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

Chapter 192

"Ah!"

Ye Siyin's terrified scream rang out, startling the birds resting in the woods into taking flight.

Her face was smeared with vomit, and the sour, foul stench made her stomach churn uncontrollably.

"Blergh... blergh..."

Ye Siyin vomited, and Qi He'an vomited too.

Old Master Qi arrived in front of the collapsed latrine, almost overwhelmed by the stench.

Suppressing his nausea, he pulled Qi He'an up.

The scorching heat radiating from his palm told him that his concubine-born son's body temperature was abnormal.

This foolish son of his had probably been schemed against by Ye Siyin!

Ye Siyin's face and body were a ghastly sight. When Concubine Jiang arrived, she didn't even dare to get close.

Wu Chenggang also arrived upon hearing the noise and sternly questioned, "What is all this commotion about?"

Concubine Jiang hurriedly said, "My daughter merely wanted to borrow the latrine, but she was bullied and humiliated by the Third Young Master of the Qi family."

She hadn't known beforehand that her daughter was going to make a move on Qi He'an.

She had guessed it from the two sentences Ye Siyin had shouted earlier.

Old Master Qi quickly retorted.

"Nonsense! He'an would never humiliate a woman. He was framed. Officer, you only need to take one look at He'an to know that he has been drugged."

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Chenggang and Concubine Jiang immediately looked at Qi He'an.

Qi He'an's face and the exposed skin at his collar were flushed with an unnatural redness.

He was completely limp; if Old Master Qi hadn't been supporting him, he would have collapsed onto the ground.

Concubine Jiang's expression changed slightly when she saw that Qi He'an had been given an aphrodisiac.

Her daughter was too bold, actually scheming against Qi He'an in broad daylight!

"Officer, there must be a misunderstanding. My daughter does not carry any aphrodisiacs on her."

Old Master Qi snorted coldly, "If it wasn't Ye Siyin, could it be that my son drugged himself?"

"It's not entirely impossible. The Third Young Master of the Qi family could even ride a fish, so it's perfectly normal for other bizarre things to happen."

"What a load of nonsense! Once He'an wakes up, you won't be able to deny it!"

"Of course we won't admit to something that was fabricated out of thin air."

Wu Chenggang's head throbbed from their meaningless bickering.

"Shut up, both of you!"

After roaring, he looked at Ye Siyin, who was lying on the ground.

"Miss Ye, why is the Third Young Master of the Qi family like this?"

Ye Siyin was about to throw up bile. With her face covered in filth, she shook her head.

"I don't know."

With that, she scrambled up and ran towards the stream.

Wu Chenggang said to Old Master Qi, "We will investigate what happened once Young Master Qi regains his senses."

"Yes, Officer."

Right after the old master spoke, Ye Chutang arrived.

After checking Qi He'an's pulse, she fed him an antidote pill.

"Father, don't worry. Third Brother will be fine. Let's help him to rest under the tree for a while."

Old Master Qi picked up Qi He'an's unbuttoned outer robe and the wet clothes he had taken off, then supported his barely conscious son toward the large tree.

Ye Chutang picked up the collapsed makeshift latrine from the ground and followed them.

Back under the tree.

Old Master Qi threw the dirty clothes onto the ground.

"Madam Su, come over and wash He'an's clothes."

Over the past two days, the Qi family's heavy chores were basically done by Concubine Su, and she was frequently ordered around.

Concubine Su had gone from being reluctant to feeling numb.

"Master, this concubine will come right after eating."

The food she had prepared earlier was already gone, so lately she had been relying on doing heavy chores for Concubine Gao in exchange for food.

It wasn't that she willingly degraded herself.

But rather, after tasting the black flour steamed buns, she never wanted to take a second bite.

Ye Chutang sat down on a rock, looking coldly at Ye Siyin by the stream.

"Ye Siyin has set her sights on Third Brother. She will definitely make another move. We need to tell Third Brother to be more careful from now on."

