The Little Phoenix of Shen Congyun
Lin Huaiyin blushed, sweat dripped down her back, and she felt increasingly uncomfortable. Unable to calm down, she sat down in front of the dressing mirror, clutching the hairpin.
Yu Li came over to remove her hairpins and loosen her hair. Hearing the sound of water, she helped Lin Huaiyin undress, piece by piece.
Wearing a shawl, a thin gauze robe with wide sleeves, a half-sleeved shirt, a brocade blouse, and a gauze shirt, she moved behind Lin Huaiyin to untie the straps of her bra. To her surprise, what came into view was a back full of scars.
"ah!!!"
The heart-wrenching scream pierced Lin Huaiyin's eardrums. She thought snakes, insects, and rats had entered the room, so she hugged Yu Li tightly and jumped onto the bed.
Hearing the commotion outside, Xie'ao hurriedly dismissed the maid who brought water and ran over to see that Yu Li was curled up in Lin Huaiyin's arms, tears streaming down her face, babbling incoherently.
"What's wrong?"
The crab claws, fearing outsiders, dared not approach to look closely. From a distance, they could see that Lin Huaiyin's back was covered with a thin golden ribbon hanging around her waist. Her back, which should have been smooth and white, was covered with patches of red and purple, like a snake shedding its skin, twisting with hideous scars.
Without thinking, she took a candle and went closer to examine it.
As the candlelight drew near, it suddenly plunged into Lin Huaiyin's back, revealing a dense, honeycomb-like spiral of indentations covering half of her back. These scars were instantly recognizable as arrow wounds—a dense array of arrow wounds, wounds that twisted through the flesh and burrowed into the bone.
Beyond the arrow wound, the flesh was clearly visible torn up, like mulberry leaves eaten by insects. The torn flesh looked as if it had been burned into a brittle, hard shell, with black and red blood vessels seeping through the cracks. It looked like a broken terracotta figurine that had been barely glued back together, or like spilled asphalt. The purplish-black blood vessels were stretched and pulled in the folds of the flesh, a shocking sight.
Crab Ao, who was often at the training ground, was well-informed and could clearly imagine that this back wound was caused by the young lady being pierced by a thousand arrows and burned by flames.
What exactly happened...? It wasn't like this when I dressed the young lady this morning...
She was utterly shocked. With a light touch of her fingertip, she felt a smooth, delicate sensation on her fingertip, as if the scar wasn't on her skin, but underneath.
She could see him, but couldn't touch him. It was too strange. Xie Ao couldn't say a word. He pushed aside the fish skin, picked up Lin Huaiyin, and placed her in front of the bronze mirror.
Lin Huaiyin turned her head, touched it, and immediately understood everything.
Doubts, wishful thinking, and all uncertainties are transformed into undeniable truth at this moment.
She stared intently at herself in the mirror. The person in the mirror was her. That horrific memory was not a nightmare at all; it was her past life. Everything had truly happened. She had died once, but she was unwilling to die, so she crawled back from hell, carrying her ugly and terrifying past life, to start over.
Whether it was deep resentment, divine mercy, or the fulfillment of His Highness the Crown Prince's promise, Lin Huaiyin didn't know, but her mind was clear, and she was no longer hesitant.
"Yu Li, Xie Ao," Lin Huaiyin called to them, her voice tinged with helplessness. "I suspect it's because I promised Guanyin Bodhisattva I'd donate money for incense, but then I didn't want to give it, and now the Bodhisattva is causing me trouble..."
"Miss."
"Miss."
Yu Li and Xie Ao were both speechless.
"I also lied and said I looked most like our ancestor Qi Ying. I guess our ancestor didn't like me either..." Lin Huaiyin continued to mutter to herself.
"My ancestors must have felt ashamed that I was exchanging glances with that old hag Shen..." Lin Huaiyin went on and on.
The more I hear about fish and crab claws, the sadder I become.
The scars are clearly on the young lady's body, and the terrible things have happened to her, yet they are useless and need the young lady to comfort them instead.
Crab claw glanced at him and asked, "Are you done crying?"
Yu Li wiped her face clean, jumped off the bed, and, taking even breaths, said, "Miss, you have committed many sins. Come and wash up."
