Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

After a long and solemn period of national mourning, followed by a devastating flood in the south, the palace hadn't been bustling for a long time. Emperor Qian felt that this was not a sustainable situation and wanted some joy and festivity to break the gloomy atmosphere. So, he began to think about how to revitalize the palace.

As the Emperor pondered this, Ma Xiuxiu, standing by, suddenly offered an intriguing suggestion: "Emperor, why don't we get some animals to perform?" The Emperor's eyes lit up. This idea was novel and unique. He was used to seeing those extravagant song and dance performances, and perhaps some unique animals would be even more interesting. The Emperor readily agreed and instructed Ma Xiuxiu to arrange this unique animal show.

After receiving the order, Ma Xiuxiu immediately began to prepare. She knew the importance of this mission and that she had to plan it carefully to satisfy the emperor. First, she selected a variety of cute and smart animals, such as monkeys, parrots, etc., and invited professional animal trainers to train them. Then, she also designed an exquisite stage layout to increase the fun and viewing experience of the performance. Ma Xiuxiu felt that the performance of these small animals alone had no special features, so she ordered the animal trainers to search for tigers and black bears in various places as the finale performance, hoping to win the favor of Emperor Qian this time.

As time went by, all preparations were completed. Finally, the day of the performance arrived. In order to celebrate with the whole nation, Emperor Qian summoned the Empress Dowager Kun and all the concubines and beauties from all the palaces to the Colosseum for the performance.

Emperor Qian sat on the dragon throne, full of anticipation, awaiting the spectacular performance. As the music began, a group of lively and adorable animals took the stage one after another. Under the guidance of their trainers, they displayed a variety of astonishing skills and movements. Some monkeys, dressed in brightly colored costumes, imitated human behavior; some parrots were eloquent and engaged the audience; and some puppies performed acrobatics, making everyone laugh. The entire palace was filled with laughter and joy, and the atmosphere became lively and cheerful.

Emperor Qian was filled with joy as he watched the scene unfold before him. He hadn't expected these tiny animals to bring him such joy and delight. This animal performance not only made him forget his worries but also brought him endless happiness.

Just as Emperor Qian was watching with great interest, Ma Xiuxiu came up gracefully and bowed deeply to him: "Your Majesty, what do you think of this grand finale I have prepared for you? Please enjoy it!" After that, she clapped her hands, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs carried in a huge cage covered with a thick black cloth from outside.

As everyone placed the cage on the ground, Ma Xiuxiu gently waved her hand, signaling them to remove the black cloth. As the black cloth slowly fell, a deafening and terrifying sound came from the cage, making people shudder.

A ferocious tiger was caged, its body covered in large, ornate patterns like crystals. The Chinese character "王" (King) on ​​its forehead shone brightly in the sunlight. It bared its fangs and claws, roaring at the audience with a deafening roar. Everyone present was terrified by the beast, some of the more timid ones even trembling. Some delicate women, upon witnessing this scene, were so frightened that their eyes rolled back and they fainted.

Just then, Ma Xiuxiu appeared. She was dressed in a short dress, revealing her fair arms and slender legs. She held a long stick, waving it effortlessly in the air. When she gently tapped the cage with it, the ferocious tiger miraculously calmed down.

Everyone was amazed to see this, and then saw Ma Xiuxiu took a piece of meat from the side and fed it to the tiger, picked up a stick and ordered, "Stand up!" The big tiger squatted on its hind legs, raised its front legs, and stood up straight like a well-trained soldier.

Ma Xiuxiu stood in front of the tiger, pointed at it, and then performed various actions. First, she asked the tiger to stand up, and it immediately did so. Then she asked it to sit down, and it did the same. Ma Xiuxiu continued to instruct the tiger to lie down, roll over, and other movements. The tiger obeyed without any resistance or reluctance.

After completing each action, Ma Xiuxiu would take a piece of fresh meat from the basket beside her and hand it to the tiger. The tiger took the meat and ate it with relish. After eating, it licked its mouth, seeming very satisfied with the reward. Ma Xiuxiu couldn't help laughing at the tiger's expression.

In this way, a special tacit understanding was established between Ma Xiuxiu and the tiger. Through continuous training and rewards, the tiger gradually learned more movements and skills, and Ma Xiuxiu also became more and more trusting of this ferocious beast. Their cooperation became better and better.

Ma Xiuxiu looked at Qian Huang on the stage with surprise and satisfaction in her eyes, and felt proud in her heart. She felt that she was the most beloved woman in Qian Huang's heart. She was so brave and invincible that she could tame the big tiger. How could she not get Qian Guang's favor?

