The Empress Dowager looked at the palace maid in disbelief, her steps faltering. An Xin supported her.
"Quickly summon the imperial physician! Consort Shu has hanged herself!" the palace maid cried incessantly. Zichen Palace descended into chaos, and the guards were terrified.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" An Xin asked, looking at the Empress Dowager with concern.
"Let me in!" the Empress Dowager finally lost control and raged. The guards exchanged glances, hesitant to continue blocking her.
"Make way!" The Empress Dowager shoved them aside. The guards did not resist. An Xin supported her into the room, where they found Nan Zhiyun collapsed on the bed, her lips pale.
The Empress Dowager was so shocked she couldn't speak, her body trembling as she moved towards Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun had just said she wanted to rest, so the palace maids had drawn the curtains. Because of Yu Jingchen's orders, they dared not leave Nan Zhiyun's side, so they remained present even with the curtains drawn.
Unexpectedly, Nan Zhiyun had taken medicine... If the palace maids hadn't been skilled and sensed something was wrong with Nan Zhiyun's breathing, perhaps... Upon discovering this, the palace maids were startled and rushed out without delay to find an imperial physician.
"Yun'er..." the Empress Dowager's hands trembled. But Nan Zhiyun lay with a blank expression, completely unresponsive.
Before Yu Jingchen had finished his morning court, he heard that Nan Zhiyun had taken poison and attempted suicide. Upon hearing this news, he abandoned the court and rushed to Zichen Palace. Fortunately, Xing Lai followed, but couldn't keep up.
No one could imagine what Yu Jingchen was feeling on the way. By the time he reached Zichen Palace, the imperial physician had also arrived. The Empress Dowager was beside Nan Zhiyun, her face looking terribly pale.
Yu Jingchen looked at the frail Nan Zhiyun on the bed, as if she could dissipate with a gust of wind. His heart ached uncontrollably.
"What happened?" Yu Jingchen asked the attendants in a hoarse voice.
"Your Majesty, spare us. Consort Shu, we don't know where she got the medicine. We failed to discover it. Her Highness..." The palace maids were also terrified, after all, they were not unaware of Consort Shu's current status.
"Xing Lai..." Yu Jingchen's tone was unreadable.
"Your servant is here." Xing Lai knew the Emperor's current state...
"Drag them away. All those who attended Consort Shu today will be executed," Yu Jingchen's voice was as light as if it could be blown away by a breeze, but it carried immense weight.
"...Yes." Xing Lai couldn't believe the order, but dared not question it further. The Empress Dowager watched from the side, not saying a word of dissuasion.
"How is Consort Shu?" Yu Jingchen asked the imperial physician. The physician, having heard the previous conversation, was trembling.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the medicine Consort Shu took was not a fatal poison. She is out of danger now. However... Your Majesty, spare me, the child in Consort Shu's womb... the child could not be saved." The imperial physician spoke. Yu Jingchen closed his eyes upon hearing this answer. As expected, this child was not destined to be.
"Investigate where her medicine came from, and then everyone withdraw," Yu Jingchen said. His emotions were clearly unstable, but no one dared to say anything more. Despite Xing Lai's concern, he could only withdraw.
Only the Empress Dowager and An Xin remained in the room. Yu Jingchen remained silent for a while, then the Empress Dowager walked up to him.
Yu Jingchen looked at her. The Empress Dowager's eyes were complex. "Yun'er... did she hurt you?" she asked.
"Yun'er is a little angry. I will coax her," Yu Jingchen replied. The Empress Dowager moved her lips but said nothing. After a pause, she spoke again. "Yun'er's behavior now... she wouldn't do it unless she felt utterly desperate. You... Your Majesty, please don't push her, alright? Also... she must have been frightened. Don't get angry with her anymore." Towards the end, the Empress Dowager still seemed worried.
Yu Jingchen did not answer. The Empress Dowager sighed and glanced at the still unconscious Nan Zhiyun on the bed, then left. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay, but because Yu Jingchen wouldn't allow it, and there was no point in wasting time.
