Chapter 156: Doing Whatever I Want With You

Tan Qingjiu raised an eyebrow. "Not doing too well?"

"Mhm," Xingqi replied. "Although that Tan Yunge has countless faults, Shen Zijiao has called her mother for so many years after all, and has always believed Tan Yunge was his real mother."

"From the way Shen Zijiao treated you before, Mother, it's easy to see that he trusted Tan Yunge deeply."

"So when he suddenly found out that Tan Yunge had poisoned him, he had a hard time accepting it. And now, learning not only that she poisoned him, but also used him to poison you, Mother, he is having an existential crisis."

Hearing Xingqi use such a serious, grown-up tone to describe an existential crisis, Tan Qingjiu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yet with both human and physical evidence present, he has no choice but to believe it, doesn't he?" The smile on Tan Qingjiu's face gradually faded.

"Indeed. Exactly because the evidence is irrefutable and leaves him no room for disbelief, he is not doing very well right now."

Tan Qingjiu roughly understood Shen Zijiao's current reaction and merely nodded. "It's fine. Some truths are things he simply must bear. Only by cutting away the rotting flesh can new skin grow."

"We have completely shattered the illusion of Tan Yunge he held in his mind, exposing her true face to him."

"Although Shen Zijiao is young and has been doted on into a somewhat unruly state by Tan Yunge, his inherent nature is not so corrupt that he would condone what Tan Yunge did or think her actions were righteous."

"Therefore, through this ordeal, he will become completely disillusioned with Tan Yunge. I believe that after this passes, he will undergo a major transformation. Right now, we just need to give him time."

Xingyou tilted his head. "Give him time? How do we give him time?"

"By wandering around his quarters less, letting him accept this on his own, and figuring out the path he should take next."

"How long will that take?" Xingyou frowned.

"Two days at most, I suppose."

"Fine." Xingyou looked rather reluctant. He actually quite enjoyed going to play with Shen Zijiao; although Shen Zijiao was a bit... foolish, he was still quite fun.

About a quarter of an hour after Xingyou and Xingqi left, Shen Yingjue's voice sounded outside, seemingly speaking with the steward. The voice was low, and Tan Qingjiu couldn't catch the exact words.

After a short while, Shen Yingjue entered the room.

"I heard from Yebei that there was an assassination attempt?"

"Mhm," Tan Qingjiu nodded. "The corpses were all taken away by your shadow guard. He should have told you that I let one person go, right?"

"He did," Shen Yingjue curved his lips. "He said the Princess Consort poisoned them and let that person escape intentionally to investigate who is behind the assassins."

"Indeed," Tan Qingjiu replied. "Those assassins must have been targeting you. Judging from the hints in their whispered conversations, they do not wish for me to stay alive and treat your illness."

Tan Qingjiu lifted her eyelids. "I never expected that although Prince Duan stays confined to his manor all day long, he has managed to make quite a few enemies outside."

Shen Yingjue laughed. "It shouldn't be enemies I made personally, but rather enemies made by the very status of Prince Duan, the legitimate son of the current Emperor. Even though I have been sickly since childhood, there are still plenty of people in this capital who want my life."

"I am already accustomed to it. It's just that... the Princess Consort may have to endure some hardship from now on."

Tan Qingjiu simply rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered to entertain him.

"Did the Emperor summon you two because of my condition?"

"Mhm."

Shen Yingjue smiled. "He asked me how much of the medicine you prescribed remains and how long it can sustain me. He also asked Shen Xiao if he could find Tan Yunge and somehow coax her into handing over your antidote first, before divorcing her."

Shen Yingjue walked over leisurely, seated himself in a chair, and drooped his eyelids. "I've said it before: he cannot bear for me to die."

"Not only because I am his son, but also because—as you likely have heard—quite a few officials in the imperial court are students of my maternal grandfather. He needs to use me to keep this faction in check. If I die, chaos will inevitably ensue in the imperial court."

Tan Qingjiu couldn't help glancing at Shen Yingjue. "But your maternal grandfather..."

"Him?" Tan Qingjiu let out a light laugh. "He wishes for me to become a puppet in his hands, devoid of my own thoughts, obeying his every word blindly. But later he found out that as I grew older, I became less and less obedient, constantly defying his demands and ideas. So, he no longer wanted me as a puppet."

"However, since I know too many of his secrets, my death is the best outcome for him."

"My death not only buries all the secrets I hold deep in the earth, but also allows him to use my demise as an excuse for his faction in the court to stage an uprising, naturally and logically."

The more Tan Qingjiu listened, the stranger it felt. These matters should be considered Shen Yingjue's deep secrets, right? Why would Shen Yingjue...

"Why are you telling me all this?" Tan Qingjiu looked utterly incredulous. "I am merely a physician."

Shen Yingjue suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "That's right, I told you on purpose. These are all my secrets. Although you probably guessed before that the person who poisoned me was Ran Yungui, you didn't know why he did it, did you?"

"That is the reason."

"Once you know these things, you can never leave me or Prince Duan's Manor. Otherwise... even if I have to dig three feet into the earth, I will hunt you down. And then..."

A bloodthirsty gleam flashed across Shen Yingjue's eyes, though it quickly subsided, returning to total tranquility as if that flash of savagery had never existed.

"I couldn't bear to kill you, after all, you are quite entertaining. Instead, I would lock you away and do as I pleased with you..."

Tan Qingjiu wore a cold face. "There is one thing I have never told Prince Duan. Actually... I am deaf."

Shen Yingjue burst into laughter once more.

"Come, follow me to my room. I will show you something amusing."

"Can I decline?"

Shen Yingjue shook his head. "Of course not."

"Come along."

Silently, Tan Qingjiu followed Shen Yingjue into his bedchamber. Before long, a tiny, crisp bell began to tinkle.

Immediately afterwards, Tan Qingjiu watched as the bookshelf leaning against the wall in Shen Yingjue's room suddenly slid open.

From within stepped a figure...

The hand with which Tan Qingjiu gripped the armrest of her chair tightened abruptly. The person who had arrived was none other than Prince Ding's Heir, Shen Xiao.

Looking at Shen Xiao, Tan Qingjiu instantly knew that Shen Yingjue was entirely serious about ensuring she would never have a chance to leave—unless she died.

Shen Yingjue had not been joking just now.