Chapter 148: Where There Is Life, There Is Hope

Chen Yuru took a deep breath, lowered her eyes, and said, "Alright, I understand."

After a brief moment of silence, Chen Yuru added, "I will go shortly."

"Mm." Tan Yun nodded. "Take the steward with you; he will help you handle everything."

"You had better persuade her properly. Otherwise, no one can save her."

Upon reaching the gates of the Tan residence, Tan Yun alighted from the carriage, while Chen Yuru remained inside. Tan Yun summoned the steward, who then accompanied Chen Yuru to the yamen.

As the steward went ahead to make arrangements, the magistrate lowered his voice, "It is not that I am unwilling to let you see her, but Prince Duan's estate has specifically assigned people to keep watch here."

"Prince Duan attaches great importance to this matter. You would do better to return after some time."

Just as the magistrate finished speaking, a voice rang out from behind, "Is this person here to see Tan Yunge?"

"Whose relation to Tan Yunge might you be?"

The magistrate shuddered, offered a forced, awkward smile, and hurriedly introduced the newcomer to the Tan family steward. "This is Steward Li from Prince Duan's estate."

"And this is Steward Liu from the Tan residence."

Steward Liu hurriedly bowed with a smile. "Steward Li, the situation is this: earlier, our master went to Prince Duan's estate to pay his respects to the Princess Consort and learned that the poison on her has yet to be neutralized. Therefore, our master wished to send our mistress here to see the eldest miss and persuade her to hand over the antidote, so that the poison on the Princess Consort may be cured."

"Our master has already discussed this matter with Prince Duan, and His Highness has consented."

"That is why I brought our mistress here, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tan Yunge... I wonder if Steward Li might be so kind as to bend the rules?"

Steward Li chuckled. "This is the magistrate's domain, so naturally, the magistrate has the final say. Since Prince Duan has already given his consent, what objections could I possibly have?"

With a sweep of his gaze over Chen Yuru, Steward Li continued, "I hope Madam Tan will persuade her earnestly. When Magistrate previously interrogated Tan Yunge, she proved to be stubbornly unyielding. With both human and material evidence presented against her, she still dared to blatantly lie with her eyes open and refuse to confess."

"I have already dispatched someone back to the estate to report this matter to the Prince. If you fail to persuade her, we will have no choice but to deal with her strictly according to the law."

Hearing Steward Li mention Shen Yingjue, Chen Yuru felt a slight tremor run through her body and quickly lowered her head.

"Yes, yes, yes. Rest assured, Steward Li. Our mistress is the eldest miss's biological mother; the eldest miss should still heed her words."

Only then did the magistrate instruct the jailer to lead Chen Yuru into the cells, where she soon came face to face with Tan Yunge.

Tan Yunge had likely never suffered such hardship and torment in her entire life. Her complexion was exceptionally ghastly. Hearing footsteps, she snapped her head up. Upon seeing Chen Yuru, the words Tan Yun had spoken earlier echoed in her mind, making her expression turn even uglier. "Didn't Father say he was washing his hands of me? Didn't Father abandon me completely? Why are you still here, Mother?"

Chen Yuru drew a deep breath. "Why am I here? What else could I possibly be here for? Naturally, I am here to persuade you."

"Persuade me?" Tan Yunge stared at Chen Yuru for a moment before bursting into bitter laughter. "You actually came to persuade me, Mother? To persuade me of what?"

Without answering her directly, Chen Yuru simply said, "Although your father claimed with his lips that he wanted nothing to do with you, the moment you were taken away, he still brought me with him to Prince Duan's estate."

"Do you know what we saw and heard while we were there?"

Showing little interest, Tan Yunge turned her gaze away.

Unfazed, Chen Yuru took a deep breath and continued, "That little vixen Tan Qingjiu has truly mastered the art of seduction to perfection. Prince Duan said that Tan Qingjiu lives with him—right there in the master courtyard."

"Do you know what this signifies?" Chen Yuru pressed her lips together. "You married into the Heir's estate so many years ago; has the Heir ever allowed you to move into the master courtyard?"

Tan Yunge furrowed her brows. Naturally, he never had.

"Not just you. I have followed your father for so many years, elevated to the position of primary wife for over a decade, yet I have never once lived in the master courtyard."

"As far as I know, across this entire capital, among all the noble households, the only couples where the primary wife and the master of the house share the quarters of the main courtyard are those of the Shen family—that is, Tan Qingjiu's maternal grandparents. Because her grandfather took only one wife his entire life and kept no concubines, they shared the same courtyard."

"Aside from them, there is only Princess Yunhua. And that is simply because she is a Grand Princess, so her imperial consort naturally dared not take any concubines, forcing them to live together."

"Apart from these, there are no others."

Tan Yunge's eyes were filled with disdain. "So what? Just because Shen Yingjue is letting Tan Qingjiu live in the main courtyard now doesn't mean he won't make her move out later."

Chen Yuru nodded. "Yes, that is true."

"However, this at least proves that Tan Qingjiu currently enjoys immense favor from Prince Duan."

"Though Prince Duan is ailing, he commands the deep favor of His Majesty. Today, when I visited Prince Duan's estate, I realized that its furnishings and layout are countless times more exquisite and magnificent than those of Prince Ding's estate. The imperial preference is as clear as day."

Chen Yuru's expression turned grim. "I am not saying that Tan Qingjiu is untouchable. But if you are going to make a move against her, you ought to do it cleanly and thoroughly, leaving no trace for anyone to discover, and giving no one a handle against you."

"When I was at Prince Duan's estate earlier, I witnessed something else. I saw Prince Duan execute a physician on the spot simply because he failed to cure Tan Qingjiu's poison. I saw the servants carry out the corpse, and those servants looked entirely accustomed to it."

"Prince Duan is ill; he kills without blinking an eye and is ruthlessly cruel. He casually murdered the Princess Consort bestowed upon him by the Empress, yet His Majesty did not blame him in the slightest. If he decides to vent his wrath on you because of Tan Qingjiu and wants your life, it would be far easier than crushing an ant."

Chen Yuru took a deep breath. "If you want revenge, if you want to see Tan Qingjiu come to a miserable end, you must first stay alive. You have to live long enough to witness it."

"Since you have already startled the prey, you might as well simply hand over the antidote and save your own skin first."

Chen Yuru bit her lip. "Hand over the antidote, and your father and I will undoubtedly find a way to rescue you. You may need to leave the capital for a period to lie low and avoid the storm, returning only after the situation has calmed down."

"While there is life, there is hope."

"Didn't that Tan Qingjiu leave the capital for six years, learn a host of skills outside, and then run back to exact her revenge and settle scores with us?"

"If she could accomplish that, do you think you cannot?"