Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager 21
The Empress Dowager was quite dissatisfied with Prince Kang.
In a fit of rage, she did not consult with Prince Kang and decided on her own to leave the palace.
That day, the Empress Dowager rose early in the morning with an unhappy expression. She summoned Emperor Jianwu: "Last night, I dreamed of your Father Emperor. He spoke many words to me. I think your Father Emperor probably misses us, or there is something he wants to tell us. So, I would like to go to the palace retreet to meditate for some time, to pray for blessings for your Father Emperor."
Emperor Jianwu considered it: "Why don’t I accompany the Queen Mother? Otherwise, I would not feel at ease."
"How could that be appropriate?"
The Empress Dowager sternly replied: "You are the Emperor, how can you stay away from the Imperial Palace."
She beckoned Emperor Jianwu closer: "I have heard that Prince Kang is ill. This is a good time for you to consolidate power. At such a crucial moment, you should be all the more cautious in your words and actions. How can you accompany me?"
Emperor Jianwu thought it made sense.
He then smiled and said: "Then, Queen Mother, may you go and return early."
The Empress Dowager also smiled: "I’ll be sparing with my absence; I will stay outside for a while and come back."
After agreeing with Emperor Jianwu on her departure from the palace, the Empress Dowager ordered her belongings to be packed.
A few days later, she took many palace maids and eunuchs to reside in the palace retreat.
Only after the Empress Dowager’s carriage departed from the palace did Prince Kang find out about this matter.
He was somewhat perplexed: why would the Empress Dowager suddenly decide to leave the palace?
Prince Kang was puzzled and intended to ask the Empress Dowager, but his body was really in bad shape, feeling weak and devoid of spirit, only wanting to lie in bed, unwilling to do anything else. Despite his intention, he had no strength, and could only set the matter aside for the time being.
In Prince Kang’s heart, he believed the Empress Dowager probably had no serious matters to attend to; perhaps she merely went to the palace retreat to unwind.
Prince Kang did not pay too much attention to it, but this gave Anning and Xiao Yuan an opportunity to exploit.
And that was exactly the opportunity that Anning and Xiao Yuan were looking for.
The Empress Dowager, Prince Kang, and Emperor Jianwu each resided in different locations, and what’s more, these places were quite distant from each other, which made communication somewhat inconvenient.
Moreover, now none of the three could meet face-to-face, which provided others with a chance to exploit. With just a small intervention, they would start to misunderstand and even hate each other.
It was the same restaurant, the same room; Anning pushed the door and entered, Xiao Yuan was leisurely enjoying a drink.
"Mr. Xiao is truly at leisure."
Anning, smiling, walked closer and poured herself a glass of water.
Xiao Yuan set down his wine cup: "The view here is not too bad, and on a whim, I fancied a few drinks. Would the Princess care for a glass too?"
Anning shook her head, took off her cape and hung it up, then sat opposite Xiao Yuan.
"How is Yu’er now?"
Xiao Yuan looked down at his wine cup, thought for a moment, then picked it up again for a sip. After drinking, he said: "The Princely Heir is intelligent and decisive. I have introduced him to many officials and military commanders, and they all like the Princely Heir very much."
Anning breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yuan smiled again: "Now, the Princely Heir could be considered half their ruler. If the Princely Heir commands, most of them will listen. After a while, perhaps they’ll only acknowledge the Princely Heir and forget about Prince Kang."
After all, since Prince Kang was ill and unable to deal with many affairs, a lot of tasks were handed over to Xiao Yuan to manage. When those beneath them had issues, they also went to Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan selected some simple tasks for He Zhenyu to handle, ranging from easy to difficult. By the time Prince Kang recovered, He Zhenyu would probably have won over many hearts.
"The matters inside the palace have also been clearly arranged."
Anning was peeling melon seeds, her face wearing a smile: "Soon, the Empress Dowager will start clashing with the little Emperor."
Xiao Yuan pushed a plate of fruit that was in front of him over to Anning: "This is quite good, have a taste."
