Chapter 24: The Delightful Empress

Lin Jianxi had no idea how rude the words the General had spoken behind his back truly were, nor had he ever entertained such a notion.

According to the original plot, after Lin Xiaoye overthrew the Emperor, he would be confined to the Side Hall. His sole purpose would be to torment the Emperor—no one aside from Lin Xiaoye would care about him, and even if they did, they could never get close.

No matter what the General wanted to do, he would be powerless.

And so, Lin Jianxi’s sole current concern was one thing: he couldn’t see the Prince.

Beneath the pavilion, Lin Jianxi sat with a pear blossom perched atop his head, his face icy as he chewed on grapes.

The grapes were delectable; every fruit he consumed had been meticulously screened through layer upon layer of selection at the Emperor’s command. Yet Lin Jianxi ate them without any real enjoyment.

The General fed him another. Lin Jianxi lowered his eyes and caught sight of those rough fingers, their nails neatly trimmed. His spirits sank, and he shook his head.

His lips just grazed the pad of the General’s thumb, and the man’s hand stilled for a moment.

“I don’t want any more,” Lin Jianxi said.

The General’s hand lingered in the air briefly before he withdrew it. He tossed the grape aside and murmured near his ear, “How come you’re not happy when your birthday is drawing near? Your birthday is cause for national celebration.”

He emphasized “national celebration” with particular bite. From not far away, Lin Xiaoye let out a mocking snort. “His bad mood has nothing to do with the birthday.”

Lin Jianxi blinked in bewilderment. “…Birthday?”

Hadn’t his birthday been in winter? It felt like it had only just passed.

Lin Xiaoye sauntered over and leaned against the corner of the table, arms folded across his chest. “Don’t play dumb. The Emperor’s been planning for months to throw you a make-up birthday banquet. He said the last one wasn’t grand enough. The whole country knows about it.”

“Oh.”

Lin Jianxi offered no rebuttal, his expression still frosty. Right now, he had no desire to deal with Lin Xiaoye. He’d spent so long trying to win him over, only for the man to refuse to lift a finger, dismissing it all with a casual “It’s a matter between you two spouses; I won’t pass judgment.” What a letdown.

But the mention of the birthday banquet brought back memories of the one from a few years prior.

Amid the thunderous revelry of the imperial clan came the warriors’ forced smiles, as they were ogled like mere objects. Fainting at the banquet was labeled “inauspicious,” and the offender would be hauled away to have a hand severed.

That ordeal was a festering grudge in every warrior’s heart—and a sharp thorn in Lin Jianxi’s own.

He picked up on the strange edge in the General’s and Lin Xiaoye’s tones but said nothing. Even his resentment toward Lin Xiaoye ebbed away by more than half.

“What gift would you like?” the General asked.

Lin Jianxi turned to regard the man’s sharp brows and piercing eyes. He wore a dark robe, just like Lin Xiaoye and all the other warriors—eternally clad in black, the blood and tears that soaked into it swallowed deep into their guts.

Never a word of complaint. Never a demand for anything on their own behalf.

Lin Jianxi made a gesture, folding his four fingers inward. The General hesitated, then squatted down. Lin Jianxi drew his head into his embrace and whispered softly, “We want you to stay safe.”

The General typically dismissed such platitudes as empty words, but today he went rigid in Lin Jianxi’s arms, unable to move. It was a profoundly warm hold, those gentle words laced with unyielding strength.

The Empress’s desired gift was “safety.”

Stunned, the General suddenly understood why some of the younger soldiers always sought out the Empress a few days before heading into battle. He’d once dismissed it as mere infatuation with beauty; now, he grasped a fraction of the truth.

It was… an ineffable sensation.

He couldn’t muster even a single barbed retort.

Lin Jianxi’s scent brought a profound sense of peace.

The sword slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.

The General closed his eyes, savoring Lin Jianxi’s warmth, only to sense a shift in his breathing. He looked up and met a pair of eyes brimming with tears. The instant their gazes locked, Lin Jianxi averted his.

Crying, yet still offering comfort…

A storm of emotions churned in the General’s heart.

If only…

If Lin Jianxi weren’t the Empress, his life wouldn’t be nearly so fraught.

Anyone would cherish someone like him.

Lin Xiaoye kicked irritably at the sword on the ground. “Homesick already? Let go.”

Jolted back to himself, the General realized his impropriety and hastily pulled away from Lin Jianxi. Before he could speak, Lin Xiaoye cut in. “I’ll sort out the matter with the Prince for you.”

Lin Jianxi turned to him with delighted surprise.

Lin Xiaoye peeled a grape and held it to his lips. Lin Jianxi took it, listening as the man continued, “Don’t go begging favors from just anyone.”

Lin Jianxi smiled without replying, his mood lifted as he resumed weaving his flower ring.

The General was scrutinizing the silver ornament atop his head, pondering how something so unassuming could look so striking on him—and just how it had been affixed. Would a different one suit him even better?

What colors did the Empress favor? It seemed every shade complemented him perfectly.

Lost in thought, the General’s hand drifted to Lin Jianxi’s hair. He didn’t resist; he placed utter trust in his subjects. He even draped the finished flower ring over the General’s fingertip, teasing, “It looks good on you.”

Like hell it does.

Lin Xiaoye swore inwardly in frustration—

Then soft fingers brushed his own. Lin Jianxi gently pried apart his clenched fist, one finger at a time, and tucked several cherries and loquats inside.

Next, he gathered a handful of fruits and pressed them into the General’s palm.

Lin Jianxi’s lingering warmth clung to the General’s and Lin Xiaoye’s hands, refusing to fade. They stared, dumbfounded, at the Empress before them, his eyes alight with gentle mirth.

“Shh,” Lin Jianxi whispered. “Don’t let him notice. Take them back and eat.”

…

He turned to Lin Xiaoye. “You’ll be heading out late again tonight, won’t you? If you get hungry, just grab some from here. Tell me whatever else you fancy in the future, and you can have it.”

…