Chapter 223 Revision of the Medical Codex
"I will keep Vice Minister Liu's reminder in mind." Ye Wanning's tone was calm, but her eyes could not hide her wavering. "However, I still trust Lord Pei's character."
“It’s good that he can be trusted.” Vice Minister Liu smiled and stood up. “But people’s hearts are unpredictable, so Madam Ye should still be careful.”
After Vice Minister Liu left, Ye Wanning was in a state of turmoil. She didn't want to believe that Pei Zhi would sacrifice himself, but Pei Zhi had never explained his contact with Prime Minister Wei, so she naturally felt uncomfortable.
Not long after, Ye Wanning entered the palace to examine the Empress Dowager. As soon as she left the palace, she saw Pei Zhi and Prime Minister Wei standing under the corridor. Pei Zhi's face was expressionless, but Prime Minister Wei was smiling, seemingly saying something ingratiating.
Ye Wanning's heart suddenly sank, just as Vice Minister Liu had said. She turned away, unwilling to look any longer, and strode away.
Pei Zhi felt a surge of anxiety as she walked past him. He wanted to call out to her, but Prime Minister Wei was still there, so he had to give up. Watching her hurried departure, Pei Zhi knew something was wrong; he must have misunderstood.
His contact with Prime Minister Wei was merely to lull the other party into a false sense of security and to take the opportunity to gather evidence of the Wei family's crimes. He couldn't reveal this matter openly, lest he alert the enemy. He never expected to be caught by Ye Wanning and to be instigated by Vice Minister Liu.
Since then, the two have fallen into a cold war again. At banquets held in the palace, Ye Wanning would always intentionally or unintentionally avoid Pei Zhi's gaze. Pei Zhi wanted to find an opportunity to explain, but she always used "being busy" as an excuse to avoid it.
When the Heritage Center needs Pei Zhi's coordination, Ye Wanning no longer speaks to him personally, but instead asks Su Xiao or Chen Sheng to relay the message.
"Miss, Lord Pei sent someone to deliver medicine for your injuries, saying it's to help you recover." Chun Tao walked in carrying a medicine bottle.
Ye Wanning didn't speak, letting Chun Tao try to persuade her, and only said indifferently, "Leave it, I don't want it."
“Miss, why are you doing this?” Chun Tao felt sorry for Lord Pei and couldn’t help but advise, “Lord Pei must have his difficulties. Just listen to his explanation.”
"He said?" Ye Wanning smiled bitterly. "If he really had something to say, he would have said it already. The way he is now is simply an admission of what Vice Minister Liu said."
Chun Tao wanted to say something more, but Ye Wanning interrupted her: "Alright, stop talking. I still need to revise the medical classic."
Pei Zhi looked at the returned medicine, feeling both angry and anxious. He couldn't explain to Ye Wanning, so he could only let her misunderstand. He could only speed up his search for incriminating evidence against the Wei family, hoping to solve the case as soon as possible and clear his and Wanning's names.
Consort Hui was confined to her quarters for a month before finally being released. However, she was now alone and helpless in the palace, and had lost the Empress Dowager's trust. Desperate to regain the Emperor's favor, she devised a vicious scheme to fake a pregnancy and frame the Empress Dowager.
She first secretly bribed Physician Li of the Imperial Hospital to fake a pregnancy pulse, and then added a little safflower to her daily diet to cause mild abdominal pain, creating the illusion of a miscarriage.
After everything was ready, Consort Hui deliberately "bumped into" the Emperor in the Imperial Garden, pretending to be unwell and fainting in his arms.
The emperor was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent someone to summon Imperial Physician Li to examine her pulse. Imperial Physician Li feigned great joy: "Your Majesty, congratulations! Consort Hui is pregnant! However, her pulse is somewhat unstable, and she needs to be carefully tended to."
The Emperor was overjoyed and immediately ordered that Consort Hui be brought to Jingren Palace and cared for attentively. Consort Hui lay on the soft couch, secretly delighted, her next step being to frame Ye Wanning.
She sent someone to invite Ye Wanning: "Madam Ye, I am pregnant with the imperial heir, but I am experiencing unbearable abdominal pain. I have heard that your medical skills are superb, so I have specially requested that you come to the palace to protect the pregnancy."
