kotchanipa

Amid the softly falling snow in the Cold Palace courtyard, Princess Xianlan drew her final breath silently.

She had been falsely accused of poisoning the Crown Prince, brutally flogged until her body was torn, and imprisoned without a shred of mercy all part of a cruel scheme orchestrated by Noble Consort Su Zhen, her stepmother, whose gentle appearance masked a heart of poison.

Meanwhile, the Emperor of Li the very man who claimed to love her above all never realized that the only daughter he cherished had been crushed to death by the hands of the one he trusted most.

But the heavens showed mercy.

Xianlan opened her eyes once more, reborn into her eight-year-old self in the time before everything shattered.

This time… she would not be a worthless pawn in a game of power.
She would become the master strategist, toppling each of her enemies one by one.

With icy composure and razor-sharp wit, Xianlan hid in the shadows, slowly gathering evidence, allies, and influence within the palace.
And fate brought her an unexpected ally

Feng Yuhan, Crown Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom, known as the “Winter Tiger.”
Cold, brilliant, and seemingly heartless yet from their first meeting, something in her eyes held his gaze.

Together, they moved in the darkness.
Xianlan laid the plans. Feng Yuhan executed them.

As the Kingdom of Li fell into the depths of political games
As vipers hissed behind silken smiles in the inner palace
As even a father’s love could be twisted by deceit

⸻

When the phoenix returns to her nest she will never again let anyone trample her.
The will of the heavens may be written in ink…
But Xianlan will rewrite fate in the blood of her enemies.

Rebirth of the Phoenix Empress

One night in the Imperial Palace, the soft sound of a single zither string drifted through the air—

An ancient melody that had not been heard in the palace for many years… until now.

Li Sicheng, the mighty Emperor, looked up at the golden wood ceiling of his study as the notes echoed faintly from the direction of the royal gardens.

The melody was "Winter Wind"—once the favorite song of Consort Yu Fei, the true mother of Xianlan.

In the past, whenever he returned weary from wars or entangled in court politics, she would play this very tune while brewing tea by her own hand. That song, along with the scent of her tea, had become the only warmth he knew in the cold, distant world of the rear palace.

"Yu Fei…" he murmured softly, his eyes falling upon the registry of inner court consorts.

The page where her name had once been—

During breakfast with Empress Yun Qingyan, the woman who had always remained loyally by his side, though not the one he had loved most—

As she gently ladled porridge into his bowl, the Empress spoke,

"Your Majesty… last night, I heard the zither playing 'Winter Wind' from the western quarters."

The Emperor's hand froze, spoon suspended in mid-air.

"It's been a long time since anyone dared play that song…" he said in a low voice.

The Empress merely smiled faintly, her eyes glinting with something unreadable.

"Some memories, Your Majesty… never truly disappear.

They're simply placed in boxes we no longer dare to open."

That night, the Emperor sat alone in his library, turning through the chronicles of the dynasty.

His eyes stopped at the year Consort Yu Fei died.

The death record was strikingly brief:

"Slipped in the kitchen – No witnesses – Inquiry closed."

Far too convenient for a woman who had once stood so close to the throne.

"Zhao Gonggong," he called quietly.

An aging but loyal eunuch dropped to his knees at once.

"Your Majesty, I await your command."

"Go to the old archives. Find the names of every maid who once served in Consort Yu Fei's quarters.

If any are still alive… summon them.

Elsewhere, in a forgotten corner of the palace that once belonged to Consort Yu Fei,

Dust still clung to the windowsills.

But the zither music… had not ceased.

A pair of slender fingers played the final notes in silence, then gently lifted from the strings.

Though death had taken her more than a decade ago—

✨ 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!

A Land Without Starlight