The night within the imperial palace remained hushed and still, as if the very walls were holding their breath.
Moonlight spilled through the thin veil of gauze draped over the arched windows of Hua Lan Palace, casting silver shadows upon the marbled floor. The air carried the faint scent of night-blooming jasmine, sweet and deceptive, mingling with the cold bite of secrecy that lingered in the corridors.
Beneath that ethereal light, a figure moved—a shadow gliding between columns and across the stone pathways with practiced steps. Draped in the unremarkable robes of a palace maid, the silhouette would have gone unnoticed by even the most watchful eye, but the calm rhythm of her breath betrayed her unease.
She had not come to consult. Nor to inspect. Not even to speak.
Clutched tightly in her right hand was a single object—an elegant hairpin, forged in the shape of a reddish-purple peony. It gleamed faintly in the moonlight, catching reflections like a drop of dusk. No other within the palace bore such a design.
Its uniqueness was no accident.
—
Inside Hua Lan Palace, Xianlan sat with impeccable composure at her writing desk, the dim glow of a lantern casting warm light upon the scroll before her. The sound of brush against parchment was the only motion in the stillness of the room.
Her robes of deep plum and pale white rustled slightly as she shifted her weight, fingertips poised to turn the next page. Her eyes flicked downward—beneath the table lay a jade mechanism box, discreet yet intricate in its craftsmanship.
A whisper of calculation passed her mind.
"If the intruder isn't one of my own… the first footstep would trigger the jade needle within ten paces."
Her senses stretched outward—listening.
But the footsteps did not reach the tenth.
They halted at the seventh.
Xianlan set her brush down, the movement fluid and unhurried, like the settling of snow.
"If you came only to steal," she said, her voice neither sharp nor loud, but resonant in the quiet, "you should leave now—while both your hands remain intact."
The disguised maid froze. The air between them thickened.
She lifted her face slowly, and in that moment, their eyes met—one pair calm and assessing, the other youthful but defiant. She still clutched the jade hairpin in her fingers, knuckles white from tension.
"I was ordered to retrieve what's under your writing table…" she said, her voice low. "But I was never told what's inside."
Xianlan rose with elegance, her movements composed yet deliberate. She reached beneath the table and retrieved the jade box. It clicked softly in her hands and opened at her touch.
Empty.
"This box has been empty… far longer than you think," she said.
Surprise flickered across the girl's face, breaking through her stony mask.
Xianlan studied her in silence, then asked, her tone soft yet piercing, "Who told you this box held something important?"
No answer.
But the tension in the girl's shoulders betrayed her.
Moments later, the room filled with the soft shuffle of footsteps—Xianlan's personal maids arrived, accompanied by guards dressed in the discreet dark garb of Wen Yichen's faction. The girl did not resist as they took her.
"She is unharmed," Xianlan said quietly. "Let her rest quietly in the black tea chamber."
One of the maids bowed. "Understood, my lady."
"Whoever sent her…" Xianlan continued, her gaze unreadable, "is likely listening for whether she 'vanished without a trace'—or 'returned alive.' Let us be clear in our answer."
—
Dawn bled gently across the eastern sky.
Inside the Crown Prince's Quarters, Feng Yuhan stood by the open lattice window, reading a scroll by the morning light. The report detailed the intrusion into Hua Lan Palace with exacting precision.
When he finished, he did not immediately speak. Instead, he set the scroll down upon the polished table and murmured, "A veil of flowers may appear lovely… but if it hides a blade, it's no different from poison behind a smile."
Standing beside him, Wen Yichen added, "The maid who infiltrated Hua Lan Palace bears a tattoo beneath her shoulder—the crest of the Zhao family of Xuan Yu Kingdom."
Feng Yuhan's expression shifted slightly. The movement was so small it would have gone unnoticed by most, but for those who knew him, it was significant.
"The Zhao family," he repeated. "That's the house of Bai Yue Ning."
—
At the Noble Consort's Quarters, Su Zhen sat amidst embroidered pillows, sipping lightly brewed plum blossom tea. When the report reached her ears, she only smiled.
"Even if she isn't one of mine," she said, her tone sweet but barbed, "an enemy of my enemy still has her uses."
She leaned back, tapping a painted fingernail against the porcelain cup.
"Lady Zhao… you've stepped into the game a bit too soon, haven't you?"
—
Inside the interrogation room, the air was thick with silence.
The girl said nothing. Her gaze was fixed on the corner of the floor, lips pressed together.
When Xianlan entered—alone—the girl did not raise her head.
Xianlan sat opposite her. The room was bare, the only sound the occasional creak of old wood settling. Her voice broke the silence like a soft blade.
"If you won't speak," she said evenly, "I'll send you to the same place where I, too, was once imprisoned in my youth."
The girl's head jerked up at that.
"Same place…" she whispered.
"I'm a second-tier maid of Princess Bai Yue Ning's household," she continued at last, the words tumbling out. "I wasn't ordered directly, but someone from the Zhao clan bargained with me. My mother's life… in exchange for this."
She inhaled sharply, as if trying to steady herself.
"I was trained not to think… since I was a child."
Xianlan studied her for a long moment. Her gaze was not cruel—but it was unyielding.
Then, she rose.
"From now on," she said quietly, "you'll learn what it means to think for yourself."
She turned her back.
"Because those who have no mind of their own… are pawns everyone is willing to abandon."
—
Later, inside the secret chamber of Yue Ning's private quarters, the princess unfolded a map across the table. The flicker of lantern light caught the edge of her rings.
"Hua Lan Palace," she murmured, running a finger across the parchment.
"That lowly woman… holds more secrets than anyone expected."
She smirked and laid down a veil shaped like a peony—an exact match to the one carried by the infiltrator.
"Let's see," she whispered, "how long a 'common woman' can keep playing the role of a queen."
"This chapter has been updated with improved narrative and deeper character perspective. The plot remains unchanged."
*********************************************************************************************************
✨ Thank you for reading this chapter of Rebirth of the Phoenix Empress!If you're enjoying Xianlan's journey, please add this story to your Library, leave a comment, or tap a heart 💖 — your support truly fuels the fire!