Concubine Xu looked at Qi He'an, who was frowning in discomfort, her heart aching for him.

"I really don't know how Ye Jingchuan raised his daughter. She's practically like a pros..."

The curse had barely left her lips when she remembered that Ye Chutang was also from the Ye family, and she hastily explained.

"Madam, I'm not talking about you."

Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Concubine, I am no longer a member of the Ye family. If you want to curse the Ye family, please feel free to do so."

Even so, the blood of the Ye family still flowed in her veins.

Concubine Xu found it awkward to continue cursing the Ye family, so she directed her spearhead at the instigator, Ye Siyin.

"Ye Siyin is simply shameless, actually doing such a thing to He'an!"

"She wants to break away from the Ye family and secure a safe haven for herself."

Old Master Qi snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

"What a pipe dream! The exile roster has already been registered and filed. How could she shake off her criminal status just because she wants to?"

The Ye family and the Qi family were different.

The Qi family had requested their own exile, so they weren't considered criminals and weren't bound by the strict rules of exile.

The Ye family were genuine exiled criminals. Unless the emperor issued a decree, it was impossible for them to shed their criminal status.

Ye Chutang knew very well that with Ye Siyin's intelligence, she had definitely thought of this.

The reason she did this was simply to make her life a bit better.

"Although Ye Siyin cannot shed her criminal status, if she gains Third Brother's protection, her journey into exile will be much easier."

"Wishful thinking!"

After saying that, Concubine Xu took out the washed pickled mustard greens and chopped them up.

"Madam, what should we do next?"

After all the commotion up until now, everyone was hungry. Cooking was the priority.

They would settle the score with Ye Siyin after eating!

Ye Chutang continued to teach Concubine Xu how to make pickled cabbage fish.

When the aroma of the pickled cabbage wafted from the pot, Qi He'an woke up.

He rubbed his throbbing head.

Then he realized he was wearing his inner garments.

The nauseating scene before he lost consciousness surfaced in his mind.

He hurriedly covered his mouth to stop himself from throwing up.

It took quite a while before the feeling of nausea in Qi He'an's heart finally dissipated.

He scooped a bowl of water to rinse his mouth.

After rinsing, he looked at Concubine Xu aggrievedly.

"Mother, your son's innocence was almost ruined."

Concubine Xu had initially felt very sorry for her son, but she was amused by his silly appearance.

"Madam warned you earlier that Ye Siyin had intentions toward you, but you didn't take it to heart. Now you've learned your lesson, haven't you?"

Qi He'an was furious.

"I don't even know what she sees in me!"

"Naturally, it's because you are innocent and gullible, making you an easy target."

"Mother, although I'm not smart enough, someone I hate can never deceive me!"

Ye Chutang reminded him, "If they can't deceive you, they can use schemes, like just now."

After saying that, she asked curiously, "Third Brother, how did you fall into her trap? And why did you throw up like that?"

Logically speaking, after being drugged with an aphrodisiac, one would be overcome with animalistic lust. What was up with the violent vomiting?

Could it be that Qi He'an had a natural immunity to aphrodisiacs?

Qi He'an suppressed his nausea and recalled.

He had gone into the woods and built a makeshift latrine to change his clothes.

But just as he took off his clothes and draped them over the wooden boards that made up the latrine, he noticed his clothes falling down.

He immediately realized that someone was stealing his clothes, so he shouted out.

Immediately after, Ye Siyin's voice rang out.

She said she wanted to borrow the latrine, but he refused her.

Then, Ye Siyin directly opened the latrine door, went in, and falsely accused him of bullying her.

"Second Sister-in-law, you don't know how vicious Ye Siyin is. She kicked my knee, causing me to lose my balance and fall on top of her."

Thinking of this scene, Qi He'an felt like throwing up again.

He realized he had been drugged when his legs went soft and he couldn't stand up.

Because of this, he felt even more disgusted by Ye Siyin's despicability, and he threw up all over her face.

Although the scene was disgusting, it made him feel a sense of satisfaction.

