Yu Jingchen did nothing else; only the faint candlelight flickered in the room. Nan Zhiyun had her eyes closed, and it was unclear whether she was asleep or still awake.
It was time for the morning court session. Yu Jingchen hadn't actually slept that night. Fortunately, when he came in, he was already up. Nan Zhiyun was still lying on her side, seemingly still asleep.
Logically, Nan Zhiyun should have gotten up to help Yu Jingchen change his clothes, but just as she was about to wake him, Yu Jingchen stopped her: "You can't wake her up, just let her be." Nan Zhiyun wasn't asleep at all; she was just pretending to be asleep. What good would it do to wake her up?
"Yes," Xinglai understood and said nothing.
After Yu Jingchen went outside, Qianxia prepared to go inside, since it was time to get up and tidy up before going to Yunpeng Palace to pay her respects.
"Where are you going?" Yu Jingchen asked.
"Your Majesty, this servant will go and help the Empress wash up. It will be time for the morning greetings soon." Qianxia replied respectfully. She knew about what happened last night, so she was also very worried about Nan Zhiyun.
As for paying respects... Although Nan Zhiyun was ranked among the four consorts, she had virtually no status in the harem because of Yu Jingchen's attitude. Every time she went to pay her respects, she became the target of ridicule. Qianxia felt sorry for her and even thought it would be better not to go. However, if she didn't go and some people said something that reached His Majesty's attention, she might be punished again. Therefore, Nan Zhiyun dared not do that.
Upon hearing the greeting, Yu Jingchen frowned slightly: "She's not even awake yet, why are you going to wake her?" Yu Jingchen didn't pay much attention to matters of the harem.
“Your Majesty, this is a long-established rule. Unless there are special circumstances, Consort Shu should also go. However… although Consort Shu is of noble status, she is still inevitably bullied every time she goes to pay her respects…” Xinglai spoke up at the right time. He originally did not want to say anything more, but seeing His Majesty’s current attitude, he couldn’t help but say a few more words.
He was indeed loyal to His Majesty, but he also felt sorry for Consort Shu. He had served Yu Jingchen since he was a child, and Consort Shu often hung around His Majesty when she was young, so he regarded her as his master. Moreover, Consort Shu was indeed very cute when she was young.
Furthermore, it's because of the Empress Dowager and General Nan. Although His Majesty might not be entirely clear on how the Empress Dowager treats His Majesty, as the saying goes, "the onlooker sees more of the game than the player," and he understands everything perfectly well. In addition, he genuinely admires General Nan Su, so he is willing to help Consort Shu more.
Sure enough, upon hearing Xing Lai's words, Yu Jingchen became visibly displeased: "What do you mean?" Yu Jingchen asked.
"Your Majesty," Xinglai continued, "the ladies and concubines in the palace all act according to your preferences. Consort Shu has never been favored by you, so it's inevitable that some people are not doing their best. I've heard that... every time they go to pay their respects, those lower-ranking concubines, in order to please the higher-ranking concubines, or even just to make themselves feel better, deliberately belittle Consort Shu. Consort Shu is gentle by nature and afraid of displeasing Your Majesty, so... she has always endured it."
Yu Jingchen's brows immediately furrowed, and it was clear that he was angry.
"Who can she blame for being stupid? Doesn't she have the Empress Dowager backing her up? Is this all she can do?" Yu Jingchen's words seemed to be blaming Nan Zhiyun for being useless, but fortunately he knew that His Majesty's anger was definitely not because of Consort Shu.
"There's no need to go today. Consort Shu is under house arrest and is not allowed to leave without an imperial edict. No one outside is allowed to enter or leave He'an Palace at will," Yu Jingchen said as a final remark.
“Yes…” Xinglai was somewhat surprised. An ordinary person might think that Consort Shu had once again offended the Emperor’s authority, but Xinglai knew in his heart that the Emperor was doing this mostly for Consort Shu’s sake.
Previously, Consort Shu was out of favor and disliked by His Majesty, a fact known to almost everyone inside and outside the palace. For His Majesty to suddenly exempt her from paying her respects is rather abrupt and likely to attract attention. Furthermore, with General Nan's triumphant return, other troubles are inevitable…
“Since we don’t need to pay our respects, we don’t need to call her,” Yu Jingchen said to Qianxia beside him.
"Yes..." Qianxia couldn't describe her feelings. On one hand, she felt that it was a good thing that she didn't have to pay her respects, but on the other hand, she wondered if His Majesty had gotten angry again by confining the Empress, and whether he would take his anger out on the Empress again.
Yu Jingchen didn't say anything more and left He'an Palace directly. The news of Nan Zhiyun being confined to the palace quickly spread throughout the palace and naturally reached Ci'an Palace as well.
"Your Majesty, are you going to see His Majesty? Consort Shu has been confined to her quarters without a reason..." An Xin asked the Empress Dowager.
"No need to go. Just keep a close watch on things and make sure the people below don't neglect Yun'er. You don't need to worry about anything else." The Empress Dowager didn't seem too worried.
An Xin felt a little strange. If it were in the past, the Empress Dowager should have been the most worried, but why didn't she care this time?
"A-Su should be back soon. When he returns, the time will be about right." The Empress Dowager said meaningfully.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager... have you really thought this through? This servant is worried..." An Xin knew about the Empress Dowager's plan, but she always felt it was a bit risky. How could His Majesty's mind be so easily controlled?
“Anxin, if you’re dissatisfied with the status quo, why be content with it? Even if you’re not sure about something, you should still try. His Majesty is different now, isn’t he? He needs someone to teach him, and whoever it is, will make mistakes. Even if he’s the ruler of a country, he has to bear the consequences of his mistakes. He says he can afford to make mistakes, so he can certainly bear the consequences.” The Empress Dowager’s tone was very gentle. Anxin felt that the Empress Dowager had changed, but at the same time, she seemed to be the same Empress Dowager she always was.
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