Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

Chapter 326 Slavery Policy

Kang Xiaorong's tone of voice when he was talking seemed to be no different from usual, and he was completely different from the haggard and miserable appearance he had yesterday.

Seeing that he recovered from the grief so quickly, Ji Anni was also relieved for him. Maybe letting go of the past feelings is not a bad thing, as long as you have the courage to face a new life.

"Now the will of heaven has been decided. How can I go against it?" Kang Xiaorong shook his head indifferently. His expression was exactly the same as the expression when Huarong shook his head yesterday.

"Major General, you once said that there might be a better man to love Princess Tianning in the future, but that man will definitely not be you. Do you want to take back what you said now?"

"I will never talk about the future again, and you don't have to ask me anymore... I don't want to think about anything, I just want to live my life in accordance with fate." Kang Xiaorong avoided Ji Anni's question. However, Ji Anni could still hear the meaning in his words. Although he had given up on Hua Rong, he still had no intention of falling in love with Princess Tianning.

If Huarong said she loved him yesterday, what would have happened? Kang Xiaorong's courage and impulse were all shattered by Huarong's attitude yesterday. He was unwilling to pursue her and was unwilling to persist.

"Major General, there is something I really want to say to you..." Ji Anni said worriedly.

"Then please speak frankly, Your Majesty." Kang Xiaorong seemed to be able to guess what Ji Annie wanted to ask, and waved the sword in his hand with pretended indifference.

Ji Anni said: "Tian Ning really likes you. Since you have decided to marry her, don't let her down..."

Hearing the expected words, Kang Xiaorong smiled softly and replied, "I have remembered what your Majesty said, but I also have something to say to you."

"You say something too." Ji Anni listened attentively, hoping that he wouldn't accuse her of meddling in other people's business.

Kang Xiaorong hesitated a little, pursed his lips and said: "My queen, I am not a good person."

He believed that he was not a loyal and obedient subordinate, nor a lifelong home, but in Ji Anni's eyes, he became a wise and loyal minister. He stood in the vortex of Kang's power grab, tried to murder the emperor, and did some things that were sorry to Ji Anni. However, Ji Anni still foolishly trusted him, thinking that he could bring the happiness that Princess Tianning wanted.

How can a person who can't even find his own happiness bring happiness to others?

"Huh?" Ji Anni rubbed her ears, suspecting that she had misheard, "What did you just say?"

Kang Xiaorong smiled and didn't repeat it.

Seeing Kang Xiaorong's unwillingness to cooperate, Ji Anni said, "Actually... people who know they are not good people are usually not that bad. I hope you will turn back."

As he said this, he reached his hand out of the window and patted Kang Xiaorong on the shoulder jokingly, as if he was comforting a frustrated child.

"Your Majesty is such a wonderful person." Kang Xiaorong laughed again, and this time his smile finally had some warmth, no longer as cold as before.

Ji Anni's mood also brightened. She leaned on the windowsill and said, "No more talking. General, continue practicing sword skills. I'll watch the fun too."

She hadn't watched TV or martial arts movies for a long time, so seeing Kang Xiaorong practicing swordsmanship could satisfy her visual craving.

Ji Anni looked at Kang Xiaorong dancing with a sword with a bleak gaze, and sighed dejectedly in her heart: Alas, it’s a long way to go home, and I may never be able to go back...

At this moment, Hua Rong, who had gone to get porridge for Ji Anni, came. Seeing Ji Anni lying on the windowsill, she called out, "My lady, what's wrong? What are you looking at?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Kang Xiaorong's figure outside the window, and Huarong was stunned with surprise.

The yard was very quiet in the morning, and Hua Rong's voice fell clearly into the ears of Kang Xiaorong who was dancing with the sword outside the window. Kang Xiaorong stopped dancing with the sword, stood in the yard, and looked at Hua Rong.

They stood across the window and stared at each other blankly for a while. Huarong pretended she saw nothing and lowered her head.

Seeing this, Kang Xiaorong put away his sword and turned back to the house.

They couldn't be lovers, and they couldn't even be friends. Now Huarong and Kang Xiaorong were like two strangers.

Even strangers are better than them. At least when strangers meet, it's not like a cold wave passing through, freezing the air around them into ice.

Ji Anni closed the window, came to Hua Rong, and asked, "Hua Rong, you still like the young general, right?"

Hua Rong did not answer.

"Flower face..."

When Ji Anni was about to ask more, Hua Rong picked up the bowl of porridge and said, "My Lady, drink this almond porridge that you love the most while it's hot."

Hua Rong wanted to use porridge to shut up Ji Annie.

Forget it, since you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. Ji Anni drank the porridge obediently.

