Nan Zhiyun looked at her hands; some of the more serious areas were scratched raw.

"Why aren't you speaking? Answer me!" Yu Jingchen was clearly angry, but he kept his temper in check. He didn't want to lose his temper with Nan Zhiyun; he knew she was afraid of him, and he didn't want to make the situation worse.

"I can't control myself..." Nan Zhiyun finally spoke.

Yu Jingchen's eyes darkened, but he didn't get angry immediately. He gently stroked Nan Zhiyun's face; it felt cool...

"So it's okay to hurt yourself? Didn't I tell you before that you should never hurt yourself under any circumstances? Hmm? Yun'er just didn't listen to those words. I said I don't want to be angry with you, and I won't lose my temper with you anymore, but Yun'er, I said you have to stay within the bottom line. You hurt yourself, which has crossed the line. Do you know what that means?" Yu Jingchen's tone was laced with warning.

Yu Jingchen took Nan Zhiyun's hand and couldn't help but feel a surge of anger when he looked at the scars on it.

"This is the last time I'm telling you, you're not allowed to hurt yourself again. If it happens again, I won't feel sorry for you, you'll be punished and scolded, hmm?" Yu Jingchen warned, then picked up the ointment from the side.

"I'll apply the medicine for you," Yu Jingchen said. Compared to his gentle demeanor at the beginning, he now looked much more terrifying.

Nan Zhiyun didn't want him to touch her, but how could her strength compare to Yu Jingchen's? Yu Jingchen sensed her movements, and his anger grew stronger.

"Nan Zhiyun, I have made myself very clear today, huh? What are you doing? Do you not want me to touch you, or are you deliberately tormenting your body?" Yu Jingchen had even changed his self-reference.

Nan Zhiyun's heart tightened when she met Yu Jingchen's gaze. Even her breathing became shallow, fearing what Yu Jingchen might do next.

Perhaps realizing he had frightened Nan Zhiyun with his current appearance, Yu Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief and tried his best to calm himself down.

"I'm not trying to be mean to you, but you need to take better care of your own body. Don't you know what's wrong with your health? You were just sitting on the ground like that, unable to get up. And then you started scratching your own hands. Look at your hands, they're all scratched up. How can these things not make me angry?" Yu Jingchen tried to reason with Nan Zhiyun, his tone becoming gentler than before.

Nan Zhiyun's eyes were slightly red, whether from being frightened or for some other reason was unclear. Yu Jingchen felt sorry for her and softened his tone, "Don't cry, okay?"

“...Father…” Nan Zhiyun stared at Yu Jingchen and said just those two words. Yu Jingchen knew she was worried, but there was no other way at the moment, so he could only look for help.

What he feared was... what if this really happened? In his heart, Nansu shouldn't be in trouble so easily, but no one had the guts to be absolutely certain that everything was foolproof.

If something really happens to Nan Su, how will he explain it to Nan Zhiyun? Yu Jingchen actually started to worry.

"Don't worry about General Nan. I'll send someone to look for her. Don't overthink it. You believe that General Nan is a lucky person, right?" Yu Jingchen told Nan Zhiyun while applying medicine to her hand, reassuring her.

"I want to go..." Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen pleadingly. Yu Jingchen didn't speak, but just stared at her. Perhaps because his gaze was too deep, Nan Zhiyun lowered her head, and tears fell onto the back of her hand.

Touched, Yu Jingchen pulled the person into his arms and said, "Give me some time. Take good care of yourself these next two days, okay?" Yu Jingchen wanted to calm the person down first.

But how could Nan Zhiyun truly calm down? After all, it was her own father who was in trouble; how could she really be at ease?

"Take a good rest during this time, and don't let me see you hurting yourself like this again." Yu Jingchen put down the ointment in his hand, and then lifted Nan Zhiyun off his lap and placed her on the bed.

“I won’t leave. Didn’t you just say you wanted to be alone? I’ll give you some time. I’ll come in to see you in half an hour and then have dinner with you.” Yu Jingchen stood up. Nan Zhiyun wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Yu Jingchen looked at her for a long while before leaving.

After Yu Jingchen left, Nan Zhiyun sat on the bed and slowly buried herself in her knees, hiding herself. If you looked closely, you would see that Nan Zhiyun's shoulders were still trembling slightly; she was crying. The sobs were faintly audible, and even though she was trying to hold them back, Yu Jingchen, who was guarding the door, could still hear them clearly.

"Your Majesty, Consort Shu, she..." Xinglai overheard this from outside.

"These next two days, have your subordinates keep a close eye on Consort Shu. If they find anything amiss, report it to me immediately. Also, during this time, Consort Shu needs to rest and recuperate. Given the heavy rain, she should not go out unnecessarily, and neither should the palace servants attending to her," Yu Jingchen said. Fortunately, he was a little confused; did this imply confinement?

"Yes," Xinglai agreed.

"Send more people, and report back immediately if there is any news." Yu Jingchen didn't want to drag this matter out for too long, as it would only create more trouble.

Xinglai naturally understood the importance of these matters, so he didn't dare to delay and immediately gave the orders. Yu Jingchen didn't go too far; Nan Zhiyun was inside, and he waited outside.

Cixi Palace

The Empress Dowager entered through the curtain, and Gu Yin entered quietly. His azure robe was no longer the white robe he wore in the Cining Palace.

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