A chilling fragrance drifted over the lotus pond of Fenghua Residence.
Its subtle sweetness echoed a long-lost scent once reserved for Consort Yu's palace, back when she still lived.
This was the scent Emperor Li Sichen once favored after long, weary hours of court work.
And now… it had returned.
⸻
Xianlan sat serenely beneath the shadow of the clouds,
a fan painted with winter blossoms resting in her hand.
But every word she uttered, every movement she made,
was a calculated piece on the game board she herself had laid.
"Lady Xianlan, are you certain this scent will truly stir His Majesty's memory?"
asked Eunuch Liu, his voice quiet but clear.
Xianlan lowered her fan onto her lap and lifted her gaze, offering the slightest of smiles.
"His Majesty may forget memories…
but a scent — it carves itself into the bones."
This cool, lotus-based fragrance, derived from a recipe once used by Consort Yu,
was now her chosen tool — to lure out the emotions buried deep within the palace walls.
A scent that once made the Emperor smile…
as he watched the woman he loved most in the world.
The very scent that lingered on the day she was burned alive —
in silence, with no crime proven.
And today, that fragrance would once again graze the Emperor's nose.
If he remained steadfast in duty…
he would still waver, if only briefly, for the past.
⸻
"Your Majesty,"
Eunuch Liu bowed before the throne.
Li Sichen set down his brush, pausing slightly as a familiar scent brushed past his nose.
The scent he once adored.
The one he had nearly forgotten.
A fragrance that stirred his heart for just a moment.
"Which residence uses such a scent?"
"Fenghua Residence, Your Majesty — that of the Fourth Princess, Xianlan."
"Xianlan…"
A faint haze clouded the Emperor's eyes.
His face revealed little,
but something deep within him began to shift.
⸻
At the gates of Consort Su Zhen's palace —
"That scent again…"
Su Zhen stood stiffly, eyes scanning the breeze that carried the scent past her.
"That girl… How dare she play with His Majesty's memories?!"
Su Mengyu, standing nearby, clenched her fan tightly.
"If she stirs the Emperor's memories too deeply, our palace may lose its influence."
"Why should you fear?"
Su Zhen snapped, voice sharp and domineering.
"So long as we hold the strings of political power, the Emperor cannot strip us of our status."
But inside, Su Zhen knew the truth —
This scent was a poisoned spear from the past.
A fragrance once belonging only to the woman for whom the Emperor had once dared utter the word "love."
⸻
The following day —
"His Majesty has summoned the Fourth Princess,"
Eunuch Liu announced gently.
Xianlan gave a soft smile, folded her fan, and rose gracefully.
Within the grand audience hall,
Li Sichen sat silently for a long time before he finally spoke.
"That lotus scent… where did you find it?"
"I discovered an old perfumery scroll in Consort Yu's abandoned quarters,"
Xianlan replied softly.
"I simply recreated it as written, without any alterations."
The name Consort Yu made the Emperor's fingers tighten slightly on the arm of his throne.
But his voice remained steady.
"I remember… that scent felt warm.
Like a spring that never dried."
"You always loved it, Your Majesty — back when my mother was alive…"
Xianlan knelt before him, her eyes steady but filled with emotion.
"She left without a word.
But if this scent can awaken even a piece of her memory… then I am glad to have brought it back."
Li Sichen stared at the young woman before him for what felt like an eternity.
That scent…
It wasn't beautiful merely because of flowers.
It was beautiful because of the love he had once held for a woman long gone.
And this girl kneeling before him —
was the only bloodline she had left behind.
⸻
Later that evening, outside her quiet residence —
"Sister…"
A voice called softly from the walkway.
Xianlan turned and smiled at Li Wenlong, her brother, freshly returned from court affairs.
"This scent… it smells like Mother,"
he murmured.
Xianlan looked at the man she had once believed to be her full brother.
But lately, a shadow had begun to form in her heart —
one that whispered perhaps they weren't truly siblings.
"No matter how fragrant it is,
scent cannot bring the dead back to life,"
she said quietly.
"But if it's fragrant enough to awaken justice…
then I'll make it so strong, it fills the entire palace."
Wenlong nodded, gazing at the sister who no longer resembled the girl from the past.
He didn't know exactly what she planned.
But he knew this —
he would stand beside her, always.
✨ 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!