This time, Nan Su submitted a memorial stating that upon his return, he was willing to relinquish his military power and resign from his post to return to his hometown. To be honest, Yu Jingchen was also shocked. Under such power, how could someone actually voluntarily give it up?
Perhaps influenced by his childhood environment, power has always been the most alluring thing in Yu Jingchen's mind. It's not that he feels that having power is so prestigious, but because only with power can you have the right to live and the right to choose.
In his mind, a person without power is equivalent to losing the ability to protect themselves and becoming completely passive. Only by having all the power in their own hands can they take the initiative.
What about those close to you? In the royal family, under the weight of power, even the closest of kin aren't necessarily trustworthy. He'd lived in the palace since childhood, witnessing countless things. How many concubines in the harem would harm their own flesh and blood for power? In the struggle for imperial power, even brothers can turn against each other, can't they? Every time it's a life-or-death struggle. So if even blood relatives can become enemies, why should those without blood ties be trusted?
Therefore... he must eliminate all threats, and the biggest threat right now is the Nan family.
Relinquishing military power? If it were truly possible, it wouldn't be a bad thing. However, Nan Su has been fighting on the battlefield for many years and enjoys high prestige within the army. He has led these soldiers for so many years based on more than just that tiger tally. Even if he relinquishes military power, so what? His prestige will remain…
Just as Yu Jingchen was lost in thought about these questions, Xinglai finally returned.
"Your Majesty, this servant has already sent the palace maid over and summoned the imperial physician," Xinglai reported respectfully.
Yu Jingchen straightened his body, seemingly not caring much, and casually said, "Hmm," before falling silent.
Xinglai glanced up at the person at the head of the table. "Is that all? Do you really not care anymore?"
“Your Majesty, Consort Shu… the injury on her knee seems quite serious. If it continues without proper care, and she gets injured again, it might leave a lasting problem,” Xing Lai continued. Yu Jingchen’s eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.
"Moreover... Consort Shu's hand seems to be quite badly injured; she can't even hold things. It hurts even with the slightest touch. The imperial physician said that she probably won't be able to hold anything for several days," Xinglai continued.
Is it that serious? Yu Jingchen knows his limits when he strikes, and most of the time he doesn't use his full strength. Maybe he used a lot of force in one or two strikes, but it shouldn't be this serious.
“The people serving Consort Shu are all injured, and the new maids may not be used to her. Consort Shu is also someone who likes to keep things to herself. Even if they are not used attentively and the maids do not serve her well, she probably won’t say anything. In the end, if she suffers any grievances or is unhappy about anything, she will still keep it to herself,” Xinglai continued.
Yu Jingchen still didn't react, but... Xinglai's heart skipped a beat. Although he didn't react, he didn't stop himself from continuing to talk, so... Xinglai directly used a strong medicine.
“Her Highness Consort Shu was injured and frightened today, and she has no one to take care of her. She is confined to He’an Palace, which must be difficult for her. Her Highness is afraid of the dark, and she will probably have nightmares tonight. Moreover, Her Highness Consort Shu is quite stubborn. Just now, I was just suggesting that we put away those paper and pens, but Her Highness refused. Could it be that she wants to continue copying even though she is injured?” Xinglai said while observing Yu Jingchen’s expression.
"You can't even hold a pen properly, what are you copying for?" Yu Jingchen finally reacted.
"Her Majesty is usually slow at copying, but perhaps she was frightened today. Her hand is injured, and she will need to rest for several days. Perhaps she is afraid that she will not be able to finish copying and will be punished by His Majesty in the end," Xinglai said, feigning speculation.
Yu Jingchen frowned slightly. If that were really the case, then she truly had something wrong with her mind. He hadn't originally planned to get involved, but… Nan Zhiyun really did seem to have something wrong with her mind… so…
"Tonight, we'll prepare the carriage for the He'an Palace," Yu Jingchen said again.
"Yes..." Xinglai lowered his head, tsk, just as she expected. He only hoped that His Majesty could realize his own feelings sooner rather than later, so as not to wait until it was too late to regret it. At the same time, he also hoped that Consort Shu could feel better; if things continued like this, he was afraid that something might happen to her.
Recently, whenever Yu Jingchen visits the inner palace, it's always He'an Palace, which has already caused dissatisfaction among many. However... every time Yu Jingchen goes to He'an Palace, it seems that Nan Zhiyun is punished or something, which has made the concubines in the inner palace feel more at ease.
That evening, when Nan Zhiyun heard that Yu Jingchen had come again, her heart trembled. She hadn't caused any trouble since he left her earlier that day, so Nan Zhiyun suddenly wasn't sure why Yu Jingchen had come here.
When Yu Jingchen entered, Nan Zhiyun was leaning back in her chair reading a book. The room was dimly lit, and she sat there silently, with no one around to watch over her. Yu Jingchen subconsciously frowned. Seeing this, Nan Zhiyun felt uneasy. She... shouldn't have done anything wrong.
Nan Zhiyun rose and bowed, but before she could even speak, Yu Jingchen's slightly displeased voice rang out: "What are you looking at now? It's so dark in the room, how can you see anything?"
Nan Zhiyun's words caught in her throat, afraid that she would say something wrong. Only a few dim candles lit the room; one was placed on the table while she read.
The He'an Palace was so large, yet only a few lamps were lit, making the effect seem rather insignificant. The palace maids had wanted to light them, but she hadn't allowed them; the atmosphere was enough...
"You have injuries on your hands and legs, and now you want to hurt your eyes too?" Yu Jingchen walked over, startling Nan Zhiyun into retreating repeatedly.
Yu Jingchen paused slightly, and Nan Zhiyun also froze. She had just dodged... was she going to be punished again?
"What are you hiding for?" Yu Jingchen's tone was unfriendly. Nan Zhiyun sighed inwardly. She had brought trouble upon herself again... But was this something she could control?
Yu Jingchen walked past Nan Zhiyun, picked up the books she had placed on the table—a few storybooks. There was nothing special about them, and he didn't know what was so interesting about them that made her so engrossed in reading them under such dim lighting. He put the storybooks back in their original place.
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