novelraw Chapter 214
Chapter 214
Hearing the words "State Seal," Qi Yanzhou knew exactly what Ye Chutang was planning.
"Forging an imperial decree to the local authorities, ordering them to sell grain at normal prices to highlight the greed of the merchants and the benevolence of the emperor—it's a good idea."
This way, the grain merchants would feel they had been stabbed in the back by the government.
With this resentment in their hearts, they wouldn't be of one mind anymore.
In the future, if the government randomly adjusted prices again, the merchants might outwardly obey but secretly resist.
Ye Chutang smiled and nodded. "Exactly, a forged imperial decree!"
The theft of the State Seal was a blow to the monarch's prestige; the emperor certainly wouldn't make it public.
Moreover, lowering grain prices would benefit his reputation. Even if he was unhappy about it, he would have no choice but to swallow his grievances.
When the time was right for rebellion, she would expose the fact that the State Seal had long been stolen and snatch that good reputation back!
"I'll write the decree in a moment. Once it's done, have your men ride hard to deliver it to various regions."
Qi Yanzhou nodded. "I'll go get the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."
Ye Chutang called out to stop him.
"Azhou, do you think it's better to use ordinary paper or the imperial paper?"
Using ordinary paper would make the later plot twist more convincing; using imperial paper would ensure the local authorities wouldn't question it upon receipt.
Instead of answering, Qi Yanzhou asked, "Atang, do you have imperial paper?"
Ye Chutang replied with a candid expression, "The 'Ghost Thief' should have some, right?"
Qi Yanzhou didn't press further. After weighing the pros and cons, he made a decision.
"Just use slightly better paper. Although the local authorities might be suspicious, with the stamp of the State Seal, they will still follow orders."
"Should we also write an imperial proclamation and post it in a conspicuous place in the capital?"
Since they had already fallen out with the dog emperor, openly defying him right to his face didn't matter.
Furthermore, with a public imperial proclamation, the officials in various regions would be convinced.
Qi Yanzhou thought posting an imperial proclamation was a great idea.
"We should write it. You prepare first; I'll go fetch the writing materials."
Ye Chutang knew that the preparation Qi Yanzhou meant was for her to communicate with the "Ghost Thief" and get the State Seal.
Once the man left, and she was sure no one was watching, she took the State Seal out of her spatial dimension.
A coiled dragon was carved atop the square piece of Hetian jade.
It was incredibly lifelike and felt quite heavy in her hand.
The eight characters "Received from Heaven, may he live long and prosper" were stained with dried red ink paste.
When Qi Yanzhou returned with the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, Ye Chutang was sitting by the table, toying with the State Seal.
He placed the wooden box on the table and said, "Atang, I'll write, and you stamp the seal."
Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. "Can you imitate the emperor's handwriting?"
"Of course. It will be identical."
Although his calligraphy skills were not as profound as Ye Chutang's, when it came to copying, he was definitely second to none.
"You know how the emperor thinks and his writing style, so it's very fitting for you to write it."
The two divided the work. Qi Yanzhou wrote the imperial decrees, and Ye Chutang stamped them with the State Seal.
Soon, over a dozen imperial decrees were completed.
Next was the imperial proclamation.
After finishing, Qi Yanzhou took the decrees and the proclamation and left to find Nan Xiao.
Bingzhou wasn't too far from the capital; riding hard, it would take only three or four days to arrive.
Ye Chutang stored the State Seal back in her space and paid a post station attendant for some hot water to bathe.
By the time she finished bathing, the sky had turned completely dark.
She didn't go to bed to rest. Instead, she took out a map of the Beichen Kingdom, spread it on the table, and studied its water conservancy.
To solve the droughts and floods, they had to dredge the rivers and dig ponds to store water.
When Qi Yanzhou finished his tasks and returned to the room, he saw Ye Chutang asleep, slumped over the table.
The map on the table was covered in numerous markings.
There were plans to alter river courses and store water. The map was already half completed.
He carefully picked Ye Chutang up in his arms.
Ye Chutang had actually woken up when Qi Yanzhou opened the door, but hearing his familiar footsteps, she felt too lazy to move.
