The maid, Qian Xia, upon hearing Nan Zhiyun's crying outside the door, was about to enter but was stopped by Xing Lai. "His Majesty is inside, why are you going in now? Don't worry, your mistress will be fine," Xing Lai reminded her.
Qian Xia hesitated for a moment, then ultimately decided not to disturb them.
Nan Zhiyun cried inside for an unknown duration. Yu Jingchen did not disturb her, but as Nan Zhiyun was barefoot, Yu Jingchen let her rest her feet on his long robe.
Nan Zhiyun's crying was suppressed, hidden beneath Yu Jingchen's clothes. Even at this moment, she dared not fully release her pent-up emotions.
Nan Zhiyun's crying showed no signs of stopping, and Yu Jingchen couldn't let her continue like this, especially since the ground was cold and she had injuries on her face.
"Alright, you've cried enough. Get up now and let me see your injuries," Yu Jingchen released Nan Zhiyun.
Nan Zhiyun turned her head away. Without a support or shield, she could only tightly grip Yu Jingchen's clothes with her hands.
"Let me see. Your maid said you didn't want the imperial physician to see, so let me see first, okay?" Yu Jingchen's tone was unconsciously tinged with coaxing.
Nan Zhiyun still refused. Yu Jingchen, with no other option, simply picked her up and placed her on the bed. "Turn around, let me see how bad your injuries are," Yu Jingchen said again.
"Nan Zhiyun," Yu Jingchen called her name as he saw she was still lost in her emotions.
"Turn around, let me see," Yu Jingchen repeated.
"Don't make me repeat myself again, do you hear me?" Yu Jingchen's tone remained unchanged.
However, Nan Zhiyun, with a newfound courage, refused to turn around for Yu Jingchen to see.
Seeing this, Yu Jingchen directly took action, turning Nan Zhiyun's face towards him.
Upon clearly seeing Nan Zhiyun's face, Yu Jingchen's anger erupted.
"Are you foolish? You just let her hit you like that?" Yu Jingchen couldn't help but exclaim.
Unexpectedly, this remark caused Nan Zhiyun's tears to fall again. She turned her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, not daring to make a sound.
"I'm not scolding you, nor am I blaming you. Why are you crying? You have injuries on your face; if you keep crying like this, do you want to get better?" Yu Jingchen took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe her face.
"Let the imperial physician have a look, okay? This requires medicine," Yu Jingchen suddenly felt a sense of helplessness.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head.
"Just let us have a look. You can't do without medicine for this wound. We'll just let the imperial physician examine it; it's nothing," Yu Jingchen displayed more patience than usual.
As he spoke, he prepared to summon an imperial physician, but Nan Zhiyun's hand stopped him. The grip was light, yet Yu Jingchen felt unable to break free.
"No... don't call them..." Nan Zhiyun pleaded softly, her eyes filled with humility and sorrow. She could only protect her dwindling self-respect in this manner.
Yu Jingchen's heart ached slightly, and he then clasped Nan Zhiyun's hand.
"Then what? Do you want the wound to heal?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
"No... please, don't call the imperial physician, Your Majesty... I beg you, don't let them in..." Nan Zhiyun pleaded.
"..."
Yu Jingchen was silent for a moment, then finally relented.
"Then I'll hide you, so the imperial physician won't see you, and we can just ask them what needs to be done, alright?" Yu Jingchen said.
Hide? Nan Zhiyun didn't understand what Yu Jingchen meant. Seeing this, Yu Jingchen gently embraced Nan Zhiyun. "If you hide, they won't see you."