The Physician Consort Empties the Enemy’s Warehouse and Ventures into Exile

Chapter 186

Ye Chutang quickly released Qi Yanzhou's wrist.

"Ah Zhou, you were so frantic searching for me earlier that you overexerted your internal energy, causing the poison to attack your heart. There's still some residual toxin in your body, but it will be expelled once your internal energy recovers."

Qi Yanzhou had been driven mad with worry searching for Ye Chutang, running wildly through the forest until he was utterly exhausted. His complexion remained dreadful.

He nodded weakly, "Alright."

Ye Chutang handed her own water pouch to Qi Yanzhou; it contained spiritual spring water.

"Ah Zhou, your body is still very weak. Drink some water first and sit down to rest. I need to go administer the antidote to the guards. I'll be back soon."

Old Madam Qi hurriedly pulled Ye Chutang aside and asked in a low voice, "Tang'er, why bother with them?"

In her view, those guards were all bad people trying to harm the Qi family!

Ye Chutang patted Old Madam Qi's hand reassuringly.

"Mother, I have my reasons for doing this. Don't worry, I'm not one to get up early without profit."

This made Old Madam Qi laugh.

"You child, who speaks of themselves like that?"

"The words aren't important. Mother just needs to know that my heart is one with Ah Zhou's."

"Mother naturally believes you. Don't overexert yourself. Call if you need help."

Ye Chutang nodded, "Alright."

With that, she went to the cart, took a bucket, and headed for the lakeside.

The corpses of hornets floating on the lake surface had been blown to the north by the summer breeze.

The water on the eastern side of the lake was cool and clear. Ye Chutang filled the bucket most of the way, then placed the remaining twenty or so antidote pellets inside.

She then topped up the remaining space with spiritual spring water to enhance the antidote's potency.

Breaking a branch from a nearby tree, she used it to stir and dissolve the antidote.

"Officers, come and get the antidote!"

Wu Chenggang was the first to arrive at the bucket, bringing his own bowl.

He looked at Ye Chutang suspiciously, "Such a small amount of antidote, dissolved in such a large bucket of water... can it really work?"

Ye Chutang took Wu Chenggang's bowl, scooped a small half-bowl, and handed it to him.

"Wouldn't you know once you drink it, Officer?"

Wu Chenggang took the bowl and probed, "If you've drugged this water, wouldn't we all be incapacitated, forced to watch you escape?"

"All land under heaven belongs to the sovereign. Where does the Officer think we could escape to? If the Qi family flees, even if we are exonerated in the future, it would give people grounds for criticism. The loss would outweigh the gain."

These two sentences convinced Wu Chenggang. He downed the small half-bowl of water in one gulp.

A subtle sweetness touched his throat, and the pain from the stings noticeably eased.

He handed the empty bowl to the person next to him, "The antidote is fine. Drink."

Seeing a guard scoop a large bowl of the antidote water, Ye Chutang quickly grabbed his wrist, turned it over, and poured out a good portion.

"Officer, there are many of you, and the poisoning isn't severe. A small half-bowl each is sufficient, otherwise there won't be enough to go around."

Wu Chenggang, not wanting to conflict with Han Chong over the antidote, immediately instructed his men.

"Do as Madam Qi says. Don't be greedy."

"Yes, Head Wu."

Seeing her part was done, Ye Chutang said, "You all drink. I should go prepare a meal. After being busy for so long, I'm tired and hungry."

Reminded by her, everyone realized they were also starving, their stomachs sticking to their backs.

Seeing everyone in such a wretched state and certainly unfit for travel, Wu Chenggang announced loudly, "We won't travel today. We'll rest here!"

Hearing this, the Qi, Zhao, and Ye families were overjoyed.

Ye Chutang found a spot for a campsite not far from the lake, shaded by a large tree.

Seeing her start bustling about preparing lunch again, Old Madam Qi quickly said, "Tang'er, you rest. Let Mother prepare lunch."

Although she rarely cooked, she had to try, otherwise she'd never learn.

"Mother, do you know how?"

Hearing Ye Chutang's skeptical tone, Old Madam Qi shook her head honestly, "No, but you can teach me in a moment."

Ye Chutang was somewhat tired and truly didn't feel like doing it herself, so she didn't refuse.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Mother. I'll go get the ingredients for today's meal and teach you properly."

"You're the one who's been doing all the cooking. You're the one who's been working hard."

At that moment, Concubine Xu hurried over.

"Old Madam, this servant will help you."

Old Madam Qi was more than happy to have help with the cooking.

