No one spoke, only Gu Yin peeled grapes beside them, placed them on a plate, and then put them in front of the Empress Dowager.
“Eat your favorite grapes,” Gu Yin said, as if no one else was there.
Before the Empress Dowager could say anything, Nan Zhiyun spoke first, “The Imperial Preceptor knows how to peel grapes? And peel them like this? Empress Dowager, weren’t these grapes you saved for me?” Nan Zhiyun looked at the Empress Dowager. Yu Jingchen raised an eyebrow at Nan Zhiyun’s current demeanor but remained silent.
“Yes, they were all saved for our Yun’er,” the Empress Dowager said, doting on her.
“But the Imperial Preceptor has already peeled them all,” Nan Zhiyun added, glancing at Gu Yin. Gu Yin acted as if he didn’t see.
“Then they’re all for Yun’er,” the Empress Dowager, perhaps intentionally, placed all the grapes in front of Nan Zhiyun.
Gu Yin’s expression, which had been unchanging, twitched slightly. He merely glanced at Nan Zhiyun and the Empress Dowager and said nothing.
Seeing Gu Yin’s gaze, Nan Zhiyun felt a pang of guilt and averted her eyes.
“It’s indeed rare for the Imperial Preceptor’s fortune-telling hands to also know how to peel grapes,” Yu Jingchen said suddenly.
Gu Yin glanced at Yu Jingchen and replied, “Your Majesty, your hands are meant for leading armies and governing the empire. They will likely always be so.”
“Not as skilled as the Imperial Preceptor’s,” Yu Jingchen said.
Nan Zhiyun watched Yu Jingchen and Gu Yin, feeling as though their words held hidden meanings, but she couldn’t decipher them.
“Yun’er, try one?” The Empress Dowager paid no mind to their conversation.
Nan Zhiyun smiled, picked up a peeled grape from the plate in front of her, and fed it to the Empress Dowager.
“Is it delicious? Empress Dowager?” Nan Zhiyun asked.
“Delicious, of course it’s delicious when Yun’er feeds it to me,” the Empress Dowager truly doted on her.
Gu Yin: “…Even if you don’t mention that I peeled them, can’t the grapes themselves be delicious? And do they become delicious just because someone feeds them to you?”
Nan Zhiyun picked up another grape, preparing to eat it herself, when suddenly… Yu Jingchen stopped her.
Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen in bewilderment. Others also turned to look.
“What? Your Majesty, it’s a festive day. Surely you won’t stop Consort Shu from eating even a single grape?” Gu Yin interjected.
Yu Jingchen shot Gu Yin a cold glance, did not reply, and instead looked at Nan Zhiyun.
“These grapes were for the Empress Dowager. If you want to eat, you can take more,” Yu Jingchen said, returning the plate of grapes by Nan Zhiyun to the Empress Dowager.
Nan Zhiyun: “…”
Before she could say anything, Yu Jingchen reached out, picked up a grape, and began to peel it meticulously. Nan Zhiyun was stunned, as were others.
“If you like them, I’ll have someone send more to you later,” Yu Jingchen said. By the time he finished speaking, he had peeled the grapes and was offering them directly to Nan Zhiyun’s mouth.
Nan Zhiyun hadn’t expected Yu Jingchen to do this, and she was completely bewildered.
“Don’t you like to eat them?” Yu Jingchen asked.
Nan Zhiyun looked at him, then gently leaned forward and took the grape Yu Jingchen was offering into her mouth.
It would have been nothing, but Gu Yin, who had been largely silent, actually let out a smile. This caused Nan Zhiyun’s face to flush. She leaned back, hiding herself behind the Empress Dowager, half her face covered by the Empress Dowager’s arm.
“We were just discussing how Your Majesty’s hands are meant for governing the empire,” Gu Yin said, his tone neither heavy nor light.
“I feel the palace defenses are too lax. What do you think, Imperial Preceptor?” Yu Jingchen retorted.
“Your Majesty could certainly strengthen them,” Gu Yin conceded nothing.
Nan Zhiyun, hiding behind them, dared not speak. The Empress Dowager seemed unwilling to speak, and as for Nan Su… he didn’t seem to know what to say.
Yu Jingchen didn’t press the matter further. He picked up an empty plate and began to peel grapes himself. However… his movements were quite clumsy. The peeling was… well, not just a little, it was truly unsightly, unattractively so.
“Tsk, Your Majesty’s hands are precious. You probably haven’t done such things often. Can these peeled grapes still be eaten? These grapes were so beautiful, but after Your Majesty’s touch, their beauty is all in vain,” the Imperial Preceptor remarked.
Yu Jingchen initially showed no reaction, but then, in an instant, his eyes sharpened, and he shot a grape at Gu Yin.
Gu Yin’s expression shifted slightly. He raised his hand to block it, but the grape was smashed to pieces, splattering Gu Yin’s hand.
“I thought the Imperial Preceptor was quite capable, being able to come and go freely within the palace,” Yu Jingchen’s words carried a hidden meaning.
Gu Yin glanced at him, his gaze deepening.
Nan Zhiyun, hiding by the Empress Dowager, didn’t know if she should intervene or what she could say, so she could only rely on the Empress Dowager.
“Empress Dowager…” Nan Zhiyun called out softly.
“Don’t worry about it. If they really start fighting, there’s plenty of space outside,” the Empress Dowager remained composed.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yin retracted his imposing aura and sat back down quietly, as if nothing had happened. Yu Jingchen continued peeling the grapes in his hand.
“Is Your Majesty here just to peel grapes?” the Empress Dowager finally looked at Yu Jingchen.
“I heard Yu Jing’an is returning to the capital soon?” the Empress Dowager’s expression softened slightly. Yu Jingchen’s expression also became more reserved.
“He is indeed returning,” Yu Jingchen said.
“How has Your Majesty arranged for him? You know his purpose, don’t let him come back in vain,” the Empress Dowager said meaningfully. Yu Jingchen paused and remained silent.