Quick Transmigration: The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character's Revenge

The emperor sat behind his desk and looked at Xiao Yu, saying slowly, "You are not young anymore, and it is time for you to settle down and start a family. Your mother came to see me yesterday about this matter."

"The Imperial Household Department will arrange a general election next March. Your mother's idea is for me to take advantage of this election to choose a princess for you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu frowned instantly and put down the teacup in his hand.

The emperor continued, "This matter was also my oversight. I waited until your mother brought it up herself. I called you here today to ask you in advance if you have a girl you like, so that I can bestow a marriage upon you."

"If not, your mother and I have discussed it. The eldest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the youngest daughter of the Minister of Rites, and the fifth young lady of the Marquis of Jian'an are all good candidates to be your principal wife."

"Uncle Emperor!"

Xiao Yu stood up, his face tense: "My nephew has no intention of getting married yet, so let's put this matter aside for now."

"What?" The emperor raised an eyebrow slightly. "You have someone you like? If she's not on the list of candidates, you can tell me. Even if she can't be your principal wife, it wouldn't be so bad to give her to you as a concubine."

"No," Xiao Yu denied. "I don't have anyone I like. I just don't want to get married too early."

"Is it too early? You're already at the age where you should be settling down. Even if you don't want to marry a wife yet, you can take two concubines first."

“Uncle, there’s really no need.” Xiao Yu said firmly, “Uncle, you don’t need to worry about this matter. I will explain it to Mother.”

Seeing Xiao Yu's repeated refusals, the emperor's gaze towards him deepened.

Just then, Eunuch Wu suddenly knocked on the door and came in.

"Your Majesty, Consort Yao requests an audience."

Eunuch Wu looked at the emperor, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Because His Highness Prince Yu was there, he couldn't speak directly, but Eunuch Wu secretly thought that Consort Yao was probably here because of the matter of Consort Lin being sentenced to death.

Judging from Eunuch Wu's expression, the emperor roughly guessed what was going on.

He turned to look at Xiao Yu, rubbed his fingers together, and said, "There's still some time before the New Year's election. You should discuss this matter with your mother first."

He spoke these words slowly and deliberately, yet with an undeniable air of authority.

Xiao Yu knew that the emperor wanted to see Consort Yao, so he didn't have time to investigate further.

He breathed a sigh of relief: "I understand, then I'll take my leave now."

"Go," the emperor waved his hand.

Xiao Yu left the main hall and met Chu Yiyao at the entrance. Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and after a brief greeting, Chu Yiyao went inside to see the emperor, while Xiao Yu left with a heavy heart.

Two things weighed on Xiao Yu's mind, and he barely slept a wink that night.

For Xiao Yu, getting married wasn't a difficult decision.

Before he and Qi Ning had any interaction, he would have naturally followed the arrangements of his elders when it came to marrying wives and taking concubines.

But things are different now. He and Qi Ning have that kind of relationship, and his sense of responsibility doesn't allow him to let Qi Ning down.

Besides a sense of responsibility, he also felt tenderness and attraction towards Qi Ning.

Under these circumstances, it would be impossible for Xiao Yu to marry a princess. This would not only be a betrayal of Qi Ning, but also irresponsible towards that innocent woman.

The key to this matter is to figure out how to explain it to the old princess and the emperor without arousing their suspicion.

In contrast, what truly gave Xiao Yu a headache and made things difficult was something else entirely.

Now that the affair between Lin Xiuyi and her husband has just been exposed, the guard, Lin Xiuyi, and their families have all met their end.

And what about him and Qi Ning?

Xiao Yu wasn't afraid of death.

He was seriously injured and on the verge of death while protecting the emperor, and it took him half a year to recover.

In his view, he had already died once.

Xiao Yu was worried about Qi Ning's safety.

If the emperor finds out about their affair, not only will they be implicated, but the Prince's mansion, his mother, and the entire Qi family will also be affected.

This is something Xiao Yu doesn't want to see.

After thinking for a long time, Xiao Yu felt that sending Qi Ning out of the palace might be the best option.

After all, Qi Ning was not favored in the palace and was even used by the emperor. Now that such a thing has happened, she is in even greater danger in the palace.

But the question is, is Qi Ning willing to leave the palace?

Was her sorrow and melancholy due to the humiliation of being a pawn, or because she loved His Majesty but could not have him?

Did she have feelings for him that night, or was it just a momentary impulse while drunk?

Would she be willing to abandon the riches, status, and power of the palace to leave with him?

Xiao Yu was unaware of Qi Ning's thoughts, and therefore, he was eager to meet her.

But reason prevailed, and he suppressed the thought.

Now that Lin Xiuyi's affair has just happened, he cannot risk seeing her at this juncture, otherwise it will cause trouble for Qi Ning if he is discovered.

After deliberating for a night, Xiao Yu decided to go see his mother first and postpone the marriage.

The next morning, Xiao Yu went to the old princess's residence in the palace.

"Mother concubine."

