"Yun'er is so adorable?" Yu Jingchen pinched Nan Zhiyun's cheek. Nan Zhiyun didn't know what she had said wrong, but seeing them all laughing at her, she felt shy and burrowed into Yu Jingchen's embrace, burying her face in his chest.
The people in Cì'ān Palace erupted in laughter, and even An Xin and the others couldn't help but smile. Watching Yu Jingchen and Nan Zhiyun now, Nan Su felt a great deal of relief.
"Alright..." Yu Jingchen was at a loss for what to do with Nan Zhiyun and gently pulled her out of his embrace.
Yu Jingchen knew she was feeling shy, but he also felt he hadn't given Nan Zhiyun enough security, which led her to think this way.
"Storybooks are just storybooks, full of deceptive tricks. Didn't you read some storybooks that talked about the affections between humans and demons? And not just one, so does that mean demons really exist in this world? Hmm? Yun'er, why do you believe such deceitful things so readily?" Yu Jingchen said, finding it amusing.
"This... is different." Nan Zhiyun felt something was amiss, yet she couldn't refute him.
"Alright, Yun'er, don't take those stories too seriously. While I allowed you to read them before, it was to stave off boredom, to help you pass the time, not to make you overthink things. If you dare to think so wildly again, I'll confiscate all those storybooks," Yu Jingchen said, gently pinching the tip of Nan Zhiyun's nose. Nan Zhiyun pouted. Was she really overthinking?
"Are you still scared, Yun'er?" Yu Jingchen could tell from Nan Zhiyun's expression that she was still worried.
"...I'm afraid I won't do a good job. I don't know anything. I don't know how to manage things in the palace, nor do I have the demeanor of an Empress. I don't want to be so proper." Nan Zhiyun revealed her true feelings.
As soon as she spoke, the laughter that had filled the room ceased. The atmosphere in the palace seemed to grow a little somber.
Yu Jingchen paused slightly upon hearing Nan Zhiyun's words, then gently stroked her head with concern. "Yun'er can always be as you are now, do whatever makes you happy, and don't feel constrained by these rituals. Even if you become Empress, you will still be Yun'er; only your status will change, but nothing else will," Yu Jingchen told her.
"But the Empress is the mother of the nation. I'm afraid they will think I'm not suitable." Nan Zhiyun feared she would fail, that her position as Empress would tarnish Yu Jingchen's reputation and authority, and that she wouldn't be a good role model.
Moreover... throughout history, the Empress was the principal wife. An Empress needed to be magnanimous and broad-minded, needing to allow her husband to share affections with other women. She was unwilling to do that.
"What are you afraid of, Yun'er? Are you unwilling?" The Empress Dowager finally spoke.
"Your Highness Empress Dowager... you once said that you were very unhappy when you were Empress." Nan Zhiyun said. When she was younger, Nan Zhiyun greatly admired the Empress Dowager for being an Empress, with everyone beneath her and all paying her homage.
So Nan Zhiyun had asked the Empress Dowager, "Your Highness Empress Dowager, is it fun to be an Empress? Is it very imposing? Is everything the best?"