Chapter 64 Hoisted by One’s Own Petard

Tan Qingjiu looked at the bewildered faces of everyone in the room, her smile growing ever brighter at the corners of her lips.

Excellent. The situation was getting even more chaotic.

“Oh my, what’s going on here?” Tan Qingjiu grinned, eyes glinting as she looked at Tan Yunge, her voice full of provocation.

Tan Xingyou, standing nearby, blinked and spoke up, “Isn’t it obvious? Since Mother and the Lady of the Heir are sisters, the child’s blood would blend with both Lady of the Heir and Mother. That doesn’t prove whether the child belongs to Lady of the Heir or Mother.”

“But since his blood doesn’t blend with the Heir, he certainly isn’t the Heir’s child.”

“My brother and I, however, our blood blends with the Heir’s, which proves we are his true sons.”

Tan Xingyou’s words stirred the already restless waters even further.

Everyone in the room wore varying expressions, each lost in their own thoughts.

Only Shen Xiao’s gaze darted back and forth between Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou. “You two are my sons, but why do you look nothing like me?”

Tan Xingyou turned to glance at Tan Qingjiu. Seeing she remained silent, he chuckled and removed the mask from his face. “Because we’re wearing masks made of human skin.”

Tan Xingqi also quietly took off his mask and lifted his eyes to look at the crowd.

The Duchess fixed her gaze on Tan Xingyou and Tan Xingqi, unable to stop herself from covering her face. “My goodness, they really do look just like Xiao.”

In comparison, Shen Zijiao was the one who least resembled Shen Xiao.

The faces of the two boys, coupled with the results of the blood test, seemed to confirm Tan Xingyou’s words.

Could it be that these two children were the true sons of the Heir of Prince Ding?

The Duchess turned her trembling hand toward Tan Yunge, pointing at Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou. “Tell me, what… what is going on here?”

Tan Yunge had brought trouble upon herself, and seeing those faces—so very like Shen Xiao’s—she was utterly shocked. Hearing the Duchess’s questioning, she stepped back several times, her face drained of color. “I… I don’t know. The blood tests are all fake.”

“If you want the blood to blend, all you need is a hot bowl scalded with boiling water, and no matter whose blood it is, it’ll blend. The blood test is a sham—a complete sham.”

The Duchess narrowed her eyes. “Yes, the blood test could indeed be fake. But what about those two? Why do they look so much like Xiao?”

Tan Yunge shook her pale face, utterly lost. She didn’t know. She didn’t know.

Why had it come to this?

Where did these two children come from?

Tan Yunge bit her lip fiercely. “It must be Tan Qingjiu. In this world, there are always one or two children who resemble the Heir. She must have spent years searching for these two, just to take revenge on me.”

“Yes, that must be it.”

Tan Qingjiu’s smile deepened. “Is that so? Then why not say, six years ago, you saved me and raised me in the other courtyard? We gave birth at the same time, and the midwife switched the children by mistake?”

Tan Yunge’s eyes lit up at Tan Qingjiu’s words. “Yes, yes, that’s it! The midwife made a mistake back then—”

She nearly repeated Tan Qingjiu’s story without thinking, but halfway through she realized she was walking right into a trap.

Sure enough, Tan Qingjiu laughed. “Oh? Is that so? Didn’t you previously deny ever saving me from drowning and raising me in the back courtyard?”

“If you won’t admit it, how can there be talk of giving birth at the same time, or children getting switched?”

Tan Qingjiu’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “Sister, there’s not a single truth in your mouth.”

Tan Qingjiu ignored Tan Yunge, turning directly to the Duchess. “You’ve seen and heard it yourself, Your Grace. Lady of the Heir has been lying all along. As for the truth, I trust only you can judge. It’s getting late; I won’t stay any longer. I’ll take my leave now.”

The Duchess still stared at Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou. “Those two…”

“I was merely speaking nonsense. Their father isn’t the Heir. The faces are only masks, nothing more. The boys are playful and enjoy wearing masks. When they saw the Heir, they thought he was handsome and made masks to look like him.”

“Xingqi, Xingyou, let’s go.”

Tan Qingjiu paid no mind to the reactions of the others, simply led Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou out the door.

Shen Xiao hurried after them. “Hey, wait! Let me see you off.”

He followed behind Tan Qingjiu, his eyes constantly flickering between Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou’s faces. “Are those really masks? They don’t look it to me.”

“Six years ago, did you and I really never meet? Could they actually be my children?”

Shen Xiao blinked. “I truly have no memory of it. But who can blame me for being so handsome? There are countless women who flock to me—ah, such trouble.”

“But if they really are my children, I’ll definitely bring them back to the Heir’s residence. I may be generous in love, but my bloodline must never be left wandering outside.”

Tan Xingqi lifted his gaze to Shen Xiao, then removed yet another mask from his face. Underneath was a face still beautiful and adorable, but nothing like Shen Xiao’s. “You’re overthinking it, Your Highness. We simply enjoy disguises, nothing more.”

Shen Xiao was left speechless, staring fixedly at Tan Xingqi’s face for a long moment.

Tan Qingjiu laughed softly. “If you have no other business, Your Highness, I’ll take my leave.”

Only when they were settled in the carriage did Tan Xingyou pat his chest in relief. “Heavens, that was terrifying! Thank goodness you came prepared, brother. If they’d made me take off another mask, I’d have been done for—I didn’t have any more to remove.”

“I got the idea from Mother, who always wears masks identical to her real face. I wanted to test if the masks I made were thin enough.”

“They worked pretty well.”

Tan Xingyou blinked, then turned to Tan Qingjiu. “Mother, is Shen Xiao really our father?”

“I feel like he’s a bit unreliable.”

“And I heard he’s rather flirtatious—he surely wouldn’t treat you well. I don’t want him as my father.”

“Fool,” Tan Xingqi rolled his eyes. “Can you choose your father?”

Tan Qingjiu’s lips curled, but inwardly she mused. In terms of looks, Tan Xingqi and Tan Xingyou really did resemble Shen Xiao, and the one who schemed against her back then… was Tan Yunge.

That person from those years ago was almost certainly Shen Xiao.

But there was always the possibility of surprises.

She could try to obtain a sample of Shen Xiao’s blood or hair and bring it back to her medical space for a paternity test.