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

Qi Ning seemed to sense something. In the interval between talking to the emperor, she quickly glanced at Gao Yan, her eyes carrying a smile that was hard to read.

She quickly looked away.

Gao Yan frowned slightly.

Gao Yan's confidant noticed his gaze and, under the cover of the singing and dancing, whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, it's one thing for Consort Qi to protect the Fourth Prince, given her status as the adopted daughter of the Jiang family, but why is she targeting you like this?"

"Today you risked your life to hunt that tiger and finally received the imperial bow and arrows, while Gao Yun, who lost, also received a Ferghana horse. Your Majesty has been bewitched by this Consort Qi."

The confidant shook his head, looking very regretful.

"What else could it be?" Gao Yan picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp. "Gao Yun and I are rivals. Her attacks on me are also a way of protecting Gao Yun."

Thinking of the look Qi Ning gave him just now, and the smile hidden in her eyes, Gao Yan automatically interpreted it as a provocative smile.

Perhaps, besides that, it was also to get revenge on him?

It was because he had failed to seduce her before, and instead exposed her directly in front of Jiang Weilan, slapping her in the face, that she deliberately sought revenge against him.

After the banquet, Gao Yan returned to his residence.

His bodyguard Cao Dong brought in all the prizes Gao Yan had won that day.

Gao Yan picked up the bow and arrow and tried it out. It was indeed good. It was worth all the effort he had put into hunting the tiger despite the danger.

He should have been happier today, but because of Qi Ning's meddling, even though he got the bow and arrow he wanted, he wasn't very joyful.

Just then, Cao Dong pointed to the pile of prizes won at the same time and asked, "Your Highness, what should we do with these items?"

Gao Yan glanced casually and happened to spot Qi Ning's hairpin among the pile of things.

Gao Yan's already less than pleased expression turned even colder. He waved his hand and said, "Take it away, and don't let me see it."

The next day.

Gao Yan had business to attend to at the Qin Zheng Hall to see the Emperor.

When he arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance, he was stopped by Eunuch Wang, who was guarding outside.

Eunuch Wang said with a smile, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. Consort Qi is here to bring His Majesty some refreshments; she is still inside."

It's her again.

Upon hearing this, Gao Yan was about to leave and come back another day when the tightly closed door was just opened.

He subconsciously looked up and saw Qi Ning walking out with a palace maid.

Gao Yan paused in his steps as he was about to leave.

Qi Ning seemed somewhat surprised to see Gao Yan.

She opened her lips, about to say something, but Gao Yan looked away, as if she didn't exist, and walked right past her into the hall.

Qi Ning smiled indifferently, turned to Eunuch Wang and said, "Eunuch Wang, I'll be going now."

Eunuch Wang said with a smile, "Please take care, Consort Qi."

Wang Gonggong had also seen Gao Yan's dismissive attitude just now. Considering what happened during yesterday's hunt, it would be strange if the Fifth Prince gave Consort Qi a kind look.

Qi Ning didn't say much before Ji Mei helped him onto the palanquin.

Logically speaking, Qi Ning, as a Noble Lady, should not be entitled to ride in a palanquin, but this was a special privilege granted by the Emperor, a treatment befitting a favored concubine.

On the way back, the system couldn't help but say, "Host, why do I feel like your world's strategy missions aren't making any progress at all, but are actually regressing?"

Qi Ning leaned against the palanquin: "Hmm?"

"Gao Yan never liked you. Although you helped him out during yesterday's hunt, he probably doesn't know the truth and thinks you're targeting him, which makes him dislike you even more. Just look at the cold look in his eyes when he looked at you."

Qi Ning calmly replied, "As you said, Gao Yan misunderstands me and dislikes me now because he doesn't know the truth. In other words, the more he misunderstands me and dislikes me now, the more guilty he will feel towards me when he finds out the truth in the future."

"Huh?" the system exclaimed, "That seems to make sense."

The system added, "By the way, Gao Yun and Jiang Weilan are meeting at Lingbo Lake right now."

There is a scene in the original story where Jiang Weilan comforts Gao Yun after he loses the hunt to Gao Yan.

Qi Ning didn't seem to care much: "Let them see us, don't worry about them."

Jiang Weilan and Gao Yun did meet at Lingbo Lake, but their conversation was somewhat different from the original storyline.

The two walked side by side along the lake. Gao Yun asked Jiang Weilan, "How did you discuss things with Consort Qi before?"

