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

Before we knew it, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet arrived.

This Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was mainly a "family banquet," with most of the attendees being members of the imperial family and nobility.

Besides these, there were also some prominent and powerful families.

It is worth noting that most of the prominent families brought their daughters of marriageable age to the banquet, such as Cao Xier, the granddaughter of the Duke of Cao, Zheng Qinrong, the daughter of the Duke of Zheng, and Cheng Li, the second daughter of the Minister of Personnel.

Rumors have been circulating in the palace that the first imperial selection since Xiao Jin ascended the throne will begin next March. A new batch of concubines will be added to the harem, and most importantly, a virtuous and talented empress of noble status will be chosen to rule the central palace.

The purpose of these noble ladies attending the banquet today is to make an early appearance before the emperor.

This also echoes the original plot, where if the election goes smoothly, Xiao Jin will marry the Empress at the end of next year.

In the original storyline, next year is going to be an extremely "lively" year.

Therefore, tonight was a formal and important occasion, and the emperor did not, as he had done during the autumn hunt, disregard the rules and allow Chu Yiyao to sit with him at the same table.

However, Chu Yiyao's seat was still the one closest to the emperor.

Whether it was to appease Chu Yiyao or not, the emperor bestowed extremely generous rewards upon her when rewarding the concubines.

To outsiders, the emperor's favoritism towards Consort Yao was undeniable, but Chu Yiyao herself might not have been particularly appreciative.

Qi Ning sat in her seat, watching the song and dance performance with a bored expression, but her mind was actually on Xiao Yu.

It wasn't until the latter half of the banquet that Xiao Yu seemed to have drunk too much and left his seat to sober up.

Seeing this, Qi Ning pretended to be unable to hold his liquor, sent someone to inform Eunuch Wu, who was by the emperor's side, and then left the banquet early to return to the palace to rest.

She didn't actually return to the palace, but instead, following the system's instructions, she took a detour to the route Xiao Yu would inevitably take to sober up.

"Your Majesty, aren't we going back to the palace?" Qiu Lu asked.

Qi Ning sat down on a rock by the lake: "Let me enjoy a few drinks here, and I'll go back later."

Qiu Lu, carrying a lantern, asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, are you in a bad mood?"

Qi Ning scolded her, "What nonsense are you talking about?" but her eyes suddenly turned red.

Ever since she learned the "truth" last time, Qiu Lu has felt that her mistress was compromising.

Seeing Qi Ning's reaction, Qiu Lu immediately confirmed her thoughts.

"Your Highness, I noticed it long ago. You weren't in a good mood at the banquet tonight. Was it because of Consort Yao, or because of those noble ladies?"

In Qiu Lu's opinion, there were only two reasons why Qi Ning was unhappy.

Upon hearing Qiu Lu's words, Qi Ning seemed to have been touched by something deep within her, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

Seeing Qi Ning shed tears, Qiu Lu panicked instantly: "Your Majesty, please don't cry, it's all my fault for speaking without thinking!"

Qi Ning sobbed softly, "It's not your fault, I was just feeling down for a while."

Qiu Lu felt extremely sorry for Qi Ning and kept comforting her from the side.

Xiao Yu had been urged to drink too much at the banquet. He wasn't really drunk; he just wanted to use the excuse of sobering up to get away and get some fresh air.

He originally planned to take a walk around the area and then go back, but when he passed Qiushui Lake, he vaguely heard faint sobbing and talking sounds.

Xiao Yu was suspicious. Who would be here at this time?

He followed the sound to the lakeside behind the artificial hill: "Who's here?"

His words startled the two people by the lake, who immediately stood up.

With one hand supporting Qi Ning and the other holding up the lantern, Qiu Lu mustered her courage and asked loudly, "Who is it?"

By the light of the moon and lanterns, Xiao Yu was finally able to see who the two people by the lake were.

What a coincidence that he ran into Consort Ning again.

"Consort Ning? Why aren't you at the banquet? Why have you come here instead?"

After what happened at the bonfire party last time, Xiao Yu restrained himself and didn't pay attention to Qi Ning during this trip to the palace.

Therefore, he didn't even notice when Qi Ning left his seat.

The master and servant by the lake recognized Xiao Yu's identity from his voice.

"So it's Your Highness Prince Yu. I'm not a good drinker and left the banquet long ago. I just happened to be passing by the lake and thought I'd like to stop here to cool off a bit."

Qi Ning's voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke, wiping away tears with a handkerchief.

Xiao Yu naturally noticed her actions.

He was filled with questions: Why was Consort Ning secretly crying here?

He couldn't help but remind her, "It's not safe by the lake. Your Highness should go back to the palace to rest as soon as possible."

Qi Ning countered with a question: "Then why is Your Highness here?"

“I…” Xiao Yu paused, then said, “I also came out to sober up.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ning responded softly.

The lakeside fell silent for a moment.

Reason told Xiao Yu that he should leave immediately, not meddle in other people's business, and not spend too much time alone with Ning Zhaoyi.

But looking at Qi Ning under the moonlight, Xiao Yu seemed to be bewitched, and couldn't help but walk towards her step by step.

