Yu Jingchen looked at Nanzhi Yun kneeling on the ground, clearly seeing the fear in her eyes, but wasn't this what she brought upon herself? She was the one who refused to stay.
"Drink it yourself, or do you want me to have someone force-feed it to you?" Yu Jingchen's tone left no room for negotiation.
Nanzhi Yun stared at the bowl of medicine before her, unable to make a decision for a long time. She reached a hand to her abdomen. In her previous life, they had a child like this too, but that child was lost forever before she even knew of its existence.
And now... this child was a known entity. She dared not keep it, yet when she actually saw this bowl of medicine, she faltered.
"Your Majesty promised to let me leave the palace..." Nanzhi Yun suddenly said.
Yu Jingchen was already enraged. To hear her speak of leaving the palace now, how could he possibly speak to her calmly?
"Drink!" Yu Jingchen uttered a single, sharp word.
Nanzhi Yun could not refuse. She slowly reached for the bowl of medicine. Yu Jingchen watched her movements, saying nothing. Xing Lai, however, was extremely anxious by her side; he had thought there was a chance for a turnaround just moments ago.
Nanzhi Yun's hands trembled slightly as she held the medicine. She brought it to her lips but could not bring herself to drink.
"Why aren't you drinking? Drink it," Yu Jingchen left no room for gentleness. Nanzhi Yun might have truly intended to drink it, but Yu Jingchen's current coercion made her hesitant.
"Hmph," Yu Jingchen let out a cold scoff upon seeing the situation. He then took the bowl of medicine from Nanzhi Yun's hands.
"Today, I was truly foolish to have saved you. Why didn't I let you drown? Not only should I not have saved you, but I should have pulled you out only to throw you back in again. Wouldn't that be better?" Yu Jingchen dangled the medicine in his hand.
Hearing Yu Jingchen's words, Nanzhi Yun felt a chill spread through her. Her heart was now nothing more than a stagnant pool.
Yu Jingchen approached Nanzhi Yun, grabbing her cheeks and forcing her mouth open. "You hesitate so much, why don't I help you?" With that, he attempted to force the medicine down her throat.
Perhaps it was a subconscious reaction, but Nanzhi Yun began to resist. Yu Jingchen, however, seemed to relish her fear, so he did not let go. Instead, he brought the bowl of medicine to her lips and poured it down.
Nanzhi Yun could not resist. Perhaps it was Yu Jingchen's current demeanor that made her give up. *Fine, let me drink it... Wasn't not having this child my initial plan? At worst, I won't be a mother anymore... In the end, there will just be no child.*
She had never envisioned having a child of her own in the future. So, let her drink this medicine. After drinking it, she should finally sever all ties with Yu Jingchen.
Yu Jingchen watched Nanzhi Yun transition from resistance to submission. The expression in his eyes became complex, but his actions did not cease. Soon, Nanzhi Yun had finished the entire bowl of medicine. Yu Jingchen finally released her.
Nanzhi Yun collapsed onto the ground. She placed her hand on her stomach. *The child... it won't be kept, will it? But why does it still hurt when this was what I wanted?*
Yu Jingchen cast a cold glance at the woman on the ground. He hurled the bowl he held to the side, and it shattered instantly. Nanzhi Yun flinched, startled.
"Didn't you not want it? Who are you putting on this pitiful act for now?" Yu Jingchen sneered coldly, showing no regard for face or sentiment. Perhaps he never had.
"Is Your Majesty willing to let me leave the palace now?" Nanzhi Yun looked up at Yu Jingchen. The emptiness in her eyes sent a tremor through Yu Jingchen's heart. For some reason, it felt as if something was missing, as if he had lost something irrevocably, something he wanted to grasp but couldn't.
"Hah, Nanzhi Yun, you are truly despicable!" Yu Jingchen could not bear to hear her words.
"With this broken body, what use is there in leaving? Do you still want to find someone else? Do you think you're worthy?" Yu Jingchen's words were harsh and uncaring, leaving one with a chill.
Nanzhi Yun now found these words to be merely desolate; they no longer evoked the feelings they once did. *See, I have always been lowly... not worthy of the Dragon Throne. That's what he has always thought.* Nanzhi Yun suddenly began to wonder, what had she been persisting for in the past? Merely out of love? Thinking that her sincerity would earn his pity? Thinking that her true heart would one day move him?
But now, she finally understood completely. To move someone who had always been cold-hearted was itself an impossible task, let alone someone who had no heart. It was she who had been foolish, naive, and utterly stupid.
"Leave? Hah, Nanzhi Yun, you truly dare to think such a thing!" Yu Jingchen uttered the last few words through clenched teeth. After saying this, he did not linger, leaving the He'an Hall directly.
Nanzhi Yun closed her eyes in desolation. She had truly lost completely.
Xing Lai watched from the side, worried sick. After Yu Jingchen left, he looked at Nanzhi Yun kneeling on the ground, his face filled with disappointment. "Consort Shu, you are being foolish! His Majesty is also merely in a fit of anger. If you had just shown a little submission, you wouldn't have to suffer so much." Xing Lai knew Nanzhi Yun felt wronged, but compared to suffering, what was wrong with a little submission?
"That bowl of medicine contained nothing but prenatal tonic. His Majesty had someone switch the medicine before coming to He'an Hall. Even though His Majesty was angry, he didn't truly intend to abort the child in your womb. If you had even said you wanted to keep the child, His Majesty wouldn't have been so furious," Xing Lai was anxious watching them. Why were these two so foolish and stubborn?
It started with His Majesty, and now it's Consort Shu. Just as His Majesty was beginning to pay attention to Consort Shu, to soften his heart, Consort Shu refused to accept this kindness. Did Consort Shu not consider? No matter how much she resisted or insisted, His Majesty was still His Majesty. How could she fight against him? In the end, she would only be bringing suffering upon herself. Why had it come to this point?
No matter how much Consort Shu might come to understand later, no matter if she truly had no hope left for His Majesty, as long as His Majesty did not relent, how could she escape? The power imbalance was evident. No matter how much she protested, if His Majesty refused to let go, Consort Shu would never be able to escape His Majesty's grasp in this lifetime, and they would only end up tormenting each other forever.