Chapter 256 Doubting Her Abilities
She told herself that she and Pei Zhi were from different worlds, and that a woman like Lin Chuyao was worthy of him.
Back at the Heritage Center in the neighboring city, Su Ning noticed her pale face and quickly asked, "Sir, what's wrong? Did Prime Minister Pei say something?"
"No." Ye Wanning shook her head, forcing herself to be cheerful. "I'm fine, just a little tired. By the way, we're going to the dilapidated temple outside the city for a free clinic tomorrow. There are lots of flowers there, so have someone prepare a medicine box and silver needles."
Su Ning nodded and didn't press the matter further. She knew that asking about things her husband didn't want to talk about was pointless.
For the next few days, Ye Wanning went to the dilapidated temple every day to provide free medical care, keeping herself extremely busy. She tried to keep herself so engrossed that she wouldn't think about the ambiguous atmosphere in the Prime Minister's tea room or Pei Zhi's forlorn gaze, but the more she tried to avoid it, the clearer those images became.
She would recall the warmth of their fingertips touching when he handed her the tea, the gentle look in his eyes when he looked at her, his caring words reminding her not to stay up late, and the bewilderment and disappointment she felt when Lin Chuyao's people came looking for her.
She didn't know what her feelings for Pei Zhi were. There was gratitude, there was dependence, but beyond that, there was a more complex emotion that made her heart flutter and left her at a loss.
That evening, as she was sorting through medicinal herbs, Magistrate Wu sent word that Zhou Hu and Wang Kun had been taken to the capital. The emperor had ordered their dismissal, investigation, and confiscation of their property, and the land that had been seized had been returned to the farmers.
The prince of Jiangnan was reprimanded by the emperor for this matter, and he toned down his aggressive behavior and dared not make any rash moves for the time being.
Ye Wanning breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease. The matter in the neighboring city was now completely resolved.
She decided to return to the capital first thing tomorrow morning.
The next morning, Ye Wanning, along with Su Ning and the apprentices, packed their things and prepared to return home. People from neighboring cities came to see them off, some bringing eggs, some vegetables, and others handmade insoles.
Everyone held her hands, reluctant to part: "Dr. Ye, will you come to the neighboring city again?" "Dr. Ye, thank you for standing up for us, we will always remember you!" "Dr. Ye, have a safe journey!"
Ye Wanning thanked them one by one, promising to come to the neighboring city often for free medical consultations. Even after the carriage had driven far away, she could still see the people standing by the roadside waving.
The carriage bumped along for two days and two nights before finally returning to the capital. As soon as they entered the Heritage Hall, an apprentice rushed in, his face beaming with joy: "Master, you're back! A woman named Li Juan came to apply for apprenticeship these past few days. Seeing that her medical skills were quite good and she knew a lot about medicinal herbs, we decided to let her stay."
"Okay, I'll go take a look," Ye Wanning said.
Entering the inner medicine room, there was indeed a woman in a pink dress busy at work. She was pretty and nimble. Upon seeing Ye Wanning enter, she immediately put down her work and stepped forward to greet her respectfully, saying, "Student Li Juan greets Doctor Ye."
"No need for formalities," Ye Wanning asked. "Where did you study medicine before?"
"Dr. Ye, I used to study medicine under an old doctor in the countryside. After the old doctor passed away, I came to the capital." Li Juan lowered her head, her voice soft, and she looked very honest. "I heard that your esteemed clinic has excellent medical skills and treats people kindly, so I wanted to come here to become your apprentice."
Ye Wanning glanced at her a few times, and seeing that she seemed quite reliable, she nodded: "Since you're here, study hard. Su Ning will tell you the rules of the Inheritance Hall, so be sure to remember them and don't be careless."
"Yes, student understands!" A barely perceptible hint of excitement flashed in Li Juan's eyes.
Over the next few days, Ye Wanning spent her time dealing with the backlog of affairs at the Heritage Center and teaching her apprentices, leading a very busy life.
Li Juan was very good at handling people. She helped organize medicinal herbs before, and later learned to bandage patients, doing it quite well. She would always stop to ask for advice, and she was very sweet-talking, always addressing people as "Master," which made the other apprentices very envious, and they all wanted to learn from her.
But Ye Wanning always felt that Li Juan was missing something. She lacked Su Ning's steadiness, was somewhat impatient and eager to achieve quick results, and had a hint of scheming in her eyes.
However, Ye Wanning didn't delve into it, thinking it was just her overthinking—who wouldn't want to leave a good impression on their master after just becoming an apprentice and hope to gain their approval?
What happened next completely changed her opinion of Li Juan.
That morning, not long after the Heritage Center opened, several patients rushed in, making a ruckus. They carried medicine packets, their faces pale, and their voices agitated: "Dr. Ye, look at my face! I've got so many red rashes, and they're so itchy!"
"Me too! I took the medicine from your clinic, but instead of getting better, I got worse. My stomach hurts so much I can't straighten up!"
"Are you selling counterfeit medicine? Are you willing to risk patients' lives for money?"
Ye Wanning was startled and quickly stepped forward to take their pulses. After examining them, she discovered that their illnesses were caused by the consumption of substandard medicinal herbs—some of which were moldy, and others were adulterated with inferior products, which not only lacked medicinal properties but were also toxic.
Her heart tightened, and she immediately went to check the herbal medicine room. As soon as she opened the cabinet, a musty smell hit her. Many of the herbs were damp, and there were many substandard products mixed in with the angelica and astragalus, and even some grass roots were being passed off as genuine herbs.
"Who arranged the medicinal herbs?" Ye Wanning asked coldly, her face ashen.
The apprentices looked at each other, then finally turned to Li Juan with a wronged expression. She was the only one who had been in the herbal medicine room these past few days.
Li Juan's face turned pale, and she hurriedly waved her hands, her voice trembling, "It wasn't me! The medicinal herbs were all in good condition when I was sorting them, how could they have turned out like this!"
"Who else could it be but you? You're the only one who's touched the medicinal herbs these past few days! Did you do it on purpose?" Su Ning said angrily.
"It really wasn't me!" Li Juan burst into tears, her tears falling rapidly and pitifully. "Dr. Ye, please don't believe her! How could I dare to do such a heinous thing? I just want to study medicine properly and save lives!"
Ye Wanning felt no pity as she looked at her sobbing. She carefully examined the inferior medicinal herbs and found that the processing marks on them were exactly the same as Li Juan's method—Li Juan liked to leave a small knife mark on the root of the medicinal herbs when processing them, saying it was to make them easier to distinguish. These inferior products all had the same mark.
Just then, there was a knock on the door; it was Li Dequan.
He entered and bowed to Ye Wanning, speaking respectfully: "Dr. Ye, my master asked me to tell you that people's hearts are unpredictable, and we must be more cautious."
Ye Wanning was taken aback: Pei Zhi? How did he know something had happened here?
"What else did he say?" she pressed.
“My family told you not to rush things and to take your time investigating. If you need any help, you can contact him anytime,” Li Dequan said, then turned and left.
"Human nature is treacherous; be vigilant."
A sudden spark ignited in Ye Wanning's heart. Was Pei Zhi telling her that her disciple was in danger?
Are people still doubting her abilities? She can't even manage her own apprentice?
She knew Pei Zhi was worried about her, but his words sounded particularly unpleasant.
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