"Fine."

Qi Yanzhou originally wanted to take on the task of making lunch but was refused by Ye Chutang on the grounds that he needed to recuperate.

Remembering the unwashed pots and bowls from the morning, he said, "I'll go wash the pots and bowls."

Before he could act, Concubine Xu took the pots and bowls a step ahead of him.

"Second Young Master, you and Madam should rest well. Don't do anything."

Seeing Qi Yanzhou wanting to do something, Ye Chutang looked at the watermelon on the cart.

"Ah Zhou, I feel like eating watermelon. Could you cut it?"

"Alright, wait a moment."

The cart had been placed in the shade earlier, so the watermelon, while not cold, wasn't sun-heated either.

Qi Yanzhou cut the watermelon into a rather messy state.

Ye Chutang watched, speechless for a moment.

If she had known this man's practical skills were so poor, she wouldn't have asked him to do this.

Just as she thought this, she saw Qi Yanzhou place the very center of the watermelon in a bowl, cut it into small pieces, and bring it over to her.

The center is not only the sweetest but also seedless.

Ye Chutang stared at the red flesh, "How did you..."

Before she could finish, Qi Yanzhou placed the bowl in her hands.

"This watermelon was given to you by Song Jingning. That we get to eat any is thanks to you. Eat."

Old Madam Qi, seeing her son being so considerate and attentive to his wife, smiled at the corners of her mouth.

"Tang'er, you've helped the Qi family immensely. You deserve the best."

Then she looked at Qi Yanzhou.

"Zhou'er, there should be fish in this lake. See if you can catch a couple for soup later."

Qi Yanzhou, knowing Ye Chutang couldn't stand the smell of fish, immediately refused.

"Mother, the lake is too deep, the fish are hard to catch. I'll go into the woods later to see if I can hunt some game."

"That's fine too, but mind your health. Don't push yourself."

"Understood, Mother. Have some watermelon first before starting on the meal."

Hearing this, Ye Chutang suddenly remembered something.

"Mother, Concubine Su and Qi Jingyao owe me two hundred taels of silver. They'll work it off. Give them all the dirty and tiring jobs."

Then she added a warning.

"These two are restless. They need to be watched while they work."

Old Madam Qi, eating her watermelon, nodded, "Alright, Mother knows."

Although the watermelon was large, Qi Yanzhou did not share any with Concubine Su and the other three.

Just as Ye Chutang was finishing the watermelon in her bowl, Han Chong returned with the three Northern Barbarian spies and Lu Ge, who was stung beyond recognition.

He threw Lu Ge in front of Ye Chutang.

"Are the injuries on his body your doing, Madam Qi?"

Ye Chutang had previously used her earth-based ability to cut a net-like pattern of wounds on Lu Ge's body.

After being swollen all over from the hornet stings, the wounds were completely stretched open, giving a visual reminiscent of "kidney flower."

"It was me. You should believe my words now, that I was the one who saved everyone, right?"

Han Chong believed it, but the wounds on Lu Ge's body were too bizarre, not seeming man-made.

"How did you injure him like this?"

"A very sharp iron wire."

After saying this, Ye Chutang felt around her waist, retrieving a small coil of thin steel wire with a blade edge from her space.

This was indeed her weapon, used in the apocalypse to cut zombies.

Back then, with her profound internal energy, she could easily dismember zombies.

She shook the silver-glinting steel wire in her hand and asked, "Would you like to try it, Officer?"

Han Chong always felt that Ye Chutang was lying. His fingertip slid over the thin wire, leaving a trace of blood.

"It's very sharp. I'd like to try it."

"Alright. After I finish this watermelon, I'll let you experience it."

Ye Chutang finished the remaining watermelon and placed the empty bowl on the handcart.

"This way, please, Officer."

She led Han Chong to a nearby empty space and gave her wrist a sharp flick.

The steel wire, as if alive, coiled around Han Chong's body, layer upon layer, cutting through his clothes and biting into his skin.

Blood instantly stained his official uniform red.

His subordinates' expressions changed slightly, and they hurriedly shouted, "Stop!"

Ye Chutang paid no heed. With another flick of her wrist, she withdrew the wire.

Immediately, she flicked her wrist again, and the wire wound around Han Chong in the opposite direction.

Looking at the grid-patterned wounds on Han Chong's body, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you believe me now, Officer?"

Han Chong possessed exceptional martial arts skills, yet even he couldn't have made Lu Ge's wounds so uniform, which was why he had doubted Ye Chutang.

