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

Everyone in the Changping Marquis's residence knelt in the courtyard to receive the imperial edict. The chief eunuch sent by the emperor unfolded the edict and read it aloud in a high-pitched voice:

"It is God's destiny, the emperor decreed:

We have heard that Qi Ning, daughter of Marquis Qi Congming of Changping, is gentle, dignified, and of outstanding character and appearance. The Empress Dowager and I were delighted to hear this. Now that the Third Prince, Prince Qing, is of marriageable age, we should choose a virtuous woman to marry him. Qi Ning is currently young and at home, and she and Prince Qing are a perfect match. To facilitate this happy occasion, we hereby betroth Qi Ning to Prince Qing as his Princess Consort.

All the ceremonies were to be handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and the wedding was to take place three months later.

Admire this! "

The moment the imperial edict was issued, everyone in the Marquis's mansion was astonished.

Qi Jingyu frowned almost immediately.

Thinking back to Prince Qing's words and actions when facing Qi Ning yesterday, Qi Jingyu had already been on guard. However, he did not expect that the emperor and Prince Qing would act so quickly and bestow the marriage today.

And the wedding date was set so hastily, just three months from now.

"Miss Qi, please accept the imperial decree!" the eunuch reminded her with a smile.

In fact, Qi Ning was not surprised. After meeting Prince Qing yesterday, she had already prepared herself mentally.

When Prince Qing went to the palace to ask the emperor for a decree to grant her marriage, the system had already informed her of this matter.

Upon hearing the eunuch's reminder, Qi Ning looked somewhat bewildered, thanked the eunuch, and accepted the imperial edict from his hands.

When she took the imperial edict and turned around, she met Qi Jingyu's gaze as he looked up.

Qi Ning paused, then looked away.

At this point, the old lady came to her senses, arranged for someone to serve tea to the eunuchs who had come to deliver the imperial decree, and gave each of them some money as a bribe before sending them away.

After the eunuchs who had delivered the imperial edict left, the old lady dismissed all the bystanders and immediately asked Qi Congming.

"Second Prince, what exactly is going on? Why would His Majesty suddenly bestow a marriage upon Ning'er?"

Qi Congming looked dejected: "Mother, I only just learned of His Majesty's intentions. His Majesty said that when Ning'er went to the Duke of Cheng's mansion yesterday, she met Prince Qing. Prince Qing fell in love with Ning'er at first sight and went to His Majesty to ask for a decree to grant them a marriage."

Of course, Qi Congming knew that this was only the superficial reason.

In reality, it must have been the emperor who learned of Qi Ning's budding relationship with the eldest son of the Minister of Revenue and the heir of the Duke of Cheng. Because of him, the emperor did not allow him to form in-law relationships with other high-ranking officials and nobles, which is why he deliberately arranged the marriage.

Ultimately, it's all because of him, the father...

He should have realized this earlier and shouldn't have shown Qi Ning his fortune so soon; otherwise, he wouldn't have attracted the emperor's attention.

Although the old lady is quite old, she still has some knowledge of and interest in royal affairs.

She knew that Prince Qing was one of the emperor's most favored princes.

Logically speaking, the emperor's decision to marry Qi Ning to his most beloved prince as a princess was an act of divine grace. Most people would be overjoyed to receive such good news, but the lady of the house felt uneasy.

She asked, "What about His Highness Prince Qing? I heard he already has a concubine in his palace?"

Zeng Wanqing replied, "That's right. Prince Qing already has two concubines who just entered the palace at the beginning of this year. Besides them, it seems there are quite a few other concubines."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face instantly turned worried. She grabbed Qi Ning's hand: "This... this Prince Qing is indeed of noble status, but Ning'er marrying into that family... and the wedding date is a bit too hasty..."

The old lady understood, of course, that it was normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, let alone the royal family. Qi Ning was the principal wife when she married into the Prince of Qing's mansion, which already showed that the emperor valued the marquis's family.

But Qi Ning was someone the old lady had watched grow up, so she still felt very sorry for her.

Qi Congming understood the old lady's meaning perfectly well; he knew Prince Qing's character better than they did.

