Just as Qianxia was at her wit's end and preparing to clear the table of dishes, a voice rang out from outside: "His Majesty has arrived!"
Nan Zhiyun froze instantly. Yu Jingchen walked in and saw the table full of dishes. Even though Nan Zhiyun was terrified, she still obediently knelt down. After all, Yu Jingchen was the emperor, while she was someone he could crush with a flick of his wrist: "Your Majesty, this concubine greets you." Nan Zhiyun's mouth hurt terribly as she spoke, but she dared not show it.
Yu Jingchen glanced at him coldly and said, "You're quite carefree, enjoying your food so much. Eat your fill today. But I see, where's the fish? Don't you usually love it?" Yu Jingchen was doing this on purpose.
Before Nan Zhiyun could say anything, Yu Jingchen immediately said, "Perfect timing. I specially ordered this to be prepared today, so let Consort Shu eat her fill." After Yu Jingchen finished speaking, someone behind him brought over a lunchbox containing four or five dishes, all fish and meat.
Looking at Nan Zhiyun, who was still kneeling there, Yu Jingchen became impatient: "What are you still standing there for? Do I need to help you up myself?" Yu Jingchen said coldly.
Nan Zhiyun dared not hesitate any longer and stood up from the ground. Looking at the dishes, she felt a deep sense of desolation. She didn't actually know if Yu Jingchen knew she was allergic to fish and was deliberately torturing her.
"Don't you like fish? Then eat it all today." Yu Jingchen sat there casually. Besides being fish, everything was seasoned with chili peppers. Nan Zhiyun had a mouth injury; how could she possibly eat it? But Yu Jingchen just didn't want to let her go. What could she do?
Nan Zhiyun had no choice but to sit down obediently. Seeing that she didn't move, Yu Jingchen urged her again, "What's wrong? Do you need me to find someone to feed you?" Yu Jingchen sneered.
"Your Majesty, please forgive her! Her Highness is allergic to fish, and she has an injury in her mouth and cannot eat it. Your Majesty, please forgive Her Highness!" Qianxia knelt down regardless of the consequences.
"I think we should add a dish. This palace maid didn't want her tongue anymore," Yu Jingchen said in a blatant threat.
Nan Zhiyun's cold eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "Your Majesty, I will eat immediately. Please forgive Qianxia this time." Nan Zhiyun finally gave in.
Qianxia wanted to stop her, but after meeting Nan Zhiyun's eyes, she shut her mouth.
Nan Zhiyun looked at the fish in front of her; it looked very spicy. Actually, Nan Zhiyun could handle spicy food, but how could her mouth possibly eat it right now? But she had no choice; she still reached out and picked up the fish, then fed it to her mouth. Ouch… Nan Zhiyun endured the torment and swallowed the fish.
"There are five or six fish dishes here, all with chili peppers. You love spicy food and fish, so this is perfect for you. Eat them all." Yu Jingchen felt a surge of anger as he looked at Nan Zhiyun's forced restraint.
Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to delay and could only eat slowly. If she couldn't finish, she couldn't guarantee what Yu Jingchen would do. But after only a little, she couldn't bear it anymore. The chili and salt irritated her wound, and her mouth hurt terribly.
She felt she was about to burst into tears; tears streamed down her face, her expression contorted in pain. Nan Zhiyun forced herself to speak, wanting to make a sound, but dared not. Yu Jingchen was watching her the whole time, which prevented her from trying anything.
Just as Nan Zhiyun was about to continue eating, Yu Jingchen, looking impatient, knocked over the fish in front of her table. Nan Zhiyun was startled. What had she done wrong this time? She wanted to apologize, but when Yu Jingchen looked at her, she couldn't speak, out of fear.
"Is it really that delicious?" Yu Jingchen seemed even angrier.
Nan Zhiyun felt like her mouth was about to go numb. It was probably because Yu Jingchen was deliberately trying to torture her, so the chili pepper was really spicy. Then, she touched her wound, and the pain was unbearable.
"Roll up your sleeves." Yu Jingchen suddenly changed the subject, leaving Nan Zhiyun somewhat confused.
"I told you to roll up your sleeves!" Yu Jingchen looked very angry.
Nan Zhiyun didn't know the reason, but she didn't dare to resist. She could only obediently roll up her sleeves, revealing the large red marks. Yu Jingchen saw it and thought, "Ha, after eating fish for so long, she really is allergic. So, is this woman stupid? How could she do something so foolish?"
"Was your previous fondness for food all an act?" Yu Jingchen asked.
Nan Zhiyun dared not answer. She couldn't guess what Yu Jingchen was thinking, so she didn't dare to answer casually. At this moment, Nan Zhiyun really regretted it. She was afraid that Yu Jingchen would accuse her of deceiving the emperor. She herself was fine, but what if it implicated her father? If Yu Jingchen wanted to, he really could do it.
"I'm asking you a question, are you deaf? Do I need to have someone else check your ears?" Yu Jingchen roared.
Nan Zhiyun lowered her head: "I'm just allergic, but...I really do like to eat it." Nan Zhiyun gave this explanation, meaning that she actually liked it, but just couldn't. This...shouldn't be considered deceiving the emperor, right?
"Heh, you dare to play tricks in front of me?" Yu Jingchen scoffed. If he really wanted to pursue the matter, how could Nan Zhiyun possibly escape?
But... if she really is allergic, then she still eats it every time... Yu Jingchen's gaze was too invasive, and Nan Zhiyun dared not look directly at him.
"What happens after an allergic reaction?" Yu Jingchen suddenly asked.
Nan Zhiyun hadn't yet reacted to his question, and her blank stare annoyed Yu Jingchen: "Can't you speak?"
"No... I get red marks on my body after eating fish, but nothing else," Nan Zhiyun said.
"Not even a scratch? That's a real shame." Yu Jingchen seemed quite disappointed, while Nan Zhiyun remained silent. There was still a lot of food left in front of her, and she didn't know whether she should continue.
“Nan Zhiyun, you’re the only one who’s so suicidal. You’re clearly scared, but you still insist on courting death. So, you deserve all of this,” Yu Jingchen said.
"But I'm warning you, before I grant you permission to die, you'd better not even entertain that thought, or things will only get worse," Yu Jingchen said. Nan Zhiyun did not reply.
"Did you understand?" Yu Jingchen raised his voice when he didn't hear Nan Zhiyun's reply.
"Is it... suicide?" She didn't dare.
"Take everything away," Yu Jingchen said to the palace servants, who then removed everything from the table. Nan Zhiyun was bewildered by these sudden changes. What did Yu Jingchen mean?
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