Phoenix Rise: XieRong - Chapter 41

-Jie, how will we help the duchess? We have no power.-

XieRong sipped some tea, glancing around at the nobles who associated with each other, laughing and smiling but sneering at each other underneath their friendly facades.

-We might not be able to alone, but if we could rope the crown prince into helping us…-

“Eldest sister,” XieRong whispered to RuiLing who was seated beside her.

RuiLing who had been chatting with some of the nobles excused herself.

“Hm? Is something wrong?”

“No, elder sister. Nothing is wrong but this little sister would like to go talk to older brother about something important, is it possible?”

RuiLing smiled.

XieRong saw her get up and go over to their elder brother who was talking to west prime minister Bai as the crown prince was seated next to the emperor who received gifts from nobles one by one. RuiLing poured some tea for the prime minister before pouring some for her brother. XieRong saw RuiLing whisper something to her brother when she was handing the cup of tea over to him after which she returned to her seat.

“Elder brother will excuse himself after a while, then you may go talk to him.”

“Thank you elder sister.”

It wasn’t very long before her brother politely excused himself and left the hall. XieRong followed after him a little while later.

Once she was outside, she searched for his presence and followed it. She was once again in the same corridor where she had found the duchess.

“What was so important that you had to send RuiLing over?”

“I would like the crown prince’s help. That was why I wanted to talk to you.”

Guo Qiang who was leaning against the wall stood straight.

“What would you require his help for?”

“Do you and the crown prince know that the empress has poisoned the duchess Fang?”

“We do, and what of it?”

“I would like to bring the duchess outside the palace and cure her.”

Guo Qiang walked up to his sister and bent to her level so that they were face to face.

“You will be going against the empress. You are too weak and too young to take her on by yourself, further more you might implicate all of us.”

“I won’t be doing any of those things. The empress doesn’t know I can cure the duchess and she won’t suspect that an unfavoured seven year old girl of insignificant origins knows of her plans. I need the crown prince’s help to get the duchess out of the palace. After that, I will not take her to the Guo Estate in the capital. To get a cure she must come with me elsewhere. For that, you will be helping me make it look like the duchess got ambushed by assassins on the way to the Guo Estate. This is just a rough outline of what must be done. I will have to meet with elder brother and crown prince later to discuss more details.”

Although XieRong made it sound as though she had it all figured out, but the reality was that she had only been able to think so far for now. She had other matters weighing on her mind so she would think about this matter a little more with FeiHong after the competition, before setting a meeting with her elder brother and the crown prince.

Her brother chuckled behind his fan.

“You have already thought it through. The crown prince and I want to know why you would risk offending the empress for someone you’ve just met.”

“She reminds me of my mother.”

XieRong only stated one of her many reasons. Of course, this would look like an impulsive whim of a seven year old to them, but to her this was a very calculated risk. Besides wanting to repay the duchess in her younger sister’s stead and wanting to ease some of her guilt she felt towards her mother, XieRong knew that if she could earn the duchess’ favour, the empress would become a much easier opponent to handle later.

“Well, the prince agrees to help you if you can win enough competitions to impress the emperor and the people. Except the last competition which involves the general families facing off against each other, all the other competitions are open to everyone. If you can win most of them, then the crown prince can convince the emperor to bestow a gift other than the already decided rewards. The prince has wanted to help his aunt for some time now, and achieving his goal through you is the safer option. I will help you as well.”

Guo Qiang snapped his fan close and folded his hands behind him as he turned to walk away.

“Take my advice, choose your words wisely when you speak before the royal family, each and every word when spoken without proper thought will become a weapon that could be used against you.”

The Duelists’ ring was enormous, around ten times as big as the one in Qianhe, with around ten times as many people gathered around. It was a plain bare ground with brown mud as far as the eyes could see.

XieRong was glad that spells were not allowed in these competitions, only martial prowess. She was already at a disadvantage with her stamina not being as good as the people who had higher cultivation level than hers. Even after using water from the spirit pond and using spirit grass, her cultivation was only half of what was required to break through to the soul gathering realm.

XieRong had signed up for all the competitions which included archery, horseback riding, martial arts, weapon fight, and lastly the competition between general families. Her brother was not allowed to participate as he had won all the competitions last year and emerged first.

When the archery competition started, XieRong took her place.

She knew she had very little to no chance of winning. The third prince, who was reputed to be the best archer of their generation in the entire northern continent was going to take part.

When XieRong’s turn arrived, she pulled the string, her breathing deep and calm and her eyes sharp. She released the arrow and it lodged into the first ring from the center. There were five rings in total from the center one.

