A little maid rushed out the room, her little legs running with haste to the stern faced guard that stood like a statue just outside the small Kui Palace Gates.

"Hurry! The princess is in labour! Get the Mid-wife!"

Her voice was traced with panic but the stone faced guard simply stood still, uncaring.

"H-how dare you. if something happens to the little prince, can your shoulders bare the weight of the sin?!"

The little maid was scared and panicking but now that her new mistress was giving birth, doesn't that mean that she too will have a chance to get out of this stinky cold palace? Just because one of the Emperor's consort felt jealous of her, she was sent straight to serve in the cold palace.

"What Prince?? Don't even know which filthy man's son he is."

The little maid straightened her back at the voice. She was unwilling to turn but had to kneel in greeting.

"T-this servant greets the Crown Prince."

RuoFeng simply smirked. This little maid was pretty indeed it would be a waste to let her simply die.

"Bring her to this Prince's palace."

Eunuch Lin sighed internally, he had to go through yet another horrendous sight of the crown prince's hobbies.

He felt pity for the little maid but still ordered a someone to drag her away.

The little maid froze in fear, although the Crown Prince was handsome and powerful, who didn't know the kind of hobbies the Crown Prince had.

Things that happens within the Rising Sun palace were like the voice of a demon, no eunuch, guard or maid didn't hear about it without have a change in their expression.

The stern guard, upon seeing Ruofeng simply greeted him with enough respect, closed his eyes and step aside, keeping his head bowed. Meaning, today, he did not see the Crown Prince here.

Ruofeng sneered and entered, as he neared the desolated courtyard, he could hear the sound of a woman moaning and screaming in pain. He felt his blood heat up, this was the very voice he had wanted to make her scream with, yet before he could, she had already turned and stepped on his tail.

A pity indeed, had she remained obedient, he would have kept her alive and treated her well enough to give her a painless death.

He stood there silently for a moment, taking in her sweet painfilled voice.

The three guards following behind frowned slightly but quickly hid their expression while Eunuch Lin had visibly paled, his tongue dry as he tried to calm his heart.

When the group entered, they were met with a sorry sight of a woman.

Her face had thinned comparably. Drench in sweat, her long hair stuck to her body and face, she looked just like a ghost. Her previous beauty had greatly diminished and no longer was she a pearl in the eye of men.

Obviously she had been treated with disdain and lived a life not worth mentioning in the Kui Palace.

Her belly was round and she was clenching onto the blankets trying to hold the pain in. The was only 2 other maid around her, one calming her down and the other pacing back and forth waiting for the little maid they sent out to come back with a midwife.

When the Crown prince appeared through the doors, with the 3 guards and Eunuch Lin behind him. The 2 maids jumped in surprise before quickly greeting with respect while Zhenzhen was barely holding on.

Due to the lack of proper care and treatment during the months before, she was already very weak and the pain was enough to make her feel faint.

Ruofeng looked at the half awake Zhenzhen a smirk on his face as he walked over to the side table, casually sitting like a king and pouring himself a cup of tea as though he was the master of the room.

Zhenzhen barely had any strength left to argue with him, she merely stared at him with hate while holding back the sharp pain, she could feel the baby's movement inside, he was ready to arrive.

Once the prince is born, she would then have a card of hope to climb her way back up. The prince didn't matter to her at this point, her love for him, she would bury it into an abyss.

"What a sorry state you are in. This is what happens when you cross me... the same would happen to your sister that decided to stand in my way and save your life."

Ruofeng was referring to the banquet when Feiyun had stood up and claimed to have a way to test the blood. It irritated him greatly that this woman has been stepping on his pride and getting in his way time and time again.

Zhenzhen simply sneered internally,

'Save me? What a joke, that sister of mine would never.'

Having seen Ruofeng's true colors, she now pitied that he was so foolish, making her pity herself even more.

She winced in pain, pale and bloodied.

"Arghhh...Mmmfmm!"

Zhenzhen bite on her lower lip until a small trace of blood appeared, the two maid rushed to her side. They, just like the little maid before, were sent to the cold palace and knew that if they want to survive then this baby inside of Zhenzhen needs to remain alive.

