Rising Phoenix

"That's good." Hua Qiong replied, straightening her dress. "I will say that I am buying things for the wedding and wait for you in Feng Le Town by the Shang Ye Harbor."

Feng Zhiwei looked into the young woman's calm eyes and knew there was no changing her mind. Her decision would only ever alter if Yan Huaishi's heart changed.

"Don't look so worried." Hua Qiong smiled brightly as she spoke. "I also have something I wish to remind you."

"Oh?"

"His highness has very deep feelings for you." Hua Qiong began, staring straight into Feng Zhiwei's eyes. "But no matter how deep his attachment to you, it cannot be deeper than his attachment to the world. You must be prepared."

"How many men are willing to give the world for love?" Feng Zhiwei replied quietly, calm and honest. "His Highness… You must have heard about his past; you are smart — even you must be able to guess that he is unwilling."

Hua Qiong sighed, a trace of disappointment in her voice.

"You love Huaishi, but you cannot throw away your pride and so cheaply take on the title of Madam Yan." Feng Zhiwei stood as she continued speaking, beginning to pace. "I also have my bottom line that I cannot throw aside."

"Zhiwei, we are not like men. When a man's heart is moved, it will only make them more energetic and motivated, pushing them further down their road; but when a woman's heart is moved, we retreat again and again, losing city and land until nothing is left, all of it exchanged for — loss."

Feng Zhiwei trembled, gently biting her lips. Her voice was slow when she finally spoke again: "Hua Qiong, people who have died once already sometimes come back with different ideas and attitudes. The heart might soften and relax, and she might be more sensitive to warmth and tenderness.

"Facing death is like facing regret for time wasted, and she will try to live harder and better. She will want to cherish rare moments of kindness, and let go of all her restraint and sometimes just follow her heart. Death comes suddenly and cares nothing for your many regrets and your short life… but believe me. Feng Zhiwei will always be Feng Zhiwei. Even now, I still have my limits."

Hua Qiong stared down quietly at a dying chrysanthemum, a sorrowful smile slowly crossing her lips.

She reached for the withered flower, smiling as she replied: "It may not be as tragic and disappointing as I fear. The road forward is long, and I hope they can meet us."

Feng Zhiwei turned away, her hands clasped behind her as she lifted her eyes to the moon. The waning moon was a pale slice of yellow amber, quiet and cold in the dark curtain of night. Tonight, was he also patrolling the foggy camp, listening to the dewed leaves alongside her, hundreds of miles away.

Yes, I will hope.

You can too.

…

In December of the Thirteenth Year of Chang Xi, the Imperial Envoy to the South Sea Province inspected the newly founded Maritime Surveillance Camp and the Shang Ye subdivision of the Department of Maritime Affairs. She gathered all twenty thousand sailors from the Surveillance Camp and set sail, following the Yan Family map of the pirate coves and hideouts. The Imperial Envoy began the suppression of the plague of pirates.

Meanwhile in Minnan Province, the Chang Family rebellion had almost come to a close. With defeat at hand and the South Sea Province no longer available for retreat, the Chang Family could only slowly retreat towards the sea.

When the Chang Family finally gave up their land and fled to their secret pirate allies, they were met by the Maritime Surveillance Camp. The pirates had been systematically destroyed.

In the words of the war historians who would write about this event, it was "just the right moment."

One side attacked from Minnan and chased out to sea while the other side circled around from South Sea Province, meeting at a long since arranged rendezvous. When the new South Sea Navy's Mythical Water Beast Flag appeared on the horizon, the last Chang Family troops let out a collective lament.

Feng Zhiwei stood on the flagship, a fiery cape draped over her elegant white robes. She peered through her spyglass as the Chang Family's ships came into view.

The troops stood tall and composed, and the ships sailed upright and proud, but unfortunately their flags were not hanging straight.

Feng Zhiwei quirked her lips into a cold smile, turning her spyglass upwards to the heavens; she could almost see black powder flashing with fire and blood.

She could never forget those bombs so carelessly thrown into an innocent crowd; black smoke shrouding the eyes, screams and tears, scarred flesh and torn limbs, and then the lament of family after.

She had sworn she would find revenge.

She had cut with her sword, promising that the Chang Family would pay.

Today, the day had come.

She lowered the spyglass, putting it on the gunwale. The Shang Ye Branch Head stood behind her, nervously waiting for her command.

She lifted her hand to the wide blue heavens, and in one clean motion, cut the air before her.

"Loose!"

Her calm, powerful words rang through the air as great explosions rocked the sea.

Great cannons breathed scarlet flame like fire dragons sweeping over the sea, plunging towards the Chang Family troops. The enemy flagship was devoured in a flash of flame as a great wave rose up like an enormous crystal wall.

As the water trembled below them, the clash of metal and the screams of men filled the air. Through it all, Feng Zhiwei's cold smile never wavered, her anger roaring forward through the unrelenting black cannons.

Ning Yi's eyes, her near death, and hundreds of thousands of innocent lives and mutilated commoners. The heavy debt would be paid today!

Waves rose to the sky, lifting her to the clouds.

In December of the Thirteenth Year of Chang Xi, the newly founded Maritime Surveillance Camp sailed out on their maiden voyage and battled the remnant forces of the Chang Family. Newborn calves do not fear tigers, and the Maritime Surveillance Camp began the engagement, sinking a Chang Family ship in the first volley.

The battle raged for two days and seemed to shade the sea red. Shipwrecks lay strewn in a hundred mile radius, and corpses could still be spotted long after the war had ended.[1]

The already retreating Chang Family faced another great defeat and lost all their courage and spirit. Supposedly, General Chang Minjiang had been onboard the ship destroyed in the first attack and his corpse was never found. Although the Fifth Prince immediately stepped in to take command, the blow had already been struck. When the Chang Family troops finally surrendered, the Fifth Prince chose suicide by drowning.

The great and lofty Chang Family that had dominated Minnan and encroached upon South Sea was uprooted. The shattered forces concealed their identities and fled. The rebellion had been crushed, for now.

[1] So how did this last 2 days, lol.