Chapter 63: Blood Recognition

Tan Yunge’s expression shifted several times. “But Prince Duan is a madman—a madman known to all! Ask any noblewoman in the capital, which one would be willing to marry him? You surely wouldn’t want it either. It’s true he said he would marry you, and it’s true you’ve used his name to act as you please in the city.”

“But did you ever really mean to marry him? Aren’t you afraid that, once he brings you home, on your wedding night, he might cut out your heart?”

“Enough, Crown Princess!” The words had barely left Tan Yunge’s lips when Princess Ding’s harsh voice rang out.

Her face was tight with displeasure, her hands gripping the arms of her chair. “What nonsense are you spouting? Apologize! You must apologize to Prince Duan!”

Tan Yunge clenched her teeth. Why should she apologize? Prince Duan was indeed a madman, and he wasn’t even present.

Her lip trembled, and she wailed, “Mother, in the eight years I’ve been in the Ding Prince’s household, I have always behaved properly. I’ve tried my best in all things and have been dutiful toward you.”

“But how could I have known, Mother, that you’d rather believe two outsiders than trust me?”

“I…” Tan Yunge choked up. “I don’t even know how to prove my innocence. Maybe… Maybe I should just die instead?”

She raised her eyes and glanced around, then fixed on a wall and rushed toward it.

Tan Qingjiu raised an eyebrow—was she really going to do it, or just pretending?

Tan Yunge dashed to the wall, hesitated a moment, then bumped herself against it.

“Aren’t you going to help the Crown Princess? Go see if she’s all right!” Princess Ding pressed her hand to her temple, her head throbbing.

Tan Yunge was helped up. There was only the faintest red mark on her forehead; not even the skin was broken.

Tan Qingjiu arched her brows—clearly just for show.

“What’s the point of banging your head? If you say you’re innocent, then find a way to prove it.”

Tan Yunge sobbed, “How could I have known, after all these years, that someone would try to claim my child as their own? What proof could I possibly have?”

“Do you expect me to find the old midwife and all the servants from back then, and bring them here to confront each other?”

A maid suddenly spoke up, “Why not settle it directly with a blood test?”

Tan Qingjiu glanced at the maid; she must belong to Tan Yunge.

Sure enough, Tan Yunge’s eyes lit up at once. “That’s right, a blood test is a good idea. Mother, bring Zijiao here so we can test our blood together.”

Princess Ding’s eyes flickered, and after a moment’s thought she nodded. “Very well, let’s do a blood test. There’s no better way. It’s the fastest and most convenient.”

“However, until the truth is clear, Zijiao need not know the reason. Just bring him next door. Madam Zhang, fetch the blood.”

“Yes, madam.”

Tan Xingyou and Tan Xingqi both looked up at Tan Qingjiu, whose expression remained perfectly calm.

Now that Nanny Li had vanished and she had no compelling evidence or witnesses, she considered using her medical space for a paternity test. But these people wouldn’t even know what a paternity test was; they certainly wouldn’t believe it.

Best to watch and wait.

Soon, Madam Zhang returned with a bowl containing Shen Zijiao’s blood. Tan Yunge glanced at her maid, who nodded slightly, and only then did she rise and add a drop of her own blood to the bowl.

Princess Ding and the Crown Prince both leaned in to watch as the two drops of blood in the bowl slowly merged together.

“They’re merging! They’re merging!”

Tan Yunge lifted her hand to wipe away imaginary tears. “Didn’t I say? Zijiao is my own child. A blood test can’t be faked.”

She looked up at Tan Qingjiu, her eyes brimming with pride. “Second Sister, the blood test result is out. What more is there for you to say?”

For a moment, all eyes turned to Tan Qingjiu, including Prince Ding’s heir, Shen Xiao.

There was a trace of amusement in Shen Xiao’s eyes, and a faint smile on his lips. “Actually, Second Miss Tan, you’re so beautiful. If you truly wish to enter my household, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

Tan Yunge’s face changed abruptly, her gaze sharpening.

Only Tan Qingjiu remained serene. “Since we’re testing blood, it seems odd to test just me and my sister. Why not take more blood and test it with me, and with the Prince as well?”

Tan Yunge gritted her teeth and drew a long breath—seeking her own doom.

If Tan Qingjiu insisted on this, she would see it through to the bitter end.

“Very well. Bring two more bowls of blood.”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. Soon, cries from Shen Zijiao were heard next door, and before long, two more blood-filled bowls were brought in.

Tan Qingjiu and Shen Xiao stepped forward, each choosing a separate bowl and picking up a needle.

Shen Xiao glanced at Tan Qingjiu. “Feels a bit like a blood oath, doesn’t it?”

Tan Qingjiu ignored him and simply pricked her finger, letting a drop of blood fall.

“It’s merging, merging—this bowl is merging too! What’s going on?”

Shen Xiao’s result came soon after. “The young master’s blood and the Prince’s—didn’t merge?!”

Tan Qingjiu looked at Tan Yunge, her lips lifting in a subtle smile.

She had seen clearly how Tan Yunge signaled her maid earlier.

This blood test might work on the people of Qingning, but for her, it was all too easy to manipulate.

Tan Yunge had hoped to use the test to prove Zijiao was hers, but Tan Qingjiu decided to muddy the waters even further.

Feigning confusion like the rest of the dumbfounded room, Tan Qingjiu exclaimed, “Oh my, what is happening? The young master’s blood merges with mine and my sister’s, but not with the Prince’s?”

“Could it be that the young master is the child of my sister and me? That would be utterly absurd.”

She turned and beckoned to Xingqi and Xingyou. “Why not have these two children test with the Prince as well?”

Tan Yunge bit her lip hard, her gaze fixed on the three bowls of blood, then at the two children at Tan Qingjiu’s side.

“No need!”

“Go ahead, let’s do it,” said Shen Xiao at the same time, the two of them speaking in complete opposition.

Tan Qingjiu laughed. “The Prince says to proceed, so let’s proceed.”

A servant looked to Princess Ding, whose face was full of doubt and anxiety. After a long moment, she nodded, and the servant brought in two more bowls of clear water.

Xingqi and Xingyou each stepped forward and let a drop of blood fall into the water.

Then it was Shen Xiao’s turn.

Everyone stared at the bowls, watching as, in both, the drops of blood slowly merged together.