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

Everyone took their seats early and waited for a long time before the emperor slowly arrived.

After Emperor Xiao Jin bestowed Laba porridge, the imperial relatives and ministers' families at the banquet offered their gratitude and flattery. Finally, the banquet began, and various song and dance performances by the music and dance troupe took to the stage one after another.

After several rounds of drinks, a group of songstresses had just finished their performance and left the stage, just as the atmosphere was at its most lively. Suddenly, Cao Xier stood up.

She bowed to Xiao Jin above and said sweetly, "Your Majesty, a few days ago it was my birthday, and my grandfather specially found a fine zither for me as a birthday gift. It is called Nine Heavens Jade Pendant. I have brought the zither with me today and wish to play a piece for Your Majesty. Please grant me permission."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked in Cao Xier's direction, and sure enough, the palace maid behind her was holding a zither.

The Nine Heavens Jade Pendant is indeed a fine zither, but it cannot be considered a top-tier famous zither. However, Cao Xier said that it was specially found by the Duke of Cao as a birthday gift for her, so it is extraordinary.

The aged voice of the Duke of Cao rang out: "Your Majesty, Xi'er is young, spoiled, and ignorant. Please do not let her run wild."

As he spoke, he turned to Cao Xier and said, "You silly girl, do you know how many fine zithers are hidden in the palace? What is a Nine Heavens Jade Pendant? You actually dare to show off in front of His Majesty. Sit down quickly."

Although he spoke words of reproach, the Duke of Cao's tone was not reproachful at all; on the contrary, it was full of doting affection for his beloved granddaughter.

Cao Xier called out in a coquettish tone, "Grandfather."

Seeing the grandfather and grandson exchanging pleasantries, the emperor naturally wouldn't refuse to give them face: "Duke Cao, you flatter me. What's wrong with this? I approve."

Cao Xier was overjoyed to receive permission: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After saying this, she had someone place the zither in the center of the hall, bowed again, and then sat down in front of the zither and began to pluck the strings and play.

No one present felt anything was wrong, and they all quieted down to appreciate the music.

Qi Ning, however, frowned slightly as she looked at the scene before her: "System, this wasn't in the original storyline, was it?"

"Indeed not," the system replied. "Host, could it be that the plot has changed?"

Qi Ning tapped her fingers lightly on the side of the wine glass, and said thoughtfully, "It's normal for the plot to change, after all, a big variable has appeared in this world now, and that is me."

In the original storyline, Chu Yiyao was the only concubine who was favored in the harem, which is why Cao Xier targeted her so specifically.

But now, the harem has gained a new favorite, Consort Ning, who is currently enjoying great popularity. On the surface, Consort Ning has even surpassed Consort Yao to become the so-called "number one person in the harem".

The system realized: "Host, you mean Cao Xier's actions are aimed at you?"

"pretty close."

Since Cao Xier contacted Chunliu a few days ago, it means that her original plan against Chu Yiyao should not have changed.

The only difference is that there's now an additional event involving dealing with Qi Ning.

Soon, Cao Xier finished playing her piece and stopped plucking the strings, and everyone applauded.

Even Emperor Xiao Jin gave her face, praising her, "Well done, as expected of the granddaughter of Duke Cao, she is indeed extraordinary."

The crowd echoed the emperor's praise, and for a moment, the entire hall was filled with words of praise.

Cao Xier stood up: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

A proud and confident smile appeared on her face, but what she said next was very humble: "Actually, I have always studied the zither, but I am not very good at playing the zither. My skills are shallow, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

She paused here, then turned to look at Qi Ning sitting next to her.

"I have heard that Consort Ning is famous for her skill in playing the zither, especially her piece 'Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank,' which is praised by everyone who has heard it. I wonder if we will have the honor of hearing Consort Ning play a piece for us today?"

Upon hearing this, everyone followed Cao Xier's gaze and looked at Qi Ning.

Among those present, some astutely realized that Cao Xier's performance today was well-prepared and specifically targeted at Consort Ning, and they couldn't help but feel a bit of amusement at the spectacle.

Even Chu Yiyao could tell that this Miss Cao was targeting Qi Ning. She sat next to Qi Ning and looked at her with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Xiao Yu, sitting opposite, appeared calm and showed no unusual expression, but his brows were actually slightly furrowed.

Cao Xier was indeed deliberately targeting Qi Ning.

It was rumored in the palace that His Majesty favored Consort Yao above all others.

The phrase "exclusive favor" sounds intimidating, but in Cao Xier's eyes, Chu Yiyao was just a country girl who couldn't be presented to the world. She only gained favor because she had saved the emperor, and in reality, she was not a big threat to her.

The only thing that worried her was that Chu Yiyao might become pregnant with the emperor's child before she entered the palace.

Therefore, Cao Xier had already bribed one of Chu Yiyao's maids, waiting to ruin her reputation at tonight's banquet.

But who would have thought that a few days ago a dark horse suddenly emerged in the palace, breaking the situation of Consort Yao's exclusive favor. Not only was she promoted to the rank of Consort, but her father was also promoted in his official position.

