During the palace examination, the Saint took one look at this young and handsome youth and directly appointed him as the Third Place Scholar.
When the top scholars paraded on horses through the street, He Xi was the most dazzling among the three, attracting countless young girls to throw flowers and fruits, even knocking his hat askew.
Among the many onlooking girls, there were also noble ladies seated in carriages or on the second floors of street-side shops.
Seeing the young and handsome Third Place Scholar, the noble ladies of marriageable age felt their hearts stir.
The He Family was poor, and He Xi was an eldest son raised by his widowed mother, but he was handsome and had become the Third Place Scholar; his prospects seemed promising.
Thus, some influential families began to take interest.
Among them, the highest in status and most favored by the Saint was none other than Princess An Kang.
Princess An Kang was not the daughter of a prince but the cherished niece of the Saint’s legitimate eldest sister, Princess Yongchang.
The Saint and Princess Yongchang were full siblings, but their birth mother was not favored.
When the Saint was still a prince, he was quite inconspicuous.
To support her brother, Princess Yongchang went to great lengths to marry the Princely Heir of Duke Wei Mansion.
Duke Wei was a founding hero of the Daxia Dynasty and one of the few nobles who commanded significant troops.
The Guo Family Army, renowned throughout the Daxia Dynasty, was the Divine Weapon most feared by the Hulu.
With the support of the Guo family and the strategizing of Princess Yongchang and her brother, the Saint smoothly ascended to the throne.
After seizing the throne, the Saint bestowed upon his eldest sister the title of Eldest princess and Local Community for ten thousand households.
Prince Consort Guo Hong was promoted to Great General, commanding one hundred thousand soldiers of the Northwest Army and guarding the border for the court.
The eldest and the second sons of Princess Yongchang also received official positions, having been appointed to the imperial guard from birth.
As they grew up, their prospects were boundless.
Princess An Kang was the youngest and the only daughter of Princess Yongchang.
During the year Princess Yongchang was heavily pregnant, coinciding with Prince Li’s rebellion, Princess Yongchang was severely injured while rescuing the Emperor.
Barely surviving and unwilling to let her newborn daughter bear the infamy of "mother-killing," Princess Yongchang held on with clenched teeth for three days before she passed away.
Princess An Kang was premature and weak; when she was born, she was as fragile as a kitten.
The Saint, grateful for his sister’s sacrifices and lifesaving grace, saw his niece, born from his sister’s life, and his heart of stone melted.
He treated this child as his own daughter, keeping her in the palace and personally raising her with the Empress Dowager.
When the child finally reached five years old, apparently no longer showing signs of fragility, the Saint officially named her Princess An Kang, granting her a Local Community of one thousand households, wishing her a life of peace and prosperity, free from cares.
Princess An Kang was unfortunate, with her mother dying early and her father away.
Yet, she was fortunate, cherished and doted on like a precious treasure by the most powerful mother and son in the Daxia Dynasty from her infancy.
And being a female, although surnamed Guo, she wouldn’t inherit the Guo Family Army or get involved in power struggles; not just the nobles or princes, but even the civil servants allowed the Royal Family to show her favor in every way.
One could say, as long as the Daxia Dynasty stood and as long as Princess An Kang herself did not rebel, she would always enjoy riches and honor.
Her husband and children would also be protected by royal grace.
She was not a princess, yet her favor and dignity surpassed that of princesses.
After Prince Consort Guo, the Saint began to suppress the power of other prince consorts.
Anyone marrying into the family would certainly enjoy wealth, but real power was not guaranteed: civil servants could not enter the cabinet, military generals could not lead troops in battle.
But Princess An Kang faced no such restrictions. Being only a commandery princess, yet deeply indulged by the Empress Dowager and Emperor, even the princes were friendlier towards her.
She also had the large backing of the Guo family.
Although the Saint began to suppress the military generals, he still showed some consideration for his brother-in-law, Guo Hong.
He did not seize his military power, but let him continue to defend the border.
Of course, the vast Duke Wei Mansion, with over a hundred people, all stayed in the Capital City.
Guo Hong, staying alone in the Northwest, if any of his concubines became pregnant, they would be promptly sent back.
The Saint was wary of Guo Hong, yet always indulgent towards Princess An Kang, granting every request, utterly compliant.
If it were someone else, probably they would have been spoiled into lawless royal children by the powerful mother and son of the palace.
But, Princess An Kang was naturally gentle, unprovocative even in the harem, and tender like a delicate Little White Flower.