Chapter 204 Intervening in Harem Affairs
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will prescribe an antidote for you. Take it regularly, and your health will gradually improve," she comforted you.
Just as he was about to take out paper and pen to write a prescription, footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace, along with Pei Wan'er's voice: "Sister Shufei, I heard you weren't feeling well, so I came to see you!"
Consort Shu panicked and quickly said to Ye Wanning, "Hide quickly! Consort Wan is Consort Li's person. It would be terrible if she saw us!"
Ye Wanning hadn't expected Pei Wan'er to come so suddenly. Just as she was trying to find a place to hide, Pei Wan'er burst in with her palace servants.
"Oh, isn't this Madam Ye?" Pei Wan'er's eyes lit up when she saw her, her tone mocking.
"Why aren't you teaching at the Heritage Hall? What are you doing in Consort Shu's palace?"
"Could they be here to devise a plan to deal with my empress?!"
"Your Highness Consort Wan has misunderstood. I am here to treat Consort Shu's illness," Ye Wanning said calmly.
"Treat illness?" Pei Wan'er sneered, "When Consort Shu is sick, the Imperial Physicians of the Imperial Hospital will treat her. Why would they need a commoner like you?"
"I think you're trying to have an affair with Consort Shu and interfere in the affairs of the inner palace!"
As she spoke, she turned to the palace servants and instructed them, "Quickly tell Consort Li about this, and say that Ye Wanning is having an affair with Consort Shu and is plotting something wicked!"
The palace servant obeyed the order and hurriedly ran out.
Consort Shu stamped her feet in frustration: "Consort Wan, don't talk nonsense! Madam Ye came to help me, not to have an affair!"
"Whether it's adultery or not isn't up to you to decide!" Pei Wan'er said smugly. "Once Consort Li arrives, she'll get to the bottom of it!"
Not long after, Consort Li arrived with her palace servants.
When she saw Ye Wanning, her face instantly darkened: "Ye Wanning, how dare you!"
"How dare you have an affair with Consort Shu and interfere in the affairs of the harem? Do you have any respect for the Emperor or for the rules of the harem?"
“Your Highness, I am here to take the pulse of Consort Shu, not for any illicit affair!” Ye Wanning took out the pulse record. “This is my record of Consort Shu’s pulse. She has been poisoned for a long time and is physically weak.”
"I treated her solely out of a physician's conscience, without any ulterior motives!"
"Poisoned?" Consort Li feigned surprise. "Sister Shu is unwell because of her weak health, how could she have been poisoned?"
"I think you're fabricating lies to have an affair with Consort Shu!"
She then turned to the eunuch beside the emperor and said, "Quickly report to the emperor that Ye Wanning is having an affair with Consort Shu, fabricating lies, and plotting to harm me and harm the imperial heir!"
The eunuch dared not delay and immediately returned to the palace to report to the emperor.
The Emperor took this very seriously and ordered Ye Wanning, Consort Shu, Consort Li, and Pei Wan'er to come to the main hall to hear the imperial decree.
In the main hall, Consort Li tearfully pleaded, "Your Majesty, Ye Wanning had an affair with Consort Shu and fabricated the lie of poisoning me. In reality, she wanted to help Consort Shu plot against me and the imperial heir. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me!"
Consort Shu knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly: "Your Majesty, I am indeed unwell. Lady Ye came to treat me and had no affair with me. I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"
Pei Wan'er chimed in, "Your Majesty, I saw Ye Wanning in Consort Shu's palace with my own eyes. The two looked very intimate. They must be having an affair!"
The Emperor looked at Ye Wanning, his face darkening: "Ye Wanning, what do you have to say?"
"Your Majesty, I have evidence that Consort Shu has been poisoned!" Ye Wanning took out her medical record and a small amount of residual poison.
“This is the pulse diagnosis recorded by your servant, which contains a slight toxicity; this is the poison found in the pastries that Consort Shu eats daily.”
"Although the dosage of the toxin is small, long-term consumption will slowly damage the body and make people gradually weaker!"
She paused for a moment and looked at Consort Li: "This humble woman suspects that the one who poisoned you is Consort Li."
"You've been suppressing and ostracizing Consort Shu, fearing her pregnancy would affect your position, which is why you resorted to this vicious scheme!"
Consort Li's expression changed, and she hurriedly cried out, "Your Majesty, I didn't! Ye Wanning is slandering me!"
After examining the evidence and glancing at Consort Li and Consort Shu, the Emperor had already formed a conclusion. He knew that Consort Li was extremely jealous and was most likely the one who poisoned the concubine, but he was also wary of Ye Wanning interfering in palace affairs.
"This matter is of great importance; allow me to investigate further!" the Emperor said to Ye Wanning.
"You, a commoner female healer, have entered the palace without permission to treat the concubines, violating the rules of the harem."
"But considering your excellent medical skills and your concern for the people, I will not pursue your responsibility."
"From this day forward, no one may enter the palace without my summons!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ye Wanning bowed, but felt a little disappointed.
She knew that although the emperor had not punished her, he had already become wary of her, and it would only be more difficult for her to act in the harem in the future.
Although the poisoning of Consort Shu has been investigated, there is no conclusive evidence that it was Consort Li who did it, so the Emperor could only let it go and ordered the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital to treat Consort Shu.
Leaving the palace, Ye Wanning was filled with mixed emotions. All she wanted was to practice medicine and save lives, but she was repeatedly entangled in the affairs of the inner palace, to the point that even the emperor no longer allowed her to enter the palace at will.
But as soon as they returned to the heritage center, new troubles came knocking.
Seeing that many palace maids in the harem had developed illnesses due to overwork and wanted to learn some skills to leave the harem, Ye Wanning opened a "Special Recruitment Class for Palace Maids" at the Heritage Hall and recruited ten palace maid apprentices.
This matter was quickly discovered by conservative officials, who jointly wrote to the emperor: "It is improper for palace maids to show their faces in public to learn medicine, and it may disrupt the rules of the harem!"
"Ye Wanning's establishment of the special recruitment class is clearly an attempt to win over palace maids, cultivate her own power, and interfere in the affairs of the inner palace. We beg Your Majesty to prohibit it!"
Seeing an opportunity, Consort Li also stirred up trouble in front of the Emperor: "Your Majesty, Ye Wanning's move is to win over the palace maids and cultivate her power."
"Those palace maids are all from the harem. If she manages to win them over, she'll probably have the final say in all harem affairs!"
The Emperor looked at the memorial and listened to Consort Li's words, feeling somewhat hesitant. He felt that Ye Wanning's actions were inappropriate, but he also considered her medical skills and contributions, and did not want to punish her rashly.
"How could this happen?" Ye Wanning was both shocked and anxious.
Su Xiao panicked: "Aren't we making things worse? What will happen to the palace maids if the Emperor really forbids it?"
"I opened the special recruitment class simply to give the palace maids a chance to learn. I didn't mean anything else by it," Ye Wanning said with a wry smile.
Su Xiao was so anxious she jumped up and down: "What should we do now? The palace maids finally found a way out, we can't just let them go like this!"
Ye Wanning thought for a moment and said, "Don't be afraid, I'll ask the Empress Dowager for help. The Empress Dowager has always trusted me, and with her intervention, the conservative officials won't dare to say anything more."
The next morning, Ye Wanning went to the Empress Dowager's palace and told her everything.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Wanning, I know what you're thinking. It's not easy for palace maids. If they can learn a skill, they'll have a future. This is a good thing."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, I will help you. Tomorrow I will go to the Heritage Hall for an inspection and express my support for you in front of all the officials."
"Thank you, Empress Dowager!" Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com