Chapter 188 Intercepting the Emperor's Pigeon

The imperial physician was so frightened by the emperor's miserable condition that his breathing became rapid and his hands trembled.

"This... this is definitely not an ordinary wasp."

Eunuch De touched his swollen and burning face and kicked the imperial physician to the ground.

"Stop talking nonsense and find a way to detoxify and treat it."

The imperial physician smashed his face on the ground, leaving a bruise on his forehead.

He quickly knelt down and turned around to look at Eunuch De, "I am incompetent. I need to invite the Imperial Hospital."

The emperor is seriously injured, it is hard to say whether he can be saved.

He alone cannot bear the blame for failing to provide adequate treatment.

Without any instructions from Eunuch De, the shadow guard immediately went to the Imperial Hospital to look for someone.

Eunuch De looked at the dead wasp on the ground and said, "This wasp is very poisonous. First give the emperor the poison-clearing pills, and then use your internal energy to force out some of the toxins."

The imperial physician immediately took out the detoxification pills from the medicine box and fed them to the emperor who was burning all over.

He ordered the eunuch, "Go get some ice water. The emperor needs to cool down."

The shadow guard immediately climbed onto the dragon bed and used his inner strength to force the poison out of the emperor.

The emperor was too weak, so they didn't dare to use too much force and only forced out some of the poison.

The imperial physician saw that the emperor's condition had not improved at all, and felt a chill on his neck and as if his head was about to move away.

Soon, all the imperial doctors on duty came to the Qinzheng Hall.

After Eunuch De used his internal energy to force out the poison, the swelling at the stung area subsided, but the pain became even more severe.

He felt something was wrong and immediately asked the eunuch to bring a bronze mirror.

In the mirror, the place where he was bitten was rotten to the size of an egg and covered in blood.

"This poison is so powerful!"

When an imperial physician heard this, he immediately came over to apply medicine to Eunuch De.

At this time.

The leader of the Dragon Guards arrived at the Qinzheng Palace with Han Chong's pigeon letter.

He was supposed to present the letter to the emperor.

But the emperor was critically ill, and the news brought by Han Chong was closely related to the emperor being stung by a wasp today.

So he presented the letter to Eunuch De.

"Master, this is a pigeon message from Commander Han. It's about wasps."

When Eunuch De heard this, he immediately took the letter rolled into a thin stick and unfolded it.

After reading it, he slapped the table to pieces.

“It’s actually the Northern Barbarians!”

"Eunuch, now that Ye Chutang has used up all the antidotes, what is the emperor going to do?"

"Didn't we capture a few Northern Barbarian spies? We should be able to find out something from them."

The leader of the Dragon Guard glanced at the dragon couch with an anxious look on his face.

"I am worried that the emperor cannot wait that long in his current condition."

Eunuch De looked at the letter with a calm expression.

"Only two people died in the exile team. The venom of this wasp cannot kill people."

This did not reassure the leader of the Dragon Guard.

The hornets that attacked the emperor were obviously different from those that attacked the exile team.

But he did not refute what Eunuch De said.

"I will immediately investigate these Northern Barbarian spies. I hope to find the antidote from Doctor Hezhe."

Eunuch De waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."

***

When the entire palace was in panic because the emperor was critically ill, Ye Chutang found a wild apricot tree.

The apricots are past their season.

But the temperature in the woods was low, and there were still a few yellow and red fruits hanging on the branches.

Just as she was about to fly up the tree to pick it, Qi Yanzhou arrived.

"Atang, let me do it."

He handed two handfuls of prickly ash to Ye Chutang and climbed up the tree to pick wild apricots.

Ye Chutang took this opportunity to pull out a thorny bush and put it into the space.

Qi Yanzhou picked all the wild apricots from the tree, and the two walked towards the lake.

Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou talked about the situation in the court.

Then he took the opportunity to ask about the three officials whose property the emperor wanted to confiscate.

They are all corrupt officials!

The Minister of Works cut corners and amassed enormous amounts of wealth by building numerous Taoist temples.

The Minister of Agriculture was in charge of all farming affairs and often resold grain, fruits and vegetables, occupying fertile farmland.

The family of the Minister of Rites had a favored imperial concubine who often used various ceremonies to make money.

Ye Chutang said secretly after knowing that the three people were corrupt officials.

"pity."

Ten days later, she was already five hundred miles away from the capital.

Teleporting back to Beijing and emptying the three houses would consume at least 100,000 merit points, which is not worth it.

