Chapter 177 Empty the Warehouse and Go into Exile
The Imperial Guards knew that Ye Chutang had a special relationship with the emperor, so they accepted the portrait and the poem without thinking that the silver was too little.
"Don't worry, Madam Qi. I will definitely hand it over to the owner of the Poetry Chanting Tower."
After the Imperial Guards left, Ye Chutang stretched out his wrist in front of Qi Yanzhou.
"It's sour, help me rub it."
Aunt Su, with a bruised face, made sarcastic remarks.
"Didn't you grow up in the countryside? Why are you so spoiled? You've turned such elegant things as painting and writing poetry into hard labor."
Ye Chutang looked speechlessly at Aunt Su, who only cared about eating and not being beaten.
"My hard labor is worth a lot of money, but your elegant deeds are worth a penny?"
As soon as the words fell, the brush dipped in ink turned into a sharp sword and flew towards Aunt Su.
It was so fast that she couldn't react.
The charming face was scratched by the brush, and the ink stained the tiny wounds black.
"As expected of the popular Yangzhou skinny horse, so delicate."
Ever since Aunt Su entered Prince Chen's mansion and gained favor, no one has mentioned her past anymore.
Now that Ye Chutang had exposed his true colors in public, he felt extremely embarrassed.
Ye Chutang looked at Aunt Su, whose face turned red and she felt ashamed, and stabbed her again.
"The journey to exile is long. If you don't have money, you will die without a burial place."
These words frightened Aunt Su so much that her face turned pale.
She thought that the jewelry she and her daughter had combined was not as valuable as one of Ye Chutang's paintings, so she knelt down immediately.
"Madam, I'm a brainless person, don't bother with me."
Now, Ye Chutang is the richest person in the Qi family.
If you want to enjoy a good life in exile, you have to coax her.
While enjoying Qi Yanzhou's massage, Ye Chutang said nonchalantly, "I am a person who holds grudges. If you want to ask for my forgiveness, then take some practical actions."
She didn't want to deal with intrigue every day, so it was appropriate to use Aunt Su as an example to scare the monkeys.
Aunt Su suppressed the surging humiliation and knelt down in front of Ye Chutang.
"Madam, my massage skills are pretty good, would you like to try it?"
Qi Jingyao couldn't bear to watch her mother's servile and fawning appearance, so she ran to the side hall.
Ye Chutang nodded, "Then let's give it a try."
Although Aunt Su has a bad mouth, her massage techniques are impeccable.
After a while, Ye Chutang felt drowsy.
Qi Yanzhou looked at her slender wrist and felt a little distressed.
The reason why he did not stop Ye Chutang from making money was that he wanted her to take control of the financial power and have the confidence to dominate the Qi family.
The journey of exile is too hard, whoever has money is the king!
After a while, the imperial guards who went to the Poetry Recitation Tower came back with excitement on their faces.
He handed a thick stack of silver bills to Ye Chutang.
"Madam Qi, your calligraphy has been sold out. The owner of the Poetry Pavilion did not take any commission. Here are 25,000 taels of silver notes. Please count them."
Not only the guarding imperial guards, but also the Qi family members, were shocked by these words and their eyes widened.
There is no one else in the entire Beichen Kingdom who can earn twenty-five thousand taels in one hour!
Ye Chutang had guessed this result long ago and accepted the banknote calmly.
"Anyone got a portrait?"
"Yes, but most of them want to paint portraits for the elders in the family, but Madam Qi cannot leave Prince Chen's Mansion."
After the Imperial Guard finished speaking, he handed Ye Chutang a list of people whose portraits he wanted.
There were more than thirty people in total.
These people are the ones who got first-hand information in the Poetry Tower.
If the news spreads, there will be a huge influx of people wanting to have their portrait painted.
Ye Chutang's eyes fell on the list and he said with a smile, "I can't leave, but the person who drew the portrait can come."
Qi Yanzhou didn't want Ye Chutang to be too tired, "The money is enough, don't draw the portrait anymore."
He had already made arrangements for his exile journey so he would not be short of money.
