Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager (Part 12)
"I want to divorce you, I will divorce you."
Prince Kang was severely beaten by Anning, his body terribly painful, and psychologically he was almost unable to bear it.
He was a prince raised in luxury, never beaten since birth, everyone flattered him when they saw him.
Later, he supported the little Emperor in ascending the throne and became the powerful Regent King, untouchable by anyone, even the Empress Dowager spoke to him gently, he had never suffered this kind of humiliation.
Anning was not afraid at all.
"Divorce? I have observed mourning for my father and Queen Mother, how could you divorce me? Also, what reason would you use to divorce me? Am I not filial to my parents? How many years have your father and Queen Mother been deceased? Childless? I have given birth to both a son and a daughter, or is it because of jealousy? Don’t forget, it was you who didn’t take concubines, if you wish, I can immediately find you ten or eight beautiful concubines, but can I endure it, and can your old lover endure it?"
Prince Kang felt even more humiliated.
"I want to kill you."
Anning struck again with a stick: "Kill me then, can you beat me? I’m telling you, if you behave and don’t harm me or my children, I’ll pretend I know nothing about those flirty exchanges you have with the Empress Dowager. But if you misbehave, any small hint, and we will both have no peace. I’m now barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes, if a fight breaks out, it’s uncertain who will lose face."
These words truly scared Prince Kang.
He and the Empress Dowager did have an affair, known by some, but it was knowledge shared only privately, daring not spoken aloud.
If Anning were really to shout about it, then he would lose face indeed, and most crucially the Empress Dowager, she was so fragile, she could not withstand such storms.
Thinking of the Empress Dowager, Prince Kang fell silent.
Anning knew she had touched his sore spot, got hold of his weakness, then moved her foot: "Don’t provoke us, mother and son, and we can live peacefully. If you seek trouble, every time I see you, I’ll beat you. You want to kill me, I’ll kill you first."
Prince Kang struggled for a long while before getting up, and when he looked at Anning again, his expression was visibly timid.
Anning waved her hand: "I’m also tired, you better go."
Prince Kang snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves.
Anning sneered behind him: "Really, offering wine and not drinking it and taking the penalty instead. Even hearing flattery from you is unbearable, it takes a beating to make you listen."
Prince Kang’s steps halted, then he left very awkwardly.
Anning sat in the chair and gasped for a while, then called the maid to bring over Helan Zhi and He Zhenyu.
When these two children arrived, Anning’s first sentence was: "I beat your father."
He Zhenyu seemed relatively calm, but Helan Zhi burst into tears instantly.
She hugged Anning crying: "Mother, what should we do? What if father blames you, mother..."
Anning smiled and patted Helan Zhi’s back: "It’s okay, no problem, I’m not afraid, worst comes to worst, the three of us will leave this place. I have money and some connections, we can live away from the Capital."
Helan Zhi cried for a good while before calming down.
Anning consoled her further, and had the maid take her to rest. When it was just Anning and He Zhenyu left in the room, she whispered: "I’ve met Mr. Xiao."
He Zhenyu visibly paused.
Anning told him in a very soft voice: "Mr. Xiao will help us."
He Zhenyu’s body shook, and then his face showed joy: "Will teacher really help us?"
Anning nodded: "He is very disappointed in your father. Mr. Xiao originally assisted your father and helped the little Emperor ascend the throne, because the little Emperor was young, and Mr. Xiao wanted your father to become the Emperor. Regrettably, your father got lost in a life of comfort, his early ambitions gone, Mr. Xiao couldn’t realize his lifetime wish and decided to abandon your father and devote himself to assisting you."
He Zhenyu grew even more joyful.
Holding his right hand tightly, he tried hard to contain his excited emotions.
He Zhenyu was an ambitious child.
Due to Prince Kang assisting the little Emperor in ascending the throne, as the Regent King, his subordinates secretly felt that he was bound to declare himself Emperor sooner or later. Therefore, his strategists, while instructing He Zhenyu, instilled in him the ways of an Emperor and also inspired ambition in him.
Though He Zhenyu was young, he was extremely intelligent and had learned the art of balance, sometimes even fantasizing about becoming a Saint Emperor.
But Prince Kang was wholeheartedly assisting the little Emperor, which greatly disappointed He Zhenyu.
More importantly, the Empress Dowager and the little Emperor held the foremost place in Prince Kang’s heart, and he had long neglected them.
Disappointed and furious, He Zhenyu had long lost any affection for Prince Kang, and now that Anning informed him that Mr. Xiao would help him, He Zhenyu was convinced that the matter was settled.
It is known that Mr. Xiao could be considered the spokesperson for Prince Kang.
All big and small matters of Prince Kang were handled by Mr. Xiao.
Prince Kang’s network was Mr. Xiao’s network, and his subordinates held Mr. Xiao in high regard.
Externally, and internally, Anning managed the entire Prince Kang Mansion tightly, and the servants in the inner quarters of Prince Kang Mansion were extremely loyal to Anning. If they wanted to keep something from Prince Kang, it was sure to remain concealed.
With Anning and Mr. Xiao truly joining forces, what awaited Prince Kang was... he would become deaf and blind.
What he saw would be what Anning and Mr. Xiao wanted him to see.
What he heard would also be what Anning and Mr. Xiao purposely let him hear.
His commands would go through Anning and Mr. Xiao, and with a slight alteration of his intentions, the outcomes would be vastly different.
It was precisely because He Zhenyu had thoroughly thought this through that he became especially excited.
Anning clasped his hand: "I understand how you feel, but now, you must remain calm and absolutely avoid giving anything away."
He Zhenyu nodded.
Anning then smiled: "From now on, in front of your father, you must be the most obedient and filial son, just go on humoring him, and the rest, your mother will handle."
He Zhenyu’s eyes shone, and he smiled in agreement: "Son understands, son will be filial to father."
Anning and He Zhenyu discussed some matters for a while, then using the excuse of being tired, she let him go play.
Anning then began contacting Xiao Yuan.
The first thing she intended to do was to have Xiao Yuan contact a spy within the palace.
This spy was placed by Prince Kang beside the Empress Dowager when she entered the palace those years ago.
While called a spy, it was actually Prince Kang’s way of protecting the Empress Dowager.
Since the Empress Dowager entered the palace, this person followed her, always by her side for many years, earning the great trust of the Empress Dowager, with many matters being handled by her.
This person was Nanny Qin.
Anning asked Xiao Yuan to contact Nanny Qin because she wanted to place a person each beside the Empress Dowager and the little Emperor.
Xiao Yuan soon replied to Anning that besides Nanny Qin, another palace maid named Xiao Yu was covertly placed, both Empress Dowager and Prince Kang were unaware, and even the eunuch Mr. Liu beside the little Emperor was his person.
Receiving the reply, Anning admired Xiao Yuan even more.
Such a person, silently arranging so many fallbacks, must harbor significant ambitions.
She thought of Xu Anning’s previous life; following the dissolution of Prince Kang Mansion, it seemed the Empress Dowager and the little Emperor would not be very secure either.
After all, Xiao Yuan was not a good-natured person.
Prince Kang Mansion owed him favors, and he thought of retreat only to protect himself, but once everyone in Prince Kang Mansion has perished, could Xiao Yuan really remain content?
With his character, if he does not severely retaliate against the Empress Dowager and the little Emperor, then he would no longer be the same person.
Moreover, with so many spies at his disposal, it’s conceivable he might use them to avenge Prince Kang Mansion.