Besides, it would take time to clear out the place, and given her current condition, she couldn't disappear for that long.

Qi Yanzhou saw that Ye Chutang was unhappy and thought she was worried about the court.

"Atang, the roots of Beichen country have long been rotten. Half of them are corrupt officials, 30% are indifferent, and the remaining 20% ​​are struggling to survive."

Because those half of the officials wanted to drive these 20% of officials out of the court!

Ye Chutang did not explain why he was unhappy.

She approached Qi Yanzhou and whispered in his ear: "I'm waiting for you to turn the world upside down!"

"Okay, in five years at most, Beichen Nation will be destroyed!"

Although Qin Muyun said ten years, he would find a way to shorten the time.

The sooner the dynasty changes, the less suffering the people will suffer.

However, he had no idea about this "new imperial star" calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

Ye Chutang knew Qi Yanzhou was capable, "I believe you."

After saying that, she suddenly remembered his fire poison.

“Today’s wasps carried drugs that induce fire poison. Fortunately, your fire poison was completely controlled, so you were not affected.

But you don’t have much time left. Can the Miao witch doctor come to you before the poison takes effect? ”

Qi Yanzhou met Ye Chutang's worried eyes with a gentle look.

"Don't worry, Caesar has gone to find Ah Man."

Ye Chutang knew that Xize was the man who went to Jiangnan to save the people with prescriptions for preventing and treating the plague.

"Has the flood in Jiangnan been brought under control?"

"Well, relief grain has been distributed, relief silver has been used for reconstruction, and the plague has been brought under control."

Hearing this, Ye Chutang felt relieved.

"In this way, the people can get through the stage of reconstruction."

Qi Yanzhou nodded in agreement, "Yes, if it weren't for your prescription, the damage caused by this flood would be immeasurable. Having completed his mission, Caesar headed south."

"The people of Jiangnan are lucky. If I were still in the countryside, this plague would have spread far and wide."

"Atang, everything is just right because of you."

Qi Yanzhou sometimes feels a little panicked. Is Ye Chutang in front of him really there?

She is too perfect to be mortal.

Only by looking at her and touching her could the uneasiness in his heart disappear.

then.

He held Ye Chutang's hand and felt her presence.

The result was that he was immediately thrown away.

"rabbit!"

Qi Yanzhou saw a fat rabbit crawling into the grass.

He used his Qinggong skills to catch up with the rabbit and grabbed its long ears.

Ye Chutang looked at the wild rabbit struggling frantically and said in surprise: "This is a female rabbit that is still in the feeding period."

After saying that, she looked around.

"The rabbit nest should be nearby. We caught the little rabbit as well."

Wait until they are fattened up before killing them.

Qi Yanzhou didn't understand what Ye Chutang meant.

"The little rabbit doesn't have much meat, it's not enough to mess with."

"It's not about eating it now, it's about raising it first and eating it when it's fat."

Rabbits grow fast and can be eaten after three months.

Qi Yanzhou thought that rabbits eat grass and are easy to raise, so he released the female rabbit in his hand.

The frightened mother rabbit instinctively ran back to her nest.

Then, the whole family of five was killed in one fell swoop.

Qi Yanzhou pulled a vine and tied the four little rabbits together.

He carried the baby rabbit in one hand and the mother rabbit in the other and returned to the camp by the lake.

Madam Qi asked in surprise, "Zhou'er, how did you catch such a small rabbit?"

In fact, the baby rabbits are already quite big. After being fed by the mother rabbit for about a month, each of them weighs more than one kilogram.

"Tang'er said to raise it and save it for later."

Although the old lady felt that it was inappropriate, since it was Ye Chutang who proposed it, she did not refute it.

"Tang'er, how do we feed this little rabbit?"

It's a bit unrealistic to raise rabbits on the road of exile.

Ye Chutang placed the prickly pear in his hand on the oilcloth and said, "Mom, don't worry, it's easy to take care of."

After saying that, she looked at Qi Yanzhou.

"Azhou, I'll roast the suckling pig, and you go chop some branches and make a rabbit cage."

Qi Yanzhou was worried that Ye Chutang would have morning sickness after smelling the fishy smell of pork.

"It's still early. I'll go cut some branches to make a cage and then roast the pork."

After saying that, he didn't want others to doubt him, so he added with a smile.

"Ah Tang, I am an excellent barbecue expert, and I want to show you my skills."