Ye Chutang looked at the defenseless Qi He'an and said, "When you have free time, practice martial arts with your Second Brother to learn some self-defense skills."

Concubine Xu immediately agreed.

"He'er, listen to Madam. Otherwise, any random nobody will be able to bully you."

Qi He'an originally had absolutely no interest in learning martial arts, but after being schemed against by Ye Siyin, he changed his mind.

There were too many crazy women out there; a man also needed to learn how to protect himself!

"Alright, I'll listen to Second Sister-in-law."

At this time, Qi Yanzhou, who had gone deep into the woods to change his clothes, returned.

Ye Chutang told him about having Qi He'an learn martial arts.

Qi Yanzhou had no objections.

"Fine, but Third Brother's bone structure is already set. He won't be able to become a top expert. If he trains diligently, he can at least deal with ordinary people."

Qi He'an only wanted to learn martial arts for self-defense. If his martial arts could deal with ordinary people, that would be enough.

"Second Brother, I will work hard at learning martial arts."

"Start by practicing the horse stance."

By the time Qi He'an was sweating profusely from holding the horse stance, lunch was ready.

A pot of fish with pickled cabbage and a plate of stir-fried bird meat.

The staple food was flatbread soaked in fish soup, which was both delicious and convenient.

Qi He'an immediately forgot his previous unpleasantness and dug in.

"Second Sister-in-law, this fish with pickled cabbage is simply too delicious."

Concubine Xu teased, "Which dish taught by Madam isn't delicious?"

"They're all delicious. If it weren't for my lack of talent in cooking, I would definitely learn it properly."

Hearing this, Concubine Xu had an idea.

"Madam, once we arrive in Tianshan Prefecture, could we open a restaurant?"

She hadn't expected herself to have a talent for cooking. She could perfectly recreate all the dishes Madam taught her.

Moreover, she remembered the recipes after making them just once.

Along this journey of exile, if she practiced more, she would definitely become a qualified head chef!

Ye Chutang had originally planned to start making money once they reached Tianshan Prefecture.

To control the economic lifeline of the Beichen Kingdom.

Hearing Concubine Xu's words, she nodded.

"As long as you don't think doing business is beneath you, I'll open a restaurant for you."

Concubine Xu laughed at herself self-deprecatingly.

"In the past, I thought that among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were at the very bottom, and associating with them would be degrading.

Now, however, I find myself truly ridiculous. Merchants are self-reliant, which makes them a thousand times better than me."

Women were confined to the inner courtyards, only seeing domestic affairs.

Merchants benefited the people, engaging in the affairs of the world.

Of course, there were also many unscrupulous merchants who sucked the blood and sweat of the common people for profit.

She couldn't control others, but she wouldn't do such unconscionable things herself.

Seeing that Concubine Xu genuinely wanted to open a restaurant, Ye Chutang looked at Old Master Qi.

"Father, what do you think?"

She supported Concubine Xu opening a restaurant, but the affairs of the Qi family still had to be decided by Old Master Qi.

The Qi family was a family of military generals. All the glory they had obtained was earned with their lives; they didn't have the self-proclaimed aloofness of aristocratic families.

Old Master Qi said, "Many years ago, when the Qi family was guarding the border, heavy snow blocked the roads, and military rations couldn't be delivered on time. It was the merchant families at the border who raised grain at their own expense and helped the Qi family army tide over the difficulties."

The implication was that he would not look down on merchants, nor would he stop Concubine Xu from opening a restaurant.

Concubine Xu understood and immediately bowed to Old Master Qi.

"This concubine thanks you, Old Master."

"Eat up. We can rest for a while after eating."

After the Qi family finished eating, they packed up the pots and bowls, ready for a midday rest.

At this moment, Wu Chenggang brought Ye Siyin and Concubine Jiang over to resolve the previous matter.

Ye Siyin looked at Qi He'an with red eyes, her eyes brimming with tears.

Qi He'an glared at her, his cheeks puffing up in anger.

