As Nan Zhiyun's breathing gradually softened, Yu Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out to touch Nan Zhiyun's forehead again, checking her temperature. She seemed to have broken her fever, and was no longer burning hot.
The main thing was that the fever had broken, which was a good thing. They just needed to be careful for the next couple of days and prevent it from recurring, otherwise it might become even more troublesome.
Looking at the little girl sleeping peacefully in his arms, Yu Jingchen felt a tenderness bloom in his heart. In the previous three lifetimes, she had let Nan Zhiyun down in the first one; Nan Zhiyun had taken a sword for him and left. In the second lifetime, he had been reborn and finally found that bright and sunny Nan Zhiyun again, but in the third lifetime, he had lost her once more...
In this lifetime, he had returned so late, and much harm had already been done, and it could never be undone. But he hoped to make amends, no matter what it took, he would do it.
Nan Zhiyun leaned into Yu Jingchen's embrace. Asleep, she truly evoked a sense of pity. He really couldn't understand why he had treated such a young girl so harshly and cruelly before.
"We will be well," Yu Jingchen pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Sleepless Night
Because...
Yu Jingchen had essentially not slept all night, as Nan Zhiyun had slept restlessly. Perhaps it was due to the pain, as she would occasionally whimper in her sleep, and sometimes she would accidentally bump into things, causing her to wake up frequently. Moreover, her current surroundings were unfamiliar and dark, so whenever Nan Zhiyun woke up, she would tremble with fear and be unable to sleep for a long time.
Yu Jingchen's sleep was light, and with his existing anxiety and concern for Nan Zhiyun, he would notice even the slightest movement from her. Thus, after coaxing her for almost the entire night, he hadn't slept much himself.
Seeing the little girl still sleeping soundly in his arms in the morning, Yu Jingchen's lips curved into a slight smile. She was truly a troublesome little thing. She hadn't been still for a moment all night. If it were in the past, he might not have known what to do. But now, he was adept at coaxing people, especially Nan Zhiyun.
He gently released her from his embrace and tucked the quilt back into her arms. He had initially wanted to check Nan Zhiyun's wounds, but he was afraid of waking the little thing, and it would be cold if he opened the quilt. So, he stopped his actions.
It was already time for the morning court. Nan Zhiyun had not yet woken up, likely because she hadn't slept well last night. Yu Jingchen knew that she particularly loved to sleep in, sometimes sleeping until noon. During her pregnancy, she had slept for an entire day straight, which had worried him so much that he had called for imperial physicians. They found nothing wrong.
He had never been so anxious in his life. Sleeping for a day and being so hard to wake. She looked lethargic every day; how could he not worry? Especially during that time with her morning sickness, she had been vomiting incessantly, unable to eat anything, which had driven him to distraction.
When Nan Zhiyun truly slept, ordinary people couldn't wake her. He had once carried her out to a noisy banquet, and she hadn't even stirred. He had even carried her to the morning court, and she had slept soundly. He truly didn't know what had been wrong with him before to make him love sleeping so much.
Of course, Yu Jingchen would never know that Nan Zhiyun hadn't always been like this. She was indeed a bit lazy and loved to sleep in, but not to this extent. After entering the palace, she gradually began to suffer from sleepless nights. Coupled with her emotional instability later on, she had to resort to this method to relieve her feelings, falling asleep more and more profoundly. She wanted to sleep every day, only finding solace when she was asleep, so she wouldn't be so tired in her dreams...
Although their relationship improved after Yu Jingchen's rebirth, and Nan Zhiyun gradually returned to normal, this habit seemed to have become ingrained, or perhaps her subconscious self had not truly let go completely...
Yu Jingchen looked at the peacefully sleeping Nan Zhiyun. She had been restless all last night, but now she was sleeping soundly.
"Your Majesty..." Xing Lai entered.
"It's time for the morning court," Xing Lai reminded Yu Jingchen as he entered.
"Cancel today's morning court," Yu Jingchen said without hesitation, shocking Xing Lai. What was His Majesty saying? Had he really considered the consequences of his words? Why would he do this? Why wasn't he going?
"Your Majesty... the officials are all waiting. If you don't go, won't it be inappropriate?" Xing Lai asked tentatively.
"Just say that Consort Shu was feeling unwell yesterday... Never mind, just say that I am feeling unwell today and have temporarily canceled the morning court," Yu Jingchen suddenly changed his words and added, "Send for an imperial physician. Say it's to take my pulse."
Xing Lai: "..." Fine, His Majesty is being willful, what can be done? He could only agree. Could he refuse?
Had His Majesty's changes been too great? He was even willing to skip the morning court. It seemed a bit out of character. He didn't know if this change was good or bad.
Xing Lai withdrew and soon returned with an imperial physician.
"Take Consort Shu's pulse again," Yu Jingchen stood up and moved aside.
The imperial physician was momentarily stunned, as he had been told to take His Majesty's pulse just now. However, having been in the palace for so long, he wasn't foolish enough to ask. He simply followed Yu Jingchen's instructions and took Nan Zhiyun's pulse. In reality, he had taken it so many times, and it was always the same few issues. He was merely going through the motions and quickly offered a few words before withdrawing.
After the imperial physician left, Yu Jingchen called out, "Xing Lai."
Xing Lai thought something had happened. Upon entering, he heard Yu Jingchen say, "I have been feeling unwell for the past few days, so the morning court is canceled. In the future, unless it is a matter of utmost urgency, do not disturb me. If there is something to report, simply send up the memorial."
