novelraw Chapter 190
Chapter 190
The moment Han Chong spoke, everyone except the six members of the Qi family collapsed, falling over each other.
It was as if they had been poisoned with Muscle-Softening Powder; not only could they not muster any strength, but their internal energy had also vanished.
Those without martial arts skills, or with low cultivation, fell unconscious one by one.
Han Chong's expression changed drastically, and he shouted towards the top of the canyon.
"Drop the rocks!"
However, there was still no movement.
He struggled to turn his head and looked at Ye Chutang.
"Did you do this?"
Ye Chutang held Qi Yanzhou's arm and nodded frankly.
"Yes, it was us."
"You're crazy. If the Emperor finds out..."
"So what if he knows? Will he refuse to give me the antidote and let me die from ruptured meridians?"
Seeing that Ye Chutang did not care about life or death, Han Chong swallowed the rest of his words.
"When did you poison everyone?"
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "It wasn't just at one time, it was all the time. Do you know what poison you've been afflicted with?"
"Meridian-Severing Powder."
After Han Chong involuntarily spat out these three words, a sudden realization hit him.
"So you had already cured the poison and were never threatened by the Emperor."
"I can prevent and cure even a plague; how difficult could it be to cure a mere Meridian-Severing Powder?"
Not only had she replicated the poison of the Meridian-Severing Powder, but she had also developed a drug to catalyze its toxicity.
The exiled group had been gradually poisoned starting from last night.
When entering the canyon, she used the catalyst, successfully triggering the effects of the Meridian-Severing Powder.
Han Chong never expected that all one hundred Dragon Guards would fall into Ye Chutang's trap.
He asked, "What do you want to do? Kill everyone and escape?"
Ye Chutang looked at Han Chong as if looking at a fool. "If we wanted to escape, we wouldn't have waited until now."
After saying this, a hint of disappointment surfaced in her eyes.
"Commander Han, I thought that after listening to my advice and seeing the common people's defense of the Qi family, you would change your mind about wiping out the Qi family. I didn't expect you to still choose blind loyalty."
Han Chong turned his face away in embarrassment.
"Just kill me."
He had failed his mission, and what awaited him was death.
Dying early or dying late made no difference.
Ye Chutang walked up to Han Chong and looked down at him.
"Even in death, you are still considering that dog Emperor. Your loyalty is truly clear for heaven and earth to see."
If the escorting officials of the exile all died at the hands of the Qi family, the Emperor would have a legitimate reason to put the Qi family to death.
But Han Chong simply wanted to die; he didn't mean to harm the Qi family.
He hastily explained, "Madam Qi, you misunderstand. I didn't think that much."
Ye Chutang ignored him and said to Qi Yanzhou, "Yanzhou, go and bring Ye Jingchuan here."
Ye Jingchuan had already fainted.
When Qi Yanzhou threw him in front of Han Chong, he showed no signs of waking up.
Ye Chutang grabbed his hair, lifted his head, and stuffed an antidote for the Heartbreak Powder into his mouth.
Ye Jingchuan soon slowly woke up.
He was face to face with Han Chong and was startled.
His body instinctively tried to dodge, but his hair was still being held by Ye Chutang, causing him to bare his teeth in pain.
"Ye Chutang, what kind of crazy fit are you throwing now?"
Ye Chutang released Ye Jingchuan's hair and said, "Tell Commander Han what exactly happened with the weapons in the storehouse of Prince Chen's estate."
In truth, she could have forced Ye Jingchuan to tell the truth long ago.
But Han Chong definitely wouldn't have believed it.
He would have thought that Ye Jingchuan harbored resentment after being exiled by the Emperor and was intentionally slandering him.
However, with the Emperor colluding with the Northern Barbarians and the common people supporting the Qi family beforehand, Han Chong would already have doubts about the Qi family's alleged treason.
Now was the most suitable time.
Ye Jingchuan was stunned by Ye Chutang's words.
