"What? Is it that I can't stay in He'an Palace anymore?" The Empress Dowager's tone was unfriendly.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten what I told you before?" the Empress Dowager continued.

Yu Jingchen remained silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

"Your Majesty, have you changed your mind?" the Empress Dowager pressed on relentlessly.

"Regret what?" Yu Jingchen didn't know if he really didn't understand or was pretending not to.

"Why does Your Majesty ask questions you already know the answer to? I've already said that this time we won't repeat the same mistake. Besides, Your Majesty didn't like it anyway, so isn't this killing two birds with one stone?" the Empress Dowager said.

“I have never agreed to that,” Yu Jingchen said.

The Empress Dowager almost doubted that she had misheard, or at least that's how it appeared on the surface.

"Does Your Majesty know what you are saying?" The Empress Dowager asked incredulously.

"Does the Empress Dowager have any problems?" Yu Jingchen asked.

"What does Your Majesty think? Your Majesty, have you forgotten what you have done and said?" the Empress Dowager questioned repeatedly.

Yu Jingchen fell silent again, after all, some things cannot be denied. He looked at Nan Zhiyun, who was being shielded behind the Empress Dowager. She stood there obediently, head bowed, not saying a word. Yu Jingchen inexplicably felt a little uncomfortable.

Having just witnessed that side of Nan Zhiyun, and recalling her former lively and radiant self, Yu Jingchen felt a sense of incongruity upon seeing her now so silent and humble. It was as if... she shouldn't be like this.

The phoenix's wings are broken, its golden brilliance faded...

"It's so cold, why are you still willing to come out?" Yu Jingchen suddenly turned his attention to Nan Zhiyun.

Nan Zhiyun was almost caught off guard.

"Your Majesty, I felt that I had been staying in my room for too long, so I thought it would be good to come out for a walk." The relationship between Nan Zhiyun and Yu Jingchen seemed to be becoming more and more businesslike.

Yu Jingchen felt... that, imperceptibly, the distance between them seemed to be growing further and further apart. For no apparent reason, Yu Jingchen always felt as if he had inadvertently lost something.

"You don't need to be so nervous..."

Yu Jingchen's voice was slightly hoarse. In other words, he meant... you don't actually need to be so sensible; you can be more relaxed...

But just as this thought crossed his mind, Yu Jingchen suddenly snapped back to reality. What was he thinking? These things didn't seem like something he could even perceive.

As Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun, he felt a surge of emotions welling up inside him, emotions that he couldn't even explain.

"Enough, Your Majesty has said what you needed to say. Why don't you go back now?" The Empress Dowager, who had been silent until now, finally interrupted.

"Could Consort Nan accompany me for a walk?" Yu Jingchen ignored the Empress Dowager's words.

The Empress Dowager was not angry. After hearing Yu Jingchen's words, she also looked at Nan Zhiyun.

Nan Zhiyun was at a loss. She... didn't want to go, but she didn't know if it was simply because she didn't want to go, or because she was afraid.

"Your Majesty... I am not feeling well, and I'm afraid I might spoil your mood..." Nan Zhiyun replied. Yu Jingchen's eyes dimmed slightly, but it was almost imperceptible unless one looked closely. Perhaps even he himself was unaware of it.

"You don't want to?" Yu Jingchen asked.

“Your Majesty…” Nan Zhiyun dared not look up at him. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager spoke up: “Why is Your Majesty making things difficult for Yun’er? Can Yun’er withstand your fright? If you do this, even if she doesn’t want to go, she won’t dare to refuse.”