After Becoming a Succubus, I Was Offered to My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

“Did you really hear Sikong Xue call that foreign woman ‘Ayuan’?”

Yuchi Jin lay on her bed, the wound on her shoulder still throbbing with a dull ache. Hearing Ruan Qingshu speak, her face twisted into a distorted smile.

“If Sikong Xue truly cannot distinguish whether that is Ning Yuan or a foreigner… then she has truly gone mad. Heh, Sikong Xue has finally lost her mind!”

The realization that Sikong Xue might be insane brought Yuchi Jin an inexplicable sense of exhilaration. How could a lunatic hold a high official position? As long as everyone knew Sikong Xue was mad, she would have to hand over her power. Now that Sikong Yan has resigned and only Sikong Zhi remains in the court, what is there to fear?

“This world originally belonged to my Yuchi family. By what right do they divide the power that was meant for me!”

Back then, Ning Huaiwan had submitted a memorial suggesting the late Emperor not give too much power to the imperial children to avoid struggles for the throne. But why should the power that belonged to them be surrendered so easily?

“Ning Huaiwan, Sikong Yan—they all must die!”

Ruan Qingshu looked at Yuchi Jin, feeling that at this moment, Yuchi Jin looked more like the lunatic. She turned to pour a cup of warm water and brought it to Yuchi Jin’s lips.

Ignoring the water, Yuchi Jin carelessly pushed Ruan Qingshu’s hand away. The white porcelain cup fell to the floor with a crisp shatter.

“Ruan Qingshu, hurry and find a way to let everyone know that Sikong Xue is mad. I want the people of the capital—no, I want the whole world to know she’s a lunatic!”

Ruan Qingshu bent down to pick up the shards. Even when a finger was sliced open, she didn’t so much as flinch. After clearing the mess, she said, “Lady Commandery, what if that really is Ning Yuan?”

Over the years, many had tried to send beauties to fawn over Sikong Xue, yet Sikong Xue never spared them a single glance. For her to treat this woman so well now made Ruan Qingshu feel there was something they didn’t know.

Yuchi Jin sneered. “How could that be Ning Yuan? Ning Yuan was killed by my own hand. If it weren’t for Ning Yuan, why would Sikong Xue have opposed me all these years?”

Recalling the confusion and sorrow in Ning Yuan’s eyes before she fell, Yuchi Jin felt a surge of excitement. An innocent young Miss, pampered and raised by Ning Huaiwan, should have had a fine marriage, yet she was toyed with and killed. Yuchi Jin loved that feeling.

If she could snatch the tribute from Sikong Xue’s manor and watch her go mad because of it, Yuchi Jin would find it even more amusing. She was so focused on dragging Sikong Xue into the abyss that she failed to think clearly. Ruan Qingshu saw it plainly: Sikong Xue didn’t seem mad at all.

“Lady Commandery, I’ve heard that Sikong Xue treats that tribute extremely well. At first, she was indifferent, but now it is entirely different.”

Yuchi Jin caught the implication. “You mean the person in the manor really is Ning Yuan? Heh, impossible. How can the dead return to life? If Ning Yuan were alive, she would be twenty-three by now, but that tribute is only seventeen or eighteen. How could she be Ning Yuan!”

Yuchi Jin refused to believe it. She didn’t want to believe Ning Yuan was alive, and even more, she didn’t want to believe Ning Yuan would love Sikong Xue. In the past, Ning Yuan was always following Sikong Xue, even though Sikong Xue was inferior to her in every way—poetry, books, the qin, and chess all the things Ning Yuan liked, Sikong Xue understood none.

Why would Ning Yuan love someone who only knew how to wield a blade? And now, that tribute was acting affectionately with Sikong Xue every day. Hatred erupted in her eyes. Yuchi Jin didn’t know if she loved Ning Yuan’s face or simply didn’t want to lose to Sikong Xue. Her head throbbed with a splitting pain.

“Kill her! Kill them both!”

Seeing Yuchi Jin smashing things again, Ruan Qingshu embraced her and whispered enticingly, “Who does the Lady Commandery want to kill?”

“Sikong Xue, Ning Yuan they both must die!”

Ruan Qingshu said, “I want to help the Lady Commandery, but… with my background, I am truly powerless.”

Hearing this, Yuchi Jin slapped her command token into Ruan Qingshu’s hand. “Take my token and use my men. Kill Sikong Xue for me, and capture that tribute alive!”

Having heard that Yuchi Jin had fallen seriously ill, and not seeing her at the morning court to provoke her for several days, Sikong Xue felt that having Ayuan by her side at the manor was the greatest luck in life.

In the study, Sikong Xue was writing a memorial while Ning Yuan sat beside her, propping up her head and occasionally grinding ink for her. Seeing that Sikong Xue had somehow developed excellent calligraphy, she said, “Sikong Xue, I remember you used to hate writing most.”

As a child, Sikong Xue was often punished by the teacher to copy essays, and she would complain endlessly. Back then, she would beg Ning Yuan to help her. Ning Yuan would say, “But the teacher will see through it in one glance.”

Sikong Xue would plead, “Good Ayuan, if you don’t help me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Seeing her piteous state, Ning Yuan helped her copy two chapters. The next day, the teacher saw through it immediately and scolded them both.

