Madam and had her take in Zhiwei was a footboy. Even though the situation was not much better, but it was still a move of kindness. Feng Zhiwei was grateful, but Yin er continued to thank her, always saying that it was because Feng Zhiwei saved her life.

Feng Zhiwei didn’t really understand this; all she had done was reach out her hand and pull the girl up; it was not as serious as a life saving grace. But, Yin er never explained. Her expressions would sometimes still show a lingering fear from that night, and every time Zhiwei brought up that man she almost had a panic attack. From her panicked expression, Zhiwei could guess that this situation was not just because she had been pushed into the river, and there was a more complicated story.

And in the end, Feng Zhiwei had only asked out of some idle curiosity and didn’t push ; after that night of drinking and the farewell in the snowy morning, she had no desire to see that man again.

But fate rarely gave man what he wanted — it wasn’t so easy as not meeting someone you didn’t want to see.

She carried the basket under her arm and moved to leave when she spotted a large group of people coming that way.

Feng Zhiwei paused for a moment, and just as she thought to hide a man from the group called out. “Hey, boy, Gong Zi Ye are already here, go call out the girls to come serve us!”

Feng Zhiwei lowered her eyes, examining the richly dressed guests through the corner of her eyes. They were obviously Gong Zi from Dijing’s royal family (is this right?). One of them wore a moon white layered silk robe with a bamboo pattern embroidered in silver on the corner. The elegance made her eyebrows twitch, and she lowered her head even more.

Turning and giving way, she called towards the yard, “Girls, there are guests—”

She had learnt the sound from the servant who usually welcomed the guests, but she was inexperienced and her call was stiff, amusing the group of Gong Zi.

“Where did Lan Xiang Yard find this servant? Even the welcome call sounds like a woman moaning in bed.”

“Where is Zhang De?” Why is this idle kid here?”

The group of men passed her, laughing as if she were invisible. Feng Zhiwei stared at the ground and watched as the corner of that robe passed her by without stirring up any dust. Just as she let out a long breath of relief, she heard one of the the men call out cheerfully to the Madam, “We’re going to play Jim Xing Ling, let this boy wait on us!”

The Madam paused and agreed unwillingly. She signaled for Feng Zhiwei to come over and whispered to her. “Be careful! Ai….”

The Madam had a worried look, and was not at all happy that business had come. Feng Zhiwei examined her with surprise, and the Madam continued in a serious voice. “Did you see that skinny man in yellow? I heard he’s an animal; the top girl Ruan Yu er from Guang Hua Ju was disabled by him, and even when their Madam wanted to stir up trouble with her background, nothing good happened. A couple days later, some people came and smashed up the yard and closed their business. Ai, why did they come here today? I hope they don’t give me trouble….”

She turned to Feng Zhiwei again, “Xiao Zhi, you are clever and understand etiquette better than anyone in this yard. You have to help me today and make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Feng Zhiwei couldn’t refuse; she was a guest under someone’s roof, and that roof was a brothel. This day was inevitable, and she would try to avoid it when she could, but when she couldn’t, she could only wait and see.

The group took the best room “Juan Fang Ge,” and called for the most beautiful girls. Each man took one and laughed and joked noisily. There was only one corner that everyone avoided, a quiet and almost eerie corner.

And that was where he sat.

An ebony screen decorated with silver bamboo separated that corner, and next to a delicate carpet mat stood a black stone tripod burning expensive incense. In the cold light and white smoke, the man’s long hair was spread carelessly over his robe, and his lapel hung open loosely. He propped his face up indolently with an arm on the table before moving slightly and lowering his head gently to drink rice wine out of the cup of the girl’s hands.