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

Judging from how concerned the emperor is, asking so eagerly before even waiting for him to report, he wouldn't pay this much attention to anything other than matters concerning women.

Eunuch Wang hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this servant has already had someone investigate. The girl who was picking lotus flowers by Lingbo Lake today is the adopted daughter of Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue, who was recently recognized. Her name is Qi Ning, and she is sixteen years old."

"Jiang Jingzhou's adopted daughter?" the emperor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your Majesty, that's right."

"I had no idea that Jiang Jingzhou had taken in a goddaughter."

This matter had actually been mentioned to the emperor by Eunuch Wang some time ago, but the emperor hadn't taken it to heart.

Of course, Eunuch Wang dared not say such a thing.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jiang accepted this goddaughter in a very low-key manner, without officially announcing it to the public. Not many people outside know about it to begin with. It's normal that you are too busy with state affairs to know about such a small matter."

Why wasn't it officially announced to the public?

"This is probably because that Miss Qi was an actress, and her background is not very respectable."

"From an actor's background?"

The emperor found it even stranger: "Since Jiang Jingzhou disliked that woman because she came from an actress background, why did he take her in as his goddaughter?"

Eunuch Wang replied, "I've inquired about this as well. It's said that on the day of Madam Jiang's birthday banquet, the young master of the Jiang family invited an opera troupe to perform at the mansion. The eldest daughter of the Jiang family saw that Miss Qi was pitiful and had been severely beaten by the opera troupe leader, so she rescued her."

"Later, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family felt that Miss Qi was pleasing to the eye, so she asked Lord Jiang and Madam Jiang to adopt her as their goddaughter."

"Lord Jiang and Madam Jiang originally looked down on Miss Qi's status, but because they loved Miss Jiang and couldn't bear to go against her kindness, they agreed to take Miss Qi as their goddaughter."

After listening, the emperor nodded slightly.

The emperor originally thought she was the biological daughter of some minister, but since she was just an insignificant adopted daughter, it would be easier to deal with her.

The emperor immediately ordered, "Summon Lady Qi to see me tomorrow."

"Yes, this servant understands," Eunuch Wang replied.

He thought to himself, "This Miss Qi, who comes from an acting background, is really incredibly lucky."

She first went from a lowly actress to the adopted daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and now she has even caught the Emperor's eye. If nothing unexpected happens, she will soon become the new mistress of the harem.

It seems he needs to have people prepare to clean the new palace in advance.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Eunuch Wang personally led a group to the courtyard where the women of the Jiang family lived, to convey the emperor's decree to summon Qi Ning.

Liang Fang, Jiang Weilan, Jiang Weiqing, and others who lived in the same courtyard were all shocked when they heard the news.

Qi Ning stood beside Jiang Weilan, her head slightly lowered, pretending to be completely unaware, as if she didn't know why the emperor had summoned her.

Liang Fang glanced at Qi Ning and asked Eunuch Wang, "Eunuch Wang, could you tell me why His Majesty summoned Qi Ning?"

She was terrified that Qi Ning might have done something wrong or offended some important person, and that someone might report her to the emperor, which would implicate the Jiang family.

However, Jiang Weilan's thoughts were completely different from Liang Fang's after hearing the news.

Although Qi Ning had deliberately gone to the horse farm to get close to the Fifth Prince, which displeased him.

Jiang Weilan believed that Gao Yan was not the kind of person who would report such a trivial matter to the emperor.

At other times, Qi Ning basically stayed in the courtyard and never went out.

As for when they went out yesterday, she was with Qi Ning the whole time, and Qi Ning did not offend anyone.

Thinking of this, Jiang Weilan suddenly remembered that when she and Qi Ning went to Lingbo Lake to admire the lotus flowers yesterday, they were not together the whole time. When Gao Yun came looking for her, she had left for a while, and His Majesty was on a nearby pleasure boat at that time.

Could it be that His Majesty saw Qi Ning yesterday?

However, these were all just Jiang Weilan's guesses. She echoed her mother's words and asked, "Yes, Eunuch Wang, did His Majesty say why he summoned Ning'er?"

"Well..." Eunuch Wang smiled meaningfully.

His Majesty has only said he's summoning Miss Qi, but hasn't formally given her a title yet, and Eunuch Wang hasn't been too direct in his words.

He only hinted, "Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang, please rest assured. His Majesty's summons of Miss Qi is not a bad thing. You don't need to be nervous."