"What are you feeling wronged for? The one who should be crying is me!"

Fortunately, he had thrown up at the time, otherwise, he would have been kissed by this foul woman.

What terrible luck!

Ye Siyin's tears slid down, making her look pitiful and delicate.

Concubine Jiang immediately stood up for her daughter.

"Qi He'an, you bullied my daughter. Are you trying to deny it?"

Seeing Concubine Jiang falsely counter-accusing him, Qi He'an flew into a rage.

"The guilty party complains first! It was clearly your shameless daughter who drugged and schemed against me!"

"Young Master Qi, how can you invert black and white to humiliate Yin'er? We all saw you tackle her to the ground and bully her!"

Hearing this, Ye Siyin's tears fell like rain.

"Mother, since Third Young Master Qi doesn't want to admit it, just stop talking. Your daughter will just consider herself unlucky."

Concubine Jiang hugged Ye Siyin, her voice choking with sobs.

"Yin'er, you were bullied, and your reputation is ruined. We can't just let this go."

After saying that, she looked at Old Master Qi.

"Everyone says the Qi family has a righteous family tradition and is open and aboveboard. How does Old Master Qi plan to handle this?"

Old Master Qi stood up and looked down coldly at Concubine Jiang.

"The Qi family's tradition is righteous towards good people, but crooked towards wicked people."

After saying that, he looked at Qi He'an.

"He'er, Father believes in your character. You don't need to pay attention to this shrew."

To scheme against his son and still expect him to pinch his nose and accept it—what a pipe dream!

Old Master Qi's reaction was completely beyond Concubine Jiang's expectations.

"Qi He'an attempted to assault Yin'er, and after being discovered, he refused to admit it. Is your Qi family trying to force Yin'er to her death?"

Hearing this, Ye Siyin hurriedly pushed Concubine Jiang away and lunged toward a nearby tree to smash her head against it.

Wu Chenggang didn't want any loss of life, so he immediately went to stop her.

Just as Ye Chutang was about to make a move, Qi Yanzhou blocked Wu Chenggang's path.

"Don't worry, she won't die."

Ye Siyin, who had originally just been putting on an act, had no choice but to bite the bullet and smash into the tree trunk after hearing those words.

"Thump!"

A sharp pain struck, and her vision went black.

Taking advantage of the situation, she pretended to faint and collapsed to the ground.

Concubine Jiang hurriedly ran forward, hugging Ye Siyin and crying bitterly.

"Yin'er, you're so foolish! The one who deserves to die is someone else!"

Wu Chenggang bypassed Qi Yanzhou and stepped forward to check Ye Siyin's injuries.

Ye Siyin's forehead was red and swollen, and it was scraped raw by the rough tree bark.

Blood flowed down her cheeks, staining her snow-white collar red, making her look so fragile that it made one's heart ache.

Wu Chenggang looked at Qi He'an with a gloomy face.

"If you can't produce evidence that you were framed, you'll have to take responsibility for Miss Ye. After all, quite a few people saw you attempting to assault her."

To force an innocent woman to such an extent—what a disgrace to men!

The wrongly accused Qi He'an was so angry that he raised his hand to swear a venomous oath.

"If I had any improper intentions toward Ye Siyin, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Hearing this, Concubine Jiang also raised her hand to swear a venomous oath.

"If Yin'er framed Qi He'an, may I die a horrible death!"

Seeing that both of them dared to swear venomous oaths, Wu Chenggang looked at Qi He'an.

"You tackled Miss Ye to the ground, and everyone saw it. You said Miss Ye schemed against you; do you have evidence?"

Qi He'an thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head.

"No."

"Without evidence, you have to admit to bullying Miss Ye."

Qi He'an's fists were clenched tight; he wished he could beat Ye Siyin's head to a pulp.

"I didn't..."

Just as he was about to deny it to the death, Ye Chutang stepped forward and cut him off.

She asked Concubine Jiang, "Do you want compensation or something else?"