Ye Chutang knew that Qi Yanzhou was reluctant to let her suffer.
She smiled and said, "No one would complain about having too much money. It's just a matter of working hard. If you don't make money, you'll lose money."
After saying this, she handed the Imperial Guard a fifty-liang silver note.
"Please go to the Poetry Pavilion again and ask the person who wants the portrait to come to the gate of Prince Chen's Mansion."
The salary of the Imperial Guards was only ten taels of silver a month, so they immediately took the silver notes to do their work.
After he left, Qi Hean asked curiously, "Writing poems is faster and earning more money, why does my second sister-in-law want a portrait?"
If it was a portrait, it would take half an hour to earn one thousand taels.
And by writing poetry, you can earn twenty-five thousand taels in half an hour!
Qi Yanzhou answered the question for Ye Chutang, "Scarcity makes things valuable."
A quarter of an hour later.
The Royal Guards brought many people who wanted their portraits painted.
Ye Chutang stood at the gate of Prince Chen's Mansion and said, "I can draw one picture in half an hour, six pictures a day, a total of fifteen pictures. First come first served, then those who need a portrait can come to Prince Chen's Mansion according to the time I arrange."
There were more than fifteen people who came, but only a few of them had one thousand taels of silver.
"Madam Qi, please wait a moment. I have sent someone back to get the silver. I will definitely leave a spot for me!"
“I only care about money, not people.”
Around noon, Guangjuxuan delivered two dishes.
The fifteen places given by Ye Chutang were also full.
She arranged the time for the portrait painting according to the order in which the money was given.
"Everyone, we will not wait any longer."
After saying this, she put away the banknotes and returned to the main hall for lunch.
After Ye Chutang demonstrated her ability to make money, those who were hostile to her hid their thoughts.
She no longer had any objection to the fact that she was given the best food to eat.
Ye Chutang didn't eat alone, but he didn't share with everyone either.
She only gave the dishes sent by Guangjuxuan to the two elders of the Qi family and Qi Yanzhou.
After lunch, she took a walk in the corridor to digest the food.
Then go to the east side hall for lunch break.
After Ye Chutang woke up, he started to paint portraits for people.
In two hours, he finished three paintings.
Everyone who received the portrait praised it highly and went home with great satisfaction.
Qi Yanzhou looked at her dark hands and handed her a clean cloth soaked in water.
"Are you tired?"
Ye Chutang shook his wrist and said with a smile: "I take a break after each painting, so I'm not tired."
While she was wiping her hands, Qi Yanzhou packed up his painting supplies and placed them in the corridor of the main hall.
Today's dinner includes braised fish fillets.
As soon as the dish was served, Ye Chutang felt a little nauseous because of the faint fishy smell.
Seeing that she looked unwell, Qi Yanzhou quickly helped her up.
"Are you a little tired? I'll help you go to the side hall to rest for a while."
Ye Chutang suppressed the sour feeling that kept rising up and nodded.
"Okay, I'm a little dizzy."
Qi Yanzhou picked up Ye Chutang and said to the two elders of the Qi family, "Dad and Mom, you guys eat first. Don't worry about me and Atang. Just keep the dishes sent by Guangjuxuan."
After saying that, he carried Ye Chutang to the east hall.
Aunt Su muttered again in a nasty tone.
"In order to eat alone, he even pretended to be sick."
“Bang!”
Mr. Qi slammed his chopsticks on the table.
"Since eating can't stop your mouth, then don't eat!"
If he had not wanted to know the emperor's actions from Aunt Su, he would have divorced this restless woman long ago.
Aunt Su felt so aggrieved that she burst into tears when she saw that Mr. Qi, who had loved her so much before, now disliked her in every way.
"master……"
Just as she was about to act coquettishly, the old man scolded her, "Get out!"
Aunt Su was born in Yangzhou, a thin family, and she was very perceptive.
Seeing that the old man was really angry, she didn't dare to say anything and immediately left the main hall.
Old Master Qi was afraid that she would disturb Ye Chutang's rest, so he added another sentence.
"Stand outside and reflect on yourself!"
After saying that, he looked at Old Madam Qi.