Putting aside his temperament and abilities for the moment, just consider his affairs in the inner court; at such a young age, he already had quite a few concubines.

"Ning'er, what are you thinking?" Qi Congming asked.

He believed that Qi Ning's opinion should be sought in this matter.

Qi Ning hadn't spoken until now, and seemed a little dazed, as if she hadn't accepted the fact yet. Only when she heard Qi Congming ask her that did she raise her head.

"My father asked me what I thought? What good is it to ask him what I think?"

She curled her lips into a slight smile and slowly asked, "If I say I don't want to marry Prince Qing, can Father defy the imperial decree?"

After saying that, she got up and left.

"Ning'er!"

Qi Congming called her name, but Qi Ning did not stop walking at all.

The old lady sighed deeply: "Ning'er is right. Can we really disobey the imperial decree? We should just focus on preparing for her wedding."

Qi Congming did not respond to this.

After leaving the old lady's courtyard, Qi Congming and Qi Jingyu went into the study.

Qi Jingyu stood in front of Qi Congming and said coldly, "We can't wait any longer. Let's move the plan forward."

"What does the young master mean?" Qi Congming asked incredulously.

Qi Jingyu looked at him with a very certain gaze.

Qi Congming then realized Qi Jingyu's meaning. His lips trembled as he said, "Young Master, have you thought this through? This is much ahead of our plan. If it fails, it could very well destroy all the years of preparation you've been waiting for!"

Qi Jingyu's expression was exceptionally serious. He calmly said, "We've been preparing for long enough. What's wrong with bringing it forward a little? Are we just going to watch Ning'er marry Prince Qing?"

"If she were willing, that would be fine, but didn't you see what she meant just now? She clearly doesn't want to marry Prince Qing!"

Qi Congming naturally knew that Qi Ning was unwilling.

Even if she were willing, Prince Qing wouldn't be a good match; in fact, one could say he was their enemy.

If they succeed in their marriage and Prince Qing becomes his son-in-law, this matter will be difficult to handle.

Qi Congming certainly wanted to help Qi Ning get rid of this marriage, but his first thought was whether there were other ways. He didn't expect that Qi Jingyu would decide to act ahead of schedule, which would be a great risk for him.

Qi Congming thought that Qi Jingyu treated Qi Ning as a younger sister, which was why he risked his life for her, and he was filled with emotion.

He was about to kneel down: "This subordinate thanks you on behalf of Ning'er, young master..."

Qi Jingyu grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"There's no need for these formalities. Let's discuss the follow-up matters as soon as possible."

While Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming were discussing their plan in the study, Qi Ning was alone in her bedroom.

"Host, you were right! Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming are going to act ahead of schedule!" the system exclaimed.

"Hmm," Qi Ning responded faintly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

In the original storyline, Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming only made their move after Zeng Wanqing gave birth, but now Zeng Wanqing is only three months pregnant, so logically they wouldn't act so soon.

But after the incident involving Prince Qing, Qi Ning wondered if Qi Jingyu might act prematurely because of her.

In hindsight, she was right.

"Host, you really hold a lot of weight in Qi Jingyu's heart. He took action ahead of time for you, which was a huge risk for him," the system said.

Qi Ning was well aware of the risks of acting ahead of time. She was touched by Qi Jingyu's actions for her. She lay down on the couch and closed her eyes.

Qi Jingyu stayed in Qi Congming's study for a long time before leaving to return to his own courtyard.

But halfway there, he thought for a moment and suddenly changed direction, heading to Qiyun Pavilion.

"Host, host, Qi Jingyu is coming to your courtyard. It seems he's here to visit you," the system reminded you.

"Yeah."

Qi Ning glanced in the direction of the door, then lay down on the couch and pretended to be asleep.

At this moment, Qi Jingyu had already entered Qiyun Pavilion.

The two maids, Dongyue and Dongxue, were standing guard outside the door. They were both somewhat surprised to see Qi Jingyu arrive.

"Second Young Master, what brings you here?"

