Phoenix Rising

064

With everything progressing smoothly and the source of the gu-du removed, things in Zhuiya settled back to a normal rhythm within a week, much to everyone's relief. People were recovering and lives returning to the way they were. The city gates had also been opened, and traders and travellers had slowly begun to trickle back.

Zi-ning was packing her belongings, preparing for the trip back to the capital. She had made a big gamble by choosing to come here, and thankfully her gamble had paid off. The king had already sent word that he was extremely pleased by the outcome, and formal rewards would soon follow.

She should be happy with the outcome, because she had achieved what she set out to do, and now the kingdom owed her a favour. No matter what rewards the king chose to bestow, her reputation would undoubtedly be greatly heightened upon her return—and that would certainly upset many people back home, like her dearest sister Meiyan. Despite that, she couldn't find it in her to be as delighted as she had thought she would be.

"Packing so soon?" a voice echoed from the doorway.

She looked up. Zhenghuan was leaning against the door frame, eyeing the bundles on her bed. With his mask on, she could not tell what expression he was wearing beneath, but she thought she caught a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"The imperial physicians are leaving tomorrow morning. I should go with them," she replied, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

She had not seen much of Zhenghuan ever since the day of the attempted assassination—and the day that Yu Zixi arrived in Zhuiya. He probably had plenty to settle in the city, or more important people to accompany.

Zhenghuan hummed in acknowledgement. He walked in, fiddling with a teacup on the table. "We'll also be heading to Anyang tomorrow since all the loose ends in Zhuiya have been tied up. General Du sent word that there's been some trouble up near Nanmen, so we'll have to provide support."

Nanmen?

Fear suddenly gripped her heart. What month was it? Already the eighth lunar month. Time had passed too quickly and she had almost lost track of it. In her previous life, it had been early in the tenth lunar month when they had brought her brother Yongxing home from the battlefield, and then he had died days later. If her memory served her right, then it was precisely at Nanmen where he had been fatally injured in a skirmish between the Duan border army and a group of rebels that had been colluding with the southern tribes.

Could it be that this "trouble" that Zhenghuan spoke of was exactly that?

"Zi-ning, is something wrong?" Zhenghuan frowned, watching her carefully.

Zi-ning looked up at him, chewing on her lip as she pondered upon how she should broach this request. Finally, she said, "Is it possible for me to come with you to Anyang?"

Surprise flashed across Zhenghuan's eyes. "You want to come to Anyang?"

She nodded. "My older brother is actually serving in the border army under General Du, somewhere near Nanmen I believe. Since I'm already here, it would be nice to get to see him. He hasn't been home in over two years now."

It was a good thing she had decided to bring the huanhun dan with her. If history repeated itself and her brother came to harm, she might just be able to save his life.

"Hmmm..."

Zi-ning waited for Zhenghuan's response anxiously, wondering if he would turn her down. He was not obliged to take her along, or to help her meet her brother.

"I'll let the physicians know that you won't be joining them for the journey back to Huangcheng then," he said after a long pause, with a slight smile hanging upon his lips. "We'll leave for Anyang at noon tomorrow. Don't be late."