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

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle." That was the sound coming from little Ah Xun's belly.

"Are you hungry? Haven't you eaten?" Liu Shuwan asked.

"Mmm." Little A-Xun nodded shyly.

"Would you like a chicken leg?" Liu Shuwan said, and a chicken leg suddenly appeared in her hand.

"I want to eat!" Little A-Xun wanted to eat, but he didn't try to take it away. He stayed obediently in Liu Shuwan's arms.

"Here, eat up." Liu Shuwan handed it to him.

After he finished eating, Liu Shuwan wiped his mouth and hands and said, "The chicken leg wasn't enough. Would you like to have a steamed bun?"

"Okay~" Little A-Xun nodded happily.

Liu Shuwan handed over a large meat bun and asked, "Is it good?"

"Delicious."

Little A-Xun's mouth was covered in oil again. Li Shangxun, who could feel his disheveled appearance, felt extremely embarrassed. How could he have looked like this when he was a child?

"Even if it tastes good, you can't eat too much. Eating too much at night can cause indigestion and is bad for your stomach." Liu Shuwan gently wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"Okay, sister, why are you so good to me?" Little A-Xun swallowed the meat in his mouth and asked.

“I have a younger brother. He’s about your age, and just as cute as you. He loves chicken drumsticks and big meat buns, and he always gets his mouth all oily when he eats…”

Liu Shuwan's voice was filled with nostalgia, but it quickly turned into regret and sadness, "It's just that I probably will never see him again."

Little A-Xun put down the meat bun, hugged Liu Shuwan and said, "Sister, don't be sad. From now on, I will be your younger brother, and I will be good to you."

Li Shangxun smiled sarcastically. He was really humble when he was a child. As long as someone was willing to be nice to him, he would be willing to be used as a substitute.

Li Shangxun suddenly felt bored and struggled to wake up from his dream.

It was still early, so Li Shangxun opened his eyes and lay on the bed, no longer feeling sleepy at all.

This morning before the court session, I heard that His Majesty had issued an edict to exhume and whip the corpses of the late Emperor's fourth and fifth sons again.

In fact, he had already been whipped once when the emperor consolidated power, a full hundred lashes, and his skin was already rotten beyond recognition.

This time, if they whip it again, they'll probably whip it to the bone, until the bones are completely mangled.

But no one dared to say anything, fearing that they would be the next to be whipped if they did.

During the morning court session, everyone was on edge, fearing that they would be the next unlucky one to suffer.

Fortunately, Lord Cao stepped in.

The 500,000 taels of gold that Lord Cao had embezzled were somehow discovered. He was dragged into prison during court and his home was confiscated.

He's in jail.

During the reign of the late emperor, those who were imprisoned could receive lenient treatment if they had connections, or they could be released if a concubine whispered in their ear.

It was even simpler when the Empress Dowager was in power. As long as she spent some money and sent it to her maternal clan, she could be released in a few days. If the treasures sent were rare and unusual, it was not uncommon for them to be promoted afterward.

But things are different now. Whoever the person in charge says goes to jail is definitely not coming out. Anyone who pleads for leniency will end up in jail with them.

Lord Cao went inside, but few of the other officials present could feel at ease.

At this level, who hasn't accepted bribes, who hasn't been corrupt? It's just a matter of how much money they've made.

But is it a matter of how much money you have? This is a matter of life and death.

The adults quietly wiped the fine sweat from their foreheads, hoping that the morning court session would end soon so they could go back and see if they could make amends. They wanted to return what they had to return, as they wanted to live a few more years.

*

the other side,

Liu Shuwan also came out of her dream.

"Wanwan, it's not time yet, why are you awake?" Qiqi asked in confusion.

(Li Shangxun's desire to leave was too strong; he withdrew on his own.)

[As expected of the male lead, he actually managed to force himself awake. What do we do now? What if he does this again next time?]

(It's okay, let's take a break for a while.)

Lin Shuwan rubbed her forehead.

(It's still early, I'll sleep a little longer.)