This was indeed the first time Qi Jingyu had taken the initiative to come to Qi Ning's courtyard. In the past, Qi Ning would usually go to Yinqing Pavilion to find him, since Qi Ning was a young lady and it was not convenient for men to freely enter and leave a young lady's boudoir.

But Qi Jingyu was worried about Qi Ning's condition when she left, so he came over.

"Where is the second young lady?" he asked.

"After Miss returned to her courtyard, she went into her bedroom by herself and wouldn't let us servants in to serve her. We don't know what's wrong with Miss now," Dongyue said with a worried expression.

Qi Jingyu glanced at the closed door and said, "I'll go in and see her."

Dongyue and Dongxue were also worried about Qi Ning's situation, fearing that she might do something rash. They were thinking of going in to check on her, but they didn't dare to go against Qi Ning's wishes.

When Qi Jingyu came to see her, the two maids were naturally overjoyed.

Qi Jingyu and Qi Ning are siblings, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with letting Qi Jingyu into Qi Ning's boudoir.

"Young Master, please go inside quickly."

"I would like to trouble the second young master to persuade the young lady."

Qi Jingyu nodded slightly, pushed open the door, and went inside.

"Ning'er?"

After entering, Qi Jingyu first called out Qi Ning's name.

But Qi Ning did not respond.

Qi Jingyu glanced around but couldn't find Qi Ning anywhere outside.

He panicked and quickly went into the inner room.

Qi Jingyu only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person lying on the couch with his back to him.

He walked towards Qi Ning's bed, stood beside her for a moment and watched her, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Second sister?"

Qi Jingyu called her name and saw Qi Ning's eyelashes tremble slightly, clearly indicating that she was pretending to be asleep.

Qi Jingyu reached out and touched her temple again.

"Does Ning'er not even want to see me anymore?"

Qi Ning then opened her eyes and turned around to look at him.

"What are you doing here, Second Brother?"

Her eyes were red, and she looked pitiful, as if she was about to cry.

"Of course I was worried about you, so I came to see you specifically," Qi Jingyu said.

After a moment of eye contact, Qi Ning suddenly stood up and threw herself into Qi Jingyu's arms.

"Second brother, I...I don't want to marry Prince Qing. Prince Qing already has so many concubines and mistresses, why must I marry into his household? Besides, I don't like that Prince Qing..."

She buried her face in his chest as she spoke, her voice trembling with sobs.

Qi Jingyu hugged her, holding her delicate body in his arms, and stroked her hair.

"I know, I know everything."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ning began to cry softly in his arms, her body trembling slightly.

"Don't cry," Qi Jingyu whispered in her ear. "If Ning'er doesn't want to marry Prince Qing, then she won't."

"W-what?"

Qi Ning looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and asked, "Is Second Brother trying to comfort me?"

“I’m not kidding you, I’m telling the truth,” Qi Jingyu said, holding her arm.

"How could that be? His Majesty has already issued the imperial decree for the marriage. How could she refuse to marry him? That would be defying the imperial decree, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of her family!"

“I understand,” Qi Jingyu said. “But if you are unwilling, my father and I will find a way. We will not force you to marry Prince Qing.”

"What method?" Qi Ning asked.

Qi Jingyu didn't explain much, only saying, "In short, you don't need to worry. During this period, just stay at home and pretend to be preparing for your wedding normally. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Qi Ning looked at Qi Jingyu without speaking, seemingly doubting his words.

"you do not believe me?"

Qi Ning bit her lip and shook her head: "No."

Qi Jingyu smiled and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the tears on her face.

"Since you trust me, do as I say."

"Mm," Qi Ning replied.

Qi Jingyu put away the handkerchief and stretched out his hand to Qi Ning: "Get up, eat something, don't ruin your health by starving yourself."

He accompanied Qi Ning through her meal, watching her eat quite a lot before leaving.

From that day on, Qi Ning seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, or perhaps she had been persuaded by Qi Jingyu, and quietly stayed in the Marquis's mansion to prepare for her marriage.

The entire Changping Marquis's mansion was bustling with activity as people prepared Qi Ning's dowry and other arrangements, with Zeng Wanqing, the matriarch of the household, naturally in charge.

