Heartache… Yu Jingchen suddenly realized, had he just admitted to feeling sorry for her? How could that be? Yu Jingchen dismissed the thought from his mind and simply said, “Of course.”
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!" Nan Zhiyun's smile this time was genuine. That smile touched the hearts of some people.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. Take care not to catch a cold." Yu Jingchen's tone suppressed something.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off," Nan Zhiyun said obediently, bowing.
As Yu Jingchen left, his gaze met that of the Empress Dowager. That one glance… Yu Jingchen suddenly couldn't look her in the eye, for reasons he couldn't explain. The Empress Dowager watched Yu Jingchen's departing figure, lost in thought, then a faint smile curved her lips. Everything was unfolding as expected.
After this incident, the Empress Dowager, mindful of Nan Zhiyun's health, didn't allow Nan Zhiyun to stay outside for too long. Perhaps because of what Yu Jingchen had just said, her mood had improved considerably.
The Empress Dowager watched, but said nothing.
That evening, Yu Jingchen sat in the Zichen Palace, the image of Nan Zhiyun he had seen earlier that day flashing through his mind. Most of all, he remembered her smile, but… when she saw him, the smile vanished.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department has arrived," Xinglai said, bowing as he entered. Behind him followed an eunuch from the Imperial Household Department, carrying the nameplates of the imperial concubines.
"No need, you can leave." Yu Jingchen was too lazy to look.
Xinglai felt this was expected, so he didn't find anything strange about it. It's just... he was worried that His Majesty might not like Consort Nan...
Xinglai couldn't help but start to worry. If His Majesty had taken a liking to Consort Nan, what would become of everything that had happened before? And judging from Consort Nan and the Empress Dowager's current attitudes... His Majesty might be in a difficult position.
The most crucial point is that His Majesty doesn't seem to have truly grasped this point yet.
"Consort Nan has just recovered. Instruct the imperial kitchen staff to pay close attention to the food served in He'an Palace. Also, instruct the Imperial Medical Bureau to be extra vigilant and not to neglect their duties," Yu Jingchen instructed.
"Yes..." Xinglai agreed, but... with the Empress Dowager around, how could the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Medical Bureau be ambiguous about these matters? Wouldn't that be redundant? However, Xinglai didn't dare to say these words out loud.
He'an Hall
The Empress Dowager sat alone in front of her dressing mirror. She had already removed all her elaborate ornaments and makeup.
"Your Majesty, it's time to rest." An Xin walked over.
"Hmm," the Empress Dowager replied, but made no move.
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager…” An Xin squatted down.
"Anxin, I am getting old," the Empress Dowager suddenly said, and reached out to touch her face in the mirror.
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is not old at all. You’re getting younger with age. When you’re with Consort Jie during the day, people who don’t know you might think you two are sisters,” An Xin comforted her.
Once upon a time, the Empress Dowager was just a young girl, always following the old general around, acting coquettishly and asking for pampering, completely unaware of the ways of the world.
Before her marriage, the Empress Dowager was actually the most beautiful woman. No woman in the capital could compare to her. Women's jealousy is always so strong. The Empress Dowager was pampered by the old general and only had her birth mother in the inner palace. However, her birth mother died early, so no one taught her these ways of managing the inner palace.
The Empress Dowager always suffers losses when she clashes with those people.
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