It's not her fault. She's always liked to go barefoot. When she was little, the Empress Dowager would lay a thick, fluffy, soft, and warm blanket on the floor. So her favorite thing to do was walk barefoot on it.

After putting the person down, Yu Jingchen said to Qianxia, ​​"Go and get the shoes." Then he squatted down in front of Nan Zhiyun.

"Your Majesty..." Nan Zhiyun was startled. Not only her, but everyone present was frightened by Yu Jingchen's action.

"Don't move." Yu Jingchen didn't think anything of it, and then gently lifted Nan Zhiyun's dress, revealing her fair feet. Because the ground was cold, her feet were a little red from the cold.

Yu Jingchen took the shoes and socks from Qian Xia's hands.

"Your Majesty, I can do it myself..." Nan Zhiyun hurriedly said, she couldn't bear Yu Jingchen treating her like this.

"Quiet," Yu Jingchen remained unmoved, helping Nan Zhiyun put on her shoes and socks. When Yu Jingchen grabbed her ankle, Nan Zhiyun tried to pull away, but because Yu Jingchen was strong, she couldn't escape.

Xing Lai watched this scene, keeping his eyes down and not daring to utter a single word. Who was Yu Jingchen? When did he do such a thing?

"Alright," Yu Jingchen said, putting Nan Zhiyun's shoes on before getting up. Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to say a word.

"Get up," Yu Jingchen reached out and helped the person to their feet.

If you look closely, you can see that her face is flushed red.

"What's wrong?" Yu Jingchen noticed Nan Zhiyun's unease.

"I'm fine..." Nan Zhiyun lowered her head.

"Are you really alright?" Yu Jingchen asked with some doubt.

Nan Zhiyun shook her head.

"Can we go out now? Are there any other questions?" Yu Jingchen asked.

Nan Zhiyun shook her head again.

"Then let's go." Yu Jingchen was determined to leave, and Nan Zhiyun couldn't refuse. What else could she do but agree?

So... Nan Zhiyun was tricked into going out by Yu Jingchen. Not only that, but the news that Yu Jingchen and Nan Zhiyun went out together also spread.

So... the two of them had just stepped out when they were "bumped into" by other people.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty and Consort Nan." These were two concubines of relatively low rank—Lu Baolin and Ren Baolin.

Yu Jingchen frowned and looked at Xing Lai. Xing Lai knew he had failed in his duty, so he didn't dare to speak.

"I didn't know these news spread so quickly." Yu Jingchen coldly glanced at the two people kneeling on the ground.

The two women were somewhat uneasy because they hadn't heard Yu Jingchen call out, and they became even more nervous upon hearing his words. They weren't of high status and rarely had the opportunity to see Yu Jingchen; they were afraid things would continue like this. That's why they decided to take the risk.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean to. I just happened to be passing by..." It was Lü Baolin who spoke first.

"That's enough, get back." Yu Jingchen had no interest in talking to them.

"Your Majesty..." The two looked at Yu Jingchen in disbelief, their pitiful appearance only annoying Yu Jingchen.

"Thank you for coming!" Yu Jingchen was already impatient.

Fortunately, he understood what Yu Jingchen meant. He could only say that these people were blind and that this was probably how things would be from now on. He immediately ordered the people behind him to send the two of them back.

"Don't worry about these people," Yu Jingchen explained to Nan Zhiyun beside him, but Nan Zhiyun remained silent.

"Shall I go with you to take a look? There's a plum grove over there; you should like it," Yu Jingchen asked her.

Nan Zhiyun nodded. She had no right to refuse anyway, so she was too lazy to bother. Unfortunately... just as the two of them walked past, more people arrived.

This time… Nan Zhiyun looked at them… well, they were all familiar faces. They were Liu Cairen (Min Jieyu), Xu Jieyu (formerly Defei), Yin Cairen (Yin Xiuyi, who had ridiculed Nan Zhiyun the first time she went to pay her respects to the Imperial Concubine, and was demoted to Cairen by Yu Jingchen the next day for disrespecting the Imperial Concubine).

He was originally going to signal Xinglai to stop the person, but the person had already walked up to them.

When Nan Zhiyun saw them, she instinctively hid behind Yu Jingchen. Yu Jingchen noticed her small movement, so he gently put his arm around her.

"Don't be afraid, okay?" Yu Jingchen comforted her.

Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen, feeling somewhat uneasy. Facing these people... Nan Zhiyun always felt uncomfortable, a vague fear and tension welling up inside her.

"Your Majesty, this concubine greets you," Consort Xu said, leading the others to bow to Yu Jingchen. And then... nothing more. The group unanimously ignored Nan Zhiyun's presence.

"Is this how you learned palace rules?" Yu Jingchen looked at them coldly.

The kneeling women exchanged glances, somewhat resentful, since their original positions were not necessarily lower than Nan Zhiyun's. But after some hesitation, even though they were unwilling, they still bowed to Nan Zhiyun: "Greetings to Consort Nan."

Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun and asked her, "Are you willing to let them get up?"

Nan Zhiyun didn't speak for a moment, then turned her head towards Yu Jingchen, her head slightly lowered, looking rather pitiful.

“I think there’s no need for him to get up,” Yu Jingchen said directly.

"Xinglai, bring paper and pen. Since they don't know the rules, let them copy them here a few times before they get up." Yu Jingchen was already annoyed by these people. If he didn't deal with them now, when would he?

After saying all that, Yu Jingchen was too lazy to listen to them anymore, so he simply took Nan Zhiyun's hand and walked into the plum grove.

This plum grove is quite large, and the plum blossoms are in full bloom now, making it a unique sight in the Imperial Garden. It snowed a couple of days ago, and the snow in the plum grove hasn't melted yet, creating a beautiful contrast of red and white, giving it a distinctive charm.

Looking at the scenery, Nan Zhiyun felt much more relaxed. Yu Jingchen was right; she would like it. She used to come to this grove often when she lived in the palace. She remembered…

Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen. When she was little, she was playful and insisted on climbing the plum tree, but the branches were too thin to support her weight. It broke, and Yu Jingchen happened to be passing by at that moment, so she fell right in front of him—how embarrassing…

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nan Zhiyun's gaze was noticed by Yu Jingchen, and she hurriedly looked away.

"Hmm?" Yu Jingchen raised his voice slightly as he turned to look at her.

"It's nothing," Nan Zhiyun said, too embarrassed to talk about those shameful things. Besides... she always held back when facing Yu Jingchen.