For some reason, seeing this scene reminded Nan Zhiyun of the time when Yu Jingchen ordered her to suffer this torture.

Her hand tightened its grip. The Empress Dowager glanced at Nan Zhiyun and gently patted her hand. Nan Zhiyun smiled faintly at the Empress Dowager, indicating that she was alright.

After Consort Liu finished her punishment, the Empress Dowager said, "One hundred strokes is too lenient. Alright, get out of here. And... have the commoner Chen executed by flogging..." The Empress Dowager's casual remark made everyone's expression change.

The Empress Dowager wants to have Lady Chen beaten to death? This...

Nan Zhiyun also looked at the Empress Dowager: "Empress Dowager..." Nan Zhiyun hesitated before speaking.

"Don't be afraid, I will take care of it for you," the Empress Dowager smiled kindly at Nan Zhiyun. "If you're afraid, then don't look."

Nan Zhiyun had an indescribable feeling in her heart, but being protected and favored like this, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Then came Chen's deafening screams. Nan Zhiyun was terrified of such scenes because she had experienced them herself, and every time she saw one, she could imagine what would happen to her.

"I'm tired, so I'll go inside first. You can all go back after you've finished reading," the Empress Dowager said to the group. Then, without waiting for the man's reaction, she pulled Nan Zhiyun into the house.

Upon entering, the Empress Dowager saw that Nan Zhiyun was pale and felt sorry for her: "You said you were fine, is this how you're fine?" the Empress Dowager said.

“It’s because I’m too useless,” Nan Zhiyun replied.

"What I thought back then was that as long as your father and I were around, we could protect you for life. No one would dare to wrong you or bully you. So I didn't teach you those messy things. Now it seems I regret it a bit. What's so good about being well-educated and reasonable? You should be a little more willful and capricious," the Empress Dowager said.

Nan Zhiyun embraced the Empress Dowager: "Your Majesty, you are truly like my own mother."

The Empress Dowager affectionately patted Nan Zhiyun's head, a scene that truly evoked a sense of harmony.

This incident naturally reached Yu Jingchen's ears, and he fell silent after hearing it. Because such a thing had never happened in his previous life.

Although the Empress Dowager had secretly punished many people when she returned in her previous life, it wasn't like this. Also... Yu Jingchen felt that the Empress Dowager seemed to have become even more indifferent.

"Prepare the carriage for Cining Palace," Yu Jingchen finally ordered. Fortunately, everyone thought Yu Jingchen was going to punish someone.

When they arrived at Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager didn't even frown when she heard that Yu Jingchen had arrived.

"Just say that I was upset today and have already gone to bed. Yun'er is also serving me, so I won't see Your Majesty." The Empress Dowager refused without even thinking.

"Yes," An Xin was the Empress Dowager's dowry maid, so she naturally sided with the Empress Dowager and was not afraid of Yu Jingchen's status as the emperor. Therefore, she told Yu Jingchen these words without missing a single one.

How could Yu Jingchen not know that the Empress Dowager was doing it on purpose? So... he went straight into Cixi Palace, and An Xin couldn't stop him.

When he entered Cixi Palace, he saw the Empress Dowager and Nan Zhiyun chatting and laughing together, and she didn't seem unhappy at all.

However… Yu Jingchen had never seen Nan Zhiyun smile so happily before. For a moment, he felt somewhat dazed.