Chapter 19 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

Khuong Dung glared at me with ferocious malice. I said, "Let it be."

Khuong Dung immediately moved to leave, but I interjected, "After all, Miss Khuong cannot bear the weight of copying scriptures for a year, let alone the weight of a single bowl of poison."

Laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd, growing louder by the second. Khuong Dung clutched her face and fled in humiliation. This was the first time since my rebirth that I had tasted victory in front of others. It was not enough to truly satisfy the ache in my soul, but it was at least an opening act. Co Nghien accompanied us back to the Grand Princess’s mansion. Along the way, Qing Xing leaned across the carriage to stare at him. "Doctor Co, how did you dare to show up like that? Lord Shen is a terrifying man."

Co Nghien scratched the strap of his medical kit. "He still owes me for a consultation."

Qing Xing’s eyes widened. "Just for that?"

Co Nghien replied, "Not entirely. I examined the dregs from the Second Miss's bowl of muting potion. The prescription was concocted with deadly intent. Had she finished the bowl, her throat would have been ruined for life."

I looked at him. "You still have the dregs?"

He nodded. "I kept them. As a healer, the thing I despise most is someone using medicine to harm others."

The Grand Princess asked, "Are you aware of how deeply this situation is entangled?"

Co Nghien answered, "I have an inkling."

"Knowing that, you still dare to meddle?"

Co Nghien cast a glance at me. "Someone asked me to protect her."

I froze. "Who?"

He reached into his robe and pulled out a small silver button engraved with a crescent moon pattern. The lines were identical to the pattern on my wooden token. "It was someone who saved my master many years ago. On his deathbed, my master told me that if I ever met a young lady carrying a token with a crescent moon pattern, I should help her in any way I could."

The expression on the Grand Princess’s face grew grave. "What was your master’s name?"

"Tan Vo Cuu."

The old nanny gasped, "Master Tan, the military doctor of the Northern Frontier?"

Co Nghien nodded. I gently traced the wooden token. The military doctor of the Northern Frontier, the Qingzhou post station, the missing couple—the puzzle pieces were finally starting to lock into place. The Grand Princess looked at me. "Shen Zhaoyue, from this day forward, you must never be without protection."

I asked, "Was Shen Yuntang abducted by people from the Northern Frontier because they are targeting me?"

The Grand Princess replied, "It is very possible. They likely believe she knows the secret of your origin or the location of the token."

Co Nghien suddenly spoke up. "It is also possible she left of her own volition."

I looked at him, and he continued, "I once took the pulse of the Eldest Miss Shen. She is not as fragile as she appears. On the contrary, she is a master of feigning illness and weakness. If the security at the meditation nunnery was not airtight, she could easily have escaped on her own."

Qing Xing immediately scoffed, "She truly is as slippery as an eel."

The Grand Princess fell into deep thought. "Whether she was kidnapped or fled, she will eventually return."

I stated, "She is not one to accept defeat."

She certainly would not. In the dream I once lived, after my death, she became the noble wife wed to Xie Linchu, destined to enjoy every glory. In this life, having been sent to the nunnery only to fall into the mire, how could she ever be content? The carriage came to a stop before the gates of the Prince’s mansion. As I stepped down, I saw Xie Linchu standing there. Clearly, he had heard the news from the entrance of the Shen mansion. His gaze fixed coldly on Co Nghien.

"Who is he?"

Co Nghien hefted his medical kit and smiled nonchalantly. "A doctor."

Xie Linchu looked toward me. "Are you now bringing all manner of riffraff into my mother’s estate?"

Before I could speak, the Grand Princess stepped out of the carriage. "Since when does my residence answer to your authority?"

Xie Linchu immediately bowed. "Mother, that was not my intent."

The Grand Princess walked past him without pausing. "If you are so bored that you have nothing better to do, go kneel in the ancestral hall. You may stand when you have truly reflected on your failings."

Xie Linchu’s face drained of color. "Mother, you would punish me because of her?"

The Grand Princess stopped and looked back. "I punish you because you are a fool."

Co Nghien bowed his head and let out a soft cough. Qing Xing clutched her aching sides, laughing so hard she bared her teeth in a wide grin. Xie Linchu was consumed by a mix of shame and rage.

"Shen Zhaoyue, are you very pleased with yourself?"

I replied, "A little." He stood stunned. In the past, I never would have answered like that. I would have explained, bowed my head, and feared his misunderstanding. But now, I no longer cared to. Xie Linchu glared at Co Nghien. "Stay away from her."

Co Nghien pointed at himself. "Is the Noble Son speaking to me?"

"She was once my fiancee."

I said, "Was, but not anymore."

Co Nghien added a final blow, "Without even a formal marriage contract, one cannot truly claim the title of fiance."

Xie Linchu glared at him with fury. Co Nghien shifted his medical kit and took a half-step back. "Noble Son, pray do not strike me. I do not know martial arts, only how to document injuries. If you hit me, I am quite capable of writing three full pages detailing your assault."