Chapter 27 Chicken Dung White? Chicken Dung!

Tan Qingjiu watched Tan Yunge, who seemed to want to speak but could not utter a word, and a smile appeared in her eyes. “Ah, I forgot—Sister still cannot speak.”

Tan Qingjiu took a silver needle and swiftly pricked several acupuncture points on Tan Yunge’s body.

“What are you doing!”

Tan Yunge quickly retreated two steps, looking at Tan Qingjiu with wary eyes. When she realized she had just made a sound, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth, incredulous. “I can speak now?”

“I really can speak!”

Tan Qingjiu nodded, her lips curled in a half-smile. “The rash on Sister’s face and body is quite severe. It must be treated both internally and externally. The herbs to clear heat and reduce inflammation tend to be rather bitter.”

Tan Yunge’s face showed suspicion. Tan Qingjiu was being so earnest—was it really just because the medicine was bitter?

“In addition to taking medicine, you need to apply it externally. For the external application, you must mix powdered chicken droppings with water into a paste and apply it to the areas with rash. Three times a day, each time for half an hour, and continue for three days. The rash will disappear completely.”

Tan Yunge memorized the name of the ingredient, frowning. “Is it really that simple?”

Tan Qingjiu nodded. “Once the cause is found, curing the illness is not difficult. Don’t worry, Sister. Though my method is simple, as long as you follow it, I guarantee your rash will be gone in three days, and your beauty will be restored.”

“Do you want me to write the prescription, or will you get the herbs yourself?”

Tan Yunge did not believe Tan Qingjiu would be so kind as to cure her, and pressed her lips together. “I’ll find a pharmacy myself later. Just write the prescription for me.”

“Alright.”

Tan Qingjiu’s attitude was excellent, agreeing to everything. She called for someone to bring brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, wrote the prescription, and handed it to Tan Yunge.

“My first patient is about to arrive, so I won’t see you off.”

Tan Yun responded, “When will you move back to the Tan residence? Shall I send someone to help you pack?”

“No need. This place is full of herbs; it’s hard to tidy up if it gets messy. I’ll pack myself and move back once I’m done.”

“Very well.”

The three descended the stairs. As they reached the stairway, they saw someone coming up from below.

“Minister Wang?” Tan Yun halted.

The middle-aged man addressed as Minister Wang looked up at Tan Yun. “Ah, so it’s Lord Tan. Are you here to see the renowned physician as well?”

Tan Yun neither confirmed nor denied, just looked at Minister Wang with curiosity. “You too, Minister Wang?”

“Yes.” Minister Wang smiled. “My legs have had chronic problems. Old injuries make them ache terribly on rainy days, making it difficult to walk. I’d heard the renowned physician’s skills were extraordinary, so I came to try. At first, I doubted her because she’s so young, but with just one application of her ointment, the effect was immediate.”

“So, now that the treatment course is finished, I’ve come to see if she needs to change my medicine.”

Tan Yun’s gaze flickered, and he stepped aside. “That’s wonderful. If you’re eager to see the physician, hurry upstairs.”

After Minister Wang ascended and entered, Tan Qingjiu couldn’t help but snort coldly. “I don’t believe it. Tan Qingjiu is barely in her twenties—can her medical skills really be that good?”

“That’s not the right way to look at it. Talent is mysterious. True or not, the fact remains that patients improve after seeing her, and her reputation is growing throughout the capital.”

“Most who seek her treatment are wealthy or noble. If we convince Tan Qingjiu to return to the Tan residence, it will benefit us greatly.”

Tan Qingjiu ground her teeth. “Does Father know that yesterday Tan Qingjiu encountered the heir apparent on the street? The heir’s carriage lost control and was stopped by Tan Qingjiu’s people. The heir even spoke to her, and she took his pulse…”

Tan Yun frowned, puzzled. “The heir’s horse went mad, and Qingjiu stopped it—is there anything wrong with that?”

Tan Yunge bit her lip. The matter of Shen Zijiao being Tan Qingjiu’s child was something she had kept tightly concealed, even from Tan Yun and Chen Yue Ru. She certainly could not tell them that she suspected Tan Qingjiu had acted deliberately, purposely approaching Shen Xiao to use Shen Zijiao as leverage against her.

Tan Yunge took a deep breath. Moreover, when she was being treated earlier, she had carefully observed Tan Qingjiu’s face, which had a certain stiffness, as if… she were wearing a human-skin mask.

She had no idea whether this was truly Tan Qingjiu or someone impersonating her, but a sense of unease gnawed at her.

She had originally intended, whether Tan Qingjiu was real or fake, to simply find a way to kill her. Yet now, Tan Yun was plotting to use Tan Qingjiu for his own ends.

It seemed things were slipping out of her control, and an inexplicable frustration grew within her.

Tan Yunge set her face sternly. “I think she did it on purpose.”

Tan Yun’s frown deepened. “You’re becoming more and more unreasonable. Do you know the rumors outside say you’re jealous? Though you are the heir’s wife, you are only that. It is normal for the heir to take several wives and concubines. Yet you are always suspicious, and now you even accuse Qingjiu for no reason.”

Tan Yunge, hearing this, grew furious, her chest heaving.

“Father thinks Tan Qingjiu’s medical skills will bring you profit and wants to use her—there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t you fear that Tan Qingjiu has returned for revenge? After all, you were the one who ordered her drowned years ago.”

“Now you treasure her, Father—be careful you don’t breed a tiger that will harm you.”

With those words, Tan Yunge climbed into the carriage. “Let’s go, return to the residence.”

“She—she—!” Tan Yun was livid.

Chen Yue Ru hurriedly said, “Don’t be angry, sir. Yunge is just worried. Tan Qingjiu’s appearance is indeed rather strange; you should be careful.”

“Careful? I am her father. Would she dare commit such an outrage as to kill me? It’s Yunge who’s growing more unruly, thinking that being the heir’s wife entitles her to arrogance.”

Chen Yue Ru gently tried to soothe him.

Tan Yunge had expected Tan Yun’s anger and paid it no mind. Upon returning to the heir’s residence, she summoned the household physician and handed him the prescription.

The physician studied it carefully, his eyes brightening. “This prescription is quite ingenious. How did I not think of it before?”

Tan Yunge pressed her lips together. “Is there any problem with it?”

“Rest assured, it fits the symptoms—no problem at all.”

“But the chicken droppings used for the rash…” The physician glanced nervously at Tan Yunge, hesitant to speak.

“What is it? Is there a problem with using chicken droppings?”

“There’s no problem with the medicine—it should work very well. But, chicken droppings… it really is just chicken excrement.”