——
Princess Pingyang's Residence.
A man in a black robe, wrapped from head to toe in a jet-black robe, moved through the palace.
All the officials, servants, and maids in the princess's residence prostrated themselves and kowtowed upon seeing her, as if they were seeing Princess Pingyang.
Shen Congyun, his steps heavy, walked straight towards Princess Pingyang's bedchamber. When he arrived at the door, his hand, which was pushing the door open, was clenched so tightly in his sleeve that his knuckles turned blue.
Pingyang's wedding took place just last month, and this is Pingyang's sleeping quarters, which is also her bridal chamber.
Shen Congyun knew that this step was unavoidable. Choosing Yuan Jie'e as the imperial son-in-law and using the Imperial Observatory to fabricate the prophecy of "the Empress of Heaven" was an absolutely indispensable and ultimate help for Pingyang's ascension to the throne. A single celestial omen could be equivalent to an army of 100,000.
His little phoenix wanted to rise to the top, and he promised to let her ascend to the throne and do as she pleased. He plotted and schemed for her, taking every step carefully.
But sending her off on her wedding day and handing her over to another man, the thought of her being intimate with another man right next to her, made Shen Congyun's heart feel as if it were being pounded to pieces by himself.
He didn't want to come. He didn't want to come again until the great cause was completed and Yuan Jie'e was killed. But the sudden incident at the Erwang Temple and the killing of Zhao Changji on the same day were clearly aimed at him and Pingyang. He had to come to discuss it with her and remind her to be careful.
After hesitating for a long time, worry finally overwhelmed everything, and Shen Congyun reached out and pushed open the door.
With no one serving in the hall, he turned into the inner room. Pingyang's gold-flecked bed curtains were half-fallen. As he approached, a jade-like foot hooked away the remaining half of the curtains, and a pair of alluring eyes lingered on him. Pingyang was lying on her side on the bed, smiling sweetly at him.
"I knew you would come."
Pingyang rested his chin on his hand and beckoned with his finger.
Her pink nail polish is as delicate as ever, more charming than ever before.
A surge of lust rose within Shen Congyun, and he wanted to drag her into his arms and ravage her, but the thought that others had seen her seductive demeanor made him unable to move. He only wanted to turn around and leave to kill Yuan Jie'e.
Seeing his displeasure, Pingyang sat up, stretched out her jade foot, stepped on Chen Congyun's leg, and laughed: "If you ask me, I will say that the consort is of lowly status and cannot enter the princess's residence without being summoned. If I am not willing, there is no need to consummate the marriage."
Upon hearing this, Shen Congyun's heart stirred, and he reached for her ankle. Pingyang then said, "However, I did indeed consummate our marriage."
What? In the most unexpected moment of relaxation, Shen Congyun heard the words he least wanted to hear. He looked at Pingyang in disbelief.
Pingyang continued with a smile, "I really want to know how Father Emperor would view a woman who tries every means to climb into the Emperor's bed. I saw her that night, and I felt disgusted. Congyun, I miss you."
Pingyang pressed down with her foot, and with a light step, Chen Congyun's heart instantly melted into clouds and rain. She lifted her foot and wrapped her arms around her waist.
She was his little phoenix, so of course she wanted to think about him, and could only think about him.
Suppressed for too long, Chen Congyun charged wildly, turning the newlywed quilt into a sea of red waves. A thousand silver bells jingled on the bed railing, and the warbling of orioles filled the air. The candlelight flowed by, and Pingyang was breathtakingly beautiful. He made her open her eyes to look at him, released her lips and tongue, and wanted to hear her call him.
"Brother Yun".
Pingyang's wet lips parted and closed, and Shen Congyun soared to the sky, holding her tightly, just like fifteen years ago when he, at ten years old, held her, at seven years old.
Fifteen years ago, Shen Congyun's father, Old Master Shen, served at the imperial mausoleum. To avoid disrespecting the mausoleum, the Mausoleum Administration Office was built five miles away from the mausoleum. At that time, the Empress had just been buried in Zhaoling, and the Mausoleum Administration Office was very busy. During breaks from studying, Shen Congyun would go and help out.
