Chapter 552: with translation of chapter title

Night fell, outside Quiet Autumn Palace already teeming with people, and a large batch hidden in the tree shadows.

Inside the inner hall, Gu Jiu Ling sat on the bed, clutching a storybook, leaning against the bolster.

Xiao Yin sent away all the attendants in the inner hall, then paced back and forth inside.

"Prince, what's meant to come will come; stay calm!" Gu Jiu Ling whispered with a smile.

Xiao Yin turned and sat beside Gu Jiu Ling, grabbed her hand, and through gritted teeth laughed and scolded: "It's all because of you, you little wretch!"

"If it weren't for having to consider you, I would have just charged straight in!"

Gu Jiu Ling was about to speak when sudden hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by a series of muffled groans reeking of blood.

A low knocking came from the window.

"Prince!"

Xiao Yin rose and walked to the window; Gu Jiu Ling also put down her scroll.

Xiao Yin lifted his hand and pushed the window open a crack; the scent of blood rushed in, and he instinctively pulled Gu Jiu Ling behind him.

"Prince! Please leave this place! The Imperial Guard's troops are here!"

Xiao Yin turned and grabbed Gu Jiu Ling's hand; outside, the window had already been flung open, a stronger stench of blood assailed them, and Gu Jiu Ling winced from the irritation.

Looking out the window, he saw that the courtyard outside was already littered with corpses, and the guards who had been watching them had changed appearance.

Gu Jiu Ling gasped, not expecting Xiao Yin to have planted his own assassins in the palace.

However, the main forces of the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Secret Guard were en route; right then was their only chance to escape.

Xiao Yin directly wrapped his arms around Gu Jiu Ling's waist, leaned to her ear, and whispered low: "Hold tight!"

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly clung to his long arms, and Xiao Yin directly leapt with her onto a tree branch.

Standing on the branch, Gu Jiu Ling realized the casualties in the courtyard were nothing; outside, flames shot into the sky, obviously a fierce battle had begun.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation where Emperor Longqing resided was actually set ablaze; the fleeing cries of palace folk mixed with the chilling sounds of slaughter made this quiet night grow ever more eerie.

"Are we going to fight our way out of the palace city?" Gu Jiu Ling still felt some reluctance.

If we really had to fight our way out, then her original voluntary entry into the palace as a hostage alongside Emperor Longqing would have been meaningless; it would amount to rebellion.

"Why not leave the palace? Why go out?" Xiao Yin's peach-blossom eyes, glistening in the firelight, scattered tiny sharp glints.

He curled his lip in a sneer, his eyes full of icy chill, and holding Gu Jiu Ling, he leapt down from the treetop toward the burning Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Soon they arrived outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation; everywhere were fleeing palace folk, and masked men clad in black armor.

Interwoven with these masked men were the fully armed Imperial Guard; although the Imperial Guard were palace elites selected through layers of screening, Xiao Yin's men were all battle-hardened veterans who had killed countless foes, forged in blood and fire, and had also been tempered in the jianghu.

They were innately versed in the art of killing; though they lacked numerical superiority, they showed no sign of falling behind, even hinting at a possible victory.

A man wearing a raptor mask walked up to Xiao Yin, stepped forward and half-kneeled before him.

"Prince, there's no one in the sleeping quarters, and we haven't seen the Empress Dowager's figure in the Cining Palace either!"

Gu Jiu Ling blinked—it was Ling Feng's voice; tonight, these people had indeed broken through the palace gates.

Xiao Yin's face darkened slightly: "Keep pursuing, especially those secret passages in and out of the palace."

Ling Feng quickly acknowledged, turned, and led a group away.

Soon after, Deputy Commander Zhou led the Imperial Guard, and they knelt in neat rows before Xiao Yin.

"Prince, all the four-nine gates of Jing Cheng have been sealed, and the entire Shang Jing streets are under curfew."

"Some Imperial Court officials' mansions have been assigned guards; now several ministers, especially the Li and Lin families, are heavily guarded."

"However, the elderly matriarch of the Lin family, bringing her whole household, insisted on entering the palace to see the emperor, and I had her detained."

Xiao Yin said slowly: "We must not harm the Lin family; first, they have shown me kindness; second, they are a scholarly lineage, and if I act against such a family, I fear it will not end well."

"If they cause a ruckus, just take them to a separate residence and treat them well."

"Yes! I'll see to it right away!"

Seeing this, Gu Jiu Ling finally understood what Xiao Yin intended tonight; Emperor Longqing never imagined that keeping Xiao Yin in the palace would be the start of his own self-destruction.

It turned out Xiao Yin had already bought off so many people in the palace, even the commanders of the Five City Military Commission of Shang Jing, including the Imperial Guard and even half of the Imperial Guard, all had pledged allegiance to Xiao Yin.

For these seven years Xiao Yin had lain low and nurtured his talents, never expecting his influence to stretch so far.

Xiao Yin took Gu Jiu Ling's hand and led her into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The flames around the Hall of Mental Cultivation had been extinguished; inside it was still habitable, though it carried a tense, smoky atmosphere.

Xiao Yin simply sat in the chair; its armrests were carved with dragon motifs, but to him they meant nothing.

Xiao Yin casually took a seat on the Dragon Throne, and even remembered to push pastries and tea toward Gu Jiu Ling beside him: "Tonight there's too much to do; have some snacks to fill your stomach first."

"We've inspected these pastries; they're made by the imperial kitchen, non-toxic, and we've had people taste-test them."

Even if Gu Jiu Ling were starving, she had no mind for snacks; she hurriedly looked at Xiao Yin and said: "Prince, are you truly planning to rebel?"

Xiao Yin's brows knitted tightly: "I don't want to rebel either; they're forcing me, but even if we rebel, it depends on how we rebel."

Gu Jiu Ling didn't know what scheme Xiao Yin was hatching, when another hurried footstep sounded outside, and then it turned out to be Eunuch Wang who attended Emperor Longqing.

Eunuch Wang was now filthy all over, his clothes already torn to rags, his steps unsteady, and even his white-and-gray hair had been burned off on one side.

He stumbled straight in, only to fling himself down and kneel before Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin raised his brows slightly, staring fixedly at Eunuch Wang.

Formerly he was a red‑hot figure in the palace; even outer officials would give him face.

Now Eunuch Wang had long lost his former ease and privilege; his face was ashen, he trembled slightly, and he kowtowed to Xiao Yin, saying: "Prince, this old servant knows the whereabouts of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor!"

Xiao Yin's eyes flashed; he locked onto Eunuch Wang and couldn't help laughing: "You've always been my imperial brother's confidant; how could you now betray him at this crucial moment?"

A flicker of shame crossed Eunuch Wang's face as he lifted his head to stare at Xiao Yin and said: "Prince, birds choose good trees to roost in; the tide has turned, and I don't want to end up separated head from body."

"I only ask the Prince for a favor: could you treat the Emperor and Empress Dowager kindly? After all, I have served them for many years; if you agree, I will lead you to find them."

"If the Prince insists on exterminating everyone, then I, too, have come before you today to beg for a swift death!"