After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Lu Zhiyuan understood.

The Jiang family was a family of civil officials, but each generation declined, and in the end, they had to sacrifice the women in their family, relying on their connections to secure their wealth and status. On the one hand, they despised such behavior, feeling it was a disgrace to the integrity of scholars. On the other hand, they continuously sent women into the palace and into the harems of the royal family members, until one of them became the Crown Prince's concubine, then a Noble Consort, and finally, the Empress.

With someone in the palace, as long as the men in the family prove themselves, they can wipe away their shame and completely break free from the past reliance on women to maintain their wealth and status. Unfortunately, the men in the Jiang family are disappointing; some die, some are injured, and some fall ill. The few who remain who are healthy are not suited for studying.

Until Physician Jiang was born.

He was intelligent from a young age; while others were still learning to speak, he could already fluently recite long, tongue-twisting sentences. When the teacher gave a lesson, he could memorize it word for word after only listening to a few sentences at the door, and he could also apply what he learned to other situations.

He became the hope of the Jiang family, but he also lost his childhood. He had to go to school before dawn and didn't get off until the moon was high in the sky. He was so tired that he couldn't straighten his back, and he would be tested by his grandfather. If he made a slight mistake, he would either be scolded or forced to kneel.

He was only three or four years old then, how could he withstand such treatment? The more he feared punishment, the worse he learned, and the worse he learned, the more he was punished. As he grew older, the scolding turned into physical punishment.

He had no choice but to endure it and hope to grow up as soon as possible.

Just when his life was shrouded in darkness, Xie Chaoyun, the Xie family's most beloved daughter, was born.

The Xie family was a military family, considered uncouth by civil officials. However, this generation of the Xie family made a name for themselves by producing two unparalleled geniuses, making them the envy of everyone in and around the capital. Even the Jiang family, which had always looked down on the Xie family, began to curry favor with them.

While Physician Jiang certainly liked Xie Chaoyun—such a beautifully sculpted, always-smiling child, who wouldn't love him?—what he truly loved was the atmosphere of the Xie family. Although General Xie was strict, he never forced his children to do anything. In his view, becoming a good person was more important than becoming talented. If they could become generals, they could; if not, they could return to their hometowns to farm—neither way, they wouldn't starve.

Physician Jiang accompanied his grandfather to the palace to make connections with powerful figures and curry favor with those in power, hoping to leave a good impression on them. Xie Chaoyun accompanied her father to the palace because General Xie thought the palace was full of delicious food, fun activities, and beautiful sights, and wanted his beloved daughter to broaden her horizons.

Liking and loving Xie Chaoyun was merely a pretext he used to rebel against the Jiang family.

He truly loved Xie Chaoyun, like someone who had lived in darkness for years desperately longing to grasp a ray of light. He wanted to keep that light hidden away. Xie Chaoyun disliked him and even chose Lu Huai, who was inferior to him in every way, which fueled his resentment.

Xie Chaoyun was pregnant, and the Xie family, distrusting other doctors, entrusted the care of Physician Jiang. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang poisoned the child in Xie Chaoyun's womb. His intention was to cause the child to die silently in the womb, but he didn't realize that the fates of the mother and fetus were inextricably linked. Half of the poison he administered to the fetus was absorbed by Xie Chaoyun.

What he wanted was the life of the fetus, not Xie Chaoyun's. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately adjusted the prescription, naturally using the pretext of treating Xie Chaoyun's health. But all medicines have side effects, and Xie Chaoyun's body was eventually worn down by those drugs.

Han Ting glanced sideways at Physician Jiang: "Truly worthy of being the imperial physician, he can kill without leaving a trace."

Physician Jiang was still trying to deny it: "No, Yun'er, don't listen to their nonsense. I never intended to harm you."

Xie Chaoyun laughed until tears streamed down her face: "How else do you want to harm me? I was three months pregnant when I suddenly started bleeding. Old Madam Lu cornered me in my room and cursed me, saying I had killed too many people and committed a heinous crime that would bring misfortune upon the descendants of the Marquis's family. You were in the room then. Did you ever think of telling me the truth? Brother Jiang, I've called you Brother Jiang for so many years. When you tricked me into taking those medicines, did you hesitate even for a moment?"

Physician Jiang only shook his head and remained silent.

"I was five months pregnant and looked emaciated. They said I was carrying a demon, that my baby was a vengeful spirit that had come to drain my life force and take my life. You pretended to comfort me out of kindness, but you indirectly advised me to give up the child in my womb. You were so obvious, yet I didn't suspect you at all. I just thought you were sorry for me and didn't want to see me suffer or be harassed by my mother-in-law."

Xie Chaoyun helped Qingzhi to her feet: "Only tonight did I realize that the reason I became like that was because of your so-called tonic. If I had been smarter, if I had realized earlier that you were wrong, my Yuan'er wouldn't have had to face the threat of death at such a young age."

His gaze shifted to Lu Zhiyuan: "No, it's not just a threat of death; my Yuan'er is also suffering endless pain."

"Mother, I'm fine, it's all over now."

“The past? How could it be the past?” Tears streamed down her face. “From the moment you were born, the Lu family called you a jinx, and I was the culprit who caused the Lu family to have no heir. You were so small, like a kitten, you had to learn to take medicine before you could even nurse. I know how much suffering you’ve endured and how much pain you’ve suffered all these years.”

Xie Chaoyun clutched her heart tightly.

Before Yuan'er turned one year old, she was raised by her alone. Because of her heart condition, she always cried and fussed. Until one night, she held Yuan'er and whispered in her ear, "You've broken my heart! Yuan'er, tell me, what should I do?"

The child was so young, yet he understood.

After that night, she rarely cried, only whimpering when she felt unwell. Later, she was sent to another courtyard, and she could only visit her secretly. The maids and servants were inattentive, often forgetting to close the windows in winter or open them in summer. She was small, curled up in bed, her brow furrowed even more deeply than the old lady's.

The Lu family wouldn't let her see Yuan'er, saying she'd killed too many people and possessed too much malevolent energy, claiming Yuan'er's poor health was all her fault. As Xie Chaoyun, she didn't believe in such things. She had only killed those who wanted to invade and slaughter their Northern Liang; if there truly was a divine will, it should protect her daughter. As Lu Zhiyuan's mother, she preferred to believe it rather than not, and following her mother-in-law's arrangement, she sent her young daughter to another residence.

She ran a business to earn money, both to support the Lu family and in the hope that her mother-in-law and husband would cherish her daughter in recognition of her efforts to maintain the Marquis's mansion. She spent a fortune buying all sorts of rare medicinal herbs—what was her goal? Wasn't it to minimize the suffering of her daughter, Yuan'er? Still worried, she specifically asked the Empress to have her most trusted physician, Imperial Physician Jiang, treat her daughter.

The Empress had spoken, and even though the Lu family was unwilling, they had no choice but to obey.

She thought she had everything arranged, but she never expected that Physician Jiang was the ruthless wolf who would devour people without spitting out the bones.

"I'm sorry! Yuan'er, I'm so sorry!" Xie Chaoyun said repeatedly, "It's my fault for being blind and heartless. It's my fault for putting such a treacherous wolf by your side, making you suffer all these years in vain! It's all my fault, I'm so sorry!"

“Mother is not wrong, he is the one who is wrong.” Lu Zhiyuan looked at Physician Jiang: “He is the one who started it all, and he is the one who is being condemned. I’m sure he hasn’t had a good time these past few years.”