"Please hold on! The midwife is coming! Little Qiu has gone to call!"

But Zhenzhen continued to scream, she could feel the movement and instinct told her to push, with all her might. She bit down on her lips and pushed.

The situation was too chaotic, not caring about the men in the room, one of the maid looked under the blanket, her voice was tinged with urgency and a little panic.

"T-t-the head! Its half way out! Your highness must continue to push!"

Ruofeng's eyes darkened as he sipped on the tea, it was as though the chaotic situation had nothing to do with him. He turned to his guards and nod his head, signaling for them to make the move.

The three guards moved towards her, the two maids were flung mercilessly to the side, both crashing into the wall and spitting blood out their mouth, then crumpled to the ground half conscious.

Seeing the 3 men approaching, Zhenzhen felt fear travel through her entire body,

"W-what are- NO! NO! DON'T! Arhhhhhh!!!"

One griped both her wrist firmly, while another held her legs down.

The remaining one reaching inside with his hand, a violently shove sent the little baby back into her body.

"ARGH!!!!"

Zhenzhen screamed in pain, she felt like she was being ripped apart. She could hear and feel the sound of bones snapping, traveling through her bones internally.

Then she felt the curling and movement of the man's hand. By the end of it, her voice barely made a sound, her body had weakened and no longer struggled, it was over...she just knew this was her end.

Seeing the bloodied hand of the man, her eyes filled with tears once again.

'My child...this man...how could he be so cruel?...'

The 3 guards knelt and reported,

"Your highness, it is done."

Ruofeng smirked, pouring himself another cup of tea, the stench of blood was like honey to him. His eyes filled with excitement and disdain as he stared at Zhenzhen's hateful face.

"My dear, you should have remained being the pretty flower vase that you were suppose to be. Like the blooming flower on the roadside that I happen to pass by and admire for a moment on my way to the great throne. You were never meant to be a phoenix."

His voice was devoid of any emotions, merely treating her with mocking as he continued,

"This child, take it with you."

Zhenzhen felt boiling rage grow within her, she didnt know where the strength came from but she managed to spit out a few words,

"Even...a starving tiger won't ...eat it's cub."

Seeing her futile resistance, Ruofeng chuckled,

" I wonder... When they cut open and take a look, it will be death by strangulation."

His finger twisted in a circle around near his head and neck, as he stood up, slowly walking over,

"It will be you who killed it. Don't you know, there are cases where the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. In such cases if not handled properly, the baby dies."

Zhenzhen clutched at the blankets, she was starting to feel weaker, her vision blurring slightly but she held on, her gaze went to the two maids at the side, seeing that they were still breathing, she quickly focus back on Ruofeng.

That little glance of hers, obviously Ruofeng knew what she was thinking, he slapped a hand to his forehead and laughed,

"These people here, you think they will dare to risk their lives to accuse this prince? Once they hear that the baby died of strangulation of the cord during childbirth, they would all agree to save their own lives. This moment will be like it never existed. After all dead men tells no tales!"

He was right. At this time, the two maids had already regain some of their consciousness. But living in the palace, they knew that if they wanted to avoid dying, it is best to pretend they are still unconscious. They heard everything loud and clear, in their hearts they already decided that once the prince leave they will run out to report that the baby died during childbirth.

With his words finishing, he flicked a pill into her mouth, and poured the cup of tea, whether the liquid entered her mouth, he simply covered it with a hand and blocked her nose.

With no other choice, Zhenzhen was too weak and unable to put up a fight and the pill was swallowed. She didn't know what the pill was but at this point she was starting to see black and flashes of white. Slowly her eyes closed, her hand fell and dangled lifelessly at the side.

Ruofeng smiled and simply took a cloth by the side, wiping his hands as he flourished a sleeve and left. The 4 others following quickly without even glancing back to the room.

"Your highness, the two maids..."

"Leave them. There needs to be some life left to make it more believable."