Jiang Weilan didn't understand why Gao Yun would suddenly ask about this, but since he had asked, she still replied.

"The purpose is to have Consort Qi act as our eyes and ears, to pass on information that we don't know, and, if necessary, to have her speak on behalf of Your Highness before His Majesty."

"Then do you think yesterday's situation was necessary?" Gao Yun asked again.

Jiang Weilan then understood Gao Yun's meaning: "Your Highness is referring to what happened at the hunting grounds yesterday?"

"Yes."

Gao Yun said with a solemn expression, "Given yesterday's situation, Consort Qi shouldn't have said those things. Not only were they useless, but they also made me even more embarrassed."

Upon hearing Gao Yun's words, Jiang Weilan immediately said, "Regarding yesterday's events, I also feel that what Consort Qi said was somewhat inappropriate."

Yesterday at the scene, Jiang Weilan, Jiang Jingzhou, and others felt the same way, but given their status, it was inconvenient for them to stop Qi Ning in that situation. Fortunately, His Majesty was very indulgent towards her.

Unexpectedly, Gao Yun brought up this matter specifically today.

"It's more than just inappropriate."

Gao Yun felt like he was a joke yesterday, and the Ferghana horse that Consort Qi had obtained for him from his father, the Emperor, was even more humiliating to him.

Unfortunately, that horse was a gift from his father, the emperor, so Gao Yun couldn't just dispose of it casually.

Jiang Weilan thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, Consort Qi did what we asked. In my opinion, she probably didn't mean anything by it; she just wanted to save face for you in front of His Majesty."

"But as you know, Consort Qi comes from a poor background and is short-sighted. She inevitably loses her composure when she speaks and acts, and probably does more harm than good."

Gao Yun also remembered that Consort Qi was just an actress.

He asked, puzzled, "Why would your father appoint such a person?"

In Gao Yun's view, the selection of women to enter the palace as spies, especially those sent to the emperor's side, should be done with utmost care. They should not only have an unparalleled beauty, but also be knowledgeable, well-educated, capable, and so on.

But that Consort Qi, apart from being quite beautiful, did nothing reliably.

Upon hearing Gao Yun's question, Jiang Weilan immediately tensed up.

They adopted Qi Ning as their goddaughter not specifically to send her to the Emperor's side, but to repay a debt of gratitude. Who knew that she would be favored by the Emperor? It was all a twist of fate.

Jiang Weilan wanted to tell Gao Yun the truth, to tell him Qi Ning's true identity, but once she did, the lie her father had told Gao Yun would be exposed.

Therefore, she could not speak, and could only come up with excuses to cover up Jiang Jingzhou's lie.

Jiang Weilan's eyes flickered before she replied, "Your Highness, the main reason we chose Consort Qi was because of her appearance. You see, His Majesty dotes on her. If it were another woman of similar talent, she might not have caught His Majesty's eye."

Gao Yun couldn't refute this statement.

Could it be that his father's taste in women was too superficial?

Jiang Weilan added, "Besides, although what Consort Qi said yesterday was somewhat inappropriate, fortunately His Majesty was not angry. On the contrary, he was very lenient with Consort Qi, which is a good thing, isn't it?"

"This at least shows that His Majesty does listen to what Consort Qi says. He can even satisfy Consort Qi's unreasonable demands, so why wouldn't he agree to her other demands?"

It has to be said that Jiang Weilan is quite eloquent; she persuaded Gao Yun with just a few words.

"What you said makes sense."

After a pause, Gao Yun added, "However, even so, you should still give Consort Qi a reminder so that she can be more mindful of her behavior in the future."

Seeing that Gao Yun didn't pursue the matter further, Jiang Weilan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in response, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will go to find Consort Qi."

After Jiang Weilan agreed, Gao Yun gave up.

After meeting Gao Yun and leaving Lingbo Lake, Jiang Weilan immediately went to Mingyue Pavilion to see Qi Ning.

Upon seeing Qi Ning, Jiang Weilan conveyed Gao Yun's message.

She said with a serious expression, "Ning'er, what you said at the hunting grounds yesterday was really inappropriate."

Qi Ning glared at Jiang Weilan: "What's wrong with it? Wasn't I just doing what Sister Lan said? Is it wrong for me to speak up for the Fourth Prince?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Jiang Weilan said. “Ning’er, I know your intentions are good, but some things and some words need to be said in the right context. You need to understand what you should say and what you shouldn’t say.”