Perhaps it was because children have sharp ears, or perhaps the adults deliberately ignored it, but Shen Congyun could always faintly hear a girl crying, one cry after another, hoarse and desperate, as if she was calling out—"Royal Brother".
Feeling both reluctant and extremely curious, he followed the sound, crossed the forbidden area, and arrived at the sacrificial hall, which symbolized the boundary between yin and yang and was located next to the imperial mausoleum.
The crying came from inside. Chen Congyun hesitated and wandered around, but finally climbed through the dark window and found a shivering little phoenix in the corner.
In the darkness, her eyes shone brightly, crackling with light. She threw herself into his arms, crying out, "Brother, you've finally come!"
At that moment, Shen Congyun's heart trembled inexplicably. He coldly cupped her face, forbidding her from calling him "Royal Brother," and told her, "Your Royal Brother will not come."
After that, he walked daily through the imperial mausoleum's ancestral hall, where the yin and yang realms met, accompanying and comforting her.
She quickly recovered. When Shen Congyun was studying, she told him about the whereabouts and preferences of the Crown Prince's tutor, encouraging him to make his acquaintance. When Shen Congyun was painting, she told him where the court painters selected their disciples, suggesting he try his luck.
She never mentioned "Royal Brother" again; in her eyes, there was only him.
A year later, a troop of imperial guards arrived at the palace, and she suddenly disappeared.
Shen Congyun knew she would come looking for him, so he studied, took the imperial examinations, and endured and waited.
Ten years ago, he finally achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and was appointed as a court attendant at the age of fifteen, becoming a close advisor to the emperor and gaining fame throughout the capital.
At the Deer Cry Banquet, Shen Congyun met her—the peerless Princess Pingyang.
He was riding high, and she was beaming with joy.
She turned the glass cup around and looked at him, calling him "Brother Yun," and that very night she gave herself to him.
To this day, Shen Congyun still doesn't know why Princess Pingyang was imprisoned in the Xiang Palace. She was only seven years old at the time, and her mother had just died. She was imprisoned alone in such a gloomy and terrifying place for a whole year.
Shen Congyun only knew that the person who imprisoned her must be the Emperor, her biological father; and the person who ignored her and did not come to save her was the Crown Prince, her own brother.
So when Princess Pingyang said she wanted to ascend to the supreme throne, he said, "Okay, leave it to me, I'll take care of it."
He made a promise, and he will definitely keep it. There are two problems right now that need to be dealt with immediately.
Shen Congyun inhaled the fragrance of Pingyang's hair, lifted her from his arms, and felt the curves of her firm breasts rub against his lower abdomen as they moved upwards. Shen Congyun's breath caught in his throat, and his bones and muscles went numb. He turned over and pressed her down again.
Half an hour later, Shen Congyun's mind went completely blank, and he was completely lost.
Pingyang lay on his chest, gently scratching along the lines of his firm waist and abdomen with her nails, her hair slowly brushing against him, and lazily sighed, "Qin Luo is really a good dog, he quietly ransacked my Erwang Temple."
Upon hearing this, Shen Congyun opened his eyes. Pingyang turned to look at him, her face flushed, and said with a smile, "Oh no, both the harboring of the White Lotus Sect and the theft case in the Ministry of War have been exposed. I'll have to rely on my brother to protect me again."
Pingyang spoke lightly, but Shen Congyun was not blindly optimistic. He said bluntly, "It concerns the White Lotus Sect. Lin Zhenlie went to the Imperial City Guard in person. If he really finds out something, the Crown Prince cannot suppress it."
"Is that so? You look down on me?" Pingyang chuckled lightly, pinching his chest. Shen Congyun couldn't resist any longer, so he sat up and held her tightly in his arms, gripping her wrists.
"You choose to continue talking or continue doing."
Shen Congyun gasped for breath, but before he could finish speaking, a voice boomed from outside, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived. Would you like to see him?"
"What is he doing here so late?" Shen Congyun's face showed displeasure, partly because he disliked the Crown Prince's nighttime visit without any regard for propriety, and partly because he was worried that the Crown Prince would come to question him.
Princess Pingyang did not answer. She withdrew her wrist, leaned over and pressed Shen Congyun down, kissed him heavily, got up, dressed, and walked out of the bedchamber.
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