Thinking it over, Shen Wei thus set his sights on his youngest daughter.

Though female physicians had low rank and couldn’t compare to imperial physicians at the Medical Academy, they had contact with palace nobles.

His daughter’s medical skills were so good even he couldn’t match them. Nine out of ten times she’d catch the nobles’ eyes.

With her serving in the palace, not only would the Shen family gain prestige, she could also support her four brothers.

With her there, even if the sons’ generation wasn’t suitable, even if the grandsons’ generation wasn’t suitable, the family could still sustain itself for decades.

Besides, their daughter’s wish was to practice medicine. What difference was there between entering the palace as a female physician and practicing medicine outside?

So he had a flash of inspiration and took a risky move, pushing his daughter forward on New Year’s Eve.

As expected.

After that incident, their daughter became famous, leaping to become the palace’s most elite female physician. Even the Imperial Consort requested her to take pulses.

Young Master Pei’s eyes darted toward Yan Sanhe: Was he telling the truth?

Yan Sanhe paid no attention but directly asked Shen Wei: “So after your daughter became a female physician, the real reason she moved out of the Shen residence was because of you?”

These words drained all strength from Shen Wei’s body. “You, how did you know…”

Yan Sanhe had long prepared an excuse.

“I don’t randomly perform spirit transference for people. Once I agree, I’ll secretly inquire about the matters of that year. A young lady from a prestigious family daring to leave home and set up her own household—your daughter is the only one.”

Seeing he couldn’t hide it, Shen Wei gritted his sparse remaining teeth and nodded.

“She came back and asked me one question: Father, am I still your daughter?”

No one knew about the calculations he’d made. Even his four sons thought he had a benevolent physician’s heart.

Only she saw through it.

Only then did he realize he fundamentally didn’t understand his daughter.

She wasn’t wooden, wasn’t taciturn, didn’t have a heart devoted only to medical arts.

She understood human relationships and social conventions, understood the calculations between people. She was clear about everything—she just didn’t say anything.

Serving in the palace as an imperial physician or as a female physician—behind the seemingly limitless glory lay much unknown hardship.

People eat the five grains—when they’d fall ill, besides heaven knowing, no one knew.

When palace nobles summoned, no matter how strong the wind or heavy the rain outside, you had to enter the palace to take pulses.

This was point one.

Point two.

Palace imperial physicians and female physicians didn’t need exceptional medical skills, but they absolutely had to be smooth in all directions, had to read nobles’ expressions, had to understand the implications behind nobles’ words.

With his daughter’s temperament, making her maneuver among these nobles was indeed difficult.

Point three.

The struggles between nobles often implicated familiar physicians too. Writing false prescriptions and telling lies were common occurrences.

His daughter disdained doing these sordid things.

Most importantly, their daughter was beautiful.

In the palace, a slightly beautiful woman with exceptional medical skills would attract attention.

If some prince took a fancy and wanted to marry her as wife or concubine—would she marry or not?

But what choice did he, Shen Wei, have?

If the Shen family business declined in his hands, what face would he have to meet his ancestors underground?

Moreover.

Over these twenty years, how well had he treated her? What about food, drink, clothing—which wasn’t top quality?

Why couldn’t she sacrifice a little for the Shen family, for her brothers, for her nephews and nieces?

—

Even if not for her brothers, for their elderly parents, she should at least repay her parents’ rearing grace.

The father and daughter parted unhappily.

The next day, she left the Shen residence without taking even a maid, bringing only a few changes of clothes and a cart of medical texts.

She asked Bai Zhenshan for help renting a small two-courtyard residence outside. She didn’t return even for festivals and holidays, looking like she’d never have contact with the family until death.

He was so angry he fell ill in bed, saying bitterly to Lady Pu: “Ungrateful wretch! Raised an ungrateful wretch!”

Lady Pu offered advice from the side.

“First let her live outside for some days. Later have Master Bai mediate. She’ll ultimately listen to Master Bai’s words.”

Who knew when Bai Zhenshan heard about mediating, he directly shook his head and said it was useless.

Shen Wei became angry on the spot. “You haven’t even tried yet—how do you know it’s useless?”

“When the young miss was small, I wouldn’t let her taste medicinal herbs. Did she listen? That year when she followed me out gathering herbs, I persuaded her the entire way. Did she come back?”

Bai Zhenshan sighed heavily. “Master, this matter went a bit too far. That palace isn’t any good place—it devours people.”

Hearing this, Shen Wei flew into a rage.

“You’re blaming me too? What right does a servant have to blame me? How many people in that palace have sharpened their heads trying to squeeze in but have no connections?”

Saying this, he slapped the table.

“It’s all your fault, taking her everywhere, making her heart wild.”

Bai Zhenshan looked at him incredulously. His eyes slowly darkened. After a long while, he said something meaningful.

“Master, your daughter is called Shen Duruo.”

Yes.

Shen Wei’s daughter was called Shen Duruo. From the moment she left her mother’s womb, she wasn’t an ordinary woman.

To learn about medicinal herbs, she’d been poisoned six times front and back.

To practice needle use well, 365 days a year, every day she clutched a carving knife in her hand.

To avoid marriage, she left home for four years.

One could imagine how great her determination was to walk this path.

Shen Wei’s face showed endless regret. “Unfortunately, I was possessed then and wouldn’t listen to anyone’s words.”

What Yan Sanhe hated hearing most was others’ regret.

What were they doing earlier?

“Man’s plans are inferior to heaven’s plans. She served as a female physician for half a year, then went to serve at the Crown Prince’s residence. Old Imperial Physician, your beautiful dream evaporated.”

Hearing her mention this, Shen Wei felt another breath stuck in his throat, choking him.

The Crown Prince’s consort had severe palace coldness, so the Imperial Grand Grandson also came late.

After giving birth to the Grand Grandson, her menstruation either continued endlessly or came very late.

The imperial physicians in the palace, following the principle of “not seeking merit, only seeking to avoid mistakes,” had treated the Crown Prince’s consort for many years with little effect.

His daughter didn’t care whether someone was noble or not. She took pulses and prescribed medicine. By the fourth month of medication, the palace coldness was completely cured at its root.

The Crown Prince’s consort personally knelt before His Majesty requesting that his daughter enter the Crown Prince’s residence to become the Crown Prince’s consort’s female physician.

“Miss Yan has misspoken.”

Shen Wei’s hand showed several protruding veins as he spoke the words hidden in his heart.

“At that time, I didn’t feel my beautiful dream had evaporated. The Crown Prince was the future heir apparent. The Crown Prince’s consort was the future empress. Building good relations in humble times is a hundred times better than building good relations after gaining power.”

Looking at Shen Wei’s face, Yan Sanhe couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

This old man looked completely benevolent on the surface, but his internal calculations matched anyone’s.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard a cough from Xie Zhifei beside her.

As Yan Sanhe’s gaze met his, her mind suddenly became clear—

It seemed the New Year’s Eve poisoning case in the palace wasn’t to get Shen Duruo into the Crown Prince’s residence—it was aimed at the Crown Prince himself.

The Crown Prince luckily escaped the disaster; the Grand Grandson met with misfortune.

This also showed the mastermind behind the poisoning case wasn’t necessarily Prince Zhao, but someone else.

This also demonstrated from another angle that more than just Prince Zhao alone wanted to eliminate the Crown Prince and ascend to the throne.

On this point, Shen Wei hadn’t lied.

He was simply selling his daughter for the Shen family’s glory and wealth, for his four sons’ futures.