The Cannon Fodder Was Pampered By The Tyrant - Chapter 22

“Why aren’t you running anymore?”

Lin Yutian rarely had the leisure to stroll through places like this most of the time, her steps were hurried. Now, however, she could walk slowly along the street, and she even had someone by her side.

Perhaps because she had been confined in the palace for too long, Lin Yutian couldn’t help but stand on her tip-toes.

It hurt a little.

Si Yan had just finished buying a tanghulu (candied hawthorn) when she turned around and caught this small movement.

“Let’s go.”

After placing the tanghulu in Lin Yutian’s palm, Si Yan took her hand.

“Where are we going?” Lin Yutian blinked.

Si Yan walked forward. “The sky is dark naturally, we are going to eat.” She finished speaking and pinched Lin Yutian’s cheek. “A tanghulu can’t serve as a real meal.”

She led Lin Yutian to a bustling, popular restaurant. The place was crowded, and in the center, performers in opera costumes were showcasing their talents.

“Come in, honored guests!” A waiter ran out, arm extended in a welcoming gesture. “Table for two?”

Si Yan gave a soft hum of affirmation.

“Right this way!”

The waiter guided them to a small private room. It had a small window that, when opened, looked directly down upon the performances below.

“This is our menu. Please see what you would like to order.”

After receiving the menu, Si Yan handed it to Lin Yutian first. “See what you like.”

Lin Yutian was momentarily stunned by the gesture.

Si Yan arched an eyebrow. “Can you read?”

Lin Yutian: “…”

The bubbles of sentiment that had been slowly rising were suddenly popped. She took the menu with a cold expression.

After Lin Yutian ordered, Si Yan selected a few more items. Once finished, she whispered some instructions to the waiter and handed over some silver.

The room fell into a temporary silence, filled only by the sounds of operatic singing drifting in from outside.

“Are you feeling any better?” Si Yan took a sip of tea.

Choked by the sudden question, Lin Yutian cleared her throat before answering, “Much better.”

“That’s good,” Si Yan said. “Do you like it here?” She was referring to the Capital.

Lin Yutian pretended to watch the crowds below with curiosity. “It’s alright.”

“If you like it, I will give you four days of leave every month to accompany you here.”

Lin Yutian looked up sharply. “…What?”

Si Yan rested her chin on one hand, her long fingers brushing against her cheek, a smile playing on her lips. “I have thought about it for a long time. The palace is indeed stifling, I should let you out to relax.”

Lin Yutian was speechless. Truthfully, she was tempted, but after tonight, they were meant to go their separate ways. She took a nervous sip of tea. “…Why did you suddenly think of this?”

Si Yan answered without hesitation, “I want you to be happy.”

“I have been busy with affairs of state these past few months and have indeed neglected you,” Si Yan said. “In the future, I will spend more time with you.”

“There’s no need,” Lin Yutian replied with a forced smile. “You have so much to do. Whether you stay with me or not doesn’t really matter.”

“That won’t do.” Si Yan was uncharacteristically childish. “Whatever others have, I want to give to you as well.”

Lin Yutian didn’t dare meet her gaze and could only pretend to be busy adjusting her collar.

At that moment, the waiter entered with the food. “Here are your dishes, guests.”

Seeing that the tray was a bit heavy, Lin Yutian helped arrange the plates. As the waiter was about to leave, she turned back and took a pouch from her belt, saying to Si Yan, “Guest, here is the item you asked me to buy.”

Lin Yutian couldn’t see what was inside the black cloth.

Only after the waiter closed the door did she see Si Yan slowly unwrap it, it was a pair of soft slippers.

“Put them on.” Si Yan set them out for her.

Lin Yutian was dazed. “These are for me?”

Si Yan looked up at her. “Don’t your feet hurt? Put them on.”

Lin Yutian stared blankly. She hadn’t expected Si Yan to notice. An indescribable feeling surged in her heart, and she could only obediently change into them.

The ache in her feet vanished instantly.

Meanwhile, Si Yan stood up to wash her hands. During the time she was gone, Lin Yutian looked down at the finely crafted shoes on her feet, feeling lost.

Sometimes, even after making a firm resolution, she found herself hesitating when the moment actually arrived. Why did Si Yan have to be so kind to her today? It made her a little reluctant to leave.

But Lin Yutian would never keep something that didn’t belong to her, no matter how much she liked it. Regardless of everything, she had to leave tonight. If she didn’t leave now, she feared it would be even harder to do so later.

Thinking this through, she pulled out a paper-wrapped packet of powder and slowly poured it into the tea. This was a sedative she had asked the imperial physician for while she was faking her illness. It was said to make one fall asleep quickly.

Fortunately, her timing was perfect. Just as she finished stirring the powder in, Si Yan returned.

Si Yan didn’t seem to notice Lin Yutian’s little scheme. Instead, she asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Doing this for the first time, Lin Yutian’s heart was pounding. “Waiting for you, of course.”

Si Yan intentionally used her still-damp hand to pinch her cheek. “Why are you so well-behaved today?”

Lin Yutian didn’t pull away for once. She huffed, “Didn’t you tell me to be good today?”

Si Yan’s phoenix-like eyes curved into a smile.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yutian pushed the teacup toward her. “You’ve had a long day too. Have some tea.”

As she spoke, she nearly tripped over her tongue, her tone nervous for fear that Si Yan would discover the truth.

But Si Yan sensed nothing unusual and naturally drank the tea.

