Chapter 25: There is no lasting grudge between father and daughter

Tan Yun’s expression was so earnest that Tan Qingjiu couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, quietly pondering what these two were really plotting.

“So what if I am?”

Tan Qingjiu did not answer directly, but Tan Yun took it as confirmation and hurriedly continued, “The moment I saw you at the residence that day, there was a sense of familiarity about you. When you gave your name, I already began to suspect. Still, I thought you had already… six and a half years ago…”

Tan Yun’s gaze flickered. “That’s why I didn’t dare to believe it then. After you left, I kept thinking about it, tossing and turning for days, clinging to a sliver of hope—what if it really was you?”

Suddenly, Tan Yun clapped his hands. “I never would have thought—it really is you!”

“Where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you contact the family? You clearly came home that day—why didn’t you acknowledge us?”

The more Tan Qingjiu listened, the more incomprehensible it all seemed. “Has Master Tan forgotten? Six years ago, it was you who ordered me drowned in the pond.”

“Yes,” Tan Yun nodded, “Six years ago, I did order it. But wasn’t it because you became pregnant before marriage, and couldn’t even name the man? Our daughters of the Tan family have never had such a scandal. I had just assumed the position of family head, and my own daughter created such disgrace. If I didn’t deal with it harshly, how could I command respect? So, I made that decision.”

“But not long after, I actually began to regret it.”

“Regret?” For the first time, Tan Qingjiu heard such shameless words, and a trace of mockery appeared on her face. “To say you regret it after killing someone? What, does regret bring the dead back to life? Can murderers escape justice by claiming remorse after the fact?”

Tan Yun simply wanted to give Tan Qingjiu a chance to relent, a way for father and daughter to reconcile.

He never expected Tan Qingjiu to be so unyielding.

Tan Yun began to feel angry, his brows knitting together. “Tan Qingjiu, you—”

He was about to scold her, but someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

Turning, he saw Chen Yueru shake her head at him anxiously.

Tan Yun took a deep breath and regained his composure. Of course, the Tan Qingjiu before him was no longer the timid, cowering girl who could be scolded and beaten at will in the Tan residence.

She was now a renowned healer…

His illness still required her hand.

Tan Yun forced down his irritation, though his tone remained somewhat stiff: “Who says regret is useless? Aren’t you standing here before us, safe and sound? Perhaps the heavens heard my repentance and spared you.”

He fixed his gaze on her, frowning slightly. “Qingjiu, when you came to the Tan residence to treat me but refused to acknowledge me, do you still bear resentment toward me?”

“Between father and daughter, how can there be enmity lasting overnight?”

His eyes darkened. “Besides, after six years apart, you’ve become a master physician. I suppose after that incident, you must have had some extraordinary experience. Isn’t there an old saying, ‘Great misfortune brings great fortune’? That drowning was merely a trial for you. If I hadn’t ordered it, you wouldn’t be who you are today.”

Tan Qingjiu was stunned by his shamelessness.

If not for his order, she wouldn’t be standing here today?

Thank goodness it was her standing here now, not the original Tan Qingjiu.

If the original soul were here, she’d probably die of rage from Tan Yun’s words alone.

She was drowned for being pregnant before marriage. Yet wasn’t that pregnancy the result of Tan Yunge’s scheming?

And all those events six years ago: plotting to disgrace her, steal her child, and then dispose of her body in the wild—she remembered every last one.

Even when she was being discarded, she vaguely heard Nanny Li muttering about the secret behind her mother’s death.

Of all those involved, the only one truly blameless was Tan Qingjiu.

Yet she was the one who died.

A cold glint flashed in Tan Qingjiu’s eyes, though her face remained calm and composed. “So, by Master Tan’s logic, I should be thanking you?”

“No need for thanks. It’s just that so many years have passed, and you are well now—why not let bygones be bygones?”

“You are still my daughter. Now that you’ve returned, it’s only right that you come home rather than stay at an inn. Why not move back? Let me make amends to you.”

“Move back?” Tan Qingjiu let out a cold laugh. “And what about Tan Yunge? I wonder what Father intends to do about her?”

At the mention of this, Chen Yueru anxiously glanced at Tan Yun.

He patted her hand reassuringly.

“I’ve already heard Yunge’s side of the recent conflicts between you two,” he said.

“The first time, you were at fault. Yunge is your elder sister—why did you help that woman of ill repute instead of your own sister?”

“As for the second time, though Yunge’s behavior was rather rude, it was because you’d given her medicine that made her break out in rashes. As the future princess consort, her appearance is of utmost importance. She didn’t know you were Qingjiu, so her anger was understandable.”

Tan Qingjiu raised her brows. “So, in your eyes, all of this is my fault?”

“You did err first. Still, you and Yunge are sisters, and harmony is best. Yunge is not petty—if you cure her rashes and her lost voice, apologize sincerely, she won’t hold it against you.”

Tan Qingjiu couldn’t help but laugh, remembering the words Tan Yun had just said. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and she burst out laughing, unable to stop.

Tan Yun frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m laughing at Master Tan’s remarkable reasoning.”

“In the end, everything is my fault. Master Tan is truly wasted as Chief Justice—he should be an imperial advisor.”

Seeing Tan Yun’s deepening frown, Tan Qingjiu continued, “Is it because Tan Yunge doesn’t want to kneel and plead for forgiveness that Master Tan has come in her place?”

“My child, what are you saying? I mean every word from the bottom of my heart.”

Tan Qingjiu nodded. “Yes, there is indeed some truth in what you say. Perhaps it is all my fault.”

She sneered inwardly, keeping her expression serene. “Then let Master Tan summon the princess consort here, so that I may… treat her illness.”