Chapter 194: Chapter 193: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager (Part 10)
Prince Kang was driven out of the palace by the Empress Dowager.
It was all because during a moment of passion, his veil was accidentally removed.
The Empress Dowager then saw the injuries on his face.
Naturally, after her anger, he could only be dejectedly chased out.
Even after Prince Kang was sent away, the Empress Dowager remained angry.
The scratch marks on Prince Kang’s face were too obvious, clearly inflicted by the Princess.
To be scratched like that, and yet he didn’t speak of any punishment for the Princess, but instead wore a veil to cover up for her; it showed how much he valued the Princess in his heart.
The Empress Dowager was bitterly upset and naturally wouldn’t attend to Prince Kang anymore.
For his part, Prince Kang was still puzzled, not understanding why the Empress Dowager chased him out.
Later on, he thought, maybe the Empress Dowager was a bit scared of the injuries on his face.
After all, his face didn’t look good right now.
Meanwhile, Anning had settled down at the hot spring manor.
She wandered around the manor with Helan Zhi and He Zhenyu, then Anning cooked a table full of dishes with Helan Zhi, and the three of them had a joyful meal.
In the afternoon, after resting for a while, Anning took her children to climb the mountains.
The three of them had a fulfilling day.
At night, just when Anning was about to rest, she heard someone knocking on the window.
She sent the maids away and opened the window to see Xiao Yuan.
"Mr. Xiao?"
Anning was quite surprised.
Xiao Yuan stood outside the window, his arms crossed in front of his chest, smiling: "Come out and chat."
Anning nodded.
She didn’t use the door but instead braced herself with her right hand and climbed out through the window.
Xiao Yuan was not surprised at all; on the contrary, his smile became even wider.
Anning led Xiao Yuan to a quiet place and the two of them sat on a large rock.
"Mr. Xiao, your visit tonight is truly unexpected."
Anning sat down quite relaxed, her face smiling as she twirled a willow twig in her hand.
Xiao Yuan sat opposite her: "The Princess surely understands the reason for my visit."
"I don’t understand, though."
Anning blinked, an innocent look on her face.
Xiao Yuan was momentarily speechless: "In that case, I will speak straightforwardly. Originally, I never paid much attention to the Princess, but the incident the Princess caused this morning aroused my curiosity."
Anning burst into laughter: "You’ve never seen a husband and wife fight? Then you better hurry and find a wife, and make her angry every day. I think it won’t be long before you’re no longer curious."
Xiao Yuan was extremely exasperated: "If the Princess diverts the subject, to be honest, I also know about the relationship between the Prince and the Empress Dowager. These days, I’ve been pondering how to retreat from court life and have been looking for a way out, but after seeing the Princess’s outburst today, I’ve changed my mind."
Eh?
Anning tilted her head to look at him.
Xiao Yuan sighed: "Having learned literature and martial arts, I sell them to the Emperor’s family. As a scholar, naturally, I would like to hold a high position, have a beloved wife, and want to govern a locality, to benefit the local people. Prince Kang has been kind to me, and I followed the Prince to repay his kindness, but it seems now that the Prince is heading down a dead-end. Even in repayment of that kindness, there’s no reason for me to repay with my life, yet I really cannot bear to see Prince Kang Mansion dissipate into nothingness."
As he spoke, he laughed again: "Now, I see hope in the Princess."
He had spoken so plainly, Anning no longer beat around the bush.
"In that case, I’ll also speak the truth; if the Prince continues to entangle with the Empress Dowager, we’ll only have a dead end. Not just me, the Princely Heir, and the Commandery Princess, but everyone who follows the Prince won’t end well. In this regard, I suppose the teacher understands even more clearly than I do."
Xiao Yuan nodded.
Anning then asked with a smile: "So, what’s the difference between being loyal to the Princely Heir and loyal to the Prince? With loyalty to the Prince, everyone has no way out, but being loyal to the Princely Heir, I can guarantee you can secure your wives and shade your children, fulfilling your desires. Besides, no matter what, the Princely Heir is still the Prince’s flesh and blood. I suppose, even if something happens in the future, at least the Prince’s life can be assured, right?"
Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment: "This is exactly what I was thinking, which is why I came to talk to the Princess."
"In that case, happy cooperation."
Anning extended her hand.
Xiao Yuan looked at her jade-like tender and white hands, dazed for a moment, then he looked up at Anning very seriously, "I have another request."
"Speak."
Anning was rather blunt.