Once she was placed on the bed, she slightly opened her drowsy eyes.
"Azhou, I'll leave the rest of the water conservancy projects on the map to you."
Water conservancy wasn't her strong suit, and planning it was exhausting.
Qi Yanzhou planted a kiss on Ye Chutang's forehead. "Alright, rest easy."
He was very familiar with the terrain of the Beichen Kingdom, and having considered river maintenance before, drawing up the water conservancy map came naturally to him.
It took him only half an hour to complete the Beichen Kingdom's water conservancy map.
The scale of the project was massive; it couldn't be finished in less than ten years.
Qi Yanzhou didn't put the map away, leaving it on the table so Ye Chutang could review it the next day.
He went to the backyard of the post station to take a cold shower, then returned to the room, holding Ye Chutang as he fell asleep.
The next day.
Ye Chutang woke up in Qi Yanzhou's arms.
The man's large hand rested on her flat stomach, gentle and warm.
The moment she shifted her body, a magnetic voice sounded by her ear.
"Atang, how have you been feeling lately? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Although Qi Yanzhou hadn't seen Ye Chutang suffer much from morning sickness, she did look pale occasionally.
"The babies are still small, so it's not tiring. I feel fine."
"If you find it too hard, I'll go buy another carriage."
Ye Chutang turned around, hugged Qi Yanzhou's waist, and nuzzled against his chest.
"The mountain roads are difficult to travel, and a carriage would be too bumpy. I'd rather walk."
With that, she let go of Qi Yanzhou and sat up.
"Let's get up and pack. It's almost time to set off."
Qi Yanzhou held Ye Chutang's hand and asked, "When do you plan to tell our parents about the pregnancy?"
"We'll tell them when we can't hide it anymore."
They would definitely encounter more danger along the path of exile.
If their enemies knew she was pregnant, they would make the children their primary target.
She didn't want her twins to be in any danger.
Qi Yanzhou guessed Ye Chutang's concerns and agreed with her approach.
"Alright, we'll keep it a secret for now."
He then released Ye Chutang's hand.
"I'll go light the lamp first."
Soon, the dim yellow light of the oil lamp illuminated the rather small room.
Qi Yanzhou handed Ye Chutang the clothes she was going to wear.
As Ye Chutang took them, he suddenly had a thought and asked, "Atang, could you be pregnant with twins?"
He had heard that having twins was a trait passed down through bloodlines.
Ye Chutang didn't hide it from Qi Yanzhou.
As she dressed, she said, "I am indeed pregnant with twins."
She spoke such earth-shattering words in a completely calm tone.
Qi Yanzhou's hand holding the clothes froze. He slowly turned his body to look at Ye Chutang.
The young woman's long hair draped lazily over her back, and her silky inner garments shimmered like water ripples as she moved.
"Atang, what did you say?"
Ye Chutang looked at the dumbfounded Qi Yanzhou and walked up to him.
She pinched his ear, leaned in close, and repeated, "Just as you thought, I am pregnant with twins."
A burning sensation spread from Qi Yanzhou's ear all the way to his heart, snapping him out of his daze.
He turned his head to kiss Ye Chutang's ear, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Atang, it's going to be hard on you."
Ye Chutang's face flushed red from the intimate atmosphere, and she turned her head to dodge Qi Yanzhou's soft lips.
"Seeing as I have to go through the hardship of pregnancy, you will be the one taking care of the children after they are born."
"Alright, I'll take care of the children, and I'll wait on you during your postpartum confinement."
"It's a promise."
Qi Yanzhou's tone was solemn. "I will never go back on my word!"
Ye Chutang let go of his ear, turned around, walked to the head of the bed, picked up a coarse cloth jacket, and put it on.
As Qi Yanzhou got dressed, he said, "Atang, perhaps we should still buy a carriage. If you find it bumpy, we can just pad it with a few more layers."
"There is no need for now. We can buy a carriage later if I ever find walking too exhausting."
"Alright, just promise me you won't push yourself too hard."
With their discussion settled, Ye Chutang turned her attention to the map of the empire resting on the table.
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou had already finalized the blueprints for the water conservancy project, she asked, "Can we begin construction right away?"