The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The Face-Slapping Time-Traveling Farming Girl 8

With Mr. Sun and Ruyu tying up Qi Rui and his son, Anning’s days became much more relaxed.

She no longer needed to painstakingly manage Qi Wenwei every day, nor did she have to think of ways to deal with Qi Rui.

With her hands now free, Anning naturally had to deal with Zhou Zhenniang.

Regarding the residence of Zhou Zhenniang, Anning had long since had someone find out.

Qi Rui was truly adept at hiding people.

He hid Zhou Zhenniang in a small manor not far outside the Prefecture City of Suzhou.

The scenery of that manor was quite nice, and it was close to the city, making it very convenient for Zhou Zhenniang to go into the city whenever she wished.

Anning not only found out Zhou Zhenniang’s residence but also had people pay attention to her schedule.

Zhou Zhenniang was not as chaste and gentle as she appeared in front of Qi Rui.

She was actually an ambitious person.

Indeed, if she were not ambitious, why would she agree to hide in a manor like a mouse for so many years without status or recognition?

When Qi Rui did not visit, Zhou Zhenniang would often take her maids into the city for enjoyment.

There were many entertaining things in Suzhou Prefecture at this time, with lots of troupes performing operas, storytelling, and various entertainments, especially around the edges of the city where there were many opera and acrobatic troupes, which were Zhou Zhenniang’s favorite places to visit.

She had money at hand and was very generous in rewarding the actors, consequently attracting people to flatter her.

The original Ye Anning did not pay attention to these things.

She liked to read and enjoy tranquility, and would not go to such bustling places.

But Anning was different, you see.

Anning was someone who did not like being confined within the square confines of the back house, and she also often went to listen to operas and watch acrobatics, naturally knowing some of Zhou Zhenniang’s behaviors.

Knowing what Zhou Zhenniang liked, Anning specifically started to target her.

In the area near the city, there was a particularly famous performer in the troupes, known as Boss Zou.

Boss Zou had handsome looks and a particularly good singing voice; he was one of the performers that Zhou Zhenniang quite liked.

Anning specifically checked out Boss Zou’s background.

The results were interesting to Anning when she found out.

Originally, Boss Zou was not of lowly birth; he too was from a noble family, but years ago his grandfather was implicated by a conspiracy joined by Qi Rui’s father and their property was confiscated.

At that time, Boss Zou was young and escaped the calamity; he was not taken to be beheaded.

However, with his family fallen, and being too young to have a means of living, he had no choice but to sell himself into a performing troupe to survive.

When the Zou Family was in trouble, Boss Zou still had recollection of the event, and he also knew who his enemy was.

It’s just that now he was of a lowly status and on top of being weak and powerless, while Qi Rui held the prestigious position of the Magistrate; he could not do anything to Qi Rui.

Having found out these details, Anning had some plans in mind.

On this day, she got dressed early and left the house with her attendants.

Boss Zou, having finished his main performance of the day, was backstage removing his makeup when he saw the head of the troupe hurriedly come over.

The troupe’s head, Master Zhang, was a chubby, cheerful-looking middle-aged man.

He took good care of Boss Zou and had a good relationship with him; Boss Zou felt grateful to him in his heart.

Master Zhang quickly grabbed Boss Zou: ”Hurry, follow me.”

Boss Zou saw the urgency on his face, and without asking what it was for, followed Master Zhang to a room in the back courtyard.

Upon entering the room, he saw several maids dressed in gold and silver, and a noblewoman sitting on a chair to the north.

Boss Zou was taken aback for a moment before stepping forward quickly: ”May I know who this lady is?”

Anning looked up and smiled at Boss Zou, gesturing with her hand for the maids to leave.

”Boss Zou, let’s not beat around the bush. I’m here today to ask you for a favor. Naturally, I won’t make you help for nothing.”

Boss Zou turned his head and walked out.

