Chapter 221 A New Conspiracy Emerges
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a palace servant rushed in, his face full of panic: "Your Majesty! Empress Dowager! Something terrible has happened! A palace servant has contracted smallpox, and it's highly contagious!"
The palace banquet fell silent instantly. Smallpox is highly contagious, and if it spreads, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The emperor stood up, his face grave: "Quickly! Isolate everyone who has been in contact with that palace servant in the west side hall! Issue my decree to seal off the palace; no one is allowed to enter or leave!"
Ye Wanning's heart sank—she had just run into that palace maid when she served tea to the Empress Dowager.
Sure enough, not long after, several guards came and took all the officials, palace servants, and their families who had been in contact with the palace people to the west side hall, including Pei Zhi.
When Pei Zhi saw Ye Wanning, a hint of worry flashed in his eyes, but he suppressed it and did not come over.
The west side hall was very simple, with only a few hard beds and a table. A cold wind blew in through the cracks in the windows, bringing a chill.
As darkness fell and the weather grew colder, Ye Wanning shivered from the cold. Just then, a robe with a faint sandalwood scent was draped over her shoulders.
She looked up and saw Pei Zhi standing in front of her, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "It's cold at night, put these on."
Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart; his outer robe still carried his body heat, dispelling much of the chill. "Thank you, Lord Pei," she said softly, trying to push the robe back.
"I'm not cold." Pei Zhi held her hand, his tone calm. "You're frail, don't get cold."
Ye Wanning didn't refuse again. Wearing his outer robe, she felt a strange sensation. She noticed that when Pei Zhi raised his hand to adjust his collar, his shoulder and neck movements were very stiff—it must be an old injury.
She recalled that when she investigated the remaining members of the Wei family, Pei Zhi had been injured in the shoulder and neck. Although he recovered, he was left with old injuries that would hurt on rainy days or when he was tired.
"Lord Pei, is your old shoulder and neck injury hurting again?" Ye Wanning asked softly.
Pei Zhi was taken aback, not expecting her to notice: "It's nothing, it's just an old problem."
Ye Wanning took out a small bottle of herbal ointment from her medicine bag: "This is a pain relief ointment I specially made. It's useful for old injuries. I'll apply some for you to relieve the pain."
Pei Zhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He sat down in the chair, and Ye Wanning stood behind him, applying some ointment and gently pressing it onto his shoulders and neck.
The ointment was cool, while his fingertips felt warm; the pressure was just right. Pei Zhi's body trembled slightly, then he relaxed, closed his eyes, and the pain in his shoulders and neck gradually subsided.
The two were very close. Ye Wanning could smell the sandalwood scent mixed with herbal ointment on him, which was reassuring. Pei Zhi could feel the softness of her fingertips and the warm breath brushing against his neck, and a stirring rose in his heart.
"I advised you to postpone the tasting event before because I was afraid that Lu Zhong would do something rash to harm you, not because I didn't believe in your medical skills," Pei Zhi suddenly said, his voice low and carrying a hint of barely perceptible guilt.
Ye Wanning's hand froze in mid-air, and only slowly fell after a long while. She took a deep breath, and the knot in her chest loosened considerably: "I know you're worried about me, but... I don't want my mother's medical manual to be tainted by me."
“I understand.” Pei Zhi opened his eyes, turned to look at her, his eyes full of understanding. “You did the right thing. I was overthinking it. I will help you from now on and I will not let you face these things alone again.”
Ye Wanning looked into his eyes, his deep black pupils filled with concern and worry, and felt a warmth in her heart. A faint smile appeared on her lips: "Thank you, Pei Zhi."
This was the first time she hadn't called him "Lord Pei" but had addressed him by his name directly. Pei Zhi smiled, a hint of joy in his eyes.
The dim light in the side hall reflected the smiling faces of the two people, quietly warming the hearts of those inside.
Over the next few days, the two worked together seamlessly. Ye Wanning treated patients with smallpox and dispensed medicine for everyone to take; Pei Zhi maintained order in the side hall, calmed emotions, and also contacted the guards outside to purchase supplies.
At night, everyone was asleep, and the side hall was exceptionally quiet. Ye Wanning sat by the bed, looking at the moonlight outside the window, feeling very peaceful.
Pei Zhi sat on a chair not far away, neither asleep nor speaking, simply watching her quietly. Neither of them spoke, yet an unspoken understanding flowed in the air, easing much of the previous misunderstandings and estrangement.
One day, two days, and another day passed, and the people with acne gradually recovered, and the quarantine finally ended.
The sunlight outside the side hall was perfect, warm and dazzling against her skin. Ye Wanning returned the outer robe to Pei Zhi: "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Pei Zhi accepted the outer robe, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "If anything happens in the future, be sure to tell me."
Ye Wanning nodded without speaking, but she already knew the answer in her heart. She knew that her tug-of-war with Pei Zhi would continue, but this late-night time together was like a ray of light, illuminating the path between them and bringing them one step closer.
But what she didn't see was that the Wei family and Consort Xian were not satisfied; they came up with a new conspiracy—to claim credit for someone else's work and suppress her.
The moment the first fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted from Cining Palace, the Golden Palace erupted in chaos.
Prime Minister Wei, clutching a thick stack of memorials, knelt in the hall, kowtowing repeatedly, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! Your humble daughter, Consort Xian, is deeply concerned for the common people and has opened a medical clinic to benefit them in the Wei family's fiefdom."
"She has treated over a thousand patients through free medical consultations over the past three years, a truly remarkable achievement! We implore Your Majesty to bestow upon her the title of Imperial Concubine, to honor her virtue!"
These words caused an uproar throughout the court. Everyone knew that the Consort Xian was still under house arrest; how could she suddenly have the feat of "curing a thousand people"?
Ye Wanning was explaining the dialectical principles of the *Qing Nang Mi Yao* to her apprentices at the Heritage Hall when Chun Tao rushed in, clutching a transcribed copy of court news:
"Miss! Prime Minister Wei is shameless! The Consort Xian's Huimin Medical Clinic is just a front; he even dares to claim credit and request the title of Imperial Consort!"
Ye Wanning's fingers trembled slightly as she held the pen, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She had long heard that the Wei family had opened a medical clinic modeled after a traditional medicine institution, but she never expected them to be so audacious as to fabricate achievements.
"Chen Sheng, bring me the records of free clinics from the Heritage Center over the past three years." Ye Wanning put down her book and said calmly, "Also, bring me the receipts stamped by local government offices and the medical records signed by patients. Not a single one can be missing."
"Alright!" Chen Sheng replied and left. Having followed Ye Wanning for so long, he knew best that the calmer the young lady appeared, the more aware she was of the situation—the Wei family was likely to suffer a setback this time.
Who would have thought that the bookshelves in the lobby of the Heritage Hall would be piled high with files? Ye Wanning casually picked up one:
"In the third month of the third year of the Tianqi reign, in Suzhou, Jiangnan, thirty children suffered from diarrhea. The main medicine was: three qian each of plantain seed and poria cocos, and one qian of licorice root..."
"Patient's signature: Zhou Agou, Li Xiaohua... Seal of the Suzhou Prefectural Government."
Each book contains detailed records, including the patient's name, symptoms, medication, follow-up visits, and the verification seal of the local government.
“Miss, there’s this too!” Su Xiao handed over a stack of letters. “These are letters of appeal from the people of the Wei family’s fiefdom, saying that the medicines at Huimin Medical Clinic are all moldy.”
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