Chapter 167 He has a wide network of connections; he might be able to find...
"Grandma, don't say that, I'm fine," Ye Wanning said with a smile. "As long as you're alright, I'm relieved."
The old lady nodded, growing even more fond of Ye Wanning. She was beautiful, skilled in medicine, and caring—truly a good daughter-in-law.
After the birthday banquet, Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi returned to the clinic together.
Pei Zhi walked beside her and suddenly said, "Wan Ning, I know you're afraid of getting hurt, but I'm not the kind of person who would hurt you. I will always protect you."
Hearing him say that warmed Ye Wanning's heart, but she didn't say anything, only nodded gently.
The psychological trauma from her previous life is still there; she needs time to heal.
Back at the clinic, Ye Wanning stared blankly at the moon outside the window, feeling uneasy as she thought about it.
She knew Ye Wanrou wouldn't let her off so easily, and there would definitely be more trouble in the future.
But then she thought about Pei Zhi's kindness and his protection, and she felt reassured again.
Ye Wanning never gave up on the dowry that Zhao Dechang had swallowed up.
Inside were many of her mother's belongings and a medical manuscript written by her own hand. These were the fruits of her mother's labor and were very important to her.
However, Zhao Dechang's assets had already been confiscated, and she couldn't find them even after searching the capital's treasury.
Seeing her worried expression, Chuntao advised, "Miss, let's ask Lord Pei for help this time. He knows so many people, maybe he can find someone."
Ye Wanning hesitated for a moment: "It's not good to always ask him for help."
She thought about it and decided to go to the Pei residence. But when she arrived, she hesitated and eventually returned to the clinic.
She told herself to keep looking; maybe she could find it.
For the past few days, Ye Wanning has been trying to find out information every day, but still hasn't received any news.
Back at the clinic, Ye Wanning sat before her mother's portrait, her heart filled with guilt: "Mother, I'm sorry, I can't find her."
"I haven't found it yet. Am I really useless?"
Just when she was about to give up, a brocade box appeared at her door in the morning.
Ye Wanning opened it, and inside was a list of the dowry and a note that read: "Zhao Dechang hid the dowry in the old house in the suburbs back then. The old house has traps, so be careful."
The note was unsigned, but Ye Wanning knew it was left by Pei Zhi. Apart from him, no one knew she was looking for her dowry, and no one could find the old house.
Holding the list and the slip of paper, Ye Wanning's mind was filled with mixed emotions.
If Pei Zhi wanted to help her, why didn't he deliver it personally instead of remaining anonymous? Was he afraid she would refuse, or that she would feel indebted?
Ye Wanning didn't think much of it and took Chun Tao directly to the old house in the suburbs.
The old house was dilapidated, and the yard was overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.
Following the instructions on the note, Ye Wanning found a hidden compartment under the table in the main room, where a wooden box contained her mother's dowry.
The jewelry, the silver, and even the manuscript of that medical book are all there!
Holding the wooden box, Ye Wanning cried, "Mother, I've found your dowry! You can rest in peace now!"
Back at the clinic, she organized her dowry, burned the medical manuscript, and took the handwritten copy to the Pei residence.
Pei Zhi was reading memorials in his study when he saw her arrive. He quickly stood up and asked, "What's wrong? Did you find the dowry?"
Ye Wanning nodded and handed him the handwritten copy: "I must thank you for your help, sir. This is a handwritten copy of my mother's medical book manuscript. Consider it my token of gratitude."
Pei Zhi took the handwritten document, opened it, and saw that the handwriting was delicate and beautiful.
He smiled and said, "Thank you, I like it very much!"
When he returned the copy, his fingers accidentally touched hers, and both of them froze, the atmosphere instantly becoming ambiguous.
Ye Wanning's ears burned, and she quickly lowered her head: "I...I have something to do, so I'll head back first!"
Pei Zhi watched her departing figure, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
He knew that although Ye Wanning didn't say it, she had already accepted him in her heart.
He put away the handwritten copy, feeling a sweet warmth in his heart.
Ye Wanning returned to the clinic and looked at her mother's medical manuscript, feeling a warm feeling in her heart.
Ye Wanrou was resentful at being driven out of the capital.
She hid in a dilapidated temple, her hatred for Ye Wanning growing stronger with each passing thought, feeling that her fate was entirely Ye Wanning's fault.
She'll definitely get her revenge; she'll never let her get away with it.
She recalled a group of bandits she had met in Jiangnan, a group of people who would do anything for money.
Ye Wanrou took out all the silver she had and found the bandit leader: "I'll give you five hundred taels to kidnap a female doctor named Ye Wanning."
The bandit leader said, "Okay, no problem, we've got it covered."
Ye Wanrou added, "Tie her up and take her to that dilapidated temple up ahead. I want to interrogate her myself and show her what I'm capable of!"
After the bandit leader agreed, he sent people to inquire about Ye Wanning's whereabouts.
Unbeknownst to him, Pei Zhi had already sent secret guards to keep an eye on Ye Wanrou.
Upon discovering that she was colluding with bandits, the guards immediately reported it to Pei Zhi.
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhi's face turned icy: "Ye Wanrou, even in this state, you still don't know what's good for you."
He didn't send people to arrest her immediately, wanting to wait until they made their move before taking her down in one fell swoop, so that Ye Wanning would know that no matter what happened, he would protect her.
The next day, Ye Wanning went to the valley outside the city to collect herbs, as usual.
As soon as she entered the valley, a group of people rushed out of the woods and surrounded her with knives.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Ye Wanning's heart sank, but she tried her best to remain calm.
"We're here to invite the young lady to our home. Let's go, don't make us invite her ourselves!" the bandit leader laughed.
Ye Wanning knew she couldn't win, so she could only say, "Okay!" while thinking about how to escape.
Just as the bandits were about to drag her away, Pei Zhi rushed over with several guards, shouting, "Stop! How dare you kidnap a noblewoman in broad daylight!"
The bandits panicked when they saw Pei Zhi, but they forced themselves to say, "This is a matter between us and Madam Ye, Lord Pei, please don't interfere!"
"Wan Ning is my wife, her business is my business!" Pei Zhi snorted coldly and waved for the guards to take action.
"Arrest them all and hand them over to the authorities!"
The guards rushed forward and fought with the bandits. The bandits were no match for the guards and were quickly captured alive.
The bandit leader tried to resist, but Pei Zhi kicked him to the ground, rendering him unable to move.
Ye Wanrou hid in the woods and saw that all the bandits had been captured alive. Knowing that her plan had failed, she turned to run away, but was stopped by the guards.
The guards brought her before Pei Zhi, and she turned pale with fright, losing all her arrogance.
Pei Zhi looked at her, his tone icy: "Ye Wanrou, you colluded with bandits and kidnapped a noblewoman of the court. Do you know your crime?"
Ye Wanrou knelt on the ground and cried, "Lord Pei, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again, please forgive me!"
Pei Zhi sneered, "Spare you? When you harmed Wan Ning, why didn't you think of sparing her?"
"Send her and the bandits to the authorities for legal processing!"
The guards escorted Ye Wanrou and the bandits to the government office.
After the trial, the government sentenced Ye Wanrou to exile three thousand miles away for conspiring with bandits and murdering a court lady, and forbidding her from ever returning to the capital.
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