Eunuch Lin bowed his head in understanding, quickly following along. Internally, he could already feel the bile at the back of his throat, the sound of crackling bones of the baby were still resounding in his head.

They weren't aware of the pair of sharp eyes that had seen everything, the moment they left, Feiqin entered the room, she reached for the wrist that hung lifelessly and pressed gently for a heartbeat.

After a moment, her eyes darkened and she quickly left, the room returned to quietness as though no one was there.

---------------------------------------------------------

Slam!

"That sick bastard!"

The three people in the room shuddered slightly, Ruyi knew Feiyun was a very calm and collected person, rarely flaring up in anger. Yet at this moment, she had slammed the table so hard the tea cups still hadn't stop moving.

Her rage was comparable to Tianhuo's, enough to sent cold sweat and numbness down their backs.

Feiyun gritted her teeth. She didn't care if Zhenzhen died, she who had made up her mind to protect that child yet before she could even reach out to save him, he had died such a cruel death at his own father's hands.

Feiyun's eyes were sharp and cold, like a blade forged to slice through mountains, seething with anger, she stood up abruptly.

"Let us go."

Observing Feiyun's eyes, it seemed that internally she had made a choice. FeiXu stood up, she too had made a choice. She had sworn to serve FeiYun, she steeled her heart her.

Under the cover of the evening blue, Feiyun was dressed smartly in a men's robes. A deep Emerald green paired with an elegant and simple mask. The only ornament that adorned her body was the simple dragon jade pendant that hung from her waist.

As she got off the carriage, the many serving ladies of the brothel couldn't help but suck in a deep breath. Feiyun as a woman was elegant and enchanting, now dressed as a man, she held a slight feminine charm yet appeared cool with a otherworldly bearing.

The ladies swooned even more seeing Ruyi by her side, two mysterious handsome men followed by two other ladies entered one of the most famous brothel in the capital.

Unlike usual, Ruyi was stiff and awkward. Internally he was swearing and chanting scriptures.

'Princess, you bring me to this kind of places, if FeiAn knows about it, you better answer for me!'

Once inside, the Madame of the shop approached, the strong smell of perfume and powdered cosmetics attacked their noses.

The Madame was slim and seductive, her robes were slightly open, revealing the top of her large curves, with a long smoking pipe in between her fingers. There was only one way to describe such a woman - Femme fatale.

"Such mysterious guests. To whom do I owe this meeting to?"

Feiyun didn't respond merely noting the madame with her eyes before turning away. Ruyi stepped up with a black token in his hand. The black token had one word written on it, 'Yue'. Around it was a golden border.

Seeing this simple token, the Madame actually frozen for a moment and then straightened her back, with her fist cupped in the other, she bowed respectfully. The rest of the customers and serving girls in the brothel widened their eyes in shock

The Madame was known as a woman who didn't put others in her eyes. Even the crown prince wouldn't get such respected treatment from her. It was because of the mysterious backer and owner of the brothel that no one dared to question or offend her. Yet towards these two gentlemen she actually became so timid and respectful.

"This gentlemen, this way please."

Feiyun simply nodded and followed the woman up the stairs. The building stood 4 stories high and each floor was harder to gain access to and more mysterious than the one before.

Normal customers would be seated at the first floor, the second was reserved for private rooms while the third was for VIPs and higher ups including those of Ministers and Officials of the courts or masters of noble residences.

The fourth floor however, was a mystery. No one but the Madame knew what was on the fourth floor. The floor was guarded 24/7 by two guards and until now, no one had been able to enter.

Feiyun and the group was led up to the fourth floor by the Madame. The two guards upon seeing Feiyun instantly got on their knees in greeting.

"Master."

These guards were part of the Shadow Guards team of Feiyun and the definitely recognized their master and the people following her.

The Madame kept her head slightly bowed in respectfulness and opened the door for the group.

"FeiXu, go and find the person and bring him here."

FeiXu nodded and set off together with the madame to find the person she was here for.

After a short while, there was a knock on the door and FeiXu followed by two people entered the room.

