Hearing Nan Zhiyun's words, the Empress Dowager seemed to find them amusing.
"Is Yun'er foolish? Do you see her treating me as her mother? He probably wishes I were dead more than anything. After raising him for so long, I've raised an ungrateful wretch. I must have been blind." The Empress Dowager spoke with gritted teeth.
"Does Consort Shu believe it now? The entire capital and the imperial palace are now under my control. Yu Jing'an will die today. I hope you won't be foolish. As the saying goes, knowing when to quit makes a hero. Can a woman like Consort Shu turn the tide?" Yu Jing'an scoffed.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent, but she could not accept any of what was happening before her.
"Yun'er, come here," the Empress Dowager repeated.
"I won't come," Nan Zhiyun replied firmly.
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered. "Is Yun'er going to defy me for him now? Is it possible that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for Yu Jing'an?" the Empress Dowager questioned Nan Zhiyun.
"I am the Emperor's concubine..." Nan Zhiyun turned her head away.
"Even after how he treated you before, even after he suppressed the Nan family, you're still willing? Nan Zhiyun, don't you need to be more sensible? What time is it? Are you still going to side with him?!" The Empress Dowager's tone was one of exasperated disappointment.
"Empress Dowager, I am sorry, but you cannot enter today, unless the Empress Dowager wishes for me to die." Nan Zhiyun's words were very clear.
"How presumptuous! Nan Zhiyun, do you hear what you're saying?! Are you going to disobey me for that scoundrel?" The Empress Dowager seemed angry.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent. After a brief standoff, the Empress Dowager let out a barely perceptible sigh.
"Is he really that important?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"Mm... important. The past... those things are all in the past, I don't care anymore. Things are good now, this is what I've longed for, what I've finally obtained, and I don't want to lose it. Empress Dowager... I'm not foolish, it's just... I truly cannot let go. If it were before, I might have given up, but now... I can't cast it aside. The moonlight is cold and clear, but it can truly illuminate dark places," Nan Zhiyun said, her head bowed.
Silence. The Empress Dowager looked at Nan Zhiyun without speaking. After a long while, she slowly walked towards Nan Zhiyun, who flinched slightly.
The Empress Dowager reached out and gently caressed Nan Zhiyun's face. "Are you foolish?" Her tone was filled with helplessness.
Nan Zhiyun did not speak. She heard the Empress Dowager sigh, then say, "Your Majesty, Yun'er is willing to go to great lengths for you, not even caring about me or A'su. But are you worthy of her?"
Before Nan Zhiyun could recover from the Empress Dowager's inexplicable words, she heard a voice from behind her.
"It is my fault." It was Yu Jing'an's voice.
Nan Zhiyun's heart skipped a beat. She turned her head and saw Yu Jing'an standing behind her, looking nothing like his previous frail state.
"Your Majesty..." Nan Zhiyun was still stunned, and even Yu Jing'an, below, had not expected this turn of events.
Yu Jing'an smiled gently and walked forward. The Empress Dowager moved aside.
"It was my fault before, but I will treat Yun'er well from now on. I will never let Yun'er suffer any grievances again. I promise." Yu Jing'an gently stroked Nan Zhiyun's head, his eyes filled with complex emotions.