Jiang Ji heard Nan Zhiyun mention him but said nothing, lowering his head even further. Nan Su looked at him, gave him a brief appraisal, and said nothing more.
Nan Su stayed there for the entire morning. Seeing that it was almost time, he said he was leaving. Before he departed, Nan Zhiyun was still telling him that she would visit him in a few days. His Majesty had previously agreed that she could return once a month.
Nan Su nodded. Before leaving, he handed Nan Zhiyun a jade pendant he was holding. "This was left to you by your mother. She originally intended to give it to you when you got married, but it ended up staying with me for so long. Keep it well now and don't lose it."
Nan Zhiyun took the jade pendant. Apart from its fine craftsmanship and superior jade quality, there was nothing particularly special about it. However, Nan Zhiyun didn't quite understand the pattern on it. She only knew there was a character "Shun" (顺, meaning smooth or to one's liking) in the center. Perhaps it was a wish for her to have everything go smoothly.
Not long after Nan Su left, Yu Jingchen found out and came over. However, his good mood vanished completely upon seeing the silly cat in Nan Zhiyun's arms.
"Why are you holding it all the time? Is its leg injured?" Yu Jingchen said.
"What are you saying, Your Majesty? It's Lingdang who likes me," Nan Zhiyun said, standing up and handing Lingdang to Jiang Ji. Jiang Ji took the cat and stood by obediently.
Yu Jingchen walked over. "Our Yun'er is indeed likable. Are you happy today?" He naturally wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm very happy, thank you, Your Majesty," Nan Zhiyun said truthfully.
"As long as you are happy," Yu Jingchen took Nan Zhiyun's hand and walked to the side, then sat down. Nan Zhiyun was pulled by him and sat on his lap.
"The spring hunt is in a few days. Do you want to go?" Yu Jingchen asked her. Nan Zhiyun paused for a moment, her expression dimming slightly. She then lowered her head and said with a touch of melancholy, "...I don't want to go."
"Don't want to go?" Hearing this answer, Yu Jingchen was taken aback. He looked at Nan Zhiyun and noticed that her mood seemed a bit off. "What's wrong? Hmm? Weren't you just saying you were in a good mood?" Yu Jingchen's tone was gentle.
"...I just don't want to go anymore," Nan Zhiyun seemed unwilling to explain why. Yu Jingchen now recollected that it was likely because of the previous spring hunt.
At the last spring hunt, Nan Zhiyun had only recently entered the palace. At that time, she was still a Consort. She had eagerly anticipated the spring hunt and, as she wished, she went along. However, at that time, his intention was to humiliate her, so the experience was quite harrowing.
"Is it because of last time?" Yu Jingchen hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent. Although she said nothing, Yu Jingchen understood. It must be due to what happened last time.
Yu Jingchen had actually somewhat forgotten Nan Zhiyun's past experiences. He knew that as long as he took her there, there would be plenty of people who would trouble her without him having to say anything. The only thing he remembered was... Nan Zhiyun was forced to compete with someone. Although she was the daughter of a general, she was not skilled in archery.
During that competition, because the other party resorted to some tricks, she accidentally injured someone. As a result, he punished her by making her kneel for an entire day on the hunting grounds, from morning till night, with everyone watching her punishment.