Chapter 550 My Aunt Takes Action! (First Update)

Not only was Ning An stunned by this sudden turn of events, but even Eunuch Qin, who had just brought over a plate of fresh fruits, was completely frozen in place.

What's going on here?

Why did the mother and daughter suddenly turn against each other?

To be precise, it was the Empress Dowager who turned against Princess Ning'an.

It should be noted that Princess Ning'an was raised under the Empress Dowager's care and was treated no differently than her own daughter.

Princess Ning'an stared at Empress Dowager Zhuang as if struck by lightning, her eyes flashing with a mixture of emotions: doubt, astonishment, and fear.

Just as her emotions were building up, and something seemed about to burst forth from her mind, her tears fell first: "Mother, I don't know what I've done wrong to anger you so much?"

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at her coldly: "Don't know? Are you really that unaware, or are you pretending?"

Princess Ning'an's eyes flickered slightly.

Empress Dowager Zhuang was furious and said, "I ask you, did you secretly offer sacrifices to your mother?!"

Princess Ning'an opened her mouth, her flickering gaze slowly settling down.

She slowly relaxed her body, and after a moment stood up, took a step back, knelt before Empress Dowager Zhuang, and bowed her head, saying, "Please forgive me, Mother."

Empress Dowager Zhuang clenched her fingers, looking at her with disappointment: "So you admit it?"

Princess Ning'an admitted in a low voice, "Your subject did indeed visit the nunnery, and indeed... I did commemorate my mother there."

Eunuch Qin sighed inwardly. He was aware of this matter as well. It happened on the night Princess Ning'an returned to the palace. Princess Ning'an secretly went to the nunnery where Consort Jing had lived before her death and stayed there for half an hour before coming out.

Regardless of the circumstances, Consort Jing was Princess Ning'an's birth mother, so it's understandable that Princess Ning'an would go to remember her.

Didn't the Empress Dowager already know?

Didn't they say anything?

Why are you suddenly bringing up old grievances today?

Empress Dowager Zhuang's body seemed to tremble slightly from suppressing her anger: "If I hadn't overheard someone mentioning it last night, I wouldn't have known that while you were calling me 'Mother,' you were still thinking about Consort Jing! Do you really not know how much I hate her!"

Ning An kowtowed, placed his hands clasped on the cold ground, and reverently pressed his forehead against the back of his hands: "Your subject knows his crime, please calm your anger, Mother!"

Eunuch Qin was even more confused. The Empress Dowager knew about Princess Ning'an's visit to the nunnery that very night, so why did she tell Princess Ning'an that she had only just heard about it?

Empress Dowager Zhuang said coldly, "If you want to acknowledge that poisonous woman as your mother, then don't acknowledge me as your mother!"

After saying that, she turned and left!

Eunuch Qin didn't dare to stop her. Only after she had walked far away did he enter the bedchamber, place the fruit plate on the table, and help Princess Ning'an up with his other hand.

Princess Ning'an looked at Eunuch Qin, her eyes filled with hesitation and guilt: "Eunuch Qin..."

"Sigh." Eunuch Qin sighed again. "After so much has happened, Princess, can't you see how deeply Consort Jing has hurt the Empress Dowager? She caused the Empress Dowager to turn against His Majesty and took away the only princess she loved. I understand that you, Consort Jing's own flesh and blood, cannot hate her, but for you to mourn her and pay homage to her... aren't you just throwing the Empress Dowager's heart into a millstone?"

Princess Ning'an said remorsefully, "Eunuch Qin, I know I was wrong."

Eunuch Qin said, "Forget it. The reason the Empress Dowager is angry is because she loves you too much. If someone else were to pay respects to Consort Jing, the Empress Dowager probably wouldn't care. You know the Empress Dowager's personality; someone who doesn't care can never hurt her heart."

Princess Ning'an asked, "What should I do to make my mother forgive me?"

Eunuch Qin paused for a moment and said, "The Empress Dowager is angry right now, so the princess should avoid her for a while. Once the Empress Dowager has calmed down, the princess can then try to gain her forgiveness."

Princess Ning'an lowered her eyes: "It seems that this is the only way now. I am unable to fulfill my filial duties to my mother, so I will have to trouble Eunuch Qin to take good care of her for me."

Eunuch Qin smiled and said, "It's my fault, Princess. Please rest assured."

Princess Ning'an said softly, "Then I'll be going now."

"This servant will see you off."

"No need, Eunuch Qin, you should go and serve the Empress Dowager."

“…Yes.” Eunuch Qin replied sheepishly.

Watching Princess Ning'an's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Eunuch Qin suddenly spoke up: "Princess."

"Is there anything else, Eunuch Qin?" Princess Ning'an turned to look at Eunuch Qin.

Eunuch Qin said earnestly, "The Empress Dowager is deliberately using Miss Gu to anger the princess. The princess should not take it to heart."

Princess Ning'an was taken aback: "Is that so? I thought... Mother really prepared those things for Doctor Gu?"

Eunuch Qin smiled and said, "This servant serves the Empress Dowager personally; how could this servant not know who those things are made for?"

