Chapter 94: No Day Better Than Today

Tan Qingjiu studied Shen Yingjue, disbelief written all over her face. “Tan Yunge knows full well that I am in the capital, and because of the way Prince Duan kept saying, time and again, that he would marry me as his princess consort, Tan Yunge misunderstood the relationship between me and Prince Duan.”

“In such circumstances, would Tan Yunge send Shen Zijiao to Prince Duan’s residence?”

“And have her stay there permanently?”

The corners of Shen Yingjue’s mouth lifted, his eyes keen as a fox’s.

“I have my ways.”

“Would Divine Doctor Tan care to make a wager? Or rather, there is no need to wager at all. All you need to do is promise me this: as soon as I get Shen Zijiao settled permanently in Prince Duan’s residence, you will come there too.”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. She did, in fact, want to get to know Shen Zijiao properly, and to spend some time in her company.

But Tan Yunge was also fiercely vigilant toward her. Even after she had caused such a commotion at Prince Ding’s residence before, no one knew exactly what Tan Yunge had done to suppress the matter. Even Princess Consort Ding had seemingly never made a fuss.

It had not produced the result she wanted.

If Prince Duan could bring Shen Zijiao to his residence, giving her a chance to be alone with Shen Zijiao, then it was a bargain with nothing to lose.

“Very well.”

Tan Qingjiu agreed so readily that even the persuasive words Shen Yingjue had prepared died on his lips.

He could not help but raise his brows, surprise flickering in his eyes. “Divine Doctor Tan agrees? You had best think carefully. There have already been plenty of rumors about the two of us. People say you treated me only to get close to me. If you truly move into Prince Duan’s residence, then I am afraid it will never be possible to explain things clearly again.”

Tan Qingjiu gave a contemptuous laugh. Of all things, she feared rumors the least.

Rumors could not truly harm anyone, and besides—

“My reputation is already ruined beyond repair. What have I got to fear?”

Shen Yingjue laughed aloud. “Excellent. Divine Doctor Tan is a straightforward person. I find myself admiring you more and more.”

“Then wait and see, Divine Doctor Tan. But the first act you must play with me—well, since the best time is the present, let us make it today.”

“Today?”

Shen Yingjue nodded. “I will leave a step ahead of you in a moment, and then, once I reach the lower floor, would that not be the perfect time to collapse?”

“Today, you and Tan Yunge clashed here and tore away her mask of false benevolence. Add to that my sudden collapse and loss of consciousness, and those two things together will make for an even greater uproar.”

“At the latest, by tomorrow, what happened today will have spread throughout the entire capital.”

Tan Qingjiu considered it briefly, then nodded. “Fine.”

Either way, she would not be the one at a disadvantage.

Since Shen Yingjue was willing to do it, he did so without delay. There were still quite a few commoners gathered below, all of them discussing the play they had just seen with relish. Shen Yingjue glanced downstairs, then left the private room with his attendants and descended the stairs.

The crowd in the hall fell silent at once. No one dared make a sound, and all watched his every movement in silence.

Shen Yingjue walked down as though nothing were amiss, but when he reached the last few steps, his face suddenly turned faintly pale, and a sheen of cold sweat seemed to break out on his forehead.

He frowned slightly, steadying himself for a moment before lifting his foot again. Yet this time he stepped into emptiness, and his entire body pitched forward.

“My heavens!”

Someone cried out.

The attendant reacted quickly too, reaching out to catch him, but he was still a fraction too late. Shen Yingjue crashed heavily to the floor. Even the mask on his face had caved in at one side, tilting askew and revealing the ferocious scar beneath.

Shen Yingjue had his eyes shut tight and lay motionless.

“My lord! My lord! What is wrong with you?”

The attendant panicked. Just as he was at a complete loss, Tan Qingjiu hurried down from upstairs. “Move aside, move aside. Let me take Prince Duan’s pulse.”

Hearing Tan Qingjiu’s voice, the attendant finally came to himself a little and hurriedly stepped aside. “Yes, yes—Divine Doctor Tan is here.”

Tan Qingjiu strode forward, crouched beside Shen Yingjue, and took his pulse.

The surrounding onlookers kept a close watch on the scene. After quite a while, Tan Qingjiu finally lifted her head, her lips pressed tightly together.

“Prince Duan’s pulse is rather strange. It seems like illness, yet not quite illness; it seems like poisoning, yet not exactly poison either. Send Prince Duan back to the manor first. I will go with you and take a closer look.”

“Understood.”

The attendant hurriedly lifted Shen Yingjue and carried him onto the carriage.

It was not until they were aboard that Shen Yingjue opened his eyes and gave Tan Qingjiu a quick wink, as though seeking credit.

Tan Qingjiu rolled her eyes and gave a hollow thumbs-up.

Her acting was quite good. If she had been in the present age, she would at the very least have won Best Actor.

They soon reached Prince Duan’s residence. The attendants went up to the carriage again and carried the prince down.

The steward came rushing over in a flurry of panic. “Wh-what is going on? Why did the prince suddenly become like this? What happened?”

As he finished speaking, the steward looked toward Tan Qingjiu. “Divine Doctor Tan is here as well?”

Tan Qingjiu nodded, her brows tightly knit and her expression grave.

“Divine Doctor Tan, what is wrong with the prince?”

“I suspect the prince has been poisoned. It seems to have just flared up, so from the pulse alone, it is not yet easy to tell what is going on. Send the prince to his room first. Once he is there, I will take his pulse again. That should reveal a little more.”

“Very well, very well. Hurry and carry the prince to his room.”

Tan Qingjiu followed the attendants a few hurried steps, then turned her head. The steward had not followed; he was still speaking to one of the servants nearby.

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes, then quickly turned back and continued after them.

Once Shen Yingjue had been taken into the room, Tan Qingjiu examined his pulse again.

No sooner had she finished than the steward entered with someone from outside. “Divine Doctor Tan, this is Physician Wang, the imperial physician His Majesty has assigned to reside in the manor. Would Divine Doctor Tan allow Physician Wang to take the prince’s pulse as well? Many hands make light work, and perhaps we can discover what is wrong with the prince.”

Tan Qingjiu rose. “Very well.”

The imperial physician stepped forward and quickly took Shen Yingjue’s pulse, his face growing troubled.

“My skill is limited, and I truly cannot diagnose exactly what condition the prince is in.”

“The prince’s pulse is far too chaotic.”

The steward grew even more flustered. “Is his life in danger?”

Physician Wang frowned and shook his head. “Hard to say.”

Tan Qingjiu narrowed her eyes. “I think Prince Duan should have been poisoned, and the poison should have been in his body for quite some time already. But it has come on fiercely, and his pulse is truly unusual, so I cannot determine what poison it is exactly.”

“Still, I have a detoxifying pill here. It may be able to slow the spread of the poison in Prince Duan’s body.”

Tan Qingjiu took out the antidote pill, but the steward immediately stopped her. “Wait…”