Ye Wanning was puzzled when she received the news. Consort Hui had previously refused medical attention even for minor illnesses, so why was she suddenly pregnant and specifically asking her to protect the pregnancy?
However, as the imperial physician, she had no reason to refuse and could only enter the palace with her medicine chest.
In Jingren Palace, Consort Hui lay on the bed, her face pale, her brows furrowed, and her expression pained: "Madam Ye, you've finally come! Please save my child."
Ye Wanning sat by the bed and placed her fingers on her pulse. The pulse was weak and shallow, showing no signs of pregnancy, and instead carrying a trace of the toxicity of safflower.
Looking again at Consort Hui's eyes, Ye Wanning saw none of the vibrant energy a pregnant woman should have; only a deliberately feigned haggardness. Ye Wanning understood: Consort Hui wasn't pregnant at all; she was trying to frame her!
“Your Highness, Consort Hui, your pulse seems a bit off.” Ye Wanning withdrew her hand without showing any emotion. “This humble woman dares not speak presumptuously. We need to ask the three chief physicians of the Imperial Hospital to conduct a re-examination to ensure the safety of the imperial heir.”
Consort Hui's face changed, and she panicked. She had only bribed Imperial Physician Li; if all three chief physicians examined her together, her lie would be exposed immediately!
"Isn't that unnecessary?" Consort Hui feigned composure. "Madam Ye's medical skills are so superb, why trouble others? I trust you."
"The matter of the imperial heir is of great importance, and I dare not make decisions on my own," Ye Wanning said calmly. "If anything goes wrong, I cannot bear the responsibility."
After saying this, without waiting for Consort Hui to explain, she shouted to the outside world, "Someone, summon the Imperial Physicians Zhang, Wang, and Liu to Jingren Palace for a consultation!"
"Ye Wanning, how dare you!" Consort Hui finally couldn't hold back her anger and shouted, "I told you to protect the pregnancy, but you wanted to call another imperial physician. Are you deliberately trying to harm my child?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Ye Wanning stood up and advised, "This humble woman is only thinking of the imperial heir and has no other intentions. If Your Majesty is upright and has nothing to fear, why should you be afraid of the consultation of the three imperial physicians?"
Consort Hui was speechless with shock and could only watch helplessly as the palace maid went to fetch the imperial physician.
Before long, the three imperial physicians arrived and took turns taking Consort Hui's pulse, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
“Your Majesty, Consort Hui’s pulse is weak and feeble, showing no signs of pregnancy. She doesn’t look pregnant at all,” said Imperial Physician Zhang first.
"What?!" The emperor's face changed. "Physician Li said she was pregnant, but you all say she isn't? What's going on?"
Physician Li was so frightened that he immediately kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! It was Consort Hui who forced me to falsify the pulse diagnosis, and I dared not disobey!"
Seeing this, Consort Hui knew that all was lost, and she cried as she threw herself at the emperor's feet: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! I only resorted to this desperate measure because I wanted Your Majesty's favor so much. Please spare my life!"
"You faked your pregnancy, fine, but you even tried to frame Madam Ye!" The Emperor looked at her, his voice chilling. "If Madam Ye hadn't been so vigilant and asked the three imperial physicians to examine you, would you have falsely accused her of causing your miscarriage?"
Consort Hui trembled all over and couldn't utter a single word.
The emperor was furious and ordered: "Consort Hui has fabricated a pregnancy and framed someone else. Her crimes are heinous! She is hereby deposed as a commoner and banished to the Cold Palace, never to leave the palace again!"
"Imperial Physician Li has deceived the emperor and is hereby punished with fifty strokes of the cane and expelled from the Imperial Medical Academy!"
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" Consort Hui's cries were dragged away by the guards and gradually disappeared outside the palace.
Ye Wanning watched all this without any resentment. Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish; Consort Hui's current predicament is entirely her own fault.
As they left Jingren Palace, Su Xiao quietly tugged at her sleeve: "Miss, I just heard from a young eunuch in the Imperial Hospital that Lord Pei already knew about Consort Hui's conspiracy."
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