Yu Jingchen now especially likes Nan Zhiyun like this. She is shy, expressive, and asks questions. In short... she is so cute and soft.

"Is Your Majesty not going to Cixi Palace today?" Nan Zhiyun asked after thinking for a moment.

Yu Jingchen paused for a moment, but his expression didn't change much. He said, "Your Empress Dowager might not want me to go."

"Does Your Majesty...do you still think the Empress Dowager is not good enough?" Nan Zhiyun asked hesitantly.

"No, don't overthink it. Let's go back to Cixi Palace. It'll be too late if we don't go soon," Yu Jingchen said.

"Is Your Majesty going as well?" Nan Zhiyun asked.

"I'll go tomorrow. You can have all the time today, okay?" Yu Jingchen said. He didn't know what the Empress Dowager's attitude was towards him. If he went, he was afraid that Nan Zhiyun would be unhappy if she saw him and the Empress Dowager. Besides, he didn't want to put Nan Zhiyun under too much control since this was a rare opportunity.

"Why not today?" Nan Zhiyun asked him.

"I'm very busy today. Look, there's still a lot of stuff here that hasn't been dealt with yet, so how about I go tomorrow?" Yu Jingchen coaxed her.

"Does Your Majesty still have official business to attend to in a while?" Nan Zhiyun immediately grasped the "key point".

"It's just a little bit left, it'll be done soon," Yu Jingchen replied.

"His Majesty just said he's managed to persuade them." Nan Zhiyun's voice was soft. You clearly said you'd already persuaded them, so why are you still doing it now?

Yu Jingchen: "..." How come your logic is so strong now?

“Yes, you’ve persuaded me, you’ve persuaded me, then we won’t do it, okay?” Yu Jingchen said, going along with her.

"Does Your Majesty have anything else to attend to later?" Nan Zhiyun continued to ask.

“No more.” Yu Jingchen conceded.

"Does Your Majesty have time to visit Cixi Palace?" Nan Zhiyun asked again.

Yu Jingchen: "..." Why is this child so persistent? But... why is he so adorable? Anyway, our Emperor has already developed a cute filter for our Consort Shu.

"Is Your Majesty going?" Nan Zhiyun asked again when Yu Jingchen did not answer.

"Why do I have to go there?" Yu Jingchen couldn't do anything about it.

"I just feel that I should go, so why isn't Your Majesty going?" Nan Zhiyun asked seriously.

Ever since the Empress Dowager returned, she felt that the Empress Dowager was acting strangely, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the Empress Dowager seemed to have a lot on her mind, even related to her and Yu Jingchen. In any case, she felt uneasy.

She had always stayed by the Empress Dowager's side, and Nan Zhiyun believed she understood her. She felt that the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Yu Jingchen was particularly contradictory.

"Okay, let's go. I'll go with you. Is that alright?" Yu Jingchen was at his wit's end with Nan Zhiyun.

"Yes," Nan Zhiyun's voice was filled with joy.

"Are you that happy?" Yu Jingchen patted her head again.

"When is Your Majesty going?" Nan Zhiyun pretended not to hear this and continued talking to herself.

"Let's go now, I'll go with you, okay?" Yu Jingchen stood up, holding Nan Zhiyun's hand.

"Okay," Nan Zhiyun said happily.

Yu Jingchen was a man of his word; he promised to go with Nan Zhiyun and he really did. The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment when she heard in Cining Palace that Yu Jingchen and Nan Zhiyun had come together.

Nan Su was also surprised that among them, only Gu Yin seemed calm and unfazed, showing no reaction whatsoever, as if he already knew about it, or perhaps he simply didn't care about the matter at all.

"Please come in." This time, the Empress Dowager didn't show any displeasure.

When Yu Jingchen and Nan Zhiyun entered, the three of them were sitting together. The Empress Dowager and Gu Yin were sitting closer together, and they didn't seem to care about Yu Jingchen's arrival. They just stood there... well, trying to curry favor.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Nan Zhiyun called out in a light tone. She glanced at the Empress Dowager and Gu Yin, then put Yu Jingchen out of her mind and went straight to sit down next to the Empress Dowager, even intentionally or unintentionally pulling the Empress Dowager closer to her.

"Your Majesty, I'm back. Is the Imperial Advisor still here?" Nan Zhiyun smiled at the Imperial Advisor, seemingly somewhat surprised.

Gu Yin didn't say anything. The Empress Dowager gently patted Nan Zhiyun's hand that was holding hers, and then looked at Yu Jingchen.

Upon seeing Yu Jingchen, everyone in Cining Palace bowed to him: "Greetings, Your Majesty!" Nan Su also bowed, but Gu Yin didn't move an inch.

"His Majesty has come too?" The Empress Dowager's face revealed neither joy nor anger.

"Today is the first day of the month, and I've come to visit the Empress Dowager," Yu Jingchen said indifferently. After speaking, he turned to the people kneeling on the ground and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager didn't say anything, and the atmosphere in the room was rather awkward.

Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun and saw that she was looking at him, and seemed a little nervous. Yu Jingchen found it amusing, so he took the initiative to break the silence and walked over from the side.

"The Imperial Preceptor is here too? What brings the Imperial Preceptor to Cixi Palace? When did he arrive? I didn't hear any news about it." Yu Jingchen said in a low voice.

Gu Yin remained calm, behaving exactly as she had in public before.

“Your Majesty knows now,” Gu Yin replied.

"Since the Emperor is here, please sit down. Ah Su, you sit down too. This is Cixi Palace, so there's no need for such formalities," the Empress Dowager said, though it was unclear who she was addressing.

Nan Su smiled but didn't say anything, and sat down beside him. Yu Jingchen saw this and didn't say anything either, sitting down as well. Then... there was another silence.