novelraw Chapter 188
Chapter 188
The imperial physician was terrified by the emperor's wretched state, his breathing ragged and his hands trembling.
"This... this is certainly no ordinary hornet."
Eunuch De, feeling his own swollen, burning face, kicked the physician to the ground.
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and find a way to detoxify and treat His Majesty."
The physician's face hit the floor, bruising his forehead.
He hastily scrambled to his knees and turned toward Eunuch De. "This humble servant is incompetent. I need to summon all the physicians from the Imperial Hospital."
The Emperor's injuries were too severe; whether he could be saved was uncertain.
He dared not shoulder the blame for failed treatment alone.
Without needing Eunuch De's order, the shadow guards immediately went to fetch the Imperial Hospital physicians.
Eunuch De looked at the dead hornet on the ground and said, "This hornet's venom is extremely potent. First, administer the Antidote Pills to His Majesty, then use internal energy to force out some of the toxins."
The physician promptly retrieved the Antidote Pills from his medicine chest and fed them to the feverish emperor.
He instructed a eunuch, "Fetch some ice water. His Majesty needs to cool down."
A shadow guard immediately ascended the dragon bed, using his internal energy to help the emperor expel the poison.
The emperor's body was too weak; they dared not apply too much force and only managed to expel a portion of the toxins.
Seeing no improvement in the emperor's condition, the physician felt a chill down his neck, a sense that his head was about to be separated from his shoulders.
Soon, all the physicians on duty arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance.
After using his internal energy to expel the poison, the swelling where Eunuch De was stung had subsided, but the pain intensified.
Sensing something amiss, he immediately had a eunuch bring a bronze mirror.
In the mirror, the stung area was festering, about the size of an egg, a bloody mess.
"This poison is formidable!"
A physician, hearing this, rushed over to apply medicine to Eunuch De.
At that moment.
The leader of the Dragon Guard arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance with Han Chong's carrier pigeon message.
He should have presented the letter to the emperor.
But the emperor was critically ill, and the news from Han Chong was closely related to today's hornet attack on the emperor.
Therefore, he presented the letter to Eunuch De.
"Grand Supervisor, this is Commander Han's carrier pigeon message. It concerns the hornets."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch De immediately took the thin, rolled-up letter and unfurled it.
After reading it, he slammed the table with a palm, shattering it to pieces.
"It was actually the Northern Barbarians!"
"Grand Supervisor, Ye Chutang has used up all the antidote. What is to be done for His Majesty?"
"Weren't several Northern Barbarian spies captured? We can surely interrogate something out of them."
The Dragon Guard leader glanced at the dragon bed, his face anxious.
"I fear His Majesty, in his current state, cannot wait that long."
Eunuch De looked at the letter, his expression calm.
"Only two people died in the exiled convoy. This hornet venom isn't fatal."
This did not reassure the Dragon Guard leader.
The hornets that attacked the Emperor were clearly different from those that attacked the exiled convoy.
But he did not contradict Eunuch De.
"This official will immediately investigate these Northern Barbarian spies, hoping to find the antidote from the physician, He Zhe."
Eunuch De waved his hand. "Go."
While the entire palace was in panic over the emperor's critical condition, Ye Chutang found a wild apricot tree.
The apricot season had passed.
But the temperature in the woods was low, and a few yellow fruits tinged with red still hung from the branches.
She was about to leap up into the tree to pick them when Qi Yanzhou arrived.
"A-Tang, let me."
He handed her two large handfuls of raspberries and climbed the tree to pick the wild apricots.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Chutang pulled up a raspberry bush and placed it into her space.
After Qi Yanzhou picked all the apricots from the tree, the two walked back toward the lake.
Ye Chutang discussed the court's political situation with Qi Yanzhou.
Then she took the chance to ask about the three officials whose families the emperor intended to confiscate.
All were major corrupt officials!
The Minister of Works had embezzled vast sums by cutting corners in the construction of numerous Taoist temples.
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, overseeing all agricultural affairs, frequently profited from reselling grain, fruits, and vegetables, and seized fertile farmland.
The Vice Minister of Rites had a favored imperial consort in the family and often used various ceremonies to amass wealth.
Knowing the three were corrupt, Ye Chutang thought to herself,
"What a pity."
Ten days from now, she would already be five hundred li from the capital.
Teleporting back to empty those three mansions would cost at least a hundred thousand merit points—the gain wouldn't be worth the loss.
