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

Chapter 220 The Vicious Young Lady of a Noble Family (56 pages)

"This is……"

Qi Jingyu's palms were sweating as he quickly considered how to explain himself.

He wasn't this nervous when he explained his true identity to Qi Ning earlier.

"What is it? Tell me! Why did you secretly draw my picture?" Qi Ning glared at him and questioned him.

Qi Jingyu looked at Qi Ning for a long while before admitting defeat, "Because I love Ning'er, but I was afraid that saying it would frighten you, so..."

It wasn't an explicit drawing; he simply sketched some of Qi Ning's subtle actions and expressions that he had personally witnessed.

But it’s easy to see from the details in those paintings the emotions that the artist poured into them.

He didn't show it to anyone; he only drew it when he missed her, as a form of solace.

Qi Ning blushed: "You...you love me?"

"Yes," Qi Jingyu replied.

After admitting his feelings to Qi Ning, there seemed to be nothing he couldn't say anymore.

"But I've always thought of you as my older brother..."

“But I’m not your brother,” Qi Jingyu said, staring at her.

Qi Ning hurriedly looked away, and after a while, she said as if she was embarrassed and angry, "Then you are not allowed to secretly draw me either. I'm confiscating all these drawings!"

As she spoke, she hurriedly began to pick up the paintings scattered on the ground.

Seeing this, Qi Jingyu went forward to help her pick them up.

The two went to pick up the same painting, and their hands accidentally touched.

Before Qi Ning could pull her hand back, Qi Jingyu instinctively grabbed it.

"Let go." Qi Ning struggled.

Qi Jingyu did not let go, and still held her hand.

Qi Ning, both ashamed and angry, accused me: "You're shameless! Before, you took advantage of my trust and used your status as my brother to touch me inappropriately and hug me. Now that you've admitted you're not my brother anymore, you're still holding my hand..."

Qi Jingyu inexplicably felt that the way she scolded him was also particularly endearing.

The things she said about him were all true; he had indeed used his status as her brother to get close to her before.

However, Qi Jingyu carefully observed Qi Ning's expression and found that she was more embarrassed and annoyed than disgusted with him, which gave Qi Jingyu confidence.

He suddenly pulled Qi Ning into his arms and hugged her tightly.

She immediately quieted down.

This hug was different from the previous ones.

Previously, she treated him as her brother, and he could only get close to her through that brotherly relationship.

But things are different now. She knows he is not her brother, and this is a man's overstepping of propriety in his intimacy with a woman.

"If you hate me, then push me away," Qi Jingyu said tentatively.

His hand slowly relaxed, only loosely encircling her body, as if Qi Ning could push him away immediately with a simple push.

Qi Ning leaned against him, hesitated for a moment, and was about to push him away when Qi Jingyu hugged her tighter.

"You hesitated," Qi Jingyu whispered in her ear. "So, Ning'er doesn't actually dislike me, does she?"

Qi Ning remained silent for a long, long time, without denying it.

A smile appeared in Qi Jingyu's eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Qi Ning, as if she had taken him as her support, nestled in his arms and softly called out, "Second Brother."

"Ah."

"Prince Qing..."

“I’ve said it before, if you don’t want to marry him, then don’t marry him.”

"But what if your plan fails?" Qi Ning's tone was full of worry.

Qi Jingyu understood, of course, that what he was doing might not succeed and that the risk of seizing power was extremely high.

Qi Jingyu wasn't afraid of failing himself, but he was afraid of implicating Qi Ning.

"If you fail, I will arrange for someone to send you away."

If he fails, Qi Congming, the accomplice, will naturally not escape either.

But the other people in the Changping Marquis's household were innocent; they didn't even know what had happened or Qi Jingyu's identity.

Therefore, Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming had already made arrangements so that if they failed to seize the throne, they would naturally send the other members of the Marquis's mansion away and not implicate them.

But now, an unexpected event has occurred: Prince Qing.

Because the emperor bestowed the marriage upon Prince Qing and Qi Ning, Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming moved their plans forward.

This means that their original planned date for action has changed, and if they want to act earlier, they will need to choose another suitable time.

This timing was the day Prince Qing married his princess.

"On the wedding day?" Qi Ning asked.

"Yes."

Qi Jingyu released Qi Ning, pulled her up from the ground, and led her to sit on the couch before slowly explaining their detailed plans for the day.

"As you know, Prince Qing is the emperor's most beloved prince. According to the Ministry of Rites, the emperor and empress will personally attend the wedding ceremony at Prince Qing's residence on the day of the ceremony."

"When the emperor leaves the palace, that will be the best time to make a move."

Qi Ning nodded: "I see."

At this point, Qi Jingyu had some concerns: "However, when the time comes, the palace will send people to fetch the bride, and they will definitely verify her identity."

