Phoenix: Rules Of The Harem
Chapter 23: The Throne of the Bloody Phoenix

Inside the Main Hall, more precisely inside the Imperial Great Hall, the place where the morning meetings and tribunals discussing state affairs were held together with the ministers and imperial officials, were held, grand Empress Shao Fang Hua's gaze was fixated on the area of the oversized throne with golden phoenix engravings at each corner. The seat of the Phoenix that had always been occupied by the Great Empress from generation to generation, the bloody chair that had killed countless people for the sake of possessing it. Day had shown midnight, but Shao Fang Hua had walked alone into the Main Hall and stared at the throne chair not far from where he was standing with a blank and sad look.

"Hua'er, look at this! When you grow up, this chair you'll be in." The previous Grand Empress, Shao Lu Yan was sitting on the Phoenix chair with little Fang Hua on her lap.

Little Fang Hua raised his head, looking at Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan questioningly with her big eyes. "uh? Doesn't this seat belong to the empress' mother?"

"Of course not! Everyone can have this chair, but do you know? Only good people are allowed to sit on it, because that's when you sit here...." Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan got up from her seat, then sat little Fang Hua down on the chair carefully. "You must be a wise man and lead the people well, do you understand son?"

Little Fang Hua nodded excitedly. "En, understood! Then, if I were the one sitting there, where would the empress mother be?"

Shao Lu Yan smiled, a gentle smile that was sincere and filled with warmth. "I? Hmm. .. I'll enjoy time with your father in a simple house like we've dreamed of."

It was the bloody Phoenix throne, a chair that also nearly took away the life of her mother, Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan for good. It is still clear in his memory at that time, when a rebellion occurred at the age of seven years at that time. The civil war that almost killed his mother who was then the Grand Empress for trying to protect himself and his father from enemy attacks. Fang Hua never forgot about it, an incident where the Imperial Palace was severely attacked by his mother's brother who wanted to seize the power of Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan, who was the one who wanted to seize the power of the Imperial Palace, also his mother who took pains to block his brother who was trying to attack him and also his father with a body full of blood. Unknowingly Fang Hua's breath choked, the memories of that day suddenly re-spinned in his mind.

"Your Majesty! There's rebellion! There's rebellion! Palace attacked!" a bodyguard shouted out loudly, he dashed hurriedly towards Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan who was at the Imperial Great Hall back then.

Still on the Phoenix throne, Shao Lu Yan smiled slightly with a straight forward look. "I understand. Have the harems, princesses, princes, servants, and eunuchs been secured as I requested?"

"Right, Your Majesty. Everything was already on its way to hide." the bodyguard bowed respectfully and replied, his breathing still sounded a little breathless.

"That's great, I'll wait for those rebels here." Lu Yan sighed, he closed his eyes for a while while leaning his head that felt a little heavy on his great chair. "Sister, I can't believe you're actually doing this."

"Mother empress!"

Hearing that distinctive voice, Lu Yan opened his eyes quickly. She was shocked when she saw her little daughter Shao Fang Hua running towards her with a face wet with tears. Behind the little girl, a man who was still quite young walked following little Fang Hua, yet his eyes kept on Lu Yan. The man was the Imperial Chief Companion Han Fei Yue, the official husband of Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan and the biological father of Imperial Crown Princess Shao Fang Hua.

"What are you two doing here?! Shouldn't you be with the others to hide?! The bodyguard! What are you guys doing! Quickly bring the Imperial Chief Companion and the Crown Princess to the hideout!"

Lu Yan exclaimed frantically, feeling surprised when he saw his two beloved people instead choose to follow him to the Main Hall which was of course dangerous for now.

"No! Guards, take the Crown Princess to hide! I will stay here and accompany the Grand Empress!" Han Fei Yue refuted clearly, her face looking to show no meaningful tenderness at the moment.

The young bodyguards stared timidly, these two orders were completely different and they felt confused to follow the orders of the two masters. "But, Imperial Main Consort Han..."

Lu Yan looked at Fei Yue sharply, however he could not let her husband get hurt. This really isn't a good thing! Why at a time like this his official companion actually makes him a headache! "Listen, Main Consort Han! Go together with the Crown Princess towards the hideout, this is my order as the Imperial Grand Empress!"

"Servant, you just follow my orders!" without listening to his wife's orders, Han Fei Yue again spoke in a firm tone full of orders to make the bodyguard nod his head in disarray.

"Well, Your Majesty. Crown Princess let's come with me and join together with the others!"

"No want! I don't want to!" The little Fang Hua shouted and ran towards Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan then hugged her mother's legs with her small hands. "Mother consort, let me be with the empress mother! I don't want to go there .. hiks!"

Lu Yan knelt down and aligned his height with the little Fang Hua, he held both of his daughter's arms gently. "Daughter, now this place is very dangerous. Go and get your dad to get away from this place, okay?"

Fang Hua shook his head strongly. "No want! I want to help the empress! Let me go with mom!"

Lu Yan looked at his daughter doubtfully, he could not allow his successor as well as his rightful heir to be in this kind of danger. "But—"

"Well! Whoa! Is there a family drama at the moment? I thought you would welcome my arrival, Your Majesty." a woman with war armor on her body came carrying a lot of troops behind her.

"Sister, you shouldn't be doing this."

