Rising Phoenix

Her soaring merits for saving the Dynasty and the Emperor only earned her this forgiveness?

An abandoned palace to die in, trapped for His Majesty’s personal use.

He… was still this cold and selfish.

Madam Feng smiled quietly, her expression determined and vague. She looked up as she replied: “As Your Majesty commands.”

“Mingying.” Happiness flashed in the Emperor’s eyes and he took her hand, stepping out from behind the curtains. “Come… let me look at you…”

He set a hand on her shoulder and turned her to the bead-curtained jade bed, incense lingering around them.

He grasped her hand, finally claiming that warmth and tenderness he had longed after for so many years.

She leaned into his embrace, waiting for the final end to this life of pain and suffering.

The Tian Shen Emperor sat with Madam Feng in his arms, looking down at that gorgeous face, his gaze intoxicated. Finally, his fingers brushed down to the opening of Madam Feng’s robes.

“Your Majesty…” Madam Feng said quietly, dodging a touch away.

The Emperor paused, darkness coming over his brows.

“The light… it’s embarrassing…” Madam Feng said, her face flushed as she pointed to the woman-shaped candle.

The Emperor smiled and lifted his hands, letting Madam Feng rise and blow out the light.

Darkness fell, the sun blocked by thick curtains, and the Tian Shen Emperor lay back lazily, waiting for the woman to return to his side.

“Peng.”

A loud, muffled sound filled the air beside him and the bed shook a little.

The Tian Shen Emperor stirred from where he lay, eyes closed, feeling the tremor even in his daze.

“What happened?”

Silence; all the servants had retreated outside. He sniffed the air, smelling a strangely familiar tang of metal, and then his heart lurched.

“Mingying!”

The Emperor jumped to his feet, absently noticing the wetness in his sandals as he turned to the shadowed figure lying on the ground, dark liquid spread around her on the golden floor.

He leapt over, pulling aside the heavy curtains as he passed. Daylight rushed in, revealing the glaring red pool.

“Your Majesty…” Madam Feng croaked weakly, her slender fingers dripping with blood as she reached up out of the pool of blood.

The Tian Shen Emperor stared in shock, his eyes sweeping over everything. The great, gold foot of the bed stood next to her head, scarlet blood marring the metal. Just now… she had banged her head mercilessly, holding back no strength.

Realization filled the Emperor with anger and disappointment and confusion. He stepped away from the spreading blood as he spoke, dazed: “Why… why? Do you hate me this much…”

“No…” Madam Feng forced out, reaching towards him, her expression sad and lonely. Blood ran from her head, matting her hair and covering her ear, and her face was filled with sorrow.

“Your Majesty…” She began again, tears filling her eyes. “Mingying bled badly after giving birth and has lived a poor life without food and clothing… I have the woman’s disease… this body… how… how could it serve His Majesty… Mingying worships at Your Majesty’s feet… How could I let my dirty body… profane…”

The Tian Shen Emperor stared, tears rushing from his heart into his eyes and pouring forth.

“Mingying!” He gasped, finally stepping forward and grasping her hand. He kneeled in the blood, tears falling down his face. “Why did you not say… the Imperial Physicians can look at you… and even… even if it’s incurable… I’ll never lose my love for you…”

He turned his head and yelled: “Summon the Physicians! Get them here now!”

The servants waiting outside scrambled away in their hurry as the Tian Shen Emperor clutched his woman in his arms, a spreading emptiness filling his heart.

“I… disloyal and unworthy…” Madam Feng forced out as she lay her hands gently on his, lifting up her sad eyes to look into the Emperor’s. “I… only bring Your Majesty trouble… Princes… hungry for throne… Your Majesty’s steps… hard…. These years… worried for you… anxious… Mingying cannot… cannot live… and bring trouble…”

The Emperor stirred. He thought of his ferocious, power-hungry sons and knew them to be tigers. The Fifth Prince had just committed suicide after his rebellion, and the Tian Shen Emperor knew that Madam Feng’s fears were real. His heart stirred with emotion and he breathed choking breaths as he said: “I’ve worried you… your care for me… what a pity that you…”

“Twenty years ago… Mingying would die for His Majesty…” Madam Feng replied, her smile warm and gentle like a white lotus blossoming in a lonely palace hall. “Even if… walked the wrong path… finally Mingying can die… for Your Majesty… happy… truly… happy…”

The Tian Shen Emperor held her close as the warm blood poured and pooled, her life dripping away as she pushed out her moving words. As pain filled his heart, the Emperor knew that she had died for him; she truly cared too little for herself and too much for him, just like she had … twenty years ago.

“Twenty years…” Madam Feng murmured, a small smile on her lips, happiness clear on her face.

“Twenty years…” The Tian Shen Emperor repeated, tears blurring his eyes.

Time swept by in a quiet daze and the white hair seemed to turn black and the aged marks fade. He looked down and saw the bright-eyed, raven-haired young woman wielding her sword like a bolt of lightning cutting through the battlefield, protecting him from an assailant’s spear.

“Master! I’m here!”

When he had opened his eyes, her smiling face looked down at him, her crimson armor drenched with blood. She paid no mind to the long arrow piercing her shoulder as she helped him up and forced her way out of the enemies’ encirclement.

A truly fierce and miserable battle…

He was too injured to fight, so she held them off on her own, the thin young girl carrying him as she bravely faced the enemy; he could barely lift his head to watch as she cut down one sword after another, her blood mingling with the enemies as she pushed forward little by little, her feet squishing in flesh and crunching on shattered metal as they pressed through the raging battle… Blood flashed before him, hotter than tears… and he had sworn then that if they lived, he would… it would be his turn to take care of her…