Moreover, emptying them would take time, and in her current situation, she couldn't disappear for that long.
Seeing Ye Chutang's unhappiness, Qi Yanzhou thought she was worried about the court.
"A-Tang, the roots of the Northern Chen Kingdom have long been rotten. Corrupt officials and sycophants make up half; those who mind their own business make up thirty percent; the remaining twenty percent struggle to survive."
Because that half of the officials wanted to drive these last twenty percent out of the court!
Ye Chutang did not explain why she was unhappy.
She leaned close to Qi Yanzhou and whispered in his ear, "I'll be waiting for you to turn the world upside down!"
"Good. At most five years, the Northern Chen Kingdom will surely fall!"
Although Qin Muyun had said ten years, he would find a way to shorten the time.
The sooner the dynasty changed, the less the people would suffer.
Only, he had no clue about this "new imperial star" calculated by the Imperial Astronomers.
Ye Chutang knew Qi Yanzhou was capable. "I believe in you."
Then, she suddenly remembered his fire poison.
"Today's hornets carried a drug that triggers the fire poison. Fortunately, your poison is completely under control, so you weren't affected.
But your time is running out. Can the Miaojiang witch doctor come to you before the poison erupts?"
Qi Yanzhou met Ye Chutang's worried gaze, his eyes gentle.
"Don't worry. Xize has gone to find A-Man."
Ye Chutang knew Xize was the one who had taken the plague prevention and treatment prescriptions south to save the people in Jiangnan.
"Is the flood in Jiangnan under control?"
"Yes, relief grain has been distributed, disaster relief silver is being used for reconstruction, and the plague is contained."
Hearing this, Ye Chutang felt relieved.
"That way, the people can get through the stage of rebuilding from ruins."
Qi Yanzhou nodded in agreement. "Yes. If not for your prescriptions, the damage from this flood would have been immeasurable. Once Xize completed his mission, he headed south."
"The people of Jiangnan were also lucky. If I were still in the countryside, this plague would have spread far and wide."
"A-Tang, because of you, everything happened just in time."
Qi Yanzhou sometimes felt a pang of panic—was the Ye Chutang before him real?
She was too perfect, unlike a mortal.
Only by looking at her, touching her, could the unease in his heart disappear.
And so.
He took Ye Chutang's hand, feeling her presence.
Only to have it immediately shaken off.
"A rabbit!"
Qi Yanzhou saw a plump rabbit dart into the grass.
Using his qinggong, he chased after the rabbit and caught it by its long ears.
Ye Chutang looked at the frantically struggling wild hare and said with delight, "This is a mother rabbit still nursing."
Then, she glanced around.
"The rabbit's nest should be nearby. Let's catch the baby rabbits too."
They could be raised until fattened before being eaten.
Qi Yanzhou didn't grasp her meaning.
"The little ones don't have much meat. They're not worth the trouble."
"Not for eating now. For raising first, then eating when they're fattened."
Rabbits grow fast; they'd be ready to eat in three months.
Thinking rabbits eat grass and are easy to raise, Qi Yanzhou released the mother rabbit he was holding.
The frightened mother instinctively ran toward its burrow.
And then, the whole family of five was captured in one go.
Qi Yanzhou plucked a vine and tied the four baby rabbits together.
Carrying the young rabbits in one hand and the mother rabbit in the other, he returned to the lakeside camp.
Old Madam Qi asked in surprise, "Zhou'er, why did you bring back such small rabbits?"
Actually, the baby rabbits weren't that small anymore. Having been nursed by the mother rabbit for about a month, each weighed over half a kilogram.
"Tang'er said to raise them, to keep for eating later."
Although the old madam felt it was inappropriate, since it was Ye Chutang's suggestion, she didn't object.
"Tang'er, how should we feed these little rabbits?"
Raising rabbits on an exile journey seemed somewhat impractical.
Ye Chutang placed the wild raspberries in her hand onto the oilcloth. "Mother, don't worry, they're easy to raise."
After saying this, she looked at Qi Yanzhou.
"Ah Zhou, I'll handle roasting the suckling pig. You go cut some branches to make a rabbit cage."
Qi Yanzhou was worried Ye Chutang might experience morning sickness from the smell of the pork.
"It's still early. I'll go cut branches to make the cage first, and roast the pork later."
After speaking, not wanting to arouse suspicion, he added with a smile,
"Ah Tang, my barbecue skills are top-notch. I want to show off for you."
