Yu Jingchen took two steps forward. Nan Zhiyun's fear of Yu Jingchen was ingrained in her bones, so retreating and dodging were instinctive reactions, natural reflexes of her body.
So... she dodged. The moment she made such a dodging motion, Nan Zhiyun froze, because Yu Jingchen had just said, no...
Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen. Although she couldn't speak, her eyes were filled with pleading. Don't... she was afraid... afraid of pain, afraid of humiliation, afraid of... Yu Jingchen.
"You should be afraid. Otherwise, what's the point of doing all this?" Yu Jingchen said indifferently.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head and clutched his sleeve. Nan Zhiyun tried hard to speak, but could not make clear sounds.
Yu Jingchen reached out and lifted Nan Zhiyun's small face. He saw all the fear in her eyes. He couldn't understand why she was so afraid of him, yet dared to approach him in the first place.
She was allergic to fish, but she had eaten fish for so many years. Although her allergic reaction after eating fish was not severe, only causing red marks, she still ate it.
But if eating this would make her uncomfortable and put her in greater danger, would she still be able to endure it like this?
Looking at the pitiable person before him, he let go of his hand. "Serve the meal," Yu Jingchen called out to those outside.
It was already dark, and Yu Jingchen had not had dinner yet. Nan Zhiyun had slept all afternoon and hadn't eaten anything. However, she dared not delude herself into thinking that Yu Jingchen would let her off so easily. He was never that kind of person, was he?
The palace servants quickly brought the food. Nan Zhiyun watched them busily serving the dishes, sitting far away, afraid to move.
When the servants had arranged everything and stood on both sides, Yu Jingchen sat down without even glancing at Nan Zhiyun.
Nan Zhiyun lowered her head, like an abandoned child, looking utterly pitiful. Fortunately, she secretly stole a glance, then looked at Yu Jingchen's current demeanor, and reminded him, "Your Majesty, when Your Majesty went to Cining Palace today, the Empress Dowager had not even had lunch yet. Consort Shu probably hadn't either." Was that... subtle enough?
Yu Jingchen did not respond. The servants tasting the food had already tried all the dishes. Xing Lai saw the situation and thought that His Majesty didn't seem angry, and Consort Shu was with His Majesty today... tsk, Xing Lai was unsure, but still hardened her heart and walked over to Consort Shu, saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty has not finished his meal. Why don't Your Highness accompany His Majesty for the meal?" Xing Lai took the liberty to make this decision, and after saying this, she cautiously glanced at Yu Jingchen. Seeing that Yu Jingchen did not seem angry, she breathed a sigh of relief. Serving His Majesty was indeed not easy.
But Nan Zhiyun didn't have the courage. Yu Jingchen hadn't spoken, how could she dare to move rashly?
Seeing Nan Zhiyun's inaction, Xing Lai became anxious. Consort Shu, can't you see that His Majesty hasn't said anything? This is tacit approval. Why are you still hesitating?
Nan Zhiyun was actually a little hungry, but compared to her fear, it was fine if she didn't eat. It wasn't a big deal anyway. It was pitiful for Xing Lai, whose task was difficult.
Suddenly, the sound of something breaking came from over there, and then a palace servant was heard kneeling on the ground and shouting, "Your Majesty, forgive me! Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!" The young eunuch begged for mercy, and the broken bowls and plates lay on the ground.
"Beaten to death," Yu Jingchen said coldly. No matter how much the young eunuch pleaded, Yu Jingchen sat there unmoved. Nan Zhiyun looked at the scene before her and suddenly felt a chill down her spine. These two simple words were the life of a person, and a single plate represented life and death...
"Come here," Yu Jingchen said two more words. There was no one else around, and Nan Zhiyun didn't know if he was talking to her.
"Consort Shu, His Majesty is asking you to come over," Xing Lai quickly interjected.
"..." Nan Zhiyun was at a loss.
"Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting. He might get angry later," Xing Lai added.
Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to delay any longer. She stood up and walked over slowly, but her current attire...
"Prepare water. Aren't you dirty?" Yu Jingchen looked over. Nan Zhiyun froze on the spot. It was Xing Lai who reacted first: "Quickly fetch water and serve Consort Shu to wash up."
The nearby servants busied themselves with the preparations. Nan Zhiyun had fallen earlier, her hands were injured, and she was covered in dirt, making her look rather unkempt.
"Do you need me to have your feet cut off? Barefoot, have you eaten all your manners?" Yu Jingchen's tone was displeased.
Nan Zhiyun lowered her head to look at her bare feet, awkwardly trying to cover them. But she was only wearing an inner garment and couldn't cover herself. The servants, with great foresight, brought shoes for Nan Zhiyun and used clean water to wash away the dirt from her face and body. However, when the wounds touched the water, she still felt pain, and tears welled up immediately.
Yu Jingchen had already started eating beside her, not considering when Nan Zhiyun would be ready. After Nan Zhiyun was cleaned up, Xing Lai led her to the seat next to Yu Jingchen. The table full of dishes was enticing.
Nan Zhiyun stood by, not daring to sit down. Eating with Yu Jingchen was something few consorts in the harem dared to do unless he permitted it.
"Were you also punished? Can't sit? Or do you want to be punished?" Yu Jingchen suddenly blurted out. Upon hearing this, Nan Zhiyun dared to sit down beside him.
Xing Lai watched with a headache. Was there anyone this scary? Your Majesty, can't you speak properly? What are you doing? httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Nan Zhiyun looked at the table full of dishes, not knowing what to do. Yu Jingchen glanced at her: "Do you need me to say something, and then you do it once?"
Nan Zhiyun: "..."
"Consort Shu, Your Majesty is inviting you to eat," Xing Lai said beside Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun glanced at Yu Jingchen, but still didn't dare to act, as if Yu Jingchen was withholding her food.
After hearing Yu Jingchen's words and Xing Lai's reminder, Nan Zhiyun picked up her chopsticks, but... with such a large table of dishes, she didn't dare to pick up the food herself. Her bowl was empty... pitifully so.
"Are you eating air?" Yu Jingchen looked at her.
Xing Lai almost wanted to laugh, but... when Yu Jingchen glanced at her, she immediately closed her mouth. The next moment, she heard Yu Jingchen say to her, "You serve her food. Her hands are crippled."
Xing Lai: "..."
Nan Zhiyun: "..."
"Yes..." Despite her complaints, Xing Lai could only do as instructed, meticulously serving Nan Zhiyun dishes.
Nan Zhiyun ate her meal in fear and trepidation.
(Special circumstances: There have been some unexpected situations in the past few days, and I may not be able to interact with you in a timely manner. I don't know when I will recover. Please forgive me. Chapters will still be posted, and I will inform you of any other circumstances promptly.)
Let me clarify. This chapter is about the female lead's rebirth. In the end, the male lead will not be reborn, but after the female lead's rebirth is over, there will be a dual rebirth. In the dual rebirth chapter, the female lead will be reborn first, and then the male lead will be reborn. The male lead will have all his memories, including the memories of this life when the female lead was reborn. The male lead will remember everything.
The dual rebirth will primarily focus on tormenting the male lead. The current female rebirth might not torment the male lead too much. I won't spoil the ending for now. The length of the story will depend on the situation. You are welcome to provide feedback.
Finally, I'd like to conduct a survey: what kind of ending do you wish for the female lead's rebirth? Do you hope for a happy ending (HE)?