Chapter 43: Back-and-Forth Insults

Xiao Yin this time also guessed the clue; tonight's events are strange everywhere. Although he harbors countless disappointments toward Su Wanrou, he cannot let this woman die. He owes her father a life; had An Chenghu not carried the gravely wounded him out of Qi Sha Gu and blocked that deadly poison arrow, he would already have rotted in the mire of Qi Sha Gu. When Xiao Yin could no longer endure, he truly wished he could die there, together with his brothers. As An Chenghu lay dying, he thrust a half plum hairpin into him, begging him to find his daughter and protect her for a lifetime in Chang'an, and said his daughter bore a plum blossom mark on the back of her neck. Xiao Yin spent more than a year before locating Su Wanrou, took her mother's surname, and his mother also died of illness. He truly cannot understand why, after feeding and pampering her, hiring the best female teacher in Shang Jing to teach her reading and writing, and hiring a qin master to teach her to play, she turned out like this. What does his marriage to the Princess Consort have to do with her, when she repeatedly disturbs his inner household? The hairpin Su Wanrou just thrust out completely overturned Xiao Yin's perception of her; he had always thought she was a willful woman spoiled by him. In fact, this woman is poisonous and cruel to the bone! His heart sank to the bottom. An Chenghu is his deputy commander, generous, straightforward, chivalrous. His lover in Longzhou, Su San Niangzi, though fallen into the wind and dust, sells only performance not herself, helps the countryside, rescues the poor, truly a chivalrous courtesan. Both are excellent people; how could such a thing be born? If it weren't for the half plum hairpin she clutched and the plum mark on her neck, Xiao Yin would doubt whether he had chosen the wrong person. "Mother Empress!"

Xiao Yin inhaled and said to Empress Dowager Ning An, "Ruo'er is immature, was deceived by thieves, and for a moment behaved improperly before the hall, believing the treacherous scoundrel's lies."

"Please, Mother Empress, spare Ruo'er!"

Su Wanrou immediately fainted from crying, and Xiao Yin's brows twisted fiercely. Empress Dowager Ning An sneered, "Old Nine, I know you protect the women of your household, but now blood has splattered onto my face. Where do you place my honor?"

Xiao Yin kowtowed three times before Empress Dowager Ning An, "Mother Empress, the road down the mountain is difficult; tomorrow at dawn I, your son, will escort you down the mountain back to the city."

People around suddenly startled; Prince Rui's near nonsense, a sentence that made no sense, made everyone's hearts race. Empress Dowager Ning An also looked at Xiao Yin in disbelief, "Is he threatening me?" He had just said his men blocked the road down the mountain; she didn't know how many he brought, and if he forced her, it would be disadvantageous. "You little brute! Relying on your previous towering war merits, you have considerable reputation in the army; killing you would cause the generals to become disunited, otherwise how could you have survived until now? Indeed you are not her biological child; your heart deserves execution!" For a moment, Lan Yue Court fell silent; everyone was frightened, indeed Xiao Yin is a madman. Empress Dowager Ning An's expression darkened slightly, then she sighed, "Enough! She is a person from your household; her immaturity is also your fault and responsibility."

"As someone from the household…" Empress Dowager Ning An now doesn't even know how to refer to Su Wanrou, whether wife or concubine; she paused, "Arranging her as one's own lady is indeed improper."

"Enough, I am weary; handle your household affairs yourself!"

"Your son thanks you, Mother Empress!"

Xiao Yin kowtowed again before Empress Dowager Ning An, then rose, coldly staring at the kneeling Du Juan. "Attendants! Drag her down and beat her to death!"

All the noblewomen around dared not speak; this is a Buddhist sacred ground, where saying 'kill' means kill, not even a moment's delay. Du Juan's face turned expressionless, she wept loudly begging for mercy, but her words were incoherent; soon she was dragged out of Lan Yue Court, leaving a pool of blood. Su Wanrou was also taken out by Xiao Yin's orders, and after this drama ended, everyone dispersed. Gu Jiu Ling stood there with hands hanging, head slightly lowered, eyes observing nose, nose observing heart, her expression calm. The Princess Linghe on the side looked at her; Gu Jiu Ling noticed, lifted her head, smiled faintly at her and whispered, "Lord Ling's illness, I'll go check in a few days; if my Prince Rui scolds me, after a few days I will definitely go see."

Princess Linghe breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze toward Gu Jiu Ling held a hint of concern, even sympathy. She wondered what she had rushed to marry into Prince Rui's residence for, clearly the whole Prince Rui's household lacked any normal person. Xiao Yin glanced at Gu Jiu Ling, who quickly lowered her head and followed behind him. The two rode in a soft sedan chair down the mountain; Ling Feng added two layers of protection outside the Zen courtyard where Prince Rui resided at the foot of the mountain. Tonight, the Prince, for the Princess Consort, revealed the power he had hidden for a full seven years, fearing…

Xiao Yin's voice was extremely cold. Jiu Yue, accompanied by a young maid serving in the Warm Pavilion, carefully stepped out; she dared not go far, waiting at the door. The Warm Pavilion's door was tightly shut, and the palace lanterns hanging under the eaves cast a hazy yellow light, illuminating a shifting darkness inside. Xiao Yin's cold, icy face was dim in the light and shadow. Gu Jiu Ling stood there, head slightly lowered, and Xiao Yin, seeing her aggrieved look, could not help but sneer; his words were bitten out one character at a time. "Gu Jiu Ling, I have indeed underestimated you! Your skill is not small!"

Gu Jiu Ling's heart startled, then she let out a light laugh, "My skill does not match Miss Wan's by a fraction; Prince Rui's praise is mistaken!"

With a splash, the tea cup in Xiao Yin's hand slammed hard onto Gu Jiu Ling's foot, and though his anger was fierce he seemed reluctant to crush her. "Gu Jiu Ling! Have you gone deaf? Did I not tell you that before doing anything you must consult me?"

Xiao Yin suddenly stood up. "Has the Prince gone blind? Who caused the trouble tonight? Who wants my life? Can the Prince not see?"

Gu Jiu Ling suddenly lifted her head and coldly stared at Xiao Yin. Xiao Yin was instantly at a loss for words; it was his first time being retorted face‑to‑face by a woman. Gu Jiu Ling's opening naturally required clarification. She understood Xiao Yin's temperament; a slight concealment tonight would not let him rest easy. She also harbored anger; Su Wanrou had committed evil in front of so many, yet Xiao Yin stubbornly protected her. That aside, perhaps…

"The truth is, if I had not resisted tonight, I would have been led by Su Wanrou's scheme down the mountain earlier, and she would have sent me to a brothel; tonight would have been one body, three fates!"

"Brothel? What does that mean?"

Xiao Yin's complexion shifted.