After Becoming a Succubus, I Was Offered to My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Your Majesty, I find this tribute very much to my liking. Why not bestow her upon me?”

Yuchi Jin’s voice echoed through the Great Hall, filled with the tone of someone certain of her prize.

In all of Great Liang, few dared to compete with her for anything she set her eyes on. After all, she was the daughter of the Eldest Princess and the junior most favored by the late Emperor. Whenever vassal states offered treasures, she was always the first to take her pick. This time, it seemed, would be no exception.

Ning Yuan gripped the hairpin in her hand tightly. If Yuchi Jin wanted to take her back to her manor, that would be for the best. Though she felt a trace of fear, she also felt this was a perfect opportunity.

The new Emperor, Yuchi Hong, was young and did not recognize Ning Yuan. He didn’t understand why the ministers had such a strong reaction, assuming they were simply stunned by the tribute’s beauty. Since Yuchi Jin had spoken and no one else was contesting, he was inclined to agree as a favor to the Eldest Princess. She might not be close to him, but she was his Imperial Aunt. As his father had said, members of the Yuchi family should look out for one another.

Just as Yuchi Hong was about to grant the request, Yin Chiyun, standing in the back, began coughing incessantly.

Yin Chiyun hadn’t cared about the tribute’s appearance originally, but seeing Yuchi Jin’s intense reaction, she couldn’t help but steal a glance. That one look sent a shock through her: the tribute sent by the alien tribes looked exactly like Sikong Xue’s beloved.

Yet Sikong Xue remained indifferent, acting as if none of this concerned her, not even bothering to turn around. If Sikong Xue saw this woman’s face, she would never allow Yuchi Jin to take her. To alert her friend, Yin Chiyun coughed so hard she nearly hacked up a lung. In the imperial court, such behavior was a breach of etiquette, yet Sikong Xue still didn’t turn.

Fortunately, Sikong Xue’s younger sister, Sikong Zhi, sensed something was wrong. She looked back, saw Ning Yuan’s face, and hurriedly whispered, “Eldest Sister, turn around and look quickly…”

Could this alien tribute be a likeness of your beloved?

Sikong Zhi hadn’t seen Ning Yuan many times, but she often saw her sister dazing over Ning Yuan’s portrait in the manor. Over time, even without being close, she had memorized that face.

With both her sister and Yin Chiyun reacting so strongly, Sikong Xue—no matter how detached—had to look.

It took only one glance. When Sikong Xue saw that face—the face she had yearned for in her dreams—all thoughts of court etiquette and the hierarchy of monarch and subject vanished instantly.

The Emperor had just opened his mouth to speak when he saw Sikong Xue charge forward in full view of the assembly, pulling the alien tribute into a tight embrace.

It was A-Yuan. It was the A-Yuan she thought of every waking moment.

As the ministers stared, Sikong Xue looked down at the thin gauze Ning Yuan was wearing. It was as thin as a cicada’s wing, barely covering her body. In a flurry of motion, Sikong Xue untied her outer court robe and wrapped it around Ning Yuan, bundling her up and shielding her from the malicious gazes in the room.

The Ning family valued etiquette above all; A-Yuan would never want to be dressed like this, displayed like a plaything for others to admire.

And they called her a marriage princess, yet she didn’t even have shoes or socks. She had walked in barefoot, her feet rubbed raw and red. If this were the past, A-Yuan would surely be crying by now.

Sikong Xue remembered vividly when they were younger and she had playfully taken A-Yuan to the mountains. While crossing a stream, A-Yuan’s shoes and socks got wet and uncomfortable, so she had to take them off. But the mountain gravel was so abrasive; how could A-Yuan walk on it? Seeing A-Yuan on the verge of tears, Sikong Xue had carried her down the mountain on her back.

She was so delicate; how could she walk barefoot now? Sikong Xue didn’t find the breach of etiquette offensive; she only worried that the stone floor was hurting Ning Yuan.

Sikong Xue’s voice trembled as she held the girl tightly. “Do not be afraid, A-Yuan. With me here, you must not be afraid.”

When so many people had gone to confiscate the Ning manor back then, they hadn’t even bothered to hide their weapons. And that Yuchi Jin, someone A-Yuan trusted implicitly, had actually had the heart to plunge a blade into A-Yuan’s abdomen. Being scrutinized like a toy by so many people now, A-Yuan must be terrified.

Before Ning Yuan could even react, Sikong Xue’s own body began to shake. After all these years, did A-Yuan still hate her?

Seeing the prize she wanted snatched away by Sikong Xue, Yuchi Jin shouted furiously, “Sikong Xue! How dare you! To behave so inappropriately before the Emperor!”

That was the plaything she had set her eyes on. How did Sikong Xue dare to steal her? How could she? From childhood to adulthood, hadn’t Sikong Xue snatched enough from her? Sikong Xue used to constantly pester Ning Yuan, and Yuchi Jin had spent a great deal of effort to make Ning Yuan distance herself from Sikong Xue. Was Sikong Xue going to fight her again?

