Nan Ziyun looked at the contents of the bowl and then cautiously glanced at Yu Jingchen. However, he didn't spare her even a glance.
Nan Ziyun dared not disturb him. She had her suspicions about the reason for Yu Jingchen's behavior just now, but she dared not dwell on it or truly believe it.
She picked up her chopsticks and slowly began to eat. Yu Jingchen, though not looking directly at her, kept her in his peripheral vision. Seeing Nan Ziyun finally start eating, the inexplicable gloom in his heart gradually dissipated.
Nan Ziyun ate with small, slow movements, so Yu Jingchen unconsciously slowed his own eating pace.
After all, there were many rules in the imperial court. If the emperor finished, everyone else had to stop eating. If the emperor had not finished, no one else was allowed to stop.
He could have allowed Nan Ziyun to continue eating after he finished, but he was afraid she would feel uncomfortable then, so he decided it was easier not to bother.
Thus, the dinner lasted for over half an hour. Yu Jingchen sensed that Nan Ziyun could no longer eat much, and as she had almost finished everything in her bowl, he finally put down his chopsticks.
Nan Ziyun did the same. However, it was not over yet. She heard Yu Jingchen call out to a palace attendant: "Serve her a bowl of the soup stewed by the Imperial Kitchen today."
This "her" was self-evident. Nan Ziyun was about to say it was not necessary, but ultimately did not voice her objection.
The palace attendant expertly served a bowl of soup and placed it before Nan Ziyun. It was clear that considerable effort had gone into its preparation.
Nan Ziyun looked at the bowl of soup, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.
"What is it?" Yu Jingchen noticed Nan Ziyun's hesitation.
"...Nothing. This concubine thanks His Majesty for the gift," Nan Ziyun replied, then picked up the soup bowl and drank it in small sips.
Yu Jingchen assumed it was just that she was not used to it, as he had not done such things before.
Nan Ziyun took a while to finish the soup. After she was done, Yu Jingchen asked, "This soup tastes good. Would you like another bowl?"
"No... This concubine has finished eating." Nan Ziyun looked somewhat unnatural.
"Then clear it away." Yu Jingchen did not insist.
The palace attendant quickly removed the dishes.
"You've just finished eating, take your medicine later," Yu Jingchen reminded her.
"Yes." Nan Ziyun was slightly surprised by his concern.
Yu Jingchen rose from his seat, and Nan Ziyun followed suit.
"What is it? Your complexion doesn't look very good?" Yu Jingchen noticed Nan Ziyun's pallor.
"This concubine is fine..." As soon as Nan Ziyun said she was fine, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"What's wrong?" Yu Jingchen was startled by Nan Ziyun's action.
Nan Ziyun dared not remove her hand.
"Bring a chamber pot," Yu Jingchen, seeing Nan Ziyun covering her mouth, seemed to understand her condition and said to a servant.
Qian Xia quickly brought a chamber pot. Nan Ziyun could no longer hold back and vomited.
Qian Xia was still patting Nan Ziyun's back, her heart filled with anxiety. She knew why her mistress was like this.
Her young lady's stomach was not very strong, and she usually ate little. These past few days, due to her illness and the deliberate sabotage by the Imperial Kitchen staff, Nan Ziyun had barely eaten.
To suddenly consume so much food, especially with a lot of rich dishes, Qian Xia feared she would not be able to handle it.
(I promised five chapters today, and I will post two more later.)