After reacting, he immediately played dumb.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand a single word!"
Ye Chutang didn't continue to force Ye Jingchuan to speak, but turned her head to look at Han Chong.
"Commander Han, tell Ye Jingchuan what would have happened just now if I hadn't poisoned everyone."
Han Chong remained silent.
Qi Yanzhou spoke for him, "The Emperor ordered the Dragon Guards, the Zhao family, Concubine Su, and Chutang to join forces and wipe out the Qi family in this canyon. If they failed, giant boulders would fall from the mountain, burying everyone here."
After saying this, he asked Han Chong, "Commander Han, am I wrong?"
Han Chong still remained silent.
His silence was a tacit admission.
After Ye Jingchuan understood, he slumped to the ground.
"So the Emperor never intended for me to live at all. Then my Zhi'er..."
Before the exile, the Emperor had sent someone to find him.
He was told to keep the secret, obediently go into exile, and cooperate in eliminating the Qi family along the way. In return, his eldest son, Ye Anzhi, who was in prison, would be able to live on under a new identity.
At that time, his family was broken, his wife and children separated, and his household ruined.
The disappointing Ye Anzhi had become the sole surviving heir of the Ye family.
In order for his eldest son to survive and carry on the Ye family line, he had agreed to the Emperor's arrangement.
Ye Chutang looked at the pale-faced Ye Jingchuan and said, "Ye Anzhi is dead!"
Qi Yanzhou added a sentence.
"Before Chutang and I got married, Ye Anzhi died in prison and was thrown into a mass grave."
Ye Anzhi had been sentenced to execution after autumn.
But he couldn't endure the suffering in prison and didn't want to be beaten every day, so he killed himself.
Usually, in such situations, the family would be notified to claim the body.
But Ye Anzhi did not deserve to be laid to rest in peace, so Qi Yanzhou pulled some strings.
After the Emperor learned the news, he kept it a secret in order to control Ye Jingchuan.
Upon hearing that his eldest son had been thrown into a mass grave and died without an intact corpse, Ye Jingchuan fainted.
His family line was cut off!
After Ye Chutang woke Ye Jingchuan up with a silver needle, she kicked him.
"Finish talking about the weapons first; it won't be too late to die after that."
Ye Jingchuan looked dispirited, his eyes lifeless, appearing to have aged significantly.
He moved his pale lips and detailed to Han Chong how the Emperor had framed the Qi family for treason.
Han Chong had already suspected that the Qi family was framed.
Now hearing the truth, he wasn't very surprised, only feeling a chilling disappointment.
He felt that the existence of the Dragon Guards was quite ridiculous.
"Hahahaha..."
He laughed so hard that tears almost came out.
Qi Yanzhou waited until Han Chong had laughed enough, then crouched down in front of him.
"If I wanted power and intended to rebel, I wouldn't have hidden weapons in Prince Chen's estate. Instead, I would have mobilized the Qi Army, united with those who have long wanted to overthrow the imperial power, and marched directly on the palace to commit regicide."
"Commander Han, you Dragon Guards should know better than anyone that if I wanted the throne, it would be as easy as flipping my hand."
Han Chong could not refute these words.
His face was as ugly as Ye Jingchuan's, and he asked in confusion, "The Emperor wants to drive the Qi family to extinction; why don't you rebel?"
"The people are the most precious, the state comes next, and the ruler is of least importance."
[Note: Sourced from Mencius, Jin Xin II]
These short three phrases stirred up stormy waves in the depths of Han Chong's heart.
Ye Chutang struck while the iron was hot, bluntly stating the reason why Qi Yanzhou did not rebel.
"Yanzhou has no ambition to become the Emperor, nor does he want to plunge the Beichen Kingdom into internal strife, causing the commoners to suffer and inviting foreign enemies to invade."
