Chapter 235 You'll Get What's Coming From
Lord Li is scheduled to accompany the Crown Prince on an inspection tour soon. If Doctor Ye can make Lord Li's "illness" worse, thus delaying the tour, and then explain to His Majesty that it was due to the Crown Prince's inadequate care, His Highness will surely reward him handsomely.
The servant spoke crisply and decisively, his tone carrying an even stronger sense of condescension. Ye Wanning's face instantly turned icy cold—the Second Prince wanted her to help frame the Crown Prince; how utterly malicious his intentions were!
"Go back and tell your second prince that the medicinal herbs in the Heritage Hall are for saving lives, not for framing loyal officials." Ye Wanning pointed to the door, her tone icy and chilling. "Take the gold and herbs back intact! If you dare say another word, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The servant was taken aback by her direct refusal. He paused for a moment, then said angrily, "Ye Wanning, don't push your luck! It's your good fortune that His Highness the Second Prince is trying to win you over. If you offend His Highness, you'll regret it!"
"Get out!" Ye Wanning said coldly.
The apprentices swarmed forward and drove the servant and his belongings out.
Sure enough, three days later, the second prince, enraged and humiliated, joined forces with several conservative members of the imperial clan to launch an attack in the court.
The Prince of Runan, an elder of the imperial clan, was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty! Ye Wanning has no respect for rank and dares to refuse the Second Prince's kindness and show disrespect to the imperial envoy! Such behavior is a disgrace to the royal family!"
Another member of the imperial family echoed, "I also think that Ye Wanning is just a female physician, but she has become increasingly arrogant and spoiled because of the Empress Dowager's trust. She has probably forgotten her duty!"
The second prince feigned a wronged expression: "Father, I was thinking of helping the Heritage Hall, but I didn't expect Doctor Ye to be so ungrateful. She even said that the royal family is not worthy of using her medicine."
The emperor frowned and looked at Ye Wanning, who was standing to the side: "Wanning, is what the Second Prince said true?"
"Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing." Ye Wanning stepped forward, calmly took out the edict for women's medicine given to her by the Empress Dowager, and held it high. "The Empress Dowager has given me the edict for women's medicine, ordering me to only treat the virtuous and not to get involved in factional strife."
The Second Prince sent someone with a hundred taels of gold and medicinal herbs, forcing me to provide "special treatment" for his confidant. His true intention was to have me frame the Crown Prince and delay his imperial tour. After I refused, they falsely accused me of disrespecting the royal family.
She paused for a moment, then said, "The medicinal herbs and gold given by the Second Prince are still untouched outside the Heritage Hall. Your Majesty can send someone to investigate!"
This caused a huge uproar. The Second Prince's face turned pale, and he stammered, unable to speak.
The emperor sent people to investigate, and they indeed found gold and medicinal herbs, as well as the servant's testimony, proving that what Ye Wanning said was true.
The emperor was furious and pointed at the second prince, cursing, "You unfilial son! How dare you plot against the crown prince, associate with the physician, and form cliques for personal gain! Your crimes are doubled! From this day forward, you shall remain in seclusion for three months to reflect on your mistakes and shall not leave the palace without being summoned!"
The Prince of Runan and others were also scolded: "You members of the imperial clan, unable to distinguish right from wrong, slander loyal officials, and remain incorrigible! If you dare to have any thoughts of meddling in the court again, I will not be polite!"
Looking at the disheveled and embarrassed state of the Second Prince and the other members of the imperial clan in the main hall, Ye Wanning felt extremely pleased—this time, she had finally given them a good slap in the face!
Upon returning from court, Ye Wanning learned from Chun Tao that Pei Zhi had long seen through the Second Prince's tricks.
He sent his secret guards to intercept the Second Prince's communications with his confidants in advance, and they thoroughly investigated the origins of the gold and medicinal herbs. He was just waiting for her to ask for evidence, but he didn't inform Chun Tao beforehand.
That night, Ye Wanning brewed a calming soup and went to the Pei residence. The osmanthus flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom, filling the courtyard with fragrance.