[Okay.]

……

Two weeks have passed, and Li Shangxun has not dreamed of his childhood since then. Even if he does dream of it, that person no longer appears in his dreams.

It was all a dream, all fake. It's better he didn't appear; he had no desire to be a younger brother or a stand-in.

That's what they thought, but the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, causing the eunuchs to serve them with even greater care, and the officials to be more cautious during court sessions.

Business at restaurants has been slow lately; adults aren't coming out for drinks and conversation anymore, probably because they're too busy with official business.

Finally, that night, he felt that familiar drowsiness again...

When he regained consciousness, the feeling of suffocation was particularly pronounced. Water was pressing against him from all sides, and a rope was tied to his legs, with a huge rock dragging at the other end. As the rock sank, he sank with it.

He remembered now. It must have been when he was six years old. His Ninth Princess's hairpin fell into the water, and he happened to be passing by. She saw it and ordered the eunuchs to grab him and make him go into the water to retrieve it.

He couldn't sink, so she ordered people to tie stones to his feet. The stones were heavy, and he sank down.

What did he do back then?

He must have felt unwilling to accept his fate as he was dying, and somehow found the strength to untie the rope and climb up. As for the shore, there was no one there anymore.

She probably only wanted the hairpin as a pretense; her real intention was to play a trick on him. Seeing that he had fallen silent, she ran away in fear.

But now, he struggled, feeling as if he could control his body in the dream, but he had no strength left, his eyes gradually closed, and his consciousness slowly blurred. Actually, dying would be fine too, so be it.

Suddenly, a pair of hands untied the rope around his ankles and then dragged him ashore.

A warm object touched his mouth and blew a lot of air into him. His chest was pressed several times, and the water in his stomach was squeezed out. Li Shangxun coughed a few times, opened his eyes, and it was her again.

She was completely soaked, her clothes clinging tightly to her body, outlining her figure. Her breathing was rapid, her chest heaving.

Li Shangxun felt a little embarrassed to look at her and looked away. He could indeed control his body in his dreams.

"Who did this? How could he be so evil?" Her voice was filled with anger and lingering fear.

Li Shangxun did not answer.

She probably thought he might not remember her again, so she said once more, "We've met before, but you probably don't remember me. It's okay, none of that matters. Let me figure out how to dry your clothes first."

As soon as he finished speaking, his clothes dried, and so did hers.

She was probably used to this situation, and muttered softly, "Oh well, it's probably because I'm in a dream, so I can have whatever I want."

Li Shangxun heard it clearly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Seeing that Li Shangxun remained silent, the woman probably thought he was frightened, so she produced a candied hawthorn in her hand, handed it to him, and said, "Want some candied hawthorn? To calm your nerves."

The red hawthorn berries are coated with a layer of syrup, making them look crystal clear and very pretty.

Li Shangxun only looked at the candied hawthorns and did not reach out.

The woman took his hand with the hand that wasn't holding the candied hawthorn, stuffed the candied hawthorn into his hand, and said, "Have you never had one before? Just take a big bite, it's sweet and sour, very delicious."

He had eaten it before. The Empress Dowager had once used it to coax the Eleventh Prince, but the Eleventh Prince took a couple of bites, didn't like it, and threw it away. He, who had been secretly following behind, picked it up.

Back then, he was always hungry. When he was really starving, he would eat anything, and he couldn't even remember what it tasted like. It didn't fill him up.

It was just a toy for coaxing children, but for some reason, Li Shangxun opened his mouth and took a small bite.

It's too sweet, sickeningly sweet.

The woman watched him eat and said softly, "Next time someone bullies you, remember to run faster and farther away. If there are many of them, hide and don't let yourself get hurt again."

Li Shangxun found it laughable. If they wanted to get rid of him, there would be plenty of palace maids and eunuchs to arrest him. How could he possibly escape?

“If Ah Xun gets hurt, your sister will be heartbroken.”

Li Shangxun didn't say anything, but silently finished eating a candied hawthorn. It was too sweet.

……