Reign of the Phoenix

Chapter 75 – Imminent Threat
Luo Siyao set a bowl of porridge and several light dishes on the table. Murong Zhining stood at the door watching with indifference. “Thank you. I will eat the porridge on my own. Please go back, General.”

Chiyun Yuexuan sat down at the table. “Siyao, I haven’t eaten either and am starving. Bring over another bowl of porridge so I can accompany Princess as she eats.”

Murong Zhining replied with a ruthless tone, “No need. I’m not hungry. Please eat it bit by bit, General.” She walked to the bed and sat down.

Unaffected by her frosty manner, Chiyun Yuexuan brought the porridge over to the bed, scooped up a spoonful and blew on it. He leaned over and held the spoon to her mouth. “Have two bites at least, then your husband will finish the rest for you.”

Murong Zhining looked at him with her eyes filled with unfamiliarity and resentment. “I guess you must have been quite a ruthless person before. What led to the changing of your nature?”

Chiyun Yuexuan’s face was still gentle. “No matter what kind of person I used to be, I can assure you I will only treat you with tenderness from now on.”

Murong Zhining took the bowl from his hand, then sat back at the table and ate it silently. At this moment, Luo Siyao came in holding a tray with a pot of porridge and a bowl. She scooped up the porridge into the bowl before presenting it to Chiyun Yuexuan with all due respect, and left the room without forgetting to close the door on her way out.

Chiyun Yuexuan sat down opposite Murong Zhining. He added more porridge to her bowl. “Eat more, Ning’er, you are still too thin, I feel sad just looking at you.”

Murong Zhining didn’t react to his words. She only allowed one spoonful of porridge after another to enter her mouth with her head bowed.

Chiyun Yuexuan sat there watching her in a daze. Based on his previous experience, Murong Zhining normally wouldn’t be angry with him for such a long time. From her face, he could see strangeness and fear, which made his heart throb.

He went to sit next to her. “I promise not to act like such a bastard ever again. I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault. I’m willing to do anything as long as you’re not angry with me.”

Murong Zhining kept eating the porridge with her head bowed and didn’t respond to his pleas. Chiyun Yuexuan peered over just in time to catch a crystalline tear rolling down her cheek.

He put down his bowl. “I know I’ve made you sad. But, can you imagine how I must have felt when I heard you say someone else’s name in your dreams? You can cry and throw your temper, but what about me?”

Frustrated, Chiyun Yuexuan paced the room with his hands behind his back, while Murong Zhining sat in silence after finishing off her porridge. Suddenly, a loud commotion broke out in the downstairs lobby, and footsteps thumped hurriedly up the stairs.

A loud voice came outside the room, “Reporting to General Chiyun, since Officer Wu has given we younglings half a day off today, we took a trip to the capital city of Songyang County. A soldier under Officer Wu, Du Youtian, got into trouble with someone and accidentally beat their servant to death. He is now being held by the family who said they’d take him to be judged by the authority. “

Chiyun Yuexuan pushed open the door in a fit of temper. Wu Siyuan also emerged from his room upon hearing the soldier’s report.

Wu Siyuan spat, “You useless bunch! I let you lot go out for some fresh air, and you dare to provoke this kind of disaster upon us all.”

The soldier made the report knelt on the ground and bowed his head. “We puny ones can’t be criticised on this matter. When Miss Cai Sang followed us out to go sightseeing, a young man of the local tyrants hurled dirty abuse at her. We didn’t want to cause any trouble, so we took Miss Cai Sang and made to leave, but the bastard allowed his servants to chase and beat us with blunt weapons. We younglings had no choice but to fight back.” The soldier hesitated before muttering, “Miss Cai Sang… was apprehended by that family.”

After listening to the soldier’s story, Chiyun Yuexuan frowned. “Wu Siyuan, take some money over to that family and see to the situation. If people died, pay the family more money and settle things with a good talk. By the way, don’t expose our identity, just say that you’re a passing merchant. I don’t want any unnecessary trouble!”

Heeding the order, Wu Siyuan left with the reporting soldier in tow.

In the room, Chiyun Yuexuan blamed himself while pacing around, “Goodness! If I hadn’t drunk too much earlier, there wouldn’t be so much trouble and Ning’er wouldn’t have been angry with me.”

Murong Zhining couldn’t bear to be angry at him anymore upon seeing him so unsettled. Besides, even she couldn’t tell whether the flash of memory had been an illusion or something that had happened.

Murong Zhining poured a fresh cup of tea and handed it over to Chiyun Yuexuan. “General, calm down and think of some way to deal with this.”

Chiyun Yuexuan was overwhelmed by her favor. “Ning’er, you’re not angry anymore? As long as Ning’er isn’t angry, I’ll keep calm.” He pulled her into his arms. “I assure you I’ll never lose my temper again. I was only feeling uncomfortable because you called someone else in your dream, and I couldn’t help it.”

Murong Zhining looked up at Chiyun Yuexuan, her expression somewhat confused. “There was a stranger in my dream. That dream was weird, but it seems to be something that I once experienced. There’s man in a dragon robe playing Sonorous. Could he be King Zhuang of Chu? I’ve been having strange flashes of memory. I saw you holding a red-hot iron…”

“Stop, Ning’er, don’t say anymore.” Her speech terrified Chiyun Yuexuan. He embraced her so tightly as if she’d vanish the moment he let go.

Half an hour later, Wu Siyuan returned dejectedly. “Reporting to General, that family is a local boss in Songyang. Their head is Bai Xianwu, about 50 years old, who started his business with silk and is now very wealthy. The family has four daughters, all of them married off to officials or large families locally. He has only one son called Bai Hongkai, a complete street scoundrel who only knows to eat, drink, play with women and gamble. When the soldiers were walking around town today, Cai Sang bumped into him, and then he assailed her with obscenities. This resulted in… Du Youtian, one of our soldiers, killed a vile servant of his.”