The two sat at the stone table, and Ye Wanning pushed the soup bowl to Pei Zhi: "Thank you for intercepting the evidence in advance."
Pei Zhi took the soup bowl, drank some, looked at her face, and said, "You did a great job; you weren't seduced by power."
Just after the end of summer, an urgent message arrived in the capital from Jiangzhou in the south—an epidemic had broken out in Jiangzhou, and in just ten days, more than a thousand people had died from the disease.
The Jiangzhou government was helpless, and the people were suffering terribly.
When the news reached the Heritage Center, Ye Wanning was buried in a pile of medical books. She read through the medical records of the epidemic left by her mother, and compared them with the symptoms reported from Jiangzhou (persistent high fever, coughing up blood and weakness, skin rash). After three days and three nights of hard work, she finally prepared a decoction for epidemic prevention.
This herbal decoction can both prevent epidemics and treat mild symptoms, while keeping the cost of medicinal materials to a minimum and making it convenient for large-scale preparation.
Just as she handed the prescription to the emperor, the military governor came in to report: "Zhao Kun, the prefect of Jiangzhou, is a distant cousin of the second prince and is definitely a member of the second prince's faction. He refused to accept and detained the epidemic prevention medicine sent from the capital, and he also spread rumors in the city that the epidemic prevention soup sent from the capital to be brewed for the people is poisonous and will cause lung rot if drunk!"
"The people aren't unwilling to take medicine; they'd rather wait to die than drink this 'poisonous soup'!"
"This is outrageous!" Ye Wanning slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Zhao Kun is using the lives of ordinary people as bargaining chips for his political enemies!"
The emperor was also furious and immediately wanted to issue an edict to reprimand Zhao Kun.
Ye Wanning reached out to block him: "Your Majesty, the imperial edict is nothing but dirt in Zhao Kun's eyes!"
She stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I request permission to travel south to Jiangzhou—both to promote the anti-epidemic medicine and to investigate whether Zhao Kun is as the rumors suggest!"
The court officials were in an uproar, and the senior ministers advised, "Madam Ye is a frail woman, and the epidemic in Jiangzhou is extremely dangerous. She must not take any risks!"
"A doctor's heart is full of compassion; how can I stand by and watch someone die?" Ye Wanning said resolutely. "As long as I can save the people of Jiangzhou, I will never back down, no matter how many difficulties and dangers there are!"
Pei Zhi stood aside, extremely anxious, but did not stop it.
After the court session ended, he caught up with her and handed her a brocade box: "Inside is a specially made sachet for epidemic prevention, containing seventeen kinds of medicinal herbs to ward off disease. You must wear it day and night."
He paused, then said, "I've already arranged for ten elite bodyguards to go with you. They'll send back a letter every day to let you know you're safe. Don't worry, you'll definitely be protected. Just take care."
Ye Wanning took the brocade box. Inside, besides the anti-epidemic medicine in a small porcelain jar, there was also a sachet. A slightly bitter medicinal scent wafted from the sachet, mixed with a hint of pine wood fragrance, and warmth instantly enveloped her hands.
She looked at him and saw a hint of worry in his eyes, and her heart warmed: "Take care of yourself too, and wait for me to come back."
Three days later, Ye Wanning led her apprentices and guards into Jiangzhou. As soon as they entered the city, they saw that the streets were desolate, every house was closed, and the occasional cough could be heard, which made people feel uneasy.
Instead of going to find Zhao Kun, Ye Wanning took the medicine and led her apprentices to the slums of Jiangzhou—a severely affected area of the epidemic.
The people there were so hungry they were skin and bones, and those who contracted the plague huddled in thatched huts waiting to die.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. This is a medicinal soup for epidemic prevention. Drinking it will cure your illness!" Ye Wanning had her apprentices set up a large pot to brew the medicine in front of everyone. She scooped out a bowl for herself, tilted her head back, and drank it down. "I am Ye Wanning from the Heritage Hall in the capital. I would never harm you!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com