Selling daughters for glory wasn’t rare throughout history.

What was rare was Shen Duruo’s reaction.

The vast majority of girls would obediently follow family arrangements, powerless to resist. Even resisting could hardly change such fate.

But Shen Duruo didn’t.

She cleanly moved out of the Shen residence and began living alone. No servants, not taking a single tael of silver from the family—she supported herself.

One must know she was the Shen family’s only daughter. As Shen Wei himself said, food, clothing, everything—which wasn’t top quality?

She abandoned it all without the slightest attachment.

Such a woman was truly too rare.

If Li Buyan heard about it, she’d definitely praise: “Well done!”

But moving out of the Shen household inevitably brought another problem—no one knew her situation at the Crown Prince’s residence.

Unwilling to give up, Yan Sanhe asked another question: “During those years she was at the Crown Prince’s residence, what happened? Do you know?”

Shen Wei shook his head silently.

His daughter’s defiance made him extremely angry. He told Lady Pu to act as if they’d never had her.

Lady Pu couldn’t bear it after all and secretly went to that residence to see their daughter. After he found out, he scolded Lady Pu thoroughly.

From then on, Lady Pu didn’t dare go there anymore.

The four sons had never been close to this sister since childhood. Seeing their sister anger their father like this, they blamed their sister even more for not understanding.

Only Bai Zhenshan treated Shen Wei’s words like wind past the ears, helping her openly and secretly.

Once, as he returned from court, his carriage passed Xiushui Street when he heard a familiar voice.

Lifting the curtain, he saw his daughter walking side by side with Bai Zhenshan.

Their daughter looked up at Bai Zhenshan’s face and said something.

After hearing, Bai Zhenshan suddenly laughed, then reached out his hand and rubbed their daughter’s head.

He slapped the curtain down with a “pa,” grinding his teeth in anger.

She had nothing to say to her own birth father but talked animatedly with an outsider. This girl was more than an ungrateful wretch!

If he’d known it would be like this, he shouldn’t have let her be born.

Even if born, he should have strangled her!

“This means the person closest to Shen Duruo in all the capital was Bai Zhenshan?” Yan Sanhe asked.

Shen Wei hadn’t expected her to ask this. He froze for a moment.

After quite a while, he sighed. “I also don’t know why, but that girl had nothing to say to anyone, wasn’t close to anyone—only Bai Zhenshan.”

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe suddenly thought of something.

“So the Bai family later stopped helping the Shen family with business… the root was here?”

Shen Wei looked at Yan Sanhe, his eyes full of disbelief.

She, how did she guess it?

Correct.

The root was here.

From that point on, he found Bai Zhenshan increasingly unpleasant to look at. The master-servant relationship grew thinner day by day.

When Bai Zhenshan died, he found a pretext to take back the medicinal herb purchasing business.

Making the Bai family get lost—he’d secretly planned this for many years, doing it flawlessly.

Even his pillow companion Lady Pu only thought the Bai family had gained power, their hearts grew wild, and they no longer put the master in their eyes.

Only he knew in his heart that the real reason for moving against the Bai family was Bai Zhenshan’s relationship with his daughter.

Shen Duruo was the Shen family’s daughter.

What right did he, Bai Zhenshan, have?

This time, it was Yan Sanhe’s turn to look at Shen Wei with an incredulous gaze.

A hereditary medical family—fine.

A respected elder—fine.

But stripping away all this bright glitter, this person’s mortal flesh was nothing more than a narrow-minded, selfish, petty man.

No wonder the four sons he’d raised weren’t even worthy of Pei Yu’s regard.

Yan Sanhe took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in her heart, her gaze darting toward Pei Xiao.

Pei Xiao received the hint and deliberately raised his voice. “From this perspective, your daughter didn’t do anything unconscionable.”

Zhu Yuanmo: “Not only did she not—she was a female physician. Saving lives and healing the wounded accumulates virtue.”

“Then…”

Xie Zhifei’s tone deepened. “Where did the wronged souls come from?”

Three people, three statements, forced the old imperial physician into a dead end.

Shen Wei’s heart ached. He buried his hands in his palms, saying with extreme pain: “I, I forced her to do one bad thing.”

Four pairs of eyes lit up simultaneously.

They’d guessed correctly after all.

With Shen Duruo’s temperament, for her to actively harm someone wasn’t very likely. There was only one possibility: she was forced by someone.

The person who forced her was her own father, Shen Wei!

Yan Sanhe lifted her chin toward Young Master Pei again. Young Master Pei immediately switched to a serious tone. “Old Imperial Physician, what did you force her to do?”

“Don’t ask, don’t ask, stop asking…”

Shen Wei suddenly raised his head, the veins on his face hideously exposed.

“Tell those wronged souls it was I who forced her to do it. Let them bring whatever grievances, whatever resentments—come find me.”

“They’ll definitely come find you, and they’ll also find every person in your Shen family.”

Yan Sanhe gave a cold laugh.

“She never married her entire life. After death, she was buried beside your Shen family ancestral graves. Not one person in your Shen family can escape—all must die!”

Shen Wei looked at Yan Sanhe’s darkly sunken eyes, felt the world spin, and murmured:

“Can’t say. I can’t say. It’s a capital offense. The clan will be exterminated.”

“If you don’t say, then wait for the wronged souls to come knocking. Young Master Pei, we’re leaving.”

Yan Sanhe tossed out this statement, stood up, and left.

The remaining three followed her one after another.

This alarmed Shen Wei. He quickly picked up his cane trying to stand from the grand master’s chair, but his hands had no strength at all. His entire person lurched forward with a thud and fell to the ground.

Ignoring the pain, he raised himself up and pleaded: “Come back, all of you. Come back.”

Yan Sanhe nodded. Xie Zhifei and Young Master Pei turned back, one on each side helping him into the chair.

After helping him, Xie Zhifei gently shook his head at Yan Sanhe: Don’t push too hard. He’s elderly after all. If we push him to some mishap, it’ll be troublesome.

Yan Sanhe thought briefly and decided to change tactics.

She slowly walked forward, her voice softening somewhat.

“Old Imperial Physician refuses to speak the truth no matter what. There must be some compelling reason. From now on, I’ll ask questions and you only need to nod or shake your head.”

Shen Wei looked at the young woman before him in astonishment and somehow nodded.

“That matter you forced her to do…”

Yan Sanhe drew in a deep breath. “Does it involve a shocking major case?”

Shen Wei’s turbid eyes suddenly widened, his expression showing shock and terror. “You, you, you…”

“Because following her isn’t just one wronged soul, but hundreds upon thousands. That’s why I said everyone in your Shen family must die.”

Shen Wei’s ears rang. His widened eyes slowly closed bit by bit.

Zhu Yuanmo looked at the barely-alive Shen Wei and thought of his own former appearance. His heart couldn’t help but sadden.

This was just frightening talk.

But his own family’s situation had been real blades and spears.

Just then, the old imperial physician’s lips moved, trembling as he bit out one word: “Yes!”

This single “yes” made the four people surrounding him simultaneously tear up with emotion.

Heavens!

The most critical point of this heart demon was finally found.

“The reason you forced her was entirely because of one person. In earlier years, you practiced medicine in the Northern Lands and developed a relationship with him. Your relationship could even be said to be very good.”

Before Shen Wei could react, Yan Sanhe unhesitatingly revealed her trump card.

“This person is the former Prince Zhao, now the current Emperor!”