The next time, she hit the first ring very close to the border of the center one.

XieRong was in fifth position so far. She had not gained the emperor’s or the people’s attention and she had no hope of hitting the bullseye. In the past two months she had been training with the bow, she had only gotten bullseye twice.

She knocked her arrow and let it fly aiming for bullseye. It didn’t make it, but it was extremely close, landing her in the third position.

XieRong could only hope she did better in the other competitions.

The next competition was horse riding, but it not only tested once skills in horse riding itself, but also one’s judgement in choosing a horse. The competitors were given money and told to buy new horses from anywhere in the capital. The time allotted was a Shi Chen. If the competitors could not find a horse before the race commenced they would automatically be disqualified.

XieRong followed her brother to the market where all the horses in the capital were sold. All the competitors were headed to the same place, all of them using their Qingong, trying to push past the other. When XieRong reached the market, she could see people already buying horses and some even fighting over them.

XieRong took her time, knowing that a rushed decision would only make her lose before she could even sit on the horse.

Horses of all shapes and sizes lined the stalls, neighing and whinnying. Some showing of their beautiful manes by shaking their heads.

“How about this one?” Her brother asked, patting the mane of a black war horse.

XieRong shrinked away. It was huge and looked as though it would stomp her any given moment. XieRong saw her brother’s eyes twinkling mischievously, however she was too preoccupied with the competition to pay his antics any mind.

“Let’s look around a little more, okay?”

Half a Shi Chen had passed and XieRong had looked around everywhere but no horse suited her needs. She didn’t want the horse to be too huge or too strong like what the other competitors were choosing.

“Catch it!”

“Darn horses! Why won’t you listen? No one buys defect goods!”

XieRong followed the noises to the back of the tent to see men trying to rope two horses. One was a beautiful white stallion with scars peppered on its back while the other was a black mare with a scar over one cloudy grey eye.

“What are these men doing?” She asked a stable boy near the fence.

“They are trying to capture both the useless horses to kill them.”

XieRong felt sadness tug at her heart. She could see herself in those horses. Called useless, never given a chance to prove themselves, neglected and abused.

“Stop! I’ll buy them!”

Her brother who had followed behind her warned her sister against it.

“You cannot win the race with any of them. They are untamed and one of them is even half blind. XieRong having a kind heart is a strength but it is also a weakness. You have a goal to achieve. We can buy them later if you still wish to but for now focus on winning the competition.”

XieRong knew her brother was right but she felt a fire ignite in her heart at his words.

She jumped over the fence and went to the man who was still struggling with the white horse. She took a bit of some calming herb and let the horse whiff it without letting anyone see.

“Let the horse go.”

The man immediately let go of the horses reigns.

XieRong climbed it, stroking it’s flax coloured mane.

It was a lean horse with not too much muscle and it wasn’t as malnourished as the black horse. She climbed down after she felt that the horse stopped rejecting her.

“XiaoBai,” she said, patting it’s head.

“Mister, I want this horse to be fed and watered immediately. Do not saddle it.”

Guo Qiang saw with wide eyes as his little cousin tamed the other horse as well and paid for both the horses.

“Elder brother, watch as I win the race with XiaoBai. I would have ridden XiaoHeise but she’s too malnourished.”

“Mister, I’ll leave XiaoHeise here, but she is not to be whipped or abused in any way. Do not groom her and do not saddle her either, just leave her food and water in the fence.”

The men lowered their heads.

“Yes, young miss.”

XieRong climbed XiaoBai once again after he was done eating and drinking his fill.

“XiaoBai, from today no one will hurt you. Let’s show them how wrong they were about us.”

XiaoBai whinnied as though he were in agreement.

“Don’t blame this elder brother for not warning you if you do not win the race.”

“If I do win the race elder brother, then I’ll be taking five hundred gold coins from you. Keep the amount prepared!” XieRong said as she rode her new horse to the ring.

XieRong could feel the stares of the people as they looked at her. She could hear snickering and mocking remarks.

She patted XiaoBai’s head.

“Let us win this XiaoBai. Together.”

XiaoBai pound his hoof on the ground.

-Jie, you will win this.-

-You aren’t going to comment on the horse?-

-Jie, I already know what will happen, but since you forbid me from telling you anything about the choices you made, I will only tell you this much: as long as you believe in yourself and those you have chosen, you will win.-

XieRong looked at her sister who was seated underneath the Guo family’s tent with her grandfather, uncle, aunt, and cousins.

She could win this.