Seeing her finish the cup, Lin Yutian breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Everything was set. Now, she only had to wait for the medicine to take effect, and she could escape amidst the chaos.

After Si Yan placed the teacup on the table, she looked up at Lin Yutian. “Why are you staring at me?”

Lin Yutian quickly masked her emotions. “What’s wrong with looking at you? Am I not allowed?”

“You are, but you’ve been looking at me much more frequently lately than you used to.” Si Yan reached out and took Lin Yutian’s hand. “Ayu, are you…”

Lin Yutian held her breath.

Before Si Yan could finish her sentence, her body leaned forward. Her brows furrowed deeply as she shook her head, looking at Lin Yutian as if she had finally realized something. “You…”

Unfortunately, before she could finish the word, Si Yan collapsed onto the table.

Lin Yutian waited quietly for a moment before standing up gently. She shook Si Yan’s shoulder, but Si Yan did not wake. Lin Yutian hadn’t expected the sedative to work so quickly or effectively. Perhaps, she thought, the heavens were truly helping her.

Time was short, she had to leave immediately.

Lin Yutian turned to go but stopped. She looked back at Si Yan’s serene sleeping face, and the words Si Yan had just spoken echoed in her mind.

“Actually, I lied just now.” Lin Yutian only dared to speak the truth while Si Yan was unconscious. “In truth, I actually quite liked your suggestion.”

After saying this, she forced herself to turn away and opened the door. The establishment was overflowing with people, and Lin Yutian soon vanished into the crowd.

However, after she left, the person who had been slumped unconscious on the table suddenly opened her eyes. She was perfectly sober.

Si Yan leaned against the window, quietly watching Lin Yutian’s panicked, retreating figure.

“Not a good girl, are you?”

Lin Yutian walked in a desperate hurry. She glanced back repeatedly as she moved, terrified of seeing Si Yan’s silhouette. After running for an unknown amount of time, she finally dared to stop.

At this hour, Chang’an Avenue was still crowded. Not daring to linger on the street, her eyes fell upon a medical clinic, and she ducked inside.

“I won’t! I just like her! I want to be with her!”

Inside the clinic, a girl who looked to be in her early twenties was wiping away tears.

“I won’t allow it! You’re our only child. If you’re with the daughter of the Zhang family next door, how will our family have an heir?” An older woman looked distressed. She turned to the person dressed in simple robes beside her. “Doctor, you must help us.”

The doctor remained calm. She raised a hand and said dispassionately, “Do not worry excessively. Your daughter’s illness is curable.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a bag of pre-wrapped medicine. “This is a full course. Take it home, take it three times a day for half a year, and most people recover.”

Hearing this, the older woman asked eagerly, “Really?”

“Of course. I have many successful cases here. Even those who aren’t ‘cured’ end up going to the mountains to become nuns to cultivate their characters.”

The woman immediately said, “I want half a year’s supply.”

Lin Yutian watched from the side, dumbfounded. Once the woman left, she crept up to the doctor and whispered, “What were you just selling?”

The doctor glanced at her. “Medicine for that kind of illness.”

“Which kind?”

“The… ‘liking women’ illness.”

“Really?” Lin Yutian grew excited instantly. “Are you sure it can be cured?”

The doctor looked her over. Lin Yutian looked well-off and healthy clearly a high-quality client. “Of course,” she said. “Since you’re so pretty, I’ll give you fifty percent off. Three taels of silver for a full course. How about it?”

Lin Yutian’s brows knitted. “Three taels? That’s far too expensive.”

“Chinese medicine is naturally expensive. If you don’t want it, then forget it. You’ll just have to spend the rest of your life liking women.”

Panic seized Lin Yutian, she was truly desperate enough to try anything. “Wait! I’ll take it.”

She had brought some money with her on this escape, but her heart bled as she handed it over. Even though it wasn’t technically her money, it still hurt. She felt she had truly sacrificed too much for Si Yan.

After leaving the clinic with her bundle of herbs, the streets remained busy. She asked several people for directions to the city gate. After giving the guards a reason, they allowed her to leave the city.

Walking along the road outside, Lin Yutian felt a wave of confusion. She suddenly realized she didn’t know where to go. Without Si Yan, she was like a seabird that had lost its only nesting ground, forced to wander the sky endlessly.

But at least there was one silver lining: she had learned her “illness” could be cured with herbal medicine. At that price, surely nothing could go wrong.

With very little silver left, she needed to find a place to settle down quickly. After asking a passerby, she learned there was a small town further ahead, so she began the long trek carrying her medicine.

However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her surroundings were becoming eerie. Gradually, she stopped. Looking around, a chill settled in her heart. Without her realizing it, she had been walking in circles in the woods.

Suddenly, Lin Yutian’s eyes welled with warmth. Usually at this time, she would be lying in bed sleeping beside Si Yan. Now, she was here, disheveled and wandering like a headless fly.

Her tears finally broke through. She had to admit, she missed Si Yan terribly.

But Lin Yutian knew very well that Si Yan did not belong to her. She told herself that once she drank the herbal medicine, she would be “fixed,” so it was okay to cry a little for now. She squatted down and wiped her eyes.

But very quickly, her entire body froze.

She saw the shadow of the trees on the ground. Suddenly, a dense thicket of branches appeared that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Slowly, she watched another shadow move and grow larger until it stopped right behind her, enveloping her entirely.

Lin Yutian paused, then slowly turned her head.

She saw Si Yan’s exquisite, indifferent face, looking exceptionally cold under the moonlight.

“Why aren’t you running anymore?”