Rising Phoenix

When Zhou Xizhong had come to power, he had differed from his predecessors. He viewed any favors for these rich clans as harm to the Dynasty and believed only evil would results from their close ties to the government. As such, he applied heavy burdens and strict rules to all the established families and dealt harshly with any overstep. All of the families were restricted and the commoners supported, and so the commoners loved Zhou Xizhong.

As Feng Zhiwei understood the situation, she set down much of her worry. If the government and the families had colluded, the situation would be much more difficult, but for better or for worse, Zhou Xizhong was a strict man of a particular cast of honor. After the matters on the dock, as long as Feng Zhiwei negotiated with the proper words and demonstrated the good the new department would bring to the commoners, the successful founding of the Maritime Department was not impossible. The problem was the Chang Family, and Feng Zhiwei had no idea how many of the forces in South Sea were secretly tied to the rebels. It was almost certain that the Chang Family had control of at least one of the Five Families, but Feng Zhiwei did not know which.

The Minnan Province was poor and the South Sea rich; if the Chang Family wished to succeed in their rebellion, the South Sea was of strategic importance. With their rebellion imminent, pirates were not the priority. Feng Zhiwei needed to establish the Dynasty’s control over the whole region.

The South Sea Officials still dealt with the aftermath of the explosion, and Feng Zhiwei was not in a rush to begin her negotiations. The site selection of the new Department, the construction of the buildings, all the detailed protocols and the hiring process were important matters that Feng Zhiwei needed to organize, but before she could finalize any of that, she had to first determine who would head the Department in her stead. She wanted the Yan Family; more specifically, she wanted Yan Huaishi.

At the moment, this did not seem an easy matter, so she had to personally educate the wayward Yan Family people and remind them of the Central Plain’s traditional codes of conduct.

That first night in the Yan Residence, the entire Yan Family turned out for a great feast to welcome their honored guests. An entire yard was decorated and filled with colorful ribbons and lanterns, and even the white stone footpaths showed no speck of dust or dirt. The current Yan Family Patriarch, Grandfather Yan’s Second Son Yan Wenhong, stood at the gates welcoming the guests in person. Ten tables of seafood feasts were perched on a high platform with great views of the sea; and every single one of the dishes were of top quality sea produce. The Family Heads of the other four families waited to the side, all of them incredibly envious of Grandfather Yan.

The feast began midafternoon and the various guests had all gathered in anticipation. Both men and women of the South Sea mingled, the frankness of the region and the business traditions of the families clearly laxer on gender barriers than the Central Plains. Many unmarried young ladies from the Five Families were also present.

Finally, a loud crier silenced the crowd of hundreds. A curtained door was respectfully held up, and white jade-crowned Ning Yi swept through, a nine-clawed moon white dragon embroidered on his dark silk robes. Beside him walked Feng Zhiwei.

The extraordinary gentlemen walked out into the open, one noble and elegant and stunningly handsome, the other clean and gracefully calm. Together they were like a pair of jade statues sending tremors through hearts and minds, and young girls all around perked up, eyes gleaming.

Ning Yi was a lofty prince, and since his eyes were still not convenient, he only lingered for a brief moment. After accepting the gathered greetings, he sat and toasted the people. Everyone hurriedly raised their glasses, and then Ning Yi set down his cup and returned to his room.

Feng Zhiwei respectfully escorted Ning Yi back, and the Prince cocked his head visibly towards the Imperial Envoy, his voice filled with amusement as he teased: “I smelled a lot of fishiness.. you should be careful.”

Feng Zhiwei glanced back at the table of what seemed to be barely cooked seafood. The person in charge had told them that the seafood had all been freshly caught, and that the cooks had not even unshelled much of the catch to preserve the taste. Feng Zhiwei was horrified, and she whispered back: “Why do you seem to be taking pleasure in my misfortune?”

 “You think so because you are too petty hearted.” Ning Yi chuckled back into her ear, his hot voice tickling her ear. She cocked her head as he continued: “En… if you are still unsatisfied afterwards, come to my room tonight…”

Feng Zhiwei smiled quietly and nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes. Definitely, definitely.”

As if!

All of the guests watched enviously as Master Wei and His Royal Highness showed off their close relationship. Truly, Master Wei knew how to please the Prince…

After Ning Yi was securely back in his room, Feng Zhiwei returned to the table and waved to Yan Huaishi, calling out: “Brother Yan, come site here.”

She and Gu Nanyi sat with the Five Family Heads at the table for the most important people at the feast. When she called Yan Huaishi up, every table began to murmur.

Yan Huaishi stood from a table of unimportant Yan Family youths, calmly carrying his cup as he dignifiedly walked over and sat by Feng Zhiwei, bearing all the weird and meaningful stares.

After his talk with Feng Zhiwei, his gloominess had scattered and he was back to being the confident, witty, and clever Yan Huaishi.

Countless eyes watched him, mouths gaping and snapping shut.

The gazes were many and intense. It turned out that not only the Yan Family rejected Yan Huaishi, all the other families stared unkindly as well.

Beside her, Gu Nanyi stared at the shelled seafood and compared them to walnuts. Was he supposed to eat them like walnuts then? But when he tried to smash a shell, blood splattered all over Grandfather Yan’s face, and Gu Nanyi decisively gave up and floated back to his room.

Walnuts were better…

Two of the men fled the seafood feast, abandoning Feng Zhiwei without any hesitation, and so she faced Grandfather Yan alone as he eagerly picked through the soft, sticky, bloody seafood. To Feng Zhiwei’s eyes, the feast before her resembled the scattered flesh in the aftermath of the explosion, and she bravely bit down and swallowed.

How backwards… eating flesh raw and drinking blood…

After forcing herself to gulp down a few bites, Feng Zhiwei decided she had shown enough courtesy and refused any more food. From then on she drank only liquor, and as an unceasing line of people came up to toast her, the heavyweight Master Wei drank again and again.

After a round of drinks, the Five Family Heads exchanged looks and coughed lightly, hoping to talk business, but Feng Zhiwei suddenly announced: “After accepting so many toasts, it seems it is my turn, but I am not a heavy drinker so I will ask Brother Yan to toast everyone on my behalf.”

Yan Huaishi stood. Everyone stared blankly, and an incredibly complicated expression crossed Grandfather Yan’s face; he was both happy and hesitant — happy that the Imperial Envoy clearly liked the Yan Family, hesitant that the person Envoy liked was not his choice. The old man froze, and cogs spun behind his eyes as he tentatively offered: “Great one, Huaishi does not drink well, but Huaiyaun, my Second Son’s eldest, is very good with his liquor. Would you allow him to give your toast?”

Feng Zhiwei cocked an eyebrow, her smile not reaching her eyes as her glance sent shivers down the old man’s spine.

 “Who is Yan Huaiyuan?”

Feng Zhiwei’s words shocked everyone, and a tall young man attentively listening in stiffened. All expressions at his table changed, and Yan Huaiying grew furious.