Yu Jingchen remained silent during the meal. Nan Zhiyun sat beside him, not daring to make any other move. Xing Lai served her food, and she ate in silence.
Nan Zhiyun was indeed hungry. At first, she ate tremblingly out of fear. Later, perhaps because Yu Jingchen appeared calm, her grievances gradually subsided, and she focused on the food before her.
There was a rule when dining with Yu Jingchen: no one could start eating until he did, and everyone had to stop when he stopped.
As Xing Lai served Nan Zhiyun, he secretly grumbled, "Your Majesty, you're eating so slowly today. Shouldn't you have finished by now? This intention... If even I, your personal attendant, cannot fathom it, then I've been working for nothing and might even lose my head."
Xing Lai also distinctly felt that it was only after the Consort Shu's eating speed slowed down that His Majesty stopped. Seeing Yu Jingchen stop, Nan Zhiyun naturally had to stop too, though she was almost finished anyway.
"Clear the dishes," Yu Jingchen said, then stood up. Nan Zhiyun could only stand as well.
Yu Jingchen walked straight to a side and sat down without another word. Nan Zhiyun stood by, feeling helpless, not even knowing if Yu Jingchen was still angry or if he would punish her.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu still has injuries on her hands and feet. The imperial physician has brought all the ointments," Xing Lai reminded him.
"What does that have to do with me? Am I supposed to apply the medicine to her?" Yu Jingchen's tone was unchanged, just as harsh.
But Xing Lai was no ordinary person; he naturally understood the implied meaning. So, he called for Nan Zhiyun's personal maid, Qianxia, to come in and apply the medicine.
Qianxia had been waiting outside, unaware of the situation inside. Now that she could finally enter, she felt a little relieved. Xing Lai was also helpless; this maid talked too much and easily displeased His Majesty, which was why he had always kept Qianxia outside.
"Consort Shu, please sit for a moment and let the medicine be applied first." Xing Lai knew that without the Emperor's explicit permission, the Consort would certainly not dare. However, His Majesty had clearly tacitly agreed, so he took the initiative.
Nan Zhiyun cautiously observed Yu Jingchen's reaction. Seeing that he said nothing, she dared to sit down beside him. Qianxia retrieved the ointment. Nan Zhiyun had abrasions on her left hand and was injured on her foot when it was struck by a candlestick. Although not too serious, Qianxia did not dare to be careless.
Nan Zhiyun was afraid of pain, but because Yu Jingchen was present, she endured it. Fortunately, the ointment did not sting too much and was within her tolerance.
After Qianxia had treated Nan Zhiyun's wounds, her hands were wrapped in a thin layer of gauze. Yu Jingchen "casually" glanced over and found the gauze inexplicably displeasing.
"Take it off," Yu Jingchen commanded.
Take it off? Qianxia hesitated but dared not say anything.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu's skin is broken over a large area on her hand, some even on her wrist. The fabric of her clothes can easily cause friction, so gauze was used. This will help it heal faster," Xing Lai quickly interjected.
Yu Jingchen frowned, clearly displeased. Nan Zhiyun, seeing this, said to Qianxia, "Take it off."
"Your Highness..." Qianxia felt distressed but made no move.
"It's not a serious problem, take it off," Nan Zhiyun continued, her heart filled with bitterness. But since Yu Jingchen had given the order, how could she dare not obey?
"Yes..." Qianxia felt wronged and was about to remove the gauze when Yu Jingchen spoke, "No need to take it off. Let it continue to be unsightly."
...Fine, Your Majesty, you are the Emperor, you say what you will.
Qianxia lowered her hand. Silence fell upon the room again. It was so awkward. Xing Lai didn't know what to say.
"Fetch paper and ink," Yu Jingchen's voice broke the silence.
"Yes." Xing Lai, though unsure what His Majesty intended, could only obey the command. Nan Zhiyun, however, felt uneasy. She had been spared punishment for so long today, and she feared what might come later.
Xing Lai quickly brought the paper and ink.
"Your Majesty, the paper and ink are here," Xing Lai said, bringing quite a lot.
"Place them on the table over there," Yu Jingchen said after a glance.
"Yes." Xing Lai spread out the paper and prepared to grind the ink, but Yu Jingchen stopped him, "You don't need to grind the ink."
Xing Lai withdrew his hand, guessing who the preparations were for.
Indeed, Yu Jingchen turned his gaze to Nan Zhiyun. "You slept the entire day, so you've had enough sleep. You won't need to sleep tonight, go and copy."
Copy? Copy what? Nan Zhiyun was confused. Aside from the writing materials, there was nothing else here. What was she to copy?
She could not speak, so Xing Lai helped her ask.
"Your Majesty, what is it you wish Consort Shu to copy?" Xing Lai inquired.
"Copy down the mistakes you've made in the past few days. You said quite a lot today, didn't you? Copy it all down, one hundred times," Yu Jingchen said calmly as he sipped his tea, but Nan Zhiyun grew frightened.
How could she dare write down what she had said today? She had only spoken it once and then... She understood the implication of Yu Jingchen's words and how could she dare to copy it?
"What, you don't dare? You weren't afraid to say it, yet you're afraid to copy it?" Yu Jingchen looked at her. Nan Zhiyun knelt down, begging for mercy. Yu Jingchen understood her plea.
"Whether you dare or not is irrelevant. If you've made a mistake, you must be punished. You made many mistakes today, didn't you? If I didn't deal with you earlier, did you think you could escape?" Yu Jingchen spoke to Nan Zhiyun.
Yes, Nan Zhiyun knew that Yu Jingchen had not truly punished her yet, but she dared not copy those words.
"How many sheets of paper did you take?" Yu Jingchen suddenly asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, ten sheets," Xing Lai replied.
"Go get more, enough for one hundred sheets," Yu Jingchen said, then addressed Nan Zhiyun, "Each mistake is to be copied ten times. Write one hundred sheets tonight. For every sheet short, ten blows to the hand. For every mistake omitted, ten blows with the rod. You decide for yourself." Yu Jingchen had many methods.