Chapter 229 Ensuring the Core Secret Recipe Remains Secret
"Pei Zhi, why can't you understand me?" Ye Wanning asked, her voice filled with grievance. "I just want to help my mother fulfill her wish and let medical skills benefit more people."
“Wan Ning, it’s not that I don’t understand, it’s that I’m worried about you and also about Pei Chao’s safety,” Pei Zhi explained. “You can’t see into someone’s heart, you can’t open your heart to everyone.”
"If the core secret formula is leaked and used to harm people, then we'll be in big trouble."
“I know you’re worried, but we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Ye Wanning said. “We can remove the core secret formulas and only pass on basic medical skills and treatments for common diseases.”
"Isn't this a good way to benefit everyone while also keeping secrets?"
Pei Zhi remained silent for a while, then nodded: "What you said makes sense. I was too stubborn."
“I was wrong too, I shouldn’t have been angry with you,” Ye Wanning said.
The two exchanged a smile, and their previous disagreements and arguments vanished during the conversation.
Finally, they decided to selectively pass on "The Secret Essentials of the Green Bag": removing the core secret formulas and only passing on basic medical skills and treatments for common diseases.
This way, we can benefit others while protecting core secrets.
The emperor approved the plan and ordered Ye Wanning to select the contents, with Pei Zhi supervising to ensure that the core secret recipe was not leaked.
After Pei Zhi completely eliminated the Wei family from the Pei Dynasty, the old ministers found a new breakthrough.
They joined forces and jointly impeached Pei Zhi for "acting arbitrarily, eliminating dissidents, wielding excessive power, and threatening imperial authority."
The emperor was already wary of Pei Zhi's power, and upon seeing the impeachment memorial, he became even more hesitant and his attitude towards Pei Zhi gradually cooled.
Pei Zhi knew in his heart that this was a report from the old ministers, but he had no evidence and could only silently accept it.
Ye Wanning was very anxious when she found out: Pei Zhi is innocent and cannot be wronged like this.
She inquired and found that three of the officials who jointly impeached the government had family members suffering from incurable diseases.
The censor's mother had suffered from asthma for many years and had a persistent cough that had not improved despite long-term treatment.
The Minister's wife had been unable to conceive for many years, and her attempts to have a child had been unsuccessful.
The vice minister's son suffers from epilepsy, and his seizures are life-threatening.
Ye Wanning had an idea and took the initiative to provide free medical consultations at the door, hoping to resolve the conflict in this way.
First, she went to the Censor's residence to see the Censor's mother. The old lady was having an asthma attack, struggling to breathe, and her face was turning bluish-purple.
Ye Wanning took out silver needles and inserted them, quickly relieving the symptoms. After prescribing medicine, she also taught the old lady a set of breathing exercises.
“Your Excellency, your mother’s asthma is a chronic condition that requires gradual treatment. I will come back for a follow-up appointment once she is feeling better,” Ye Wanning said.
Seeing his mother's condition improve, the imperial censor finally felt relieved: "Madam Ye, thank you so much! I can't thank you enough!"
After that, he praised Ye Wanning's medical skills to everyone he met.
Then Ye Wanning went to the Minister's residence to take the Minister's wife's pulse. She prescribed a formula to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and regulate qi and blood:
"Your Excellency, once your wife's health is restored, she will naturally become pregnant. I will come regularly for follow-up visits and medication adjustments."
Finally, she went to the Vice Minister's residence to treat the Vice Minister's son's epilepsy, using acupuncture to alleviate the symptoms: "Your Excellency, your son's illness needs to be treated slowly and cannot be rushed. I will take good care of him."
The three officials were very grateful to Ye Wanning. They knew in their hearts that Pei Zhi was a loyal minister, and that his previous impeachment of him was instigated by others.
Now that Ye Wanning has taken the initiative to come to their door to treat their illness, they feel deeply guilty.