Even Qi Congming and Qi Jingyu were busier than before, with many people coming and going in their study every day.

The only place as still as a stagnant pool was the eldest son and his mother. They were furious to hear that Qi Ning had been betrothed to Prince Qing by the emperor and would soon become Prince Qing's consort, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Of course, no one cared about what the First Madam and Qi Jinglin thought.

That day, Qi Ning took a book and asked Dong Yue to bring a plate of freshly made snacks from the small kitchen, then took her to Yinqing Pavilion.

When Qi Ning arrived at the door of Qi Jingyu's study, the door was just opened from the inside.

Two strange men were about to come out when they saw Qi Ning standing at the door. They were both stunned, and their expressions immediately became wary, with a hint of murderous intent in their eyes.

Qi Jingyu, who was in the study, saw that they hadn't left at the door. He looked past them and saw Qi Ning's figure outside.

"Ning'er."

Qi Jingyu strode over, grabbed Qi Ning's wrist, and pulled her to his side.

"Second Brother." Qi Ning seemed a little afraid of the two strange men and moved her feet to hide behind Qi Jingyu.

"Young master, who is this?" asked one of the middle-aged men with a thick beard.

"This is my younger sister. She's fine. You can go now," Qi Jingyu said calmly.

The two men exchanged a glance and realized that she was Qi Congming's daughter. They immediately lowered their guard.

"Young master, farewell."

The two men bowed to Qi Jingyu and then left.

After watching them leave, Qi Jingyu immediately turned to Qi Ning: "Were you scared?"

Qi Ning nodded slightly: "I've never seen those two people before. They look a bit scary. Who are they?"

Qi Jingyu looked away and replied, "My leg ailment is now cured, and they are the martial arts instructors my father arranged for me."

Qi Jingyu had a teacher before, but he was just a teacher who taught him to read.

Of course, whether it's the schoolteacher or the so-called martial arts master, their true identities are not just those of teachers, but rather people who conspire with Qi Jingyu to accomplish great things.

They had just been discussing matters in the study, which is why they were on guard when Qi Ning suddenly appeared.

Qi Ning did not immediately expose Qi Jingyu's words; she wanted to wait for him to confess to her on his own initiative.

But Qi Ning knew in his heart that Qi Jingyu was cautious by nature. Before the big things were accomplished, he probably wouldn't take the initiative to reveal his true identity, much less use that true identity to show off or prove his difference.

In that case, it's hard to say when he'll finally confess.

"what happened?"

Seeing that Qi Ning was looking at him without speaking, Qi Jingyu asked softly.

"nothing."

Qi Ning was just thinking about how to get him to confess to her sooner rather than later; she didn't want to keep playing these riddles with him.

"I've come here today to return the book to my second brother. I've finished reading it."

Qi Ning raised the book she was holding.

Qi Jingyu glanced at the book and said, "It's fine if you leave it with me after you finish reading it. Why are you in such a hurry to send it over?"

"I didn't come here specifically to deliver books. I just made some snacks in my little kitchen in the yard, and I thought I'd bring them over for my second brother to try."

After saying that, Qi Ning asked Dongyue, who was guarding outside the study, to bring in the snacks.

Dongyue placed the plate of pastries on Qi Jingyu's desk and then left.

In the past, when the young lady came to the second young master's study, the two siblings would be alone together. Neither she nor Xiuzhu would serve her there. Dongyue had gotten used to it.

"Second brother, this courtyard is deserted, and no one makes you any snacks. Try them."

Qi Ning pushed the plate of pastries in front of Qi Jingyu.

She smiled and said, "One of these was made by my own hand. See if you can find it."

"Really? Let me look for it."

With a smile in his eyes, Qi Jingyu carefully searched through the inventory.

Taking advantage of this moment, Qi Ning took the book and went to the bookshelf.

She put the book back on the shelf and glanced back at Qi Jingyu.

Seeing that Qi Jingyu's attention was focused on the plate of pastries and he was completely oblivious to everything else, Qi Ning reached for a wooden box on the bookshelf.

------