"Yu'er is here. I was just about to send someone to call you over." As soon as the old princess saw Xiao Yu, she smiled and pulled him to sit down next to her.

She dismissed all the other servants, leaving only her personal maid, and then asked, "I heard His Majesty summoned you yesterday?"

"Yes, my son came here to talk to you about this."

Before Xiao Yu could continue, the old princess interrupted, "I also have something to say to you. The other day when I went to ask His Majesty to grant you a marriage, His Majesty proposed three suitable candidates for your principal wife: the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the youngest daughter of the Minister of Rites, and the fifth daughter of the Marquis of Jian'an. You know this, right?"

Not wanting to interrupt the old princess, Xiao Yu could only hum in agreement.

The old princess was holding a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet, and her expression turned serious.

She said slowly, "The three candidates Your Majesty mentioned are actually quite good, but Yu'er, as you know, the reason why Your Majesty spared us was firstly because your father saved Your Majesty when he was young, and secondly because we were law-abiding citizens and had no desire for the throne or power."

"Later, because of your merit in saving the emperor, and even because you almost lost your life in doing so, His Majesty finally trusted you completely."

Xiao Yu didn't know what the old princess meant by bringing up these past events, but he listened patiently.

The old princess sighed: "Although His Majesty now favors us mother and son, he is ultimately a suspicious emperor. Of the three candidates he proposed, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has real power, the Minister of Rites is next, and only the Marquis of Jian'an has little real power."

When Xiao Yu heard the news yesterday, he was preoccupied with how to refuse and had no time to think about the deeper implications.

"You mean, His Majesty is testing us?"

The old princess nodded: "This is my guess, but it's not impossible."

"Therefore, I have thought about it. The Jian'an Marquis's family is worthy of our royal family, and it will not arouse His Majesty's suspicion. The fifth young lady of the Marquis's family, Qin Yirou, is the legitimate daughter of the main wife, and she is the most suitable to be your legal wife."

"Moreover, I am also familiar with Lady Jian'an. You know Yi Rou, a well-behaved, beautiful, gentle and generous girl."

The old princess looked at Xiao Yu, seeking his approval: "Yu'er, what do you think?"

Xiao Yu was surprised that the old princess had come to this conclusion after analyzing everything.

“Mother, there’s no need for such trouble. I have a better way.”

"What?" The old princess leaned over.

That means I won't marry anyone.

The old princess's smile froze on her lips: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not talking nonsense."

Xiao Yu said solemnly, "Mother, I am serious. I have no intention of getting married for the time being. Let's put this matter aside for now."

“What do you mean you don’t have any thoughts of settling down? You should have settled down by now at your age. How can you keep putting it off?” The old princess’s tone became agitated.

"Is it because you are not satisfied with Qin Yirou?" the old princess consort compromised. "If so, whether you want to marry the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review or the second eldest daughter of the Minister of Rites, even if it might arouse His Majesty's suspicion, it is not entirely impossible."

"That's not what I meant. No matter who it is, I have no intention of getting married," Xiao Yu said seriously, without a hint of joking.

Seeing him like this, the old princess was even more puzzled. What man wouldn't want to get married?

She thought for a moment and asked Xiao Yu, "Could it be that you already have someone you like?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu fell silent and did not reply.

Seeing this, the old princess knew that he had tacitly agreed.

She had no idea that her son had fallen for someone.

"Which family's daughter is she?" she asked.

Xiao Yu still did not answer.

Seeing his reaction, the old princess knew that they were not a good match.

She didn't rush to ask further questions, but instead said earnestly, "My son, the three candidates His Majesty mentioned are the most suitable for you as your principal wife. If you take a fancy to a girl from another family, you can bring her into the palace as a concubine. As for the choice of your principal wife, you absolutely cannot act recklessly!"

"I have already invited Yi Rou over today. She will be here soon. You can meet her first and then talk."

Upon hearing the old princess say that the fifth young lady of the Marquis's mansion would be coming later, Xiao Yu's expression immediately changed. He did not want to run into that fifth young lady.

“Mother, I have no intention of marrying a wife or taking a concubine, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

After saying that, he stood up and said, "My son has other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Hey, wait a minute! What could be so urgent? Yi Rou will be here soon. You should at least see her!" The old princess stood up and stopped her.

But Xiao Yu ignored the old princess's objections and turned to leave.

"This kid!"

The old princess's personal nanny supported her, saying, "Don't worry."

The old princess paced back and forth: "How can I not be anxious? I don't know what's wrong with this child today. I should have sent Yirou over earlier."

Xiao Yu quickly left the old princess's courtyard.

He knew that the old princess wouldn't be able to accept this for a while, and more importantly, he couldn't reveal the real reason.

Today, the old princess invited the fifth young lady of the Marquis's mansion over. Xiao Yu did not want to meet her, so he had to leave first and come back another day to continue persuading her.

But to Xiao Yu's surprise, not long after he and Fang Ping left the courtyard, they ran into Qin Yirou, the fifth young lady of the Marquis's mansion.

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