Ye Chutang understood what Qi Yanzhou meant, "Okay, we'll wait for you to come back."

Qi Hean couldn't wait to eat the roast suckling pig.

"Brother, I'll go help you. The two of us can go faster."

After the two brothers left, Ye Chutang threw the wild apricots into the bucket and invited the two elders of the Qi family and Aunt Xu to eat them.

Everyone looked at the yellow and red fruits and felt very hungry.

As a result, after everyone took a bite, their teeth were almost knocked out by the sour taste.

"This apricot has such a strong fruity aroma, but I didn't expect it to taste so sour."

Ye Chutang took a bite and found it to be tasteful with just the right amount of sweetness and sourness.

"Dad, Mom, Aunt, I like sour food, please leave all these wild apricots to me."

Wild apricots are the most suitable for making plum wine, but unfortunately the quantity is too small to make it.

Madam Qi wiped the corner of her mouth and nodded, "Okay, but don't eat too much at one time. It's too sour, it hurts the stomach, and it's not easy to digest."

After saying that, she threw away the apricots that she couldn't swallow.

Then he pointed at two large handfuls of prickly ash and asked, "Tang'er, you picked so many, are you going to save them for tomorrow?"

Ye Chutang finished eating a wild apricot, threw away the brown core, and shook his head.

She took a large porcelain bowl of soup from the cart.

"Dad, Mom, Aunt, please help me pick the prickly ash so I can make some jam later."

Although the three didn't understand what "jam" meant, Zhai Cipaoer heard it clearly.

Four people, eight hands.

All the prickly ash were picked in a short while.

The big soup bowl couldn’t fit in, so I had to use two bowls for eating.

Ye Chutang said to Aunt Xu: "Aunt, help me light the fire, I will make jam."

"OK."

While Aunt Xu was lighting the fire, Ye Chutang washed the prickly ash clean.

When the fire was lit, she poured everything into the pot, crushed the fruit with a spatula, then added an appropriate amount of sugar and stir-fried it.

While no one was paying attention, she squeezed some lemon juice into it.

The flesh soon began to bubble, giving off a sweet and sour fruity aroma.

"Auntie, cook slowly over low heat."

"good."

At this time, Qi Yanzhou and Qi Hean came back with two bundles of branches as thick as fingers.

Ye Chutang took out a bundle of thin wire from the cart and said, "Use this to tie it up."

Qi Yanzhou took it.

He was very good at hands-on work, and with the help of Qi Hean, he quickly made a cage that could accommodate a family of five.

Qi Yanzhou untied the vines and stuffed the rabbit into the cage.

"Third brother, peel the remaining two branches and take them to the lake to wash them clean."

After saying that, he went into the woods again and cut down six tree trunks as thick as his wrists to make two tripods.

Then he used two branches that Qi Hean had washed clean to thread the marinated suckling pig and placed it on a tripod.

After the preparations were completed, they started to make a fire.

"Third brother, go to the woods and pick up some dead branches. Go to the lake and cut some grass. Both the donkey and the rabbit can eat it."

Ye Chutang stopped the two of them.

"Let those who owe money do this kind of rough work."

After that, she shouted to Aunt Su, "Su, get to work."

Aunt Su was very reluctant when she saw Ye Chutang treating her like a servant.

She walked over reluctantly, "What are you going to do now?"

"If you're so reluctant, then pay me back."

Aunt Su looked at the palm of Ye Chutang's hand stretched out in front of her and immediately lost her temper.

If she had money, she wouldn't have to endure this.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do? How much is the salary?"

"Pick up a bundle of dead branches and cut two bundles of green grass, ten cents."

When Aunt Su heard that it was only ten cents, she felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

At the rate she's paying back the money, she probably won't be able to pay back the two hundred taels by the time she dies of old age!

No, she had to find a way to make money.

“What do you use to mow the grass?”

"Go pick up dead branches first. If you're in a hurry to roast the suckling pig, you'd better call Qi Jingyao along, it will be more efficient."

Aunt Su couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer, "I can do it myself."

"As you wish, but I would like to kindly remind you that it is impossible to keep a spoiled girl while in exile."

"Madam, please don't worry about Yao'er and I."

After Aunt Su finished speaking, she went into the woods to pick up dead branches.

Ye Chutang saw that the juice of the jam was almost absorbed, so he took a bite and tasted it. It tasted sour and sweet.

"Auntie, the jam is ready, please put out the fire."