Not long after, the three officials withdrew their memorial impeaching Pei Zhi and even spoke on his behalf before the emperor.
"Your Majesty, Lord Pei is a loyal minister! We misunderstood him before. He is utterly devoted to the country, working tirelessly and selflessly; he is a pillar of Your Majesty's court!"
Other officials who had previously jointly impeached Pei Zhi also withdrew their memorials after seeing that these three had withdrawn theirs and even spoke well of Pei Zhi.
After reading this, the emperor's suspicion of Pei Zhi lessened considerably, and he regained his trust in him.
Pei Zhi was deeply moved when he learned that Ye Wanning had secretly helped him, so he went to the Heritage Hall to thank her in person.
The courtyard of the Heritage Hall was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, and Ye Wanning was teaching her apprentices to identify medicinal herbs. Seeing Pei Zhi enter, a subtle smile appeared on her lips: "Lord Pei, you've arrived."
"Wanning, thank you." Pei Zhi looked at her, deeply moved. "I really don't know what I would have done without you this time."
“We don’t need to be so polite between us,” Ye Wanning said. “You are innocent, and I can’t watch you be wronged.”
The morning breeze was penetrating to the bone. Led by her bodyguards, Ye Wanning arrived at the most remote dilapidated house in a small town on the outskirts of Beijing.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room. The stove was cold, and a half-sack of coarse rice lay in the corner. A woman dressed in patched clothes huddled by the kang (a heated brick bed), wiping away tears—it was Cui'er, the personal maid of her mother, Lin Yuewei, whom she had been searching for for over half a month.
"You...you are?" Cui'er looked up and saw Ye Wanning. Her cloudy eyes were first filled with surprise, followed by intense fear. She hurriedly shrank back into the kang (a heated brick bed).
“Aunt Cui’er, I am Ye Wanning, the daughter of Aunt Yuewei.” Ye Wanning slowed her pace and placed the rice, flour and silver coins on the table. “I’m here to ask you how my mother died back then.”
“You…you…” Cui’er’s body trembled violently, her lips quivered, but she gritted her teeth and refused to speak.
Ye Wanning knew her concerns and said gently, "I know you have difficulties, but my mother died under mysterious circumstances. I must know the truth and give my mother justice."
Upon hearing this, Cui'er suddenly covered her face and burst into tears: "Miss Ye, it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's that I'm afraid!" She sobbed as she pointed to the empty cradle on the kang (a heated brick bed), "My five-year-old Xiaobao was kidnapped by several men in black three days ago! They said that if I dared to utter even half a word about what happened back then, they would throw Xiaobao... throw Xiaobao into the mountains to be fed to the wolves!"
Ye Wanning's heart sank. Just as she had guessed, the remnants of the Wei family had been watching Cui'er all along.
"Did they say what they want you to do to release Xiaobao?" Ye Wanning pressed.
"They told me to say your mother died of illness, and they even made me... they even made me testify that your mother stole medicine and tried to harm your father!" Cui'er cried, sobbing uncontrollably. "Miss Ye, I'm so sorry for your mother, but I can't live without Xiaobao!"
Ye Wanning clenched her fists, a chilling glint in her eyes. It seemed the Wei family not only wanted to leave her clueless, but also to drag her into it and tarnish her mother's reputation!
“Aunt Cui’er, don’t be afraid.” Ye Wanning’s tone became firm. “Xiao Bao, I’ll save you. Just tell me the truth about what happened back then, and I will guarantee your safety.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a signal flare and fired it out the window. Not long after, Pei Zhi's voice rang out from outside the door: "Wan Ning, what's wrong?"
Ye Wanning turned around and saw Pei Zhi standing at the door in a black robe, his clothes still damp with dew, indicating that he had arrived as soon as he received the signal. She relayed Cui'er's words verbatim, and Pei Zhi's expression immediately changed: "The remnants of the Wei family, truly incorrigible."
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