"Commander Han, the current imperial family takes pleasure in preying on the people. They are extravagant, lustful, and completely disregard the state of the nation. They favor petty men and alienate virtuous officials. They are not worth the Dragon Guards' loyalty."
"I will say it again: blind loyalty is not protecting the country. Do not forget the true mission of the Dragon Guards. The roots of the imperial family have completely rotted; stop aiding the tyrant in his cruelty."
Every word of Ye Chutang was like a heavy punch, violently striking Han Chong's heart, causing his blood to surge and filling him with unbearable shame.
"Madam Qi, the Dragon Guards under my command will no longer make a move against the Qi family."
He couldn't make decisions for all the Dragon Guards, nor could he make the Emperor spare the Qi family, but he could at least control his own men.
Ye Chutang handed Han Chong a bottle of antidote.
"I am very glad that Commander Han knows to rein in at the brink of the precipice. I hope we can cooperate pleasantly for the rest of the journey."
Han Chong didn't take the antidote immediately. Instead, enduring the tearing pain in his meridians, he asked, "Given the current situation, how do you husband and wife plan to resolve this?"
He could control the Dragon Guards, but he couldn't control the escorting officials, nor the Zhao family, the Ye family, and Concubine Su.
But if they killed them all, the Qi family would definitely be detained when they reported to the local authorities.
Thinking it over, he had no idea how to break this current dilemma.
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Commander Han, just manage your own men first. Leave the rest to me."
Since she dared to make this move, she naturally had a way to deal with it.
"Alright."
After agreeing, Han Chong used a tremendous amount of effort to pull the stopper out of the medicine bottle.
Not long after taking the antidote, the poison of the Meridian-Severing Powder was neutralized.
His strength and internal energy were both restored.
He immediately got up and distributed the antidote to the Dragon Guards.
The Dragon Guards were highly skilled in martial arts. They only suffered from the poison's onset but hadn't passed out.
They had heard the conversation between Han Chong and the couple, Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou, word for word.
So, without Han Chong needing to say anything, they knelt down before Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou one after another.
"We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Young Master Qi and Madam Qi!"
The Dragon Guards did not exist to consolidate the imperial power of the Zhao family; they existed more to protect their homeland and defend the country.
Since the Zhao family preyed on the common people and disregarded the nation, there was no need for them to obey imperial orders anymore!
Qi Yanzhou said, "From today onwards, you are no longer the Dragon Guards, but the Nation-Protecting Army."
Han Chong thought this name was quite good.
"Good, the Nation-Protecting Army it is. From now on, we protect the nation and the people, not the monarch!"
The one hundred soldiers of the Nation-Protecting Army shouted in unison, "Protect the nation and the people, not the monarch!"
Qi Yanzhou said, "Rise, all of you. Let A'Tang handle the aftermath."
Han Chong's gaze fell on Ye Chutang, very curious about how she was going to handle the aftermath.
Ye Chutang walked up to Wu Chenggang and asked, "Do you want to die or live?"
Wu Chenggang was frightened by the killing intent in Ye Chutang's eyes and hastily expressed his loyalty.
"I am willing to follow Madam Qi's every command."
This couple had subdued all the Dragon Guards. Even if he had ten lives, he wouldn't dare to go against them.
Ye Chutang nodded in satisfaction.
"I will cure the poison of the Meridian-Severing Powder for you when we arrive at Tianshan Prefecture."
With that, she handed Wu Chenggang nine temporary antidote pills.
"This medicine can only temporarily suppress the toxicity and needs to be taken regularly. If anyone seeks death, not only will I grant their wish, but I will also let them reunite with their family in the underworld."
Wu Chenggang and his subordinates swore oaths to show their loyalty.
"If we betray the Qi family, may we die without descendants and our whole families perish!"
Although they swore heavy oaths, Ye Chutang didn't believe Wu Chenggang and his eight men.
Wu Chenggang swallowed an antidote pill and distributed the remaining eight to his subordinates.