Looking at his own wounds, he nodded. "I believe you."

Ye Chutang retrieved the blood-stained thin steel wire, wiped it clean on her coarse cloth clothes, and hid it back at her waist.

"A true man stands between heaven and earth. A debt of gratitude must be repaid, is that not so?"

Han Chong's thin lips pressed into a straight line. Instead of answering, he asked, "How did Madam Qi make Lu Ge suffer the consequences of his own actions?"

Logically, once the bee-controller died, the hornets should have been left leaderless and scattered on their own.

Why did they collectively attack the bee-controller?

Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Because I am a physician. I have medicines that can confuse the mind and make one obey commands. Otherwise, Officer, how do you think I managed to learn about the sixteen spies and know their names?"

After saying this, she asked again, "Would you like me to demonstrate, Officer?"

Han Chong actually already believed Ye Chutang, but to guard against the possibility of her colluding with the Northern Barbarians, he still requested verification.

Ye Chutang let out a long sigh. "Ah, trying to claim a life-saving favor is so difficult, isn't it?"

With that, she took out a small bottle of truth serum from her bosom.

Han Chong looked at the clear liquid inside the transparent glass bottle and asked, "What is this?"

"Something good to make you obedient, Officer."

Ye Chutang finished speaking and randomly pointed at a Dragon Guard.

"You there, cut your neck."

After receiving Han Chong's consent, the Dragon Guard used his sword to make a shallow cut on his neck.

Ye Chutang poured some of the truth serum onto the wound.

She covered the wound with her palm, forcing the liquid into the guard's body and using her internal energy to catalyze the effect.

The guard's eyes became visibly unfocused.

"Who are you?"

Han Shi, affiliated with...

Before he could finish stating his affiliation, Han Chong struck the back of his neck with a chop, knocking him unconscious.

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. "Any more doubts, Officer?"

"None. I owe Madam Qi a life. If you ever have need, come and claim it anytime."

"Good. The antidote is in the buckets by the lake. Each person drink a small bowl."

Han Chong cupped his hands towards Ye Chutang. "My thanks."

After speaking, he led his subordinates and the Northern Barbarian spies away.

Ye Chutang met Qi Yanzhou's puzzled gaze and said with a smile, "I'll explain in detail later."

Qi Yanzhou nodded, then looked at Ye Chutang's waist.

"Ah Tang, why do you always hide so many things on your person?"

Ye Chutang could tell this was a probe.

She didn't blame Qi Yanzhou for overthinking it, as she was always taking strange things out from her person.

But the items she produced in public were all small and could be explained away.

"The road of exile has been turbulent. Things for saving my life, I naturally carry with me at all times."

The explanation was reasonable, and Qi Yanzhou asked no more.

"I went to that towering tree earlier and didn't see anyone."

His thinking was the same as Ye Chutang's: the person controlling the hornets must have been positioned high up, with a commanding view.

So, while searching the woods for her and Qi He'an, he had also looked for the bee-controller.

Ye Chutang wasn't surprised that Qi Yanzhou had gone to the giant tree.

"After I discovered Lu Ge on the giant tree, he fled. I chased for a long time before catching him.

I heard you calling me, but I had to focus all my energy on dealing with Lu Ge and couldn't afford to be distracted to respond.

After catching him, I was busy extracting secrets from him. My apologies."

What Qi Yanzhou wanted wasn't an apology, but honesty.

He didn't fully believe her explanation, but he didn't press further.

"I'll go into the woods to see if I can hunt some game."

With that, he left.

Ye Chutang took out the vegetables for the midday meal and handed them to Old Madam Qi.

"Mother, everyone is tired. Let's just have something simple for lunch: steamed egg with pumpkin, cabbage stew with glass noodles, and shredded radish salad."

"I'll listen to you, dear. Whatever you say, we'll make."

After speaking, Old Madam Qi instructed Old Master Qi.

"Master, the officers have finished the antidote. Go wash the buckets and fetch a pail of water."

Old Master Qi acknowledged and headed towards the lake.

At that moment, Concubine Xu returned with the cleaned pots and bowls.

Ye Chutang then taught her and Old Madam Qi how to prepare the dishes.

Qi He'an came over to help.

The swelling on his buttocks had gone down, but it still hurt a little.

"Second Sister-in-law, thank you."

Ye Chutang waved her hand dismissively.

"We're family. No need for formalities."

Concubine Xu put down the pumpkin in her hands and bowed solemnly to Ye Chutang.