Old Madam Qi looked at the sticky pot and lost her appetite at all.

"Tang'er, how do you eat this?"

"Drink it with water as tea. Don't be fooled by its appearance, it tastes good."

After Ye Chutang finished speaking, he picked up a little with chopsticks and handed it to the old lady.

"Try it."

Madam Qi took a bite and her eyes lit up. "It's really good. I didn't expect that wild fruits can be cooked this way."

Ye Chutang took a bamboo cup, put some jam in it, and brewed it with spiritual spring water.

It will be perfect for relieving the greasiness when you eat roast suckling pig later.

"Dad, Mom, what staple food do you want to eat?"

Qi Yanzhou suggested: "Barbecue is a bit dry, so let's eat soup as the main course, clear soup noodles and steamed buns will do."

Qi Hean can't forget the beef noodles made by Ye Chutang.

But before he opened his mouth, Ye Chutang made the decision.

"It's better to cook a pot of soup and soak the pancakes. The noodles will clump if you cook them for too long."

The Qi family has no objection.

The Dragon Guards also caught some game in the woods to roast.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Qi Yanzhou passed the secret of barbecue to Qi Hean.

"Third brother, pay attention to the heat and turn the roast evenly. I'm going to the woods to catch birds."

The forest looked pitch black as the branches and leaves blocked out the light.

But for Qi Yanzhou, who was highly skilled in martial arts, it had no effect at all.

In a short while, he caught nearly twenty fat birds and had a good meal.

He plucked out the feathers from the wings and tied the long, thin legs with ropes, like a string of candied haws.

When Qi Yanzhou was about to return to the camp, he found a carrier pigeon.

He immediately caught the pigeon and took out a secret letter from the bamboo tube on its foot.

It was a secret decree from the emperor to the Dragon Guards, sealed with wax.

If he opened it, he wouldn't be able to hand it over to the Dragon Guards because it would be discovered.

After much hesitation, Qi Yanzhou finally opened the secret decree and released the pigeon.

The content of the secret order was very simple, which was to ask the Dragon Guards to spare no effort to attack the Qi family after leaving the capital a hundred miles away.

If you fail to complete the task within one month, you will be beheaded.

He put the secret decree in his arms and returned to the camp carrying the birds tied into a long string.

It was already dark at this time.

There were fires everywhere, and the air was thick with the aroma of barbecue.

Ye Chutang looked at the fat edible bird and said, "Keep it first, and kill it when you want to eat it."

Qi Yanzhou nodded and tied one end of the rope to the handle of the cart.

Then he pushed Qi Hean aside and continued roasting the suckling pig.

Seeing that the jam in the pot was no longer hot, Ye Chutang rummaged around on the cart for a while and found a sealed glass jar with a pattern on it.

The jar was taken out from the space by her, and the stopper was also made of glass.

Although the sealing is not particularly good, the stuffing will be exposed if you use the soft plastic ones.

When Madam Qi saw it, she asked curiously, "Tang'er, where did this glass jar come from?"

It was the first time she saw such clear glass with beautiful patterns.

Ye Chutang didn't want to say more, "I bought it."

After that, she put the jam into the jar.

Aunt Xu took the initiative to wash the pot and boil water.

Ye Chutang taught her how to make the soup for the steamed buns and she made her own dipping sauce.

While the soup is being prepared, the suckling pig is roasted.

The pig skin looks very crispy and sizzling with oil. The aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of seasonings makes people's appetite whet.

Qi Yanzhou cut a piece of hind leg meat, cut it into thin slices, and handed it to Ye Chutang.

"Atang, try it."

Wild boar meat has a bit of a fishy smell, but it’s marinated long enough and since it’s piglet, there’s no peculiar smell.

Ye Chutang tasted a piece. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with flavorful seasoning and a very good texture.

"It's delicious, everyone try it."

After saying that, she picked up another piece, dipped it in the sauce and ate it.

When the Qi family was happily eating barbecue, Qi Jingyao was drooling with greed.

She wanted to go forward and ask for it, but she couldn't save face and was afraid of being rejected.

At this time, Aunt Su had finally finished picking up all the dead branches.

When she saw the Qi family eating barbecue and steamed buns and drinking fruit tea, she suddenly felt hungry.

"I'll take a break before I go mow the lawn."

Although it was completely dark, the lakeside was full of fires and the visibility was still good.

Aunt Su returned to the place she had chosen and sat on the ground, exhausted.