Looking at Ye Chutang, who seemed to be making a concession, Concubine Jiang immediately became alert.

She asked, "Can you make the decision for Qi He'an?"

"I am the main wife of the Qi family. I still have the right to take in a bed-warming maid for my brother-in-law."

Qi He'an's eyes immediately widened in surprise.

Just as he was about to retort, Concubine Xu stopped him.

"He'er, listen to Madam."

She believed in Ye Chutang's abilities and felt that she could handle this matter well.

Concubine Jiang's pale lips trembled. "A bed-warming maid?"

"Ye Siyin is the daughter of a condemned official and an exiled criminal. Could it be she still covets the position of a legal wife? Or perhaps, I can give you twenty taels of silver as compensation."

Generally speaking, buying a pretty maidservant would only cost about ten or twenty taels of silver.

Concubine Jiang naturally looked down on a mere twenty taels of silver.

But she also couldn't accept her daughter becoming someone's bed-warming maid.

"No..."

Ye Siyin, who was pretending to have fainted, sensed that Concubine Jiang was about to reject Ye Chutang's two conditions to fight for a better deal for her.

She immediately tugged at her clothes discreetly.

First, let Qi He'an acknowledge this marriage, and then she would find a way to enter the Qi family as his official wife.

Knowing that her daughter had her own plans, Concubine Jiang changed her tune.

"Even if Yin'er is to be a bed-warming maid, the proper formalities cannot be omitted."

Ye Chutang nodded in agreement. "As it should be, but you must first rid Ye Siyin of her criminal status before she can enter the Qi family's doors."

If Ye Siyin couldn't get rid of her criminal status, she would be sent to the northwestern frontier, Linzhou City.

Concubine Jiang looked at Wu Chenggang and asked, "Sir, about Yin'er's criminal status..."

"I ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍will first escort you to settle down in Linzhou City. This way, you will become official laborers, and it will be much easier to leave Linzhou later."

Since ancient times, exiled prisoners were divided into two categories.

To serve as slaves, or to serve as laborers.

Those guilty of heinous crimes would become slaves for life, working until death.

Those who received special clemency from the Emperor would serve as official laborers for a term of ten years, after which they could petition the Emperor to return to the capital.

The Ye family belonged to the latter.

Therefore, as long as they had the right connections, the unmarried Ye Siyin could leave Linzhou City under the pretext of marriage.

Concubine Jiang carefully laid Ye Siyin down and stood up to bow.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"You can discuss and handle the rest among yourselves."

With that, Wu Chenggang left.

Ye Chutang patted Ye Siyin's cheek. "Stop pretending, I know you haven't fainted."

Ye Siyin's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Qi He'an asked furiously, "Why did you scheme against me? Even if you manage to scam your way into the Qi family, you won't have a good life. What are you after?"

So what if she became his bed-warming maid? He would absolutely never spare this wicked woman a second glance!

A mist formed in Ye Siyin's eyes, and crystal-clear tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I have feelings for you, and I want to marry you."

Of course, that wasn't the truth.

The reason she was in such a rush to scheme against Qi He'an, even forsaking her reputation, was because she had successfully seduced Zhao Qingshu.

However, Zhao Qingshu only wanted to play around and had no intention of taking responsibility for her.

That man knew martial arts, and the officials were lenient towards the Zhao family. She was afraid he would force himself upon her.

Therefore, she clumsily schemed against Qi He'an, hoping to gain the protection of the Qi family.

Qi He'an looked at Ye Siyin as if he were looking at a madwoman.

"I despise you, stay away from me!"

Unbothered by Qi He'an's hostility, Ye Siyin said, "Third Young Master, you will change your mind about me."

Even heroes have a weakness for beautiful women.

Especially men who had never tasted a woman before!

"Mother, let's go. We can discuss the marriage once the Third Young Master has calmed down."

Concubine Jiang gave a hum of agreement and supported Ye Siyin as they left.

Once the two of them were far away, Concubine Xu asked Ye Chutang.

