Chapter 234 Ensuring Safety
That night, Pei Zhi's residence was brightly lit all night. He mobilized all his secret guards to investigate Liu Quan's movements and the comings and goings of the herbal medicine merchants.
As dawn approached, the truth was finally revealed—in the study of Manager Wang, the president of the Herbal Medicine Merchants Association, lay five thousand taels of silver notes given by the remnants of the Wei family, as well as a letter addressed to Liu Quan.
The letter read, "After this is done, I guarantee your whole family's safety and will frame the Pei family." It turned out that Liu Quan's wife and children had been kidnapped by the remnants of the Wei family. They forced him to switch the medicine and made him add the words "Pei family" to his confession, or they would kill them.
But this was not enough to prove his innocence. In order to give Ye Wanning and the Heritage Hall an explanation, Pei Zhi knelt down on one knee in the Golden Palace the next day and requested a joint trial by the three judicial departments: "Your Majesty, although Liu Quan is my former subordinate, he was absolutely not ordered by me!"
"I request that the three judicial authorities conduct a joint trial, clear my name, and reveal the truth to the Heritage Museum!"
The news of the joint trial by the three judicial departments immediately silenced the rumors in the capital. The people were all waiting to see the outcome—as the current prime minister, Pei Zhi's willingness to request a joint trial by the three judicial departments showed his sincerity.
Ye Wanning also went to the joint trial. She sat in the audience and watched Pei Zhi present Manager Wang's silver notes, correspondence, and the testimony of the secret guards who rescued Liu Quan's wife and children;
Seeing Liu Quan recant his confession in court, he wept and said, "It was the remnants of the Wei family who threatened me. I didn't want to do it, but I dared not disobey, which is why I wronged the Pei family!"
As the traces of the Wei family remnants were unearthed one by one, the entire chain of evidence was fully closed, and the facts became clear.
After the trial, Pei Zhi walked up to Ye Wanning, his eyes full of weariness, but he still said earnestly, "Wanning, I never thought of harming the Heritage Hall, let alone using anyone's life as a bargaining chip."
Looking at the bruises under his eyes and the prescription for treating Liu Quan's wife and children that he was still clutching in his hand, Ye Wanning felt her grievances and misunderstandings instantly turn into guilt.
She lowered her head, her voice hoarse: "I'm sorry, I was wrong. I misunderstood you without finding out the truth."
"I'm the one who should apologize." Pei Zhi reached out and gently brushed the dust off her shoulder, his movements natural and tender with pity. "It's my fault for not protecting my old subordinates, which has dragged you and the Heritage Hall into this mess."
The joint trial by the three judicial departments had just concluded when Pei Zhi fell ill. The old injury to his shoulder and neck from rescuing Ye Wanning in the Cold Palace, coupled with the chill he caught from being caught in the rain that day, and the stress and mental strain of investigating the case for days on end, all contributed to his illness.
While handling official business, he suddenly experienced so much pain that he couldn't lift his hand or even hold a pen. Imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital took turns treating him, trying acupuncture and herbal medicine, but the old wound was too deeply bruised, and only Ye Wanning could cure it.
The emperor immediately issued an edict ordering Ye Wanning to go to the Prime Minister's residence for treatment.
When Ye Wanning arrived at the Pei residence, he was leaning against a soft couch, his black casual clothes loose at the collar, revealing his well-defined collarbone, his face pale, and cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
Seeing her come in, he forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"Don't move." Ye Wanning put down her medicine box and stepped forward to check his neck and shoulders. The moment her fingers touched his body, Pei Zhi suddenly froze.
“Old injuries with internal stagnation and wind-cold entering the meridians, first acupuncture to unblock the meridians, then massage, it will take at least seven days.” She took the silver needles from the medicine box and ordered the servants to leave, leaving only the two of them in the room.
"Acupuncture requires close contact with the acupoints, so it will be quite painful. Please bear with it," Ye Wanning gently instructed, reaching out to unbutton his shirt. Their fingers touched his warm skin, and both of them trembled.
