The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Anning had a good life in this era.

Many years after her death, when modern society came, their family was jokingly referred to as the ”Six-flavor Emperor Pill” by netizens online.

Why is that?

Because Anning’s godmother, Empress Chu, was the Emperor.

Anning herself was Emperor for a few days, Xiao Yuan was Emperor for a few days as well, and then Anning’s three sons - the eldest inherited the throne, while the second and third sons sailed abroad to expand territories and also became Emperors.

Their family had a total of six Emperors, hence the nickname ”Six-flavor Emperor Pill.”

Of course, Anning knew nothing of these matters.

Anyway, she had a glorious life in this era. After her death, three countries gave her a grand funeral, and due to her merits in saving the world, she received a large amount of merit after her passing.

This merit was enough for Anning to travel between planes.

After her death, she returned to the void and began to locate the worlds she had been to before.

While Anning absorbed the merit and refined herself, she had An Xin help her search for those worlds.

Many, many years passed, and An Xin sent a message to Anning: ”Ningning, we found a world.”

Anning ended her practice, opened her eyes, and asked: ”Which world? Send me the information.”

An Xin quickly transferred the information to Anning.

After reviewing the information, Anning was indeed speechless.

”Let’s go.”

Following the direction provided by An Xin, she tore through the spatial barrier and entered that world.

Upon entering the world, Anning immediately felt a strong force of suppression and rejection.

Anning knew this was the World’s Power suppressing her.

Because she was too powerful, if her strength wasn’t suppressed, her entry would disrupt the whole world.

Anning hastily restrained her power, leaving all the strength from her Divine Soul and cultivation in the void, only then did the world allow her to fully enter.

Anning merged into the world, and as she opened her eyes again, it was morning. She smelled a faintly sweet scent in the air.

She slightly narrowed her eyes and softly called, ”Cui Yu.”

Soon, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in a green palace maid outfit walked over: ”Empress is awake.”

Anning sat up: ”Awake, what time is it now?”

Cui Yu smiled and said: ”It’s already a quarter past the hour of the rabbit.”

Anning had actually already guessed the time from the color of Cui Yu’s clothes.

The attire of palace maids in the palace was particular, and they couldn’t be worn randomly. The color of the maid’s clothes was seasonal; in summer, they generally wore light green, and since Cui Yu wore a green palace gown, it indicated it was summer. By the faint light outside the window, Anning could also guess the time, and indeed, her question confirmed it.

”Extinguish the incense in the censer and open all the windows.”

As Anning got out of bed and gave orders.

Cui Yu went out to give instructions, and shortly thereafter, the cloying sweet scent in the room dissipated.

The fresh air from outside came in, and Anning felt instantly refreshed.

She wasn’t wearing any luxurious clothing, just a regular attire.

She wore a long gown of soft satin in imperial red, with a belt around her waist, accentuating her slender waist. Her hair was styled in a simple household bun, without wearing any expensive jewelry, and she asked the palace maids to go to the garden to cut two fresh flowers for her to wear.

Even though she was dressed plainly, Anning’s body was so dazzlingly beautiful that even in the most understated outfit, it seemed to enhance her colors.

After dressing and grooming, Anning asked: ”Have the concubines from each palace come?”

Cui Yu whispered: ”They are all here, waiting outside.”

Anning didn’t quite feel like seeing those people.

She rubbed her forehead and said: ”I’m not feeling well today, let them pay their respects outside and then leave.”

Cui Yu went out to give the instructions, and Anning sat on the soft couch and had someone go to the kitchen to get food.

After she sat down, the room instantly became quiet, the palace maids and nannies all retreated to the corners, not a sound of movement or talking, not even a cough or a breath audible.

Anning could also think quietly.

In this lifetime, she was Gao Anning.

The Gao family was a noble family of generals, whose great-grandfather had once assisted the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Dayong Dynasty in ascending the throne, and the Grand Ancestor Emperor had then arranged for Emperor Taizhong to marry Gao Anning’s grand-aunt as Empress.

After Gao family’s esteemed young lady married Taizong, she did not bear a Prince, later Taizong’s third son ascended the throne, and respected Gao family’s esteemed young lady as Empress Dowager.

Taizong’s third son was known as Emperor Wenzong, who was inferior to his father and even more so to his grandfather Grand Ancestor Emperor. He neither expanded territories nor was able to defend Chengdu, but he lived long and fathered many sons.

Emperor Wenzong ascended the throne at the age of over twenty, lived over seventy years, reigned for fifty years, and fathered over twenty sons.

In his later years, he became muddle-headed, causing public discontent to boil over, and gave the noble families the opportunity to strengthen themselves and weaken the court’s power.