But Jiang Weilan asked again, "Is she going alone? Ning'er has never met His Majesty before. It would be impolite for her to be so polite on her first meeting with the Emperor. Could I or my mother accompany her?"

"No need, His Majesty only summoned Miss Qi."

As he spoke, Eunuch Wang looked at Qi Ning and said, "Miss Qi, please come with me. Don't keep His Majesty waiting."

Urged on by Eunuch Wang, Jiang Weilan and the others could no longer ask any questions and could only watch helplessly as Qi Ning and Eunuch Wang went out and boarded the palanquin outside.

As soon as Qi Ning left, Liang Fang turned to Jiang Weilan and complained, "Look at you! You insisted on keeping her here, but look what happened! It hasn't been long, and she's already offended His Majesty. I wonder what His Majesty summoned her for. I hope it doesn't involve our family."

Before Jiang Weilan could speak, Jiang Weiqing, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Mother, Sister Qi didn't cause any trouble. In my opinion, it seems that His Majesty has taken a liking to her."

Jiang Weiqing had been observing Eunuch Wang for a long time. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words implied the same thing, and it was pretty much the truth.

Jiang Weiqing had not anticipated that things would turn out this way.

She clearly intended to provoke and guide Qi Ning to get close to the Fourth Prince, but Qi Ning first went to the horse farm to get close to the Fifth Prince, and now somehow has caught His Majesty's eye.

She really underestimated Qi Ning; her ambition was so great, and her abilities were quite impressive.

It seems she can no longer use her.

After saying that, Jiang Weiqing turned around and went back into the house with her maid.

Liang Fang froze on the spot after hearing Jiang Weiqing's words.

A moment later, she asked Jiang Weilan, "Lan'er, is what Weiqing said true or false? Has Qi Ning really caught His Majesty's eye? When did she meet His Majesty?"

To catch the emperor's eye, one must at least have appeared before him.

Jiang Weilan wasn't sure, but her guess was similar to what Jiang Weiqing had said.

The implication in Eunuch Wang's words was already quite clear.

On the other side, Qi Ning arrived at the Qin Zheng Hall in a palanquin arranged by Eunuch Wang.

She alighted from the palanquin, and Eunuch Wang led the way.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance, Eunuch Wang smiled and gestured, "Miss Qi, please come in."

Qi Ning glanced at the open palace doors, feeling no panic in her heart, but outwardly she still feigned fear.

She stepped into the palace gate, but Eunuch Wang did not follow her in. He stood guard outside the gate and closed it.

After Qi Ning went inside, she looked up and saw the emperor sitting behind his desk, looking at her.

Qi Ning pinched the hem of her skirt, knelt down to pay her respects, and said softly, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

From the moment Qi Ning entered, the emperor's gaze was fixed on her.

Upon hearing her voice, the emperor felt his body go weak.

No wonder she comes from an opera background; even her voice is so beautiful.

The emperor stood up and came to Qi Ning.

He held out his hand to her: "Get up."

Qi Ning looked at the emperor's hand, hesitated for a moment, and then placed her hand on his through her sleeve.

The emperor didn't seem to mind and simply helped her up.

Seeing that Qi Ning had her head down, he said again, "Raise your head."

Qi Ning then slowly raised his head and looked at the emperor.

Yesterday, the emperor only caught a glimpse of Qi Ning and was amazed by her beauty, but because of the distance, he didn't get a clear look at Qi Ning's face.

Upon closer inspection today, this face is indeed extremely beautiful, with exquisite features, lively and charming.

A satisfied expression appeared on the emperor's face.

Qi Ning also took a closer look at the emperor.

This old emperor was quite tall, though he had gained weight. Although he was old and had fine lines around his eyes, you could still tell that he was good-looking with handsome features.

After all, the royal family's excellent genes are there for all to see; even if they're not perfect, they can't be that bad.

However, he had been indulging in alcohol and women for many years, and his whole demeanor gave off an uncomfortable feeling.

Qi Ning carefully observed his complexion. With her medical skills, she could tell at a glance that the emperor probably had kidney deficiency, which was definitely due to overuse of his kidneys.

When the emperor saw Qi Ning secretly glancing at him, he burst out laughing.

"You little girl, you've got some nerve, daring to stare directly at me. I only told you to look up, not to look at me directly. Don't you know that you can't look the Emperor in the eye?"

Qi Ning quickly lowered his eyes: "Your Majesty..."

"Hahaha, fine, I suppose this is your first time meeting the Emperor. Ignorance is no excuse. If anyone is to blame, it's the Jiang family for not raising you properly."