Just as Anning had said, with the Empress Dowager leaving the palace, Prince Kang falling ill, Emperor Jianwu truly gained his freedom.
He frolicked about all day and no one cared.
Emperor Jianwu also left the palace to meet Yun Que twice, who took him to the workshop to have fun and also introduced him to quite a few people.
These people came from all walks of life, most of them forthright and very loyal.
Emperor Jianwu got along with them, feeling very much in tune, and found talking to them much more relaxing than speaking with those officials.
He was over the moon, hence even more trusting and open with those worldly society figures.
In addition to that, Emperor Jianwu took the opportunity to remove Prince Kang’s insiders from the palace.
But how could Anning just let him do as he pleased?
After all, most of the people at Prince Kang’s disposal were being directed by Anning; they were all her people. Anning would not bear the slightest loss of her assets.
Knowing that Emperor Jianwu intended to deal with Prince Kang, she had long been prepared.
She had her own people hide, while revealing the Empress Dowager’s.
And with Mr. Liu intentionally concealing the truth, Emperor Jianwu thought that the Empress Dowager’s people were Prince Kang’s. He began to accuse some of the stewards who were eunuchs planted by the Empress Dowager, or expel them from the palace, and he found excuses to release several palace maids with more prominent standing.
Suddenly, many people were gone from the palace, and Emperor Jianwu also took this moment to place his own people.
He thought the people he placed were loyal to him.
But little did he know, Anning had anticipated this, and through her own spies in the palace, she had managed to insert many individuals whom Xiao Yuan had cultivated earlier.
As a result, the Empress Dowager lost quite a few people, and Emperor Jianwu thought he gained more, but most of those were actually Anning’s people.
And the network of spies Anning had spread throughout the palace wasn’t diminished in the slightest.
In just a short period of time, Anning had achieved complete control over the entire harem.
She hardly exerted any effort, simply exploiting the miscommunication with Emperor Jianwu as well as the distrust among Emperor Jianwu, the Empress Dowager, and Prince Kang.
Palace
Nanny Qin hurried into the room.
The weather was getting colder now, and it was very chilly both morning and evening outside the room, even more so here at the palace. If one stayed outside a bit too long, they would feel a bone-chilling cold.
After entering the room, Nanny Qin first warmed up for a while before taking off her heavy coat to seek out the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was not feeling well.
She couldn’t eat or drink and was vomiting all day. She also became exceptionally lethargic, disinclined to move about, and just wanted to stay in bed all day long.
When Nanny Qin entered, the Empress Dowager was lying in bed, dozing off with half-closed eyes.
Nanny Qin quietly stood off to the side.
The Empress Dowager opened her eyes: "What is it?"
Nanny Qin’s face was very pale: "Empress, Your Majesty... he has made a big move, breaking your many helpers, and furthermore, Your Majesty has also recruited a lot of new people into the palace."
The Empress Dowager was startled and immediately sat up: "How many people have we lost?"
Nanny Qin’s complexion worsened: "Nearly nine out of ten."
"Damn it."
The Empress Dowager almost ground her silver teeth: "What does the Emperor intend to do?"
Nanny Qin pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty is probably trying to take control of the harem. He must fear that you, Empress, are too restrictive on him."
The Empress Dowager’s face turned grim: "How nice, the son I raised with hardship is now biting back at me. He... he actually distrusts me this much."
Nanny Qin tried her best to minimize her presence.
She also didn’t dare to speak too much, fearing that the Empress Dowager’s outburst might cause her to suffer as well.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager still had some affection for her and did not vent her anger on her.
"I want to return to the Imperial Palace."
The Empress Dowager was furious and wanted to go back and deal with Emperor Jianwu.
Nanny Qin quickly stopped her: "Empress, you cannot return to the palace, your..."
She pointed at the Empress Dowager’s belly.
The Empress Dowager’s right hand pressed on the lower abdomen, hesitant for a moment.