When Nan Zhiyun woke up, it was already evening. The horizon was tinged with twilight, and the room was pitch black as no candles were lit, allowing her to vaguely discern some shapes.
Nan Zhiyun was groggy from sleep, but then a surge of fear washed over her. It wasn't just the inherent darkness of the environment, but also Yu Jingchen's punishment. He had told her to lie there for three *zhang*, not to close her eyes, not to sleep, and not to change her position. But she had...
Yet, why hadn't Yu Jingchen woken her up? Was he gone? Nan Zhiyun wanted to call out, but she was afraid of the dark and wondered why no one had lit the candles. She was scared...
Nan Zhiyun opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was dry, and she couldn't make a sound. The surroundings were intensely dark and silent. This was the environment she feared the most, making her feel both deaf and blind, with a chill running through her body.
Enveloped by fear, Nan Zhiyun forced herself to stand, but she felt dizzy and couldn't see clearly. She didn't know where to go, and she couldn't speak, which made her feel utterly helpless.
Nan Zhiyun stumbled and fell to the floor, knocking over something beside her. It hit her, and the pain was excruciating...
Curling her legs, Nan Zhiyun sat up, leaning her back against the bed, shrinking herself into a small ball. She was afraid; who could save her? Was there anyone there?
A suppressed sob echoed in the room. This was the loudest sound Nan Zhiyun could manage; she couldn't even form a complete sentence now.
Perhaps the commotion inside finally attracted attention. Nan Zhiyun suddenly heard a sound in the room, but in this environment, she felt nothing but fear.
Who was here? Who made that sound? Nan Zhiyun clutched herself, what should she do? Why was no one here? She wanted to leave on her own, but her legs were weak, and she was in so much pain after hitting something when she fell.
There seemed to be someone in the room, walking towards her, getting closer and closer. Perhaps because the room was so quiet, she could even hear the faint sound of footsteps.
Who was it? Who was in this room? Was it Qian Xia? But if it were Qian Xia, she wouldn't have stayed silent.
The person seemed to stop in front of her, and this realization made Nan Zhiyun increasingly uneasy.
She instinctively recoiled, wanting to hide, to disappear, to find a sense of security. But behind her was the bed; there was nowhere to escape.
"What are you afraid of?" Finally, the person spoke. Who else could it be but Yu Jingchen?
Nan Zhiyun was startled by the voice at first, but after recognizing who it was, her fear lessened momentarily, only to resurface again. Yu Jingchen was also someone she feared.
"Can't speak?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
Nan Zhiyun felt him squatting down, but all she could manage were gasps, unable to utter a word.
"Afraid of the dark? Or afraid of me?" Yu Jingchen's tone was eerie, sending a shiver down her spine.
Nan Zhiyun had no idea what Yu Jingchen was feeling, whether he was angry, if he would continue her punishment, or what fate awaited her for having slept.
"Afraid of the dark?" Yu Jingchen seemed to have found a new game.
"Then how about I create such an environment for you specifically? If you displease me, I'll throw you in there. You won't be able to see anything, nor hear anything. Not only that, but I'll have the room filled with water to submerge you completely. How does that sound? It's a good thing you didn't complete your punishment today, so why don't we try it now?" Yu Jingchen was deliberately trying to frighten her, but Nan Zhiyun took his words to heart.
She couldn't see, only vaguely making out a silhouette before her. Nan Zhiyun finally mustered the courage to reach out and, in the darkness, grabbed Yu Jingchen's clothes. Yu Jingchen could sense her fear and understood what she wanted to convey.
But... he deliberately chose not to care. What could she do? Yu Jingchen pried open Nan Zhiyun's hand that was holding him. Nan Zhiyun felt helpless, wishing she could speak, but why couldn't she? Would she always be like this? Had she gone mute?
