The fire in Yu Jingchen's eyes seemed to devour people. Nan Zhiyun knew that she had gone too far this time, but she didn't feel much regret. Why did they all treat her like this and force her?

However… while I didn't regret it too much, I was still afraid. After all, everyone probably knows what kind of methods Yu Jingchen uses, right?

"Nan Zhiyun, how dare you!" Yu Jingchen abandoned his voice, but it inexplicably made people feel horrified.

Nan Zhiyun was leaning against the pillar behind her and could not retreat any further, but every part of her body expressed her resistance.

“Your Majesty, Consort Shu was probably just angry. The room is terribly dirty, and it seems that her hand is injured. There are broken pieces all over the floor. It wouldn’t be good if someone stepped on them. How about I have someone clean it up?” Xinglai quickly interrupted the atmosphere, but Yu Jingchen was in a fit of anger and wouldn’t listen to any of this.

"Is she afraid of getting hurt? I think with so many shards on the ground, it's just right for her to kneel there. What do you say?" Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun, implying that he wanted Nan Zhiyun to kneel on the shards scattered on the ground.

“Not only should you kneel, but you should also kneel as you walk the entire He’an Palace. If you don’t want these legs, I can have them crippled right now,” Yu Jingchen said to Nan Zhiyun.

Nan Zhiyun's body was trembling, but she didn't utter a single word of pleading. Her attitude was the most powerful weapon to enrage Yu Jingchen, who immediately said, "Kneel down."

"Do I really have to kneel?" Xinglai's heart skipped a beat. "Is His Majesty really going to take this seriously?"

Nan Zhiyun felt a chill in her heart because of those words, but... she was unwilling to kneel. She was afraid, but the main reason was her unwillingness and resentment.

"Not kneeling?" Yu Jingchen's tone was dangerous.

Upon hearing Yu Jingchen's question, Nan Zhiyun trembled, fearing that she would face even harsher punishment soon.

"Nan Zhiyun, you've certainly grown quite capable. What did I tell you yesterday? I see you haven't learned your lesson, so are you trying again? What do you want to use this time? That thing you're most afraid of, okay?" Yu Jingchen was now openly threatening her.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Nan Zhiyun's eyes were filled with fear when she looked at Yu Jingchen, and Yu Jingchen naturally noticed it as well.

"Kneel or not?" Yu Jingchen repeated once more.

Nan Zhiyun began to hesitate. The disparity in strength and the fact that her weaknesses were controlled by the stronger one seemed to leave her with no choice but to submit forever.

The ground was littered with shards. If she were to kneel down today, and then, as Yu Jingchen had just said, kneel and walk with An Dian to the end, then her legs would probably be useless.

Nan Zhiyun felt a deep sadness. Under Yu Jingchen's coercion, she began to compromise, slowly bending her knees and kneeling on the broken pieces at her feet. It hurt a lot... but perhaps the pieces here weren't so sharp, so it wasn't too unbearable.

Looking at the mess in the room, Nan Zhiyun gritted her teeth. If she had to crawl around on her knees for the entire round... she clenched her hands.

Looking at Nan Zhiyun kneeling before him, Yu Jingchen's anger gradually subsided, but her actions today were truly infuriating. Refusing to eat—was she going on a hunger strike? He knew Nan Zhiyun was in a bad mood, but hadn't he already sent over the "letter written by Nan Su"? What more did she want?

Everything she ate was prepared to her liking, yet did she appreciate it? She didn't eat anything all day, and in the end, she knocked everything over, getting injuries all over her hands and feet. What was she trying to do? In Yu Jingchen's eyes, she was simply ungrateful!

Who is she trying to fool with this dramatic act? He hadn't really pursued the previous two punishments; couldn't she see that? She could have stayed quietly in He'an Palace and avoided trouble. But she insisted on testing his patience. Did she really think he wouldn't punish her? The more Yu Jingchen thought about it, the angrier he became. He had only just considered making Nan Zhiyun completely obedient yesterday, and today she had put on this show.

Fortunately, I came over. If I hadn't come, would she have planned to tear down the entire He'an Palace? Or starve to death here?

She had made a complete mess of the room, especially the things on the floor, most of which could hurt someone. If she got angry and hurt herself, she would be worse off than she thought. She was such an arrogant person, and Yu Jingchen was furious just looking at her.

Nan Zhiyun, kneeling on the ground, was unaware of the many thoughts swirling in Yu Jingchen's mind. She was simply wondering if Yu Jingchen would truly make her kneel as she walked through the palace. If so… would there be other punishments to come?

This was indeed very satisfying, and she was certainly quite unrestrained when she vented her anger. But what would the consequences be? She wasn't sure if she could really handle them.

Yu Jingchen looked at her kneeling on the ground. Nan Zhiyun was very thin, her body terribly frail. Even though he couldn't see her face clearly, Yu Jingchen could tell she was genuinely terrified. Although her body trembled very little, and although Nan Zhiyun was trying her best to control herself, how could fear be completely hidden?

His anger subsided a bit. He had only meant to scare Nan Zhiyun by saying she would kneel and walk on all the broken pieces in the hall. If she actually did it, she would probably never be able to walk normally again.

Although he was angry about what Nan Zhiyun did today, he didn't know why, but compared to before, his anger came and went quickly. Especially seeing Nan Zhiyun's pitiful, helpless, scared and terrified appearance.

Since she was afraid, the desired effect had been achieved. As for what happened next… Yu Jingchen thought he didn't necessarily have to care. But… if he always took things lightly and then let them go easily, wouldn't she think he really wouldn't do anything to her?

Yu Jingchen suddenly became conflicted. Nan Zhiyun, who was kneeling on the ground, had not received any further information from Yu Jingchen and was anxiously waiting for his final judgment.

Fortunately, she had witnessed everything clearly. Her Majesty shouldn't... be so cruel to Consort Shu, right? Judging from his current appearance, His Majesty doesn't seem as angry as before. Does that mean everything is alright? Just now... it must have been a false alarm. Fortunately, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Yu Jingchen remained silent throughout.