This person is Qi Ning.

There are rumors circulating in the palace that Consort Ning is even more favored than Consort Yao, who has been neglected by the Emperor lately because of her.

Cao Xier naturally viewed Qi Ning as a formidable enemy.

Unfortunately, time was of the essence, and Cao Xi'er did not have time to place people around Consort Ning before the Laba Festival palace banquet.

Nevertheless, she did not intend to let Qi Ning off so easily, which is why she specially designed this scene today.

Cao Xier knew that her preparations were insufficient. Although today's performance could not completely eliminate Consort Ning, it could at least dampen her arrogance and embarrass her in front of everyone, which would naturally affect His Majesty's favor towards her.

Since Cao Xier had said that, Qi Ning had no choice but to stand up and reply: "Miss Cao is too kind. My zither skills are really not top-notch. Moreover, I haven't practiced for a long time and have become rusty. How can I compare with Miss Cao?"

Cao Xier smiled and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to be so modest. Whether your zither skills are excellent or not, Your Highness can tell by demonstrating them. Or is it that Your Highness is unwilling to give me this face?"

Although she said this with a smile, her words clearly carried a coercive tone.

She is the granddaughter of the Duke of Cao, and even the current emperor has to give her some face. Does Qi Ning have more airs than the emperor?

"Xi'er," Cao Guogong said in a low voice, "You must not be disrespectful to Consort Ning."

Cao Xi'er said coquettishly, "Grandfather, how have I been rude? You're just making a fuss over nothing. Consort Ning wouldn't be so petty."

Then she looked at the emperor sitting at the head of the table and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask Consort Ning to play a tune?"

Xiao Jin saw through Cao Xier's little scheme, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction on his face.

In his view, this was nothing serious, just a little trick between women, and it wouldn't hurt to have Qi Ning play a tune.

“Of course.” Xiao Jin nodded slightly. He looked at Qi Ning and said condescendingly, “Consort Ning, since Miss Cao has said so, why don’t you play a piece?”

As soon as Xiao Jin finished speaking, Cao Xier echoed, "Look, His Majesty has agreed."

She then pointed to her zither and said, "It just so happens that this Nine Heavens Jade Pendant is here tonight. I suppose Consort Ning has never touched it before. Why don't you try my zither?"

Cao Xier's words implied that Qi Ning came from a humble background and had never seen such a fine zither before, so it was an honor for her to play it for her.

"Host, there's been tampering with that instrument; one of the strings is faulty," the system warned.

The system knew that its host could play the piano in her previous life, and it was not worried about the fact that the host was not the original owner being exposed. However, it was clear that this Cao Xier did not just want Qi Ning to play a piece of music.

The system checked and indeed found the problem.

"Ah."

Even without the system saying anything, Qi Ning had already figured it out.

Just now, when Cao Xier finished playing the zither and was speaking to Qi Ning, her hands remained on the zither.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the conversation between Cao Xier and Qi Ning, and almost no one noticed Cao Xier's hand, which was hidden by her sleeve, or the little movements she made with it.

The problematic string is the very string that must be touched when playing "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank," and as expected, that string will break as soon as it is touched.

Qi Ning didn't take these petty tricks seriously.

Since Xiao Jin had spoken, she couldn't refuse any longer, so she curtsied to him and said, "Your Majesty, I obey your command."

Then, Qi Ning looked at Cao Xier with a half-smile: "However, Miss Cao, this zither was a gift from Duke Cao, and it is extremely precious. I dare not use it, otherwise it would be bad if it were damaged."

She turned her gaze to Xiao Jin: "Your Majesty, may we ask the Music Teaching Hall to bring up another zither?"

Just as Xiao Jin was about to nod in agreement, Cao Xier spoke up first: "Why go through all this trouble? It doesn't really matter what kind of zither you use. If it's played normally, how could it be damaged? Consort Ning, please come in."

She practically said, "Don't waste time."

Qi Ning sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Alright, then I'll respectfully comply."

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Cao Xier quickly made way for Qi Ning.

"Host, what should we do?" The system was a little worried for Qi Ning.

It could already picture the scene of the string breaking later.

Embarrassment is a minor matter; the real problem is that Cao Xier will definitely use this opportunity to cling to her.

"What's the panic?" Qi Ning replied indifferently.

Qi Ning sat down in front of the zither, and just as she raised her hand to touch the strings, she suddenly stopped.

She raised her head and said directly to the emperor, "Your Majesty, although the song 'Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank' is a classic, I'm sure everyone here is already tired of hearing it. Why don't you allow me to play another piece?"

Cao Xi'er was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected Qi Ning to say that.

But at this moment she did not know Qi Ning’s purpose in doing so. She thought that it didn’t matter what tune she played, as long as Qi Ning touched that string, the string would definitely break.

It was just playing a piece of music; it didn't matter what he played. Xiao Jin casually agreed, "Granted."

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