Chapter 55: Killing with a Borrowed Knife

Madam Li, who had always been at Tan Yunge’s side, felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, before lowering her voice, “Princess, you mustn’t. We never expected Tan Qingjiu to return today, so we haven’t prepared anything in advance.”

“And Tan Qingjiu came with Prince Duan. If something unexpected happens and things go awry, and Prince Duan finds out it was our doing, he certainly won’t let us off easily.”

“There are so many people around—however cautious we are, there’s always the risk of something going wrong. If anything happens, all the painstaking effort you’ve put into maintaining your reputation will be wasted.”

Tan Yunge clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand, her voice nearly a snarl, “Do you think I don’t know all that?”

“I would never act unless I was certain. And if it must be done, no one can trace it back to us; everything must be wiped clean.”

Her lips pressed tightly together, she stared fixedly at the flowers in the nearby garden, her mind racing.

Let Tan Qingjiu off so easily?

Impossible. She could not allow Tan Qingjiu to swagger about in front of her, unchecked.

That wretched girl, relying on that madman Prince Duan as her support, was nearly trampling all over her.

As Tan Yunge considered this, a thought suddenly struck her.

Yes, Prince Duan… he was a madman.

Though he seemed normal now, with no signs of illness, she had seen firsthand what he was like during an episode—and it was truly terrifying.

He recognized no one; anyone who came near was attacked indiscriminately. And though Prince Duan was mad, his attacks were fierce—few escaped his fury, most were either dead or gravely injured.

Tan Yunge’s eyes darted about. The Princess Consort and Prince Duan’s mother had once been close friends, even after marrying father and son, their relationship remained cordial.

From the Princess Consort, Tan Yunge had learned a few things about Prince Duan.

She knew the cause of his madness: he had witnessed his mother’s horrific death, and spent nearly half a month with her corpse, only discovered once it had rotted and bred maggots. After that, he lost his mind.

The Princess Consort had also mentioned that whenever Prince Duan encountered anything related to those events, or similar circumstances, he was easily triggered and would relapse.

Tan Yunge couldn’t help but hatch a bold scheme…

She couldn’t kill Tan Qingjiu herself today, but she could use another’s hand.

Prince Duan could be her blade.

Tan Qingjiu treated Prince Duan as her backer, but if she died by his hand, it would certainly be… most entertaining.

The more Tan Yunge thought, the more she felt her plan was feasible. She turned her head and beckoned Madam Li, “Come closer.”

Madam Li quickly stepped forward, and Tan Yunge whispered a few swift words into her ear.

Madam Li’s eyes widened in shock, “Will that actually work?”

“Of course it will. Just follow my instructions and prepare as I said.”

Still hesitant, Madam Li bit her lip, “But if Prince Duan regains his senses and realizes it was us, then…”

“Why should Prince Duan know? It’s all just coincidence, nothing to do with us.”

“Though his illness has improved, he still relapses from time to time—today, it just so happens he’ll have an episode at our manor, during the Princess Consort’s birthday banquet.”

Madam Li reviewed Tan Yunge’s instructions in her mind, taking a deep breath, “It could work, and thinking about it, yes, it’s flawless. But isn’t Tan Qingjiu a miracle doctor? Isn’t she treating Prince Duan? Didn’t Prince Duan say her medicine was very effective?”

“What if Prince Duan relapses and Tan Qingjiu manages to cure him?”

Tan Yunge sneered, her eyes openly scornful, “Cure him? Impossible. Do you truly believe Tan Qingjiu’s skills are unrivaled?”

“The Emperor has summoned countless imperial physicians and doctors for Prince Duan, all to no avail. Tan Qingjiu has only studied medicine for a few years—how could she be superior to imperial physicians?”

“That’s enough. Just do as I said. If it works, so much the better. If not, we’ll simply wash our hands of it, claim it was all an accident.”

Madam Li nodded, biting her lip, “Very well, I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

She hurried off, while Tan Yunge plucked a flower from the garden, crushing it bit by bit between her fingers, her lips curled in a mocking smile.

Tan Qingjiu—whether she was the real one, or an impostor—

Dare to challenge her?

She would make her understand that she was not so easily trifled with.

In the Peony Garden, Tan Qingjiu and Shen Yingjue sat with the Princess Consort for a while, until new guests arrived to offer birthday wishes. Shen Yingjue then took Tan Qingjiu aside to admire the flowers.

Tan Qingjiu followed him, arriving at a quieter corner of the garden.

Qingdai stepped forward, gently tugging at Tan Qingjiu’s sleeve.

Tan Qingjiu glanced at her, slowed her steps, and fell back to walk beside her.

Qingdai whispered a few words into Tan Qingjiu’s ear.

Upon hearing this, Tan Qingjiu’s lips curled into a smile, “I’ve purposely made myself conspicuous, parading in front of Tan Yunge. If she really can resist acting against me, I’d respect her as a true hero.”

“Looks like she couldn’t hold back.”

Tan Qingjiu’s gaze turned cold, “Have our people keep a close watch, follow Madam Li, and see what she intends to do.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Tan Qingjiu glanced at Shen Yingjue, who was leisurely admiring the peonies and seemed oblivious to everything else, her eyes lingering for a moment, “Find a way to lure Madam Li somewhere alone. I’ll make sure to meet her in private—I have a score to settle with that old acquaintance.”

After all, whether it was the death of Tan Qingjiu’s mother, Shen Nianqing, more than a decade ago, or the incident six years ago when her child was stolen and she was cast into the mass grave, Madam Li had been personally involved.

From her, Tan Qingjiu ought to be able to pry out many secrets.

Tan Yunge wanted to plot against her, but she planned to use this special occasion to plot against Tan Yunge in turn.

Let’s see whose methods are more cunning.

Let’s see who will prevail in the end.