Chapter 100 Protecting you is my duty
"Madam Su was personally bestowed the title of 'Lady of Jishi County' by the late Emperor. Her dowry is documented by an imperial decree and is protected by the court." Pei Zhi took the brocade box from the guard, pulled out the yellowed document, and slammed it down in front of the First Madam. "To embezzle the private property of a court lady is tantamount to treason. Can you bear the consequences?"
The bright red seal on the document was so striking that the First Madam's legs went weak and she almost knelt down.
Pei Zhi took out an account book from his pocket and slammed it on the stone table next to him: "This is the account book that the secret guards have been investigating for three months - you rented out Madam Su's land and embezzled three thousand taels of rent; you converted her medicine shop into a silk shop and got five thousand taels; you even took her dowry jewelry and pawned it for eight hundred taels."
His eyes swept over the First Madam's pale face, his tone carrying an overwhelming sense of oppression: "According to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, those who embezzle another's property must pay double the amount. Seventeen thousand six hundred taels, delivered to Ci'an Hall within three days. If you're short even a coin, I'll confiscate your entire courtyard!"
"I...I don't have that much money..." The First Madam trembled, her lips quivered, and her voice changed.
"Nothing?" Pei Zhi snorted coldly, then winked at the officer, "Go, move all of Madam Su's belongings out of the Ye family's storeroom. If it's not enough, use the First Madam's private property as collateral!"
The servants were terrified and fled in panic. The officials immediately rushed into the Ye residence to take things away. The First Madam collapsed to the ground, watching Pei Zhi protect Ye Wanning as she entered the Cining Hall, not even daring to cry—how could she forget that Ye Wanning now had Pei Zhi's backing and was no longer the little concubine's daughter she could manipulate at will.
Once inside the room, Ye Wanning noticed Pei Zhi's sweat-dampened temples and handed him a handkerchief: "How did you know something happened to me?"
“The secret guards have been keeping an eye on the Ye residence for a while now. I received the news as soon as she stepped out.” Pei Zhi took the handkerchief to wipe his sweat, his fingertips tracing her reddened eyes. “I’m sorry you had to come so late.”
"It's not too late, it's not too late as long as you're here." Ye Wanning took his hand, the warmth of his palm bringing her peace of mind. In her previous life, her mother's dowry was completely swallowed up by the First Madam, and she didn't even have the strength to resist. But this life is different. Pei Zhi has stood up for her, making those who bullied her start to fear her.
Three days later, the First Madam indeed managed to gather enough money and deliver it to Ci'an Hall. Ye Wanning used the money to expand the women's clinic and also bought new clothes for the children at Ci'an Hall. Watching the children running and jumping in the courtyard in their new clothes, Ye Wanning turned to Pei Zhi, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Pei Zhi, thank you."
Pei Zhi gently ruffled her hair, his eyes filled with tenderness: "What are you thanking me for? Protecting you is simply my duty."
...
The rainy days of late autumn were unusually cold. When Pei Zhi returned to the general's mansion after handling military affairs, he was covered in chill. Ye Wanning had just finished making ginger soup when she saw him enter, frowning and clutching his left arm. Her heart skipped a beat—it was an old wound he had been shot with an arrow at the border, which would flare up on rainy days.
"Why does it hurt again?" She quickly handed him some ginger soup and reached out to touch his arm, but Pei Zhi dodged her.
"It's nothing, it's an old problem, I'll just bear with it." He smiled and took a sip of ginger soup, but the cold sweat on his forehead didn't lie.
Ye Wanning turned to get the medicine box, and as soon as she opened it, tears streamed down her face. Memories of her past life flooded back—it was on a similar rainy day that she found Pei Zhi's body in the corner of the Cold Palace. His armor was still bearing arrow wounds and stained with blood, and he clutched tightly in his hand a handkerchief embroidered with a small tiger, which she had embroidered for him.
The imperial physician said he was too weak to resist when he died in battle. Later, she learned that Shen Wenxuan had colluded with the Turks and poisoned his medicine. As for her, she was poisoned by Ye Lingwei and died three days after Pei Zhi's death, unable even to see him off on his final journey.
"Wan Ning? Why are you crying?" Pei Zhi was anxious. He put down the ginger soup and reached out to wipe her tears. The rough calluses on his hands tickled her cheeks. "Did I hurt you so much that you cried? I was wrong. I shouldn't have let you see me cry. I will be more careful in the future."
Ye Wanning threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly, her tears soaking his clothes: "No, I just... I just feel so good to have met you."
Pei Zhi's body stiffened for a moment, then he picked her up and sat her on the edge of the bed. He took out a small hand warmer from his pocket and put it in her hand: "I just had the guards buy this. It's very warm." He picked up the ointment and carefully applied it to her left arm. "See, it doesn't hurt anymore after you put the ointment on. Don't cry. Your eyes won't look good if you cry."
Ye Wanning watched him carefully apply the medicine, and her tears gradually subsided. She picked up a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, looked at the faint scar on his arm, and said softly, "From now on, on rainy days, I'll make you some medicinal soup to soak your feet in beforehand, so it won't hurt."
"Okay." Pei Zhi nodded with a smile, reaching out to pinch her cheek. "My Wan Ning is truly my little miracle doctor."
Ye Wanning chuckled and leaned on his shoulder. She looked out the window at the rain, the raindrops pattering against the windowpane, but the room was warm and cozy. She knew that the tragedy of her past life would not repeat itself—because she had Pei Zhi, and his love, and they would cherish every moment from now on.
“Pei Zhi,” she said softly, “when the weather clears up, shall we go to Begonia Valley? I want to see the begonia flowers there.”
“Okay.” Pei Zhi squeezed her hand, his eyes firm. “When the weather clears up, I’ll take you there. Every autumn from now on, I’ll take you to see the crabapple blossoms.”
...
As the number of patients at the female clinic increased, Ye Wanning often worked late into the night. That evening, as she flipped through the medical books left by her mother, she suddenly thought: If these medical books were printed and distributed to clinics and people in various places, they could save even more lives.
The next morning, she took the medical book to "Hanmozhai," the largest bookstore in the capital. The owner took the book, flipped through it, and suddenly his face darkened: "Miss Ye, it's not that I don't want to print it for you, but women's works are really hard to sell. Look at the medical books on the market, which one wasn't written by a male doctor? The people simply don't believe that women can understand medicine."
“But these medical books can save lives!” Ye Wanning said urgently. “My mother saved countless people with these prescriptions back then. How can you prevent them from being published just because I am a woman?”
"Whether I save her or not is another matter, but I'll definitely lose money printing your book." The shop owner waved his hand and tried to push Ye Wanning out, "Get out, we don't print books here."
"You...you're not going to print it?"
"You should go back. I won't print it."
"Why...why are you saying you won't print it?"
Undeterred, Ye Wanning visited several more bookstores, only to receive the same response each time. One bookstore owner even mocked her, saying, "Women should stay home to serve their husbands and take care of the children. What are you doing learning medicine? And you want to print a book? Are you kidding me?"
Ye Wanning returned to Ci'an Hall in a daze and locked herself in her room. Seeing this, Chun Tao hurriedly went to find Pei Zhi.
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