Qi Ning chuckled: "What should be said, and what shouldn't be said?"

"What, Sister Lan, do you think I didn't speak well? But I'm just an ignorant person. Who told me to wander around without parents since I was a child? I don't know many words and I have no experience."

"Should Sister Lan teach me how to say it word by word? Or, why don't you just be the benefactor?"

"Ning'er..."

When Qi Ning mentioned that she had no parents, Jiang Weilan immediately felt guilty again.

She wanted to speak, but Qi Ning didn't give her a chance.

Qi Ning said with a displeased expression, "Do you think I have an easy time being this noble person, just by talking? Do you know that serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice? I risked my life when I said those things. If His Majesty is not satisfied, do you think I can survive?"

"You guys are doing well. I risked my life to do things for you, and instead of getting a good word from you, I got complaints instead."

As she spoke, Qi Ning took out the silver notes that Jiang Weilan had given her earlier and threw them directly at Jiang Weilan.

"Here you go. You think you can buy my life with this little bit of money? If His Majesty orders me to die, I'll have nowhere to spend my money."

The silver note was thrown at Jiang Weilan and scattered all over the ground.

Jiang Weilan was stunned, not expecting Qi Ning to be so angry.

Qi Ning finally stopped, crossed her arms and sat on the couch, turning her head away as if she didn't want to see Jiang Weilan.

Jiang Weilan snapped out of her daze and glanced outside. Luckily, she had already dismissed the servants; otherwise, if anyone had overheard her words, things would have been very troublesome.

She sighed, picked up the silver notes from the ground one by one, and then walked over and sat down next to Qi Ning.

Jiang Weilan grabbed Qi Ning's arm and softened her voice, saying, "Ning'er, it's all my fault. What I said just now was inappropriate, but I really didn't mean anything by it."

“What you said earlier is also true. I didn’t realize it before. It is indeed a dangerous thing for you to speak and act on behalf of the Jiang family and the Fourth Prince by His Majesty’s side. I’m sorry to have put you through this.”

Qi Ning said coldly, "I live on thin ice every day and work diligently for you, and in the end you still come to nitpick at me. If that's the case, I won't cooperate."

"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have said those things," Jiang Weilan admitted her mistake again.

Qi Ning then turned his head and said in a serious tone, "Sister Lan, although I haven't read many books, I have heard the saying, 'If you use someone, don't doubt them; if you don't trust someone, don't use them.' If you don't trust me, then don't ask me to do things for you."

Jiang Weilan immediately replied, "Of course I believe you."

"Furthermore," Qi Ning added, "I am by His Majesty's side, so I naturally know what His Majesty likes to hear and what he doesn't like to hear, rather than what you say about 'what should be said and what shouldn't be said.' What you think should be said, His Majesty may not necessarily like to hear."

Jiang Weilan nodded repeatedly: "What you said makes sense. I was confused."

Jiang Weilan felt that Qi Ning was right. As His Majesty's bedmate, she was the one who understood His Majesty the most.

They thought those words spoken at the hunting grounds yesterday were inappropriate, but His Majesty didn't seem to mind at all and even rewarded Gao Yun with a Ferghana horse.

It is clear that only Qi Ning can truly understand His Majesty's thoughts.

Qi Ning pushed Jiang Weilan's hand away: "I'll say it one last time, I'm in the same boat as you, and I won't do anything to court death. If you don't trust me, then forget it."

“No,” Jiang Weilan said hastily, “Of course I believe you.”

Jiang Weilan had completely forgotten that she had prepared a bunch of requests before she came, or rather, even if she remembered, she no longer dared to say them.

“Ning’er, you’re right. From now on, I will no longer question you about these things, nor will I ask you to do anything. Just do what you think is right.”

In the end, the matter ended with Qi Ning throwing a tantrum, and Jiang Weilan coaxing and apologizing, even giving Qi Ning a stack of new silver notes, before Qi Ning finally calmed down.

Jiang Weilan's expression was quite somber when she left Mingyue Pavilion.

She had only one thought in her mind: she could no longer control Qi Ning.

However, whether Qi Ning's other words are true or not doesn't matter. There is one thing that is absolutely true: Qi Ning is in the same boat as them, and she will not do anything to seek her own death.

With this in mind, Jiang Weilan felt at ease about Qi Ning.

Since that incident, Jiang Weilan has never dared to make any demands on Qi Ning again, lest she cause a "strike".

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