"Yao'er, give the water bag to mother, and take out the steamed buns and braised pork from the bag."

Qi Jingyao didn't want to eat steamed buns or drink lake water at all.

"Mom, you helped them with the work, so it's not too much to ask for a little food, right?"

Aunt Su glanced at the six people who were eating heartily and swallowed.

"Mom, go try it."

Qi Jingyao grabbed Aunt Su and said, "Mom, wait a minute, I still have something to say."

Aunt Su sat down and asked, "Yao'er, what do you want to say?"

"Mom, if they don't give you food, you should stop working. It's better to be a scoundrel than to work for nothing."

Aunt Su had thought about refusing to pay the debt, but she couldn't fall out with the Qi family before the emperor issued the order.

Otherwise, she would not be able to complete the task and would not be able to change her current situation.

And she was also afraid of angering Ye Chutang and putting her life in danger.

"Yao'er, if I offend the Qi family and get divorced, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep my innocence."

When Qi Jingyao heard the word "divorced", she snorted in annoyance.

"If we had known this, we should have left the Qi family before the exile list was finalized."

Now I am stuck in a dilemma, it’s so frustrating!

Aunt Su also wanted to leave the Qi family at that time.

But the emperor wouldn't allow it, what else could she do?

"Yao'er, don't worry, mother will definitely be able to change the current situation."

Qi Jingyao just thought Aunt Su was bragging and didn't take a word of it to heart.

She urged, "Mom, go get something to eat."

Aunt Su stood up and walked in front of Mr. Qi, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, looking uneasy.

"Master, Yao'er has suffered a great crime today. Can you give her some food?"

Mr. Qi doted on Aunt Su before because he knew that she was the emperor's woman.

Now that I'm in exile, there's no need to pretend to be affectionate anymore.

"Su, if you want free food, you should go find the official."

Aunt Su looked at Mr. Qi with a cold expression and felt that the doting she had received over the years was just a dream.

"Master, Yao'er is your daughter, how can you be so cruel to her?"

Old Master Qi looked up at Aunt Su, whose eyes were red, and chuckled.

"I have doted on her for sixteen years and sent all the good things to her room, but ever since the incident with the Qi family, has she shown any respect to me?"

Although his relationship with Aunt Su and Aunt Gao was just a casual affair, his love for the two children was genuine.

The Su and Gao families wanted to separate, but the child didn't say anything, which made him feel disappointed.

After exile, his daughter showed no concern for him at all, but now she wants to take advantage of him. It's ridiculous!

Aunt Su felt a little embarrassed and tried to explain herself.

"Master, the Qi family has encountered a sudden change, Yao'er hasn't come to her senses yet, she didn't mean it."

Old Master Qi was too lazy to argue with Aunt Su and just chased her away.

"If you don't want to rest, go mow the grass."

As soon as these words came out, Aunt Su knew that Mr. Qi would not give her anything to eat.

"Sir, excuse me for disturbing you, but don't worry, I will mow the grass."

After saying that, she went back empty-handed.

Qi Jingyao had guessed this result long ago, after all, she had offended Ye Chutang.

She resigned herself to her fate and took out steamed buns and braised pork from her bag.

A bite of steamed bun, a bite of pickled vegetables and a sip of water.

She ate so much that tears streamed down her face.

Aunt Su sighed softly and wanted to comfort her daughter, but she didn't know what to say.

She finished her meal in silence and prepared to go mow the lawn.

But I found that I hadn't taken the tools yet.

She could only go to Ye Chutang and ask, "Madam, what do I use to cut the grass?"

Ye Chutang had already eaten and drunk his fill, so he took a walk around the camp to digest the food.

Hearing this, she said to Aunt Xu: "Aunt, give the kitchen knife to Su."

After saying that, she looked at Aunt Su.

"If you don't have the right tools, just use a kitchen knife."

Aunt Su held a kitchen knife and bargained.

"Mowing the grass with a kitchen knife is laborious and time-consuming. I want to get more money."

Ye Chutang nodded, "Okay, I'll raise the price by five cents, no more, or I'll take all your belongings to pay off the debt!"

After these words were spoken, Aunt Su swallowed back her words that were about to increase the price.

"Okay, fifteen cents in total."

Ye Chutang threw her a rope used to tie grass.

"Go ahead."

Aunt Su endured the humiliation and went to cut the grass.

Her hands were soon covered with blisters, which burst in pain and made her want to lose her temper.

At this time, Han Chong came with the emperor's secret decree.