After a while, the imperial physician withdrew the needle. Yu Jingchen was about to gently set the person down again.
But…
Perhaps sensing a reliance, Nan Zhiyun, still unconscious, directly hugged Yu Jingchen’s arm. “Your Majesty…” Nan Zhiyun seemed to be afraid of something, and Yu Jingchen felt her grip tighten.
“Your Majesty… This concubine knows she was wrong…” Nan Zhiyun began to repeat the same phrase.
“This concubine does not want to go to the Shenxing Division… Your Majesty…” Perhaps the past trauma was too deep.
Yu Jingchen tried to pry Nan Zhiyun’s hands away, but this only made her more terrified. “No, this concubine truly knows her mistake. Your Majesty, please don’t punish this concubine by sending her to the Shenxing Division, okay…”
Nan Zhiyun seemed to be having a dream. She felt the palace maids dragging her forcefully. They wanted to throw her into the Shenxing Division, and no matter how she begged, it was useless. These palace maids would not pity her, and neither would Yu Jingchen; he would never be soft-hearted.
In the Shenxing Division, those people could humiliate and torment her as they pleased. Although there would be no severe torture, they were never short of ways to break a person. No scars would be left on her body, but it could make her wish she were dead.
The cell was dark and damp, with cockroaches and rats everywhere. The air was a mixture of blood and decay, and the screams of others filled her ears.
She couldn’t sleep at all. Later, when she was severely tormented, those people wouldn’t let her rest. Every so often, they would wake her up, either by splashing a basin of water or by banging sticks against the iron door.
They even… they would leash a wolfdog and lock it in the same cell as her…
“No…” Nan Zhiyun became restless again and even began to struggle.
Yu Jingchen frowned and restrained her flailing hands. Nan Zhiyun felt as if those people were binding her tightly, then throwing her into icy water, followed by a suffocating sensation…
“No… Help…” Nan Zhiyun’s voice was already hazy.
“Nan Zhiyun?” Yu Jingchen called her name.
“No, I don’t want to… Please…” Nan Zhiyun’s voice was choked with tears, a humble plea for mercy.
Yu Jingchen didn’t know what he was thinking, only that his heart felt strange, as if pricked by something, causing a pang of pain.
“Nan Zhiyun?” Yu Jingchen called out again.
“I was wrong, I know I was wrong…” Nan Zhiyun couldn’t hear anything else, only repeating, “I was wrong,” and begging for forgiveness.
Yu Jingchen had no choice but to hold the person in his arms a little tighter, then awkwardly held her two hands, as if he felt this could give her a sense of security, to stop her from being so afraid.
“Don’t punish me…” Nan Zhiyun began to burrow into Yu Jingchen’s embrace, as if seeking refuge, her entire being filled with fear.
Yu Jingchen felt a warmth on his palm, and it was somewhat sticky. He knew that Nan Zhiyun had aggravated her wound in the back again.
“Nan Zhiyun!” Yu Jingchen suddenly felt agitated and angry, or perhaps it was some other emotion?
But Nan Zhiyun in his arms clearly trembled at the sound and struggled even more violently.
Yu Jingchen suddenly felt a headache. He then forcefully suppressed his emotions, even gently patting Nan Zhiyun’s body with his hand.
However, at this moment, Yu Jingchen seemed unsure of the reason for his melancholy and annoyance, and he also seemed to possess an unusual amount of patience.