Chapter 57 She Is Finished

Nanny Li’s face was deathly pale, drained of all color. Her eyes landed on Tan Qingjiu, but she suddenly snapped back to herself.

Tan Qingjiu had come alone.

Not even a maid accompanied her. So… what was there to be afraid of?

Nanny Li finally gathered her wits, mustering a bit of resolve. “So what if you really are Tan Qingjiu? You remember what happened six years ago—so what?”

“You think that if you tell others about this, anyone will believe you?”

“After all, six years ago, it was you who became pregnant before marriage. Everyone knows what kind of person Tan Qingjiu is. Everyone knows you were shameless, that you had an affair and became pregnant early, and that Master drowned you in the pond for it.”

“The Lady of the Heir is your complete opposite. All these years, she’s worked hard to build her reputation, which is far better than yours. Second Miss, if you don’t believe me, you can go outside and repeat everything you just said in front of the guests and see if anyone believes you.”

Tan Qingjiu’s lips curled into a smile; she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

Nanny Li must have committed so many misdeeds, and since nothing had ever happened to her before, her courage had only grown.

“Oh? You think no one will believe me? Does that mean you’re admitting what happened back then?”

“Of course. With only the two of us here, what does it matter if I admit it?”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. Truly, her courage had grown.

Right in front of her, she didn’t even bother with formalities, speaking as an equal.

“Who do you think will believe you?”

“I do.” Before Nanny Li could finish, a gentle yet commanding voice sounded from outside the door.

Nanny Li’s eyes widened in shock. That voice… that voice…

Her heart lurched. She saw a maid leading Princess Consort Ding inside.

Princess Consort Ding’s expression was equally grim; she glared at Nanny Li, teeth clenched. “Well, I never expected there would be such a story behind Zijiao’s birth.”

“Your courage is truly astounding!”

Nanny Li hastily straightened. “Princess, it’s not like that—the situation isn’t what you think.”

“Oh? It’s not as I think?” The Princess Consort’s gaze grew sharper. “Then what is it? Or do you think my ears have failed me, and what I heard with my own ears was a lie?”

She had no intention of listening to Nanny Li’s excuses. Turning her head, she ordered, “Someone, bring the Lady of the Heir here. I want to ask her myself what exactly is going on.”

“To tamper with the royal bloodline—do you know what kind of crime that is?”

Nanny Li collapsed to the ground once more, and only one thought filled her mind: it’s over.

It’s over.

How could Princess Consort Ding be here?

The Lady of the Heir would surely kill her.

Panic surged in Nanny Li’s eyes as she stammered, “No, we didn’t tamper with the royal bloodline.”

But her explanation was feeble, wholly incapable of quelling the Princess Consort’s fury. Still, her weak words did not escape Tan Qingjiu’s notice.

They didn’t tamper with the royal bloodline?

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. They admitted that Shen Zijiao was not born to Tan Yunge, yet claimed they hadn’t tampered with the royal bloodline—was that really what she thought it meant?

As she pondered this, hurried footsteps sounded outside. “Princess, something’s wrong—there’s been an incident!”

Princess Consort Ding drew a sharp breath, her face ashen. “Why are you shouting? What’s the matter?”

What matter could possibly be more important than just learning that the grandson she’d doted on for years was not her true grandson?

The maid hesitated before blurting, “It’s Lord Duan!”

“Lord Duan has taken ill!”

Both Tan Qingjiu and Princess Consort Ding were startled.

“What happened?”

“How did he suddenly fall ill?”

“Where is Lord Duan now?”

Interrogated by both women, the maid grew flustered, lowering her head. “I… I don’t know why Lord Duan became ill. He’s in the rear garden now—it’s chaos there. The guards have already gone. Princess, you should hurry and take a look.”

Panic gnawed at Princess Consort Ding’s heart. She quickly turned and rushed outside.

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes, studying Nanny Li’s face. Detecting something strange in her expression and recalling Qingdai’s previous report, she began to suspect, “It was you and Tan Yunge, wasn’t it?”

Nanny Li dared not admit it and shook her head hurriedly. “Second Miss, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Tan Qingjiu had no time to linger. With Shen Yingjue’s condition uncertain, she needed to hurry over. She coldly snorted, “If you wish no one to know, do not do it yourself.”

She stepped toward the door. As she left, she saw a maid standing there and said quietly, “Please keep an eye on the nanny inside—Princess Consort Ding will want to question her about important matters later.”

“Yes,” the maid replied softly. Only then did Tan Qingjiu hasten away.

Once Tan Qingjiu and Princess Consort Ding had left, Nanny Li let out a long breath.

Thank goodness.

She hadn’t expected that what Tan Yunge had arranged earlier would end up saving her life.

Fortunately, when Tan Yunge instructed her to do those things, she had hesitated but still carried them out.

But…

The truth of Shen Zijiao’s birth six years ago had already been exposed to Princess Consort Ding. Once the princess finished dealing with Lord Duan, she would surely come back to interrogate her.

By then, she’d be finished.

No—she couldn’t just sit here and await her doom.

Nanny Li gripped her skirt tightly; sweat had soaked her back. She could not, would not, simply wait for death.

She glanced at the maid guarding the door, then at the nearby open window—placed so that the maid at the door wouldn’t see it.

With Princess Consort Ding and Tan Qingjiu gone, this was her only chance.

Nanny Li quietly shuffled two steps toward the window, but just as she was about to move again, the maid’s voice came from the door, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Nanny Li froze.

Wretched girl.

Her eyes darted. Having served Chen Yueru and later Tan Yunge, she’d been through much. How could she fear this worthless maid?

With a grimace, she clutched her belly, her face turning pale. “My stomach—my stomach suddenly hurts.”

“Don’t play tricks. Endure it.”

“It really hurts. I won’t try to run. I saw a vase in the main hall earlier—it’s not valuable. Could you bring it to me?”

The maid, half convinced, saw that Nanny Li did look pale and in pain. The vase was just a few steps away, so she picked it up and handed it over. “Don’t try anything funny, or—”

Before the maid could finish, Nanny Li grabbed the vase, yanked it from her grasp, and brought it crashing down onto the maid’s head.