Chapter 244 Embrace
Three days later, the emperor's insomnia was completely cured, and his mind was much calmer.
He looked at Ye Wanning, his tone much calmer: "Ye Wanning, you truly are a renowned doctor."
"I agree to your request. You do not need to stay in the palace all the time. You can just manage the Heritage Hall."
Meanwhile, the investigation by the three companies also yielded results.
Pei Zhi kept clear accounts, made reasonable transfers of military power, and showed no signs of disloyalty.
Looking at the verification results and grateful for Ye Wanning's calming prescription, the emperor's apprehension completely dissipated.
He summoned Pei Zhi and said apologetically, "Pei Zhi, it is my fault. I was misled by the slander of a villain, and I have wronged you."
"You are a loyal subject of the Great Liang Dynasty, and I will never doubt you again."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Pei Zhi bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal and have no ulterior motives whatsoever. Please rest assured."
The storm has finally subsided.
Pei Zhi left the palace and immediately headed to the Heritage Hall.
Ye Wanning was teaching her apprentices when she saw him enter, and her eyes lit up instantly.
She dismissed the apprentice and strode over to him: "Well, does the Emperor believe you now?"
"Yes, I believe you." Pei Zhi nodded and hugged her tightly.
"Wan Ning, thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I would have been feared."
Ye Wanning leaned against him, listening to his breathing and heartbeat, and tears streamed down her face.
“I was so worried about you, I was afraid something might happen to you.”
Pei Zhi held her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
This hug contained so much concern, worry, and joy.
Neither of them spoke; they simply held each other, silently confirming each other's presence.
After a long while, Pei Zhi finally let go of her and gently wiped away her tears.
He gazed at her intently, his tone solemn: "From now on, I will never let you suffer like this again."
Ye Wanning stared at the few empty rooms in the courtyard of the Heritage Hall, and many ideas popped into her mind.
A few days ago, while conducting a free clinic in the suburbs, she saw a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old by the roadside. The girl's mother had just fallen seriously ill, and the family had no money to hire a doctor, so the girl knelt by the roadside and kowtowed to passersby.
He kept begging, even banging his head until it bled, just hoping a kind person would feed his mother some medicine.
Fortunately, Su Ning, a female apprentice from the heritage center, happened to pass by. She stabilized the condition with a few silver needles and gave the person some herbal medicine, which saved the person's life.
The girl held Su Ning's hand and cried, "Sister, can I learn to treat illnesses too? If I learn, I can cure my mother's illness and help other people in the village."
Ye Wanning didn't respond at the time, but her heart was in turmoil. It was difficult for women in this world to seek medical treatment, and even more difficult to learn medicine.
The Imperial Medical Academy did not accept female doctors, and in private clinics, the knowledge was mostly passed down from father to son. Her mother, Lin Yuewei, suffered a lot of gossip when she practiced medicine.
If it weren't for my superb medical skills that kept people in check, I would have been drowned in spittle long ago.
"Master, what are you thinking about?" Su Ning came over with a bowl of medicine and saw her staring blankly into the room, so she couldn't help but ask curiously.
Su Ning was rescued by Ye Wanning from human traffickers. At that time, the girl was so thin that she was just skin and bones, but she clung to a tattered medical book and wouldn't let go of it.
She said her father was a doctor and had taught her to identify medicinal herbs. Ye Wanning saw that this girl had bright eyes and was good at studying medicine, so she took her in.
Unexpectedly, in just six months, Su Ning's medical skills caught up with those of the male apprentice who had studied for three years.
"I want to clean up these rooms and open a special class for female doctors." Ye Wanning turned to look at Su Ning.
“We recruit women from the lower classes who want to learn medicine, and teach them to recognize herbs, perform acupuncture, and treat patients. Once they have completed their training, they can become apprentices at the heritage center or practice medicine at branch clinics.”
