The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 186: Chapter 185: Slapping the Green Tea Empress Dowager (Part 2)

Xu Anning was initially unaware that Prince Kang harbored feelings for He Yiqiu.

She had always lived in what she believed was happiness.

She thought her children were sensible and filial; although Prince Kang was not passionate towards her, he entrusted her with managing the affairs of the residence and had no other women. This was a hundred times better than many men in the Capital.

However, when Prince Kang forcefully married her daughter to that ruthless and unprincipled little Emperor, leading to her daughter’s tragic death in the palace and also causing the death of her son, and when he himself relinquished power to appease He Yiqiu, only to be purged by the little Emperor, it was then that Xu Anning realized that, for all these years, Prince Kang had been in love with He Yiqiu.

When He Yiqiu was a concubine, he disregarded the Emperor’s jealousy and planted his own people in the palace, all to protect He Yiqiu. Afterwards, upon the late Emperor’s death, he supported He Yiqiu’s son to ascend to the throne and helped stabilize the court.

The little Emperor was raised and taught by Prince Kang himself.

The care Prince Kang invested in the little Emperor was far more than for his own son.

But the little Emperor was not at all grateful.

The little Emperor always suspected that Prince Kang harbored intentions of usurping the throne and believed him to be conniving.

Moreover, the little Emperor always knew of Prince Kang’s intentions towards the Empress Dowager. He abhorred Prince Kang’s lack of self-respect, despised his closeness with the Empress Dowager, and detested even more the fact that Prince Kang controlled the court affairs, leaving him, the Emperor, with no real authority.

What he hated most was that Prince Kang even married his daughter to him, attempting to control him through this act.

When the little Emperor took personal power and obtained command of the troops, he began his purge.

First to suffer was Prince Kang’s daughter; as soon as she entered the palace, the little Emperor and the Empress Dowager force-fed her a sterility drug. She never conceived, and for this, the little Emperor deposed her, and she was tormented to death.

Then, bit by bit, he wore down Prince Kang’s authority and secretly caused the death of Prince Kang’s son.

Prince Kang clearly knew the little Emperor hated him, but for the Empress Dowager, he continued to endure in silence.

It was all because the Empress Dowager’s promises were too enticing—once the little Emperor grew up and firmly secured the throne, the Empress Dowager would retreat to the countryside with Prince Kang to live a happy life just for the two of them.

Prince Kang believed these absurd promises of the Empress Dowager, indulging in these beautiful dreams.

When he was thrown into the Heavenly Prison by the little Emperor on charges of conspiring to usurp the throne, with Xu Anning also enduring untold suffering alongside him, he still had no regrets. His own death would have been acceptable, but he dragged down everyone else not only to die miserably but also to bear a lasting stigma.

Anning truly did not know what to say about Prince Kang.

He regarded himself as having profound devotion, loyal to the Empress Dowager and the little Emperor.

But, he failed to consider that he was not alone.

Behind him stood his wife and children, and a host of subordinates who followed him.

He was willing to die willingly, but what of others?

His wife and children had always been kind to others, never having committed any evil deeds—were they to be unjustly assassinated just because of his selfishness?

What about those subordinates who had followed him through life and death?

Those people were loyal to him, having done so much for him, with some facing life and death multiple times. Yet, in the end, they were not rewarded with honor or secured futures for their families but instead faced desolation and the loss of their lives.

Why should this be?

If Prince Kang loved the Empress Dowager so much, why not remain alone for life, loyal to her like jade?

Why did he marry and have children?

It’s not as if Xu Anning had no choice but to marry him; aside from him, there were plenty of others she could have married.

And those subordinates of his also followed him seeking to achieve success and fame. But what did they end up with? They brought disaster upon their families and implicated the entire extended clan.

Prince Kang was simply a scumbag among fighters.

And that Empress Dowager He Yiqiu.

This one’s a proper green tea bitch.

If she liked Prince Kang, why didn’t she marry him back then, instead of entering the palace to become a concubine?

Now that she’s a concubine, she should stop flirting with Prince Kang.

Prince Kang clearly has a wife and children, yet she clings to him, making him do this and that for her.

In the end, she cries innocently a few times, claiming everything was forced upon her, that she was helpless, but what about others? Are they supposed to be just stepping stones for her?

Anning gritted her teeth, cursing that pair of treacherous lovers in her heart.

At the same time, she also felt especially sorry for Prince Kang’s children.

These two children were truly very good, but they lost their lives because of a scum father.

No wonder the original host harbored such deep hatred and intense resentful energy.

If Anning were treated this way, she would harbor even more hatred than the original host.

Anning’s gaze grew heavy; she took a deep breath and suppressed the fullness of resentful energy left by the original host.

She carefully recalled and finally understood the time point to which she had arrived.

It was the time when the late Emperor had passed away, and with the help of Prince Kang, He Yiqiu helped the little Emperor ascend to the throne, and she became the Empress Dowager, while Prince Kang became the Regent King.

It had only been two years since the late Emperor’s death, and Prince Kang began to frequent the harem.

Actually, the court Ministers had also noticed the signs.

But no one had ever mentioned it to Xu Anning, and she was still in the dark about it.

This time, the Empress Dowager’s birthday was approaching. Since it hadn’t been three full years since the late Emperor’s death, she felt it was unnecessary to celebrate her own birthday, but before the birthday, she summoned a few daughters and wives of the significant court officials into the palace for a chat, just for a bit of joyous distraction.

Xu Anning was also among those summoned.

It was this time that Xu Anning entered the palace cheerfully, but before she got to the Empress Dowager’s Shoukang Palace, she encountered the little Emperor.

The little Emperor was still young at that time, not yet adept at concealing his feelings. He was angry that Prince Kang was oppressing his mother and him but couldn’t do anything to Prince Kang. He happened to run into Xu Anning, Princess Kang, and vented his anger on her.

He accused Xu Anning of bumping into him and punished her by making her kneel in the palace in front of many people. She knelt for several hours, and when she was carried back, her knees were nearly crippled. Since then, her health deteriorated, and she was plagued with illnesses, bedridden for years to come.

Yet, Prince Kang, her husband, actually said, ’A subject must die if the Emperor orders it’, and told her to visit the palace less often to avoid offending the Emperor. He never thought to seek justice for her, wasting his powerful status in the court and at home.

Anning laughed when she dredged up this memory.

She would not be as foolish as the original host, swallowing her pride for Prince Kang.

This time, if the little Emperor wanted to trouble her, she would turn the Imperial Palace upside down.

After all, He Yiqiu still needed Prince Kang’s support, and the little Emperor was too young to rule himself, so even if she caused a scene, the mother and son would probably only be able to swallow their pride like the original host.

Anning had thought through many things and then called her maids to help her change clothes and do her makeup.

She was entering the palace early to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday, naturally dressing particularly splendidly.

Layers of clothes put on, Anning felt especially heavy.

Then, she had to wear a full set of jewelry, looking like a walking jewelry display.

When Anning stood up, she almost fell over.

She steadied herself on the table: ”I feel dizzy, and my legs are also very weak.”

The maid, Xiangming, who was dressing Anning, expressed her concern: ”Princess, if you are feeling unwell, what should we do? You can’t delay the time to enter the palace, and the Princess is...”

Anning waved her hand: ”It’s alright. Call a few maids who know some martial arts to accompany me into the palace. In case anything happens, they will be able to help support me.”