Ning Yuan, feeling aggrieved, glared at Sikong Xue: “It’s all your fault I got scolded.” To coax her, Sikong Xue bought many of her favorite snacks, and only then did Ayuan reluctantly forgive her.

Recalling the past, the two couldn’t help but share a smile. Sikong Xue asked, “Ayuan, back then you always said you hated me; why did you still help me?”

Ning Yuan turned her head away in embarrassment. She wouldn’t admit that she couldn’t bear to see Sikong Xue suffering over the essays. She said stubbornly, “Because I thought that if I helped you and the teacher saw through it, he would tell the Grand Commandant, and she would punish you even more severely.”

Sikong Xue stroked Ning Yuan’s soft hair. “Do you know? Mother didn’t scold me for that.” Back then, Sikong Yan had asked her with a smile, “Xue’er, since you and Yuan’er are so close, have you thought about marrying her?”

At that time, Sikong Xue feared Ayuan didn’t like her, so she remained silent. She wasn’t sure if their relationship was truly “good” since Ayuan always said she hated her. Sikong Yan had said, “Xue’er, if you like the Ning family girl, I will take you to propose.”

Sikong Xue had asked, “Can I?” Could she really marry Ayuan? But what if Ayuan was unwilling? Later, Sikong Yan really did take her to the Ning house. Ning Huaiwan asked Ning Yuan, “Yuan’er, would you be willing to marry your Sister A-Xue?”

Ning Yuan had looked at Sikong Xue with a red face, waiting for her to speak first. But Sikong Xue said nothing. How could she be the one to speak first? Seeing Sikong Xue silent, Ning Yuan whispered, “I don’t want to.” It was shyness, but in Sikong Xue’s eyes, it looked like refusal.

Thinking back, Ayuan was probably just saying the opposite of her feelings, just as Yin Chiyun said.

Ning Yuan noticed Sikong Xue dazing off and said, “Sikong Xue, you haven’t answered me. When did you learn to write so well?”

Sikong Xue’s gaze was soft. “Back then… when I thought you had left me forever, I realized that just wielding a blade wouldn’t be enough to take care of your family. I had to enter the court and gain power to protect them. Otherwise, I feared you would cry.” If Ayuan were still crying on the road to the Yellow Springs, Sikong Xue would be heartbroken.

Ning Yuan threw herself into Sikong Xue’s arms, circling her waist. “If you hadn’t made me angry, why would I cry? Sikong Xue, you are never allowed to bully me again.”

Sikong Xue set down her brush and held her back. “How could I ever bear to let you cry?”

Sikong Xue submitted her memorial to the Emperor, requesting to go south for an inspection. Back at the manor, she instructed Songyan to arrange protection while inviting Yin Chiyun to help Ning Yuan with a disguise.

Seeing that the two were rarely not bickering, Yin Chiyun smiled. “Have you two finally cleared everything up?”

Sikong Xue said, “Chiyun, don’t keep bringing that up.” She knew if she continued, Ning Yuan would get shy.

Yin Chiyun said, “Fine, fine. You only know how to protect your Ayuan now. Why did you call for me?”

Ning Yuan said, “Lord Yin, I want you to help me with a disguise. I want to follow Sikong Xue south to see my family.”

Her mother and grandmother had been in Lingnan for five years. Even though their criminal status was cleared, Ning Yuan didn’t dare imagine the hardship.

Seeing the longing in Ning Yuan’s eyes, Yin Chiyun advised, “A disguise involves using medicinal materials to create a skin mask to cover your face. Making it isn’t hard, but Lingnan is damp and hot. If you wear it there, your body might not stand it. Even if I go with you, I can’t guarantee there won’t be problems.”

Sikong Xue hadn’t mentioned bringing Yin Chiyun along, but Yin Chiyun knew the two were most concerned about Old Madame Ning’s health. If she went herself to treat the Old Madame, they could be at ease. If Ning Yuan went in disguise, she might suffer from the heat. But if she appeared directly before the Old Madame and she was overwhelmed by the shock…

Sikong Xue, hearing that Ning Yuan might suffer from the heat, grew reluctant to take her. “Ayuan, why don’t you wait for me in the capital? I will go with Chiyun to bring the Old Madame back.”

Ning Yuan said sadly, “But how can my grandmother withstand the journey right now? Why don’t you let me go? I’ll just stay in the shadows and take one look without showing my face, okay?”

Whenever Ning Yuan spoke like that, Sikong Xue couldn’t refuse. Finally, she nodded.

Yin Chiyun felt a bit redundant. “Since it’s settled, I’ll head back. Just let me know when we depart.”

Sikong Xue said, “It’s already this late; why don’t you stay for lunch?” She felt a bit guilty for always troubling Yin Chiyun. Although she wanted to be alone with Ayuan, she couldn’t be too impolite.

Yin Chiyun saw right through her. “Sikong Xue, are you truly willing to have me here disturbing you two?”

Hearing the teasing, Ning Yuan whispered, “It’s just a meal; what’s this talk of disturbing?”

“Truly not disturbing?” Yin Chiyun glanced at Sikong Xue. The expression was clear: Sikong Xue was practically wishing she would head home immediately.

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