Chapter 198 Unworthy to be a Court Judge
The court was immediately thrown into an uproar. The Emperor, looking at the evidence and the families before him, gradually calmed down.
Liu Wenyan knelt on the ground, trembling all over: "Your Majesty, I...I was momentarily confused and made a mistake because of slander. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"
"Foolish!" the Emperor roared. "As the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, it's one thing to be unambitious, but you also become jealous of female healers from the common people, slander loyal officials, and obstruct the implementation of effective remedies, almost harming countless people! You are not fit to be the head of the academy!"
"Your Majesty, spare our lives!" Liu Wenyan and the other conservatives kowtowed one after another.
"How dare you!" the Emperor roared. "Drag him out, dismiss him from his post, and demote him to a commoner! All others involved in the impeachment shall be demoted three ranks!"
"Your Majesty, spare our lives!" Liu Wenyan and the others were dragged away by the guards.
The Emperor turned to Ye Wanning and smiled, "Ye Wanning, you have the people at heart and possess superb medical skills; you are a blessing to me. I have decided to continue promoting your effective remedies for smallpox and will also include 'The Secret Essentials of the Green Bag' in the Imperial Medical Academy's collection so that the imperial physicians can study it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi hurriedly knelt down to express their gratitude.
Outside the palace, the sun shone brightly. Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhi and smiled radiantly: "Pei Zhi, we won!"
Pei Zhi smiled and took her hand, his eyes gentle: "Yes, we won. Wan Ning, you're amazing."
At the start of the morning court session, the tolling of bells echoed throughout the Forbidden City. The heavy vermilion palace gates opened, and civil and military officials, dressed in their court robes, solemnly and respectfully entered the main hall.
Ye Wanning stood behind a screen in a side hall of the main hall, her palms clenched and sweaty. Today she was going to test her skills against the conservatives of the Imperial Medical Academy. If she won, her effective prescriptions would be promoted nationwide and her mother's medical manual would be passed down; if she lost, the manual might be banned, and all her previous efforts would be in vain.
"Wan Ning, don't be nervous." Pei Zhi held her hand, turned his head to look at her, his dark blue court robe made him stand tall and straight, his gaze firm, which made her feel inexplicably at ease.
Ye Wanning nodded slightly: "I know, I'm just afraid they'll act like scoundrels."
Pei Zhi held her hand tightly, his palm warm: "With me here, I won't let them succeed."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a eunuch's high-pitched announcement rang out from the main hall: "Summon Ye Wanning, the national healer, to the palace!"
Ye Wanning took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and stepped into the main hall. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, exuding unparalleled majesty.
Wang Huai'an, a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy and a remnant of Liu Wenyan's faction, stood in the hall, clutching a stack of papers in his hand, his face full of smugness.
As soon as Ye Wanning entered the hall, Wang Huai'an stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have something to report! The remedy for smallpox that Ye Wanning is promoting is a folk remedy that has not been carefully tested by the Imperial Hospital. Recently, three people have experienced abdominal pain and diarrhea after taking it."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you cease the promotion and ban the 'Qing Nang Mi Yao' to prevent the people from suffering its harm!"
As he spoke, he presented the "adverse reaction record" in his hand to the Emperor, speaking with conviction as if Ye Wanning had truly been wrong.
The Emperor took the record, frowned, and flipped through a few pages. His gaze darkened, and he turned to ask Ye Wanning, "Ye Wanning, is what he said true?"
"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Ye Wanning stepped forward calmly, bowed, and knelt down. "The adverse reactions that Imperial Physician Wang mentioned are not entirely due to my remedy. There is another story behind it!"
"Hidden story?" Wang Huai'an sneered. "Ye Wanning, don't try to deny it! These three people personally convinced you of your effective treatment. If there were adverse reactions, how could it be a lie?"
"The truth will be known with a simple question!" Ye Wanning turned to look outside the palace. "Your Majesty, I have invited the three commoners to the palace. May I summon them to the palace for questioning?"
"Summon them!" the Emperor responded.
