Observing the young girl beneath him, her tears now dry, Yu Jingchen's reason finally returned. Nan Zhiyun's hand wound had been haphazardly bandaged by him, but it had already seeped through during the recent events.
This time, Yu Jingchen did not continue. He reached out and gently stroked Nan Zhiyun's eyes, "Nan Zhiyun, my patience is limited... why don't you listen?" Nan Zhiyun remained silent, lacking the strength or inclination to speak further.
Looking at Nan Zhiyun's current state, Yu Jingchen clenched his fist. The incense in the room had completely burned out. Can burnt incense reignite? Once incense meets a spark, it burns continuously, and in the end, the incense is gone, and the fire is extinguished...
Yu Jingchen pulled the quilt over her, "I'll have the imperial physician examine you." After saying this, Yu Jingchen called out towards the outside, "Summon the imperial physician!"
Xing Lai, who had been guarding outside, heard this and quickly led the imperial physician in. The disarray and the lingering scent in the room testified to what had just transpired. Xing Lai and the imperial physician lowered their heads, not daring to say more. Yu Jingchen drew the bed curtains, obscuring the scene within.
The imperial physician knelt by the bed. Nan Zhiyun lay on the bed, completely unresponsive. Yu Jingchen took her hand and bade the physician to feel her pulse, "Her hand is cut. Are these injuries serious?"
After taking her pulse, the imperial physician examined her hand wound, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the injuries on Consort Shu's hand are not serious and will heal with timely application of medicine. As for her body... Your Majesty, the Consort's body requires good rest and should not be overexerted or overly troubled."
"Go and prepare the medicine," Yu Jingchen said. The imperial physician first produced the wound ointment and then withdrew to prepare the tonic for her body.
Yu Jingchen ordered someone to fetch the medical kit and then dismissed everyone. "I will apply the medicine for you." He sat down beside Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun had been unresponsive since earlier, allowing Yu Jingchen to do as he pleased, like a puppet on strings.
Yu Jingchen looked at the cuts on Nan Zhiyun's hand. They were not particularly deep but looked rather frightening. Nan Zhiyun was already afraid of pain, and Yu Jingchen couldn't imagine under what circumstances she could inflict such harsh wounds upon herself. Yet, this was followed by anger. These scars fueled the fire within him, making him unable to control himself.
After treating Nan Zhiyun's hand wounds, he put down the ointment. Given what had just happened, there were many marks left on her body. Yu Jingchen prepared to apply medicine. The bruises on her body were his so-called punishment. In fact, if one looked closely, they would notice that Yu Jingchen's hands were trembling as he applied the medicine to Nan Zhiyun.
After what had just happened, he regretted it. His current demeanor was merely a pretense, as he didn't want Nan Zhiyun to discover it. Since he had already acted, he couldn't simply let it go. What if he regretted it? It had already happened, was there any room for turning back?
He didn't know what had come over him just now; he couldn't control himself at all and only wanted to vent. Perhaps it was Nan Zhiyun's behavior that had enraged him.
Now, looking at the shocking wounds on Nan Zhiyun's body, Yu Jingchen felt remorse, but... it was of no use.
Nan Zhiyun, however, had not uttered a sound from beginning to end. Yu Jingchen suddenly felt a sense of panic seeing Nan Zhiyun like this, wondering if it was his imagination.
"Why aren't you speaking anymore? Weren't you making a fuss earlier?" Yu Jingchen asked, his own apprehension evident. It was a pity that Nan Zhiyun showed no intention of responding.
Yu Jingchen looked at her. Nan Zhiyun in this state... truly resembled a doll that had been patched up. This realization made Yu Jingchen feel as if she could vanish completely at any moment.
Yu Jingchen fell silent and quietly continued to apply medicine to Nan Zhiyun. After finishing one area, he moved to another. When Yu Jingchen reached out, Nan Zhiyun trembled all over.
She finally reacted, but it was with fear. Yu Jingchen noticed it, glanced at her, and stopped his actions.
"Afraid? It's just medicine, what are you afraid of? When you cut yourself earlier, you weren't afraid then, were you?" Yu Jingchen said, and then continued his next move.
The moment he touched her, Nan Zhiyun's body trembled uncontrollably. She was trying to hold on, but whether it was her expression or her movements, Yu Jingchen could feel the deep sense of fear within her.
"It's just medicine, I won't do anything else," Yu Jingchen said after a moment of silence, his tone significantly softer and more gentle than before.
Although he had been angry, he hadn't truly lost his senses and punished her; the force had been within control. In terms of injuries, they weren't that severe.
However, Nan Zhiyun's fear of such situations wasn't solely about the pain; she feared the act itself. Therefore, even such a small gesture would startle her.
Yu Jingchen wanted to comfort her, to apologize, to reassure her not to be afraid. But... recalling the scene just moments ago, Yu Jingchen ultimately held back. He himself couldn't tell whether his hesitation to act was due to timidity or anger.
Yu Jingchen quickly finished applying the medicine, wanting to prevent Nan Zhiyun from being continuously afraid. After applying the medicine, he tidied her up a bit and pulled the quilt over her again.
"I will have your things replaced, and I won't leave any sharp objects around in the future. If you need anything, you can tell me." Yu Jingchen dared not leave sharp objects like hairpins around Nan Zhiyun anymore.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent, just as before. Yu Jingchen knew she didn't want to hear him speak, so he also consciously closed his mouth.
At this moment, Nan Zhiyun likely hated herself the most and wished not to see herself. After settling Nan Zhiyun, Yu Jingchen stood up, "Since you don't wish to see me, then you can have some quiet time alone. However... do not let me discover you harming yourself again." Yu Jingchen's final words carried a warning.
Without waiting for Nan Zhiyun's response, Yu Jingchen left. What was the point of waiting here any longer? Nan Zhiyun would not respond anyway.
After Yu Jingchen left, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He had to admit that he himself had been timid just now, feeling both fear and tension.
He slowly raised his hand. He had hurt Nan Zhiyun again just moments ago. Yu Jingchen directly slapped himself.
"Your Majesty, what are you..." Xing Lai, who was nearby, was startled by this sight and rushed to stop him.
"Watch her closely. No one should leave her side. Pay attention to Consort Shu's emotions... If she wants to go out, you can let her, but someone must accompany her." Yu Jingchen said.
"Yes..." Xing Lai naturally understood that Consort Shu was not well.
Yu Jingchen did not stay there. He went to the Hall of Diligent Governance, but he had no heart to attend to the memorials before him. For some reason, he always had a bad premonition. As a result... to Yu Jingchen's surprise, news of an accident arrived that evening.
The Purple Palace had caught fire, and Nan Zhiyun was still in the building... Upon hearing this news, Yu Jingchen immediately used his qinggong. The Purple Palace was engulfed in flames. Without a second thought, Yu Jingchen rushed in, Xing Lai unable to stop him.
Once inside, he searched for Nan Zhiyun. In a daze, he suddenly felt as if he had seen this scene somewhere before...