So was Xiao Yuan, "I have long admired the Princess, and in the future, I wish to seek her hand in marriage."
Anning’s expression darkened slightly, "Initially, the Empress Dowager, for the little Emperor to ascend the throne, clung to Prince Wang without letting go. Even now, she is still keeping a warm relationship with Prince Wang. As his Princess, I naturally despise such behavior. And what you’ve just said to me amounts to you wanting me to become the second Empress Dowager, Mr. Xiao... This is a sign of disrespect to me."
Xiao Yuan suddenly stood up, his face grave as he bowed deeply to Anning, "What the Princess just said has made me realize my own shamelessness."
"Isn’t that the case?"
Anning raised an eyebrow.
A trace of tenderness flashed through Xiao Yuan’s eyes, "What I said to the Princess was from the heart, but at this time, I will not do anything to the Princess. Now, you and I are only in a partnership. In the future, if the Princess finds me reliable, she is free to divorce Prince Wang and marry me."
He suddenly knelt down, "Before the Princess agrees, I will not do anything that might tarnish her reputation. Even if I succeed in the uprising in the future and the Princess does not marry me, I will have no complaints. I can swear to heaven..."
He was interrupted by Anning before he could finish.
"Why are you telling me all this now? Let’s wait for the future."
Xiao Yuan smiled as he stood up, "I just wanted to talk to the Princess."
Anning shot him a glance, "Enough, it’s getting late. You should return home early."
She turned and went back into the house, while Xiao Yuan watched her leave until her figure was no longer visible, and then he slowly made his way back.
Anning returned to her room and sat on the bed for a long while.
Just now, she had been close to agreeing to Xiao Yuan.
After all, she and Xiao Yuan had shared affections over several lifetimes, and he had always treated her well in each one.
Seeing Xiao Yuan in this world, Anning was undoubtedly overjoyed.
Furthermore, that despicable Prince Kang had angered her greatly, and she really wanted to see more of Xiao Yuan, as if to cleanse her eyesight, and to be close to him, so that she wouldn’t feel so alone.
However, Anning thoroughly despised those who cheated.
Even though she was extremely dissatisfied with and detested Prince Kang, she was still married to him at the moment. She had to maintain her integrity and not become the kind of person she hated the most.
Otherwise, what difference was there between her and the Empress Dowager?
Yes, the late Emperor had passed away, the Empress Dowager was alone, and naturally, she could remarry.
But Prince Kang had a wife and children; the Empress Dowager’s actions were that of a homewrecker.
Moreover, the Empress Dowager and Prince Kang were not truly in love. She was only keeping Prince Kang on the hook for the glory and riches, for a secure place as Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager never really thought about marrying Prince Kang; she just wanted to offer a little feigned love and affection in exchange for Prince Kang’s protection for her and her son.
Such behavior was really that of a scheming manipulator.
Anning looked down upon the Empress Dowager, naturally, she would not follow in her footsteps.
What she needed to do now was unite all the forces she could and secretly instigate rebellion. Once everything was set in motion, and her marriage to Prince Kang was over, she could think about other matters.
Xiao Yuan also understood Anning’s thoughts and agreed with her.
Both were smart individuals; not much needed to be said, as they both knew what was in each other’s hearts.
Anning thought that by staying in the manor, she would have some time before she had to see Prince Kang again.
However, what she didn’t expect was that just a few days later, Prince Kang found his way to the manor.
The reason was that Anning had intentionally been matchmaking for Helan Zhi recently, and Prince Kang, hearing of this somehow, came to the manor looking for trouble.
Anning had purposely done this.
She had previously told the two children that Prince Kang intended to send them to the palace, and the children were resistant. However, as things had not come to a head, they were somewhat disbelieving, and the resentment in their hearts was not very deep.
Prince Kang intended to send He Zhenyu into the palace to be a reading companion, which made He Zhenyu harbor resentment towards Prince Kang. It also convinced the children of the unusual relationship between Prince Kang and the Empress Dowager and started to contemplate their future path.
What Anning needed to do was to add fuel to the fire.
She wanted Helan Zhi to directly feel just how despicable Prince Kang was.
Prince Kang, full of fury, entered the manor, only to be greeted by Anning with a smiling face.
After Anning had scratched him that day, she had left, and Prince Kang had not seen her for days. He thought that upon seeing him again, Anning would be afraid or even feel guilty.
But there was none of that.
Anning was self-possessed and smiling, as if the incident had never happened.