He released Qi Ning's hand: "Do you know why I summoned you here today?"

"I don't know." Qi Ning shook her head.

"Yesterday, I saw you picking lotus flowers at Lingbo Lake."

Qi Ning's eyes widened, and she asked in a surprised tone, "Ah... can't we pick the lotus flowers?"

Seeing her reaction, the emperor laughed again.

The key point of what he said wasn't about the lotus flowers, but rather that he had seen her the day before, yet she simply asked him if it was wrong to pick lotus flowers.

This girl is indeed quite different from others. Although she is charming on the outside, she is very pure and innocent in mind and nature, and she is also quite bold.

This was something the emperor found extremely novel.

"Yes, of course you can pick them."

He then asked her, "I heard that you used to be an opera singer?"

"Yes," Qi Ning replied.

The emperor stood with his hands behind his back in front of Qi Ning and said with some regret, "It's a pity that I don't really like listening to opera. Do you know any musical instruments? Can you play the pipa?"

"Yes." Qi Ning nodded.

The emperor's eyes lit up: "Good! Then play a tune for me another day."

After he finished speaking, he took another step closer to Qi Ning.

"Looked up."

Qi Ning raised her head as instructed, but this time she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her fair skin.

"You dared to look at me just now, why aren't you looking at me now?"

"Didn't His Majesty say that one should not look directly into the Emperor's eyes?"

"When I say it's okay, then it's okay."

Qi Ning then raised his eyes to look at the emperor.

The emperor scrutinized the beauty mark at the corner of Qi Ning's eye and said in a low voice, "I ask you, are you willing to come and serve me?"

Qi Ning thought to herself, although she had deliberately seduced the emperor, what woman would dare to say no to the emperor's question? And what good would come of it if she did not say no?

She did not answer immediately.

After a moment, Qi Ning nodded slightly and whispered, "I...I'm willing."

The emperor then smiled with satisfaction.

"Very good, you may go back now. Later, I will have someone prepare your palace and then formally bring you here."

"Yes."

Jiang Weilan and her daughter waited for a long time before Qi Ning returned.

As soon as Qi Ning went inside, Jiang Weilan rushed forward and asked anxiously, "Ning'er, are you alright?"

Qi Ning calmly replied, "It's nothing."

"What does His Majesty want with you?" Liang Fang asked anxiously.

Qi Ning did not hide anything and replied directly, "His Majesty asked me if I was willing to serve His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Weilan grabbed Qi Ning's arm: "What? Then what was your answer?"

"I agreed."

Qi Ning smiled and said, "His Majesty said that I should come back first, and he will formally send someone to pick me up later."

Upon hearing this answer, Jiang Weilan and Liang Fang fell silent. They hadn't expected that His Majesty would actually take a liking to Qi Ning; this was something they hadn't anticipated.

Liang Fang and Jiang Jingzhou originally planned to marry her off to an ordinary family after a while, but they never expected that she would catch His Majesty's eye.

It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Jiang family.

Jiang Weilan's silence stemmed from the fact that she had advised Qi Ning not to covet power just a few days ago, yet she had already caught the eye of the current emperor so quickly.

After a moment, Jiang Weilan looked at Qi Ning and asked, "Ning'er, are you doing this willingly? If you're unwilling, I can plead for you..."

"Of course I'd like to, why wouldn't I?"

Qi Ning interrupted Jiang Weilan directly, answering without hesitation.

Jiang Weilan's face immediately froze.

Indeed, Qi Ning once said that she did not want to live a hard life and only wanted to marry a powerful and influential man.

Who in this world has more power and prestige than His Majesty?

Thinking about it this way, it's not surprising that Qi Ning would agree.

Qi Ning observed their complicated expressions and could actually guess what they were thinking.

She said meaningfully, "Madam and Sister Lan, you don't need to worry about me. After I get to His Majesty's side, I will not forget your kindness in taking me in, and I will definitely speak well of you in front of His Majesty."

Then, Qi Ning stood up and looked down at them with an air of superiority.

"Alright, I need to pack my things and wait for His Majesty to come and pick me up. We can talk about it later when we have time."

After saying that, she left without waiting for Jiang Weilan and Liang Fang's agreement, seemingly no longer taking them seriously.

Later that evening, Eunuch Wang returned with his men.

He came not only to pick up Qi Ning, but also to deliver an imperial edict, bestowing upon Qi Ning the title of Qi Baolin.

If she were just an ordinary palace maid, the emperor would certainly favor her on a whim, and whether or not she would be given a title would depend on his mood.

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