Rising Phoenix

She held her chin up high, beaming at her little cyan robed servant girl — our Young Master Gu really was extraordinary in woman's clothing, that waist, that face… just no chest.

Gu Nanyi was intently munching his little walnuts — Feng Zhiwei had shelled a large pile for him the night before, and while she had been shelling, she had changed out his clothing.

Feng Zhiwei was confident in her understanding of Young Master Gu, and knew that he never paid any mind to anything except her, so she was not worried that he would refuse to crossdress. All she needed to do was keep the servant girl costume simple, make the color a cyan, sky blue, and keep the material as thin and soft as everything else he wore.

His curtained hat had been switched out for a veil. When she had been changing out, Feng Zhiwei had shut her eyes tight, or else Young Master Gu would have shattered the walnuts into a million pieces and given rise to all kinds of extravagant imagination.

The Fourth Rank Arms Bearing Imperial Guard Young Master Gu had been suddenly demoted, and was now the servant girl of the Feng Family's young lady.

The carriage rolled forward, passing the mansion gates and reaching the Qiu Family Inner Hall where Madam Qiu waited in welcome with her servant girls and old maids.

Madam Feng and Feng Hao stood to the side as well, wearing significantly better clothing than they had worn the day before. Madam Feng's face wore a complex look, while Feng Hao's was twisted.

Old Auntie An was not part of the ensemble, a decision that Feng Zhiwei smilingly approved of, content with Madam Qiu's understanding.

"Zhiwei!" Madam Qiu had already adjusted her demeanor over the night, and she wore an almost natural expression as she walked forward affectionately. "You've been gone since the beginning of the year! You've stayed at my uncle's house for this while, and now you're finally back, did you enjoy your time there? How are my uncles and aunts and cousins doing? How do you think Jiao Huai's weather and scenery compares to Dijing's?"

"Aunt has kept me in her mind all this time." Feng Zhiwei saluted and smiled. "The elders and cousins are all well, and they've asked me to greet aunt for them."

Madam Qiu and Feng Zhiwei exchanged the conventional greetings as the pair entered the Inner Hall, "unintentionally" revealing Feng Zhiwei's happenings since she had left the mansion. Whether the others believed the story was not Feng Zhiwei's concern. If anyone tried to plan some underhanded trick and wanted to send themselves to their death, then they were welcome to their fate.

When they had finally settled down and were seated, Madam Qiu smiled and announced: "I have prepared the Cai Xia Residence for you, and you can settle in later."

A shocked hubbub immediately arose. The entire Qiu Mansion was still confused by Feng Zhiwei's sudden return and Madam Qiu's changed attitude, and now the Madam was even giving her the former residence of the now married, first young mistress.

Feng Zhiwei smiled, though she had no intention of accepting. She had already decided what residence she wanted — the Cui Fang Residence that had belonged to her Fifth Aunt, the woman who had died in the lake. This was her true purpose in returning to the Qiu Mansion; the Cai Xia Residence was also located right beside the main residence, and was too inconvenient for someone with double identities.

But before she could refuse the generous offer, a cold curse rang out.

Who does she think she is! She does not deserve my eldest sister's house!"

A voice swept in with its owner as a figure dressed in light green stepped into the room. Qiu Yuluo was the third young mistress of the house, only a year younger than Feng Zhiwei, but though the two had grown up together, their personalities were completely different. This one was incredibly stubborn and self-centered.

Qiu Yuluo rushed inside, not even glancing at Feng Zhiwei as she moved towards her mother, her voice disbelieving as she spoke: "Mother, I've asked you for the Cai Xia Residence so many times and you never gave it to me, and now you're giving it to an outsider?"

Madam Qiu inwardly groaned. She had no way of explaining her concerns to her daughter, but also could not allow her to treat the Feng Family as if nothing had changed. To change a decade long habit in a single day was something she could command in her servants, but it was far more difficult when it came to her own sons and daughters. As she was more and more depressed, she glanced over at Feng Zhiwei. The Feng Young Miss made no move to intervene, sitting back as if waiting for a good show.