"Madam, do you have some sort of plan?"

Ye Chutang nodded. "Regarding today's matter, Third Brother suffered in silence. He couldn't explain or clear his name and could only accept it. But we can give them a taste of their own medicine."

Seeing that Ye Chutang had a plan, Concubine Xu felt relieved.

"This servant thanks you, Madam!"

She only had this one son; he absolutely could not be ruined by a woman like Ye Siyin.

"We are family, there's no need for formalities. Let's all get some rest."

Still uneasy, Qi He'an asked, "Second Sister-in-law, how do you plan to scheme against Ye Siyin?"

"She schemed to make it look like you tried to violate her, so I will scheme to make it look like she tried to violate Zhao Qingshu."

"Will it work?"

Qi Yanzhou said with certainty, "Drop the question mark. Now go rest."

Hearing this, Qi He'an's gloomy mood instantly cleared up.

"Yes, Second Brother."

Qi Yanzhou sat down next to Ye Chutang and patted his own shoulder.

"Lean over and rest."

Ye Chutang rested her head on Qi Yanzhou's shoulder, yawned, and closed her eyes.

Before long, the sound of her steady breathing fell upon Qi Yanzhou's ears.

He planted a kiss on Ye Chutang's forehead and looked toward the pool by the stream.

Qi He'an emerging from the water riding a fish was probably the doing of the 'Ghost Thief'.

But he didn't plan on asking about it.

Ye Chutang slept for two hours before waking up.

Not long after she woke up, Wu Chenggang shouted, "Get ready to move out!"

Qi Yanzhou and Qi He'an's wet clothes were drying on the rocks, and Concubine Xu went to fetch them.

Once everything was packed up, they continued on their journey.

The sun was scorching hot by now, but everyone had already grown accustomed to it.

Just as Wu Chenggang had said, they walked until eight o'clock in the evening before stopping.

In the end, they still failed to complete their task of traveling fifty li a day.

As a result, they couldn't reach the post station and had to spend the night in a village.

The village wasn't large, consisting of about twenty households.

After discussing it with Han Chong, Wu Chenggang borrowed the village chief's house to keep watch over the Qi, Zhao, and Ye families.

The Dragon Guards then took turns keeping watch while dispersing to stay in the homes of the local farmers.

The quiet village suddenly bustled with activity, and wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air.

Naturally, the officials wouldn't eat the commoners' food for free, so they provided some compensation.

After eating, they bathed and rested.

There was no well in the village; the villagers all went to the river to fetch water for household use.

The village chief said, "Officers, there is a river behind our village. You can just go wash up right in the river."

In the summer, the men and women of the village would go to the river in separate batches to bathe.

The officials and the men from the three families all went to the river.

The female family members bathed in the village, but they had to pay to buy water.

It wasn't expensive, just one copper coin per person.

The village chief's house had many rooms and many wooden buckets, allowing several people to bathe at once.

Ye Chutang spent five copper coins to take a proper bath.

By the time she finished soaking in the bath, the other female members had also finished washing, and the men had returned.

While Han Chong was assigning the rooms, she secretly drugged Ye Siyin.

Both the Qi family and the Zhao family were allocated two rooms each.

Qi Yanzhou and Ye Chutang shared one room.

They had been sleeping together these past few days, and they would meditate before going to bed.

After meditating, they would both drink a cup of water.

Qi Yanzhou's cup had been drugged, and he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Ye Chutang traveled underground to slip into Zhao Qingshu's room.

He was heavily injured and was sleeping groggily. Zhu Rong, who was taking care of him, had fallen asleep leaning on the table.

Ye Chutang pricked Zhu Rong with a needle, knocking her out completely, before returning to her own room.

She heard Ye Siyin going to the outhouse once again, so she pushed open her door, followed her, and hypnotized her.

She then took out an aphrodisiac pill. "Eat this, go find Zhao Qingshu, and sleep with him."

Obediently, Ye Siyin went to Zhao Qingshu's room and forced herself upon him.