SBCEJM -Chapter 18 Dragon and Phoenix Reversed — Stunning the Entire Capital

The next day, on the court’s day off—

Within Listening Bamboo Courtyard, warm sunlight bathed everything in gentle gold.

Feng Zekai sat in a brand-new huanghuali wooden wheelchair. The morning sun spilled across his gentle jade-like face, coating it with a faint golden glow.

He was no longer the living corpse who could only lie silently in bed. Some color had finally returned to his pale cheeks.

He lifted a hand that was still somewhat sluggish but already capable of moving freely, picked up the teacup on the table, and steadily brought it to his lips.

Such a simple action—

Yet Madam Li’s eyes instantly reddened at the sight. She hurriedly pressed a handkerchief to the corners of her eyes.

“Kai’er, slowly. Don’t rush.”

Feng Huai’an stood nearby with his hands clasped behind his back. Watching his son straighten his spine once more, seeing light rekindle within those once-dim eyes, his heart surged with emotion.

But before this joy could fully bloom, another worry rose in his mind.

“Father, Mother, I’m fine.”

Feng Zekai set down the teacup with a gentle smile.

“I’m more concerned about Xuan’er. She went to the palace yesterday… she wasn’t frightened, was she?”

“Frightened? I went there to watch a show. Why would I be scared?”

Feng Zexuan was currently munching on melon seeds with great enthusiasm. Hearing this, she waved dismissively while speaking unclearly.

“The live-action royal adultery-catching drama was way more exciting than anything in storybooks! It’s just a pity…”

【Too bad I didn’t bring melon seeds in with me. Watching while cracking seeds would’ve been true immersive entertainment!】

Feng Huai’an and Madam Li: “……”

Daughter, please have at least a tiny bit of reverence for imperial affairs!

As the family basked in harmonious warmth, Feng Huai’an finally could not hold back any longer and sighed.

“Xuan’er, there’s something Father must discuss with you.”

The smile faded from his face, his brows deeply furrowed.

“You’ve been attending court in your brother’s place flawlessly so far. But… ‘Feng Zexuan’ has already been ‘bedridden’ for nearly a month. I’ve already declined invitations to the Dowager Duchess of Zhenguo’s birthday banquet and Madam Annan Hou’s flower-viewing gathering. Yesterday, the Empress even sent someone from the palace to ask after you, saying that once you recover, you are specially permitted to enter the palace for companionship.…There’s no avoiding this anymore.”

Madam Li also looked troubled.

“A young lady’s reputation is most important. If you keep being ‘ill’ like this, who knows what ugly rumors people outside may start spreading? This… what are we supposed to do?”

That really was a problem.

She was currently the Hanlin Academy compiler “Feng Zekai.” She obviously couldn’t appear in public as a woman anymore.

But the identity of “Feng Zexuan” also couldn’t simply vanish into thin air.

Feng Zexuan’s eyes darted around as her gaze swept back and forth between herself and her brother.

The same brows. The same nose bridge.

As twins, their appearances were already seventy to eighty percent alike.

Her brother had spent ten years buried in study. His skin was fairer and finer than most men’s, and his frame was slender, delicate even…

A bold—borderline absurd—idea suddenly burst into her mind.

She slapped her thigh and grinned like a cat that had stolen cream.

“What’s so difficult about this!”

She scooted beside Feng Zekai’s wheelchair, pinching her chin while sizing him up from head to toe with audible admiration.

【With my brother’s face, figure, and skin… a little makeup, some women’s clothes, and sitting in a wheelchair—boom, instant fragile beauty recovering from illness! Who could possibly tell which one is the top imperial scholar and which one is the Feng family’s eldest daughter? Perfect!】

Feng Huai’an: “!!!”

Madam Li: “!!!”

The gentle smile on Feng Zekai’s face froze solid.

She wanted him—

A dignified seven-foot-tall man—

To dress as a woman?!

How… how could this possibly be proper?!

