Chapter 123 Choosing a Scented Sachet
Ye Wanning took it and took a bite: "Ah, so sweet." Pei Zhi looked at her, his eyes full of tenderness: "Is it delicious? I'll buy another one made of rabbit."
"No need, this is enough." Ye Wanning shook her head, took his hand and walked forward: "Let's go look at the sachets, and buy a few for Xiaobao and the others."
As the two approached the roadside sachet stall, they saw the Crown Princess and several maids also selecting sachets. Upon seeing them, the Crown Princess's face darkened. She deliberately picked up a sachet embroidered with peonies and exclaimed loudly, "These sachets are truly beautiful. It's a pity some people don't deserve such precious items; they can only use cheap goods from roadside stalls."
Ye Wanning ignored her, picked up a sachet embroidered with crabapple blossoms, and said with a smile, "I like this. Although it's not expensive, the embroidery is exquisite, and it has a faint herbal scent. It's said to repel mosquitoes and ward off evil spirits."
Pei Zhi immediately said, "I like this too. It's much better than those flashy but impractical peony sachets. Boss, I'll take this one, and ten of each of those over there."
The shopkeeper beamed and quickly made ten of each type for them. The Crown Princess, seeing this, turned and left in anger, without even buying a sachet.
Ye Wanning watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but laugh: "Look at you, you've made her leave again."
“She brought this on herself.” Pei Zhi took the sachet and handed it to her. “Come on, let’s go back to the manor and give the children these sachets, then teach them how to wrap zongzi.”
Back at the General's Mansion, the children from Ci'an Hall were already waiting. Little Bean's eyes lit up when she saw the sugar painting, and she rushed over, exclaiming, "Sister Wanning, that big tiger sugar painting is so delicious! Can I take a bite?"
"Of course, there are also sachets, one for each person, used to repel mosquito bites." Ye Wanning handed the sugar painting and sachets to Xiaodouzi.
The news that the ancestral jade ruyi had been stolen from the General's Mansion's treasure vault spread like wildfire throughout the entire mansion in half a day. Ye Wanning had just returned from the female physician's clinic when her stepmother, Madam Liu, blocked the entrance with several maids, her face ashen: "Ye Wanning, you stop right there! Did you steal the jade ruyi from the treasure vault?"
Ye Wanning was taken aback, then frowned and said, "What did you say? When did I steal the jade ruyi?"
"Who else but you?" Madam Liu pointed at her and sneered, "You were the only one who came near the treasure pavilion yesterday, and you're the only outsider in the manor. If it wasn't you who stole it, who else would have?"
The servants who had been watching immediately crowded around, pointing and whispering. Liu's maidservant rushed forward, her face contorted with grief, and said, "Miss, I saw Madam acting suspiciously at the entrance of the treasure pavilion yesterday! She must have stolen the jade ruyi!"
Ye Wanning was both angry and anxious, and was about to defend herself when General Pei walked over, his face so dark it could drip water: "Wanning, is what Liu said true? You really stole the jade ruyi?"
"Father, I didn't." Ye Wanning took a deep breath. "The lock on the treasure pavilion is specially made; only you and Pei Zhi have the key. I couldn't possibly open it, so how could I steal the jade ruyi? Besides, I was seeing patients at the women's clinic yesterday. Chun Tao and the apprentices at the clinic can testify that I didn't even go near the treasure pavilion!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Madam Liu shouted hurriedly, "You must have stolen the key, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence that the jade ruyi disappeared just as you approached the treasure pavilion?"
"I didn't steal the key!" Ye Wanning looked at General Pei. "Father, if you don't believe me, have the guards produce yesterday's patrol logs. They patrol every half hour, which proves I didn't go to the treasure pavilion yesterday!"
General Pei grunted in acknowledgment and immediately sent someone to summon the secret guards. A short while later, the guards returned with the patrol log, which clearly stated: "From 9 AM to 5 PM yesterday, Madam Ye remained at the female physician's clinic and did not approach the treasure pavilion area."
Madam Liu's face turned pale instantly, and she still tried to argue, "Even if you didn't go to the treasure pavilion, maybe you had someone steal it! You must have wanted to sell the jade ruyi to make money to support Ci'an Hall!"
"Don't make false accusations!" Ye Wanning said angrily, "The expenses of Ci'an Hall are all my and Pei Zhi's private property. I have no need to sell the jade ruyi! You're so insistent that I stole it, could it be that you stole it yourself and are trying to frame me?"
Liu took a step back, her eyes flickering, after being told that: "I...I didn't!"
Just then, Pei Zhi returned from outside, holding a brocade box in his hand, his face ashen: "I just found this in Liu's niece's room."
He opened the brocade box, and inside was indeed the lost jade ruyi! Upon seeing the jade ruyi, Madam Liu's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground: "It wasn't me! She stole it herself, it has nothing to do with me!"
"It has nothing to do with you?" Pei Zhi sneered. "The secret guards investigated and found out that you had your niece steal the key to the treasure pavilion and the jade ruyi, trying to frame Wan Ning so I would divorce her and then have your niece marry into the family, isn't that right?"
"I...I really didn't mean that! I just felt that Ye Wanning was not good enough for you, and I wanted my niece to marry you so that the Pei family could have a son. I really didn't want to steal the jade ruyi!" Madam Liu couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.
"You still think you're right?" General Pei's fingers trembled with rage as he pointed at her. "You vile woman! Not only did you sow discord, but you also dared to steal my family heirloom! My Pei family has no daughter-in-law like you! Guards, take Liu back to the temple and never let her return to see me!"
The guards came forward and helped her up, but she was still crying and wailing, "I'm not convinced! Ye Wanning is just a concubine's daughter, she doesn't deserve to be in the General's Mansion!"
After Liu was dragged away, General Pei turned to Ye Wanning, his face full of guilt: "I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this, my good child. I didn't see Liu's true colors, and I let you suffer so much."
"Father, please don't say that." Ye Wanning helped him sit down. "It's all in the past now. As long as the jade ruyi is found, that's all that matters."
Pei Zhi walked to her side and hugged her tightly: "I'm sorry you had to go through all this. I'll give you the key to the treasure vault from now on, and I'll never let anyone frame you again."
Ye Wanning leaned against him and shook her head: "I don't need the key, I just need you to trust me."
"Of course I believe you." Pei Zhi kissed her forehead. "No matter what happens in the future, I will always stand by your side and will never doubt you."
The early morning air in the female clinic should have been filled with the aroma of decocted medicine, but today it was deserted and quiet. Ye Wanning alighted from the carriage and saw a crowd gathered at the clinic's entrance. Three raggedly dressed men sat weeping at the door, shouting, "My mother died here! Ye Wanning, your medical skills are terrible, yet you dare to open a clinic and swindle money!"
Chun Tao's face flushed with anger, and she rushed forward to argue, but Ye Wanning stopped her: "Don't be impulsive, go and see what's going on."
Ye Wanning walked over and overheard people around her gossiping: "They used to say she was a good doctor, but it turns out she's just a con artist." "Maybe she should just go to the Imperial Hospital; she's just wasting her life here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com