The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 839 - 820: Contention for the Throne 2

After confirming Xiao Yuan was fine, Anning entered the study.

She needed to thoughtfully consider the current situation of the Fifth Royal Princess and ponder what to do going forward.

Besides Anning and the two confidants serving her, no one else was allowed into the study of the Imperial Princess Mansion, not even the master.

After Anning entered, the two confidants stood guard at the door.

Arriving inside the study room, she flipped through some items on the desk and read several letters, gaining some insight into the current situation.

The Qi Dynasty Emperor, the mother of the Fifth Royal Princess, Emperor Jingfeng ascended to the throne at six. Her situation initially was difficult—above, the Empress Dowager wanted to rule from behind the curtain, while below, Assistant Ministers posed challenges. She spent over a decade cautiously and then struck decisively to take down the Assistant Ministers and later stripped the Empress Dowager of power, finally becoming the true ruler.

Emperor Jingfeng has been personally ruling for over twenty years now. Before her reign, there were a few princes and princesses, but none survived. After taking charge, most of the born princes and princesses managed to survive.

To date, Emperor Jingfeng has had seventeen princesses and over twenty princes. The First Imperial Princess and the Second Imperial Princess were born from Liu Guijun and Tian Shujun respectively, neither of whom were legitimate daughters. The current Imperial Princess is the Third Princess, who was born to the late Xiao Hui Feng Jun.

These three royal daughters have already grown up, and even the Third Princess is over twenty; natural competition is unavoidable.

Currently, the Fifth Royal Princess is close to the Imperial Princess, but she also shows respect to the First and Second Imperial Princesses, not having offended either.

One could say the Fifth Royal Princess is low-key, apart from the prominent First, Second, and Third princesses, there’s the Seventh Princess.

The Seventh Princess’s status is poorer compared to the Fifth Royal Princess; born to a lowly slave, she had a bad childhood but later allied with the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Princess, hence her too increasing influence.

These four stick together, creating a substantial force that others generally do not meddle with.

Besides them, those few younger princesses are very youthful, currently showing no significant traits.

Anning listed these matters thought by thought, understanding in her mind.

It seems the battle for royal succession is now on the verge.

Moreover, the further she ponders, the more familiar the situation becomes, strikingly akin to the female version of the Nine Dragons battle for succession.

Anning touched her chin and laughed afterward.

Isn’t it indeed as such? The more she thought, the more it felt that way.

What should she do then?

Should she continue being so understated or join in the succession battle, aiming to be the ultimate winner?

The original self didn’t leave any wishes, so what to do entirely depends on Anning’s thoughts.

Anning also felt quite indecisive.

She simply decided not to overthink.

After staying in the study for a while, Anning thought Xiao Yuan should be settled by now and then rose to head to the main room.

Xiao Yuan had already moved from the delivery room to the bedroom, and as Anning arrived there, everything was set perfectly; Xiao Yuan had cleaned up by then. She lay in clean clothes on the bed, appearing somewhat weak.

When Anning went over, several servants were surrounding Xiao Yuan, feeding her something.

Anning took the bowl and sat down, waving her hand: "You all can leave now."

As the servants retreated, Anning fed Xiao Yuan while asking him: "Do you have memories of your original self?"

Xiao Yuan swallowed the soup in his mouth: "Yes."

"Tell me about it."

Anning smiled.

Xiao Yuan was impatient with Anning feeding him spoonfuls, so he simply picked up the bowl and emptied it in one go, handing it back to Anning.

Anning took the bowl and casually placed it on the desk.

Xiao Yuan said: "The original self was born into a military family. His biological father died soon after his birth, then the mother married a stepfather who after entering the home became pregnant, and within a year, bore a younger brother who constantly competed with the original self; anyway, the original self didn’t have a good life at home..."

Xiao Yuan described some details of the original self to Anning: "The original self had a wish, he wanted to become Feng Jun."

Anning raised her eyebrows: "I was originally indecisive, considering whether to remain peaceful or to join the succession battle. But now it’s decided; since you want to become Feng Jun, I’ll compete with them."

She held Xiao Yuan’s hand: "Honestly, for you alone, I should contest for that position. I can’t allow you to suffer grievances with me."

Xiao Yuan felt somewhat speechless.

Why did those words sound so peculiar?