"Madam, you saved He'er's life and mine. From now on, if you have any orders, I will not refuse."

"Good. Let's cook quickly. I'm a bit hungry."

Under Ye Chutang's direction, the Qi family managed to prepare the three dishes quite decently.

While the rice was cooking, Qi Yanzhou returned.

He had caught two young wild boars and also picked a good amount of raspberries.

"Ah Tang, you must have eaten these before at the country estate. Here, for you."

The stems of the raspberries originally had many small thorns, but he had removed them all.

He had also wrapped them in leaves so they wouldn't prick the hands.

Looking at the yellow-red raspberries, Ye Chutang recalled their sweet-sour taste and immediately reached out to take them.

After tasting one, she nodded. "Delicious."

Although modern cultivated varieties are seedless, they are sweeter and lack the original fruity fragrance.

When the weather is less hot, she would dig up a couple of plants to grow in her space.

Seeing that Ye Chutang liked them, Qi Yanzhou said with a smile, "I'll go pick more for you later."

"Good. Let's go together."

Then, her gaze fell on the plump little wild boars.

"We'll have roast suckling pig tonight."

Qi Yanzhou had the same idea. "Alright."

The young boars weren't large. Two would be just right for the family of six.

Qi He'an asked Ye Chutang curiously, "Second Sister-in-law, with such great skills, why did you suffer in the countryside?"

At these words, the two Qi elders also looked at Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang plucked several raspberries and popped them all into her mouth at once.

"To hide my abilities. So, I let the Ye family slander my reputation, hoping to use that to break away from them. But before I could implement my plan, I was brought back to the Ye family."

"So that's how it was. Fortunately, Second Sister-in-law came to the capital, otherwise this wonderful match with my second brother wouldn't have happened."

Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou exchanged a glance, both with hidden smiles in their eyes.

"Yes, it's all fate."

Who would have known their fate had actually begun back at the country estate?

The rice was soon cooked.

Ye Chutang had also finished sharing the raspberries.

She took out some dried venison she had sun-cried earlier from the crate of dried goods, serving it as a dish.

"This was made when I was at the Ye household. I hid it the night before the wedding and brought it along during the shopping trip. Everyone, try it quickly."

She offered an explanation, and the Qi family believed her.

The six of them sat around the wooden basin.

They were all hungry, but their upbringing was ingrained in their bones. Even though they ate quickly, it didn't detract from their demeanor.

The aroma of the dishes drifted out, stirring the gluttons in countless bellies.

Gurgling sounds rose and fell one after another.

Apart from Ye Chutang and the other five, everyone else, stung and aching all over, hadn't lifted a hand to cook.

They drank water from the lake, gnawed on steamed buns and naan bread, and ate pickled vegetables.

Auntie Su watched the six eating heartily, her regret so deep it turned her guts green.

Now, not only had she lost her silver and was reduced to eating coarse fare, she also had to work like an ox or a horse for Ye Chutang!

Had she known this would happen, she would have handed over her jewelry back then!

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret.

After finishing her meal, Ye Chutang took a stroll under the shade of a tree to aid digestion.

She assigned the task of cleaning up the aftermath to Auntie Su.

"Wash the pots and bowls clean, it counts for five coppers."

Auntie Su was shocked, holding up five fingers.

"Only five coppers? When will I ever repay those two hundred taels of silver?"

Qi Yanzhou said, "Has Auntie forgotten? The lowest-ranking servants in the mansion only earned five hundred coppers a month. Averaged out, that's about seventeen coppers for a day's work. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

His words left Auntie Su speechless.

Although she didn't manage the household finances, she still knew how much the servants' monthly pay was.

"I'll wash, I'll go wash."

Seeing her perfunctory attitude, Ye Chutang reminded her, "If they aren't washed clean, you'll wash them again."

Auntie Su's face was full of reluctance. "Yes, Madam, this servant understands."

Ah!

She roared inwardly: Why haven't the Emperor's people come to find me yet, to give me a task!

If she had a task, she could make demands and escape this predicament!

Qi Yanzhou walked with Ye Chutang for a while, then said, "A'Tang, I'm going to slaughter the pigs and marinate them for half a day."

Wild boar had a relatively strong gamey smell and needed to be marinated first to remove it.

Ye Chutang nodded. "Alright, you handle the preparation, and I'll do the marinating."

When it came to barbecue, if she claimed second place, no one dared claim first.

Qi Yanzhou was worried the pork would be too gamey, triggering Ye Chutang's nausea.

"You give the instructions, I'll do the work."

