Chapter 163 They framed me!
The nobles were gossiping: "Ye Wanning is shameless, having an affair with the head of the Imperial Medical Academy!"
Madam Pei was trembling with anger, pointing at Wan Ning: "Wan Ning, tell me! Did you and Liu Wenyan have an affair?"
"You've disgraced the Pei family! I'll kill you!"
Wan Ning's heart skipped a beat, realizing someone was trying to frame her, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Grandma, I didn't! Someone forged the letter to frame me!"
Madam Pei sneered, "The evidence is right in front of you, and you still dare to argue?"
She threw the letter in front of Wan Ning: "You wrote this, didn't you? I recognize your handwriting!"
"The handwriting on this letter is exactly the same as your forgery; don't try to deny it!"
Wan Ning, holding the letter, hurriedly explained, "Grandma, please look more closely. The last stroke of the character 'medicine' is flat."
"The letter does have a checkmark on it; it must have been altered when that person forged it. I never wrote it!"
Madam Pei leaned closer to look and, sure enough, it had a hook. Her expression softened slightly: "It's also possible that you deliberately altered your handwriting to deceive me!"
Just then, Pei Zhi and Liu Wenyan entered together.
Holding the letter, Liu Wenyan said angrily, "Madam Pei, this letter is fake!"
"I don't even know Ye Wanning. What ambiguity is there? Someone is clearly trying to frame us!"
Pei Zhi walked to Wan Ning's side, took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table: "This is a draft that Su Qingyao wrote in imitation of Wan Ning's handwriting. The secret guards found it in her room."
"The last stroke of the character 'medicine' she wrote had a hook, exactly the same as the one on the letter!"
Madam Pei compared the draft with the letter, and her expression changed drastically: "That Su Qingyao! How dare she forge a letter to harm Wan Ning and Judge Liu!"
"What a disgrace to the Pei family!"
Su Qingyao was brought in by the eunuch. Upon seeing the draft and the letter, she hurriedly cried out, "Grandma, I'm innocent! They framed me!"
“The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to argue?” Pei Zhi said coldly, “Since you came back from the ancestral temple, you have been targeting Wan Ning at every turn.”
"You're the one who forged this letter!"
Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Su Qingyao knelt down with a thud and cried, "Grandma, cousin, I was wrong!"
"I was just jealous of Ye Wanning, and in a moment of confusion, I forged the letter. Please forgive me!"
Madam Pei trembled with rage: "You wretched child! The Pei family has no one like you!"
"You are never to step out of your own courtyard again, and you are forbidden from leaving the house for the rest of your life!"
Su Qingyao dared not plead for mercy and was taken away by the eunuch.
"Miss Ye, I misunderstood you before and caused you to suffer. I'm truly sorry." Liu Wenyan was full of remorse.
"President Liu, there's no need to apologize. This isn't your fault," Ye Wanning said with a smile. "Let's clarify this quickly so as not to delay the compilation of the medical book."
Liu Wenyan nodded, feeling a surge of admiration. He hadn't expected Ye Wanning to be not only a highly skilled doctor but also so magnanimous.
The previous dissatisfaction and hostility have also decreased significantly.
Afterwards, Pei Zhi took Ye Wanning back to the clinic.
"Thank you, Lord Pei," Ye Wanning said softly on the way.
"You're welcome. I won't allow anyone to hurt you," Pei Zhi said with a smile.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Su Qingyao is under house arrest and won't bother you anymore. You can now focus on compiling medical books at the Imperial Hospital."
Ye Wanning nodded, her heart filled with gratitude.
If Pei Zhi hadn't found the evidence in time, she would have been unable to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River. She really didn't know how to repay him.
After clearing up the misunderstanding about the "ambiguous letter," Ye Wanning's days at the Imperial Hospital became much easier.
Liu Wenyan stopped opposing her and even discussed medical books with her. Sometimes he even entrusted her with editing work because he completely trusted her.