Anning whispered to him just before he was about to leave the door: ”I can help you remove your lowly status and give you a new identity to participate in the imperial examination, how about it?”

The temptation was too great; Boss Zou stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Anning: ”Which Lady might you be? For what reason did you seek me out?”

Anning sipped her tea with a smile and said leisurely: ”Well, I am the legitimate wife of the Prefect of Suzhou.”

As soon as she said this, Anning noticed that although Boss Zou’s face did not show it, his eyes could not hide the hatred within, and his pupils contracted, clearly very anxious.

”I know you hate the people of the Qi Family, and I can help you with that.”

”Why?”

Boss Zou’s voice was hoarse, almost unable to find his own voice.

”I wish him misfortune as well.”

Anning chuckled lightly: ”To tell you the truth, Qi Rui deceived me into marriage, and in actuality was secretly involved with someone else. Later, while I was unconscious during childbirth, he switched my child and made me unknowingly raise another woman’s child for many years. If I hadn’t been alert, I would have been deceived for a lifetime, until they caused my death.”

At this point, Anning’s mouth held a trace of bitterness: ”Tell me, how can I not hate a person who has harmed me like this?”

Boss Zou did not quite trust Anning.

Anning said softly: ”My father is Ye Song.”

When the name Ye Song was mentioned, Boss Zou’s body shook.

He immediately bowed to Anning: ”I was blind to not recognize you. Well, for nothing else but for Mr. Ye’s reputation, I will help you with your troubles.”

When Anning left the troupe, she felt much more cheerful.

Back home, she continued the daily task of tutoring Qi Wenshao.

At the same time, every day during the day, Anning taught Qi Wenjuan how to manage household affairs and schooled her in social interactions.

Moreover, Anning kept Qi Wenjuan away from Qi Wenwei.

At the beginning, Qi Wenjuan didn’t notice anything off for a short time.

But as time went on, and Qi Wenjuan not being a fool, she naturally noticed Anning did not seem to want her to get too close to Qi Wenwei.

One day, Anning had just finished washing up early in the morning and was about to change clothes to go out for a visit when she saw Qi Wenjuan hurry into the room.

Qi Wenjuan’s face looked terrible.

Upon entering the room, she asked Anning: ”Mother, I heard that in these past days you haven’t paid much attention to eldest brother, and instead you are increasingly kind to second brother. Why is that?”

”Who told you that?”

Anning was not angry; instead, she asked Qi Wenjuan softly and gently.

Qi Wenjuan naturally didn’t hide from Anning: ”It was Yue Qin who told this to me.”

Yue Qin?

Anning did know of this girl. Yue Qin had a face that appeared honest and simple, and she seemed to be someone who did her work without standing out, seemingly very understanding of etiquette, not aggressive or pushy.

But she did not expect that Yue Qin would actually try to drive a wedge between Anning and her daughter Qi Wenjuan.

Anning lowered her eyelids and did not speak for a good while.

Qi Wenjuan became somewhat afraid.

She walked over and shook Anning’s arm: ”Mother, eldest brother and I are your biological children, second brother is just a bastard.”

After being admonished by Anning, Qi Wenjuan did not dare to speak ill again: ”Although second brother’s concubine mother has been kind to mother, he ultimately wasn’t born from you. How could mother be too close to him?”

Qi Wenjuan was acting out of jealousy, and she was also speaking out of a sense of unfairness on behalf of Wenwei.

Anning’s face held a smile, but internally she thought that this was likely Zhou Zhenniang’s doing.

Qi Rui was a careless man, who usually didn’t manage the affairs of the inner court.

But Zhou Zhenniang, being a woman, was particularly meticulous, and naturally, she would notice that Anning seemed to be less controlling towards Wenwei nowadays.

How could this be allowed?

Zhou Zhenniang naturally became anxious.

She had some informants in the manor, and now she used them to stir conflict between Qi Wenjuan and Anning.