Quick Transmigration: The Female Supporting Character's Counterattack, A Guide to Cunning Strat

Time passed by at a leisurely pace, and before we knew it, it was the Emperor's birthday.

As usual, Li Shangxun waited for Liu Shuwan to have breakfast together.

Since that kiss, the relationship between Li Shangxun and Liu Shuwan has become more ambiguous and hard to define.

Their eyes met briefly as their gazes met, then parted again. The latter blushed and turned her head away shyly, leaving the former's aggressive gaze sweeping over her slender neck and delicate earlobes, lingering on that alluring touch of red.

"Your Majesty, Consort Chen has arrived."

Liu Quan's voice interrupted his thoughts. Li Shangxun quickly calmed his surging blood and looked up to see Liu Shuwan walking gracefully towards him with a smile as beautiful as a flower: "A-Xun, happy birthday."

After Liu Shuwan finished speaking, she took a bowl of noodles from the tray held by the palace maid behind her and placed it in front of him. She then handed him the chopsticks, sat down beside him, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at him as she explained:

"Today is your birthday. When I was at home, my mother would always prepare a bowl of longevity noodles on my birthday. There was only one noodle, and you had to eat it from the beginning without biting it in the middle. It symbolizes a long and healthy life. Would you like to try some?"

"This is longevity noodles," Li Shangxun murmured.

Princes with mothers in the princes' quarters would eat a bowl of longevity noodles every year on their birthdays, except for him, of course.

It's quite ironic when you think about it; those who ate longevity noodles either died or were crippled, while he, who didn't have them, lived longer than them.

Some memories seem to have faded long ago when you don't think about them, but when you recall them, they become clear as if they were just yesterday.

Fortunately, he has Awan.

"Um, Xun, what did you just say? Do you not like it? Or should I..."

Liu Shuwan's voice rang in his ears, and he snapped out of his daze: "No, I like it very much. Did Awan make this?"

"Hmm, I didn't know what to give you for your birthday. I feel like you have everything. I thought about it for a long time and finally decided to make longevity noodles. I hope you don't mind."

"No." Li Shangxun said and then buried his head in his food.

It was really just a simple bowl of noodles, a long noodle with a fried egg on top, soup poured over it, and a few green vegetables floating on the surface.

But he found it more delicious than any feast he had ever eaten before, so delicious that his eyes welled up with tears, and the steam from the soup blurred his vision.

After finishing the entire noodle and side dishes, and drinking every last drop of soup, Li Shangxun suppressed the bitterness in his throat and looked up to say:

"It's delicious, Awan. Will I be able to eat your longevity noodles again next year?"

"can."

"And the year after next?"

"That's okay."

What about the year after next?

"can."

"And the year after next, and the year after that..."

Li Shangxun could have just said it directly, but he insisted on asking year after year.

Liu Shuwan understood his meaning and agreed year after year, promising again, "I can do it. If A-Xun likes it, I will cook longevity noodles for you every year from now on."

Li Shangxun stared at Liu Shuwan for a long time without saying a word, then suddenly called out, "Awan."

"Ok?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Liu Shuwan didn't reply; her tightly closed eyes told Li Shangxun her answer.

The moment she closed her eyes, Li Shangxun's gaze completely changed; his restrained and suppressed emotions seemed to have been unleashed.

At first, it was a tentative, awkward touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water, only to leave immediately.

Gradually, he became dissatisfied with this and began to trace the shape of the lips, grinding and sucking.

When Liu Shuwan finally couldn't bear it any longer and opened her mouth with a soft moan, he took the opportunity to probe inside.

His hands gripped her slender waist, pressing her tightly against him with such force that he almost crushed her, pulling her into his embrace...

*

As is customary, the Emperor Li's birthday was celebrated nationwide for three days.

On the first day, a state banquet was held, and the emperor received the congratulations of princes, civil and military officials, and foreign envoys in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Some even presented jewels and precious objects as tribute, displaying a dazzling array on the palace steps.

The following day, a palace banquet was held, and the emperor received congratulatory gifts from princes, grandsons, empresses, and concubines in the Qianqing Palace.

"Amber wine, jade cups, golden goblets, and emerald plates" (Note 1), with phoenixes singing and dancing, wine cups clinking, decadent music, and extreme joy.

On the third day, there was no banquet; it was simply a day off. The concubines relied on their own abilities to win the emperor's favor, and whoever was more favored would receive his affections that day.

When it came to Li Shangxun, although the three-day holiday was not canceled, the state banquet was cancelled, and the palace banquet was moved to Kunning Palace (it was too noisy to hold it in Qianqing Palace).

In the afternoon, I briefly received congratulatory messages at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. In the evening, I moved to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, stayed for a quarter of an hour, and then left (just going through the motions).

This year was no different, except that the Emperor attended the banquet with Consort Chen.

The two, both dressed in bright yellow palace robes, came side by side, making the palace concubines, who were dressed up in their finest attire, pale in comparison.

Even though they were all internally gritting their teeth, they still had to bow and greet the Emperor: "Greetings, Your Majesty, Consort Chen."

"No need for formalities." Li Shangxun's eyes never left Liu Shuwan, and he led her directly to sit in the main seat.

Whether out of personal preference or in accordance with the rules, Consort De placed the Noble Consort's seat to the left below the main seat when preparing the palace banquet.

Now, the lonely spot sits there, like a slap in the face, making all her thoughts a joke.

In fact, the moment they met, Consort De knew she had lost.

She had seen the way the Emperor looked at Consort Chen before.

Someone once looked at him with those eyes, and the young man held a burning heart in his hands, as if she were his whole world.

But youthful love can never withstand the allure of fleeting pleasures.

Adorned in a phoenix robe, the glory and prestige of being second only to one person were too dazzling, attracting countless people to try their best to squeeze in. Everyone thought they would become the only one, and she was no exception.

But after spending too much time in the deep palace, he would occasionally sigh in the middle of the night, lamenting how desolate the moon was in the palace.

She thought she was already used to it, but it turns out she was also reading it.

The person she longed for was not the emperor sitting high on the throne, but the young man who, on that misty, apricot-blossom-filled day, had vowed to pass the imperial examination and begged her not to enter the palace.

If she were to choose again now, things would probably be different.

It's a pity that she is no longer the young girl she once was, and he is probably married by now.

Consort De swirled the wine in her glass and drank it all in one gulp.

……

……

……

(Note 1: "Amber wine, jade cup, gold-footed goblet, and jade plate" are from Baidu.)