Chapter 189 Why take in an orphan girl!
That day, Ye Wanning met an orphan girl named Su Xiao at the branch school.
Su Xiao's parents died from the pandemic. She knew some herbal medicine and had always wanted to become Ye Wanning's apprentice to learn medicine.
Looking into Su Xiao's eyes, which were full of longing and determination, Ye Wanning felt as if she were seeing her younger self. Her heart softened, and she agreed to her request.
Unexpectedly, this decision triggered a new controversy.
When the gentry of Jiangnan heard that Ye Wanning had taken an orphan girl as her apprentice, a group of them angrily came to dissuade her: "Madam Ye, Su Xiao is an orphan girl, without father, mother, brothers, or sisters. Who knows if she is kind-hearted or of good character?"
"You've given her the title of a disciple of the Ye family. What if something happens to her? Aren't you afraid it will damage the reputation of the Ye family and the branch academy?"
"Exactly! An orphan girl, of unknown origin and purpose, could she be trying to exploit your reputation for some nefarious purpose?"
"There are plenty of well-bred young ladies in Jiangnan who want to become your apprentices, why bother taking in an orphan girl!"
The local gentry came to dissuade her, and some even threatened that if Ye Wanning insisted on taking Su Xiao in, they would no longer support the branch hospital and their families would no longer come here for treatment.
Ye Wanning was both angry and helpless. She never expected that taking on a disciple would provoke so much opposition.
"Gentlemen," Ye Wanning stood up, looking at the assembled gentry with a firm and unwavering gaze, "I accept disciples based on their character and talent."
Rather than birth and background.
"Although Su Xiao is an orphan, she is intelligent and resilient, passionate about medicine and extremely talented. I believe she will be a good doctor."
"As for her character, I will personally guide her; there's no need to worry about her going astray," Ye Wanning said firmly.
"If you all stop supporting the branch school for this reason, I won't force you, but my decision to accept Su Xiao will not change!"
The gentry hadn't expected Ye Wanning to be so stubborn, and their faces darkened: "Madam Ye, you're simply incorrigible!"
"Fine! Since you're so heartless, then we'll never come to your branch again!"
The gentry left indignantly, leaving only Ye Wanning and Su Xiao behind. Su Xiao looked at Ye Wanning, her eyes filled with gratitude and apology: "Master, it's all my fault, I've caused you trouble."
"It's alright." Ye Wanning patted her head. "They're just too stubborn; they only recognize people by their origins."
Don't worry, with me here, no one can stop you.
Just then, Pei Zhi entered from outside and overheard their conversation. He walked to Ye Wanning's side and said with a firm look in his eyes, "I trust Wanning to take on a disciple!"
He looked at the gentry who hadn't gone far and announced in a loud voice, "If Su Xiao encounters any problems in the future, I, Pei Zhi, will take full responsibility! Anyone who dares to cause trouble at the branch school because of this is an enemy of me, Pei Zhi!"
Upon hearing Pei Zhi's words, the gentry turned deathly pale. Although they held power in Jiangnan, none dared to provoke Pei Zhi, the emperor's most favored prime minister, whose immense power made him untouchable.
"Lord Pei...that's not what we meant..."
"Yes, we were just worried about Su Xiao's character... Now that Lord Pei has vouched for him, we are relieved..."
The gentry all changed their tune and slunk away.
Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhi, her heart filled with gratitude. Every time she encountered difficulties, Pei Zhi was always the first to stand up for her.
"Thank you, Pei Zhi," Ye Wanning said softly.
"Why are you being so polite with me?" Pei Zhi said with a smile. "I will always support your decisions."
Watching the interaction between the two, Su Xiao felt incredibly envious. She tugged at Ye Wanning's sleeve and whispered, "Master, Lord Pei looks at you with such affection; he must really like you!"
Ye Wanning blushed and quickly pretended to cough: "Don't talk nonsense, we're just friends!"
Su Xiao smiled and nodded, saying nothing more, but she already understood most of it.
Pei Zhi looked at Ye Wanning's girlish demeanor and couldn't help but smile. He knew that Ye Wanning already had feelings for him, but she still needed some time to completely forget the past.
He believed that one day Ye Wanning would muster the courage to accept his love and live a good life with him.
And that day seems to be getting closer and closer.
After that day, Ye Wanning began to intensify her teaching of medical skills to Su Xiao. Su Xiao was naturally intelligent and hardworking, and it wasn't long before she was able to take care of some young patients on her own.
Madam Pei continued to "supervise" the branch hospital every day, but she gradually noticed the differences between Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi.
Although she was eager to have a great-grandchild, she no longer pressured him relentlessly, only occasionally making a few teasing remarks.
Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi's relationship gradually became closer. They would look at prescriptions in medical books together and treat patients together.
We would occasionally take a walk or have a meal together.
Without a clear confession, they had already implicitly acknowledged each other's feelings. An atmosphere of ambiguity gradually filled the air between them, growing stronger and stronger.
But just then, Jiang Ruoyan jumped out again and plotted a conspiracy to bring down Ye Wanning in one fell swoop!
She bribed a minor servant in the branch hospital to add a small amount of laxative to a pregnancy-preserving medication prescribed for a pregnant woman.
The pregnant woman soon experienced abdominal pain after taking the medication. Taking advantage of this, Jiang Ruoyan incited the pregnant woman's family to cause trouble at the branch hospital, accusing Ye Wanning of "misusing the medication and trying to kill her."
In no time, the area in front of the branch hospital was packed with onlookers. The pregnant woman's family members cried and demanded an explanation from Ye Wanning, and some even called on the authorities to arrest Ye Wanning.
Upon hearing the news, Ye Wanning rushed to the scene. Looking at her crying family members and the onlookers, she felt calm. She knew that Jiang Ruoyan must be up to something again.
"Everyone, please be quiet!" Ye Wanning said loudly. "I believe there is nothing wrong with my prescription. There must be some misunderstanding."
Please give me some time, I will find out the truth!
"Misunderstanding? My wife is in so much pain, what misunderstanding could there be?" the pregnant woman's husband roared, his eyes red.
"You're the one trying to harm our child! I'm going to kill you!"
As he spoke, he tried to pounce on Ye Wanning, but Pei Zhi stopped him.
"Let's talk this out. Fighting won't solve anything." Pei Zhi's tone was icy, his eyes full of intimidation.
"Wan Ning's medical skills are evident to all; she would never do such a thing. I believe she will find out the truth and give you an explanation."
The pregnant woman's husband looked at Pei Zhi, feeling a little apprehensive, but still unwilling to give up: "Investigate? How do we investigate?"
"The medication was prescribed by your branch hospital, and the person started experiencing pain after taking your medication. What else is there to investigate?"
“Of course there’s something to investigate,” Ye Wanning said calmly. “I’ll treat your wife right away. If there’s a problem with my prescription, I’m willing to take full responsibility; if someone’s framing her, I will definitely find the culprit!”
She walked to the pregnant woman's side, took out a silver needle, and gently placed it on the woman's wrist. After a moment, she raised her head, her eyes cold: "Your wife's pulse is stable, and the fetus is fine. The abdominal pain is only because she took a laxative, not because there is anything wrong with my pregnancy-stabilizing medicine."
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