The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Mr. Wei still had a good impression of Xin Lan.

The beautiful and gentle young wife, so considerate and obedient to him, was naturally liked by him from the bottom of his heart.

Mr. Wei had always believed that Xin Lan was sensible and managed household affairs well.

But he didn’t expect to hear negative comments about Xin Lan from Old Madam.

Old Madam snorted, ”Do you know what your wife has done? She ordered some kind of recipe for the kitchen, making them cook according to it every day, so that all the masters in the house eat the same big-pot rice. If anyone doesn’t like it, they have to use their own silver to buy what they like outside, or give a tip to the cook to make something they like. It’s really short-sightedness, I don’t know where she learned this from. Maybe she saw some big households doing this, but she hasn’t considered that those families who set such rules must have a lot of people in their homes, while how many people are there in our household?”

Mr. Wei frowned.

Only to hear Old Madam continue, ”Some households have dozens or even hundreds of masters alone, so it’s impossible to make whatever anyone wants to eat. After all, the kitchen can’t cater to everyone’s palate, so they must set a unified menu. But it’s different in our house, is it really necessary? Before this, it was fine, but Yuan’er and his wife just came back and stayed for a few days, and she’s already cutting back on their meals. What’s the point of this? Isn’t she just looking for trouble?”

Mr. Wei could hardly believe it, ”She probably didn’t do it on purpose.”

Old Madam chuckled, ”Who knows.”

She stopped there, fearing that saying too much would make Mr. Wei contrary.

”I’ll talk to her later,” Mr. Wei could only promise this.

”I won’t interfere whether you talk to your wife or not.”

Old Madam was still somewhat resentful, ”But if she really provokes Yuan’er’s wife into anger, I’m afraid she won’t be able to stay in this house.”

Mr. Wei nodded.

Although he had some affection for Xin Lan, compared to his future and the whole Wei Family, Xin Lan was irrelevant.

Not a few days after Old Madam and Mr. Wei discussed Xin Lan’s issues, Mrs. Miao came over.

As soon as Mrs. Miao arrived, she cried out for Anning.

Xin Lan received Mrs. Miao. Seeing how distressed Mrs. Miao was, she couldn’t help but offer some advice, ”Dear Madam, my Master and Granny have gone to Qingjiang County, and I don’t know when they’ll be back. What’s the matter you want with her? If it’s urgent, you should send her a letter immediately.”

Mrs. Miao wiped her tears, ”Dear, let’s be honest, it’s a disaster as big as the sky. I don’t know which heartless person dug up those old matters from when my husband was an official in Qingjiang—like the orphanage, the flood prevention dykes, and the massacre of a family by bandits. They’re saying all these are my husband’s fault. Plus, there’s the matter with the Gao family... isn’t this just the calamity of confiscation and extermination looming? Now only Anning can save her father and brothers.”

Xin Lan frowned tightly upon hearing this.

”Anning, a mere woman of the inner court, what can she do?”

Xin Lan wanted to trouble Anning, but she also knew that matters like those of the Gao family should not be recklessly involved with, lest she brings ruin upon herself. Her days were good now, and she didn’t want to ruin them.

”After all, she is the Empress’s goddaughter.”

Mrs. Miao sobbed, ”Your Majesty is very fond of the Empress. If the Empress speaks a few words on Anning’s behalf for us...”

”Dear Madam, you should go back now.”

Just as Xin Lan was about to say something, Old Madam came over unexpectedly.

As soon as Old Madam entered, she was quite rude to Mrs. Miao, ”A mere woman of our family, what does she know? Moreover, she belongs to our Wei Family. Everything must be considered for the Wei Family’s sake, not harming her husband’s family for her mother’s family.”

”That’s not how it should be said.”

Mrs. Miao quickly stood up, ”Old Madam, no matter what, she is still our family’s flesh and blood. How could a daughter not save her father? If this spreads, it would be said she’s heartless and ruthless, she’d be laughed at...”

”Is Mrs. Miao trying to lecture me on filial piety?”

Old Madam sneered, sitting down with grandeur, ”I may not be literate, but I understand one thing: when loyalty and filial piety cannot coexist, one must put loyalty first, then filial piety. Mr. Miao violated national law; if Anning dares to intervene, that would be disloyalty. In the face of national justice, father-daughter ties and personal reputation must all take a back seat. Anning is a Wei Family woman and understands this.”

Mrs. Miao was nearly incensed to fainting.

”Alright, alright, really good. Old Madam worries about this and that, but doesn’t the Old Madam think of Xing’er and Susu? They are, after all, daughters of our Miao family. Our lord is their real grandfather. Does the Old Madam want them to have a grandfather who was beheaded?”

Old Madam leisurely picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, ”The two children bear the surname Wei, not Miao. Whatever happens to the Miao family doesn’t affect them much. Even if it does, that is their fate.”

