Yu Jingchen rarely had such moments… or rather, he had never had one before. Just as he was lost in his thoughts, the Empress Dowager's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Why is Your Majesty here?" The Empress Dowager's voice, as always, carried a hint of coldness.

Yu Jingchen regained his senses instantly, and even his expression was exactly the same as before.

The Empress Dowager walked over and asked, "I didn't hear anyone outside say that His Majesty has arrived. Where did His Majesty come from?"

"Where did the Empress Dowager go? Why is she left here alone?" Yu Jingchen changed the subject immediately.

"I merely personally supervised them as they prepared the medicine for Yun'er. Besides, no matter what, I am better able to take care of Yun'er than His Majesty," the Empress Dowager said sarcastically.

Then her gaze fell on Yu Jingchen's hand, which was still holding Nan Zhiyun's.

"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" the Empress Dowager asked very directly.

Yu Jingchen calmly released Nan Zhiyun and then put her back down.

"She just had a dream, and then she grabbed me. I saw that she was injured, so I didn't push her away," Yu Jingchen said as if it were true.

The Empress Dowager seemed oblivious to the problem with her words, and instead asked, "Even if it were a dream, it wouldn't be a dream of wanting to stay by His Majesty's side. The person Yun'er least wants to see right now, the person she fears most, is you. Doesn't His Majesty understand that?"

Upon hearing these words, Yu Jingchen felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart.

"Besides, His Majesty doesn't seem like the kind of soft-hearted person. Normally, in this situation, His Majesty would rather cut off someone's hand than let someone hold you like this." The Empress Dowager walked over on her own and took the place where Yu Jingchen was standing.

"Your Majesty hasn't answered me yet, so how did you end up here? No one outside saw Your Majesty come in either," the Empress Dowager persisted.

“They didn’t see it; that’s their dereliction of duty,” Yu Jingchen said, maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Among so many palace servants along the way, not a single one saw His Majesty. Are all the palace servants so negligent? Or are they simply blind? I've always thought their eyesight was quite good." The Empress Dowager was doing this on purpose.

Yu Jingchen seemed a little stuck, but at least on the surface, nothing seemed amiss.

"The second point... what was Your Majesty planning to do with Yun'er just now? You didn't even know I came in?" The Empress Dowager's aggressive manner made it seem like she was determined to get some answers.

Yu Jingchen: "..." He suddenly didn't know how to explain.

"Heh, it's quite rare to see Your Majesty like this. Could it be that you suddenly feel that Yun'er is better? And Your Majesty is even feeling sorry for her?" the Empress Dowager asked deliberately.

"Tsk, what kind of words are you saying? How could His Majesty possibly have such emotions? Feeling sorry? Hasn't His Majesty always been a cold and heartless person? How could I possibly ask such a question?"

"Your Majesty, you dislike Yun'er so much, why are you here? Shouldn't you be hiding far away? Oh, well, it's not exactly hiding, after all, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, if anyone should be hiding, it should be our Yun'er. But Your Majesty, rest assured, after this, Yun'er should stay far away from you. Even if she doesn't hide, I will not let her get close to you again." The Empress Dowager said to Yu Jingchen.

Yu Jingchen's hand clenched slightly inside his sleeve.