#

After Kang Xiaorong returned to the room, he threw the sword on the table. He walked quickly to the bedside and sat down, hugging his head tightly. The scene of looking at Huarong just now was still in front of his eyes. Even if he closed his eyes tightly, he could still see her standing in front of him without saying a word, and saw her lowering her head indifferently, cutting off his gaze from her.

Her indifference and calmness, like poisonous arrows, pierced deeply into Kang Xiaorong's heart. He thought he could give up on her and forget her, but when they met again, he realized that some feelings could not be let go. Kang Xiaorong finally understood what Princess Tianning said to him by the river that day. He had wanted to break up and give up, but he couldn't do it.

Dare to think, but can't do it.

He sat quietly beside the bed, dazed, not knowing what he was thinking about, and time passed by. The breakfast brought by the eunuch was placed on the table, but he didn't even touch it.

Near noon, there was a sudden voice outside the door.

Kang Xiaorong turned his head to look at the door and saw the Queen Mother. He stood up hurriedly and wanted to salute the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother raised her hand and exempted him from the courtesy.

Behind the Empress Dowager followed Eunuch Lian, who had had a very unpleasant argument with Kang Xiaorong on the day the imperial edict was read out. When he saw Kang Xiaorong, there was a hint of contempt and resentment in his eyes.

Kang Xiaorong, who was heartbroken and frustrated, no longer had the energy to get angry at the eunuch. The only thing he could do was to try not to look at Eunuch Lian's face and treat him as an invisible ball of air.

After what happened yesterday, Kang Xiaorong's temper was smoothed out and he became indifferent to everything. Who to marry? Who to love? The past? The future? All of them became irrelevant to him.

The Queen Mother's voice came to my ears: "The Imperial Hospital is a place for recuperation. I know that the young general is injured, so I deliberately didn't let the palace servants pass on the message, for fear of disturbing the young general."

No wonder she came to the door without anyone noticing. She was probably not worried about disturbing anyone, but she deliberately didn't want to give Kang Xiaorong time to pretend to be sick and lie down in bed.

Kang Xiaorong replied insincerely, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness."

"We will soon be a family. Young General, there is no need to be polite to me." The Queen Mother smiled and seemed to say these words deliberately to stimulate Kang Xiaorong and observe his reaction.

If it were in the past, Kang Xiaorong would definitely show a look of disdain, but now his expression was calm, as if he heard nothing.

Without waiting for Kang Xiaorong to answer, the Queen Mother continued, "I heard that the young general went to Wenhuayuan yesterday?"

Kang Xiaorong had a bad feeling and said nothing. He just waited for the Queen Mother to continue.

After a short pause, the Queen Mother continued, "Since the young general can get out of bed and walk, it means that his injury is no longer serious. Since his injury is no longer serious... Young General, it should be time to prepare for your marriage with Tian Ning, right? I plan to summon the general to the palace today to discuss the wedding date in detail, but before that, I would like to confirm your opinion again."

Kang Xiaorong said, "I have no objection. Please let the Queen Mother and my father decide the wedding date."

Such absolute obedience is actually a kind of helpless resistance.

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Young General, after you marry Tianning, I will make you the King of Rong and grant you the three cities of Dongdu as your fiefdom. You can be relieved of your post as the Imperial Palace Commandant. You don't have to serve in the Imperial Palace or worry about official business anymore. You can live a life of luxury as long as you stay in your fiefdom. Tianning likes to travel and you can accompany her to visit famous mountains and rivers. You can move into the palaces in the east, west, south and north at any time without asking the Emperor for permission."

What a rich dowry! It was like giving them half the world. Except for the lack of a crown or a dragon robe, their luxury in food, lodging and entertainment was no different from that of an emperor.

However, as a descendant of the Kang family, which had been a family of military generals for generations, the Empress Dowager did not leave Kang Xiaorong any military or political power. He even had to give up control of the several imperial guards that he had been able to call upon when he was the imperial palace commander.

The Queen Mother's intention was very clear. She only gave money, not power.

While giving Kang Xiaorong enough money to enjoy himself, the princess did not want him to have any real power. She only wanted Kang Xiaorong to be an aristocratic squire who would accompany the princess for the rest of his life to enjoy peace and prosperity, wealth and glory. From then on, he would enjoy glory and never interfere in any government affairs again.

Such an affluent life is probably the dream of many people, but for Kang Xiaorong, it is like putting a label of "woodworm" on his forehead.

What the Queen Mother wanted was not a prince consort, nor a capable and virtuous minister to whom the princess could entrust her life, but a male slave who did nothing, accompanied the princess in her life of debauchery, and obeyed her orders.

Kang Xiaorong really wanted to burst into laughter, laughing at himself for being at the mercy of others and at the Queen Mother's well-planned enslavement policy.