Chapter 253 Providing Free Medical Services to the People
There was no note inside the box, but it emitted a special fragrance, the unique scent of the wooden box that Pei Zhi made by hand.
Ye Wanning held the wooden box, her fingertips gently stroking it. That night, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
She knew in her heart that it must have been Pei Zhi who gave it to her. He was always like this, quietly helping her when she needed it, but never wanting to make a fuss.
A warm feeling gradually spread through her heart, and she unconsciously took out the osmanthus candy and gently sniffed it. The faint fragrance reminded her of Pei Zhi's smiling eyes, and her cheeks involuntarily flushed.
But she quickly shook her head. The gap between them was too great; she couldn't have such thoughts, lest she annoy him.
Ye Wanning continued to treat the villagers in the dilapidated temple, and many people came to see her every day.
On the other hand, Wu Weimin did his best to collect evidence against Zhou Hu and Lord Wang, while Pei Zhi advocated in the court to rectify the officialdom of the neighboring city, and the prefect quickly approved it.
When the news came that Zhou Hu and Lord Wang had been dismissed from their posts and were to be investigated and sent to the capital for trial, the people of the neighboring city cheered with joy.
Before long, many villagers came to the dilapidated temple with banners and letters of gratitude to present to Ye Wanning. Looking at all this, Ye Wanning felt deeply comforted.
She knew this was just the beginning, and there would be many more difficulties ahead, but she would never back down.
She placed the mosquito repellent cream Pei Zhi had given her at the bottom of the medicine box, her fingertips gently touching the engravings on the wooden box, a slight nervousness creeping into her heart.
One morning, before the Heritage Museum in the neighboring city even opened, footsteps could be heard outside. Su Ning rushed in, holding a crumpled piece of paper: "Sir, Magistrate Wu has sent a list. They are all farmers whose land was forcibly seized by Zhou Hu!"
Ye Wanning took the list, which was densely covered with names, the ink still slightly damp. Seeing the names "Old Man Wang" and "Aunt Li," she recalled how these elderly people had secretly cried and told her about their land being taken away during the free clinic a few days ago, and her heart ached so much that she felt like she could hardly breathe.
“Let’s go, we’ll verify each case one by one and collect all the evidence,” Ye Wanning said.
Su Ning nodded and followed her outside. As soon as they stepped out, they saw several farmers standing at the door with hoes in their hands, and the old man Wang, who was leading the group, was also carrying a cloth bag in his arms.
"Dr. Ye, I heard you're going to sue Zhou Hu on our behalf. Here's a copy of my family's land deed, and the fingerprint he forced me to put on it back then. Take it!" Old Man Wang handed over the cloth bag.
“And mine too!” “I have evidence here too!” Other farmers stepped forward and stuffed the cloth bags and paper rolls in their hands into Ye Wanning’s hands.
Some of these items were covered in mud, others were moldy, but they were the most compelling evidence. Ye Wanning's eyes gradually welled up with tears. She tidied up the items and said to the villagers, "Thank you for your hard work. I will never let you down."
Over the next few days, Ye Wanning and Su Ning followed the constables sent by Wu Weimin and traveled to all the villages in the neighboring city, visiting all the farmers whose land had been seized.
Many farmers, fearing retaliation from Zhou Hu, dared not cultivate their land, even if they owned it. Whenever Ye Wanning visited a household, she would first examine the elderly and children, then slowly inquire about their situation and carefully record her observations.
She gradually remembered her original intention in opening the heritage center: "My father died because he couldn't afford medical treatment. I opened the center so that no one would suffer from not being able to afford medical treatment, and no one would be bullied by bad people."
The farmers were deeply moved and readily cooperated. Grandma Zhang held her hand tightly, crying, "Zhou Hu not only seized our land, but also injured my husband. He's been bedridden for over six months. We went to the county government to file a complaint, but Magistrate Wang took his money and completely ignored us!"
Ye Wanning meticulously recorded the situation of each household and had the yamen runners draw a map showing the distribution of land occupied by Zhou Hu, clearly marking the time when each piece of land was seized and its original owner.
