Chapter 193: Chapter 192: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager (Part 9)
"Mother..."
Helan Zhi let out a sharp scream.
But it was already too late.
Prince Kang’s face was scratched by Anning.
Ten glaring red marks prominently appeared on his face, droplets of blood slid down his face, fell onto the ground, and heavily splattered onto everyone around.
The servants were stunned.
Helan Zhi was shocked.
Xiao Yuan could not help but smile slyly...
"You actually want to hit me?"
Though Anning clearly scratched Prince Kang, she acted as if she had been severely beaten, pitifully accusing Prince Kang: "I bore and raised children for you, managed the household affairs for you, yet now, you want to hit me... Are you bewitched by some petty woman, now you want to hit me, and perhaps later you desire to divorce me, I can’t live, can’t live..."
She covered her face and ran, not forgetting to drag Helan Zhi along as she left.
Back in her own courtyard, Anning immediately had the servants pack things up, and took Helan Zhi and He Zhenyu to flee.
By the time Prince Kang recovered and furiously wanted to punish Anning, Anning and her children had already disappeared without a trace.
Prince Kang was disfigured.
And it was done by his own Princess.
This made Prince Kang feel extremely humiliated.
He was both ashamed and furious, desperately wanting to beat Anning, but he also did not want to lose face by going out.
But he had no choice but to go out.
Because there were still many important matters he had to attend to today.
Emperor Jianwu wanted to appoint a new teacher, the Empress Dowager had sent someone to summon him to the palace for important discussions, and several ministers also wanted to discuss state affairs with him, Prince Kang could not hide from it.
Even if he managed to avoid it today, there was still tomorrow, and the wounds on his face would not heal in a day or two; sooner or later, he would have to face public humiliation.
The more he thought about it, the more Prince Kang wished he could beat Anning.
But he could not lay hands on her now.
Moreover, Prince Kang considered himself a gentleman and could not stoop to striking a woman.
He was truly helpless and could only bitterly say: "Only small-minded people and women are difficult to manage."
After enjoying the spectacle, Xiao Yuan quietly left his study and returned to his quarters, humming a tune in high spirits.
Prince Kang had no choice, he had to cover his face with a veil like a woman and go out.
He first entered the palace.
Upon entering the palace, Prince Kang, along with the newly selected teacher, went to meet Emperor Jianwu.
Emperor Jianwu, seeing Prince Kang wearing a veil and a horrified expression, added to Prince Kang’s frustration.
"What has happened to the Regent King?"
Emperor Jianwu seemed to care as he asked: "Is there an injury on your face? Do you need an Imperial Physician to take a look?"
Prince Kang waved his hand: "It’s nothing."
Then Emperor Jianwu began to complain to Prince Kang: "Regent King, you should really control your Princess properly. Just yesterday, after I said a few words to her, she demanded my power, disgracing me completely. If I hadn’t considered your position, Regent King, I would most surely have penalized her severely."
Prince Kang quickly bowed in apology: "She is an ignorant woman who rashly offended Your Majesty. I apologize on her behalf to Your Majesty."
Emperor Jianwu generously laughed: "I did not take it to heart, how could I stoop to argue with a woman?"
However, after Prince Kang left, Emperor Jianwu gritted his teeth with anger: "Each and every one, disregarding me, Prince Kang... sooner or later, I will..."
Prince Kang left Jiyuan Palace and quickly arrived at Shoukang Palace.
The Empress Dowager had been waiting for him.
Seeing him, for some reason, she felt a bitterness in her heart.
She originally wanted to complain to Prince Kang about a few matters, to sow discord between Prince Kang and the Princess, but when she carefully observed Prince Kang, she saw the veil covering his face.
"What is this?"
The Empress Dowager was also startled: "What happened?"
Prince Kang’s expression was very poor.
With his face covered by the veil, no one could see it.
"I’m fine, I got scratched by a cat while playing with it this morning."
Prince Kang could only explain it to the Empress Dowager this way.
But this made the Empress Dowager even more distressed.
