Nan Zhiyun’s head hung low, too ashamed to look up. She knew she had made a mistake. Seeing her apparent self-reproach, Yu Jingchen found it hard to continue scolding her.
"I'm not blaming you, nor am I trying to rebuke you. I just want to tell you not to drink so excessively in the future. I'm here now, but what if I'm not? What if you encounter other dangers?" Although Yu Jingchen had deliberately gotten her drunk yesterday, he hadn't intended for her to be completely insensible.
According to his initial plan, Nan Zhiyun would have been fine after just two cups. Why did she end up secretly drinking so much? She was so audacious. Was the wine that delicious, or was she that greedy?
"Alright, let's put yesterday behind us. You must be hungry by now, right?" Yu Jingchen said, reaching out to touch her stomach. "It's gone soft. Are you hungry? Is your stomach rumbling?" Yu Jingchen didn't want the atmosphere to be so tense; he wasn't truly upset with Nan Zhiyun.
"I'm hungry..." Nan Zhiyun finally dared to look up, wrapping her arms around Yu Jingchen's neck. Her eyes were glistening, looking pitiful yet adorable, and she began to act spoiled.
"You're the most daring one here. Let's go, I'll take you to eat. We can visit the hunting grounds later, but I'll tell you in advance: you are absolutely not allowed to put yourself in danger. Don't wander too far alone; just explore the vicinity. You must have someone with you. Also, the surroundings are a bit unsafe. If you want to go horseback riding or archery, you'll have to wait for me. You can't just go by yourself, understood? If anything goes wrong later, I will scold you." Yu Jingchen warned her in advance.
"Okay," Nan Zhiyun readily agreed. She was also eager to explore.
Yu Jingchen had other matters to attend to today and couldn't stay with Nan Zhiyun all the time, so he decided to let her enjoy herself.
When Nan Zhiyun went out with Qian Xia and Jiang Ji accompanying her, the news naturally spread. So, just as Nan Zhiyun was about to step out for a stroll, she was "accidentally" encountered.
"Greetings to Consort Shu." Consort Yuan bowed slightly. Bai Yusheng and Yu Yan followed suit. Rong Chuyuan was not present today. It was heard that after Yu Jingchen gave her those two jars of wine yesterday, she couldn't finish them and had people force-feed her the entire contents by pinching her mouth.
She vomited uncontrollably and was completely out of her senses. Following Yu Jingchen's instructions, she was thrown into the lake to sober up. This morning, she fell ill and was disoriented, drinking until she vomited blood. (In modern terms, she had induced gastric bleeding.)
"Mmm." Nan Zhiyun's expression was somewhat strained. She had finally managed to get out, only to run into them. She truly did not want to deal with them.
"Why is Consort Shu out and about today? This concubine thought Your Highness preferred to stay indoors. Fearing you might be bored, this concubine was just about to bring Bai Jieyu and Jing Cairen to see you and keep you company," Consort Yuan said with a smile.
"I am not bored. Consort Yuan should rather chat with the two new ladies," Nan Zhiyun said, wanting to avoid further conversation with them.
Consort Yuan’s smile faltered slightly, but... naturally, there were those who were unafraid of death.
"Consort Shu, you have quite the influence. On the way here, you were with His Majesty. And then you shared quarters with him. For two consecutive days, His Majesty has been with you. Truly, you are in his utmost favor," Yu Yan said with ill intent.