Wu Weimin wasn't idle either. He discovered that Zhou Hu had a granary outside the city, and the grain inside was grown on the land he had seized. He secretly sealed off the granary and, after taking inventory, found that the quantity was enormous, enough to convict him.
In the afternoon, Ye Wanning had already amassed a thick stack of evidence. She went to the prefectural government office with the constables to pay her respects to the prefect.
As soon as she stepped into the government office, she saw a familiar figure—Pei Zhi, dressed in plain clothes, with two attendants beside him, talking to the prefect.
Ye Wanning was stunned for a moment and subconsciously tried to dodge, but Pei Zhi had already seen her.
Pei Zhi's eyes lit up, and he said to the prefect, "Everything is ready. I'll go report to the Emperor now." After saying that, he walked up to Ye Wanning and asked, "Doctor Ye, is the evidence ready?"
"Yes." Ye Wanning nodded. "Magistrate Wu and I are here to report the case to the Prefect."
Wu Weimin quickly stepped forward and respectfully said, "Prime Minister Pei."
“No need for formalities.” Pei Zhi’s gaze fell on the case file in Ye Wanning’s arms. “Zhou Hu has committed numerous crimes, and this evidence is sufficient to warrant severe punishment.”
He turned to look at Ye Wanning, his tone filled with concern: "You haven't been resting well lately; your eyes are all bruised. The neighboring city is humid and hot, with lots of mosquitoes, so remember to take precautions."
He paused, then added, "Don't forget to put the mosquito repellent cream in the medicine cabinet."
Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart and said softly, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Pei."
At this moment, the prefect hurriedly stood up to greet them. Ye Wanning placed the case file on the table, opened it, and pointed to its contents, saying:
“Your Excellency, these are the contracts for Zhou Hu’s illegal occupation of land, the testimonies of the farmers, and the grain warehouse records found by Magistrate Wu. These are sufficient to prove that he forcibly occupied farmland, hoarded grain, and bribed officials.”
The prefect scrutinized the documents, his expression growing increasingly grim. Sitting beside him, Magistrate Wang's face paled instantly, and he hurriedly protested, "Your Excellency, these are all Ye Wanning's side of the story; she might have forged them!"
"Whether it's forged or not, we'll find out by checking," Wu Weimin said immediately. "The granary has been sealed off, and the amount of grain inside doesn't match the yield of the farmland under Zhou Hu's name. These farmers are also willing to testify in court!"
Lord Wang wanted to continue his explanation, but suddenly a subordinate came to the government office and handed him an official document.
The official document read: "Your Excellency, news from the capital! Prime Minister Pei proposed in court to rectify the official conduct of the neighboring city, and the Emperor approved it. He hereby orders you to thoroughly investigate the Zhou Hu case and not to tolerate it!"
After reading it, Lord Wang's face fell completely, and he slumped into his chair.
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at Pei Zhi. He was also looking at her, his eyes deep, as if he had something to say to her.
Before he could even speak, his subordinate stepped forward and reported, "Your Excellency, there is a breach in the dike outside the city. Please come and inspect it."
Pei Zhi frowned, his gaze falling on Ye Wanning again, and said apologetically, "I need to take care of my official business first, and I'll come to see you later."
Ye Wanning nodded gently, watching his retreating figure, her mind in turmoil. Had his insistence on reforming the neighboring city's administration in court been to help her, or simply for the sake of governance?
The prefect immediately dispatched men to arrest Zhou Hu and Lord Wang's accomplices. After Ye Wanning and Wu Weimin finished their business and left the prefectural office, they realized it was already dark.
Su Ning rushed over, holding a wooden box in her hand: "Sir, this was sent by Prime Minister Pei's subordinates. They said that Lord Pei asked you to accept it."
Ye Wanning took the wooden box and opened it. Inside was a bottle of mosquito repellent cream, exactly the same as the one Pei Zhi had given her before, even the carvings on the wooden box were the same.
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