Mrs. Miao took several deep breaths, ”Please tell me where Anning is, Old Madam. I will have someone find her, and I want to ask her if she cares about her father’s life and death.”

”I don’t know.” The Old Madam slammed the teacup onto the table. ”Someone, see the guest out.”

Mrs. Miao was almost thrown out by the servants of the Wei Family.

After being kicked out, her heart was desolate, and she couldn’t help but shed tears.

When Mrs. Miao returned home, the Miao Family was already in chaos.

The court had specifically sent people to arrest Mr. Miao, and at the same time, all the masters and servants of the Miao Family were locked up and imprisoned, waiting for the case to be cleared and then executed as needed, exiled as needed, and sold as needed.

The masters of the Miao Family cried and wailed, and the servants also had mournful faces, truly chaotic to the extreme.

After Anning and Xiao Yuan arrived in Qingjiang, Xiao Yuan found someone to disguise as a Taoist, and then Anning told that person the location of her grandparents’ remains, which she had calculated herself, letting him pretend to have performed a ritual. He then took Anning and Xiao Yuan to find the remains of the old Bai couple.

The remains were found in an already dried-up deep well, and by then, there were truly only bones left.

Anning personally went into the well to gather the two people’s remains, and then took baskets to have them lifted up with ropes, afterward placing them into coffins she had already bought.

Then Xiao Yuan had the fake Taoist find a cemetery with very good Feng Shui, and after hiring people to perform rituals for seven days, they finally buried the old couple.

After burying the old Bai couple, Anning and Xiao Yuan returned to Wuyuan.

By the time they returned, the case of the Miao Family had basically been clarified.

Mr. Miao was sentenced to execution, and the rest of the Miao Family were exiled, with the servants being sold.

Mr. Miao was to be executed after autumn, and currently, he was held in jail. The first thing Anning did upon her return was to visit Mr. Miao in jail.

She brought some food and wine with her, and upon entering the jail, the jailer quickly led her to Mr. Miao.

At this time, Mr. Miao was wearing a prison uniform, with disheveled hair, and more than half of his hair was white. His face was full of wrinkles, making him look as if he had aged more than twenty years.

He became quite excited upon seeing Anning. ”Ningning, Ningning, you must save your dad, you must...”

Anning glanced at the jailer, who tactfully retreated.

As Anning arranged the food, she softly said, ”Dad? You are not my dad. My dad is now in the Capital, he’s doing well, not like you, about to lose your life.”

Mr. Miao was taken aback.

Anning poured a glass of wine for Mr. Miao. ”To be honest with you, you’re really not my dad. Back then, you snatched my mother, and at that time, I was actually already in her womb. She didn’t know she was pregnant, and when she gave birth to me, she was framed and had a premature birth. So, you all thought I was your daughter, but this time, after I went to the Capital and met my real dad, I realized I wasn’t the daughter of the Miao Family.”

”This... This is impossible?”

Mr. Miao was dumbfounded, and simultaneously, he was a bit angry. ”So Mrs. Bai really was a bitch.”

Anning lowered her head, smiling as she shattered the wine bottle, and stabbed a shard into Mr. Miao’s face. ”Such a dirty mouth, it needs blood for a thorough wash.”

Mr. Miao winced in pain, and was also frightened by Anning’s ruthlessness.

Anning, as if she had done nothing, calmly set up the food and took out the chopsticks. ”You, a man who forcefully took someone else’s wife, caused another family to be shattered, and yet dare to speak ill of others? That’s truly laughable. My parents were a married couple, and I arrived under their anticipation, but it was precisely because of you that we, mother and daughter, were separated by life and death, forcing us, father and daughter, apart for more than ten years. And now...seeing you suffering the consequences, I can’t even express how happy I am.”

Mr. Miao held his face. ”Ningning, you can’t do this. I’ve raised you for over ten years...”

Anning looked up with deep malice in her eyes. ”Don’t say that. Raised me for over ten years? Did I ask you to raise me? If you hadn’t taken my mother, who knows how well I would have lived with my real parents...Do you have any idea how I lived in the Miao Family? And now you dare talk about ten years of upbringing? Hah, I think you’re tired of living, wanting to die earlier.”

Mr. Miao was so scared he retreated several steps.

Anning stood up. ”So, don’t say anything about asking me to save you. To tell you the truth, the reason you are in jail is because my real dad wants revenge. The reason your Miao Family is ruined is because we, father and daughter, don’t want you to live well.”

She took a deep look at Mr. Miao and turned to leave.

But Mr. Miao shouted, ”Impossible, your dad is just a waste, he couldn’t possibly...”

Anning turned back and kicked a stone on the ground, the stone shot directly into Mr. Miao’s mouth.

”Such a dirty mouth.”

Anning shook her head and walked out of the jail.