Chapter 84: The Tail

Shen Chang'an nodded, thrusting his sword to the side. "Why don’t you just come live with us at the Shen family estate, Qingjiu? Leave the matter of vengeance to us. You’re just a child—your only task is to hide safely behind us."

"Wait and see if I don’t tear Tan Yun limb from limb."

Tan Qingjiu lowered her gaze and let out a soft laugh. So this body, too, had family who loved her so dearly.

It was a pity she’d left too soon, never living to see this moment.

She shook her head. "Grandfather, Grandmother, I am not a delicate flower that needs sheltering from wind and rain. I have long since grown into a towering tree, weathered by life’s storms."

"My revenge is mine alone to claim. I must find a way to remain in the Tan household, gather evidence, clear my mother’s name, and avenge myself."

"Very well!" Shen Chang'an gritted his teeth. "That’s my granddaughter, all right!"

Madam Shen glanced at Tan Qingjiu, her brows gently furrowing. "Then what do you intend to do?"

"Running into you today was pure chance," Tan Qingjiu replied, "but I think it’s best that Tan Yun doesn’t learn of our reunion. If he suspects I’m too close with you, he’ll surely grow wary."

"Let’s pretend none of this ever happened today."

"In public, we should avoid contact for now. In private, if I discover anything useful within the Tan household, I’ll write to you both."

"Would that be agreeable?"

Madam Shen regarded her for a moment, then nodded gently. "Very well, Qingjiu. Yours is a careful mind—we’ll do as you say."

Shen Chang'an, on the other hand, looked rather disgruntled. "After all this trouble to find my granddaughter, now I have to pretend I don’t know her."

"This is just a stopgap. Once we have hard evidence, when we’ve avenged my mother, we’ll have all the time in the world together."

"Fine, we’ll do as you say."

Tan Qingjiu smiled. "Thank you, Grandfather, Grandmother."

"I shouldn’t linger in this carriage much longer, so I won’t return to the Shen estate with you."

"Oh, that’s right," she turned to Madam Shen, "after Mother passed, the dowry she brought to the Shen family was seized by Chen Yueru. I stirred up some trouble in the Tan household, and Chen Yueru promised to return my mother’s dowry. But all Mother’s old maids and attendants are either dead, escaped, or turned against us—no one else knows exactly what was in her dowry."

"I was worried Chen Yueru might pull some tricks there. Fortunately, I ran into you. Grandmother, do you still have the original dowry list? That way, I can catch Chen Yueru in her lies if need be."

Madam Shen couldn’t help but smile at how openly Tan Qingjiu mentioned seeking trouble. "I do."

She took a deep breath. "In fact, I brought those things back with me this time. They’re at the very bottom of my jewelry chest—I’ll have my maid fetch them for you."

Tan Qingjiu hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly and was a little surprised.

Sure enough, before long, a maid arrived carrying a ledger.

Madam Shen took the ledger, her gaze tinged with nostalgia. "These are the ones—your mother’s dowry list. Here, take it."

Tan Qingjiu nodded. "Thank you, Grandmother. I’ll make a copy, and the original will be returned to you intact."

"Good."

For Madam Shen, this ledger was a precious keepsake—the only one, now that she knew Shen Nianqing was gone. She didn’t want to lose a single thing of her daughter’s.

"Make sure you claim back every piece of your mother’s dowry. Never let that viper of a woman take what was hers."

"I will," Tan Qingjiu promised, lifting the curtain to glance outside. "Grandfather, please have the carriage stop somewhere a little more secluded."

Shen Chang'an agreed, and soon the carriage came to a halt.

Tan Qingjiu bent to step out, and Madam Shen softly reminded her, "If anything happens at the Tan household, send word to us. No matter what, we are your grandparents—we will always help you."

"I know. Take care, Grandfather, Grandmother."

Just as she was about to leave, she paused and turned to Shen Chang'an. "By the way, Grandfather, I noticed that lately you seem to have a stubborn cough. Has it lasted quite some time?"

"I imagine your cough is worse at night, and if you’re tired or talk too much during the day, it flares up too?"

Shen Chang'an stared. "How did you know?"

Tan Qingjiu smiled. "Did you forget? I told you, I’m a physician now. Of course I could tell. Today’s meeting was unexpected, and I didn’t bring any medicine for coughs. I’ll prepare some and send it to you soon."

She did, in fact, have medicine with her. But since this was her first meeting with them and so much had been said, she understood Madam Shen would still harbor some doubts about her. After her departure, Madam Shen would undoubtedly send people to verify her story.

If she gave them medicine now, they might not let Shen Chang'an take it. Better to wait until their doubts were cleared, then present a prescription—it would win their trust more easily.

Tan Qingjiu bowed to Madam Shen and Shen Chang'an, then withdrew with Qingdai and Zisu.

Only after she had left did the Shen family’s carriage start moving again. The alleyway grew quiet, and then, from the shadows, two figures emerged—Chixiao and Yebei, who had previously served Shen Yingjue.

"Just as His Highness predicted—Miss Tan really did meet with Lord Shen."

"Come, let’s go report to His Highness."

Tan Qingjiu, unaware she was being followed, went straight back to the Tan residence.

There, she took out the dowry ledger—a thick volume listing every item Shen Nianqing had brought with her.

Qingdai was astonished. "This dowry list—it's almost on par with what even a less-favored imperial princess would receive at her wedding. Lord Shen and Madam Shen certainly doted on their daughter."

Tan Qingjiu tapped her finger lightly on the table. "Chen Yueru doesn’t know I have this list yet."

"Very soon, I’ll see her disgraced."

Zisu entered from outside. "Miss, our people report Lord Shen has gone to court to see the Emperor."

"Yes. Now that he’s retired and back in the capital, it’s only natural he should report to the Emperor."

"Tan Yun seems to be in the palace as well."