“I understand,” Qi Ning replied.

For such a momentous occasion as marrying a princess, those below would naturally be extremely cautious in their actions. The palace matrons would personally oversee her as she boarded the bridal sedan chair, making it impossible for anyone to substitute for her.

Furthermore, only when she actually gets into the bridal sedan chair will the Emperor and Prince Qing lower their guard.

Qi Jingyu added, "But don't worry, we've planted people in the wedding procession. We won't wait until you enter the Prince Qing's mansion; we'll make our move when the procession is halfway there. At that time, someone will protect you and ensure your safety."

"At that time, you don't need to panic or run around. Just wait for me in the bridal sedan chair. If it's successful, I will come to pick you up."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ning asked him, "What if we fail?"

"If it fails, don't worry," Qi Jingyu reassured. "In that case, the people we've planted in the wedding procession will take you away directly, send you out of the capital, and let you reunite with your grandmother and the others."

Qi Ning frowned slightly: "And what about you? And what about your father?"

Qi Jingyu smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about us. We've been planning this for over a decade, so we're quite confident."

"Besides, even for your sake, we will leave ourselves a way out. If we fail but manage to survive, we will come to you."

There is another possibility, which Qi Jingyu did not say, that is, he failed and did not survive.

If that's the case, he will arrange everything for Qi Ning and the others.

This was a consensus between Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming.

The more Qi Ning listened, the deeper her brows furrowed. She sighed, "How dangerous."

Qi Jingyu knew this was dangerous, but he had no choice but to do it.

For revenge, for the late crown prince's last wish, for the throne...

Now, there's another reason: for Qi Ning.

If he didn't fight for it, he could only watch helplessly as Qi Ning married Prince Qing, and he would be powerless to stop it.

Qi Jingyu has been lying low for too many years and seems to have no desires, but he still has the blood of the former crown prince flowing in his veins and still has the ambition that a royal bloodline should have.

In short, this matter is imminent.

Qi Ning stayed in Qi Jingyu's study for a long time. Before dark, Qi Jingyu personally escorted her back to Qiyun Pavilion.

According to Qi Jingyu's plan, in the days leading up to the wedding, they would continue to arrange things behind the scenes. Qi Ning would not need to do anything; she only needed to pretend to be at home preparing for the wedding.

After returning to her courtyard, Qi Ning relaxed completely, sitting on the couch leisurely eating snacks, showing none of the worry she had displayed in front of Qi Jingyu.

Seeing Qi Ning's carefree attitude, the system couldn't help but feel a little strange: "Host, the current situation is different from the original plot. Aren't you worried that Qi Jingyu might fail?"

"Failure? It's highly unlikely," Qi Ning replied calmly.

"Are you so sure?" the system asked again.

Seeing that the system didn't understand, Qi Ning had it put the original plot of seizing the throne together with Qi Jingyu's current plan and analyze and compare them.

In the original storyline, the emperor rarely left the palace except for the autumn hunt. When he did leave, he always took all sorts of precautions. Qi Jingyu and his group acted on the day of the emperor's birthday celebration at the end of the year, when the palace held a birthday banquet for the emperor, and they seized the opportunity to successfully usurp the throne.

Now, although their operation is several months ahead of schedule and their preparations are rather rushed, they have a crucial advantage over the original storyline: they have a better opportunity.

This "good opportunity" refers to Prince Qing's wedding banquet.

On the day of Prince Qing's wedding banquet, the emperor would leave the palace to go to Prince Qing's residence. Since it would only be a short trip outside the palace for a few hours, the emperor would not be as overly vigilant as he was during the autumn hunt. In addition, the emperor would relax his guard in the face of his son's happy occasion.

Once the emperor leaves the palace, the palace is left without a master.

And with the emperor outside the palace, it would be easier to take action against him.

Even if it's just a few short hours when the emperor goes to Prince Qing's mansion for the wedding banquet, as long as Qi Jingyu and his group seize that opportunity, their chances of success will greatly increase.

It can be said that, compared to the original storyline, Qi Jingyu and his team have a greater chance of success this time.

After listening to Qi Ning's analysis, the system suddenly realized: "That makes sense."

Qi Ning smiled and said, "Opportunity is a very important thing. On the surface, it seems like a bad thing that my marriage to Prince Qing caused Qi Jingyu to act ahead of schedule. But from another perspective, didn't my marriage to Prince Qing also provide Qi Jingyu and his group with a better opportunity?"

"As for the operation being carried out a few months ahead of schedule, that's not a big problem at all. They've been planning for over a decade, and they had three months to prepare before the actual operation. That's more than enough."

The system finally understood: "No wonder the host wasn't worried at all."