This realization made Nan Zhiyun even more uneasy and frightened. Yu Jingchen didn't want to bother with her and stood up. Sensing his movement, Nan Zhiyun's tension intensified. Don't leave me alone in this place, please... She crawled on the floor, trying to grab Yu Jingchen, but couldn't even touch the hem of his robe.
Yu Jingchen heard the commotion behind him. Nan Zhiyun didn't know what she hit, but there was a loud crash behind her. Had she knocked something over again? Along with a muffled groan; she must have hurt herself again?
Yu Jingchen didn't know what he was thinking at that moment. He hadn't actually intended to leave. He had spoken that way precisely because he knew Nan Zhiyun was afraid.
He left the room and said to the guards outside, "Bring a fire starter."
The palace attendant was about to bring it in himself, but Yu Jingchen took it from his hand. Seeing this, the attendant obediently retreated.
Yu Jingchen returned to the room with the fire starter and lit the candles. With the light finally present, Nan Zhiyun looked up and saw Yu Jingchen lighting the candles one by one.
Nan Zhiyun looked truly disheveled. Her hair was messy, her makeup was smeared, and she was still wearing the torn clothes from earlier that day, making her look like a refugee.
The surroundings were also littered with the things she had knocked over. Candle holders and stands were all on the floor, overturned. After lighting all the candles, Yu Jingchen extinguished the fire starter in his hand and looked at Nan Zhiyun. The room gradually brightened, and with so many candles lit, it became much clearer.
Yu Jingchen walked towards Nan Zhiyun, who instinctively flinched backward. Even though the room was lit now, Yu Jingchen was still a terrifying presence to her.
"If I see you flinch again, you won't have an easy time today," Yu Jingchen threatened.
Hearing this, Nan Zhiyun struggled to control herself, not leaning back any further. As Yu Jingchen approached, her clenched fists tightened with fear.
"Stand up," Yu Jingchen stopped in front of her and commanded.
Nan Zhiyun wanted to get up, but her body felt weak. She couldn't. Her foot also hurt; when the candle holder fell, it had hit her foot. The candle holder was quite heavy, so the pain was real.
"What? Can't stand? Or do you need me to help you?" Yu Jingchen's tone was sharp.
Nan Zhiyun dared not delay any longer. She used her hands to support herself on the bed behind her and tried her best to stand up.
Yu Jingchen looked her up and down, his gaze finally settling on her bare feet. There was bruising; she must have been hit just now.
"Truly crawled out of a beggar's den, dirty and stupid," Yu Jingchen said, his expression cold and his words even more cutting.
"Change your clothes, into an undergarment," Yu Jingchen continued to command.
Nan Zhiyun dared not defy him. Her current attire was already torn and quite unsightly. But... she couldn't just change like this, could she?
Yu Jingchen clearly saw Nan Zhiyun's thoughts. He had little patience and even less temper, so he immediately said, "What? You don't want to? Haven't I seen every part of you? What are you pretending for now? Not only me, but didn't all the maids serving you in this palace see it last time?" Yu Jingchen struck directly at Nan Zhiyun's heart.
Nan Zhiyun lowered her head, tears silently falling. He never respected her, did he? What was she doing just now? She didn't dare to make any further movements and slowly removed her outer clothes before changing into an undergarment.
During this process, Yu Jingchen's gaze never left Nan Zhiyun. She found his stare somewhat unnerving.
Finally, the clothes were changed, and Nan Zhiyun could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But the matter was clearly not over. Yu Jingchen's judgment had not yet been passed, and she dared not relax her emotions.
"Xing Lai," Yu Jingchen called out. Xing Lai immediately entered from outside, bowing his head. "Your Majesty."
"Go summon the imperial physician," Yu Jingchen ordered.
"Yes," Xing Lai did not dare to delay.
Nan Zhiyun couldn't figure out what Yu Jingchen intended to do, but it certainly wasn't for her sake.
Yu Jingchen sat down nearby, remaining silent, drinking the tea in his cup. Seeing that Yu Jingchen had nothing further to say, Nan Zhiyun's heart grew increasingly anxious.