Princess Ning'an smiled knowingly, like spring returning to the earth: "Eunuch Qin, thank you."

Eunuch Qin smiled and bowed, saying, "Princess, please take care."

Princess Ning'an left Renshou Palace.

Eunuch Qin's smile vanished: "How would I know who those things were made for?"

But he knew better than to make Jiaojiao a target of hatred!

Eunuch Qin went to the study.

Empress Dowager Zhuang sat calmly in her chair, with the national protection token and the purple-gold phoenix crown placed in front of her.

"Your Majesty," Eunuch Qin recounted his conversation with Princess Ning'an word for word, "this old servant is not sure if I have said it correctly."

He had served the Empress Dowager for so many years, but she didn't always inform him of everything in advance. As a trusted confidant, he absolutely could not let his master down under any circumstances.

He handled everything clearly, from what should be said to what shouldn't be said, and what needed to be addressed afterward.

He did an excellent job of smoothing out Gu Jiao's hatred.

There was an unspoken understanding between Empress Dowager Zhuang and Eunuch Qin; she knew that if she thrust her sword out, Eunuch Qin could pull it back and sheath it.

Qin Gonggong asked in confusion, "But Empress Dowager, why are you doing this?"

Empress Dowager Zhuang said calmly, "When it's your turn to know, I will tell you."

Eunuch Qin replied, "...Yes."

As the saying goes, don't try to guess the emperor's intentions. However, the cruel reality is that if you can't guess your master's thoughts, you might not be able to survive in the deep palace at all.

Eunuch Qin thought about it carefully.

Why didn't Empress Dowager Zhuang tell him? Was it because she didn't trust him enough, or was it because Empress Dowager Zhuang herself didn't want to bring up certain things?

He thought it was the latter.

It's such a painful thing; every time I mention it, it feels like a thousand arrows piercing my heart.

Empress Dowager Zhuang could completely encase herself in cold armor, but the heart beneath that armor was no different from that of an ordinary person; it too could be hurt and feel pain.

However, the Empress Dowager carried far too many burdens on her shoulders. She could not wallow in her grief and could only endure the pain and move forward.

Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "Keep an eye on her and find out what she took from the nunnery that night."

Eunuch Qin was greatly startled.

What?

Did Princess Ning'an take something from the nunnery?

Didn't she go to pay respects to Consort Jing? Could it be... that her act of paying respects to the deceased was a pretense, and that she was actually retrieving something?

This explains why, even knowing that Empress Dowager Zhuang hated Consort Jing, she still risked losing favor by going to the nunnery where Consort Jing had lived.

Of course, this statement reveals far more than just the fact that Princess Ning'an went to the nunnery to take something; it also reveals why Princess Ning'an took it and why the Empress Dowager investigated.

The Empress Dowager didn't need to investigate since they were just ordinary relics.

The fact that these aren't ordinary relics is quite significant.

After all, Eunuch Qin had been through thick and thin with Empress Dowager Zhuang, and with all the storms he had faced, his mental fortitude had naturally become stronger.

What could possibly startle him? Right?

However, at this moment, he couldn't help but want to curse – I've never seen anything like this before!

...

Meanwhile, Xiao Jingkong entered the palace again.

He came by himself again this time!

...I rode in Liu Quan's carriage.

He came looking for Huangfu Xian.

Because of the unpleasantness he had with Huangfu Xian, his aunt forbade him to go to Bixia Palace again, so he could only go secretly!

Huangfu Xian sat by the window, lost in thought.

Lian'er was tidying up his clothes in his room. She gave him a strange look and thought to herself that ever since the young master was injured that day, he had liked to stare out the window in a daze.

In this cold weather, aren't you afraid of freezing yourself?

She's someone who's so afraid of the cold.

"Young master," Lian'er asked him, "would you like us to close the window a little smaller?"

"No need," Huangfu Xian said indifferently.

"Then I'll pour you a cup of hot tea." Lian'er put down the clothes she had half-folded, poured a cup of hot brown sugar ginger tea, and turned to walk towards Huangfu Xian.

Just then, a round little head suddenly popped out from outside the window.

Huangfu Xian's eyes flickered, and he reached out and pressed the round little head down.

"Lian'er!"

"What's wrong, young master?"

Huangfu Xian said calmly, "I'm hungry, go get me something to eat!"

Lian'er looked at the cup in her hand: "Then this tea..."

Huangfu Xian said impatiently, "I'm not drinking anymore! Throw it away!"

Lian'er was used to Huangfu Xian's unpredictable temper and didn't suspect anything. She put down the ginger tea and went outside.

Once he was sure she was far away, Huangfu Xian withdrew his hand from the other person's head.

The little mushroom-shaped sprout really did grow out like a mushroom.

"Hey handsome!"

Little Jingkong's head tilt is so cute!

Huangfu Xian turned his face away: "It's so ugly."

Xiao Jingkong looked Xiao Jiu up and down, picked her up from playing in the snow, and said regretfully, "The older brother said you're ugly."

Xiao Jiu, who was inexplicably blamed: ...!!

(End of this chapter)