Chapter 144: Waiting for the Storm to Pass

Tan Yun’s face had already chilled. With people watching all around, he did not throw a tantrum on the spot and instead walked straight toward their carriage.

The moment Tan Yun stepped into the carriage, Chen Yuru hurried in right behind him.

"My lord..."

Tan Yun merely let out a cold sneer. "Get out. This is the daughter you raised—she has completely disgraced my face."

Chen Yuru felt a bone-chilling cold sweep through her entire body. Was this the daughter she had raised?

So back when Tan Yunge was still the heir's consort and still useful to Tan Yun, he had constantly praised Tan Yunge, commending her for raising such a fine daughter—gentle, sensible, and generous.

Now that Shen Xiao had posted the letter of divorce for all to see, it suddenly became her fault?

And he even had the nerve to say that Tan Yunge had completely disgraced him?

Chen Yuru clenched her teeth tightly. "My lord, you always talk about how bad Yunge is, but have you ever thought about it? Before Tan Qingjiu came back, Yunge wasn't like this."

"Before Tan Qingjiu returned, whenever people outside mentioned Yunge, who didn't praise her? Who didn't say that Yunge was virtuous, gentle, dignified, and sensible?"

"Why is it that the moment Tan Qingjiu came back, everything changed?"

"My lord, have you ever thought about why that is?"

Tan Yun let out a scoff, the look he cast at Chen Yuru completely cold and detached. "Why?"

"Are you also trying to say that all of this is because of Qingjiu? Are you also trying to claim that Qingjiu schemed against Tan Yunge?"

Tan Yun’s eyes carried a sharp chill. "However, those rumors outside—the rumors about Tan Yunge seizing Tan Qingjiu's child—have you not heard them?"

Chen Yuru hastily replied, "Those are nothing but groundless talk. Did you believe them too, my lord?"

"Groundless talk?" Tan Yun hummed with a sneer. "Then do you know that quite a few officials in the imperial court are aware of this groundless talk? That they have all heard of it?"

"And do you know that even the Prince of Ding and the Heir of Ding, toward these very rumors, have adopted an entirely default attitude of acquiescence and have never once denied them?"

"Whether it is true or false, I suppose only they themselves know. But I will say this: there is no smoke without fire."

"Moreover, even leaving that matter aside, I have brought up Tan Yunge's jealousy more than once, haven't I? I’ve told her many times, haven't I? I told her that most men are bound to stray, let alone an imperial heir; having a primary wife and concubines is completely normal, and I told her to restrain herself. And what did she do?"

"It would be one thing if she refused to restrain herself; if she had the capability to clean up after her own messes, that would still count as some skill. But she lacked that ability and yet remained so unbridled. She didn't even spare the pregnant concubines inside the heir's residence..."

The more Tan Yun spoke, the more he felt that everything Tan Yunge had done previously was simply a string of faults. "Shen Xiao is the imperial heir! If nothing unexpected happens, he is the one who will inherit the prince's title in the future. Tan Yunge couldn't even give birth herself, yet she wouldn't let others bear children for Shen Xiao either?"

"Did she ever consider that if Shen Xiao's lineage were to wither away, the Prince of Ding could directly strip him of his position as heir and bestow it upon someone else?"

"If it truly came to that, she wouldn't even have a place to cry."

Tan Yun let out another cold laugh. "Well, there's no need to worry about any of that now. After all, she has already been cast aside with a letter of divorce by the heir himself. Whether the heir's lineage and his position can be preserved is no longer something she has any right to fret over."

"Tell me, you women are simply short-sighted creatures. You can't even tell what is heavy and what is light, and all day long you only know how to fight over that tiny, invisible bit of favor."

Tan Yun glanced again at Chen Yuru, who kept her head lowered with a pale face, not daring to speak. "Leaving her aside, let's talk about you. You are now my, Tan Yun's, wife and the mistress of the Tan estate."

"Do you even know what your current identity represents? It represents the fact that I am your sky, and that all your future glory and wealth are tied entirely to my single person."

"If I can rise steadily through the ranks, your status and position will naturally soar alongside me. But if I fail, if the Tan estate falls, you will have nothing left."

"Do you have any idea who the person Tan Yunge has offended is? It is the Prince of Duan!"

Tan Yun's voice grew even colder. "I know, you all think the Prince of Duan is a madman and look down on him. But no matter how much of a madman he is, he is still an imperial prince, a prince of the blood, and the current emperor's legitimate son born of the empress."

"A truly legitimate imperial prince!"

"No matter how insane he is, if he wants to crush a person to death or trample a noble family into the dust, it is easier than turning a hand."

"Conversely, if he wants to elevate someone, it is just as easy."

Tan Yun's expression grew increasingly stern. "The Prince of Duan currently favors Qingjiu—not merely with the affection between a man and a woman, but even more so because Qingjiu is currently the only person capable of controlling him when his madness flares up. Therefore, regardless of his underlying motives, the Prince of Duan will certainly never allow anything to happen to Qingjiu."

"For Tan Yunge to poison Qingjiu at a time like this—what is that if not courting death of her own accord?"

"She went looking for death herself, and yet she still expects me to save her?"

"Isn't that making me go court disaster right in front of the Prince of Duan? She wants me to die; she wants the entire Tan estate to perish!"

Chen Yuru kept her head lowered, her face pale, her lips moving slightly, but in the end, she still did not speak out.

"Then what about Yunge? In case the Prince of Duan demands her life, are we really just going to sit by and watch her die?"

Tan Yun's expression was icy, clearly showing signs of impatience. "I have already said before: at least on the surface, we must not make a single move. But behind the scenes, if an opportunity arises, we can think of a way."

"We can bide our time and wait to see the results of the official investigation. After all, Yunge still has some status, and quite a few people are watching; the Prince of Duan cannot simply execute her directly like that, so nine times out of ten, he will hand her over to the official courts for disposal."

"Once the official courts have handed down a verdict, we can devise a scheme—for instance, having someone use disguise to sneak in and take her place."

"Or perhaps, bribing the prison guards to swap her out."

"All in all, there are many methods, but we must never openly go head-to-head with the Prince of Duan. Not only will I not do it, but I will also never allow you to do such a thing either."

Chen Yuru drew a deep breath and finally nodded. "This wife understands."

"When the time comes, this wife will think of a way."

Tan Yun let out a low murmur of acknowledgment, slowly closed his eyes, and leaned back against the carriage wall to rest. "Mm. However, if Yunge's crime is indeed established and it is confirmed that she was the one who instigated the plot to harm Qingjiu, even after we rescue her, she can no longer be allowed to stay in the capital."

"Give her a new identity and send her off to some quiet place to hide for a few years first."

"Once the storm has blown over, she can simply adopt another identity and return."