Chapter 233 No Visitors

Zhou Xian's face turned pale instantly. He stubbornly retorted, "Perhaps...perhaps the imperial physician who recorded the medical record made a mistake!"

"The second patient's medical record says that after taking the medicine for three days, his chills worsened, but the medicine you gave him was Yinqiao Powder, which is used to treat wind-heat!" Ye Wanning pressed on relentlessly.

"The third one is even more ridiculous. It's clearly a case of Yang deficiency and wind-cold, yet you gave him cold and cooling medicines like Scutellaria baicalensis and Coptis chinensis. Zhou Pantai, is there a mistake in the medical classics, or have you not studied them well enough to not even be able to distinguish between wind-cold and wind-heat?"

A few words from Ye Wanning left Zhou Xian speechless for a long time, his forehead covered in sweat. The eunuchs in the hall whispered among themselves, clearly believing Ye Wanning's words more.

"Your Majesty!" Ye Wanning turned to the man on the dragon throne, "Your Majesty, I request that you summon the three patients to the palace. I will treat them in public and cure them within three days!"

"Furthermore, I have here a manuscript on the diagnosis of colds compiled by my mother before her death. It is exactly the same as the content of the medical classic, which proves that the medical classic is without error!"

She pulled a yellowed manuscript from her sleeve and held it high—it was the draft left by her mother when she compiled "Differentiation of Wind-Cold Syndromes," and the medical classic was compiled based on it.

The handwriting on it is neat and there are annotations. It records dozens of clinical cases, all of which are about the differentiation of wind-cold syndrome.

The emperor agreed and sent someone to summon the three men. In a short while, the three were carried into the main hall, all of them pale-faced, clearly quite ill.

Ye Wanning took their pulses and prescribed three formulas: "The first is for wind-cold entering the interior and transforming into heat, use Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang; the second is for yang deficiency with external pathogenic factors, use Fu Zi and Gan Jiang."

"The third is wind-dampness syndrome, treated with Atractylodes lancea and Magnolia officinalis. Your Majesty may send an eunuch to check on them in three days. If the three are still not better, Your Majesty shall punish this humble subject!"

Zhou Xian wanted to retort, "That's just sophistry! Who knows what tricks you'll use in three days!"

"Shut up!" Pei Zhi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, his voice icy cold. "Madam Ye's medical manual is the result of her blood and sweat, saving countless lives. How dare you, a petty scoundrel, slander it so wantonly?"

"Zhou Xian, as a judge of the Imperial Medical Academy, instead of thinking about how to share the burdens of the people, you frame your colleagues. What is your punishment?"

This was the first time Pei Zhi had so openly defended Ye Wanning in court. Ye Wanning turned to look at him and met his firm gaze, which was full of unwavering protection when it fell on her.

A sudden warmth filled my heart, and the unpleasantness caused by being falsely accused vanished in an instant.

Three days later, news came from the palace that the three people were able to walk again, their complexions were rosy, and they had undoubtedly recovered.

The emperor was overjoyed and, in front of all the officials, demoted Zhou Xian from the Imperial Medical Academy to a regular imperial physician. He also issued an edict to reward Ye Wanning, calling the "Qing Nang Mi Yao" a "national medical treasure".

From then on, Ye Wanning's medical reputation was unmatched.

Ye Wanning took a small jar of newly formulated pain-relieving ointment to Prime Minister Pei Zhi's residence. Pei Zhi was judging a case, and when he saw her enter while he was writing, he raised his hand to put down his pen, then put it down again: "What is it?"

"Thank you for speaking up for me at the court meeting today." Ye Wanning placed the pain relief ointment on the table. "Your old shoulder and neck injury hasn't healed yet. This is a newly formulated ointment, which is more effective than the original one."

Pei Zhi looked at her red eyes and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips: "I was just telling the truth."

The aroma of medicine filled the hall, mixed with a strong herbal scent, which felt somewhat oppressive in the morning mist.

When the old general of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was carried in, there were still traces of blood on the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with excruciating pain. The servant who was attending to him cried and said, "Doctor Ye, the general drank three doses of medicine to treat his old ailment, but last night he suddenly coughed up blood that he couldn't stop. Please save him!"

Ye Wanning strode forward, placed her fingers on the old general's wrist, and her expression changed drastically.

The old general had suffered from chronic lung and visceral injuries and had been relying on wild ginseng and deer antler to strengthen his body. However, his pulse was weak and his lungs were dry, indicating that there was a problem with the medicine.

"Go to the storeroom and fetch the medicinal herbs for the old general!" she said in a deep voice.

The apprentice rushed off, returning after a while, his face pale: "Master, something's not right... this isn't the wild ginseng we bought at all, it's cultivated ginseng! And the deer antler... it's also red deer antler!"

Ye Wanning snatched the medicinal herb and examined it closely—the wild ginseng had a short, thick rhizome with fine horizontal lines, while the one in her hand had a long, thin rhizome with loose lines, making it far less effective.

Genuine deer antler is red, but these pieces are dark gray and have a pungent, fishy smell.

"Check the warehouse! Take inventory of all the precious medicinal herbs!"

The investigation revealed a shocking truth: most of the precious medicinal herbs—century-old wild ginseng, top-grade deer antler, musk—had been switched with inferior products.

If the old general hadn't reacted so strongly, there would likely have been many more people poisoned in the court.

The steward who delivered the medicinal herbs, Liu Quan, was a long-time employee of Pei Zhi's household. He was recommended by Pei Zhi to join the Heritage Hall three years ago and has always been reliable and cautious.

As soon as the news broke, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the capital: "Prime Minister Pei is going to suppress the Heritage Hall! Liu Quan is his former subordinate, he must have switched the medicinal herbs!"

"Did Doctor Ye and Prime Minister Pei fall out? Otherwise, why would he resort to such a vicious act!"

Ye Wanning held Liu Quan's confession, her fingers turning white. In the confession, Liu Quan admitted to taking bribes in exchange for medicine, and the last sentence, "It was the Pei family's idea to make me cause some trouble for the Heritage Hall to balance the court's reputation," pierced her heart like an icy needle.

She wasn't unaware that this was a trap, but Pei Zhi's identity, Liu Quan's past relationship with him, and the fact that he had kept it from her out of gratitude to the Empress Dowager all shattered her trust.

Chun Tao brought over hot tea and, seeing her pale face, whispered, "Miss, why don't you... go ask Lord Pei? Perhaps it's a misunderstanding?"

"Ask?" Ye Wanning forced a bitter smile, her voice hoarse. "Ask him if he dared to threaten the old general's life and the reputation of the Heritage Hall in order to balance the court's prestige?"

Instead of asking, she sent someone to take Liu Quan to the government office. Then she ordered the Heritage Hall to be sealed off and the use of precious medicinal materials to be suspended. After closing the door, she sat in the clinic, staring blankly at the prescriptions on the table.

In the evening, Pei Zhi arrived at the Heritage Hall, only to be stopped at the door by Chun Tao. The young girl said defiantly, "Lord Pei, Miss said she doesn't receive guests."

"Get out of the way." Pei Zhi's voice was cold and hard, but he didn't say anything harsh. He stood at the door, his black official robe still dusty from the court. "I know she's angry, but I didn't do this. I have to explain to her."

Ye Wanning, inside the consultation room, heard everything clearly, but gripped her pen tightly and remained silent. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist questioning them, and she was also afraid of hearing an answer she didn't want to hear.

Pei Zhi waited at the door for a full hour. As night deepened, he turned and left, leaving only the words, "Once I have investigated the facts, I will give her and the Heritage Hall an explanation."