Chapter 1: Saving the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character

Luoyang, the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty.

On Zhengyang Main Street, people were packed shoulder to shoulder. Men and women, young and old, were desperately standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, gasping in amazement at the endless wedding procession winding through the street.

Red carpets covered the road, and red silk hung from both sides of the street. Guards clad in red armor rode tall red horses to clear the way. Eight burly, strong men carried an exquisite and luxurious bridal sedan chair, moving forward steadily. Palace maids in court attire held palace lanterns as they followed behind the sedan, and at the very end was a seemingly endless line of dowry chests.

The people of Luoyang had never seen such a grand spectacle.

"Whose wedding is this? What a grand display!"

"Could it be a princess getting married?"

"Are you stupid? If a princess were getting married, they wouldn't be heading toward the Inner City."

"Could it be a marriage alliance with a foreign tribe? But I don't see a single foreigner."

"Don't you know? Today is the big day for the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion and the General of the Cavalry!"

"The General of the Cavalry, Gu Ci? Wasn't he poisoned and in a coma?"

"It's precisely because he's poisoned and in a coma that they're marrying to bring him good luck!"

"Hiss! And the Duke of Wei's mansion is willing?"

"Willing or not, what does it matter? This is an imperial decree. Could the Duke of Wei dare to defy it?"

"No wonder it's being held so grandly."

The discussions among the commoners grew louder, but the voices soon faded, drowned out by the wedding music. Even with Tang Zhao’s sharp hearing, she couldn't make out the details.

However, this was enough for Tang Zhao to understand her situation.

She had spent thirty years fighting with her bare hands, finally rising from a poverty-stricken mountain area to a modern metropolis, becoming the most dazzling new star in the Shanghai business world.

At a bustling banquet, just as Tang Zhao was riding the crest of her success, she was stabbed in the heart by a business rival with a fruit knife.

Even though she had changed bodies, her heart was still throbbing with pain. Tang Zhao touched her chest, shutting out the noise of the outside world to focus her mind and converse with the system in her head.

"So, I’ve been reborn?"

[Yes. As long as the host completes the tasks assigned by the system, you can be reborn and receive system rewards.]

That sounded decent enough. "Then what is my task?"

[The 'Save the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character' system has been activated. First task: Awaken Gu Ci. Reward: Weather forecast for the next seven days, major disaster warnings, and +20 Life Points.]

She understood the rest, but, "What are Life Points?"

[Life Points represent the length of the host's life in this world. One Life Point equals one month. You must obtain one thousand Life Points to complete the mission.]

Tang Zhao was curious. "How many Life Points do I have now?"

[Life Points: 10]

...

That meant she had less than a year to live.

"I just heard that this 'cannon fodder' gentleman is poisoned and in a coma," Tang Zhao said, spreading her hands helplessly. "But I don't know how to cure poison."

[The host does not need to cure the poison; you only need to transfer Life Points to the target character.]

...

Never had Tang Zhao hated herself more for not choosing a medical major when she was applying for university!

She didn't even have enough Life Points for herself!

The system ignored Tang Zhao’s miserable expression and went offline abruptly.

Tang Zhao remained immersed in her grief, unable to pull herself out.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the sedan chair finally stopped. A high-pitched female voice came from outside: "The auspicious hour has arrived! The bride enters the house!"

As the words fell, the sedan curtains were pulled apart from both sides. A court lady in palace attire smiled broadly and reached out her hand. "Please, bride, step out of the sedan."

Tang Zhao placed her hand on hers and resigned herself to her fate as she stepped out.

The Prince Xuan mansion had been fully prepared. The main hall where the ceremony would take place had been decorated by the Ministry of Rites itself; every detail was exquisite and festive.

With the fifth son of Prince Xuan, the General of the Cavalry, getting married, the entire court—civil and military officials and imperial relatives—had come to offer their congratulations. If not for the Emperor’s poor health, he would have come to observe the ceremony himself.

