Phoenix Cries Return to Court

Lin Xihe suddenly opened her eyes.

In an instant, the blinding sunlight pierced into my eyes.

What comes into view is a clear blue sky and half a rough, thin wooden board.

She looked around and found herself in a narrow, cramped space.

Four rough wooden planks pressed tightly against her body, surrounding her.

She was only lying on a coarse cloth, and the hard floor made her bones ache.

It resembles a thin coffin.

Thin coffin!

Lin Xi was jolted, and most of the remaining chaos instantly dissipated.

Her last memory was of yesterday.

In the Shou Kang Palace on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the nineteenth year of Yong'an.

After lunch, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, followed by a gush of bright red blood from her mouth.

My consciousness gradually faded, and I heard the panicked screams of the palace servants.

Before closing his eyes, he saw the palace staff kneeling in the hall and the young man in white with bloodshot eyes.

My mind was filled with doubts, but I hadn't had time to investigate further.

Unexpectedly, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in such a predicament.

Lin Xihe still felt a dull ache in her chest and struggled to look at herself.

She was dressed in a plain white coarse cloth shroud, the frayed edges of her sleeves chafing her arms until they were red. She wore no jewelry, and even the pair of golden dragon-playing-with-pearl bracelets that she always wore with great significance were nowhere to be seen.

Am I... dead?

impossible!

She was the Empress Dowager of the Great Sheng Dynasty, who devoted herself to assisting two generations of emperors. Although the current emperor was not her son, he received her teachings from childhood and was more favored than a biological father. All the civil and military officials respected her, and the people of the world praised her.

Who wants her dead?

Moreover, Shou Kang Palace is heavily guarded and well-prepared; not even a fly could get in.

Who is it that has such extraordinary abilities to harm her?

Before his thoughts could settle, he heard whispers coming from outside the vermilion gate.

"Is everything done?"

"Reporting to Granny Li, everything is settled. That Lady Wen has been drugged and thrown into the coffin."

"Well done. You all stay here and guard this place well. The master will reward you handsomely after the mission is accomplished," a high-pitched voice said leisurely.

Wen's?

Lin Xihe became suspicious and struggled to lift her right hand to rest on the edge of the coffin, using the support to slowly prop herself up in order to find out what was going on.

But when he could see his surroundings clearly, his heart tightened.

This place turned out to be a dilapidated little courtyard.

Cracks spread across the vermilion courtyard walls, and the courtyard was deserted, with white paper money scattered on the ground being swept up and then falling again by the wind.

A few crooked trees stood forlornly in the corner of the yard, half-dead.

Beside the tree was a broken jar filled with rainwater.

She frowned, her thoughts still unsettled, when the vermilion door was kicked open with a loud bang.

Three old women filed in.

The leader was dressed in a wine-red brocade robe, with a peach wood and kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair. She had a narrow face, slightly prominent cheekbones, and half-closed triangular eyes that revealed a sinister light, giving her an appearance of ill intent.

It must be the Granny Li that the people outside the door were talking about earlier.

"Oh, Wen, you woke up quickly."

Granny Li walked quickly to the coffin and looked down at the woman sitting inside.

But the next second, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

The Wen family member before her was still wearing the burial clothes that she had personally dressed for, but the aura emanating from her sent chills down her spine.

Who are you?

The person in the coffin spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried an indescribable air of authority.

Granny Li's knees buckled, and she almost knelt down.

She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and sneered disdainfully, "You're quite the hypocrite. It's good that you're awake; it saves me the trouble of personally splashing cold water on you."

Lin Xi sat upright in the coffin, motionless, with only her brows slightly furrowed, and the chill emanating from her body became increasingly intimidating.

Seeing her like this, Granny Li assumed she was just feigning composure. She then curled her lip and raised her shrill voice again, "Now the whole manor knows you, Madam Wen, are dead. Things have come to this, pretending to be crazy is of no use at all! Hurry up and drink this bowl of medicine! That way, you'll suffer less, won't you?"

After saying that, she glanced at the two old women beside her. The two old women understood and carried a bowl of dark medicine to the coffin.

A bitter medicinal odor wafted into her nostrils, and Lin Xihe finally opened her eyes, coldly sweeping her gaze over the people in front of her.

Granny Li snorted coldly and nodded to the two old women.

The two old women, having received the signal, quickly stepped forward. One reached out to press Lin Xihe's shoulder, while the other picked up the medicine bowl and was about to bring it to her lips. The medicine in the bowl sloshed around and almost spilled out.

