Yu Jingchen saw through Nan Zhiyun's thoughts, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. No one noticed this action, not even himself.
"Come on, accompany me for a walk," Yu Jingchen said.
“Yes…” Nan Zhiyun could only follow. Yu Jingchen walked in front, and she followed behind, with a distance between them.
Yu Jingchen was dissatisfied with the current situation. Why were they so far away?
"Are you counting ants with your head down?" Yu Jingchen couldn't help but ask.
Nan Zhiyun raised her head in a daze, and then heard Yu Jingchen say to her, "Why are you walking so slowly? You've trampled all the ants to death."
Nan Zhiyun: "..."
"What are you still standing there like an idiot following behind? Hurry up." Yu Jingchen was as impatient as ever.
Nan Zhiyun had no choice but to quicken her pace, but Yu Jingchen's speed was really a bit difficult, and it was a little challenging for her to keep up.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu's knee injury has only recently healed, so this might be a little difficult for her," Xinglai finally spoke up to remind her. Your Majesty, what are you doing? How could Consort Shu possibly keep up with your pace? Besides, is this a stroll? Is this just a casual walk? Who walks this fast?
Upon hearing this, Yu Jingchen slowed his pace, waiting for Nan Zhiyun to catch up. She was already starting to pant slightly, and it was July, so the weather was rather unfriendly.
Looking at Nan Zhiyun from his angle, Yu Jingchen noticed that she had fine beads of sweat on her face, and her cheeks were flushed, probably because of the heat. Yu Jingchen was quite tall; when Nan Zhiyun stood next to him, she only reached about chest height.
"Is it hot?" Yu Jingchen suddenly asked.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head; naturally, she dared not say.
"Isn't all that sweat on your brow a sign of heat? I just asked you if you were hot, and you're having such a hard time answering? Surely I can tell the difference between a lie and the truth?" Yu Jingchen said.
Nan Zhiyun stood obediently in front of him, like a child who had made a mistake, being scolded. Seeing her like this, Yu Jingchen, who was about to say something, stopped himself from continuing.
"There's a pavilion over there, let's go over and rest for a while." After saying this, Yu Jingchen started walking towards the pavilion. Nan Zhiyun had no choice but to follow him. The pavilion was located by the lake, so it was quite cool with the breeze blowing.
Once they reached the pavilion, Nan Zhiyun was at a loss again. Without Yu Jingchen's instructions, she dared not sit down on her own.
Yu Jingchen has probably been spending a lot of time with Nan Zhiyun lately, so he wasn't surprised this time. Anyway, this woman only does things when he tells her to.
"Sit down," Yu Jingchen said, not trying to make things difficult for him.
Nan Zhiyun sat down opposite Yu Jingchen. There was only one table here, so no matter where Nan Zhiyun chose to sit, she would be quite close to Yu Jingchen.
Fortunately, the others were perceptive and immediately had tea prepared, even iced tea, which was perfect for this kind of weather. The two of them were sitting together in the pavilion, looking quite harmonious, but unfortunately, such a scene was always soon to be broken.
When the women of the harem heard that Yu Jingchen was taking a walk with Nan Zhiyun, they followed him in droves. And now, a large group of them has arrived.
"Your Majesty, we concubines and others greet you." The one leading the group was Consort Chen.
Yu Jingchen found the sight of this group of brightly dressed people annoying; they were all so flamboyant and their perfume was too strong.
But...have you seen His Majesty? It seems they consciously ignored Nan Zhiyun who was standing next to them.
"What are you all doing here?" Yu Jingchen frowned, looking impatient.
"My sisters and I were bored, so we came to stroll in the Imperial Garden. We didn't expect to hear that His Majesty was here, so we came together to pay our respects to him," said Consort Chen.
The conversation made no mention of Nan Zhiyun, clearly showing that she was not taken seriously. Chen Xiurong, the former Consort Yun, was naturally the person Nan Zhiyun remembered most vividly. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have ended up in the Cold Palace in such a miserable state.
Nan Zhiyun felt a little uncomfortable, so she immediately stood up from her seat. Her sudden movement drew the attention of everyone present.
"Your Majesty, since there are so many people here now, I will not spoil Your Majesty's mood any longer. I will return to the palace first." Nan Zhiyun had just finished speaking and was about to leave before Yu Jingchen could reply.
Just as she turned around, she heard Yu Jingchen's voice, tinged with anger.
"Halt! Did I give you permission to leave?" Yu Jingchen's tone was full of displeasure. The people around assumed that Nan Zhiyun had angered His Majesty, so they were all ready to watch the show.
Nan Zhiyun thought so too. She stood there, too afraid to move, her body stiff, terrified that Yu Jingchen would embarrass her in front of so many people.
"Are you so eager to leave?" Yu Jingchen asked, and Nan Zhiyun gently bit her lip without speaking.
"What is Consort Shu doing? Is she unhappy to see us coming?" This time it was Consort Yin who spoke.
"Heh, Consort Shu is of noble status, so naturally she wouldn't want to stay with us. But His Majesty hasn't even spoken yet, so it's quite disrespectful of Consort Shu to act like this." This time it was Consort Min.
Nan Zhiyun's face turned pale as she listened to these people. In their eyes, she would always be just an object of ridicule and mockery.
"Sit down," Yu Jingchen said. He had heard what they said earlier, but he just didn't react. Was he indulging them and tacitly allowing them to treat him like this?
Nan Zhiyun suddenly understood. Perhaps this was the purpose of him asking her to come out with him today? To publicly humiliate her! An overwhelming sense of sorrow welled up in her heart.
Nan Zhiyun gave up and prepared to sit down again, but she didn't know who had bumped into her, and she suddenly fell to the side. The pavilion wasn't very big, and it was by the lake, so Nan Zhiyun fell directly into the lake.
Yu Jingchen's pupils contracted sharply. Fortunately, he was also frightened by the scene before him. He immediately made arrangements to send people to rescue Nan Zhiyun. Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun in the water and his heart tightened.
The concubines around him also adopted a look of anticipation, and just then, Yu Jingchen jumped down himself, shocking everyone.
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