The Cannon Fodder Was Pampered By The Tyrant - Chapter 20

“I’ve been yours since I was eighteen, Sister.”

Inside the room, everyone fell silent, none daring to provoke further trouble.

“That will be all for today. You may all leave.”

Si Yan’s voice was flat, as if she hadn’t just killed someone.

The other envoys from the State of Zhou looked stiff. They bowed one by one and slowly turned to depart.

It was only now that Lin Yutian realized what had just happened, yet surprisingly, she wasn’t very afraid. Perhaps it was because Si Yan had covered her eyes before she could see anything clearly.

She had no mental energy to spare for who had killed whom; she could only feel the warm temperature of Si Yan’s palm against her eyes.

Only after Si Yan saw the palace maids drag the body out and scrub the bloodstains from the floor did she gradually loosen her grip, allowing Lin Yutian to see the light again.

The hall, which had been crowded moments ago, now held only her and Si Yan.

Si Yan took her hand, it was ice cold and forced her voice to soften. “Were you scared?”

Lin Yutian shook her head, still feeling dazed. Once she finally regained her senses, she asked, “Why did you kill him?”

Si Yan replied matter of factly, “He dared to speak insolently to you. Naturally, I would not let him live.”

Lin Yutian was speechless. She hadn’t expected that to be the reason.

Was Si Yan truly defending her just now? But why? She was just a lowly palace maid with no title or status. Was it really necessary to offend a neighboring country for her sake?

Yet, Lin Yutian shamefully found that the feeling wasn’t bad at all.

“And me?” Lin Yutian looked up at her, swallowing hard. “How do you plan to deal with me?”

Si Yan met her gaze. “Why would I deal with you?”

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Yutian whispered, “I came here without your permission and sat beside you. Now they all think I’m your… Empress.”

“Is there a problem with that?” Si Yan leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. “You aren’t now, but you will be in the future.”

More sweet talk.

Thinking about how Si Yan had left silently this morning, Lin Yutian felt an unpleasant tug in her heart. “I don’t believe you. Didn’t they have many beauties to present to Your Majesty today?”

Si Yan paused for two seconds, finally catching the scent of the situation. No wonder the girl had stormed in at noon looking so beautiful.

As if she had caught key evidence, Si Yan smiled triumphantly. “Are you jealous?”

Lin Yutian immediately denied it. “I am not.”

“If you aren’t jealous, why do you care if I take concubines?” Si Yan reached out and pulled Lin Yutian into an embrace. “If you didn’t care about me, why would you ask that?”

Lin Yutian was cornered by her questions and couldn’t find an answer.

Si Yan said with near certainty, “Lin Yutian, have you started to care for me?”

“I was just reminding Your Majesty what it means to..” Before Lin Yutian could finish, Si Yan gave her a light peck on the lips.

“There is no one else,” Si Yan said, pressing her forehead against Lin Yutian’s. “I only have you, now and forever.”

Lin Yutian’s heart was pounding. She struggled to push Si Yan away. “Liar. This morning you clearly…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words. “…you ran away.”

She began counting Si Yan’s “crimes.” “And you intentionally didn’t come back for lunch.”

Si Yan was nearly driven to helplessness by her. She pinched Lin Yutian’s cheek. “Your memory is poor, and now you blame me? You were dead drunk last night so I didn’t touch you. This morning, when I tried to kiss you before leaving, you slapped me. I haven’t even settled that account with you yet.”

Lin Yutian, who had felt quite aggrieved, slowly realized she had misunderstood something. Seeing her logic failing, she pivoted. “Then why didn’t you tell me you were attending this banquet?”

Si Yan asked, “Did you like the atmosphere just now?”

Lin Yutian recalled the atmosphere filled with malice and provocative gazes and shook her head.

“Exactly,” Si Yan said. “Knowing you wouldn’t like it, why would I ask you to come? I don’t want you to be exposed to anything that makes you unhappy.”

Lin Yutian’s brain worked slowly, finally reaching a conclusion that was either good or bad: she had misunderstood Si Yan again.

“Figured it out?” Si Yan spoke up at the right moment.

Lin Yutian’s cheeks flushed. “Figured what out? I knew all along.”

Si Yan let out a snort-laugh. “Then please tell me, Ayu, why did you suddenly come looking for me today?”

Embarrassed, Lin Yutian said, “I was just… taking a stroll.”

Knowing Lin Yutian was thin-skinned, Si Yan didn’t press further. She leaned down to kiss her cheek, helping her change the subject. “You look very beautiful today.”

Lin Yutian’s heart was a mess. “My face is covered in powder.”

“…”

Si Yan sometimes felt Lin Yutian was born missing a certain “romantic” cell. She always managed to say things that left Si Yan in silence.

“Lin Yutian,” she said helplessly, “sometimes I wonder if you do it on purpose.”

The two bickered childishly for a while until Si Yan unilaterally ended the battle. She took Lin Yutian’s hand. “Let’s go back and eat.”

