The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 1092: Chapter 1066: Honor Amidst Chaos

Anning received news from Da Qi, which turned out exactly as she expected. Lu Wang was demoted, and Di Song became the new river governor.

After receiving this news, Anning started helping Xiao Yuan prepare intensively.

At this time, the Six Ministries of the Dajing Dynasty were collaborating, and both civil and military officials were busy as if they were about to fly.

Princess Fengyang also received a new propaganda task.

She had some scripts written and sent people to Da Qi to recite and sing them aloud.

One of these scripts was not only recited and sung in Da Qi but also turned into a drama for the people to watch in Dajing.

This script was adapted by Fengyang from a very famous modern opera, and when Anning received the script written by Fengyang, she found it particularly amusing.

She showed it to Xiao Yuan, and the couple laughed secretly for a long time.

Fengyang was imitating the White-Haired Girl.

She wrote about a very beautiful girl from Jiangnan whose family was very poor. Despite their poverty, her parents were loving, and the family lived harmoniously, only that this girl was so beautiful that she was noticed by a tyrant who kidnapped her to be his concubine. The girl refused and suffered greatly in the tyrant’s house. Her parents filed a lawsuit, but the tyrant colluded with local officials. Not only was the girl not released, but her parents were also killed.

The girl wanted revenge, but she was small and weak and could not do anything to the tyrant.

Later, the girl escaped, and after experiencing numerous dangers during a flood in Jiangnan, she finally survived until Emperor Jianyuan recaptured Jiangnan and established the Dajing Dynasty. The girl heard that Emperor Jianyuan treated his people like his children and that the newly appointed officials were upright and honest. So she risked it all and went to the government office to file a complaint, accusing the tyrant of forcibly taking a civilian girl and accusing officials and merchants of colluding to kill her parents. Every word and sentence was a blood and tear-filled accusation.

The newly appointed county magistrate handled the case with fairness and integrity, raided the tyrant’s home, and indeed found much evidence of his crimes. In the end, the tyrant and the officials who had killed the girl’s parents were taken to the execution ground and beheaded in public. The people cheered and praised this county magistrate as a just and incorruptible official.

Ultimately, with the county magistrate’s help and the assistance of many kind-hearted people, the girl was granted land and allowed to live with dignity.

At the end of the script, the girl kneels down to thank Emperor Jianyuan, and she would tell everyone she met that Da Qi turned people into ghosts and Dajing turned ghosts into people.

Anning and Xiao Yuan found this last sentence quite interesting.

When the script was finally rehearsed and performed, many people watching the play were moved to tears, especially when the tyrant killed the girl’s parents. Many viewers wished they could rush onto the stage to kill the tyrant.

After the play was performed for some time, Xiao Yuan’s reputation among the people grew even higher.

Countless people would recite that phrase, and in many places, the saying spread: ”Da Qi turns people into ghosts, Dajing turns ghosts into people.”

The effect of this play being performed in Dajing was so good, and it was even better when performed in Da Qi.

The nobles and wealthy merchants of Da Qi could still live comfortably, but the ordinary people were living in unbearable hardship.

Dajing had almost monopolized Da Qi’s grain and salt supply. The grain shipped by Dajing, after being manipulated by grain merchants, was priced much higher than in the Dajing Dynasty, and the price of salt had also increased significantly.

With one disaster after another, and the officials in Da Qi still collecting heavy taxes, the people truly had no means of survival.

At this time, such a play being performed, together with various scripts circulating among the people, made the populace hate the Da Qi court deeply. One could say that the people had no hope in the Da Qi court any longer.

On the contrary, the people of Da Qi longed for life in the Dajing Dynasty.

After all, in their eyes, that place was nearly heaven.

In the Dajing Dynasty, everyone had clothes to wear and food to eat, and the price of salt was particularly low. The people of Da Qi, to save salt, ate dishes that were bland and tasteless, but they heard that salt was so cheap in the Dajing Dynasty that ordinary folks would cook with a lot of salt.

To them, this seemed almost unbelievable.

Most importantly, the people of Da Qi heard that children in the Dajing Dynasty could attend free schooling and learn to read, which was considered an enormous benevolence, almost like divine grace.

Many people in Da Qi longed for Emperor Jianyuan to quickly advance to Jiangbei, hoping for the swift demise of Da Qi.

One could say that Fengyang’s wave of propaganda was indeed powerful, making the people of Da Qi lose heart and uniting the Dajing Dynasty from top to bottom with the people and the ruler as one.

After settling the propaganda work, she thought about Qi Nanxue, who lived in the imperial manor.

She hadn’t seen him for many days, and to be honest, Fengyang missed him a little.

Fengyang arranged the upcoming work with a few subordinates and then ordered a carriage to be prepared, taking along some maids and old women to the imperial manor.

This time, she planned to stay at the imperial manor for several days.

After a period of renovation and with Princess Zhaoyang constantly urging improvements, the scenery at the imperial manor turned out particularly beautiful.

The steward of the manor, surnamed Lu, upon hearing that Princess Fengyang was coming to stay for a few days, started preparing early.

As it was freezing cold now, with the princess coming, they had to make the house warm.

Fortunately, when the imperial manor was first built, it was designed according to the Empress’s blueprints, with many rooms equipped with underfloor heating. As long as the heating was turned on, the rooms would quickly warm up.

Additionally, the rooms had to be properly cleaned and tidied, making them clean and pleasant for the princess to stay comfortably.

Moreover, the servants at the manor needed to be well-trained, so as not to annoy the princess with any rude or improper behavior.

Besides these preparations, Steward Lu also called upon the troupe residing at the manor to rehearse well, as the princess was very likely to want to watch a play.

Upon hearing that Princess Fengyang was coming to stay at the manor for some time, Qi Nanxue felt indescribable emotions.

In recent days, he rehearsed even more diligently, practicing singing and movements from morning till night, sometimes even practicing his sleeve work. By the time he rested at night, he was so exhausted that he didn’t want to take a single step.

Watching Qi Nanxue tire himself like this filled Qi with anxiety.

That night, Qi Nanxue brewed medicine for Qi and brought it over.

Qi did not take the medicine but asked Qi Nanxue to sit down: ”Sit, let’s have a talk.”

Qi Nanxue sat down with the medicine: ”Mother, what do you want to talk about?”

Qi looked Qi Nanxue over, then closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again with a look of resolute determination: ”Nanxue, you need to know your place, understand who you are. I am as low as dirt, and I’m sorry for dragging you down with me, making you live a lowly life. In this lifetime, this is how it will be, whether it’s me or you, as long as we can stay alive, that’s good enough. We cannot think about anything else. Do you understand?”

Qi Nanxue was shocked, and his hand trembled, causing the bowl of medicine to fall to the ground, spilling the liquid everywhere.

He quickly squatted down to clean it up, but Qi grabbed him.

”I gave birth to you, raised you. How could I not know your thoughts? Ever since you started performing in the palace, you often secretly smiled when you returned. I thought you were glad to not be bullied anymore, but after observing you, I realized you had someone in your heart. I didn’t pay it much mind, but these days... Nanxue, she is a Heavenly Maiden, far beyond your reach. Not only beyond reach, but even thinking about it is a sin.”

Qi Nanxue lowered his head, his thin body trembling slightly: ”I know, I know. I don’t want to reach for her. I just want to perform a good play for her, to the best of my ability. Even if I only perform for her once in this lifetime, it will be worth it.”