Chapter 209 I Don't Want to Get Away with This Mess
“In a secret chamber within Consort Li’s palace,” Ye Wanning said. “I know you cannot concern yourself with matters of the inner palace right now.”
“But Xiaolian is innocent, and the account book is also important evidence to expose the crimes of Consort Li’s former subordinates. I can’t just stand by and watch her get into trouble and the evidence be destroyed.”
Pei Zhi hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, "I'll go with you!"
Ye Wanning was very surprised, never expecting Pei Zhi to be so agreeable.
"you……"
“We’re husband and wife, aren’t we?” Pei Zhi looked at her.
“I was wrong before. I shouldn’t distance myself from you and leave you to face danger alone just because of the Emperor’s decree.”
"From now on, no matter what happens, we will face it together and never be apart again!"
Ye Wanning felt a surge of warmth before her eyes, and all the grievances and anger in her heart were replaced by gratitude.
She knew that Pei Zhi had finally understood her feelings and was willing to face all difficulties and dangers with her.
"Thank you!" she said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Why are you being so polite with me?" Pei Zhi smiled and reached out to wipe away the tears on her face.
"Ah Ning, time waits for no one, let's go quickly!"
The two immediately took their guards and quietly sneaked into the palace.
Chang Le Palace had long been sealed off by Consort Li's former subordinates, but the guards were relatively sparse.
Pei Zhi ordered his guards to deal with the guards at the gate, and Ye Wanning led a few people to quietly sneak into the palace.
According to the information Xiaolian had previously conveyed, the ledger was hidden in a secret room in Consort Li's palace.
Ye Wanning found the entrance to the secret room, used a silver needle to unlock the door, and went inside.
The secret room was filled with poison, poisoned needles, and an account book.
She picked up the ledger and looked through it. It contained a detailed list of concubines and palace maids who had been poisoned or injured by Consort Li.
There is also evidence of collusion with remnants of the previous dynasty, including a plot to poison the Empress Dowager!
"Found it!" Ye Wanning was overjoyed and was about to walk out when she suddenly heard footsteps and shouts outside.
"People inside, come out! You're surrounded, there's no escape!" It was the voice of Consort Li's former subordinates.
Ye Wanning's heart sank; she hadn't expected them to discover it so quickly.
"Hurry up!" Pei Zhi pulled her, trying to escape through the secret passage, but the passage was blocked, so they had no choice but to force their way through.
"Protect Madam Ye!" Pei Zhi ordered his guards, drew his sword, and rushed out first.
The guards also drew their swords and fought against Consort Li's former subordinates.
Holding the account book, Ye Wanning rushed towards the room where Xiao Lian was imprisoned under the cover of the guards.
Inside the room, several palace maids were torturing Xiaolian, who was tied to a pillar and covered in wounds, but she gritted her teeth and refused to yield.
"Speak! Did Ye Wanning send you to steal the account book?" A palace maid raised a whip and lashed it hard against Xiaolian.
"No! I didn't!" Xiaolian trembled with pain, but remained resolute. "I discovered your conspiracy myself!"
"You want to steal the account books and tell the Emperor, so he'll know about your crimes!"
"Stubborn!" the palace maid shouted angrily, raising her whip to strike again.
"Stop!" Ye Wanning rushed in and knocked the palace maid down with a silver needle.
The other palace maids rushed over upon seeing this, but were all subdued by Ye Wanning and the secret guards who arrived later.
"Xiao Lian!" Ye Wanning untied the ropes binding her and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you badly hurt?"
"Miss, I'm alright." Xiaolian smiled weakly. "The ledger...did you find it?"
"Found her, we're safe now." Ye Wanning helped her up. "Let's go quickly."
Pei Zhi had already dealt with Consort Li's former subordinates outside, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them come out: "Hurry up, the palace guards are almost here."
The group quickly evacuated Chang Le Palace and returned to the Heritage Hall.
Once they were safe, Ye Wanning immediately bandaged Xiaolian's wounds.
Xiaolian's body was covered in whip marks and burns, and she was trembling with pain, but she forced herself not to cry out.
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiaolian," Ye Wanning said as she applied the medicine.
"I'm not tired at all if I can help Miss and expose their crimes," Xiaolian said.
Pei Zhi stared at the account book, his face so dark it could drip water: "The former subordinates of Consort Li and the remnants of the previous dynasty are truly audacious!"
"How dare they do so many heinous things!"
“With this evidence, they should pay with their lives,” Ye Wanning said.
The next day, Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi presented the account books and evidence to the emperor.
Upon seeing this irrefutable evidence, the emperor was furious and finally made up his mind to thoroughly investigate and confiscate the property of Consort Li's family.
Arrest all officials and palace servants who colluded with Consort Li's former subordinates and remnants of the previous dynasty.
Consort Li was deposed and banished to the Cold Palace, never to be visited again. Consort Wan, having long relied on Consort Li and framed others, was demoted to a palace maid and never allowed to leave the palace.
The Li family was investigated and their property confiscated, and the main members were exiled three thousand miles away; the remnants of the previous dynasty were also wiped out, and there was no longer any possibility of them causing trouble.
With the harem thoroughly purged, Ye Wanning's merits in exposing the conspiracy and protecting the Empress Dowager earned her the Emperor and Empress's trust, further solidifying her position.
The misunderstanding between her and Pei Zhi was completely resolved during this life-and-death experience.
That day, Pei Zhi came to see her. Looking at Ye Wanning, who was changing Xiaolian's dressing, his eyes were full of tenderness: "Wanning, I'm sorry for what happened before."
“I shouldn’t have distanced myself from you because of the Emperor’s suspicions, leaving you to face danger alone.”
Ye Wanning looked up at him and smiled: "It's all in the past. I know you wanted to protect me, but we just did it in different ways."
"No matter what happens in the future, we must be honest with each other, face it together, never hide anything again, and never separate, okay?"
Pei Zhi nodded, stepped forward and gently took her hand: "Okay, we'll never be apart again."
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the two of them in warmth and radiance.
Ye Wanning knew that her love with Pei Zhi, after so many misunderstandings and tugs of strife, had finally become even stronger.
Little did she know that the peace in the harem would not last long before a new rival emerged.
The emperor has taken a new concubine, Consort Chen, who comes from a scholarly family but is very ambitious.
She wanted to use her son to gain power and replace the empress.
When Consort Chen learned that Ye Wanning was deeply trusted by the Emperor and Empress and had superb medical skills, she sent people to win her over.
"Madam Ye, my lady asked me to tell you that as long as you are willing to help her stabilize the harem..."
"If Your Highness becomes Empress in the future, she will surely speak well of you before the Emperor and make the Heritage Hall the Imperial Medical Center."
“We will also bestow upon you more rewards and power,” said Consort Chen’s maid.
Ye Wanning smiled and said, "This humble woman doesn't understand anything about power. She only knows how to treat illnesses and save lives. She doesn't want to get involved in this mess."
"The Heritage Hall is what it is today because of the Emperor and Empress's trust and the people's approval. I don't need any extra rewards or power."
The palace maid was taken aback by Ye Wanning's lack of respect. Her face turned ugly, and she gritted her teeth before storming off in anger.
When Consort Chen learned of this, she felt very uncomfortable: "Since she doesn't know what's good for her, I'd like to see if her heritage hall and medical clinic can continue to operate without business!"
Soon, Consort Chen joined forces with the disgraced Consort Wan to open a "Tranquility Clinic" opposite the Heritage Hall.
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