The woman grinned, staring intently at Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan. "Why indeed? You and I are both legitimate daughters of the empire, then why did the empress mother give you the throne instead of me?"

The Imperial Princess growled with anger, but after that she chuckled. "God! Worth it or not, you have no right to judge him, sister! That throne is mine, you all attack them!"

The hard order was a sign that the internal war was really starting. The Grand Empress' shadow guards quickly prepared with their swords as well as Shao Lu Yan and Han Fei Yue. Many might not know it, but Imperial Master Companion Han Fei Yue actually had good martial skills, he and General Hong were close friends who learned martial arts from the same teacher. Although his abilities were not as great as General Hong or Grand Empress, it was enough to kill the troops on the battlefield. Even so, Han Fei Yue was unable to move freely enough as it carried the little Fang Hua in her arms.

Little Fang Hua saw it, how his mother and father had to fight his own aunt right before his two eyes. His eyes were round when he saw that someone behind his mother had prepared to stab the Great Empress who was busy fighting the odang in front of him.

"Mother consort, behind you!"

Hearing Fang Hua's cry, Lu Yan quickly dodged before then he stabbed into the stomach of a woman that one of the troops from his older brother knew deeply. Her gaze moved a little uneasily as some people began to surround her husband and daughter, it seemed like they were eyeing the death of Fang Hua who was the current Crown Princess of Shao Empire. Little Fang Hua felt a closer embrace from his father, Fei Yue's countenance also looked furrowed unhappily. Fang Hua circulated his gaze around him, he could see some people starting to approach towards the two of them with swords in their hands respectively.

As had been expected earlier, those people quickly attacked him and his father, making Fei Yue desperately try to fend off all the attacks aimed at him with Fang Hua still inside his carriage. Unfortunately, the strongest one among them managed to escape and tried to slash at Fei Yue. For the sake of protecting her daughter, Fei Yue quickly turned around and closed her eyes tightly, thinking of letting her back be injured with a sword slash instead of having to see her daughter's death right before her eyes. However, some time passed, there was not the slightest pain that Fei Yue felt from her back. When he opened his eyes he saw Shao Lu Yan who was standing facing towards him with a small smile on his lips that let out a droplet of blood.

Fang Hua stared silently at his mother who had been covered in blood, for a moment his mind felt empty and he felt unable to say anything. While Fei Yue was wide with tears that began to fall soaking her cheeks.

"Y-Your Majesty! Your-you..."

Shao Lu Yan looked at his two loved ones with eyes full of tenderness, then he said softly, "I'm glad to see you both are okay."

A drop of tears fell down Grand Empress Shao Fang Hua's cheeks involuntarily, just below her feet standing up, her mother was almost killed by her own brother in the middle of that civil war. He even still remembered well how his father was hugging his mother's blood-soaked body tightly due to severe injuries to his shoulders, stomach and back. If only Imperial Grand General Hong had not come in time and helped Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan, he might not have seen his mother again in a long time.

"Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty the Great Empress!"

The sound of the call made Fang Hua wake up, blinked his eyes a few times, his gaze again cooling down as usual. Even so, he chose not to turn around and looked at the person behind him.

"What did you find?"

A woman who was still quite young, she bowed respectfully before returning to say, "Your Majesty, I found evidence that the Crown Princess did indeed try to kill the Fourth Princess on the day of the Fourth Princess' departure towards Zhuzi Rural Palace. In addition, I saw a suspicious movement from the Crown Princess' side."

"Yes, it is indeed beyond doubt that the Crown Princess wants to get rid of her toughest rival. But, what do you mean? Say it clearly!" Fang Hua sighed, he felt no surprise because he knew Shao Mu Lan's character well.

The woman who was known as the Great Empress's shadow guard stared doubtfully at the master who was behind her. "Don't know for what purpose, I found the Crown Princess creating a private army in the forbidden forest area of Wuying city."

Fang Hua nodded, he understood. "Find out if he's planning a rebellion or not! If it was the Crown Princess, it might be possible given her quite ruthless nature."

"This lowly one understands, Your Majesty." the shadow guard bowed respectfully before leaving from before Fang Hua so quickly.

Shao Fang Hua chose to turn around, in silence he stared towards the large pillar with a large curtain fluttering next to him. "Until when will you be there, Main Consort Hong?"

Imperial Chief Apprentice Hong Yu Wen walked out from behind a pillar, she looked at Grand Empress Shao with a stern look of disbelief.

"You said about the assassination plot, but you didn't tell me at all! Your Majesty, the Fourth Princess is also my daughter! You can't hide something like this from his father!"

Hong Yu Wen walked over towards Fang Hua with a slight limp, he actually felt so limp when he heard all the talk done by his wife and a woman. Fang Hua hugged her, the no longer-young woman hugged Yu Wen carefully, letting the man crumple his clothes tightly.

"Your Majesty, I .. I don't want to lose for the second time! Ling Mei is my daughter, only my daughter! No one can hurt him!"

"Yes, I get it. She's my daughter too, and I don't want any bloodshed in this palace." Fang Hua rubbed the back of his official companion slowly, trying to calm the emotions of the man in his arms.

Aye! There should be no more bloodshed like the one in her mother's time, Grand Empress Shao Lu Yan took the lead. Fang Hua would try his best not to let the chair get littered back with the blood of the imperial princesses trying to obtain it. Not while he was alive and had enough strength to prevent it.