After recovering his strength and internal energy, he stood up and asked, "Madam Qi, are you still going to Tianshan Prefecture?"
He had thought the Qi family would flee and secretly plot to overthrow the imperial power!
Ye Chutang nodded affirmatively.
"Naturally. The Qi family has never desired imperial power. Even if we overthrow the tyranny, it would be to establish another wise ruler."
Qi Yanzhou thought the same.
He only wanted to keep the Qi family safe and had no interest in that supreme position.
Looking at Ye Chutang's magnanimous gaze and Qi Yanzhou's calm and breezy demeanor, admiration welled up in Wu Chenggang's heart.
Taking the peace of the common people as their own responsibility without asking for anything in return—they were worth following!
He pressed his forehead to the ground, his tone sincere.
"On this journey of exile, whatever Madam Qi needs us to do, please just give the order."
If it weren't for the fact that his family was in the capital, he would really want to follow the Qi family just like the Nation-Protecting Army.
Looking at the sincere-faced Wu Chenggang, Ye Chutang waved her hand.
"I don't need you to do anything. I just need you to forget what happened at the mouth of the canyon."
"We will definitely keep our mouths shut!"
"Verbal promises won't do. Have your men gather around and look at me."
Wu Chenggang didn't know what Ye Chutang was going to do, but he followed the order.
After all nine men gathered, Ye Chutang used drugs to assist and hypnotized them.
She had said so much earlier just to facilitate collective hypnosis.
Otherwise, hypnotizing them one by one would waste too much time and energy.
"While passing through the canyon, Commander Han suddenly attacked. Under the Emperor's orders, he poisoned you with Meridian-Severing Powder and used the poison to threaten you into obeying his every command throughout the exile journey..."
She spoke in great detail, recounting the events that happened between their entry into the canyon and them waking up.
She altered the memories of Wu Chenggang and his eight men.
With lifeless eyes, they repeated Ye Chutang's words three times, engraving them into their minds.
"Go wait on the side."
The nine men immediately stood obediently against the cliff wall.
It was Han Chong's first time witnessing hypnosis, and he was both amazed and confused.
"Madam Qi, will they really take your words as facts?"
Ye Chutang nodded. "Yes, so you must cooperate well according to what I said and not give yourself away."
"What if I do?"
"They will doubt their memories, and over time, they will remember the truth."
Han Chong cupped his fist at Ye Chutang.
"Rest assured, Madam Qi. I will definitely speak and act cautiously."
Looking at the dozen or so people lying on the ground, Ye Chutang said, "Commander Han, tell me in detail about the roles they played in dealing with the Qi family."
Han Chong recounted the plan to annihilate the Qi family in full detail.
After finishing, he dropped to one knee before Qi Yanzhou.
"Young Master Qi, we were foolish and almost caused a great disaster. Please forgive us."
Qi Yanzhou raised his hand slightly in a gesture to lift him. "Rise. Everyone serves their own master; I understand."
Ye Chutang said to Han Chong, "Take away all the weapons you gave to the Zhao family and Concubine Su. Leave nothing behind."
"Yes, Madam Qi."
"Here is the antidote. Feed them one pill each."
Han Chong led his subordinates to confiscate the sleeve arrows from the Zhao family and the Torrential Pear Blossom Needles from Concubine Su.
And he cured everyone's poison.
Ye Chutang repeated the process, first hypnotizing Concubine Su, then the nine members of the Zhao family.
She altered their memories, erasing the existence of the secret decree and today's assassination plan.
"All of you, go sit by the edge of the canyon."
Finally, only the Ye family remained, along with Qi Jingyao, Concubine Gao, and her son.
None of them knew about the assassination plan.
Ye Chutang erased their memories of everything after entering the canyon and said to the three members of the Ye family, "Ye Jingchuan was too tired and fell down."
Ye Jingchuan: "..."
Before he could figure out what Ye Chutang meant, he was hypnotized, and all his memories of today were erased.
