Qian Xia tidied the desk for Nan Zhiyun and prepared the ink and brush.
Just then, the digestive medicine that Yu Jingchen had sent someone to fetch was also brought back.
"Take this medicine first," Yu Jingchen commanded.
Nan Zhiyun looked at the medicine and hesitated, unsure of what it was. Qian Xia was also a little nervous.
Yu Jingchen noticed Nan Zhiyun's hesitation, his eyebrows slightly raised. So, she was afraid.
"Want to know what this is?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
Nan Zhiyun looked at him. Although she dared not ask, her eyes clearly conveyed the question.
A mischievous thought suddenly crossed Yu Jingchen's mind, so he deliberately put on a cold expression and said, "Naturally, it's poison. Didn't you admit to so many crimes yourself? You even mentioned capital offenses. So, do you think just copying the palace rules a few times is enough?" Yu Jingchen said it as if it were true.
Nan Zhiyun's face turned pale. Qian Xia, upon hearing this, immediately knelt down.
"Please, Your Majesty, show mercy! My lady did not mean it. My lady's stomach has always been delicate, but since it was a gift from Your Majesty, she dared not refuse, and that's why she couldn't hold back. Even if my lady has erred, her crime is not punishable by death. Please, Your Majesty, show mercy! Please, Your Majesty, show mercy!" Qian Xia pleaded.
Yu Jingchen felt inexplicably displeased upon hearing Qian Xia's address. He hadn't cared before, but now he disliked it. So, he said, "Since you have entered the palace, your former titles should be discarded. Do you still need someone to tell you how to address me?" Yu Jingchen's tone was unfriendly.
"Yes, Noble Lady Nan, please, Your Majesty, spare Noble Lady this time!" Qian Xia continued to beg.
Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun. "What do you think?" he asked.
Nan Zhiyun remained silent.
"Although this medicine is poison, it is not fatal. At most, it will make life worse than death. It will flare up three times a month, each time more painful than the last. It feels like one's bones are being gnawed by ten thousand ants, causing unbearable agony," Yu Jingchen continued, his words becoming more frightening.
Nan Zhiyun was perhaps truly frightened, her face turning deathly pale. Seeing this, Yu Jingchen felt it was enough. Knowing she was genuinely scared, he asked again, "Do you want to take it?"
Nan Zhiyun was indeed afraid, but she was also afraid to beg for mercy. Moreover, she didn't think begging would exempt her from taking it. In the past, many had begged Yu Jingchen for their lives, but he had never shown mercy, and now, with herself, it was even more impossible. She had just wondered how merely copying the palace rules a few times could be sufficient, and how Yu Jingchen could be so kind.
"This concubine dares not beg for mercy," Nan Zhiyun said as she took the pill.
"You want to take it?" Yu Jingchen's face darkened again. After all this, couldn't she say something he wanted to hear? She was truly seeking death.
As soon as Yu Jingchen finished speaking, Nan Zhiyun swallowed the pill directly.
"My lady!" Qian Xia cried out "My lady" again in her anxiety.
Yu Jingchen looked at them, feeling an urge to kill.
"Nan Zhiyun, do you truly wish to die so badly?!" Yu Jingchen was extremely angered.
After taking the medicine, Nan Zhiyun had been very nervous. Being yelled at by Yu Jingchen made her even more flustered.
Yu Jingchen pointed at Nan Zhiyun, unable to speak. Finally, he shouted unpleasantly, "Go and copy the palace rules!"
Nan Zhiyun did not delay. She did not know when the medicine would "act up," so she was uncertain. She only hoped that when the medicine took effect, Yu Jingchen would not be present. She had already lost all face in front of him, so she did not want him to witness her in such a pathetic state.