Ma Xiuxiu was actually feeling helpless when she thought about this, but her courage grew. She felt that if she could release the tiger from the cage and sit on its back, it would definitely attract more people's attention. So, she decided to do it according to her idea and ordered her men to open the cage.

At this time, a guard in charge of guarding the cage stepped forward and said hesitantly to Ma Xiuxiu, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. The tiger has been locked up here all the time. What if it gets angry? And these beasts are so unstable. What if they hurt the emperor?" However, Ma Xiuxiu responded dissatisfiedly, "Open it just because I tell you to. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility!"

Seeing that he could not refute the Empress's opinion, the guard had no choice but to obey the order and open the cage.

The tiger just got out of the cage. Ma Xiuxiu hit the ground with a stick to beat the tiger and walked obediently to his feet. The contrasting visual effect of seeing the big tiger obediently lying on the ground beside him made the emperor's heart beat fast. The woman who could tame the tiger was under him, allowing him to conquer the city and plunder the land. He had nothing but desire in his heart and wanted to press him under him and pamper him hard.

Emperor Qian was imagining Ma Xiuxiu pointing at the panting figure beneath him, when suddenly something unexpected happened. The big tiger roared and inflated its claws to the side, knocking the person next to it to the ground. It was unknown whether he was dead or alive.

Seeing the big tiger getting angry, Ma Xiuxiu was so anxious that she stretched out her hand and slapped the stick non-stop, hitting the big tiger on the ground. The big tiger rushed around in the stands and pounced on them one by one with its claws, biting them with its teeth. Some people who didn't have time to escape from the tiger's claws were bitten and bleeding.

The scene was in chaos for a moment, with people running in all directions and shouts and screams echoing one after another. Ma Xiuxiu was also frightened and pale. She tried to calm the tiger down while approaching the Qianhuang.

Emperor Qian was completely frightened. He sat on the chair trembling all over, watching the tiger getting closer and closer, but he was helpless.

At this critical moment, a figure flew by like a bird and stood in front of Emperor Qian. A woman in palace clothes stood in front of Emperor Qian and blocked the tiger that was pouncing on Emperor Qian with her body. Tian Hong saw Qiao Xinran in horror, and her face was determined to die. He was deeply moved. There really are women in the world who are willing to risk their lives for him.

Qiao Xinran threw herself in front of Emperor Qian and closed her eyes. After a while, she did not feel any pain in her body. Then she slowly opened her eyes and saw a big tiger falling heavily in front of her.

At this critical moment, a man attacked the tiger nimbly and at the same time swung out several cold rays of light from his hands, accurately hitting the tiger's vital points.

The tiger uttered a wail and fell to the ground, twitching. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the hero who had saved the emperor. The warrior, a skilled warrior in armor, was one of the many guards. He knocked the tiger down. The guards rushed to the emperor's side, picked up the tiger with a handle, and threw it aside.

Seeing this, Qiao Xinran only said to Emperor Qian, "Don't be afraid, I'm here," and then fainted in Emperor Qian's arms. Emperor Qian was even more excited and quickly asked the imperial physician to treat Qiao Xinran. However, when he looked at Ma Xiuxiu, his eyes were full of malice.

When Ma Xiuxiu saw Emperor Qian's gaze falling on her, her heart skipped a beat. A bad premonition spread in her mind, and she knelt down, moving her knees step by step to kneel in front of Emperor Qian, crying and saying: I deserve to be put to death for disturbing the Holy Armor, but I did not mean to do it. I don't know why this big tiger could be so angry and mad, and disturb Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!

Emperor Qian looked at Ma Xiuxiu with cold eyes, "I didn't want to pursue the matter, but you actually deliberately showed off in front of me, causing the tiger to lose control and alarming the emperor. This is truly unforgivable! Come, banish Ma Xiuxiu to the cold palace and never let her step out of it again!" Ma Xiuxiu collapsed to the ground after hearing this. She knew that she had completely fallen out of favor.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xinran woke up in her bedroom and learned that she had been rewarded by the Emperor Qian for her service in protecting him. Glancing at the various rare antiques, silks, and paintings placed beside her bed, Qiao Xinran couldn't help but curl her lips. She slowly closed her eyes, wondering if there were any flaws. After reviewing the situation, she saw no flaws. Thinking that everything she had meticulously arranged had achieved a perfect result, she went back to sleep with peace of mind.

Qiao Xinran slept soundly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Emperor Qian standing by her side. Qiao Xinran was instantly possessed by a sense of drama and struggled to sit up.