The court erupted in uproar, everyone holding their breath, waiting for her to continue.

"I am Grand Tutor Shen's biological daughter." Shen Jintang's voice was not loud, but it exploded in the court like thunder.

She raised her head slightly, a resolute look in her eyes, and slowly said, "Grand Tutor Shen used his power to forcibly take a peasant woman as his wife. After giving birth to me, he abandoned my mother and me. Life was hard at home. I was sold to other people's homes to work when I was six years old, just to earn some copper coins to barely support my younger siblings and keep the family afloat."

She paused slightly, her voice tinged with bitterness yet brimming with resilience: "When I'm lucky, I can do some light work, like helping the young masters and ladies with their reading and writing. But in this world, how many lucky things are there? When I'm unlucky, I encounter some short-tempered masters, and being beaten or scolded is the least of my worries. As a servant, where would I get any medicine to heal? It's perfectly normal to have some scars on my body."

"The worst time was when I was beaten half to death. My master, seeing that I couldn't be raised properly, sold me to the slave market at a low price. After many twists and turns, I finally arrived in the capital and went to the Grand Tutor's mansion, hoping to reunite with my family. But then, I was sold off again by a concubine in the mansion."

A flicker of pain crossed her eyes, but it was quickly masked by determination; her smile, however, was somewhat bitter.

"Later, I came to the Prince's residence, and then... I am where I am now. If such an experience is considered to be of dubious origin, then I am indeed of dubious origin. I am willing to accept the punishment."

As her voice faded, the court fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was speechless with shock at her experience, and those who had once questioned her now felt complicated and guilty.

A vulnerable woman was sold by her own mother and suffered so much injustice. Just when life was finally getting a little better, she encountered this kind of thing again, which forced her to reopen her wounds.

This experience is so moving that it brings tears to the eyes of anyone who hears it and breaks their heart.

Shen Jintang, however, spoke only softly, which deepened her guilt.

While everyone was still in shock, Lu Xiuyuan suddenly stood up, his voice firm and powerful: "Your Majesty, I have sent people to investigate, and everything Lord Siyan said is true."

He turned slightly to the side, signaling his subordinates to present the evidence obtained from the undercover investigation.

Stacks of documents, testimonies, and statements were presented to the emperor.

The emperor took the evidence and examined it repeatedly, his expression gradually turning grim.

Silence fell over the imperial court.

"This is outrageous!"

The emperor slammed his hand on the dragon-shaped desk, causing the memorials on it to scatter and fly everywhere.

He coughed violently from anger, the sleeves of his dragon robe trembling slightly with his panting.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of your health!"

The court officials were terrified and immediately knelt down in large numbers, their foreheads pressed to the ground, not daring to breathe.

The emperor covered his mouth, coughing softly, clutching the shocking letters tightly in his hand, and roared, "How could there be such things as buying and selling children and abusing servants in my Great Yong Kingdom? What have you all done? How can you allow such things to happen?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We deserve to die!"

The courtiers pleaded in unison, their voices filled with fear and unease.

"Father..."

Seeing that things were not going well, Gu Junze was about to speak up to defend himself when the emperor mercilessly threw a stack of letters at him.

"Don't think I don't know what you've done! Get out of here!"

Gu Junze stared intently at the letters scattered on the ground.

That turned out to be evidence secretly sent by Li Lang regarding the case of refugees and embezzlement by the Ministry of Revenue.

When was this delivered?

His face turned deathly pale instantly, his legs went weak, and he stood there dumbfounded.

He intended to intercept the evidence secretly, but unexpectedly it still ended up in the emperor's hands.

"Minister Shen, I hereby appoint you as Imperial Commissioner, to take office immediately, and to be in charge of the resettlement of displaced people affected by the Yellow River floods. If there is any obstruction, you may act as you see fit."

Although the emperor's tone was slow, it conveyed an undeniable authority.

"I obey the order."

Shen Huaixu accepted the order without the slightest hesitation.

This was something he had anticipated, and he had already made preparations.

Then, the emperor looked at Lu Huaijin and the others kneeling on the ground, his face showing displeasure, and said: "These three deliberately framed the Crown Prince and instigated him. They should be handed over to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation."

These words cleared Shen Jintang's name. Although they did not directly take action against the Crown Prince, dealing with these three people was a way of reminding the Crown Prince.

But Shen Jintang just smiled. Despite all the crimes—corruption in the Ministry of Revenue, the Yellow River breaching its banks, and the displacement of the people—the Crown Prince hadn't received a single reprimand.

It's true that only the prince's life matters, while other people's lives don't count.

That's hilarious.

However, Shen Jintang did not show it on his face.

"The court session is over."

The emperor waved his hand, and the crowd in the court retreated like a tide.

Shen Jintang and Shen Huaixu walked out of the main hall side by side.

She spoke softly, her voice low and calm: "Thank you."

Shen Huaixu's gaze dimmed slightly; he naturally knew what Shen Jintang was referring to.

The story about the crabapple blossom mark was just something he made up on the spot.

When he first met Shen Jintang, she was dressed in rags, thin and bony, and her scars were shocking. He knew then that she had old wounds.

So, when the two sides were deadlocked, he deliberately told an unverifiable lie.

He knew Shen Jintang's intelligence and believed she would understand what was in the best interest of her.

"Lord Si Yan."

Lu Xiuyuan's voice came from behind, breaking the silence between the two.

Shen Jintang stopped and turned slightly to the side.

Lu Xiuyuan cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Huaixu, his tone respectful yet tinged with urgency: "Her Highness the Princess requests your presence."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!