Ye Chutang understood his meaning. "Alright, we'll wait for you to come back."
Qi He'an was rather impatient to eat the roast suckling pig.
"Second Brother, I'll go help you. Two people can work faster."
After the two brothers left, Ye Chutang threw the wild apricots into a bucket and invited the two Qi elders and Concubine Xu to eat.
Everyone looked at the yellowish-red fruits, which looked very appetizing.
However, after each taking a bite, they nearly had their teeth soured off.
"This apricot has such a strong fruity aroma, who would have thought it would taste so sour."
Ye Chutang tasted one and found it perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, quite delicious.
"Father, Mother, Auntie, I like sour things. Leave these wild apricots all for me."
Wild apricots were most suitable for making plum wine, but unfortunately, there were too few to make any.
Old Madam Qi wiped the corner of her mouth and nodded. "Fine, but don't eat too many at once. They're too sour, bad for the stomach and hard to digest."
After speaking, she threw away the wild apricot she truly couldn't swallow.
Then, pointing at the two enormous bunches of wild raspberries, she asked, "Tang'er, you picked so many. Are you saving them to eat tomorrow?"
Ye Chutang finished eating a wild apricot, threw away the brown pit, and shook her head.
She fetched a large soup porcelain bowl from the cart.
"Father, Mother, Auntie, please help me pick the raspberries off the stems. I'll make some jam later."
Although the three didn't understand what "jam" meant, they clearly understood "pick the raspberries."
Four people, eight hands.
Soon, all the raspberries were picked.
The large soup bowl couldn't hold them all, so two rice bowls were also used.
Ye Chutang said to Concubine Xu, "Auntie, please help me start a fire. I'll make the jam."
"Alright."
While Concubine Xu started the fire, Ye Chutang washed the raspberries.
Once the fire was going, she poured them all into the pot, crushed the berries with a spatula, then added an appropriate amount of white sugar and stir-fried.
Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she squeezed a bit of lemon juice in.
The fruit pulp soon began to bubble and gurgle, emitting a sweet and sour fruity fragrance.
"Auntie, simmer over low heat now."
"Okay."
At this moment, Qi Yanzhou and Qi He'an returned carrying two bundles of branches about the thickness of a finger.
Ye Chutang took out a bundle of thin iron wire from the cart. "Use this to bind it."
Qi Yanzhou took it.
His hands-on skills were strong, and with Qi He'an's assistance, they quickly made a cage large enough to hold a family of five.
Qi Yanzhou untied the vines and stuffed the rabbits into the cage.
"Third Brother, peel the remaining two branches and take them to the lake to wash."
After speaking, he went back into the woods, cut six wrist-thick tree trunks, and made two tripods.
Then, using the two branches Qi He'an had washed clean, he skewered the marinated suckling pig, placed it across the tripods.
With the preparations complete, he started the fire.
"Third Brother, you go gather some dry branches from the woods. You go cut some green grass by the lake; both the donkey and the rabbits can eat it."
Ye Chutang stopped the two.
"Such rough work should be done by those who owe money."
Then, she called out to Concubine Su, "Su-shi, time to work."
Concubine Su, seeing Ye Chutang ordering her around like a servant, was full of reluctance.
She dawdled over. "What now?"
"So unwilling? Then repay the money."
Concubine Su looked at Ye Chutang's palm stretched out before her and immediately lost her temper.
If she had money, she wouldn't endure this humiliation.
"Just tell me, what do you want me to do? How much pay?"
"Gather one bundle of dry branches, cut two bundles of green grass. Ten copper coins."
Hearing it was only ten coins, Concubine Su's vision darkened, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
At this rate of repayment, she'd probably die of old age before paying off the two hundred taels!
No, she had to think of a way to get money.
"What should I use to cut the grass?"
"Go gather dry branches first. We're in a hurry to roast the pig. You'd better call Qi Jingyao to help; it'll be more efficient."
Concubine Su couldn't bear to make her daughter suffer. "I can do it myself."
"As you wish. But I kindly remind you, trying to raise a delicate young lady on an exile journey is impossible."
"Madam needn't worry about me and Yao'er's affairs."
After saying this, Concubine Su entered the woods to gather dry branches.
Ye Chutang saw the jam's juice had reduced enough, tasted a bit—sweet and sour.
"Auntie, the jam is done. Put out the fire."
Old Madam Qi looked at the sticky potful and had no appetite.
"Tang'er, how do you eat this?"