"You fell down, landing on the back of your head."
The hypnotized Ye Jingchuan did not hesitate at all and immediately fell backward.
The back of his head hit the ground with a muffled thud.
His body crashed onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After ensuring there were no loopholes, Ye Chutang snapped her fingers.
"Three, two, one, wake up!"
Everyone who had been hypnotized opened their eyes simultaneously.
Ye Jingchuan lay under the sun, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.
He sat up and touched the swollen back of his head, grimacing in pain.
Old Madam Ye called out to him, "Chuan'er, don't just sit there foolishly. Hurry up and come into the shade."
Ye Jingchuan immediately moved into the shadows of the cliff face and patted the dirt off his clothes.
Wasn't he spending the night outside the relay station?
How did he suddenly end up here?
"Mother..."
Just as Ye Jingchuan was about to ask, Old Madam Ye began to inspect the injury on the back of his head with heartache.
"Does it hurt from the fall? Do you want a doctor to take a look? Oh my, such a big bump, I hope you didn't damage your brain."
Hearing this, Ye Jingchuan guessed that he might have fallen hard and forgotten some things.
The Zhao family showed nothing unusual, simply treating it as a rest stop by the mountain.
After Wu Chenggang realized that he and his subordinates had been poisoned, his eyes were filled with fear as he looked at Han Chong.
Han Chong walked up to Wu Chenggang, patted his shoulder, and lowered his voice.
"Captain Wu, don't be nervous. I will find you when I need your cooperation. Otherwise, just do what you normally do. As long as you are obedient, none of you will die."
"U-understood."
"We've rested enough. Let's go."
Wu Chenggang nodded and said loudly, "Once we pass the gorge, there is a small stream not far ahead. We will take our midday rest there."
His memory had been tampered with, making him repeat the exact same words he had said when they entered the gorge.
The procession of exiles resumed their journey.
Passing through the gorge, their line of sight broadened.
After walking forward for nearly half an hour, the murmuring sound of flowing water could be heard.
A rocky foreshore was hidden within the sparse woods.
Wu Chenggang led the exiled group to the stream.
Looking at the nearly dried-up stream, he remarked, "The water level is so shallow. It seems Dingzhou hasn't seen rain in a long time."
In fact, it wasn't just Dingzhou; many places in the north hadn't seen a drop of rain since the beginning of spring.
Fortunately, last year's snowfall had been unusually heavy, so there was no immediate shortage of water.
"The sun is scorching today. We will rest for four hours, and then travel until mid-evening before resting again."
No one had any objections.
Rather than traveling under the blazing sun, it was much better to press on in the dark.
Everyone found dense, large trees for shade, eating and resting.
Wu Chenggang couldn't even be bothered to mention the distribution of the dark flour steamed buns. Whoever wanted to eat could come and get them themselves.
Qi Yanzhou noticed Ye Chutang's exhaustion, knowing that she had drained her mental energy during the hypnosis.
He found a large, smooth stone and moved it under a tree.
"A'Tang, sit down quickly. What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll make it."
Concubine Xu had learned quite a few dishes these past few days and scrambled to do the work.
"He'er and I will do it."
With that, she and Qi He'an unloaded the cooking utensils from the handcart and arranged them one by one.
Ye Chutang looked at the birdcages. "These birds are getting skinny from being kept in there. Let's eat four of them for lunch."
Qi Yanzhou was a man of quick action.
He took four birds out of the cage and snapped their necks.
While their bodies were still warm, he plucked them clean.
Then, he lit a fire to singe off the remaining down, sliced them open, and removed their innards.
Finally, he diced the meat and marinated it with heavy spices to remove the gamey smell.
After preparing the bird meat, Qi Yanzhou asked Ye Chutang again, "What else do you want to eat?"
"The townsfolk gave us quite a lot of vegetables. Just pick some that won't keep for long."
Hearing this, Qi He'an's handsome face fell.