After speaking, he said to Auntie Xu, "Auntie, help me boil a pot of water later. I need to remove the pigs' hair."

"Alright, once Su is done washing the pots, I'll boil the water."

Qi Yanzhou acknowledged, then headed towards the lakeside carrying the two wild piglets.

Qi He'an trotted eagerly after him.

"Second Brother, I'll help you."

Old Madam Qi spread both oilcloths on the ground.

"Tang'er, come rest."

Ye Chutang scattered insect-repellent powder around the oilcloth before lying down to rest.

The large tree was lush and leafy, blocking the intense sunlight.

A summer breeze blew, rustling the leaves, letting fragmented spots of light fall through the gaps.

In the play of light and shadow, dust motes danced.

Ye Chutang looked towards Han Chong, who was far away at the lake's entrance.

He was interrogating a Northern Chen spy.

Being far away, she couldn't hear what was being asked.

But from Han Chong's expression, she could tell the interrogation wasn't going smoothly.

Of course, those who could be spies had tight lips.

If she hadn't used truth serum combined with hypnosis, she wouldn't have been able to extract information either.

Han Chong noticed Ye Chutang's gaze and strode towards her.

At that moment.

Auntie Su finished washing the pots, and Auntie Xu immediately started boiling water.

Qi Yanzhou slit the piglets' throats and hung them upside down to drain the blood.

Although the smell of blood was strong, as he was downwind, the camp couldn't smell it at all.

But just as Han Chong reached Ye Chutang, a sudden swirling wind arose, carrying the scent of blood back to the camp.

Auntie ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍Xu, who was boiling water, pinched her nose.

"This wild boar blood is really pungent."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the sound of retching.

"Gag!"

Ye Chutang immediately got up and ran to a downwind grove of trees, vomiting violently.

This sudden change frightened the two elderly Qis.

Old Madam Qi immediately went to Ye Chutang's side, asking with concern, "Tang'er, what's wrong?"

After asking, she immediately reached out to rub Ye Chutang's back.

It had been a long time since Ye Chutang had experienced morning sickness, and once it started, it was hard to stop.

She nearly vomited up bile.

Old Madam Qi, having been through it herself, immediately suspected Ye Chutang might be pregnant.

After all, there had been rumors of her pregnancy before.

Although she had later clarified the rumors, even causing Zhao Simin and Ye Siyin to end up in prison because of it.

But Ye Chutang's medical skills were exceptional; altering a pulse reading wouldn't be difficult for her.

Thinking this, Old Madam Qi felt a bit unsettled.

But she didn't show it.

Han Chong followed over and asked Ye Chutang, "Madam Qi, did you eat something bad?"

He actually wanted to ask if Ye Chutang was pregnant.

But considering she and Qi Yanzhou had just married and hadn't consummated the marriage yet, asking that would damage her reputation, so he changed his phrasing.

Ye Chutang felt miserable from vomiting and didn't want to say a word.

When the swirling wind started, Qi Yanzhou had already handed the piglets to Qi He'an and come to find Ye Chutang.

He stood not far away, not daring to get closer.

Afraid the smell of blood on him would make her nausea worse.

"A'Tang, what's wrong?"

Qi Yanzhou's sudden voice drew the attention of Old Madam Qi and Han Chong.

Seizing this opportunity, Ye Chutang used an acupuncture needle to block her sense of smell.

The effect was immediate; the nausea subsided at once.

She straightened up, took a handkerchief from her bosom, and wiped the corner of her mouth.

"A'Zhou, I'm fine. Perhaps I ate too many different things, upsetting my stomach."

Qi Yanzhou guessed Ye Chutang had blocked her sense of smell and quickly came to her side.

"It's my fault for cutting you too much watermelon, chilling your stomach."

Watermelon was a cooling fruit, as everyone knew.

Old Madam Qi and Han Chong immediately dismissed their suspicion of pregnancy.

The old lady glared at Qi Yanzhou.

"I know you dote on Tang'er, but one must not overindulge in anything. Be more careful in the future."

"Mother, your son understands."

After speaking, Qi Yanzhou helped Ye Chutang back under the tree and poured her a cup of water.

After rinsing her mouth, Ye Chutang asked Han Chong, "What did you need me for, Officer?"

"I'd like to borrow that medicine of yours, Miss Ye, the one that makes people compliant, to interrogate the Northern Barbarian spy."

"Officer, your duty is merely escorting exiled convicts. Shouldn't the spy be sent back to the capital for the Dali Temple to investigate?"