Qi Ning lazily fanned herself: "It's not that I'm not worried at all. I'll need you to keep an eye on things to prevent any unexpected situations from arising."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I won't need to get involved. Qi Jingyu is fully capable of it, and I just need to cooperate with his plan. If something unexpected happens, I won't stand idly by; I will still take action."

Moreover, in essence, Qi Ning was not a passive observer who did not participate.

Firstly, her marriage to Prince Qing created an excellent opportunity for Qi Jingyu. By cooperating with the bridal sedan chair and making Prince Qing and the Emperor lower their guard, she could be considered to have participated in a part of the plan.

How can this be considered as not helping?

The system replied, "No problem, leave it to me!"

Hearing the system's assurance, Qi Ning was completely relieved.

For the next few days, both the Prince Qing's Mansion and the Marquis Changping's Mansion were busy, not to mention Qi Jingyu and Qi Congming, while Qi Ning was very leisurely.

During this period, Prince Qing did visit the Marquis of Changping's residence once, wanting to see Qi Ning.

Since meeting Qi Ning at the flower-viewing banquet at the Duke of Cheng's mansion, Prince Qing had not seen her again. The thought of having to wait three more months for their official marriage made Prince Qing restless with anticipation.

Therefore, he made a special trip to the Marquis of Changping's residence, saying that he wanted to take Qi Ning to the theater to watch a play.

In the end, Prince Qing's goal was not achieved. The old lady personally intervened and refused, arguing that the bride and groom could not meet before the wedding, otherwise it would be unlucky.

The old lady was, after all, an elder, and Prince Qing gave her some face, so he didn't force her.

As a result, Prince Qing, who had not been able to see Qi Ning, became increasingly anxious, focusing all his attention on urging the preparations for the wedding. Even the concubine who had been favored some time ago was neglected, not to mention other matters.

The emperor, believing he had Qi Congming's weakness under control, was in a very good mood during this period and naturally relaxed his vigilance in some ways.

Just as the emperor and Prince Qing were complacent and careless, they were completely unaware that a violent storm was brewing beneath the seemingly calm surface.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the day for Prince Qing to marry his princess arrived.

That afternoon, after a series of procedures, Prince Qing personally came to the Marquis of Changping's residence to welcome the bride.

Qi Ning put on the red veil and went to say goodbye to her elders.

Before leaving, the old lady wiped away her tears, and Qi Tang cried even harder.

Qi Ning thought to herself, "Don't cry, I'll be back..."

After saying goodbye to her elders, she was carried to the bridal sedan chair by her eldest brother, Qi Jinglin.

As for why it was Qi Jinglin who carried her, and not Qi Jingyu...

The apparent reason, of course, is that Qi Jinglin is the eldest son born of the principal wife, while Qi Jingyu's second brother is born of a concubine. It is more in accordance with the rules for Qi Jinglin to carry Qi Ning onto the bridal sedan chair, and it also gives more face to Prince Qing and the royal family.

The real reason was that Qi Jingyu had other plans for that day and could not afford any accidents before the operation could proceed.

Moreover, Qi Jingyu had no desire to play the role of "the brother who carries his sister to the bridal sedan chair".

On the way to the bridal sedan chair, Qi Jinglin carried Qi Ning on his back. Because Qi Ning was about to become the Princess Consort of Qing, he changed his usual attitude and spoke flattering words to Qi Ning.

"Second sister, today your elder brother carried you into the bridal sedan chair. The next time we meet, you will be the noble and precious Princess Qing. As for what happened before, your elder brother and your aunt were confused. You are a magnanimous person, please don't hold it against us."

On Qi Jinglin's back, Qi Ning's lips, hidden beneath her red veil, curled up slightly: "What are you saying, elder brother? We are family. How could I hold a grudge against you and aunt? That's all in the past."

Upon hearing Qi Ning's words, Qi Jinglin thought she really didn't care about the past anymore, and his heart immediately settled down.

He smiled and said, "I knew it. Second sister is indeed a kind and generous person. You are right. We are all family. In the future, when you become the Princess Consort of Qing, your elder brother will have to rely on the care of His Highness Prince Qing and Second sister."

“Of course,” Qi Ning replied.

In reality, Qi Ning was thinking that this should be the last time Qi Jinglin carried someone on his back; no, it should be said that this was the last period of time he could walk freely.

Before long, he will become a cripple with a broken leg.

Qi Jinglin was completely unaware of Qi Ning's inner thoughts. Overjoyed, he carried Qi Ning lightly onto the bridal sedan chair.

When Prince Qing, who had come to fetch the bride, saw Qi Ning finally board the bridal sedan chair, his face was full of smiles. He raised his chin high, revealing his arrogant demeanor.

So much so that he didn't notice that Qi Congming and Qi Jingyu, who were escorting the bride, secretly exchanged glances.

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