In the midst of her depression rose some seeds of doubt — with Feng Zhiwei's current status, she had no need for the Qiu Mansion. Was she coming back now for her mother and younger brother? To get revenge for the years of insult? Or because of some other plan?

Madam Qiu pressed down all the doubts and turned to her daughter, smiling and taking her hand: "Your elder sister Feng is finally back, should you not quickly greet her?"

"My elder sister is at the South Sea's Chang Family Estate." Qiu Yuluo smirked coldly. "What kind of elder sister is this?"

She had been warned to avoid the madam today, and to obediently stay in her room and practice embroidery, but before she had even finished a single pattern, Auntie An had begged an audience. Old Auntie An's swollen face had given her a fright, and since Qiu Yuluo had basically been raised by the old lady, their bond was deep. After she had listened to Auntie An's teary complaint, anger had risen in her heart and she had immediately dropped her embroidery and rushed over.

"Yuluo!" Madam Qiu's face darkened. "You are too childish!"

Qiu Yuluo turned to face Feng Zhiwei directly. "When did she go to grandfather's house? Why did I not know? Mother, be careful that you haven't been tricked by this petty person."

"The Mansion's affairs are not your concern." Madam Qiu gestured for the servants to bring her daughter away. "You are not a child anymore, why do you still throw tantrums? Do you really want to throw away all our family's face? You're still not going back to your embroidery?"

Everything had been acceptable until the last sentence, and when these last words came out, Qiu Yuluo was incensed. Her face grew pale as she clutched her finely threaded Dragon-Pattern cushion, her eyes filling with tears. "What embroidery? What embroidery do you want? Why do I have to do it?" By the third question, Qiu Yuluo's words had already become tears.

Madam Qiu's face fell again as she silently blamed herself for speaking poorly while she was in an uneven state. She sighed, and just as she was about to comfort her daughter and send her away, the smiling Feng Zhiwei stood.

"The Third Young Lady need not worry." She said, "How could Zhiwei dare to live in the Young Madam's residence? I think the Cui Fang Residence is not bad; it would be a shame to leave it empty, so that place will do."

"It's good that you know your place!" Qiu Yuluo coldly snorted.

"Of course." Feng Zhiwei remained smiling. "This Elder Sister does not dare upset the Third Young Miss or disturb your heart. What matters most in embroidery is a calm mind, and if you could not embroider what you like, it would be this sister's offense."

"You…" Qiu Yuluo fumed. This girl was too much! She clearly knew this topic was her taboo and still chose to infuriate her with it.

Qiu Yuluo immediately thought back to the turmoil in her marriage arrangements this past half year. She could never forget the glimpse she had caught of that man in the heavy winter snow, the enchantingly beautiful, light-gold mandala, that sweet and romantic backwards glance, and now all her future and dreams had been snatched away from her[1]. Now, whenever she embroidered her wedding dress she could only think of the man in her dreams who she would never be with, and even now grief filled her heart, tears her eyes, but still she refused to cry, only lifting her chin up in the air and flicking out her sleeves as she left.

"Yuluo still lacks understanding…" Madam Qiu watched helplessly has her daughter walked away before turning back to Feng Zhiwei. "Let us dine together."

Feng Zhiwei watched Qiu Yuluo leave, thinking back to the information that Yan Huaishi had given her. The Third Young Miss of the Qiu Family had already been engaged, but just as the groom was about to send the betrothal gifts and money over, the Crown Prince's rebellion broke out and the groom's family lost all their power and were exiled to the border.

After that, she had been engaged to the Second Young Master of Duke Ying Guo's Family, but soon after, the duke was involved in the Framing Founding Ministers debacle and this second betrothal was broken again.

In the course of Yan Huaishi's investigation, he had learned that the Qiu Family intended to build connections with the now favorite Prince Chu. The Qiu Family's Young Miss was already married to the eldest son of South Sea's Chang Family, which was the noble and powerful family of the Fifth Prince's late mother.

If the Qiu Family's Third Miss married Prince Chu, then the two Qiu daughters would have ties to different Imperial factions, guaranteeing the safety of the Qiu Family through the struggle for the throne.

[1] This man in her dream is NY. Then she was arranged to marry some other man.