The main hall was bustling with excitement, and the announcement of "The bride has arrived!" brought the atmosphere to a climax.

"Quick, bring the Fifth Young Master out," the Princess Xuan said, watching the bride step into the main hall, and gave the order.

Zhaohui acknowledged the command and left, returning shortly after, carefully pushing a wheelchair.

The person in the wheelchair was tall and slender. His red wedding robes only served to highlight his handsome, heroic, and resolute face. Unfortunately, his complexion was deathly pale and his eyes were tightly shut; one look was enough to tell he didn't have long to live.

No wonder the Emperor had resorted to the method of "marrying for luck."

Hopefully, this eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei was truly a person of great fortune, as the Imperial Preceptor had claimed.

Tang Zhao was supported by the court lady as she stepped over the brazier and the saddle, braving a barrage of peanuts, melon seeds, and longans before finally making it into the main hall.

[Target character detected. Does the host wish to transfer Life Points?]

Tang Zhao paused, her heart aching as she said, "Transfer them."

[Ding! Transfer successful. Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward. Remaining Life Points: 20.]

Couldn't she have topped up for a month first?

Tang Zhao felt the sting of the loss, but after thinking that she had actually made a profit, she managed to control her expression.

"Master!" Zhaohui, who had been staring at the wheelchair, was the first to notice the anomaly. He saw his master’s complexion become much more ruddy in the blink of an eye, and then his eyelids fluttered, as if he were about to wake up.

The attention of the guests in the main hall was drawn by this shout.

The person in the wheelchair seemed unaccustomed to being stared at by so many eyes and turned his head impatiently.

"!" Princess Xuan, sitting in the seat of honor, was overjoyed. Ignoring etiquette, she rushed forward and grabbed her son's hand. "Yuanye, Yuanye, my son, can you hear your mother?"

The person in the wheelchair seemed to fall back into a deep sleep, offering no response.

"Your Highness, perhaps you should ask the Young Mistress to come forward and take a look," said Nanny Zhao from the side.

The young master had been able to move the moment the young mistress entered the house. If the young mistress went up and spoke to him, wouldn't he wake up immediately?

Princess Xuan wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "Good child, come quickly!"

Through her bridal veil, Tang Zhao saw Princess Xuan beckoning to her. She didn't want to go forward—this was clearly an attempt to drain her Life Points!

Nanny Zhao, though old, was still agile. She ushered the newly minted Fifth Young Mistress forward, walking her right up to the wheelchair.

Tang Zhao looked at the man in the wheelchair and found him even more handsome than the "tough guy" actors she knew, which eased her heartache slightly.

[Does the host wish to transfer Life Points?]

Faced with such beauty, Tang Zhao couldn't quite hold back. "Transfer them. Just five."

[Ding! Transfer successful. Remaining Life Points: 15.]

As the prompt sounded, Tang Zhao saw the eyelashes of the man in the wheelchair tremble. Before she could look away, she was caught off guard by a pair of cold, frost-like eyes.

Tang Zhao swallowed hard and looked elsewhere, acting as if nothing had happened.

"My son!" Seeing her son awake, Princess Xuan wept with joy and quickly whispered everything that had happened recently into his ear.

Gu Ci remained silent, then braced himself and stood up from the wheelchair. "Let us perform the ceremony first."

Seeing the man who had been lifeless just moments ago suddenly stand up, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

Tang Zhao hugged her own fragile self tightly.

Gu Ci turned around, his eagle-like eyes sweeping slowly across the room. Wherever his gaze landed, no one dared to stare at the hall anymore; the timid ones even closed their eyes.

The ceremonial official, struck by that cold, piercing gaze, had a sudden flash of inspiration. "The auspicious hour has arrived! The newlyweds shall perform the ceremony!"

Gu Ci and Tang Zhao stood at either end of the red silk, bowing three times to the weeping Princess Xuan in the seat of honor.

After bowing to Heaven and Earth, the newlyweds were escorted to the bridal chamber.

(End of chapter)