No one spoke except Gu Yin, who peeled grapes, placed them on a plate, and then put them in front of the Empress Dowager.

"Eat grapes, you like them," Gu Yin said, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

Before the Empress Dowager could say anything, Nan Zhiyun spoke first: "The Imperial Advisor can peel grapes? Peel so many? Your Majesty, weren't these grapes you left for me?" Nan Zhiyun looked at the Empress Dowager, while Yu Jingchen raised an eyebrow at Nan Zhiyun's current appearance without saying a word.

"Yes, they're all for our Yun'er." The Empress Dowager said, delighted with her.

“But the Imperial Advisor has already peeled them all.” Nan Zhiyun glanced at Gu Yin, but Gu Yin pretended not to see it.

"Then give them all to Yun'er." The Empress Dowager, whether on purpose or not, actually placed all the items in front of Nan Zhiyun.

Gu Yin's expression, which had remained unchanged, twitched slightly, but he merely glanced at Nan Zhiyun and the Empress Dowager without saying anything.

Nan Zhiyun felt a little guilty when she saw Gu Yin's gaze and looked away.

"It's truly remarkable that the Imperial Advisor's fortune-telling hands can also peel grapes," Yu Jingchen suddenly remarked.

Gu Yin glanced at Yu Jingchen and said, "Your Majesty wouldn't. After all, your hands are the ones that command the country, and they will probably always be like that."

“He can’t compare to the Imperial Advisor,” Yu Jingchen said.

Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen and Gu Yin, feeling that there was something hidden in their words, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what they were talking about.

"Yun'er, would you like to try some?" The Empress Dowager didn't care what they were saying.

Nan Zhiyun smiled, picked up a peeled grape from the bunch in front of her, and fed it to the Empress Dowager.

"Is it delicious, Your Majesty?" Nan Zhiyun asked.

"It's delicious. Of course it's delicious when Yun'er feeds you." The Empress Dowager truly doted on her.

Gu Yin: "..." Even if we don't say it's because I peeled them, can't it be that these grapes were originally delicious? How could they become delicious just because I fed them?

Nan Zhiyun took another one to eat herself, but... Yu Jingchen stopped her.

Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen with a somewhat bewildered expression, and the others also looked over.

"What? Your Majesty, it's a festival today, you wouldn't not even let Consort Shu eat a single grape, would you?" Gu Yin said.

Yu Jingchen glanced coldly at Gu Yin, but didn't say anything. He just looked at Nan Zhiyun.

"This was given to the Empress Dowager by the Imperial Advisor. You can take more if you want some." Yu Jingchen placed the plate of grapes that Nan Zhiyun was holding back in front of the Empress Dowager.

Nan Zhiyun: "..."

Before she could say anything, Yu Jingchen reached out and took a grape, then carefully peeled it, leaving Nan Zhiyun stunned. Of course, she wasn't the only one watching.

"If you like them, I'll have someone send them to you when we get back," Yu Jingchen said. After he finished speaking, he had already peeled all the grapes in his hand, and then he directly handed them to Nan Zhiyun's lips.

Nan Zhiyun was completely stunned, not expecting Yu Jingchen to do this.

"Don't you like to eat it?" Yu Jingchen said.

Nan Zhiyun looked at it, then gently stepped forward and put the grape that Yu Jingchen fed her into her mouth.

Originally, it was nothing, but because of this, Gu Yin, who hadn't said much, suddenly burst out laughing. This made Nan Zhiyun blush, and she leaned back, hiding behind the Empress Dowager, half of her face behind the Empress Dowager's arm.

"We were just saying that His Majesty's hands are like those of a general pointing out the direction of the country," Gu Yin said casually.

"I think the palace is too poorly guarded. What do you think, Grand Preceptor?" Yu Jingchen replied.

“Your Majesty can strengthen it.” Gu Yin retorted without backing down.

Nan Zhiyun watched from behind without daring to speak, the Empress Dowager seemed too lazy to speak, and as for Nan Su... she didn't know how to speak.

Yu Jingchen didn't say anything more. He took an empty plate and started peeling grapes. But... he wasn't very skilled at it. The grapes he peeled were... well, not just a little, because they looked really bad. They were incredibly bad.

"Tsk, Your Majesty's hands are precious. You probably don't do this kind of thing much usually. Can we even eat them after peeling them? These grapes are so beautiful, but they've been ruined by Your Majesty's hands." The Imperial Advisor said.

Yu Jingchen didn't react at first, but... in that instant, his eyes sharpened, and he shot the grapes in his hand at Gu Yin.

Gu Yin's expression changed slightly. He raised his hand to block, but the grapes were smashed to pieces, splashing all over Gu Yin's hands.

"I thought the Imperial Advisor was quite capable, after all, he could come and go freely in the palace." Yu Jingchen's words were loaded with meaning.

Gu Yin glanced at him, her eyes slightly lowered.

Nan Zhiyun, hiding beside the Empress Dowager, didn't know whether she should speak up or what she could say, so she could only rely on the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..." Nan Zhiyun called out softly.

"Don't worry about it. If a fight really breaks out, there's plenty of space outside." The Empress Dowager remained calm.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yin withdrew her imposing aura and sat down quietly, as if nothing had just happened, while Yu Jingchen continued peeling the things in his hands.

"Your Majesty, you've come here just to peel grapes?" The Empress Dowager finally looked at Yu Jingchen.

"I heard that Yu Jing'an is returning to the capital soon?" The Empress Dowager's expression softened. Yu Jingchen's expression also became more composed.

“They’re coming back,” Yu Jingchen said.

"How did His Majesty arrange things? You need to know his purpose, lest you end up coming back empty-handed." The Empress Dowager spoke with a pointed remark, and Yu Jingchen remained silent for a moment.