Xing Lai: "..." Your Majesty, you are truly remarkable, but you weren't like this before...
Before Xing Lai could reply, he heard Yu Jingchen add, "Keep a close eye on the movements within the palace these past few days, and then find someone to watch Yu Jing'an. And... keep an eye on Nan Su as well." Only then did Xing Lai's expression become more serious.
"Yes," Xing Lai agreed.
Yu Jingchen didn't want to say more, so he waved his hand, dismissing Xing Lai.
After Xing Lai withdrew, he returned to Nan Zhiyun's side and sat down, holding her hand. "This is the last time. It's not that I don't trust you, but one must always be prepared. If things were to follow the original trajectory, I would find a way to change them. Yun'er, we will be well in the future. We will be like we were in our past lives. No matter what happens, you will always be my bottom line. So, I hope you will believe me one more time, don't avoid me, don't be afraid of me."
Nan Zhiyun was still asleep, so she couldn't respond. However, Yu Jingchen continued to talk to himself. Some things might be difficult to say, but as long as he could do them himself, that was enough. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Yu Jingchen stayed by her side, waiting for Nan Zhiyun to wake up, not leaving her for a moment.
♡——♡——♡——♡——♡——♡——♡
Ci'an Palace
When she heard these words, especially that Yu Jingchen had been by Nan Zhiyun's side ever since she was injured and had not attended court this morning, she felt something was amiss.
She had felt this way yesterday, but at that time, she had been worried about Nan Zhiyun and hadn't paid much attention. But now it was different. Upon further reflection, many things seemed strange. Had Yu Jingchen changed too much?
What reason could possibly have caused such a drastic change in his attitude? What had happened here?
"Do you know what Gu Yin has been doing recently?" the Empress Dowager suddenly asked.
"I haven't seen Lord Gu recently..." An Xin replied.
The Empress Dowager's brow furrowed slightly. Recently, many things had become very strange, as well as the images that flashed through her dreams...
She didn't know what these images meant, but she felt uneasy, and the more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became. The images were fragmented and never formed a coherent whole, but from what was revealed in them, it seemed quite cruel.
Not only that, but there were many images involving Gu Yin... It seemed like there were many stories between them, but she had no memory of them at all, nor could she confirm that she had done them. So where did these images come from?
They couldn't have come from nowhere, could they? She felt a sense of panic and only wanted to find Gu Yin first.
(Dear readers, please don't worry! Many feel that the female lead hasn't been reborn yet and that the progress is too slow. I'd like to explain a bit.
First, this current arc has just begun and needs some transition. Also, the male lead hasn't recovered all his memories yet, and it's not the optimal time for the female lead to be reborn.
Many wish for the female lead to be reborn so she can be tormented, right? So if she were to be reborn now, it wouldn't be tormenting enough, hehe. We need to choose a suitable time, haha.
I can reveal a little bit: the female lead's rebirth point will be after Nan Su returns, and our male lead will also regain his second-life memories, that is, the memory of him personally killing Nan Su. This will be a good show when it happens.
Second, I've read many comments from readers who felt the earlier parts were too depressing and angsty. So they wanted to see moments of the male lead doting on the female lead, and some sweet interactions between them. That's why I arranged this development.
Speaking of which, I have to mention the ending. I know many readers expect a happy ending, but we still need to consider the actual situation and the development of the later plot. While I can't guarantee a sad ending, it definitely won't be a completely happy one. Otherwise, what would be the point of starting over?
Moreover, this time the female lead regains her second-life memories, and in that life, the male lead personally killed her father. This is unforgivable and absolutely unacceptable. Since I've arranged for a rebirth, I can't let her forget this. There will be no amnesia plot, so the handling of this point will definitely not be a happy ending. I hope you can understand.
And to prepare you all in advance, the female lead's rebirth will be very angsty. While I don't think it's much, those readers who can't stand angst will need to prepare themselves. And... it won't only be the male lead being tormented.
I won't reveal the ending now, only that it won't be a completely happy ending. However, you can offer suggestions, and tell me what kind of development you'd like to see.
I previously wrote two endings in the main text: one was an ending that people might be more accepting of, while the other was what I personally felt was the right ending. So I wrote two. Of course, it might not satisfy everyone, but I've done my best. Hahaha.
At this point, I also want to say... something very "unfriendly" happened in our group chat today. Everyone started "arguing," and the cause was showing affection and public displays of affection... leading to some people being ganged up on.
Then something very "heartbreaking" happened. Everyone tagged me, asking me to intervene. Alas, I was in a dilemma. So, I had to drop a bombshell: I'm in a relationship. Yes, I'm in a relationship, officially announced. Those who know who it is, don't say it, just congratulate me. You'll find out as you keep reading.
And for everyone's well-being, I said that, and tagged everyone, telling them that because there was too much sweetness in the group chat today, to avoid exceeding their sugar intake, I wouldn't be updating. After all, as a sweet author, I turn myself into a sugar-making machine every day, hahaha.
But then I remembered I promised some people I would add updates. I thought, this won't do, I can't break my promise. So, I had no choice but to add an update. Don't be fooled by it being just one chapter; the word count is much higher. The reason it's in one chapter is because I wrote everything in my notes before... I was too lazy to split it up, haha.
Next, I want to say that I'm in a relationship now and want to share it with you, commonly known as an official announcement. And please, everyone, bless me.
Finally, I want to formally and grandly introduce the person I like. That name has been in my heart for ten years. Even my own name is his. So, everyone knows who it is, right?! So hurry up and bless me! Hahahaha.)