"I'm not going," Nan Zhiyun finally spoke. But even though Yu Jingchen had said so much, Nan Zhiyun still didn't let go. Her words of not going instantly dimmed the expectant look in Yu Jingchen's eyes.
Nan Zhiyun stood up, while Yu Jingchen remained where he was. Without pausing, she went straight into the house. Yu Jingchen slowly looked up at her and saw that Nan Zhiyun had taken off her outer robe and then gone to sleep.
A deep sense of powerlessness enveloped Yu Jingchen. When did everything become so bad? She wasn't tired; she simply didn't want to go.
Yu Jingchen watched for a long time, then finally stopped pressuring her and gave up trying to persuade her. If she didn't want to go, then so be it. He went to the banquet hall alone. Today was Nan Su and Yu Jing'an's banquet, so there were quite a few people there.
Yu Jingchen sat alone on the high dragon throne, watching the scene of revelry below, and for a moment, he felt a pang of bitterness. That night, Yu Jingchen drank quite a bit of wine…
But this night was destined to be anything but peaceful. Unsurprisingly, just like in previous lives, Yu Jing'an rebelled. This scene had played out several times before, and this time Yu Jingchen seemed indifferent to it all.
But... the thought that Nan Zhiyun had died at his hands in his previous two lives made Yu Jingchen uneasy. He didn't know if it was because of some kind of shadow left by his previous two lives, or some other reason, but Yu Jingchen's heart was always uneasy, as if something big was about to happen.
Nan Zhi Yun...
"How is Zichen Palace? Make sure someone keeps a close watch on it. If anything happens to Consort Shu, you will all be buried with her." Yu Jingchen said to the people around him. He couldn't leave right now because Yu Jing'an was still there.
Xinglai naturally knew how important Consort Shu was to His Majesty, so he had been keeping watch since early morning. However... things don't always go as planned, and before long, the guards stationed at Zichen Palace rushed over.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Consort Shu has disappeared!" The guard's words added another ripple to the already turbulent waters. What did he mean by "disappeared"?
"What did you say? What do you mean 'disappeared'? How do you do things?" Yu Jingchen lost his composure, but what could he do? The person was gone, and no matter how angry he got, it was useless.
With both Nan Su and the Empress Dowager still alive, the rebellion was quickly quelled; after all, Yu Jingchen had experienced similar events several times before. Upon hearing of Nan Zhiyun's disappearance, both Nan Su and the Empress Dowager were deeply disturbed.
Yu Jingchen had Yu Jing'an brought over and asked about Nan Zhiyun's whereabouts, assuming that Yu Jing'an had hired someone to harm Nan Zhiyun.
However, after several interrogations, Yu Jingchen discovered that Nan Zhiyun's disappearance seemed to have nothing to do with Yu Jing'an. A thought that he was reluctant to accept suddenly arose in his mind.
"Someone come here!" Yu Jingchen shouted.
"Close the palace gates and the city gates, and search for Consort Shu with all our might, inside and outside the palace, without fail!" Yu Jingchen's eyes were red. He hoped it wouldn't be as he thought, otherwise... Yu Jingchen dared not imagine what he might do.
The recent period of repression had brought Yu Jingchen's emotions to a breaking point. If anything went wrong this time, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to control his emotions.
"Send the Empress Dowager back to the palace. The rebels have not yet been eliminated. For your safety, Your Majesty should stay in Cining Palace for the time being. No one is allowed to enter or leave Cining Palace without my permission," Yu Jingchen ordered. The Empress Dowager looked at Yu Jingchen: "What are you doing? Are you trying to imprison me?"
"I am only thinking of the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager is bored, then let General Nan join her. General Nan, you should not leave the palace during this time. I suppose you are worried about Consort Shu, so stay here and wait for news from Consort Shu." Yu Jingchen issued another decree.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Yun'er has gone missing, and my heart is filled with sorrow. May I help in the search?" Nan Su was still worried and wanted to try again, but Yu Jingchen refused.
"With me here, General, you need not worry. Guards, escort the General and the Empress Dowager back!" Yu Jingchen's imperial decree had been issued, and there was no room for delay. Nan Su and the Empress Dowager were escorted back.
Watching the figure recede into the distance, Yu Jingchen's eyes slowly reddened. Yun'er... please don't be what I think... otherwise, I'll really be angry...
"Have someone keep a close watch on Nan Su and the Empress Dowager. During this time, no outsiders are allowed to contact them. Also, what about those people who were watching Consort Shu today? What exactly happened? Make them explain it to me clearly!" Yu Jingchen stood with his hands behind his back, his fists clenched for a long time. His emotions seemed ready to explode at any moment, which was terrifying to look at, and I felt a little worried.
Yu Jingchen did not leave the palace; he returned to Zichen Palace, where Yu Jing'an had already been suppressed. Looking at the empty hall, he walked to the place where Nan Zhiyun usually rested and sat down.
Nan Zhiyun left, accompanied by Qianxia. The rest of the people stayed, while Yu Jingchen sat there silently for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Cixi Palace and the residence of Nan Su were completely surrounded. The pretext was that the situation outside had not yet fully calmed down, and to prevent assassination attempts by traitors and protect the two, heavy troops were deployed for defense.
These past two days, considering Nan Zhiyun's feelings, Empress Dowager Nan Su has been spending most of her time with her. Yu Jingchen, wanting to give her space, hasn't secretly placed any guards. He doesn't know what they've been talking about, but just in case, he can't help but suspect that this whole thing was deliberately orchestrated by them.
To Yu Jingchen's disappointment, a whole night had passed, but there was still no news of Nan Zhiyun. The palace had been searched thoroughly. Had Nan Zhiyun... already left the palace? Yu Jingchen listened to the report from the guards and silently clenched his fists. He still held Nan Zhiyun's hairpin in his hand; the hairpin had pierced her flesh, but she seemed completely oblivious. Blood dripped to the ground, and the aura surrounding her was terrifying.
“Yun’er…you’re being a bit too disobedient…” At this moment, Yu Jingchen seemed to have already determined what exactly happened to Nan Zhiyun’s disappearance, but unfortunately, this realization made him very unhappy.
Imperial Preceptor's Mansion
Gu Yin sat in the courtyard with a zither beside him. A girl in white came up behind him. Who else could it be but Nan Zhiyun?
"Let's leave today. I will arrange everything and see you off from the capital," Gu Yin said, his tone calm and slow, as if he didn't care at all.
“But outside…” Nan Zhiyun was still worried. Yu Jingchen had already sealed the city gates. How was she supposed to get out?
"It's alright, you can go out." Gu Yin casually plucked the strings of the zither in front of him.
"What about my father and the Empress Dowager?" Nan Zhiyun was also worried.
"With me here, why are you worried about them? Just mind your own business," Gu Yin said, as if this matter had no effect on him at all.
Yes, the reason she was able to leave was because of Gu Yin. These past few days, the Empress Dowager and her father have been preparing for her to leave the palace...
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