Chapter 186 - 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.