Lin Yutian followed reluctantly. Just as they stepped out the door, they saw someone kneeling, it was the girl who had tripped in the hall earlier.

She knelt there, thin and pale, looking only in her teens. “This servant is Shou Ning. I thank the Lady for her help just now.”

Lin Yutian couldn’t stand seeing people kneel to her. She quickly reached out to help the girl up. “It’s nothing, really. Get up quickly. If you aren’t feeling well, don’t kneel on the ground.”

Shou Ning refused to rise, her watery eyes gazing quietly at Lin Yutian.

Observing from the side, Si Yan’s brow furrowed.

Lin Yutian looked around and asked in confusion, “But why haven’t you gone back?” Surely she hadn’t been waiting here this whole time?

Shou Ning lowered her eyes. “This servant has no place to return to.”

Even if she went back, there would be no good end for her. She had been abandoned here, left to the Emperor’s whim.

“What kind of people are they?” Lin Yutian felt indignant for her.

Seizing the moment, Shou Ning moved her knees forward two steps and grabbed the hem of Lin Yutian’s skirt. “Lady, may I serve you from now on?”

She looked so pitiful it was hard to refuse.

Lin Yutian thought to herself that she could barely protect herself, so asking her was useless. But since the girl was a gift to Si Yan, Lin Yutian turned to ask Si Yan’s opinion, wondering if Si Yan had any interest in her.

In Si Yan’s eyes, this was Lin Yutian pleading on behalf of a stranger. Her voice turned cold. “The palace is not short of people.”

Shou Ning looked heartbroken.

Seeing how young she was, Lin Yutian somehow thought of what Tutor Xu had told her about Si Yan’s own childhood. She couldn’t help but say, “Maybe we should keep her in the palace.”

How could Si Yan not see what this girl was thinking? She changed her tune coldly. “I can arrange a job for her outside the palace.”

Lin Yutian thought that sounded fine too, so she didn’t object.

Shou Ning wanted to say more, but was bluntly cut off by Si Yan. “If you are dissatisfied with this outcome, I don’t mind sending you back.”

Shou Ning finally lowered her eyes. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Si Yan was already annoyed that Lin Yutian had pleaded for a stranger, but she was trying her best to suppress it. Yet after walking for a long time, Lin Yutian was still distracted.

Si Yan felt a sudden sense of crisis. “Still thinking about that Shou Ning?” she asked jealously.

“No, I’m not,” Lin Yutian mumbled.

Still denying it even now. Si Yan’s expression turned cold.

“Si Yan,” Lin Yutian finally couldn’t help but ask, “you killed their envoy. Will they come looking for trouble?”

Si Yan froze, only then realizing that Lin Yutian’s distraction was actually her worrying about her.

“What? Worried I’ll lose out?”

Caught in her thoughts, Lin Yutian became self-conscious. “You’re overthinking.”

“They will,” Si Yan replied, then slowly added, “But to me, they are no threat. If I wish, that land could be mine at any moment.”

Lin Yutian still wasn’t at ease. She said softly, “Don’t lie to me.”

“When have I ever lied to you about such things?” Si Yan said. “I have always been a woman of my word. So as long as I wish it, you will always be mine. No one can take you away.”

Her eyes were full of arrogance and confidence. Only then did Lin Yutian realize that the person beside her was a very young Emperor. No one could remain indifferent under Si Yan’s intense, possessive gaze.

Lin Yutian’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away. But this time, the pounding in her chest wouldn’t stop.

In the afternoon, Si Yan stayed in the room to review memorials. Lin Yutian, meanwhile, was clutching a book on metaphysics, tinkering with something with a very serious expression.

“When is your birthday?” Lin Yutian asked, following the tutorial in the book.

“Why do you ask?”

Lin Yutian seemed anxious. “Just tell me!”

Si Yan remained quiet for a few seconds before giving her an answer.

Lin Yutian’s eyes widened. “What?”

Si Yan didn’t like talking about her age, she coughed awkwardly. “Why so surprised? Your calculations aren’t wrong.”

She was indeed only eighteen this year.

Perhaps because Si Yan usually acted so mature, Lin Yutian had never expected her to be younger than herself. She suddenly thought of something, did a quick calculation, and breathed a sigh of relief when she got a “safe” result. Fortunately, Si Yan had turned eighteen just a few days after she traveled here, otherwise, by modern standards, she might have ended up in jail.

But Lin Yutian had more important things to do. She carefully entered Si Yan’s birth details and began calculating based on the text. When she saw the result, she felt the world go dark.

Seeing her leaning against the table as if she’d lost her soul, Si Yan found it amusing and teased, “Is the fact that I’m younger than you that hard to accept?”

Lin Yutian looked at her with sorrowful eyes. “You don’t understand at all.”

She felt like she couldn’t hold onto her principles anymore. The divination results told her that she was actually about to be turned gay by Si Yan.

“How do I not understand?”

Si Yan leaned over, trapping Lin Yutian in her arms. “I’ve been yours since I was eighteen, Sister.”