Chapter 56 I Remember Everything

Not long after, Qingdai gave her the signal.

Tan Qingjiu nodded slightly, then raised her head to look at Shen Yingjue, who was sitting opposite her, sipping tea in quiet repose. “I’ve had too much tea, my stomach feels a little unwell. I need to excuse myself. Please, Your Highness, do as you wish.”

Shen Yingjue’s gaze lingered on her face, and he nodded lightly. “Of course.”

His easy acquiescence surprised Tan Qingjiu, who raised her brows in mild astonishment. Still, she did not dwell on it. She simply offered him a courteous bow and, with Qingdai in tow, left the small pavilion where they had been resting.

“I’m not sure what exactly Madam Li is planning,” Qingdai whispered, her brow furrowing. “Our people inside the estate followed her and saw her instructing servants to arrange a small courtyard—moving in flowers and plants, changing all the linens on the bed. It looked more like she was preparing a guest room for visitors to rest and change clothes.”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. “That’s all she did?”

“Yes,” Qingdai replied, unable to hide her own unease. “She also had some small items placed on the table—tea cups and such. And she removed the glass shade from the lamp. Our people said the tea cups were quite ordinary, even a bit coarse—completely different from those in the other guest rooms of the Prince’s estate. It’s strange. What could they be up to?”

Qingdai continued, “And they found a set of sky-blue clothing in Tan Yunge’s room and had a maid change into it.” She glanced at Tan Qingjiu’s attire. “At first, I thought they meant to have someone impersonate you and do something odd to ruin your reputation. But you’re not even wearing sky-blue today…”

Tan Qingjiu frowned, just as puzzled. “No matter. Just keep a close eye on them—and on that maid. See what she does.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Where is Madam Li now?”

“Our people have already gone to lure her into another courtyard. I’ll take you there now.”

Qingdai led Tan Qingjiu to a guest courtyard. The birthday banquet had yet to begin, so the place was deserted.

As they entered, they heard Madam Li’s voice from inside: “Where is everyone? Wasn’t I told a guest here lost something and needed me to bring it? Where’s the guest?”

Tan Qingjiu and Qingdai exchanged a look. Swift as a shadow, Qingdai slipped a human-skin mask from her sleeve and circled to the window.

Tan Qingjiu signaled to her hidden agents nearby—what use was a show without an audience? Only after all was prepared did she enter the room.

Inside, Madam Li, finding no one, was about to leave when she saw Tan Qingjiu appear in the doorway. Startled, she stumbled back two steps with a gasp.

Once she recognized Tan Qingjiu, Madam Li clutched her chest, her brow knitting. “Oh, it’s you, Second Miss. You gave me quite a fright. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that startling people can be deadly?”

Tan Qingjiu glanced at her, feigning confusion. “Isn’t this the guest courtyard? I asked one of the estate maids, and she confirmed it. I spilled tea on my dress just now, so I came to change. My maid went to fetch another gown from the carriage. I thought I’d wait here—is that a problem?”

Madam Li shook her head, a strange feeling gnawing at her. She had just arrived—how had Tan Qingjiu appeared so quickly? Was it pure coincidence? But as a guest, Tan Qingjiu was beyond reproach, and Madam Li dared not speak out.

“No, no, please wait here, Second Miss. I’ll take my leave.”

But Tan Qingjiu blocked her path. “Why do you look so familiar to me, Madam?”

Madam Li forced a smile. “Of course, Second Miss. I used to serve in the Tan household—first beside Madam Tan, then, because I was diligent, she assigned me to the eldest miss. Just a few days ago, I accompanied the eldest miss when we saw you, didn’t we?”

Tan Qingjiu’s eyes narrowed. “No, not a few days ago. In fact, not even after I returned to the capital.”

Her gaze bore into Madam Li, as if to pierce her through. “It must’ve been more than six years ago.”

A chill ran down Madam Li’s spine. Six years ago—had Tan Qingjiu remembered what happened then? But wasn’t this Tan Qingjiu supposed to be an imposter?

Hadn’t the heir’s wife said so? She claimed that Tan Qingjiu’s face looked like a mask, stiff if you looked closely. Madam Li had always thought Tan Qingjiu was an enemy of the Tan family, here to seek revenge in disguise.

But now, Tan Qingjiu said she found her familiar?

Countless thoughts flickered through Madam Li’s mind. Her smile faltered, the corners of her mouth trembling. “Naturally, you’d find me familiar, Miss. I’ve served the Tan household for years.”

Tan Qingjiu let out a soft laugh. “If I’m not mistaken, six years ago, after my father had me drowned in the pond, it was you and the heir’s wife who secretly rescued me, wasn’t it?”

“You kept me confined in a secluded estate, claiming you couldn’t bear to see me die so tragically, especially while pregnant. You cared for me until I was ready to give birth.”

Madam Li’s eyes flew wide. The object in her hand crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

“Did you think I wouldn’t remember? Or did you think I was never Tan Qingjiu at all?”

“Madam, I remember everything.”

“I remember six years ago, when I was about to give birth, the heir’s wife finally revealed her true nature. She told me that, having been married to the heir for years without conceiving, she plotted against me—drugged me and ruined my innocence.”

“When she found out I was carrying a child, she claimed the pregnancy as her own, rescued me from drowning, and hid me away until I gave birth—so she could take the baby and say it was hers.”

“I remember, I had a difficult labor. The heir’s wife didn’t hesitate to cut me open to take the child from my womb.”

With every word, Tan Qingjiu drew closer. Madam Li’s face drained of color; she stumbled back, panic in her eyes.

“That child is six years old now, isn’t he? His name… is Shen Zijiao, isn’t it?”

With a dull thud, Madam Li collapsed to the floor.