"Second Sister-in-law, can we change it up? We've already had them for two meals."
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Then let's have a vegetable hot pot."
The ancient dish of shuancai was the equivalent of modern-day hot pot.
Old Madam Qi said, "Won't it be too hot to eat hot pot?"
"It will be fine if we eat slowly."
Qi He'an said happily, "I'll go fetch water."
He carried a bucket to the stream.
The stream's current was weak, and its deepest point only reached the instep.
Fortunately, there were a few small pools, making it convenient to draw water.
When he was returning with half a bucket of water, Ye Siyin walked toward him.
As the two got close, she suddenly twisted her ankle and fell toward Qi He'an's embrace.
Frightened, Qi He'an dropped the bucket and jumped to the side.
Ye Siyin missed her target entirely and crashed to the ground, scraping the skin off her hands.
She looked at Qi He'an with tearful eyes, appearing delicate and pitiful.
"Third Young Master, I apologize for startling you."
Qi He'an snapped in annoyance, "Stay away from me from now on. Don't startle me a second time."
With that, he picked up the bucket from the ground and turned back to fetch water.
"What bad luck. Good thing the bucket isn't broken."
Ye Siyin was left speechless.
Wasn't it said that the Third Young Master of the Qi family was immersed in poetry and painting, and exceptionally polite?
Just as she was about to stand up, a hand reached out to her.
It was Zhao Qingshu.
"Miss Ye, you are injured."
Ye Siyin hesitated for a moment, then used her uninjured hand to grasp Zhao Qingshu's arm and leveraged herself up.
"I thank you, Young Master Zhao."
After speaking, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks.
Zhao Qingshu saw right through Ye Siyin's little trick, but did not expose her.
"You are too polite, Miss Ye. Do you need any help?"
The road to exile was lonely. If he could have a soft, fragrant beauty in his arms for a night of spring passion, it would certainly be a wonderful thing.
Ye Siyin shook her head shyly. "I wouldn't want to trouble Young Master Zhao."
After saying that, she picked up the vegetables she had dropped on the ground and headed toward the stream.
Watching Ye Siyin's swaying, graceful figure from behind, Zhao Qingshu became even more interested in her.
However, that same moving figure, when seen through Qi He'an's eyes, looked just like a coquettish prostitute showing off, filling him with utter disgust.
When he passed by her, he jumped three feet away, deliberately putting distance between them.
Seeing this, the corner of Ye Siyin's eye twitched.
Even though she knew Zhao Qingshu would be much easier to win over, a surge of stubbornness rose in her heart, making her dead set on Qi He'an!
When Qi He'an returned to the tree, he immediately tattled.
"Ye Siyin is so malicious! She almost smashed our bucket."
He saw it clear as day; that woman had deliberately twisted her ankle and lunged right at his bucket.
If he hadn't tossed the bucket onto the grass in time, it would have landed on the rocks and broken.
Ye Chutang was amused by the foolish Qi He'an.
She raised an eyebrow and teased, "Third Brother, is it possible that the one Ye Siyin wanted to lunge at was actually you?"
Qi He'an immediately denied it. "Impossible!"
He had nothing to his name and was only a concubine-born son. Why would she throw herself at him?
Concubine Xu was left speechless by her son's denseness.
She reminded him, "He'er, stay far away from Ye Siyin from now on."
"Mother, don't worry. I will avoid her path in the future."
With that, he poured the water from the bucket into a wooden basin to wash the vegetables.
"I'll go fetch another bucket of water."
To avoid Ye Siyin, Qi He'an went to a pool a bit further away.
The water in the pool was a blue-green color and looked quite deep.
A long streak of white light flashed by.
It was the reflection of a fish's belly as it swam.
"There's a big fish!"
Qi He'an immediately rolled up his sleeves, preparing to catch the fish.
Suddenly, his legs went weak, and he pitched headfirst into the pool.