At that time, the Empress Dowager told herself that there was no need to pay attention to things that had nothing to do with her. Some things were thankless and difficult to do, and there were always people who would trip her up or even deliberately cause trouble.

“It’s okay if you make a mistake, it’s not a big deal. But… if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Your current physical condition doesn’t seem suitable.” Yu Jingchen made up an excuse and didn’t force her to do it.

Nan Zhiyun didn't respond, and Yu Jingchen, holding her close, showed no intention of continuing the conversation. However... his method seemed to have worked; Nan Zhiyun was no longer as tense as before, the room quieted down, and her drowsiness deepened, eventually leading her to drift off to sleep.

After she fell asleep, Yu Jingchen looked down at the person in his arms. The little girl had her hands on her chest, slightly hunched over, curled up like a tiny creature in his embrace. Seeing Nan Zhiyun like this, a soft spot in Yu Jingchen's heart was amplified.

That night, Nan Zhiyun seemed to sleep quite soundly, without having nightmares or looking worried as usual.

When Nan Zhiyun woke up again at dawn, Yu Jingchen was no longer there. He must have gone to the morning court session. Today's morning court session was quite lively.

Standing in the center of the Golden Palace, Nan Su took out the tiger tally from his robes: "Your Majesty, this old minister has been trusted by the late Emperor and Your Majesty, holding military power and leading troops for a long time. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, a prosperous and peaceful era has arrived, and the Yuan Kingdom no longer needs long-term garrison troops. This old minister hereby hands over the military tally to Your Majesty." Nan Su knelt down, raised his hands high above his head, and accepted the military tally.

Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Su below, his face expressionless. In fact, he hadn't expected Nan Su to publicly hand over the military tally on such a day and in such a setting. Did he really care so little?

"Nan Qing has a distinguished military record and has held his position for a long time. This is rather sudden," Yu Jingchen said, his tone devoid of emotion.

"This old minister is advanced in years and fears he is no longer able to live up to Your Majesty's high expectations. I beg Your Majesty to grant this old minister's request, to withdraw the military tally, and to allow this old minister to retire to his hometown," Nan Su continued.

Yu Jingchen remained silent this time, offering no response to Nan Su, which sparked a flurry of discussion among the surrounding ministers. Nan Su's decision today was something many hadn't anticipated, something they absolutely couldn't have imagined. After all, it involved the command of 500,000 troops. With Nan Su and the Empress Dowager in power, and 500,000 soldiers trained by the Nan family themselves, the Nan family held an incredibly high position and wielded immense power.

How could Nan Su give up so easily? He's being far too nonchalant. Can he really relinquish such power so easily? Is Nan Su a bit too foolish? Or is he just putting on an act?