She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 248 Crushing His Arrogance

"Dean Chen, Brother Changsheng's eyes are sick, and I suspect his health is also not good. He stayed in the room to detoxify the Second Master, and he hasn't rested or slept for the past few days. I'm worried that his body can't take it."

Shen Qingtan said firmly, "If Brother Changsheng's health is truly in trouble, we can treat him if we arrive in time. If he is alright, that would be even better, and I could be at ease."

Chen Yuanshi could not persuade Shen Qingtan otherwise, so he sighed and followed her out of the mansion.

As Shen Qingtan walked out of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, she caught sight of Zhao Jue standing not far away, and her expression suddenly turned cold.

Zhao Jue stayed at the Prince of Zhenbei's residence for two days, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had stubble on his chin, looking extremely haggard.

He saw Shen Qingtan leave the mansion and quickly walked towards her: "Tan... Second Sister-in-law".

Shen Qingtan gave a wink to the guard beside her.

The guards stepped forward and blocked Zhao Jue's way, preventing him from approaching Shen Qingtan: "This is a restricted area of ​​the Prince's residence. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach."

Zhao Jue clenched his fists tightly, trying his best to suppress the humiliation surging in his heart.

If he had married Shen Qingtan instead of foolishly marrying Shen Mingzhu, he would have been the son-in-law of the Prince of Zhenbei. How dare these blind fools humiliate him like this?

He regretted bringing Shen Mingzhu back to the capital. If it weren't for Shen Mingzhu, everything Zhao Yi owned would have been his.

He was filled with regret whenever he thought about the power he craved, which he had already grasped but had ultimately pushed away with his own hands.

Living in pain every day, unable to let go.

"I've come to ask for your help today." Zhao Jue took a step back, not daring to be rash: "My mother is seriously ill. Please have Imperial Physician Chen or the prefectural physician treat her."

Shen Qingtan glared at him coldly: "You are no longer the Third Master of the Duke's Mansion, and I am no longer your Second Sister-in-law. We are not related, so why should I help you?"

Zhao Jue blurted out, "Tan'er, we have some grudges between us, but the friendship of the past ten years cannot be erased. I beg you to save my mother for this sake."

"Friendship?" Shen Qingtan looked up at Zhao Jue, who looked dejected, as if she had heard a funny joke. She could no longer see the spiritedness he used to have. "Did you read the books you borrowed from me on your own?"

Zhao Jue felt a sudden panic and looked at Shen Qingtan with a probing gaze, trying to find a clue in her cold eyes.

But all he saw was her cold indifference and the unfamiliarity in her eyes, as if he were a complete stranger to her.

Even the invisible air of nobility that emanated from them instantly created a distance between the two of them.

One is in the clouds, unreachable.

One is in the mud, utterly insignificant.

Suddenly, Zhao Jue felt a pang of sadness: "Tan'er, if I hadn't read the books, how could I have expressed those insights in front of you?"

Shen Qingtan smiled: "Those books are all works by great Confucian scholars that you admire. Since you know them so well, you should remember which ones you read, right?"

Zhao Jue was taken aback by the question, and his lips tightened.

Shen Qingtan said, word by word, "All the appreciation and praise I gave you in the past were stolen by you from Second Master."

The implication was that without Zhao Yi, she would never have given him any special treatment.

These words undoubtedly shattered Zhao Jue's pride.

Zhao Jue's face was gloomy, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, as he forcibly suppressed the raging anger in his heart.

He didn't think he was inferior to Zhao Yi; in fact, he was superior to Zhao Yi in many ways. In his heart, he always believed that Zhao Yi was simply luckier than him, being born into the eldest son's family.

Otherwise, how could he possibly sit on the throne as the eldest grandson?

Shen Qingtan, however, belittled him to the point of despising him, saying he was inferior to Zhao Yi in every way.

Zhao Jue was furious, but then he thought of Zhao Yi's illness and impending death, so he decided not to argue with a dying man.

Shen Qingtan knew exactly what Zhao Jue was thinking. His relentless pursuit of her was simply because she had almost married him.

In the end, he married Shen Mingzhu because of his opportunism and ambition.

Who knew that her family held a high position of power, while Shen Mingzhu's family had fallen into poverty, and Zhao Jue was simply unwilling to accept it.

For a man like him, whose eyes are only on power, the word "love" is as worthless as grass.

Before leaving, Shen Qingtan gave him a piece of advice: "Instead of wasting your time here, you should find another way out."

After saying this, Shen Qingtan got into the carriage and slightly raised the corners of her lips.

Zhao Jue was rebuffed by her today. If someone with power "voluntarily" offered themselves to him, he would definitely seize the opportunity.

The carriage stopped in front of the Gu residence, and Shen Qingtan got off.

Tingxue had already knocked on the gate of the mansion.

The gatekeeper of the Gu family recognized Shen Qingtan and let her through as soon as he saw her.

Shen Qingtan asked, "Is Brother Changsheng in the manor?"

The gatekeeper said respectfully, "Young master is resting in the courtyard."

Having received confirmation, Shen Qingtan led Imperial Physician Chen and the physician to Gu Changsheng's courtyard.

The courtyard gate happened to open.

Upon seeing the person inside, Shen Qingtan quickly said, "Uncle, I've come to visit Brother Changsheng." She glanced into the courtyard and asked, "Brother Changsheng isn't asleep yet, is he?"

"Manman, Changsheng has fallen asleep." Gu Zongci forced a smile onto his serious face: "Xiao Zhao's illness has just been cured, you should stay by his side."

Shen Qingtan made up a random excuse, "I lost a prescription that Brother Changsheng gave me, so I came here specifically to ask him for another copy."

She seemed oblivious to Gu Zongci's unusual expression: "Uncle, I have nothing to do, so I'll wait here for Brother Changsheng to wake up."

Just as Gu Zongci was about to offer some more advice, a loud "crack" echoed from inside the room, the sound of porcelain shattering.

Shen Qingtan no longer cared about etiquette, and quickly entered the house, bypassing Gu Zongci.