Ye Wanning's ears suddenly burned. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him, and focused intently on unbuttoning her clothes. Her exposed shoulders and neck were covered with hideous old scars, densely packed and crisscrossing, which made her heart tighten.
Holding the silver needle, she held her breath and slowly inserted it into the acupoint. Pei Zhi groaned, his cold sweat increasing, but he didn't move. His gaze fell on her hair hanging over him, his expression dark.
The room was so quiet you could hear each other breathing. Ye Wanning's hair occasionally brushed against his shoulder and neck, tickling him. Her fingertips were warm, and her movements were gentle.
Pei Zhi's senses were naturally sensitive. The moment the silver needle was twirled, a strange tingling sensation spread throughout his body, overpowering the pain.
After the acupuncture, Ye Wanning began a massage. Her hands covered his shoulders and neck, skillfully kneading away the hardened lumps, her fingertips occasionally brushing against his skin, causing both of them to catch their breath.
Pei Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze fixed on her profile so close to his. Her eyelashes were long, trembling slightly with her movements, and a faint medicinal scent lingered around her nose, stirring up a surge of emotions within him.
"Wan Ning..." he finally spoke, his voice hoarse to the extreme. The words he had longed to say, "I love you," were on the tip of his tongue when Su Xiao suddenly pushed open the door, carrying a bowl of medicine: "My lord, Doctor Ye, the medicine is ready..."
Su Xiao had only spoken halfway when he sensed the ambiguous atmosphere in the room. Seeing that the two were only a hand's width apart, he was so startled that he almost dropped the medicine bowl and hurriedly lowered his head: "Your subordinate... Your subordinate is sorry for disturbing you, I'll leave right away!"
After saying that, he ran off like the wind, the air he created causing the curtains to flutter, and the ambiguous atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Ye Wanning hurriedly withdrew her hand, her cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head to pick up the silver needles: "Let's continue the massage first. Take your medicine on time. I'll come again tomorrow."
As she finished speaking, she headed towards the door, but Pei Zhi grabbed her wrist. His hand was warm and firm as he took a jade pendant from his pocket and placed it in her hand.
It was a piece of warm jade, smooth and warm to the touch. It instantly warmed the palm of the hand. The small character "挽" was engraved on it, so it was obviously custom-made.
"Take it, it'll keep you safe." His voice was calm, but his eyes were incredibly serious. "I owed you before, so this jade pendant will settle the debt for now."
Ye Wanning held the jade pendant, her palms burning, her chest tightening as if from heartache. She didn't refuse, and said softly, "I'll accept it. Take good care of yourself."
After saying that, she turned and left without daring to look back.
Pei Zhi's injuries had just begun to heal when the Second Prince came knocking. The Second Prince was the Empress's son and had always coveted the position of Crown Prince.
Seeing that Ye Wanning was trusted by the Empress Dowager and relied on Pei Zhi, he wanted to win them over through connections.
Instead of going to the Pei residence, he first sent a generous gift to the Heritage Hall—a hundred taels of gold, as well as a box of rare Tian Shan snow lotus and thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum.
The servant who delivered the gifts was arrogant. He put down the gift list and said, "His Highness the Second Prince said that as long as Doctor Ye is willing to do some internal and external treatments for His Highness's confidant, Lord Li, His Highness will take care of all the medicinal materials for the Heritage Hall from now on, and he will also enjoy endless wealth and honor."
The servant was extremely bold. As soon as he put down the gift, he said bluntly, "Lord Li is going on an inspection tour with the Crown Prince soon. If Doctor Ye can make Lord Li 'ill' more seriously ill and delay the tour, and then tell His Majesty that it was caused by the Crown Prince's poor care, His Highness will definitely reward him handsomely."
His tone carried a clear sense of charity.
Ye Wanning frowned, glanced at the gift list, and then at the box of medicinal herbs: "What kind of special treatment?"
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