From the moment Yu Jingchen made his move, Nan Zhiyun's heart had been in her throat. These storybooks might mean nothing to Yu Jingchen, or even be useless to him. She was actually very afraid that Yu Jingchen would continue to make excuses about what he had done.
In this palace, this is probably the only thing she can do to pass the time. If Yu Jingchen orders her not to look at these things, what else can she do all day long in He'an Palace?
"Did the Imperial Household Department skimp on your pay?" Yu Jingchen suddenly asked, before Nan Zhiyun could react.
"Did you run out of candles? Why are you being so frugal?" Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun, who choked, unsure of what to say.
"If you don't want to light candles, then don't." Yu Jingchen did this on purpose; he knew perfectly well that Nan Zhiyun was terrified of the dark. Sure enough, Nan Zhiyun's expression immediately changed after Yu Jingchen said this.
Yu Jingchen knew she was scared, and seeing her expression change, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he instructed Xinglai, "Light the lamp."
"Yes," Xinglai replied quickly, immediately ordering the lights to be turned on, and the room gradually became brighter.
Just as Xinglai said, the things Nan Zhiyun copied today have not been put away yet. He glanced at them but did not say anything. Instead, he focused his gaze on her hands. The hand that was hit could be vaguely seen to be red and swollen, but it was not wrapped in gauze or anything.
"No more copying for five days." Yu Jingchen issued a bizarre order.
Nan Zhiyun was about to ask, but she swallowed the words back. If she opened her mouth, she would be making a mistake, so she decided to remain silent.
Although Nan Zhiyun didn't ask, Yu Jingchen said it himself: "A month is too long. If you finish copying now, will the rest of the time be left unused? You can start copying again in five days, and submit it to me before the end of the month."
Nan Zhiyun: "..." She didn't understand. Was the reason for not allowing her to copy for the first five days to make things more difficult for her?
Xinglai: "..." It would be better not to say anything. This sounds like something a fool would say, and it's just an attempt to cover up the truth.
Yu Jingchen didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said and simply walked over and sat down. Nan Zhiyun stood there, unsure of what to do. Then Yu Jingchen said, "Don't you know how to sit? You weren't the one being punished today. Can't you sit down?"
Nan Zhiyun remained silent, but she still made a move. She sat down a distance away from Yu Jingchen. Yu Jingchen only glanced at her twice and didn't say anything about whether there was a problem with her sitting there.
The room was quiet. Yu Jingchen calmly sipped his tea, and Xinglai had found some of his favorite books. Only Nan Zhiyun remained restless. Xinglai noticed her embarrassment, so she quietly took the storybook Nan Zhiyun had been reading and handed it to her: "If Your Highness is bored, why not read a book to pass the time?"
Nan Zhiyun subconsciously looked up at Yu Jingchen, but Yu Jingchen was focused on his own things and seemed not to see Nan Zhiyun at all. So after hesitating for a long time, she still took the storybook from Xinglai's hand.
Only after she shifted her gaze away from him did Yu Jingchen look at her, though Nan Zhiyun naturally didn't notice. The two of them looked at their books, neither disturbing the other. Nan Zhiyun used to enjoy reading, but now, with Yu Jingchen present, she couldn't concentrate and felt anxious.
Perhaps sensing Nan Zhiyun's discomfort, Yu Jingchen quickly changed the subject: "Have you applied the medicine?"
His sudden question caught Nan Zhiyun off guard, so she didn't realize he was asking about her injuries. Fortunately, he reminded her, "Your Majesty, His Majesty asked if you've applied medicine to the wounds on your hands and knees?"
“…I’ve wiped it off.” Nan Zhiyun didn’t really want to answer. Weren’t all these injuries because of him? Why ask about them now?
"Then rest, serve her to bed." Yu Jingchen put down the book in his hand, and Nan Zhiyun stood up as well, but she felt more nervous and scared than anything else.
She wasn't just afraid of what Yu Jingchen might do to her, but also afraid that he would extinguish the candle. Of course, what she feared most was... Yu Jingchen himself.
But now it wasn't her turn to make a choice; she could only follow along step by step. After everything was settled, Nan Zhiyun stood in front of the bed, not making any further moves.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Yu Jingchen asked her, but Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to answer.
Yu Jingchen didn't bother with her and went to turn off the lights. Seeing Yu Jingchen's action, Nan Zhiyun grabbed her dress... she was scared.
Yu Jingchen didn't pause at all, extinguishing all the candles cleanly and efficiently. He finally stopped when only the last candle remained.
"What are you looking at? Aren't you afraid of the dark? Isn't one lamp enough?" Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun, noticing her nervousness.
Nan Zhiyun's tense mood gradually eased, but she did not expect that Yu Jingchen would leave a lamp behind.
"Sleep," Yu Jingchen repeated once more.
Nan Zhiyun pursed her lips and walked over with small steps, Yu Jingchen following closely behind. Nan Zhiyun lay down on the bed, but the unease in her heart had not completely dissipated, because she didn't know what Yu Jingchen might do.
She was filled with worries, unaware that Yu Jingchen had fallen asleep immediately after lying down and made no further moves. Nan Zhiyun's emotions gradually calmed down at this moment. The tension of the day finally eased, and she felt a little tired, so she slowly fell asleep.
After she fell asleep, Yu Jingchen opened his eyes, turned his head and glanced at her. He wondered if it was because she was too scared, because Nan Zhiyun's breathing was very shallow after she fell asleep.
Looking at her hand outside the blanket, he realized he had been a bit too rough today; it was still red and swollen with no sign of fading. He gently pulled the blanket up and tucked Nan Zhiyun's hand inside to cover her up.
After doing all that, he lay down properly. He had vaguely realized something... that he didn't seem to feel the same way about Nan Zhiyun as before... and he felt a pang of reluctance today.
Although Yu Jingchen didn't want to admit it, there were some things he couldn't deny. Ever since Nan Zhiyun returned to He'an Palace from Ci'an Palace, he had never really been cruel to her.
He didn't actually like this feeling; it made him feel like things were slipping out of his control, like he couldn't manage them. And Yu Jingchen was used to being in control, so this wouldn't work…
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