Ye Wanning dared not be careless in the slightest. Zhao Dechang's old case had not yet been investigated and could not be overlooked.
From the files sent anonymously by Pei Zhi, she discovered that her birth mother's maid, Chun Tao, was not dead, but was hidden by Zhao Dechang in a villa in the suburbs.
On the day her birth mother was murdered, Chun Tao was the only living witness present.
Finding her would prove the core truth that Zhao Dechang harmed his biological mother.
Ye Wanning plans to go see Chuntao.
She had found out the location of the villa beforehand, and on her day off, she quietly went to the outskirts of the city alone.
The villa was located halfway up the mountain, surrounded by trees, and was very secluded. There were also two guards at the entrance, who were obviously arranged by Zhao Dechang.
Ye Wanning stepped forward: "I am Ye Wanning. I am here to see Chuntao. Please inform her."
The guard looked her up and down and said coldly, "There's no one named Chun Tao here. You've come to the wrong place. Get out of here!"
"I'm not mistaken, Chun Tao is definitely here, let me in!" Ye Wanning was unwilling to give up and insisted on going in.
The guard shoved her impatiently: "If you don't get out of here, we'll get rough with you!"
Ye Wanning was pushed back two steps and almost fell.
She knew she couldn't force her way in; the guards were armed and she couldn't defeat them. She had no choice but to go back and think of another way.
Back at the clinic, Ye Wanning looked worried as she flipped through the case files.
Chun Tao is the only witness. Without her, Zhao Dechang could not be convicted, and the revenge from the previous life could not be taken.
Just as she was worrying, Pei Zhi came to the clinic and noticed her strange expression: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Ye Wanning hesitated for a moment before telling him about looking for Chun Tao: "I found out that Chun Tao is in a villa in the suburbs, but the guards won't let me in, so I can't see her at all."
Pei Zhi frowned and remained silent for a moment: "Tomorrow, I will take you to see her."
"You have a solution?" Ye Wanning asked in surprise.
Pei Zhi nodded: "Zhao Dechang's villa is heavily guarded, but I know the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
“We brought people in to search the place under the pretext of investigating Zhao Dechang’s embezzlement case, and his people did not dare to stop us.”
Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected Pei Zhi to help her investigate whether Zhao Dechang might have offended the other party and that it might affect his position in the court.
"Won't this affect you?" Ye Wanning asked worriedly.
Pei Zhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, there have been rumors of Zhao Dechang's corruption for a long time, and the Emperor also wants to investigate him, but he just hasn't found an opportunity."
“This time it just goes exactly as the Emperor wishes.” He paused, then added, “Besides, for your sake, I’m not afraid of any consequences.”
Ye Wanning didn't say anything more, just stared blankly at her hands.
Pei Zhi's kindness to her had long since transcended the boundaries of marriage, and she found it increasingly difficult to ignore her feelings for him.
Early the next morning, Pei Zhi, accompanied by the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and his guards, arrived at the villa in the suburbs.
The gatekeeper, seeing that it was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, dared not stop him and obediently opened the gate.
Pei Zhi led Ye Wanning on a tour of the villa, and finally they went to the woodshed.
Chun Tao was shivering inside, barely clothed, her hair disheveled, and her face covered in wounds, clearly having suffered countless torments.
"Chuntao!" Ye Wanning rushed over and helped her up, tears streaming down her face. "It's me, Wanning! I've come to save you!"
Chun Tao looked up at Ye Wanning in disbelief: "Miss...it's you? You really came to save me!"
"It's me, it's me!" Ye Wanning cried, hugging Chun Tao. "I'm so sorry I'm late, I've made you suffer so much!"
Chuntao also started crying, saying intermittently, "Miss, Madam didn't die of illness back then; she was murdered by Zhao Dechang!"
"He coveted the lady's dowry and wanted to marry someone else. When the lady refused, he poisoned her and hid me here!"
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