Sikong Xue couldn’t even hear what Yuchi Jin was saying. Her mind was a chaotic mix of the joy of recovery and sheer helplessness. Was this a dream? A-Yuan had actually returned. A-Yuan was standing right in front of her, safe and sound. Through the clothing, Sikong Xue could feel Ning Yuan’s body heat. She finally had warmth again; she was no longer a cold corpse.

Will A-Yuan be angry that I am holding her like this?

Sikong Xue knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t control herself. She wanted to hold A-Yuan; she didn’t want to let go.

Beside them, Yin Chiyun was frantic. Despite her friendship with Sikong Xue, her status was too low to openly defy court rules. She knew perfectly well that the person in front of them could not be Ning Yuan. She had personally checked Ning Yuan’s pulse years ago; the girl was dead, beyond any hope of saving. Ordinary families only kept a coffin for seven days, but Sikong Xue had kept it for a full half-month. Even after that, Ning Yuan never woke up. The body had begun to show signs of decay; even piles of ice in the room couldn’t stop it. It took half a month for Sikong Xue to accept the fact that Ning Yuan was dead. Yin Chiyun had accompanied her to the burial; she could not have been mistaken.

This alien tribute was merely a lookalike. How could Sikong Xue be so easily deceived?

But Sikong Xue didn’t care about any of that.

Held tightly in Sikong Xue’s arms, Ning Yuan’s mind was a blank. She nearly dropped the hairpin she was clutching. She had planned to follow Yuchi Jin home and find a chance to kill her. Why did Sikong Xue suddenly burst forward and say these strange things? Sikong Xue was the one who always bullied her; how could she tell her “not to be afraid”?

The young Emperor on the throne was panicking. He had intended to agree to Yuchi Jin’s request, but with Sikong Xue acting like this, he didn’t know how to decide.

Yuchi Jin said indignantly, “Sikong Xue, your audacity is boundless! To turn your back on His Majesty is a sign of great disrespect!” Regardless of Sikong Xue’s status, no minister in the world dared to turn their back to the sovereign.

Sikong Xue lifted her head. The surrounding ministers quickly looked away, not daring to meet her gaze or look at the person in her arms. Everyone knew that when the Ning family fell and their daughter died, Sikong Xue of the Taiwei Manor had lost her soul. She would draw her sword against anyone who crossed her—even if she didn’t kill, she would draw blood. Now, Sikong Xue wielded absolute power in court, her sister controlled the army, and the new Emperor had been placed on the throne by the Sikong family. No one dared to upset her.

Having wrapped Ning Yuan securely, Sikong Xue turned around and knelt solemnly in the center of the hall. “Your Majesty, the late Emperor once bestowed upon me an imperial edict, stating that the royal family would grant any request I made.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Chiyun’s heart leaped into her throat. It’s just a tribute! If Sikong Xue wants her, she can just take her. Why use that edict? That edict had been earned with Sikong Xue’s illustrious military merits; it was meant to be a life-saving grace in a moment of crisis. To use it for a tribute who merely looked like Ning Yuan was truly not worth it.

Seeing the usually arrogant Sikong Xue—who usually walked into court without haste and wore her sword in the hall—suddenly acting so respectfully made the Emperor even more nervous. “What does my Minister desire?”

Anyone with eyes could see she wanted the tribute. In truth, no matter what Sikong Xue asked for, Yuchi Hong would have agreed. Sikong Xue’s formal request was actually a way of giving the royal family face.

With the girl still shielded behind her and wearing only her inner robes, Sikong Xue’s aura did not diminish. “I humbly request Your Majesty to bestow this alien princess upon me.”

She was a veteran of the battlefield; her terrifying aura made people look away. Though everyone knew she had breached etiquette today, no one dared to voice a single word of impeachment.

Seeing her elder sister like this, Sikong Zhi knelt beside her. “I ask Your Majesty to look upon the Sikong family’s loyalty and allow my sister to take this princess back to our manor.”

Yuchi Jin wanted to protest, but at the mention of the late Emperor’s edict, she could only fall silent. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing to trick Sikong Xue into wasting that edict, she thought. As for this lookalike… once the Sikong family falls, won’t she be mine anyway?

The young Emperor said, “Rise, Minister. Since you have taken a fancy to this tribute, you may take her back to your manor.”

The moment he finished speaking, Sikong Xue performed a solemn kowtow. “I thank Your Majesty.”

Then, she turned around, picked up the girl wrapped in her court robes in a horizontal carry, and left the Great Hall in full view of everyone—without even saying a word of farewell.

A minister stammered, “This… what kind of logic is this? Even if the Sikong ancestors were founding elders, Sikong Xue cannot be this rude!” No minister dared to strip off their court robes in front of the Emperor, and none dared to leave the hall like that, turning their back on the sovereign without a proper bow. Sikong Xue was becoming far too contemptuous of authority.

The Minister of Rites sighed, “Forget it. Who told her she had the late Emperor’s edict in her hand?”

Yuchi Hong didn’t know how to handle the scene either and signaled the eunuch to announce the end of the session. The envoy who escorted Ning Yuan stood lost as the ministers dispersed, still trying to figure out if Great Liang had officially accepted their tribute.

Yin Chiyun hurriedly chased after them. She had seen Sikong Xue in a state of madness before; she had to catch up and tell her that this was just a woman with a similar face, not her long-lost beloved.

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