Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 21

Xiao Yuanting’s expression was dark and heavy.

He wasn’t trying to scare her, but serving the emperor was like accompanying a tiger. There were too many families that were glorious today but would be ruined tomorrow. Serving an emperor required one to be wise and have the ability to protect oneself at all times.

Wasn’t the Feng family a prime example?

Back when the emperor was competing for the throne, the Feng family held military power in their hands. The old Duke Feng was the emperor’s maternal uncle and the elder brother of the Empress Dowager. Without a doubt, the Feng family was the emperor’s strongest backing.

But what about now?

Now that the throne was secure, the strongest support of the past had now become the emperor’s most pressing concern. The emperor was looking for an excuse to get rid of the Feng family, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

As military generals in charge of troops, the Xiao family and the Feng family stood on opposite sides in the court, each fighting for their own family’s interests.

But Xiao Yuanting knew in his heart that throughout history, military power had always been the most feared thing. No matter what crimes other court officials committed—be it corruption, abuse of power, or selfish motives—the worst punishment they faced was confiscation of property and execution.

But once it involved military power and the charge of treason was levied, the consequences would be the merciless extermination of the nine generations of the family, staining the capital with blood and striking fear into everyone’s hearts.

Today, they were showered with favor, but they must not leave any handle for disrespecting the imperial authority; otherwise, this handle would become a sharp weapon to destroy them in the future.

Xiao Yuanting closed his eyes and spoke in a deep voice, “How is Yunheng doing?”

Madam Xiao snapped back to reality. “I… I don’t know yet. I went to the princess’s mansion early in the morning and just came back… Did the imperial physician come to treat Yunheng’s injuries?”

“Do you think Yunheng is a member of the royal family?” Xiao Yuanting frowned, a hint of displeasure hidden in his gaze. “Just find a doctor from outside to come and see him. The Crown Prince’s favor does not mean that we can take it for granted to use imperial physicians.”

Madam Xiao’s face shifted through a range of emotions, and she could no longer sit still. She stood up and said, “I’ll go and check up on Yunheng.”

She had been reprimanded one after another in the past two days, and the face of the mistress of the house had long been lost. Where was her composure and authority now?

Xiao Yuanting frowned, silently staring at her receding figure before letting out a heavy sigh.

It was simply overwhelming.

After sitting alone for a while, Xiao Yuanting also rose and walked out.

Xiao Yunheng was awake.

Only his face was pale, and his hair was slightly disheveled. He looked weak and embarrassed—a far cry from his heroic and proud momentum of the past.

The maid held the water cup and carefully fed it to him. Xiao Yunheng took a few sips, and his parched lips finally gained a little moisture.

“How long have I been asleep?” He asked, his voice hoarse, dry, and feeble.

“An entire night and half a day, and it’s noon now,” the maid replied respectfully. “I’ll go and call the madam over.”

Xiao Yunheng was silent; his body was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak. Even lying still, he felt as if a steel knife was scraping across his back, the agony causing his body to spasm and tremble uncontrollably.

He had never been subjected to such severe punishment in his life. He had never known that the court-administered beatings could be so unbearable.

The maid was about to go out when she saw Madam Xiao coming in a hurry. She quickly stood aside and bowed. “Madam, the young master is awake.”

When Mrs. Xiao heard this, she quickened her pace and walked into the inner room. Looking at her son in such a weakened state, her heart ached as if pierced by a knife. “Heng’er.”

Xiao Yunheng turned his head, his movements stiff and slow. “Mother.”

“How do you feel now? Are you in a lot of pain?” Madam Xiao walked to the bed and bent over to examine his injuries. Even though she had seen them the previous night, the sight of his battered back still brought tears to her eyes. “Heng’er has suffered…”

“Mother,” Xiao Yunheng said, his body aching so badly that it was difficult to form words, “What’s the situation outside?”

Madam Xiao wiped away her tears, but her expression darkened. “Yun Zishu has grown wings. She is determined to oppose the Xiao family.”

Xiao Yunheng’s heart sank. “She doesn’t want to come back?”

“More than just refusing to return,” Madam Xiao said, still upset from her earlier confrontation with her husband. She was eager to complain to her son. “Today, I went to see her in person, wanting to apologize to her face-to-face. But she had people keep me waiting outside the gate for a full hour. When I finally entered the mansion, Yun Zishu put on her princess airs and threatened me with rules and regulations, forcing me to kneel before her…”

“Kneel?” Xiao Yunheng’s face twisted in shock, and his voice sounded strained, “She…how dare she humiliate you like this?”

“What’s wrong with humiliating your mother?” Xiao Yuanting strode into the room, looking at the mother and son with a cold gaze. “The princess gave you a letter of divorce, so she no longer regards you as her husband, nor does she regard your mother as her mother-in-law. She spoke to your mother in the capacity of a princess. Was your mother not supposed to kneel?”

Madam Xiao’s expression froze, her pale face flushing with anger as she turned to her husband. “Why are you always venting your anger on me? If you have the ability, go and bring her back yourself—treat her like an ancestor to be worshipped.”

“Shut up!” Xiao Yuanting shouted angrily. “You’re on the brink of disaster and still refuse to repent! It is a misfortune for my family to marry a shrew like you! You are the one who started all this ridicule we’re facing today!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the room fell into silence.

Madam Xiao’s face was stiff and pale, her breathing rapid as she stared at her husband in disbelief. She could hardly believe that these words were spoken by the man she had shared a bed with for more than 20 years.

A misfortune for the Xiao family?

Xiao Yuanting regretted his words; looking at the shock and hurt in Madam Xiao’s eyes, he awkwardly turned away. “Take good care of your injuries these next few days. I’ll handle the matters outside. When your injuries get better, go and bring the princess back.”

Xiao Yunheng opened his mouth and said, “Father, do you know… how is Xue’er?”

“Don’t mention Li Xue again.” Xiao Yuanting’s face, which had just softened, turned gloomy again when he heard the name. “She’s just a jinx! You don’t need to worry about whether she lives or dies in the future. You just need to bring the princess back. Don’t ask about anything else.”

After saying that, he turned around and left, obviously not wanting to stay for even a moment longer.

Madam Xiao watched his departing back, feeling as if a piece of her heart had been hollowed out. So it turned out that after so many years of marriage, bearing him a son and a daughter, she had contributed nothing? All she deserved was to be called a “misfortune” to the family?

“Mother,” Xiao Yunheng said hoarsely, “Father is angry; don’t take what he said to heart.”

Madam Xiao turned around and was about to say something, but when she caught sight of her son’s parched lips, she quickly instructed the maid, “Bring some warm water.”

Xiao Yunheng tried to adjust his stiff posture, but the slightest movement sent a sharp pain through him. His face turned deathly pale as he gasped sharply, pressing his face into the pillow, waiting for the wave of agony to pass.