He held Nan Zhiyun in his arms and lay down beside her.

"Yun'er... don't go, don't think about escaping. If there's a next time, I don't know what I might do. It might hurt you, so... don't make things difficult for me." Yu Jingchen was also conflicted. He wanted to confine her directly, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he really did that, the distance between her and him would probably only grow further and further.

The relationship between the two was already strained, and this incident will likely make it difficult to repair it in the future.

He stroked Nan Zhiyun's head and began to cut her hair. Nan Zhiyun remained asleep the entire time, without uttering a word. However, the tears in the corners of her eyes had not yet dried, and her heart ached.

"Go to sleep, rest for a while, you were scared today." Yu Jingchen coaxed her. He hadn't used much force just now because he was afraid of really hurting Nan Zhiyun, so even though Nan Zhiyun's wrists were tied, no marks were left.

Nan Zhiyun turned her head away; she didn't want to see Yu Jingchen. Yu Jingchen didn't mind; it was normal for her to be angry, so he could understand Nan Zhiyun's current state.

"I won't pursue what happened today, and you shouldn't think about it anymore. The Empress Dowager and Nan Su will be fine. I won't do anything to them, so you don't need to worry. This matter will just be over." Yu Jingchen knew that she was definitely worried about Nan Su and the Empress Dowager, so he told her this in advance to save her from worrying and not daring to ask.

Sure enough, upon hearing news of the Empress Dowager and her father, Nan Zhiyun finally lost her coldness, and a flicker of emotion appeared in her eyes.

"Take a nap, and I'll have someone bring you dinner when you wake up. You have to eat. If you throw a tantrum and refuse to eat, then... someone will suffer, okay?" Yu Jingchen was using both soft and hard tactics.

Simply settling won't work. He wants Nan Zhiyun to stay, but he hopes even more that she's willing to stay. Of course, if Nan Zhiyun remains the same in the end, he won't let go either.

As I've said before, he can't accept Nan Zhiyun's departure, so no matter what happens later, he can't let it go!

That evening, Yu Jingchen instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare a meal. Nan Zhiyun's health hadn't fully recovered, so she definitely couldn't stop taking her medicine. This time, perhaps because she had some reservations, Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to be too willful; she didn't go on a hunger strike, nor did she resist taking her medicine.

"I'll stay with you tonight, I won't leave." Yu Jingchen said this. He had given her too much freedom in the past, and since Nan Zhiyun didn't like it, he tried his best not to appear in front of her, and he would never force her to sleep with him at night.

But things are different now; he won't leave. When Nan Zhiyun heard this, her hand holding the medicine bowl paused. Her attitude was clear, but unfortunately, Yu Jingchen wouldn't hesitate to do so this time.

Because Nan Zhiyun was afraid of the dark, Yu Jingchen, as before, didn't completely turn off the lights. But for some reason, Nan Zhiyun seemed even more afraid of the dark than before. Even with the lights on, she still felt suffocated.

Yu Jingchen pulled her into his arms: "I'm here..." he coaxed. Nan Zhiyun was scared, but she could only suppress her emotions because she couldn't rely on Yu Jingchen in this situation.

In the latter half of the night, Nan Zhiyun was trembling violently, and her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Yu Jingchen noticed something was wrong. He had initially thought that Nan Zhiyun simply didn't want his touch, but he hadn't expected there to be another reason. However, judging from the current situation, it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Yun'er?" Yu Jingchen finally started to get anxious.

Nan Zhiyun curled up into a small ball, her eyes still closed, but her forehead was covered in sweat, whether from fear or pain, it was hard to tell.

Yu Jingchen summoned the imperial physicians, but these doctors were utterly useless. After taking her pulse, all they said was that she had been frightened and that Nan Zhiyun was weak and prone to sweating. Hearing this, Yu Jingchen wanted nothing more than to cripple the physician. What good were those pointless words?

Yu Jingchen picked up Nan Zhiyun and let her lean against him, then instructed the others to fetch some warm water.

"Yun'er, it's alright..." Yu Jingchen comforted her softly, wondering if his behavior today had frightened her and caused her such fear. Nan Zhiyun didn't wake up, but judging from her expression, her fear hadn't lessened at all. Yu Jingchen personally wiped her body; this wasn't the first time he'd done this, and he was quite adept at it.

That night, Yu Jingchen didn't rest either because of Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun finally fell asleep just as dawn was breaking. The Empress Dowager and Nan Su were still worried after hearing that Nan Zhiyun had been found, as neither of them could control Yu Jingchen's feelings for her. And… could Yu Jingchen truly control his emotions in his rage? What if he hurts Yun'er?

No matter how worried they were about Nan Zhiyun, they couldn't leave now. Yu Jingchen hadn't given his consent; who would dare let them go?

When Nan Zhiyun woke up, all the people serving her were strangers. She naturally knew what was going on. When the palace maids saw that Nan Zhiyun had finally woken up, they quickly came over: "This servant greets Consort Shu. Is Consort Shu about to get up? This servant will help you change your clothes."

Nan Zhiyun didn't answer, but silently got up from the bed. The palace maids quickly went to help her, but Nan Zhiyun refused. The palace maids didn't dare to insist, and could only silently follow behind Nan Zhiyun. She looked around, and Yu Jingchen was no longer there. Nan Zhiyun was about to reach out to open the door to the room when the palace maids behind her quickly stepped forward to open it for her.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!