Chapter 171: with translation of chapter title

Gu Jiu Ling's thoughts stirred, yet she felt a bit anxious in her heart.

She has now summed up the pattern: any banquet, court activity, or incense burning and Buddha worship is absolutely a death sentence—going means death.

However, Empress Dowager Ning'an is not like Consort Duan; this matter is really hard to shirk, but she is now pregnant, and in name the child is still Xiao Yin's, thus also part of the imperial lineage.

As an elder, Empress Dowager Ning'an naturally ought to care for the younger generation, to be a kind and amiable old lady; using this as an excuse should pose no problem, right?

Gu Jiu Ling's thoughts turned, just about to say something, when Empress Dowager Ning'an flashed her an extremely kind smile and said: "These days, the Emperor has exhausted himself for the people, his dragon body is unwell, and his nighttime insomnia has worsened somewhat."

"This trip to Panlong Temple is also to pray for the Emperor's blessings; therefore every household must go to show greater sincerity."

"Moreover… the young lady from the Prince Rui's mansion who is preparing to be betrothed should also go pay her respects, so that her future days will go smoothly—bring her along as well!"

Gu Jiu Ling moved her lips, but couldn't utter a single word.

This old woman truly has the eloquence of a palace intrigue drama's leading lady; a few words suffices to block Gu Jiu Ling's words of refusal.

A single remark about praying for the Emperor leaves no room for rebuttal, and it's impossible to find an excuse not to go.

How? Don't you want to pray for the Emperor? This is a crime of deceiving the sovereign! You clearly harbor treacherous intentions! You are wishing for the Emperor's death!

Gu Jiu Ling felt a bit anxious; logically, Xiao Yin should have received news of her entering the palace by now, so why hasn't he appeared yet?

"Princess Consort of Rui, how come? You don't wish to accompany this old one to pray for the Emperor?" Empress Dowager Ning'an's smile gradually faded, her eyes flashing with an uncertain light.

Gu Jiu Ling drew a breath and hastily bowed, saying: "Your servant dare not!"

"Your servant is willing to accompany the Empress Dowager to Panlong Temple to pray for blessings."

Empress Dowager Ning'an's smile blossomed from the depths of her eyes: "Good child! You and Yin'er…"

"Mother!" Xiao Yin's clear, cold voice came from the outer chamber, not even waiting for the palace attendant's announcement, he burst straight in.

Lady Li hurriedly followed behind Xiao Yin, then knelt before the Empress Dowager to apologize; ultimately she couldn't stop Xiao Yin's stride as he marched straight inside.

Empress Dowager Ning'an gave Xiao Yin a faint glance, her expression sinking.

"You're all grown up—why are you so impatient and hot-headed? Too lacking in decorum!"

Xiao Yin looked toward Gu Jiu Ling; no one had subjected her to private punishment, she bore no abnormal marks, on the contrary the Empress Dowager had even bestowed her a seat.

Gu Jiu Ling hadn't expected that the person she kept thinking of would actually come, though he arrived a little late; she had already agreed to go to Panlong Temple to pray for blessings, so turning back now is impossible.

"Your Highness!" Gu Jiu Ling rose to salute Xiao Yin, but he seized her arm, stepped forward, lifted his robe's corner, and knelt before Empress Dowager Ning'an.

"Your servant has just obtained a lovely little trinket, knowing the Mother will surely like it, so I bring it to present to the Mother!"

Having said that, Xiao Yin fished out from his bosom a tiger the size of a child's palm, carved from a solid piece of yellow crystal; no one knows where he got this trinket.

Empress Dowager Ning'an secretly snorted, thinking such a trinket is not for an old woman like her to play with; it must be intended for the child in Gu Jiu Ling's belly to amuse, and now she uses this as a pretext to come to her Jingren Palace to see if there is anything unfavorable to his woman.

Empress Dowager Ning'an took the jade tiger offered with both hands by Xiao Yin and laughed, scolding: "You're such a big person—since you have a little trinket to present to this old one, that's enough; did you really think making such a fuss meant you were plotting rebellion?"

As soon as the word "rebellion" left her lips, the surrounding air slightly thickened, and Gu Jiu Ling furrowed her brows.

Xiao Yin hastily laughed: "Mother, you jest; I am the notorious good-for-nothing snack who just eats and drinks in Shang Jing; if you say there's some fun thing for me to snatch, I will surely fight tooth and nail."

"That throne thing is not fun at all; it's better to let Elder Brother bear the hardship—just thinking about it makes my head ache!"

Empress Dowager Ning'an's expression froze slightly, her complexion warmed a bit, she pointed at Xiao Yin and laughed toward Consort Duan: "Look, look, I can't even say anything about him—such an old man, still acting cute in front of me."

Xiao Yin merely gave a hehe laugh, and instantly the atmosphere of maternal kindness and filial piety was set.

In just a few short sentences, Gu Jiu Ling felt her heart pound and her back break out in a layer of sticky cold sweat.

Not long after, Empress Dowager Ning'an excused herself as tired and had Xiao Yin take Gu Jiu Ling away; thereafter the Jingren Palace fell back into its previous silence.

Consort Duan broke this silence, she cautiously glanced at Empress Dowager Ning'an, who is her husband's aunt; back then, if it weren't for that lowly Li clan woman who got there first and firmly seized the Emperor Longqing's heart, where would the middle palace queen position have gone to that same lowly Li woman?

When they initially made Li the empress, Emperor Longqing even nearly fell out with his birth mother, Empress Dowager Ning'an; if the aunt had not borne only Emperor Longqing as her son, this Li family drama would have made the aunt so furious she might have deposed him as emperor.

Now Li is dead, leaving a son, yet Emperor Longqing made him crown prince—on what basis does he become crown prince?

Her son Xiao Wei is no less than Xiao Ting in any way, yet everywhere he falls behind others.

In dealing with the Li clan, suppressing the Jiangnan Li family, the aunt still stood on her side; the only thing is, her desire to kill the crown prince was privately thwarted by the aunt.

She knows the aunt cannot bring herself to act, after all the crown prince, though born of Li, Li died early, and the prince often was held and nurtured by Empress Dowager Ning'an for a few days, thus they developed some affection.

Not wanting the crown prince, this thorn in her eye, to remain unextracted, now another Xiao Yin has appeared.

He is not merely crippled; he has become a useless person, even incapable of normal human functions, akin to a palace eunuch.

How come things are getting increasingly off lately? Xiao Yin not only recovered his fief, but the Miss of the Gu family has borne him two children; most importantly, if this marriage between the Zhao family and the Prince Rui's mansion succeeds, his influence in the military will grow even stronger.

She couldn't help but her voice tremble slightly with urgency: "Empress Dowager, this Xiao Yin is truly arrogant, even disregarding the Empress Dowager."

"What place is the Jingren Palace? He says he'll barge in and barges in, completely disregarding the Empress Dowager; previously the Empress Dowager might have been raising a tiger to become a threat!"

"Raising a tiger to become a threat?" Empress Dowager Ning'an lowered her gaze to the crystal tiger Xiao Yin had sent, gave a cold snort: "Since one can raise a tiger… heh! One can also kill a tiger!"

With a crisp clatter! The crystal tiger fell heavily to the ground, its edges chipped, the defective tiger rolled forward gurgling, rolling all the way to the glazed screen before coming to a stop.