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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

The gentle sounds of string instruments mingled with the soft chimes of wind bells hanging throughout the courtyard of the Central Palace. Crowds gathered for the special "Moonshadow Prayer Festival", organized by none other than the alliance princess—Bai Yue Ning.

Her expression was serene, her smile graceful. A flowing gown embroidered with silver-thread butterflies swept the ground, symbolizing hope and silent wishes. Yet behind those calm eyes, shadows lingered—like a fragile wing trapped inside a paper cage.

"Today, we gather the people's prayers to illuminate the future of the inner court,"

her voice was soft, yet carried power with every word.

But few knew—perhaps not even the high officials in attendance—that a rumor had begun spreading at dawn.

A rumor claiming that Princess Xianlan, the Fourth Princess, was not the true daughter of Emperor Li Sicheng… but the child of a commoner, taken into the palace by Consort Yu Fei.

"Look… the alliance princess is hosting a festival for the people to 'pray' for the truth to be revealed,"

one official whispered, his voice carried by the wind.

Everything had been meticulously arranged—

A prayer slip bearing the false name of a commoner, Hu Wenhai, was placed on the ceremonial altar.

"I am the true father of Xianlan."

The entire festival had been turned into a subtle public trial of the princess's bloodline.

And though the accused herself appeared—with a calm, unreadable smile—

"No denial? Does that mean she accepts it?"

Bai Yue Ning smiled faintly as her gaze drifted toward the heroine, who stood motionless beneath a willow tree.

But suddenly… a voice rang out from beneath the altar.

"And what will you say… if the real father of Consort Yu Fei is still alive—

and still holds every letter from the Crown Prince at the time of the engagement?"

The speaker was an elderly man in tattered robes.

He stepped forward with a small wooden box in hand.

His hands trembled slightly, but his gaze was unwavering.

a former noble exiled under charges of document forgery…

when in truth, I was punished only for refusing to bow to Noble Consort Gui."

He placed a letter upon the ceremonial altar—

a letter sealed with the mark of Li Sicheng, back when he was still crown prince.

"I, Li Sicheng of the Xianyue Kingdom, hereby request the engagement of the daughter of Yu Jinshan—

to be my wife, and mother of the future heir to the throne…"

a silence that thundered louder than any storm.

Her lips pressed together so tightly it was impossible to tell if she was suppressing a smile… or tension.

Xianlan slowly raised her hands in a graceful prayer.

"Every wish uttered tonight…

I shall answer with truth."

She let the shadows speak for her.

Shadows that had waited a lifetime for this very moment.

And in that night breeze, when thousands of paper butterflies danced into the sky—

one landed gently upon Bai Yue Ning's chest.

On it, a single phrase was written:

"A paper cage cannot bind wings forever."

✨ 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!

Butterfly in a Paper Cage