Chiyun Yuexuan’s sharp brows furrowed. “What did that family say when you met them?”

Wu Siyuan bowed and cupped his hands. “The family so arrogant they had their noses all the way up in the air. They demanded 10,000s ilver taels for compensation. The most furious thing is that they detained Cai Sang so as to be Bai Hongkai’s concubine. Their bullying us is going too far!”

Chiyun Yuexuan punched the table. “Outrageous! If this wasn’t the territory of Ning’er’s father, I would have killed that whole family.”

Murong Zhining pouted, her pair of almond eyes filled with discontent. “Even if it’s not my father’s territory, you can’t do that either! That man’s sin doesn’t deserve death yet, or am I wrong?”

Wu Siyuan quipped, “Woah! Princess isn’t angry with General anymore? No wonder General looks so much better. Don’t even argue, Princess, he’s giving his father-in-law a lot of face. Otherwise, with his character, he would destroy that family.”

Chiyun Yuexuan shot Wu Siyuan a cold glare. “You still have the heart to joke around at this kind of time? If they want money, I can give them that. But Cai Sang? She is Princess’s people.”

Wu Siyuan frowned. “10,000 taels of silver for a dog slave’s life is already sky-high, and they still want Cai Sang? A dream!”

Chiyun Yuexuan laughed and teased, “That’s right. He dares to rob the woman our General Wu likes? What a blind dog!”

Wu Siyuan flushed red, but he said nothing to defend himself.

Chiyun Yuexuan turned serious. “No more joking around. Tomorrow morning, you go meet that family again and have a talk with them about compensation. At worst, add more money, just ensure Cai Sang and our soldier are safe. Unless on the battlefield, I leave behind none of my soldiers. Have some rest for now.”

Wu Siyuan cupped his fists in assent and withdrew.

Murong Zhining issued a dismissal order. “Ning’er will rest. Please leave, General.”

Chiyun Yuexuan fawned over her and said, “Since Cai Sang is absent today, I’ll personally attend to your bath and bed.”

Murong Zhining pushed him out. “Go, shoo! Ning’er doesn’t care for being attended to.”

Chiyun Yuexuan acted abash. “No, I must ensure your safety. I’ll call Siyao to serve you as you bathe. I’ll go back to my room for a bath before I return to protect you.”

True to his words, Chiyun Yuexuan took a bath and returned to Murong Zhining’s room, afraid that he’d face denial if he came after she finished her bath. Bringing Green Damask with him, he sat down at the table played “Feng Yearns Huang” for her.

Murong Zhining was submerged in the bathtub behind the screen, while Luo Siyao washed her delicate smooth white skin with a towel. Listening to the music in rapt fascination, Murong Zhining blurted out, “Ning’er also heard this song ‘Feng Yearns Huang’ in my dream. In the dream, Ning’er saw the real Green Damask, and the person playing it looked just like General too. Goodness! Sometimes Ning’er feels like it’s not amnesia that I have, but hysteria.”

Chiyun Yuexuan’s hands froze as he felt that prickling pain in his heart again. “Ning’er isn’t hysterical, you only lost your memory. It’s strange that you remember the tune but forgot the person. I shouldn’t have lost my temper and vented it on you. I’m so sorry.”

Murong Zhining couldn’t wait to see the qin. “This sounds just like the real Green Damask.”

Luo Siyao wiped her dry with a clean towel and dressed her in a pink satin tunic.

Murong Zhining walked over to the table and studied Green Damask. Luo Siyao pressed her down on a stool, then used an ivory comb to comb her long hair.

Chiyun Yuexuan extended his hands and played “Feng Yearns Huang” again. Just like the first time when he had played it for Murong Zhining, he sang softly, “There is a beautiful person, one look at her and I could not forget. One day without seeing her, and the longing drives me mad. Like the feng in flight, I traverse the four seas to seek my huang. Unfortunately, milady is beyond reach. Let my qin substitute for words, and express the feelings in my heart. When will she accept my proposal, and relieve me from this anxiety? May my hope come true, may we join hands by fate. For if I could not soar with you, I shall perish.”

Murong Zhining’s eyes sparkled. “I saw this scene in my dream. Even the qin is the same.” As she stroked Green Damask, Chiyun Yuexuan stood up and turned the qin over. Her eyes immediately fell on the four small, Seal-style characters inside the body of the harp. She exclaimed, “It’s Sima Xiangru’s Green Damask! How did you obtain this qin, General? Why do I have this vague feeling that this qin has something to do with that young Mister Lian?”

Chiyun Yuexuan took the comb from Luo Siyao’s hand and combed Murong Zhining’s hair. “Siyao, go rest early tonight. You still have to wait on Princess in the morning.”

Luo Siyao withdrew from the room and closed the door.

His feelings were a mixture of happiness and distress, Chiyun Yuexuan knew that Murong Zhining’s memory would recover sooner or later. “Your memory is slowly coming back, it seems. This qin was indeed owned by Mister Lian. Because Ning’er likes it, I took it from him.”

Murong Zhining was dumbstruck. “You… Although I don’t even know him, but… you must return it to him.”

Chiyun Yuexuan pulled her into his arms. “As long as it’s something Ning’er likes, I’ll offer it to you even if I have to steal it. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up for him with lots of money.”

Murong Zhining hammered his chest. “That’s so not refined! Who wants your money?”

Chiyun Yuexuan leaned over and kissed her affectionately.

In the morning, a knocking at the door awakened Chiyun Yuexuan. He opened the door to see Wu Siyuan standing there in a panic.