Chapter 108: The Vile Woman

Shen Yingjue’s lips curled into a slight smile. “I know, I know.”

Tan Qingjiu glanced at him. “What about Shen Zijiao?”

“Tsk…” Shen Yingjue sighed. “You only remember Shen Zijiao?”

“Of course. If it weren’t for Shen Zijiao, why would I come to live at the Duke of Duan’s residence? With so many eyes watching, it’s hard to act freely.”

Shen Yingjue studied Tan Qingjiu carefully. The news of the beheading at the Noon Gate had already spread throughout the city.

Everyone knew that Tan Qingjiu had been disgraced by mountain bandits, yet she seemed utterly unaffected.

Was the bandit incident real or fabricated?

If it were true, then what about Shen Zijiao…

Shen Yingjue pondered silently but maintained an expression of calm. “He’s been placed in the guest quarters.”

“I don’t know what Tan Yunge said to him, but ever since he was brought here, he’s been causing a lot of trouble. I found him annoying and had him locked in the guest quarters under the watch of the guards.”

Shen Yingjue raised his hand to press his temple. “Your sister’s way of disciplining children is truly remarkable.”

A cold expression crept across Tan Qingjiu’s face. She had kept Tan Yunge alive before only because Shen Zijiao was still under her control, and she had to be cautious to some degree.

But now…

She planned to visit the guest quarters soon. Once she confirmed that the person there was truly Shen Zijiao, she could deal with him properly.

Tan Qingjiu’s thoughts shifted. “I want to go to the guest quarters.”

“Fine. I’ll have the steward take you there.”

After speaking, Shen Yingjue looked at her again. “Since you know that the Duke of Duan’s residence is watched by countless eyes, you should also know what can and cannot be said in front of those eyes, right?”

Tan Qingjiu rolled her eyes. “Got it.”

Shen Yingjue nodded and then pulled the bell.

The steward arrived quickly. “Your Highness.”

“The Duchess wants to visit the guest quarters to see the young master. Take her there.”

“Yes.”

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The steward led Tan Qingjiu out of the main courtyard, passing through the rear garden, heading toward a separate courtyard on the other side.

Tan Qingjiu raised an eyebrow slightly. One side west, the other east—Shen Yingjue really did think Shen Zijiao was noisy, didn’t he?

Before they approached, Tan Qingjiu already heard shouting coming from the courtyard: “I don’t care! I don’t want to stay here! I will die! The Duke of Duan is a madman. What if he kills me when he loses his mind? Let me out!”

“I want to enter the palace, I want to see my great-grandfather the Emperor. I want to ask him why he sent me here!”

“Let me go home. I don’t want to be with a madman.”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. They really were mother and son; calling the Duke a madman came naturally to them, but the words grated harshly on her ears.

Though Shen Yingjue was ill, by rank he was the younger brother of Shen Zijiao’s grandfather, effectively Shen Zijiao’s great-uncle.

Even Xing Qi and Xing You, upon learning of Shen Yingjue’s circumstances, pitied him—a child of seven or eight, having endured so much, unable to face it or move past it, thus becoming the way he was.

Shen Zijiao, as Shen Yingjue’s junior, was disrespectful and foul-mouthed.

Tan Qingjiu quickened her pace, entering swiftly. Inside, she saw Shen Zijiao standing atop an artificial rock in the garden, brandishing a sword wildly.

“Get lost! I’m the young master of the Crown Prince’s family! Let me see who dares touch me! I’ll tell my father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather the Emperor!”

“I’ll have my great-grandfather chop off your heads!”

Shen Zijiao was slightly plump, his eyebrows bristling in fury, his cheeks trembling.

Tan Qingjiu took a deep breath. “Steward, seize him for me!”

The steward hesitated, glancing at her. “Your Highness, he is—”

“What did you just call me?”

The steward was momentarily stunned. “Your… Your Highness.”

Tan Qingjiu sneered coldly. “I, as your Duchess, should carry more weight than you, a mere young master of the Crown Prince’s household, shouldn’t I?”

“Guards, seize him at once!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The steward hurriedly waved to the nearby guards. “Didn’t you hear the Duchess? Quickly, seize him!”

Shen Zijiao suddenly widened his eyes and looked toward Tan Qingjiu. Upon seeing her, his expression changed dramatically. Of course, he remembered her.

He recalled how Tan Qingjiu had bullied his mother before. There were even rumors in the residence that he was actually her child, taken away and raised by his mother.

---

Shen Zijiao spat inwardly. Impossible.

He was not the child of this wicked woman.

“What are you doing? Why are you listening to that wicked woman and not me? I’m the young master of the Crown Prince’s household! You…”

Tan Qingjiu smiled coldly, stepping closer. Her eyes full of mockery. “You are indeed the young master of the Crown Prince’s household, but do you know who I am?”

Shen Zijiao raised his chin slightly. “Who are you? Who else could you be but the wicked woman who bullied my mother? Get lost! I don’t want to see you.”

“I heard that you, this wicked woman, are treating that madman? Hmph, no wonder wicked women and madmen belong together.”

“Steward.”

The steward quickly waved his hand. The guards sprang into action, pinning Shen Zijiao on both sides and pulling him down from the rock.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?”

“Do you want to die?”

Tan Qingjiu smiled coldly, stepping closer. “Dare to insult the Duke of Duan and the Duchess? Take him to the corner to reflect for an hour.”

“Over my dead body!”

But the guards obeyed her orders without hesitation, dragging Shen Zijiao to the corner.

“Why do you listen to this wicked woman so much? Are you her dogs? I am the young master of the Crown Prince’s household, and you…”

Shen Zijiao shouted, but before he could finish, something struck his foot, causing him to jump in pain.

Just as he was about to scream, Tan Qingjiu’s icy voice rang out: “Sorry, you are merely the young master of the Crown Prince’s household, but I am the Duchess of Duan, recently betrothed to the Duke by imperial decree.”

“The Duke of Duan is the Emperor’s own son, the younger brother of your grandfather. By rank, you should call me Grandmother.”

“With my status, it’s perfectly acceptable to teach you a lesson, isn’t it?”

“You insult the Duke as a madman and call me a wicked woman. Go ahead and make a scene—better yet, bring your great-grandfather the Emperor here to hear how you talk back disrespectfully. Then you can see who will be punished: you or me.”