Chapter 124 It Was All a Rumor
Her heart sank. This wasn't just ordinary troublemaking; it was deliberate slander. "Chuntao, let's go to the authorities and sue them right now!" Chuntao clenched her fists.
"No, without evidence, the government won't believe us. Besides, the people are already convinced by rumors; even if we win the case, it won't dispel their suspicions."
Pei Zhi pushed open the door and came in, holding a steamed bun in his hand. He handed it to Ye Wanning: "I just overheard someone talking about it at the door. Don't be angry, I'll help you investigate."
“I already know who it is, it’s Granny Wang.” Ye Wanning took the bun and took a bite.
“Alright,” Pei Zhi said. “I’ll go and get the head of the Imperial Medical Academy; that way, it will be more convincing.”
The next morning, a table appeared outside the clinic. Ye Wanning sat at the back, a box of medicine in front of her. The men Wang Pozi had sent arrived again, crying and making a scene. One man pointed at an old woman beside him: "This is my mother. She died after receiving treatment here last year. Today I demand an explanation!"
The crowd surrounded them even tighter, and someone shouted, "You have to give us an explanation! What's the use of just putting on a show!"
Ye Wanning remained calm and went over to take the old lady's pulse. As soon as her fingers touched the pulse, she frowned: "The old lady isn't dead. She has blood loss, and her blood is stagnating in her internal organs, so she looks lifeless, but there's still hope."
"You're talking nonsense!" the man jumped up. "My mother has been dead for half a month, and you're still trying to scam me!"
"Whether it's nonsense or true, we'll know after the treatment." Ye Wanning turned and took a wooden box from the clinic. Inside was a prescription left by her mother, Su Wan: "This is the prescription my mother used to treat her blood loss. We'll start decocting the medicine now, and the old lady will wake up in half an hour."
Pei Zhi had someone bring a medicine pot and began decocting the medicine in front of everyone. The people all stared at the pot, whispering amongst themselves. Half an hour later, the medicine was ready. Ye Wanning fed the medicine to the old woman and then inserted a few needles. A moment later, the old woman suddenly coughed, her eyelids twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Mother!" The man was stunned, unable to react for a long time. The surrounding crowd exclaimed in surprise: "She's really awake! Madam Ye is amazing!" "It was all just a rumor!"
At this moment, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy arrived. He took the old woman's pulse and then said to the people, "This is a case of blood loss. Madam Ye's prescription is very effective. If we delay any longer, there really won't be any hope."
Seeing her deception exposed, Granny Wang turned and ran back, only to be caught by Pei Zhi's guards. "You hired us to cause trouble!" the crying man quickly accused her. "We each received five taels of silver!"
The crowd swarmed around Wang Po, cursing her, and Pei Zhi took her to the authorities. Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the clinic bustling with activity again. Pei Zhi came over and handed her a cup of hot water: "Tired? I knew you could do it."
"It's all because you helped me find a judge and maintained order. Without you, I definitely wouldn't have been able to manage on my own." Ye Wanning took a sip of water.
"No matter what you do, I'll support you." Pei Zhi pinched her cheek. "Come on, I'll make you red bean buns tonight to help you recover."
After being exiled for six months, Shen Wenxuan was released and returned to the capital. He immediately went to see Pei Zhi. That day, Pei Zhi was talking with Deputy General Zhang at a teahouse when Shen Wenxuan approached him, smiling obsequiously, and said, "General Pei, it's been a long time. I have something to tell you about Madam Ye."
Pei Zhi frowned, ignoring him. Shen Wenxuan persisted, lowering his voice, "Do you know? Madam Ye and Liu Qingyun are very close. Without Madam Ye's connections, Liu Qingyun wouldn't have become the top scholar in the imperial examination. The two of them meet frequently."
Lieutenant Zhang immediately flew into a rage: "You're talking nonsense! Don't we know who Madam Ye is?"
Pei Zhi remained calm, picking up his empty teacup. "You say they meet frequently, do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence?" Shen Wenxuan rubbed his nose. "I saw it with my own eyes, in a teahouse in the West Market. They chatted for half an hour."
Pei Zhi didn't waste any more words with him and got up to leave. Deputy General Zhang followed behind, saying, "General, don't believe him. He's just deliberately trying to sow discord."
“I know.” Pei Zhi nodded. “I’ll go find Liu Qingyun now and explain things to him.”
Liu Qingyun, who had just been appointed as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, was tidying up at home. Seeing Pei Zhi enter, he hurried to greet him: "General Pei, what brings you here?"
"Let me ask you, have you been seeing Wan Ning frequently lately?" Pei Zhi asked bluntly.
The Emperor was furious and imprisoned Shen Wenxuan again, also deducting a year's salary from his pay. Pei Zhi left the palace and went straight back to the General's Mansion.
Ye Wanning was drying herbs in the courtyard when she saw Pei Zhi return. She greeted him with a smile, "Why are you here so early?"
Pei Zhi didn't speak, but instead pulled her into a tight hug. Ye Wanning was startled: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Shen Wenxuan came to me, saying you and Liu Qingyun are getting very close." Pei Zhi's voice was somewhat muffled: "I ignored him. I know you only have me in your heart."
Ye Wanning couldn't help but laugh, leaning against him: "I knew you would believe me. But you were too nervous, even going to confront Liu Qingyun."
"I'm just afraid you'll be wronged." Pei Zhi released her and pinched her cheek. "If something like this happens again, I'll clear things up for you immediately and I won't let you hear a single word of gossip."
Ye Wanning nodded, took his hand, and led him into the house: "I made some white fungus soup, try it quickly, I added your favorite rock sugar."
The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held in the Imperial Garden. The moon was big and round, hanging in the sky like a silver plate. Ye Wanning sat next to Pei Zhi, holding a mooncake in her hand, taking small bites, and watching the singing and dancing in the distance.
Suddenly the music stopped, and Li Yanran walked onto the stage carrying her pipa, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I would like to play 'Mid-Autumn Moon' for you all, wishing you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival."
The pipa music began, sometimes gentle, sometimes intense, accompanied by rounds of applause. After she finished playing, Li Yanran looked at Ye Wanning and said provocatively, "Madam Ye, your medical skills are excellent, but how about your talents? If you don't have any, don't pretend; nobody's perfect."
The noble ladies giggled along. Ye Wanning put down the mooncake without saying a word—she had no special talents, except for tapping a teacup with a silver needle, which she had learned from her mother.
Pei Zhi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't be afraid. Don't you know how to tap a teacup with a silver needle? Show them your skill; it sounds much better than her pipa playing."
Ye Wanning hesitated and said, "Isn't this too ostentatious?"
"What's there to flaunt?" Pei Zhi grasped her hand. "If you're capable, you should let everyone see."
At this moment, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "If Lady Ye has any talents, why not show us something and broaden our horizons?"
Ye Wanning nodded, and had Chuntao bring silver needles and three teacups, placing them on the table and pouring in different amounts of water. Pei Zhi picked up the zither beside him and said with a smile, "I'll accompany you."
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