Phoenix

Chapter 5

After Zhirou finished her greetings with the Empress Dowager, we begin to follow the other girls towards a long row of stands, getting into yet another line.

"What was that?" Zhirou asks me once we stop.

"What was what?" I reply.

"Your greeting with the Empress Dowager! From what I saw, she didn't talk more than five words to anyone else but you," she whisper yells.

I shrug. "I'm not sure. Let's not worry about it now; I'm just glad it's over with."

She sighs but nods. "What are we in line for now?" she asks, standing on the tips of her toes to get a better view of the front of the line."

I look around, to both of my sides, there were another twenty-five lines lined up with hundreds of girls. "I'm not sure, " I reply.

The girl in front of us swivels around to face us and replies to Zhirou's question, "They are lining us up to get our blood tested. I'm pretty sure they are searching for the Phoenix. Exciting, isn't it?"

Seeing the confused expression on our faces, she shakes her head and giggles, "Oh silly me, I've skipped introductions. I'm Biyu, this is Cuifen, " she says, referring to the girl next to her who turns around to face us when she hears her name."

The two girls in front of us are very pretty. You can tell from their appearance that they come from a wealthy family. Their faces are coated with more makeup than most of the other girls, with a little more color and detail; however, it wasn't too extravagant as it still had a natural element. Their dresses are gorgeous, with gold embroidered designs over a colorful silk material. Splashes of pink, yellow, and green, create extravagant designs on the cloth.

I was unsure of her intentions as it was well known that the palace was a dangerous place, especially since it was full of thousands of girls competing for one goal: to become the Emperor's concubine. However, the large smile on her face seemed genuine, and her bubbly personality honestly reminded me of my older sister Xixi. When I was younger, she was my best friend, and we did everything together, however she got married off seven years ago, and I haven't seen her since.
I smile at Biyu and introduce myself, "I'm Xiulan, and this is Zhirou. Nice to meet you."

Her smile widens, and before I realize, her arms wrap around me, giving me a tight hug.
Surprised, at first, I don't react; however, once the action registers in my brain, I quickly return her hug. After a few seconds, she let's go of me, only to hug Zhirou.

I look at the girl next to Biyu, the girl named Ciufan. Unlike Biyu, she has a rather calm expression, not serious nor overly cheerful, but her smile was one of warmth.
She looks at me, giving a polite smile. "You must excuse her. My sister can get overly excited at times."

Returning her smile, I reply, "Not at all. It's quite refreshing, actually. The girls here are all somewhat similar in terms of ignorance, mindlessly walking and following after one another, ignoring everyone else, knowing it's a battlefield in disguise. It's nice to see such a bubbly personality here."

"Yes, even as an infant, Biyu was quite the "wild child". She's matured some through the years, however, I do worry about her from time to time." she says, looking towards her younger sister chatting about with Zhirou.

I look at her as well. She does look quite young, younger than Zhirou as well.
"May I ask, how old is Biyu?"

She sighs, "Far too young to take part in this selection. She just turned 13 last week. In my opinion, the age range should be higher. She is just but a child. She shouldn't even have to worry about marriage yet."

"I can only imagine what it is like for her"

She nods and sighs, "Sadly, her best option is to be selected, if she goes back, my family will disgrace her, and she will suffer worse than if she remains here. I... can only hope that the emperor isn't a fifty-some pedophile." She says the latter in a whisper, afraid that her words would result in a punishment.