The Empress Dowager left them space, but she herself did not leave. She stayed outside the room, unable to completely let go of her worry.
Yu Jingchen walked to Nan Zhiyun's side and slowly knelt by the bed. He gently took Nan Zhiyun's hand, held it, and brought it to his lips. Tears fell... Yu Jingchen was crying.
Seeing Yu Jingchen with red eyes, cradling the young girl's hand with a solemn expression, was a scene never before witnessed.
"Were you really that eager?" Yu Jingchen asked the young girl. But unfortunately, there was no one to answer him. Yu Jingchen stayed there for over an hour, and Nan Zhiyun finally showed signs of waking.
Sensing this, Yu Jingchen immediately sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Nan Zhiyun, afraid to blink. Fortunately, as he hoped, Nan Zhiyun slowly opened her eyes and finally regained consciousness.
"Yun'er?" Yu Jingchen leaned forward. Nan Zhiyun did not respond. Although she was awake and her eyes were open, she showed no reaction, her gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling.
"How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable? Say something, please?" Yu Jingchen's tone was gentle, without anger, but Nan Zhiyun still stared at the ceiling silently, unmoving.
Perhaps understanding Nan Zhiyun's mood, Yu Jingchen did not pressure her. He simply held her hand. "Why did you do this? Where did the medicine come from, hmm?" he asked Nan Zhiyun softly.
But Nan Zhiyun was, of course, unlikely to answer him. Perhaps it was this attitude that finally ignited Yu Jingchen's temper, but... it wasn't directed at Nan Zhiyun.
"Yun'er, the servants who attended you today have all been executed by my decree because they did not take good care of you," Yu Jingchen suddenly said. Nan Zhiyun, unable to outwit Yu Jingchen, finally showed a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
"It will be the same in the future," Yu Jingchen added. Nan Zhiyun looked at him, and the undisguised hatred in her eyes instantly entered Yu Jingchen's. He truly disliked that look from Nan Zhiyun, but he couldn't stop it.
"Yun'er, don't resort to such methods. I really won't like it. I won't hold you accountable for what you did today, but... Yun'er, some things do not have a second chance, do you understand?" Yu Jingchen's tone was clearly threatening.
Nan Zhiyun looked at him and withdrew her hand from his. After a long silence, she slowly said, "Their deaths have nothing to do with me. I wanted to die, why would I care about them?"
Yu Jingchen was surprised by Nan Zhiyun's words. She had never spoken like this before. Moreover, Nan Zhiyun had always been kind.
"Then... is this how Yun'er treats everyone? The maid who serves you, I thought you would care about her. And the Empress Dowager. You don't want them anymore, is that it?" Yu Jingchen finally resorted to such tactics.
Hearing these words, Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to use the Empress Dowager and Qian Xia to threaten her.
"If anything happens to them... I will not live either," Nan Zhiyun told Yu Jingchen. But clearly, if Yu Jingchen could be so easily manipulated, he would not have been able to hold onto his position for so long.
"You just wanted to die earlier, didn't you? This time I will act as if nothing happened, but if there is a next time, you can try and see what I am capable of doing," Yu Jingchen knew that whether he truly intended to act or not, he had to say these words, otherwise Nan Zhiyun would not take heed.
Because of Yu Jingchen's words, Nan Zhiyun did not continue speaking. She turned her head away. Yu Jingchen felt pained watching her, but there was nothing he could do.
"Yun'er, tell me, where did your medicine come from? Hmm?" Yu Jingchen continued to ask, but unfortunately, Nan Zhiyun showed no intention of answering promptly.
"Yun'er... don't you realize? The person who gave you the medicine is using you," Yu Jingchen said. However, Nan Zhiyun still didn't fully understand what he meant.
"What I mean is... Yun'er, you took this medicine, but didn't you notice? Even after taking this medicine, there were no other effects. The medicine you took today was not life-threatening. So why would they give you this medicine? Hmm?" Yu Jingchen guided her step by step. As Yu Jingchen spoke, Nan Zhiyun seemed to react differently.