Because the little one was scared of spicy food, he saw the purple dish and clamped his small mouth shut like a clam, refusing to eat no matter what.
...
The news from the palace had already reached General Ning's Mansion.
Upon hearing that Emperor Zhong had been captured, and that the Empress Dowager, the Ninth Prince, and several influential ministers were selecting a new emperor, General Ning was both furious and shocked.
What angered him was how little regard these people had for him. Was he not considered one of the prominent figures in court? Even if Emperor Zhong was no longer viable, wasn't such a critical matter of choosing a new monarch something he, as the great general, should have some say in?
What shocked him was that the Empress Dowager was choosing a candidate for emperor rather than directly appointing the legitimate son of the Emperor to ascend the throne.
