Phoenix Rising

017

Early in the morning while Zi-ning was in the midst of sipping her breakfast congee, an excited Shujin came bursting into the room, her face brimming with eagerness. "Miss, did you hear? The Shadow Lord is arriving back at the capital later today!"

"The Shadow Lord?"

Zi-ning didn't know much about the Shadow Lord, except for his reputation as the most fearsome general in the kingdom. In her previous lifetime the only man that she cared about was Ru-an and she never spared a moment to bother with anyone else, hence there was much about the kingdom that she didn't know. She did remember one thing about this man though—that he had met with a tragic end on the battlefield while he was still in his prime, all thanks to the cruel betrayal of the fifth prince. A betrayal that had been aided by her stupidity.

An inexplicable sense of guilt welled up inside her when that name reached her ears.

Shujin nodded. "Everyone's talking about it in the market," she said. "This is the first time in over five years that the Shadow Lord has returned to the capital. There are tons of people lining up at the gates wanting to catch a glimpse of him. Should we go too?"

Zi-ning smiled, shaking her head. "What's there to see? He's just a general. There are plenty of generals in the kingdom. Minister Song used to be a general himself until he decided to take up a position in the imperial court."

"He's not just any general, this is the Shadow Lord!" her maidservant insisted, sounding offended that she was comparing the man to just any other. "He's the youngest appointed general in the kingdom. People are saying that the king has asked the crown prince himself to receive the Shadow Lord at the city gates. Can you imagine that? That's how much the king values him!"

Zi-ning pondered upon her maidservant's words for a moment.

If what she said was true and the king had indeed instructed for the crown prince to welcome the Shadow Lord back to the capital, that action in itself spoke volumes of the Shadow Lord's influence in the kingdom. Perhaps it would be a good idea to find out more about this mysterious existence. Your enemy's enemy was your friend, after all. Ru-an had plotted to get rid of the man in her previous life, so he would likely attempt to do the same again. However, if the Shadow Lord had gotten wind of the prince's intentions in advance, would the outcome have been the same?

Looking up at Shujin, she said, "Alright, since I haven't got anything planned this afternoon, I suppose there's no harm going down to join in the excitement."

Shujin squealed in excitement, immediately dashing for the door. "I'll get the carriage prepared immediately!" she said.

Zi-ning wasn't the only one who had decided to go down to witness the fanfare surrounding the Shadow Lord's return. When she stepped out of the manor, her sisters Meiyan and Meisi were also there preparing to board their own carriage.

"Whereabouts are you going, Zi-ning?" Meiyan asked, plastering a stiff smile on her face. Ever since the queen's gathering in the palace, Meiyan's attitude towards Zi-ning had been a stark contrast to what it used to be. In the past the girl would pretend to be the perfect, caring, older sister, frequently stopping by Zi-ning's quarters for tea. Since realising that Zi-ning was no longer the obedient pushover that she was before, Meiyan had started keeping her distance, not willing to associate with her as much.

"Shujin told me that there's going to be quite a bit of excitement in town today because the Shadow Lord is returning to the capital. I was thinking of going down to The Golden Goose to join in the fun. What about you?" The Golden Goose was a famous restaurant located not far from the southern city gate, which was the main gate of the capital. If they managed to get a private room there, they would have a clear view of all the fanfare going on down below.