Chapter 106: A Single Effort Brings a Son
Before Tan Qingjiu had even stepped out of the main courtyard, she heard the sound of something falling inside. She glanced toward the main hall, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It seemed she had managed to anger Chen Yueru quite severely.
Qingdai lowered her voice, “Should we notify Prince Duan beforehand? Or should we have him send a nanny over directly?”
“No need,” Tan Qingjiu said with a slight curl of her lips. “Just pull a nanny from our own staff. I’ve already made it clear; Chen Yueru wouldn’t dare disbelieve me. Besides, she’s quite afraid of Shen Yingjue. She wouldn’t risk asking him whether he really sent a nanny to help me count the dowry.”
A sly glint flashed in Tan Qingjiu’s eyes as she chuckled softly. “I suppose this is what they call ‘the fox borrowing the tiger’s might.’”
Together with Qingdai, Tan Qingjiu emerged from the inner courtyard, where Shen Yingjue was already waiting.
She hurried forward. “Prince, thank you for waiting.”
“It’s hardly been long,” Shen Yingjue’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I’ve already had your belongings moved onto the carriage. Your Highness, shall we depart?”
Tan Qingjiu cast a cool glance his way. “Please, Prince Duan, lead the way. Otherwise, if Lord Tan sees it, he might say I’m disrespectful and don’t know proper etiquette.”
Shen Yingjue laughed lightly but then leaned close to her ear and whispered, “You don’t need to follow etiquette before me, Your Highness.”
A warm breath brushed her ear, sending a delicate tingling sensation.
Her ears flushed slightly, and just as she was about to respond, Shen Yingjue swiftly pulled away and strode ahead.
Tan Yun personally escorted them to the gate of the residence, his face full of reluctance. “Qingjiu, I entrust you to Prince Duan’s care.”
Shen Yingjue glanced teasingly at Tan Qingjiu and chuckled, “Rest assured, Lord Tan. Qingjiu is to be my future wife. I will take good care of her.”
Quickly, Tan Qingjiu lowered her gaze, a shy expression on her face. “Father, please return first. Your daughter will come back.”
“Of course you will,” Tan Yun laughed heartily. “After all, when Qingjiu marries Prince Duan, she must first return to our Tan residence and be married off from here.”
Tan Qingjiu’s cheeks flushed a deep red as she hurriedly climbed into the carriage.
“Hahaha...” Tan Yun’s expression grew even more joyful. “This child is still shy.”
---
Shen Yingjue’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I like Qingjiu just like this. Lord Tan, please take your leave. We shall take our leave now.”
“Very well.”
Shen Yingjue finally boarded the carriage.
As the carriage began to move, Tan Qingjiu lifted the curtain and glanced back toward the gate. Tan Yun was still standing there, smiling warmly at her. “Qingjiu, remember what your father told you, don’t forget it.”
Lowering her head, Tan Qingjiu replied softly, “Father, rest assured, I remember.”
As the carriage drew further away, she let the curtain fall, but the moment it did, her expression changed completely.
Noticing this, Shen Yingjue smiled knowingly. “Ah Jiu really does change her face like flipping a page.”
“What did Lord Tan tell you to remember?” he asked.
Tan Qingjiu lifted her eyelids slightly, her voice calm and steady. “Tan Yun told me to seize this opportunity; to climb into Prince Duan’s bed early, to make him utterly infatuated with me, and ideally, to conceive his child as soon as possible.”
“That way, if Prince Duan dies young, I’ll already be carrying his child. If it’s a son, he will be the Emperor’s legitimate grandson. Then, by virtue of my child, I’ll enjoy endless wealth and honor.”
Shen Yingjue laughed heartily at her cold, detached tone as she spoke such words.
Once he regained composure, he fixed his gaze on her with renewed intensity. “I think Lord Tan’s idea isn’t bad at all. Ah Jiu, what do you think? Shall we put Lord Tan’s hopes into action tonight?”
“Maybe we’ll hit the mark in one strike?”
Tan Qingjiu’s lips twitched slightly. She thought she was shameless enough, but Shen Yingjue was even more so.
“No,” she said flatly, “I’m not so fortunate.”
Lowering her eyes, she spoke thoughtfully, “Though I don’t understand why Prince Duan sought the imperial decree to grant us this marriage, I know he must have other plans.”
“Prince Duan wants to use me as a shield; I’m willing to be his pawn. But I don’t like taking losses. If he uses me, then I will use him in return.”
“I will leverage Prince Duan’s name to facilitate my affairs. But I won’t do anything that harms his interests. You can rest assured.”
---
Shen Yingjue raised an eyebrow, amusement shining in his eyes.
She was the first person to openly admit she would use him.
“But I hope that if Prince Duan hears rumors of me using his name to swagger about, that he will cooperate with me to ‘play the part’ properly.”
“Of course, I will also cooperate with Prince Duan to perform his part well.”
“But all of this is just acting. Once we have each achieved our goals, we can part ways without owing each other anything.”
“Prince Duan, what do you think?”
His eyes gleamed with even more interest. “Achieve our goals and then part ways?”
“Yes.”
“But by then, Tan the Divine Doctor’s reputation will be completely ruined. This marriage decree is real. Whether the marriage is canceled or, after the wedding, they divorce, all the gossip and harm will fall solely on Tan the Divine Doctor.”
“After all, whatever a man does is tolerated and accepted by everyone. But women... it’s different.”
Tan Qingjiu showed no concern. “It doesn’t matter. Reputation and rumors only harm the weak. As long as one is strong, one need not fear gossip.”
By then, she would have risen above all others. Anyone who dared point fingers would have to think twice. What fear would she have?
Shen Yingjue’s gaze fixed steadily on Tan Qingjiu. He lightly rubbed his thumb against his forefinger.
He was increasingly curious about what kind of people she had met and what she had been through in these six years.
What had forged Tan Qingjiu into this seemingly invulnerable form...