She had placed people within Prince Kang Mansion and naturally knew there were no cats there.
Yet Prince Kang specifically mentioned being scratched by a cat; it was obvious that it must be Princess Kang’s doing.
Cats?
The Empress Dowager thought of some nicknames, like "you are my little wild cat," which made her even more suffocated with frustration.
"Since you are injured, you should rest at home."
The Empress Dowager forced herself to speak to Prince Kang, "Didn’t your wife persuade you? Didn’t she find someone to treat your injury?"
Her words were tinged with sourness.
Prince Kang was angry with Anning and didn’t care about the Empress Dowager’s attitude; he didn’t catch it initially. However, the mention of Anning darkened his expression even more: "Do not mention her again."
Is he protecting her now?
The Empress Dowager misunderstood and jealousy surged within her.
She imagined that Prince Kang might be lovingly intimate with the Princess, out of her sight.
After all, as a couple for over a decade with a son and daughter, it was natural their relationship differed from others.
She also thought about how Prince Kang normally abstained from women, claiming it was to preserve himself for her, yet he still married Princess Kang and had two children; for whom he was really preserving himself was a mystery.
The more the Empress Dowager thought, the more afraid she became.
She was deceiving Prince Kang to secure her own son’s stable position on the throne.
But Prince Kang?
Was he not deceiving her as well?
Princess Kang was renowned for her beauty, and even before her marriage, she was a well-known boudoir beauty, celebrated both for her talents and virtues, with countless families desiring her hand in marriage.
Could Prince Kang truly remain as emotionally detached as water, spending each day with such a gifted and beautiful woman?
The Empress Dowager was frightened by her own thoughts and became desperate.
If Prince Kang truly loved his wife, then perhaps he might depose the Emperor in the future and expel both the Empress Dowager and her son from the palace.
Initially, the Empress Dowager was merely posturing to manipulate Prince Kang.
But now she scared herself and thought she needed to stop acting so aloof and offer Prince Kang more incentives.
The Empress Dowager, lost in her emotions, had forsaken her usual calmness, losing her sense of proportion in her actions.
Her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Prince Kang, her face written with worry and sadness: "Ultimately, there’s still a barrier between us. If you hadn’t come to the palace today, even if you were injured or ill, I wouldn’t have known. My heart..."
Seeing the Empress Dowager distressed, Prince Kang felt saddened as well.
He hurried a few steps to her, grasping her hand: "Don’t worry, I’m really fine. It’s just a minor injury; it’ll heal in a few days."
"But you still won’t let me see it."
The Empress Dowager grew more worried: "Why must we have these roles? I wish I could be by your side daily, knowing whether you’re cold or hot, carefree in my attention towards you."
Prince Kang’s heart warmed further, moved even more.
"Just wait a bit longer, as soon as I divorce the Princess, I’ll marry you."
He said this while reaching out to embrace the Empress Dowager’s shoulder.
Normally, the Empress Dowager would never allow him to be so close, but today she leaned against him, breaking her usual demeanor.
Being close to the one he loved, Prince Kang was thrilled, even forgetting about the wound on his face.
Meanwhile, Anning, along with Helan Zhi and He Zhenyu, were on their way to the hot spring manor.
The three of them were in a carriage, and both Helan Zhi and He Zhenyu were particularly worried.
He Zhenyu was especially self-reproachful: "It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Mother wouldn’t have argued with Father. Mother is usually so dignified and self-possessed, but this time for my sake, she went as far as to make a scene, I..."
Tears shimmered in Helan Zhi’s eyes: "Mother, I’m scared."
Anning patted Helan Zhi’s hand: "Don’t be afraid, I would do anything for you. Today, I kept Yu’er out of the palace; tomorrow, I won’t let you enter either. You may think that a woman’s reputation and image are most important, but as a mother, these things mean nothing compared to the importance of her children."
He Zhenyu felt a warmth in his heart and his nose tingled with emotion.
"Mother."
He grasped Anning’s hand: "I will make sure never to let you suffer again."