The medicine bowl in Su Ning's hand trembled, and a few drops of the medicine spilled onto the ground. Her eyes suddenly lit up: "Really? That's wonderful!"
"Many girls who come to the free clinic ask if they can study medicine, but no one dares to mention it."
“This kind of thing isn’t so easy,” Ye Wanning sighed. “Those old fogies in the Imperial Medical Academy will definitely jump out and oppose it.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside. A servant from the heritage center rushed in, flustered: "Master, people from the palace have arrived! They say His Majesty summons you to the palace for a meeting!"
Ye Wanning's heart sank; it was likely that word had leaked out. She changed into simple clothes and followed the eunuch into the palace.
As soon as I stepped into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I heard a cold snort.
"Ye Wanning, how dare you!" Sun Chengzong, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, stood in the hall, his white beard twitching.
"How dare they propose setting up a class for female doctors and having women practice medicine in public? It's simply outrageous!"
Ye Wanning bowed and looked up to meet Sun Chengzong's disdainful gaze: "Lord Sun, a doctor's heart is benevolent, regardless of gender."
"It is not easy for women in ordinary families to seek medical treatment. If there were more female doctors, it would not only make it easier for women to seek medical treatment, but also save more lives. How could it be considered improper?"
"Nonsense!" Sun Chengzong patted his chest. "Since ancient times, doctors have always been men. Women's duty is to stay at home, take care of their husbands and raise their children."
"You're opening a class for female doctors, aren't you trying to cultivate your own power base or have some other motive?"
These words struck at Ye Wanning's heart, and her face darkened: "Does Lord Sun have any evidence for this? The Inheritance Hall has been practicing medicine for many years and has provided countless free medical consultations. We have never overstepped our bounds in the slightest."
"To conclude that I have ulterior motives based solely on the phrase 'women practicing medicine' would be too arbitrary."
The senior officials of the imperial family echoed this sentiment in the hall. Someone said, "Women are short-sighted and would make mistakes if they studied medicine. Moreover, the difference between men and women would only delay the diagnosis."
Some people say, "I'm afraid it will spoil the trend, making people think that studying medicine is hopeless, and they will turn to needlework instead."
They all chimed in, making a complete and utter fuss about the idea of "women practicing medicine."
Ye Wanning looked at the emperor on the throne and said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Over the past three years, the female apprentices of the Heritage Center have accompanied me on free medical clinics, treating more than 2,000 people, of whom more than 70% are women."
“There are some illnesses that are inconvenient for male doctors to treat, so female apprentices are the ones who handle them. Your Majesty can send someone to verify them, as I have more than two hundred medical records here that document their treatment process.”
As she spoke, she took a book from her sleeve, which the eunuch took and presented to the emperor. The emperor flipped through a few pages, frowned, and remained silent.
Seeing that things were not going well, Sun Chengzong quickly tried to dissuade her: "These medical records were all recorded by her own hand, how could they be false!"
"Besides, curing only a few people doesn't prove that women can practice medicine. His Majesty's niece fell seriously ill years ago, and it was only after consulting a male doctor that she was cured."
"A woman practicing medicine is ultimately a heretical and unorthodox path!"
Ye Wanning raised her eyes and looked directly at Sun Chengzong: "Lord Sun, your niece Sun Miaoyin had a difficult childbirth three years ago at a villa in the suburbs."
"There were no male doctors nearby at the time. It was Zhang Acui, a female apprentice at the heritage center, who used an oxytocin injection to stabilize the fetus and then had a midwife deliver the baby, thus saving the lives of both mother and child."
"You've probably forgotten about this!"
Sun Chengzong's expression changed drastically: "You're talking nonsense! It's clearly..."
"It's true that Lord Sun hired a doctor, but it's false to say that all the credit goes to the male doctor," Ye Wanning interrupted him.
"Zhang Acui is still at the Heritage Center, and Miss Sun's wet nurse is also in the capital. His Majesty only needs to ask them one question to find out."
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