Moreover, his more than twenty sons were fighting for succession, which made that period genuinely chaotic.

Now, Emperor Kang He, the ninth son of Wenzong, his birth mother’s status was not high, so naturally he did not receive much favor, and he had eight elder brothers above him. In terms of power, he couldn’t compete.

To fight for the throne, he devised a plan to meet Gao Anning.

After all, the Gao family was a noble military family and a hereditary elite family, and also a powerful clan.

It should be noted that the Empress of Taizong lived to a ripe old age of seventy, and during Emperor Wenzong’s later years, Empress Dowager Gao had not been dead for several years, leaving many people and various forces in the palace.

If Emperor Kang He married a woman from the Gao family, he could surely take over the forces left by Empress Dowager Gao.

When Emperor Kang He met Gao Anning, she was still a young maiden in love, and Kang He was handsome, gentle, and considerate towards her. Naturally, she fell for him.

Afterwards, Gao Anning cried and insisted on marrying Emperor Kang He.

However, Gao Anning’s father, General Gao, was actually unwilling to entangle with the Royal family again.

But for his daughter’s sake, he had to thicken his face and request Emperor Wenzong to decree the marriage, allowing Gao Anning to marry Emperor Kang He.

Once the daughter married over, the Gao family boarded Emperor Kang He’s ship and could only help him in the battle for succession.

Gao Anning, though somewhat infatuated at that time, was a very smart and decisive girl. After marrying Emperor Kang He, she used the network left by Empress Dowager Gao to help him win Emperor Wenzong’s favor and support, smoothly ascending to the throne and becoming Emperor.

After ascending to the throne, Emperor Kang He had to purge the court and reorganize the harem, and he still needed the Gao family. Naturally, he dared not disappoint Gao Anning, hence he made her the Empress.

He not only made Gao Anning Empress, but also portrayed their relationship as everlasting and exclusive, staying only in Gao Anning’s Changle Palace and almost ignoring other concubines. Even though Gao Anning was childless after two or three years of marriage, despite ministers repeatedly advising consideration of heirs, Emperor Kang He remained unmoved, in any case favoring the Empress alone.

Originally, Gao Anning also believed that Emperor Kang He and she were a loving couple, and thus she devoted herself to Kang He’s interests, urging her family to help him purge the court and country.

Years passed, Emperor Kang He weakened the noble families, replaced many officials in the court with his confidants, and controlled the harem.

At that time, he began to frame the Gao family with crimes, accusing them of colluding with enemies, planning rebellion, etc., even producing witchcraft from Changle Palace.

As a result, Emperor Kang He naturally deposed Gao Anning from the position of Empress, confiscated the Gao family’s properties, and executed them, leading to their downfall.

It was at this time that Gao Anning realized that Emperor Kang He’s all-encompassing affection for her was entirely an act.

Emperor Kang He didn’t like her at all, even detested her, unwilling to even touch her.

Of course, he had even less interest in touching the other concubines in the harem.

He only liked Consort Rou, who was gentle and uncombative. To protect Consort Rou and ensure the Gao family’s unreserved support, Emperor Kang He pretended to treat Gao Anning so well.

However, not wanting to displease Consort Rou or have physical intimacy with Gao Anning, he found someone who resembled him greatly, trained him to imitate his every move and small habits, and whenever he was to be intimate with Gao Anning, he sent this person.

Fearing that Gao Anning might bear illegitimate children, he gave her sterility drugs.

After the Gao family was confiscated, with Gao Anning dying in resentment, Emperor Kang He naturally also had the person who resembled him killed.

And Anning, as Gao Anning in that lifetime, was powerless, could only be manipulated and deceived, unable to resist at all.

Yet Anning observed closely everyone’s every move in the palace and noticed from overheard news of the previous dynasty a hint of a clue.

Anning thought that Emperor Kang He was not very bright, as an emperor; he was quite unqualified.

Moreover, Consort Rou wasn’t very smart.

She was merely a typical white lotus.

However, why did the concubines born of noble lineage, educated professionally in palace intrigue, not see through it?

Additionally, the intrigue skills of the palace concubines were really subpar.

It seemed like the palace concubines were all infatuated with Emperor Kang He, and their fights lacked finesse, appearing overall dim-witted.

This puzzled Anning greatly.

When she was being put to death in this world, Anning finally understood what was going on.

It turned out that Consort Rou herself carried a Dumbing Aura, single-handedly lowering the intelligence of everyone in the world.

Upon learning this, Anning wanted to sneer and curse, realizing it was indeed a world of fools.

But then she could no longer curse.

Now that Anning regained her freedom, she returned and was planning how to spoil the gentle Dumbing Aura.