"Mix it with water as a drink. Don't judge by its looks; the taste is quite good."
After speaking, Ye Chutang picked up a little with chopsticks and handed it to the old madam.
"Try it."
Old Madam Qi tasted it, her eyes lighting up. "It really is good. I never thought wild berries could be prepared like this."
Ye Chutang brought bamboo cups, put some jam in each, and brewed them with spiritual spring water.
It would be perfect for cutting the grease when eating the roast suckling pig later.
"Father, Mother, what staple food would you like?"
Qi Yanzhou suggested, "Barbecue can be dry. For the staple, something soupy would be good, like clear noodle soup or soaked flatbread."
Qi He'an couldn't forget the beef sauce noodles Ye Chutang had made.
But before he could speak, Ye Chutang made a decision.
"Boil a pot of soup. Soaked flatbread is better; noodles get soggy if cooked too long."
The Qi family had no objections.
The Imperial Dragon Guards had also caught some game in the woods to roast.
As the sky grew dark, Qi Yanzhou passed on the barbecue tips to Qi He'an.
"Third Brother, pay attention to the heat, turn it evenly. I'm going into the woods to catch some birds."
The woods, shaded by branches and leaves, looked pitch black.
But for the highly skilled Qi Yanzhou, it posed no problem.
Soon, he caught nearly twenty plump birds, enough for a good meal.
He plucked the wing feathers and tied the slender bird legs together with rope, like a string of candied haws.
As Qi Yanzhou prepared to return to camp, he spotted a carrier pigeon.
He immediately caught it and retrieved a secret letter from the bamboo tube on its leg.
It was a secret edict from the Emperor to the Imperial Dragon Guards, sealed with wax.
If he opened it, he couldn't give it to the guards; they would notice.
After much hesitation, Qi Yanzhou still opened the secret edict and released the pigeon.
The content of the edict was simple: order the Imperial Dragon Guards, once a hundred li from the capital, to spare no effort in acting against the Qi family.
If the task wasn't completed within a month, they were to present their own heads.
He placed the edict inside his robe, picked up the long string of tied birds, and returned to camp.
By now, the sky had completely darkened.
The view was filled with campfires, and the air was thick with the rich aroma of roasted meat.
Ye Chutang looked at the plump, edible bird and said, "Let's keep it for now. We can kill it when we want to eat it."
Qi Yanzhou nodded, tying one end of a rope to the handle of the cart.
He then shooed Qi He'an aside and continued roasting the suckling pig.
Seeing that the fruit jam in the pot had cooled, Ye Chutang rummaged through the cart for a while and found a patterned glass jar with a seal.
The jar had come from her space, and its stopper was also glass.
Although it wasn't perfectly airtight, using one with a plastic or rubber seal would have given her away.
Old Madam Qi saw it and asked curiously, "Tang'er, where did this glass jar come from?"
It was the first time she had seen such clear glass with such a lovely pattern.
Ye Chutang didn't want to elaborate. "I bought it."
With that, she filled the jar with the jam.
Concubine Xu took the initiative to wash the pot and boil water.
Ye Chutang taught her how to make the broth for soaking flatbreads, while she herself prepared a dipping sauce.
By the time the broth was ready, the suckling pig was also done roasting.
The skin looked crispy, sizzling with glistening fat. The smell of the meat mingled with the spices was mouthwatering.
Qi Yanzhou cut a piece of the hind leg, sliced it thinly, and handed it to Ye Chutang.
"Ah Tang, try it."
Wild boar meat usually has a slight gamey smell, but it had been marinated long enough, and since it was a piglet, no off-odor could be detected.
Ye Chutang tasted a slice. It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, well-seasoned, and had an excellent texture.
"It's delicious. Everyone, have a try."
After saying that, she picked up another slice and dipped it in the sauce.
While the Qi family was happily enjoying the roast meat, Qi Jingyao was swallowing hard, tormented by the sight and smell.
She wanted to go over and ask for some, but her pride held her back, fearing rejection.
At that moment, Concubine Su finally finished gathering the dead branches.
Seeing the Qi family eating roast meat and soaked flatbreads and drinking fruit tea, she suddenly felt hungry.
"I'll rest a bit before going to cut grass."
Although it was completely dark, the lakeshore was full of campfires, providing decent visibility.
Concubine Su returned to the spot she had chosen, sitting down wearily.
"Yao'er, give Mother the waterskin, and take out the steamed buns and preserved meat from the bundle."
