Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager (Part 3)
Anning entered the palace with a grand entourage.
The maids she brought with her were all skilled in martial arts.
After all, the ancestors of Prince Kang Mansion were military generals who held nearly half of the military power of the Yong Dynasty. Most of the servants in their mansion knew some boxing and martial arts techniques.
The maids Anning chose were among the fiercest of them all.
Upon entering the palace, Anning did not look around curiously.
She no longer harbored curiosity towards the Imperial Palace; not to mention in her previous life where she had spent almost her entire life in the palace, but even in the life before that, she herself had trained an Emperor. To her, the Imperial Palace really meant nothing.
Moreover, compared to those she had seen, the Imperial Palace of the Dayong Dynasty seemed rather shabby.
From the palace gate to the Shoukang Palace where the Empress Dowager resided, it was a long walk.
Xu Anning always walked when she entered the palace.
She aimed to maintain a low profile to uphold Prince Kang’s reputation, and in the palace, she behaved like any ordinary Lady, never asking to be carried in a sedan chair, to avoid giving an impression of arrogance.
But Anning never needed to do so.
She never wanted Prince Kang to have it easy; she came here to seek revenge against Prince Kang and the Empress Dowager, so why should she belittle herself for them?
As soon as Anning reached the palace gate, she instructed the Palace Attendants to prepare a sedan chair.
Several young eunuchs were stunned.
After all, Princess Kang had never made such requests before, and she was always kind and affable to the servants; how could it be that...
Anning pretended to be unwell: "Before entering the palace, I felt very dizzy, and now walking a few more steps makes me gasp for breath, I really can’t walk anymore."
So that’s how it is.
Those young eunuchs understood then, as everyone has their difficult times. Princess Kang’s health had always been poor, and coming into the Imperial Palace in such a condition, it was clear she needed to be carried in a sedan chair.
Soon, a sedan chair was brought over.
Anning, with the help of a maid, sat in it.
Thus, a grand entourage proceeded towards Shoukang Palace.
In the palace, aside from the few major halls, the roads between each palace were not very wide. Many palaces were connected by long alleys, and as Anning’s sedan was carried down a long palace alley, the high walls on either side and the narrowness of the alley meant that sunlight was seldom seen, giving the alley a somewhat chilling feel.
She sighed while looking at the vermilion palace walls.
She had never liked the Imperial Palace, feeling it oppressive, as if something was being confined. It inexplicably made her very disgusted.
As Anning was pondering various thoughts, suddenly, the sedan stopped.
Xiangming, who followed by the side of the sedan, reminded Anning, "Princess, the Emperor’s procession is approaching."
Anning smiled: "Help me down."
Stepping out of the sedan, Xiangming helped Anning down, and the group stood by the roadside, waiting for the Emperor’s procession to pass first.
But, coincidentally, the Emperor’s procession stopped right in front of Anning.
The little Emperor had ascended the throne and changed the era name to Jianwu, known as Emperor Jianwu.
Now, Emperor Jianwu was still young, he ascended the throne at the age of six or seven, and was not yet ten years old; he was not tall, his height did not even reach Anning’s shoulder.
He approached Anning closely, inexplicably feeling that his own momentum had somewhat diminished.
"Where is Princess Kang going?"
Emperor Jianwu asked, maintaining his composure.
Anning smiled, "I am entering the palace to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday. Is Your Majesty returning to Jiyuan Palace?"
Emperor Jianwu suddenly scowled, "How audacious, daring to spy on the Holy Movements, Princess Kang, what is your crime?"
She knew it would be like this.
Anning almost wanted to roll her eyes.
In Xu Anning’s memory, it was just like this; Xu Anning simply asked a question out of ordinary concern, and Emperor Jianwu accused her of a crime. She was so startled that she instinctively knelt to plead guilty, nearly crippling her legs because Emperor Jianwu seized upon her behavior.
But Anning would not plead guilty.
She still had a smile on her face, "Your Majesty is being overly cautious. It was just a mere question—how could it become a crime? If that’s the case, who in the palace would not be guilty? Even the Empress Dowager might not escape blame."
Emperor Jianwu’s face turned the color of liver.
Enraged, he cried out, "Impudent, to even venture to criticize the Empress Dowager."
His hysteria made Anning involuntarily step back.
She realized that this Emperor Jianwu had likely been a bit off from a young age, even his mental state seemed somewhat troubled. To avoid an irrational Emperor Jianwu from harming her, she retreated behind her maids.
"Want to pin a crime, but indeed are lacking excuses?"
Anning said with particular grievance, "I am merely a housewife summoned into the palace, yet Your Majesty treats me like this, imposing accusations without asking anything, this really shouldn’t be."
Seeing Emperor Jianwu becoming even more furious, she deliberately added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty is a Saint; you should indeed be magnanimous. It’s said that the Prime Minister has a belly big enough to sail a boat; shouldn’t Your Majesty’s capacity be even greater, your belly fit to contain the stars and the sea? How could you quibble with a mere woman? This is not the way of a Saint. Old sayings state..."
Anning started to rattle off bookish quotes, leaving Emperor Jianwu with his head spinning.
He stomped his foot in anger, "You... dare to refer to yourself with ’我’ in front of me, isn’t this contempt for the Holy Majesty? Guards, seize her!"
Anning suddenly stiffened her expression, her back straightened, her face composed but commanding, her presence even more formidable than Emperor Jianwu’s, "Who dares? I am Princess Kang, my husband is the Regent King, currently overseeing the entire military and government affairs of Dayong. I see, who dares to be so reckless?"
Since Emperor Jianwu was already displeased with Prince Kang, Anning decided to deepen that dissatisfaction even more, hoping they would battle to the death.
Those eunuchs initially ordered to seize Anning one by one retreated.
After all, in comparison to the Regent King, Emperor Jianwu, still just a young lad, really wasn’t much.
These eunuchs also worried that perhaps one day the Regent King might depose Emperor Jianwu and proclaim himself Emperor, by then, those palace attendants who had offended the Regent Princess Consort would be facing a death penalty.
Emperor Jianwu, seeing his loyal servants withdraw, was livid.
In fury, he screamed, "Fine, you all are truly commendable..."
Unable to harm Anning, he could only vent his anger on the eunuchs, kicking and beating them, several eunuchs falling to the ground.
Anning watched coldly, only speaking when Emperor Jianwu was tired from his tantrum, "Although Your Majesty cannot be as steady as Mount Tai, you should at least be more composed. Getting angry at a few servants—what does that show? It appears Your Majesty still has much to learn. When I return, I will mention this to the Regent King and have him arrange a few more teachers."
With that, Anning smiled again, "Of course, I will also speak to the Empress Dowager. By the way, the time to celebrate her longevity is approaching, forgive me for leaving first."
Anning impudently boarded her palanquin, and in the presence of Emperor Jianwu, was carried away.
Exhausted, Emperor Jianwu could hardly catch his breath, watching Anning like this, furiously kicking a fallen eunuch several more times, "Insolent, too excessive, far too excessive, she completely disregards me, dammit, cursed Xu, cursed Prince Kang..."