Soon, three haggard-looking commoners were brought into the hall. Upon seeing the emperor, they knelt down and cried, "Your Majesty, we took Lady Ye's effective remedy for smallpox, and now we are suffering from unbearable abdominal pain. We beg Your Majesty to grant us justice!"
Wang Huai'an looked at Ye Wanning triumphantly: "Ye Wanning, the evidence is overwhelming, what else do you have to say?"
Ye Wanning ignored him and walked up to the three villagers, calmly asking, "Fellow villagers, I ask you: Where did you buy the remedy? Did you follow the doctor's instructions regarding dosage when taking it? Did you eat any raw, cold, or greasy food during this period?"
The first commoner was taken aback and stammered, "It was... I bought it from a medicine vendor on the street corner. He said it was Madam Ye's authentic prescription, and it was half the price of what you'd find at a clinic."
"I didn't pay attention to the dosage. I grabbed a handful and boiled it to drink. I also ate some raw and cold fruit during that time."
The second person also said, "I bought it from that person too. He said there was no need to follow the dosage, and that drinking more would be more effective. But after I drank it, I started having diarrhea."
The third person lowered his head: "Me...me too. That person said that Madam Ye sold it privately, so I bought it. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Ye Wanning turned to face the Emperor and said coldly, "Your Majesty, my effective remedy for smallpox is only sold at Wanning Medical Clinic and its Jiangnan branch. Each dose of medicine is prepared according to the prescription, and the dosage and contraindications are explained according to age and constitution. There are absolutely no adverse reactions such as abdominal pain or diarrhea."
“These three villagers took a fake prescription, and the dosage was incorrect. They also ate raw or cold food, which is why they felt unwell. It has nothing to do with my good prescription!”
Wang Huai'an's expression changed: "Your Majesty, Ye Wanning is just making excuses! Who knows if she's just fabricating a story to shirk responsibility? What does a commoner female doctor know about the rigor of the Imperial Medical Academy? Maybe the prescription itself is wrong!"
"Imperial Physician Wang, you need to provide evidence before you speak," Ye Wanning coldly questioned him.
"You say there's something wrong with my prescription? Do you dare to dissect my effective remedy for smallpox in front of the Emperor and his ministers, and explain the function and proportions of each ingredient?"
Wang Huai'an was speechless. He had never studied effective remedies for smallpox; he had only followed Liu Wenyan in opposing Ye Wanning, and had no idea about the principles of formulation!
"What? Can't you explain it?" Ye Wanning sneered. "You can't even understand the prescription and you dare to say there's a problem? Your title as an imperial physician is probably undeserved."
The officials immediately began to discuss among themselves, looking at Wang Huai'an with questioning eyes, and some even directly questioned him.
The Emperor's face darkened: "Wang Huai'an, do you have anything to say about what Ye Wanning said?"
Wang Huai'an was startled: "Your Majesty, I...I was only worried about the safety of the people, and had no other intentions."
“If you are worried about the people, you must provide real evidence. You can’t just talk nonsense!” Ye Wanning stepped forward and placed the medical book and documents on the table. “Your Majesty, this is my book, ‘The Secret Essentials of the Green Bag,’ which records in detail the proportions and pharmacology of effective remedies for smallpox.”
"These are the smallpox data from the capital over the past three months: After the effective treatment was promoted, a total of 3,726 people contracted the disease, and 3,598 people were cured, with a cure rate of 96%. The mortality rate dropped from 70% to 11%!"
Pei Zhi then produced another memorial: "Your Majesty, I have another memorial to present. Wang Huai'an's actions against Ye Wanning are not for the sake of the people, but rather because he colluded with former Imperial Physician Zhang and accepted a huge bribe from Dong Tianliang in an attempt to prevent the promotion of the effective treatment and protect his own interests!"
He presented the memorial to the emperor: "Your Majesty, this is the evidence I have collected, including letters between Wang Huai'an and Liu Wenyan and Dong Tianliang, as well as his ledger of bribes. I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly!"
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