Upon hearing this, Yu Jingchen and Nan Zhiyun were both taken aback.
"What is she doing here? Tell her to go back," Yu Jingchen said impatiently.
“Your Majesty, Consort Yuan said she has come to apologize,” Xinglai replied.
Yu Jingchen frowned slightly, glanced at Nan Zhiyun one last time, and then called her in.
"Let her in," Yu Jingchen agreed.
“Yes…” Xinglai stepped back and invited the person in.
Consort Yuan was dressed in a simple blue robe, gentle and elegant, her attire understated and unassuming—this was always her style. She never sought to stand out in public and maintained a low profile.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Consort Shu." Consort Yuan bowed respectfully.
"Get up." Yu Jingchen said coldly.
"Your Majesty, I am terrified. I have come to apologize to Your Majesty and Consort Shu." Consort Yuan not only did not get up, but also kowtowed.
Yu Jingchen glanced coldly at Consort Yuan, said nothing, and instead looked at Nan Zhiyun.
"Is everything arranged?" Yu Jingchen asked her. Nan Zhiyun curtsied and then walked over.
"Your Majesty..." Nan Zhiyun called softly, and Yu Jingchen helped her up.
"If you're going to apologize, then apologize to Consort Shu." Yu Jingchen glanced indifferently at Consort Yuan kneeling on the ground.
"Yes," Consort Yuan replied without hesitation, and instead knelt before Nan Zhiyun. "Your Highness, my younger sister rarely comes to the capital and is not familiar with the rules of the capital. She has also not yet properly disciplined the servants around her, so she offended Your Highness. I apologize on her behalf and beg Your Highness's forgiveness." Consort Yuan then performed another deep bow.
She had no family background and served humbly in the palace simply to make her life easier. Offending Consort Shu was tantamount to offending the Empress Dowager, not to mention that the Emperor's attitude towards Consort Shu had changed. Just from accompanying Consort Shu out of the palace yesterday, it was clear that it wasn't just a simple formality. Therefore, she had no choice but to come and apologize.
Nan Zhiyun was unsure how to respond, so she subconsciously looked at Yu Jingchen. He was the one who ordered the handling of yesterday's incident, and she was somewhat unsure of Yu Jingchen's intentions.
"Since she's apologizing to you, it's up to you. Do you want to forgive her?" Yu Jingchen asked.
Nan Zhiyun hesitated.
"Your Highness, Consort Su was unaware of Your Highness's identity, which is why she acted inappropriately. Once she enters the palace, I will certainly give her a proper warning and make her apologize to Your Highness," Consort Yuan continued.
“This has nothing to do with Consort Yuan. Consort Yuan, please get up,” Nan Zhiyun said.
"But... I don't like your sister. Even if it weren't me, she wouldn't dare let her servants treat other people like that. Yesterday, her maid almost pushed me down the stairs. What if something had really happened?" Nan Zhiyun wasn't exactly angry, but she was still unhappy.
"Yes, it's all my and my sister's fault. Your Majesty, rest assured, she will never dare to do it again. Please, Your Majesty, be lenient and forgive her this time," Consort Yuan continued.
Nan Zhiyun was now in a dilemma. This was not something she could decide, and besides... she only felt that Consort Yuan was not wrong, not that her sister was not wrong.
Since you made a mistake, you should of course accept the punishment. The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture won't make a random judgment, so everything will be fine afterward, right?
"Your Majesty..." Consort Yuan looked at Yu Jingchen again.
"Step down." Yu Jingchen did not give a reply.
Although Consort Yuan was somewhat worried, she dared not plead any further and could only obediently reply, "Yes," before withdrawing.
After she left, Yu Jingchen took Nan Zhiyun's hand and said gently, "It's cold outside, your hands are cold. Let's go inside."
Nan Zhiyun nodded and followed Yu Jingchen into the house.
"The weather is getting colder and colder, so be careful not to catch a cold, otherwise you'll have to take medicine by yourself." Yu Jingchen pulled Nan Zhiyun to sit down next to him.
"Do you still need to take the medicine you took before?" Nan Zhiyun asked her. Her eyes were full of expectation; she really didn't want to take it anymore, okay?
"Of course you have to keep drinking, don't even think about escaping." Yu Jingchen said helplessly.
"Alright..." Nan Zhiyun was somewhat disappointed; she had thought she could escape this predicament...
“However, you don’t need to drink it three times a day like before. After you drink it for a while longer, the imperial physician says your body is almost fully recovered, then we can stop drinking it,” Yu Jingchen said.
"Yes," Nan Zhiyun was speechless, but what could she do? If she couldn't resist, then so be it.
"Don't always look so worried. For your own health, you still need to take this medicine, and I'll take it with you," Yu Jingchen comforted him.
He would also take the medicine Nan Zhiyun drank, but his medicine would contain an extra bitter ingredient. This way, he would experience the same suffering she had endured, even if it was insignificant compared to what she had experienced before; it was still something he needed to feel himself…
That night, Yu Jingchen stayed at He'an Palace again.
at night
The Empress Dowager sat alone in her room when Gu Yin appeared silently behind her. He then sat down next to her, and the Empress Dowager seemed unsurprised by his arrival.
"It's late, and you're not feeling well right now, you should rest," Gu Yin advised.
"I can't sleep. Maybe it's because the older I get, the harder it is to fall asleep," the Empress Dowager replied.
"When can this end?" Gu Yin asked.
"You should know that the latest it will be is March..." The Empress Dowager's voice gradually faded into the distance.
"March is wonderful. The peach blossoms are in full bloom in March, covering the mountains and fields. It must be very beautiful. When we finish everything here, we can go see it together. I told you before that I was born in Jiangcheng, where the peach blossoms are in full bloom, making people overjoyed."
The Empress Dowager looked at Gu Yin.
"I thought you knew what I was talking about, Gu Yin." The Empress Dowager's tone seemed to carry a hint of warning.
“I used to be the Imperial Advisor. I’m sure I can grant any wish I have. I’m certain you’ll go and you’ll like it.” Gu Yin smiled gently. The once peerless man… seemed to have slowly changed. In the end, time waits for no one, and the marks of the years have been left on him.
"Gu Yin, will you get old too? You used to say that even when you're sixty, you'll still look the same." The Empress Dowager smiled at him, a rare occurrence for her.
"It's all a lie, how can you believe that?" Gu Yin smiled gently.
"It's getting late, you should get some rest. Your health is the most important thing right now, isn't it?" Gu Yin stood up.
"Yin'er... I really like calling you that. I also like it when you call me Gu Yin." Gu Yin left with these words.
The Empress Dowager stared blankly in the direction Gu Yin had left, lost in thought for a moment.
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