Chapter 150 I'll Carry You Down the Mountain
After changing her clothes, Ye Wanning saw Pei Zhi sitting in the courtyard with a basin of hot water in front of him. When he saw Ye Wanning coming over, he pointed to the hot water and said, "I just had the maid boil this. Soak your feet so you don't catch a cold."
After autumn arrived, many people started coughing. Ye Wanning was thinking about researching a new cough syrup, which required an herb called "Viola yedoensis," which could only be found in the suburbs.
Early in the morning, Ye Wanning carried her medicine basket to the outskirts of the city—this herb grew on the hillside, and she had to look carefully. The hillside was covered with weeds, and Ye Wanning squatted down to carefully search for Viola yedoensis among the grass.
After searching for a long time, she finally found one. She carefully dug it up and put it in her medicine basket. Time passed by, and the sun was high in the sky. The basket was already full of herbs.
But she found herself deep in the hillside, unable to even discern the path she had come from. "Oh no, I'm lost." Just as Ye Wanning was about to turn back, the sky suddenly darkened.
Large raindrops pattered down, and she quickly found a cave to crawl into. The cave was small, but rainwater still poured in through the entrance, and soon her clothes were soaked through, and she was shivering with cold.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance. Ye Wanning looked up and saw Pei Zhi running in quickly, holding an oil-paper umbrella in one hand. Seeing that Pei Zhi was also quite wet, Ye Wanning felt a little guilty.
Pei Zhi frowned: "Why did you run out alone?" "I wanted to find Viola yedoensis as soon as possible, and I didn't pay attention to the time..." Ye Wanning leaned against the stone wall and could hear Pei Zhi's rapid heartbeat.
Her ears felt slightly warm, but she didn't dare to get closer. Pei Zhi took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders—the robe still held his warmth, instantly making her feel much warmer.
Pei Zhi pulled her further into the cave, standing at the entrance to shield her from the rain: "Didn't you know it rains in the mountains? You didn't even bring anyone with you."
He folded his umbrella and tightened his outer robe, wrapping it around Ye Wanning. Pei Zhi moved closer to her, shielding her from the cold wind. The two of them squeezed into the narrow cave, their breaths growing closer, the atmosphere gradually becoming ambiguous.
After an unknown amount of time, the rain outside finally stopped. Pei Zhi squatted down, his back to Ye Wanning: "Get on, I'll carry you down the mountain."
Ye Wanning hesitated for a few seconds, but still climbed onto his back. His shoulders were broad, supporting her steadily, and his steps were light.
The path down the mountain was difficult, and he kept reminding people: "There are rocks ahead, be careful." "Hold on to my shoulder, don't fall."
"Pei Zhi," Ye Wanning whispered, clinging to his back, "why have you always protected me?"
Pei Zhi paused for a moment, then continued walking forward, his voice calm yet solemn: "I'm afraid something might happen to you."
Just four words, yet they warmed Ye Wanning's heart. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, smelling the sandalwood scent on him, and unknowingly fell asleep.
The Empress Dowager hosted a flower-viewing banquet, inviting all the noblewomen of the capital. As Pei Zhi's wife, Ye Wanning naturally had to attend.
She was wearing a light purple dress, and as soon as she entered the Imperial Garden, she was stopped by the Princess: "Madam Pei, you've come at just the right time."
The princess pointed to a pot of peonies in full bloom beside her and forced a smile: "This is a rare peony from the Western Regions, called 'Drunken Xi Shi'."
"I see you're skilled in medicine, so you must know a lot about plants. Tell me about its variety and how to care for it? If you're right, I'll give you this pot."
The ladies around her all turned to look at her, their eyes filled with curiosity. Ye Wanning understood that the princess didn't want to give her flowers; she was deliberately making things difficult.
"Drunken Xi Shi" was a tribute from the Western Regions, and few people had ever seen her; the intention was to embarrass her. But Ye Wanning was not afraid.
Her mother loved studying flowers and plants, and there were records of flowers and plants from the Western Regions in medical books. She walked up to the peony and carefully examined the petals: "The princess is right, this is indeed 'Drunken Xi Shi'."
"It prefers warm temperatures and dislikes strong sunlight. It should be watered with warm water and fertilized with well-rotted organic fertilizer once a month to ensure it grows for a long time."
The Empress Dowager happened to walk over, and upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Wan Ning is right. Even the gardeners in the Imperial Garden have to memorize the planting method for 'Drunken Xi Shi'. You know so much; you are truly learned."
The princess's expression stiffened slightly, but she was not giving up. She took two steps forward and raised her wrist: "Since Madam Pei is so skilled in medicine, why don't you take my pulse too?"
"I've been feeling unwell lately, like someone's angered me." The jealousy in his words was obvious, implying that Ye Wanning had angered him.
Ye Wanning didn't mind, placing her fingers on the pulse point on the princess's wrist. After a while, she withdrew her hand and smiled, "Your Highness's blood circulation is good, but your liver fire is a bit too strong."
"I think it's because I've been thinking too much lately. If I think less and be happier, I'll feel better."
Several noblewomen around couldn't help but burst into laughter—the princess had shot herself in the foot!
The princess blushed instantly, glared at Ye Wanning fiercely, dared not say another word, and turned to leave.
Ye Wanning stood there, wanting to find a place to rest for a while, but saw Pei Zhi sitting in a pavilion not far away.
He held a cup of tea in his hand, looking at her. Their eyes met, and Pei Zhi's lips curled into a slight smile. He didn't get up, but simply raised his cup gently towards her.
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stood up, ran to a crowded area, and found an empty seat.
At the banquet, she would occasionally look up and see Pei Zhi's gaze fixed on her, gentle yet somewhat distant.
After the banquet, Ye Wanning followed the crowd out. As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, Pei Zhi followed her.
He didn't speak, but followed silently until she got into the carriage, then he said, "Be careful on the road, I'll have someone follow you."
The clinic's business was booming, and Ye Wanning couldn't handle it all by herself, so she wanted to take on two apprentices. As soon as the news spread, quite a few people came.
Ye Wanning chose two girls from poor backgrounds, Achun and Axia. They were intelligent and patient, making them well-suited for studying medicine.
Ye Wanning took it very seriously, teaching them to recognize medicinal herbs, diagnose pulses, and prescribe medicine every day, and even lending them her medical books to read.
Ah Chun and Ah Xia worked hard, and soon they were able to help with dispensing medicine and taking care of patients. But this angered their colleague, Doctor Wang.
Wang Yipo runs a clinic in the capital, but her business has never been as good as Ye Wanning's. She is extremely jealous when she sees that Ye Wanning has taken on an apprentice.
That day, the old doctor Wang found Ah Chun and gave her a silver ingot: "Ah Chun, help me steal Ye Wanning's prescription, and I'll give you money every month."
"If you don't help me, I'll tell your family that you stole from the clinic!"
Ah Chun turned pale with fright, but still shook her head: "Doctor Wang, Madam Pei has been good to me, I cannot betray her!"
When Wang Yipo saw that Ah Chun refused, she was both ashamed and angry, and spread rumors everywhere: "Ye Wanning abuses her apprentices! She doesn't pay them wages and beats them every day!"
"Never become an apprentice under her, or you'll suffer!"
Soon, the rumors reached Ye Wanning's ears. Ah Chun and Ah Xia were very worried and cried, "Madam, it's all our fault, we've caused you trouble!"
"It has nothing to do with you." Ye Wanning patted the two of them on the shoulder and smiled, "Rumors stop with the wise. Let's speak with facts."
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