Feiyun was seated comfortably with a pot of red tea, while Ruyi stood beside her watching with alert eyes. The man and young lady that entered were the two he had seen in the hidden chambers.

His hand reached for his sword, ready for anything.

The atmosphere was tensed and the silence in the room was deafening. Until FeiXu came forward and broke the silence.

"Master, this is He LianFang and his younger sister, He LianEr."

The two people bent their knees with hands cupped and greeted with a respectful bow. Feiyun narrowed her eyes, she could see that the man was definitely worthy of being a protector of the palace. His strength was as strong as Ruyi if not higher. As for the young lady, she seemed to have sufficient training but the smell she carried was obvious for a person like Feiyun.

"Rise. What do you wish to say?"

Feiyun's voice held no trace of emotion, cold like a icy glacier.

The man stood up and glanced towards Feixu. He had wanted to speak with FeiXu but didn't think she would end up bringing her master here too. From the conversation they had on the way to the room, he knew he cannot afford to offend this person.

He couldn't even feel how strong she was, which could only mean that she was definitely stronger than himself.

"I-i..."

"We want an alliance!"

Before He LianFang could speak, He LianEr had shouted out. Everyone else was surprised at the loud voice of the lady. Feiyun smirked slightly with raised eyebrows.

"An Alliance? and why should I?"

She was asking, what these two had to offer. Why should she take the risk to trust these two who were from the Emperor's palace.

Seeing her serious expression, He LianEr shivered. This person in the mask sitting in front of her was scarily intimidating. Such presence and aura sent a shiver down her back. The words choked at the back of her throat unable to come out.

"Lian Er! Don't be reckless!"

After harshly scolding his sister, He LianFang quickly turned with a bow to Feiyun.

"This one apologises for my sister's rudeness. Hope that Young Master doesn't take offense."

Feiyun waved her sleeve, how could she take offense. If anything this is a very interesting turnabout. The people that the Emperor assumes is his protection is actually just a fragile bubble that would pop anytime. The bubble was held together only by threats.

"No matter. Take a sit...I know who you two are and your relationship with FeiXu. How come you ended up in the Palace?"

Hearing the words "relationship with FeiXu" a bright blush appeared on He LianFang's face but he quickly pressed down his shyness.

"After the Empire attacked the WangHu Clan, amidst the chaos of fighting and protecting the clansmen, I was separated from Xu. Outnumbered and fighting day and night, eventually me and my sister was captured."

FeiXu sat silently, her eyes dazed as she recalled the horrifying incident. Feiyun sipped on her tea as she silently listened.

"The ones we were fighting were not just the Empire but the Long clan as well. The two plotted and attacked. There is a woman known as Long Lishi. She is known as the Princess of the Long clan. With her poison, many of the WangHu Clan warriors were captured and threatened...including me and my sister. But we were kept by the Emperor for other uses."

"What uses?"

Feiyun narrowed her eyes. The temperature in the room had turned icy cold at the mention of Long Lishi. He LianFang could sense Feiyun's anger but he knew it wasn't directed to him.

"The Emperor wanted me to be a protector of the palace...as for my sister...he wanted a concubine."

Feiyun gnashed her teeth as she tightened her fingers, easily shattering the teacup in her hands.

This Emperor and son duo, their heads were filled with utter crap. Just erasing them from the earth wouldn't be good enough, she should make sure they cannot even be reborn into the next life.

"Master, calm yourself!"

Ruyi reached out to stop Feiyun's hands that were crushing the teacups, the sharp shards were piercing into her palm but she didn't seem to bother. He LianFang widened his eyes, it seems there was deep hatred between the palace and this woman.

"Let me."

He LianEr quickly stood up and went forward. She didn't know that Feiyun herself was a doctor so she offered to help patch up her wounds.

Ruyi stood between them, his eyes still untrusting and filled with danger. Feiyun however, seeing the little lady trying her best to suppress her tears yet remaining strong and clearheaded, simply said two words to get Ruyi to back down and stretched out her hand out for He LianEr.

The blood was dripping on the floor, He LianEr quickly took out some cloth from the pouch at her side and started cleaning the wound.