He walked a short distance in front of Qi Ning, looking down at her: "Is Your Highness in a bad mood?"

Qi Ning clutched the handkerchief in her hand: "Why does Your Highness say such a thing?"

She seemed unwilling to admit it.

Everything was hazy under the moonlight, but Qi Ning's red and swollen eyes were very obvious, especially since Xiao Yu was so close to her at the moment, making it even clearer.

He said in a low voice, "Just now, I heard the sound of the Empress crying."

Qi Ning suddenly looked up, her face flushed with embarrassment. After a long while, she stammered, "Your Highness, please forgive my embarrassment. I hope Your Highness will not tell anyone."

"Is it because of His Majesty?" Xiao Yu asked.

"of course not!"

Qi Ning quickly denied it.

Her eyes darted around: "I'm just a little homesick."

Xiao Yu thought for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Consort Ning's father was Qi Shanhai, a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. At that rank, he was not qualified to attend banquets in the palace.

As for the imperial concubines, apart from special cases, only those of the rank of Consort or above could summon their family members to the palace, so Consort Ning's rank was naturally not high enough.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a night for family reunion, and it's understandable that Consort Ning would be in a bad mood since she couldn't see her family.

So this reason is probably not entirely an excuse.

But Xiao Yu had a strange intuition that the real reason Qi Ning was crying was not because of this.

"Is that so?" he asked in return.

“Of course it’s true,” Qi Ning replied.

She quickly added, "By the way, since we've met Your Highness, I have some good news to tell you. The rabbit Your Highness gave me has healed its leg injury and is now lively and energetic."

Xiao Yu guessed that she was trying to change the subject, so he cooperated and asked about the rabbit.

Qi Ning told him that the rabbit had gotten quite fat and was eating a lot.

For some reason, the two of them started chatting out of the blue.

Qiu Lu watched this scene from the side, and the more she looked at it, the more inappropriate it seemed.

Late at night, His Majesty's concubines and His Majesty's nephew were talking in a secluded place. What would happen if someone saw them?

She racked her brains and decided to wait at the corner of the artificial hill not far away, so that she could keep watch over her mistress from afar and also keep watch for her.

After Qiu Lu left, only Qi Ning and Xiao Yu remained by the lake.

Remembering Qi Ning's earlier words about missing home, Xiao Yu considered that she had been in the palace for over a year and probably didn't know much about what was happening outside. To comfort her, he said things like how the outside world was prosperous and the people lived in peace and contentment, so there was no need to worry about her parents and family.

Qi Ning was indeed very interested and asked Xiao Yu a few more questions.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu sat down on the rock with her.

He told Qi Ning many things about things outside the palace.

For example, a new pastry shop appeared somewhere in the capital and became very popular with the ladies of the city. Every day, people would line up to buy pastries in front of the shop, filling half the street.

For example, a new grand restaurant opened in the capital, serving dishes and drinks that were excellent in color, aroma and taste, and the restaurant was always packed.

For example, a new play became a hit at the most famous theater in Beijing, and the actors performing it were highly sought after...

After hearing this, Qi Ning's mood visibly improved. Her originally sorrowful brows relaxed and she smiled, her eyes gleaming with a captivating light under the moonlight.

Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, the system suddenly alerted them: "Host, someone is here."

Qi Ning calmly responded and continued speaking to Xiao Yu without showing any emotion.

It wasn't until Qiu Lu noticed someone approaching that she whispered to Qi Ning, "Your Majesty, someone is coming!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Ning stood up in a panic.

Xiao Yu understood why she reacted that way. After all, if a man and a woman were chatting alone late at night, even if they didn't do anything out of line, it would be difficult to explain if someone saw them.

He then got up.

However, Qi Ning was probably too flustered. After getting up, she lost her balance and leaned backward.

Just as Qi Ning was about to fall into the lake, Xiao Yu quickly pulled her up, and she fell headfirst into his arms. Out of fear, she tightly gripped his clothes, and Xiao Yu instinctively put his arm around her waist.

Holding the fragrant and soft person in his arms, Xiao Yu froze.

But only a moment later, Qi Ning pushed him away and took a step back.

"I...I..." Her face flushed red.

Qiu Lu quickly came over to support Qi Ning: "Your Highness, are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Qi Ning replied.

She kept her head down, not daring to look up at Xiao Yu, and stammered, "Today, I was drunk and not very clear-headed. Your Highness need not take our idle chatter to heart. It is getting late, so I will return to the palace now."

Without waiting for Xiao Yu's response, she hurriedly left with Qiu Lu's help.

Xiao Yu stood there watching Qi Ning leave, the warmth of her body still lingering in his arms.

After a long while, he shook his head and smiled.

Just as Xiao Yu was about to leave, he suddenly noticed something left behind where Qi Ning had just been sitting.

It was a handkerchief.

If such a woman's personal belongings were picked up by someone with ill intentions, it might bring her trouble.

So Xiao Yu bent down and picked up the handkerchief.

Only when he held it in his hand did he realize that the handkerchief was slightly damp, with traces of Qi Ning's tears from wiping away her own.

"Your Highness?"

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