An Kang didn’t even lift her head to seek help from her husband,
because she knew it was useless!
It didn’t matter what the truth was, or whether her mother-in-law bullied her, her husband was considered the most filial son in the Daxia Dynasty.
Let alone a wife or children, even he would probably have to obey and listen to his elders, bowing his head meekly.
An Kang sadly thought to herself.
But suddenly, she heard her husband cry out in pain and looked up to see him staring at his mother in disbelief.
And then, what the mother-in-law said next made Commandery Princess An Kang feel like she was dreaming—
The mother-in-law was actually scolding her husband, and moreover, it seemed to be because of her, an outsider!
"I, I—" Commandery Princess An Kang, an outsider, was utterly astonished, let alone He Xi himself.
He widened his eyes, filled with incredulity.
As if He Tiantian did not notice the couple’s unusual expressions, she continued to scold, "Why are you standing there dumb? Hurry and help your wife up!"
"..." He Xi opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word.
Seeing He Xi’s "passive resistance," He Tiantian seemed even angrier; she glanced around the bedside, picked up an Eight Treasure Box filled with pastries and dried fruits, and made a motion to smash it on He Xi.
He Xi shivered, no longer daring to daze, and bent over to help Commandery Princess An Kang up.
Meanwhile, in the depths of He Tiantian’s sea of consciousness, she heard a delightful prompt, "Ding! He Xi’s hatred value +1!"
Ha, he truly is a "purely filial" good son.
If the original owner had experienced these, who knows what she would have thought.
He Tiantian thought of this and couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude.
However, she couldn’t afford to think too much because she still had much more acting to do.
"Really, you obviously care about your wife, yet you pretend to be indifferent. It’s only because Commandery Princess An Kang is kind-hearted, gentle, and tolerant that she doesn’t hold it against you!"
He Tiantian deliberately scolded He Xi, her adopted son.
Her words clearly meant to provide an excuse for her son to his wife, speaking well on his behalf.
Commandery Princess An Kang was somewhat surprised; such words were not unfamiliar to her, they had been spoken when she first married into the He Family.
Back then, her husband also always sided with his mother, but the mother-in-law seemed very kind and loving.
Every time she saw her being wronged, she would say something to defend He Xi.
An Kang, naive by nature, did not initially see through her mother-in-law’s schemes and truly believed she was a good mother-in-law.
Her husband was also good, just too filial and considerate of his mother’s hardships, which is why she suffered grievances.
An Kang was deeply moved; she suppressed the doubts in her heart, treated her mother-in-law like her own mother, and the old nursemaid who once whispered in her ear was sent away by her.
When she went to the Imperial Palace or returned to the Guo family, she often said she was fortunate to meet a kind and good mother-in-law.
It could be said, Ms. Hetian was able to quickly establish a good image in Capital City largely thanks to Commandery Princess An Kang.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long.
Before An Kang could feel moved for long, she gradually experienced the prowess of her mother-in-law.
What laid beneath the kindness was harsh, a sweet exterior with a bitter heart, a soft knife that cut the flesh, all pretense and insincerity... Over five or six years, An Kang fully understood.
However, with her gentle nature and no close elders from her natal family, she had nowhere to even express her grievances.
Her maternal grandmother and uncle indeed pitied her, but she wasn’t a daughter of the Royal Family; her surname was Guo, and she was a child of the Guo family.
However, because she grew up in the palace, she wasn’t close to her legitimate grandmother, aunts, and maternal uncles.
During her glory days, she didn’t have too close contact with these relatives.
Now that she was suffering in her in-laws’ house, she was too ashamed to go to them with her troubles.
Her father and two brothers were in the Northwest, apart from monthly letters, she barely saw their faces.
And affection is nurtured by presence.
Blood ties are important, but without constant contact, her reliance and trust in her father and brothers weren’t that strong.
Outsiders said Commandery Princess An Kang was fortunate to have so many people who loved and cared for her.
But in reality, An Kang felt extremely lonely; the only one who was good to her, the old nursemaid who had accompanied her since she was little, had also been sent back to her hometown to retire due to her own foolishness.
In Capital City, Commandery Princess An Kang felt utterly unsupported.
Though she was weak, she still had her dignity; fearing ridicule, she bore many grievances in the He Family without causing any disturbances!