CHAPTER 718: CHAPTER 441: SACRIFICE!_2

"Others may not recognize, but wouldn’t Tang Fei recognize?"

Phoenix remained silent.

She didn’t know whether Tang Fei would recognize her or not; she didn’t even dare to contemplate the question.

Since her kidnapping, she had developed strong doubts about the emotions between them.

Perhaps, he had never truly liked her?

Was everything a conspiracy, a means of using her...

All for revenge, so that he could stand legitimately in the Phoenix Palace?

"Give it a try," Sheng Xinhua softly persuaded, understanding the concerns in Phoenix’s heart, "What more do we have to lose?"

"Struggling might lead to victory, trying might lead to success. Who knows if it might actually work?"

Phoenix looked hesitant.

At this moment, the maid Xi Mo came to report, "Miss, Manager Chen wishes to see you."

"Chen Fenglei?" Phoenix’s gaze became sharp.

It was indeed laughable to think about it; the Grand Steward of the Phoenix Palace had betrayed the Royal Family and sided with the "traitors."

If it hadn’t been for Chen Fenglei’s backstabbing, no matter how powerful and cunning Tang Fei and the Shen Family were, no matter how intricate their schemes...

As long as her father held the Phoenix Palace, there would have been ten thousand maneuvers and countermeasures available to him.

Chen Fenglei directly forced a palace siege with her second brother, full-on assault, cutting off all of father’s retreats in one fell swoop.

Had she not arrived in time, under Chen Fenglei’s coaxing and push, it was feared her father might have been shot and killed by Zhong Tianyi by now.

What could be more cruel than a son killing his own father?

Her father would die with his eyes open, and her second brother?

He would be nailed to history’s pillar of shame.

Chen Fenglei had betrayed her father’s trust and also the Imperial Family.

Yet, here he was coming to see her...

What exactly did he want to do?

Phoenix’s first reaction was to refuse.

She hated this man, despised the disgusting face of a traitor.

She had known Chen Fenglei for many years, previously even calling him "Grandpa Chen."

Although reluctant to admit it, deep down she still considered him as one of her close ones.

After all, he had watched over her and her siblings as they grew up, never neglecting them.

But people you care about... are the ones who can hurt you the most.

However, thinking about her earlier conversation with Sheng Xinhua, she told Xi Mo, "Let him in."

So-called maturity is just about meeting people you don’t want to see, saying things you don’t want to say, and doing things you don’t want to do.

So simple, yet so hard.

"Yes, Miss."

Sheng Xinhua nodded her head, affirming Phoenix’s decision, and praised her out loud, "Observe more, listen more; accept all the information before analyzing and summarizing it... Which parts are true, which are false. Which are useful, and which are useless."

"Chen Fenglei is a very important figure, his betrayal of the... Royal Family is truly inconceivable. What could Tang Fei possibly offer him?"

"Figure out the logic here, and you might just find the clue to solving the problem... The most important thing is, he has come to us voluntarily."

"Mm."

Phoenix nodded expressionlessly, as she had already seen Chen Fenglei approaching the courtyard, led by Xi Mo.

"Greetings to Your Highness."

"Greetings to Miss Sheng."

Chen Fenglei took the initiative to bow to Phoenix and Sheng Xinhua, as respectful as ever.

"What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked coldly, her demeanor as frigid as ice, vastly different from her past gentleness and amiability.

Chen Fenglei glanced at Sheng Xinhua, then spoke up with a request, "Miss Sheng, could you allow me to speak to Her Highness alone for a moment?"

Sheng Xinhua’s lips curled into a smirk of irony. As she stood up, she spoke, "Does Manager Chen have some matters that can’t be exposed to light?"

Just as she was about to leave, Phoenix grabbed her wrist.

"You don’t have to go."

Phoenix looked firmly at Chen Fenglei and stated, "She is me, and I am her. We are one and the same."

"If you want to speak, then speak in front of us. If you don’t want to talk, you know your way out."

Phoenix felt that, in this world, if there was still someone she could trust completely, it was the Sheng Xinhua before her.

Her matters were Phoenix’s own, and Phoenix’s own were hers.

In front of her, she had no secrets.

Chen Fenglei glanced at Sheng Xinhua, then refocused on Phoenix, saying, "I would like to tell Your Highness a story."

"A story?" Phoenix froze a moment, saying sarcastically, "I thought you were here to advocate for your new master."

"I have no new master." Chen Fenglei’s gaze burned intensely as he looked at Phoenix, his face earnest as he spoke, "From the beginning to the end, there has only been one master for me, and that is Empress Si Ning, Your Highness’s mother."

"..."

Phoenix’s expression became rigid, sizing up Chen Fenglei thoughtfully.

Deep down, she was convinced that Chen Fenglei was not to be trusted, but...

She could see the sincerity in Chen Fenglei’s eyes and the undeniable firmness.

"Your Highness, may I now tell the story I have to tell?"

------

Taiji Palace.

This place was originally where King Zhong Daolong handled major military and state affairs. Since Zhong Daolong was temporarily living in Beehive Number One, Taiji Palace was being used by Tang Fei to deal with some personal affairs...

Look, whoever sits in this position is fine.

Tang Fei was pacing in the Taiji Palace, waiting with agitation.

The old man had gone, all alone, to negotiate with Shen Wuxiang; this made him extremely anxious.

Shen Wuxiang had a military background, the Empire’s Military God who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The Empire’s Bloody Night was single-handedly orchestrated by him...

Arrogant, domineering, cruel, with formidable combat power.

Negotiating with an opponent like this, a slight mistake could result in losing one’s head.