"How dare you!" A furious shout suddenly rang out.

The two old women froze in shock, and Granny Li was also startled by the rebuke.

Upon seeing the source of the sound, she became enraged and, hands on her hips, shrieked, "Wen! Don't push your luck!"

Having said that, she turned her head sharply, her triangular eyes glaring at the two old women like knives, and she cursed through gritted teeth, "You good-for-nothings! You can't even handle this little thing, dawdling and procrastinating. If you ruin your master's plans, you'll see what happens!"

The two old women were startled by the scolding. They exchanged a glance, hardened their hearts, and rushed forward again.

This time, the force used was not as gentle as before.

Just as their fingertips were about to touch Lin Xihe's sleeve, a cold glint flashed in Lin Xihe's eyes. She slightly shifted her body and suddenly raised both hands, striking quickly and accurately, grabbing the two outstretched wrists from the left and right.

Before the two old women could react, they felt a tightness on their wrists, followed by two soft "snap" sounds.

She threw the two men hard to the ground, where they fell flat on their backs, screaming in pain, unable to get up again.

Seeing this, Granny Li trembled with rage. Pointing at Lin Xihe, her voice trembled, "Insolence! Madam Wen! How dare you lay a hand on her!"

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to straighten her back, her expression fierce but her heart weak. "If you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame me for being impolite! Today, even if it costs me my old life, I will make you drink this bowl of medicine!"

Lin Xi raised her eyebrows slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and slowly stood up from the coffin. Her plain white robes fluttered slightly in the cold wind. She looked down at Granny Li, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

"You're welcome? I'd like to see how you'll treat me rudely today."

Granny Li felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze; that deep-seated sense of oppression returned. But remembering her master's orders, she steeled herself and gritted her teeth, saying defiantly, "Don't be so smug! The master has ordered that you die today, and no one can save you!"

"Oh? You think you can do this?" Lin Xihe chuckled, gripped the edge of the coffin with her right hand, and leaped lightly out of the coffin.

But the moment his feet touched the ground, his shoulders swayed almost imperceptibly.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering why his body felt so weak.

She suppressed her discomfort, raised her head to look at the person in front of her, her imposing presence undiminished.

Startled by the sudden, swift movement, Granny Li took a step back and snapped, "You! What do you think you're doing? Madam Wen, how dare you lay a hand on me! The master will never forgive you!"

Lin Xihe was too lazy to waste words with her. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly moved in front of Granny Li.

Before Granny Li could react, she raised her hand and grabbed her wrist.

Granny Li turned pale with pain and screamed in agony.

"Speak! Who is your master?" Lin Xihe raised an eyebrow, her tone full of sarcasm. "Dare to touch Ai... me! We'll have to see if he has the ability."

She forced back the words "I, Your Majesty" from her lips.

Since their identities are currently unknown, it is not advisable to reveal them.

She tightened her grip slightly, and Granny Li winced in pain, trying to struggle, but she was held firmly and unable to move.

Between pain and anger, she kicked Lin Xihe while spewing profanities.

Seeing this, Lin Xihe's eyes grew even colder. Too lazy to argue with her any longer, she swiftly delivered a sharp chop to the back of her neck.

With a muffled thud, Li Mama's eyes rolled back, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A hint of mockery flashed in Lin Xihe's eyes. With her martial arts skills, how could these old women be a match for her?

She looked up at the two trembling old women in the corner.

"Madam, spare me! Madam, spare me!"

The two old women were so terrified by the scene before them that they knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

The repeated use of "Mrs. Wen" and "Madam" stirred up some vague speculation in Lin Xihe's heart.

"Take a good look at who I am," she said, raising her voice and frowning at the two old women.

The two old women looked at each other for a moment, then bowed their heads respectfully and said, "Madam Minister, this old servant was blind and did not recognize your greatness. Please punish us."

Although Lin Xihe still had doubts, she suddenly had an idea. She said seriously, "Since you know I am the wife of a high-ranking official, why don't you quickly tell the truth? Tell me! Who is your master? And what's the deal with this medicine?"

Seeing the two men remain silent with their heads bowed, she chuckled softly, her gaze sweeping over the unconscious Li Mama on the ground, and said leisurely, "Then why don't you keep her company?"

The two old women trembled, and one of them hurriedly spoke up, "It's the Minister! He said... he said that if the Madam drinks this medicine, the position of the Minister of War's wife will belong to Princess Ding'an!"