Qi Jingyao had no desire at all to eat steamed buns and drink lake water.
"Mother, you worked for them. It's not too much to ask for a little food, is it?"
Concubine Su glanced at the six people eating heartily and swallowed her saliva.
"I'll go and try."
Qi Jingyao grabbed Concubine Su's arm. "Mother, wait. I haven't finished."
Concubine Su sat back down. "Yao'er, what is it?"
"Mother, if they don't give you food, don't work for them anymore. Being a scoundrel is better than working for free."
Concubine Su had considered reneging, but before the Emperor's mission was accomplished, she couldn't afford to break openly with the Qi family.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to complete her task, and thus couldn't change their current situation.
Moreover, she was afraid of angering Ye Chutang and risking her life.
"Yao'er, if I offend the Qi family and get divorced, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to keep my virtue."
Hearing the words "get divorced," Qi Jingyao snorted in displeasure.
"If we had known this would happen, we should have left the Qi family before the exile list was finalized."
Now they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was utterly infuriating!
Concubine Su had also wanted to leave the Qi family back then.
But the Emperor wouldn't allow it. What could she do?
"Yao'er, don't worry. Mother will definitely change our current situation."
Qi Jingyao simply took this as empty boasting and didn't take a single word to heart.
She urged, "Mother, hurry up and go ask for food."
Concubine Su stood up and approached Old Master Qi, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, appearing uneasy and awkward.
"Master, Yao'er suffered greatly today. Could you spare some food for her?"
Old Master Qi had doted on Concubine Su in the past because he knew she was the Emperor's agent.
Now that they were exiled, there was no need to pretend affection anymore.
"Su-shi, if you want free food, you should go ask the guards."
Concubine Su looked at Old Master Qi's cold expression and felt that all the favor she had enjoyed over the years was like a dream.
"Master, Yao'er is your daughter. How can you be so heartless to her?"
Old Master Qi looked up at Concubine Su, whose eyes were reddening, and gave a light laugh.
"I gave her sixteen years of doting, sending all the best things to her room. But since the Qi family fell into misfortune, has she shown me even a shred of filial piety?"
Although his relationships with Concubine Su and Concubine Gao had been acts, his love for the two children had been genuine.
When Su-shi and Gao-shi wanted to split the family, the children remained silent, and his heart had already grown cold.
After the exile began, his daughter hadn't uttered a single word of concern for him. Now she wanted to gain benefits from him? How laughable!
Concubine Su felt embarrassed but forced herself to explain.
"Master, the Qi family met with sudden disaster. Yao'er hasn't recovered yet. She didn't mean it."
Old Master Qi couldn't be bothered to argue with Concubine Su and simply shooed her away.
"If you don't want to rest, go cut grass."
Hearing this, Concubine Su knew Old Master Qi wouldn't give her any food.
"Master, my apologies for disturbing you. Don't worry, I will cut the grass."
With that, she returned empty-handed.
Qi Jingyao had already guessed this outcome, especially since she had offended Ye Chutang.
Resigned, she took out the steamed buns and preserved meat from the bundle.
One bite of bun, one bite of pickles, one sip of water.
She ate until tears streamed down her face.
Concubine Su sighed softly, wanting to comfort her daughter but not knowing what to say.
She finished her meal in silence and prepared to go cut grass.
Only then did she realize she hadn't gotten any tools.
She had no choice but to go find Ye Chutang. "Madam, what should this servant use to cut the grass?"
Ye Chutang had already eaten her fill and was taking a stroll near the campsite to aid digestion.
Hearing this, she said to Concubine Xu, "Auntie, give the kitchen knife to Su-shi."
Then, she looked at Concubine Su.
"There aren't any suitable tools. You'll have to make do with the kitchen knife."
Taking the kitchen knife, Concubine Su tried to bargain.
"Using a kitchen knife to cut grass is both laborious and time-consuming. I want higher wages."
Ye Chutang nodded. "Fine, an increase of five coppers, no more. Otherwise, I'll take all your belongings to settle the debt!"
At these words, any further attempts to raise the price died in Concubine Su's throat.
"Fine. Fifteen coppers in total."
Ye Chutang tossed her a rope for bundling the grass.
"Go on."
Bearing the humiliation, Concubine Su went to cut grass.
Her hands quickly developed blisters. When the blisters broke, the pain made her want to lash out.
At that moment, Han Chong arrived with the Emperor's secret decree.