Feng Zexuan excitedly continued:

“Brother, aren’t you still here? We look so alike! If you dress up as me, then we can both move around freely together. Otherwise, being stuck in rooms all day is suffocating!”

Feng Zekai looked at his sister’s sparkling eyes, practically screaming Hurry and praise me for being clever!, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

“Xuan’er, stop fooling around!”

He was both exasperated and helpless, even the tips of his ears turning red.

“I’m not fooling around!”

Feng Zexuan argued righteously.

“Think about it, Brother. You pretend to be me being sick, and I attend court for you. This isn’t fooling around—this is us siblings joining forces to fight back against unfair fate! Just sacrifice yourself once for me and consider it repayment for the life-saving miracle medicine I found for you!”

【Besides, it’s just going out for one stroll, not asking you to join an imperial bride selection. Sacrifice a little masculine pride in exchange for our flawless plan—totally worth it!】

Hearing his sister’s utterly justified inner thoughts, Feng Zekai found himself unable to refute her.

It was true.

For his sake, his sister dressed as a man and walked daily along the blade’s edge, risking execution for deceiving the emperor.

He only had to change clothes and sit outside for a trip.

What was that in comparison?

Thinking this, the resistance in his eyes slowly melted into acceptance.

He closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, determination had replaced hesitation.

“Alright. Big Brother will listen to you.”

Half an hour later—

The curtain to the inner chamber lifted.

A “young lady” in a goose-yellow dress, with twin-looped buns and a vermilion floral ornament painted between the brows, was pushed out by Xi’er.

Feng Huai’an and Feng Zexuan both froze simultaneously.

Feng Huai’an: Isn’t this just Xuan’er normally?! She looks even more convincing than the real thing!

Meanwhile, Feng Zexuan nearly whistled aloud.

Her mother and Xi’er’s makeup skills were downright miraculous!

Feng Zekai’s refined features, softened by powder and rouge, lost all traces of masculine sharpness and instead gained a breathtaking delicate beauty.

Sitting quietly in the wheelchair, his lowered lashes cast fragile shadows across that stunningly androgynous face.

Pitiful enough to stir anyone’s heart.

“Oh my god…” Feng Zexuan sincerely praised.

【My brother’s female disguise is literally the peak of pure seduction! If we wheel him outside, wouldn’t all the young noble masters in the capital start fighting over him? Did I just personally create a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms?】

Feng Zekai’s ears turned so red they looked ready to drip blood.

He lifted his eyes and glared at his sister in embarrassment and irritation.

But paired with his current appearance, the glare held zero intimidation.

Instead, it only added a touch of coquettish charm.

Feng Zexuan laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

In the end, this pair of “dragon-and-phoenix reversed” siblings headed out just like that.

Feng Zexuan wore a moon-white casual robe while pushing her “delicate and beautiful younger sister” through Vermilion Bird Street.

The moment they appeared, they became a moving spectacle.

“Look! That’s the newly appointed top scholar, Lord Feng! The one beside him must be his long-ill younger sister! Heavens, what an incomparable beauty… such a pity she’s so frail.”

“Both siblings are practically immortals descended to earth. Censor Feng truly is blessed!”

The surrounding chatter mixed admiration with sympathy.

Feng Zekai felt uncomfortable from head to toe and could only lower his head, wishing he could bury his face inside his collar.

Meanwhile, Feng Zexuan remained perfectly calm. She even bought a candied hawthorn skewer and handed it to her “sister.”

“Here, Xuan’er. Eating sweets makes the bitterness go away.”

Feng Zekai: “……”

【Tsk, ancient gossipmongers are pretty powerful too. Nice, nice. This crisis-management operation is showing excellent results.】

Just as they walked along, a sudden commotion erupted ahead.

A luxurious carriage stopped nearby.

A richly dressed young nobleman stepped down while leisurely fanning himself, then directly blocked their path.

“Brother Feng, long time no see.”

But the young master’s gaze was greedily locked onto the “Feng Zexuan” seated in the wheelchair.

Feng Zekai’s entire body instantly tensed.

Like a great enemy standing before him.