"Tang'er's face looks very bad. Go and see if you want to call a doctor."
"Yes, sir."
Old Madam Qi hurried to the east hall.
Ye Chutang heard the footsteps and pressed a few acupoints, barely suppressing the rising acid.
"Tang'er, what's wrong with you? Do you want to see a doctor?"
Qi Yanzhou saw that Ye Chutang looked much better, and reminded her, "Mom, few people can match Atang's medical skills."
Old Madam Qi slapped Qi Yanzhou on the back.
"How come you don't know how to be sympathetic? Tang'er is not feeling well, and you asked her to treat you."
Ye Chutang forced a faint smile and made up an excuse.
"Mom, I'm fine. I probably didn't get enough rest because I chose the bed at night."
"The Imperial Guards are quite easy to talk to. How about asking them to carry the wedding bed to the side hall?"
"Don't bother, just sleep for two more nights..."
Madam Qi interrupted Ye Chutang, "Tang'er, you will definitely not get enough rest during your exile. There is no need to suffer if you can enjoy yourself."
After saying that, she walked out of the side hall and looked at the imperial guards who had taken Ye Chutang's golden hairpin.
"Please move the wedding bed from Tangzhou Courtyard to the side hall. Tang'er is sleeping on the floor and his health has deteriorated."
Ye Chutang wanted to stop him, but Qi Yanzhou said, "Sleeping on a bed is indeed more comfortable."
"Okay, there's really no need to force yourself to do something without suffering."
The Imperial Guards were already worried that something might happen to Ye Chutang, so after hearing this, they quickly agreed.
Soon, the step-out bed covered with a bright red bed curtain was carried into the side hall.
Putting the bed in the corner doesn't take up much space.
Qi Yanzhou made the wedding bed, picked up Ye Chutang and placed her on the soft bed.
"You sit down, I'll serve the food."
He gave all the dishes sent by Guangjuxuan to Ye Chutang.
"Atang, you can just eat the food sent by Guangjuxuan from now on."
After saying that, he cut a small piece of braised lion head with a spoon and fed it to Ye Chutang's lips.
After Ye Chutang finished eating, he asked, "You are so kind to me, aren't you afraid that the imperial guards will tell the emperor and arouse suspicion?"
Qi Yanzhou scooped another spoonful of lion's head and fed it to Ye Chutang.
He smiled and said, "You now have 40,000 taels of silver in your hand. Only because I pamper you can you have money to spend and let the Qi family live comfortably and comfortably until they reach Tianshan County."
In the eyes of the emperor, he was flexible and could coax women for the Qi family, which was something he could do.
Ye Chutang raised his eyebrows.
"So this is why you didn't stop me from making money with poetry."
"If you make money, not only can I treat you well, but I can also let you be the head of the Qi family, killing two birds with one stone."
Ye Chutang took another bite of the braised lion's head and said, "Let's eat together. I can't finish it by myself."
The two of them whispered to each other while sharing the food sent by Guangjuxuan.
After eating, Ye Chutang strolled in the yard to digest the food.
Qi Yanzhou asked about the progress of the Imperial Guards' weapons inspection.
After learning that there was no progress, I felt anxious and helpless.
After the show, he practiced martial arts in the corridor. Ye Chutang had nothing to do, so he came to join in the fun, meditating and practicing internal energy.
She is pregnant now and cannot practice martial arts vigorously, so it would be good for her to practice her internal strength.
***
The next two days.
Ye Chutang painted portraits for people during the day, practiced his internal strength in the evening, and emptied his enemy's warehouse late at night.
Busy and fulfilling.
Everyone thought that the "ghost thief" would target Prince Chen's mansion.
As a result, the imperial edict of exile was about to come down, but all the property placed in the front yard was still there.
Then someone discovered that those officials whose assets were emptied all had some grudges against the Qi family to some extent.
So, they attended Qi Yanzhou's morning court session three days later.
"Your Majesty, although I have no evidence, those whose belongings were stolen today were all people who had a grudge against Qi Yanzhou."
"Yes, Your Majesty, there is no such coincidence in the world. The 'Ghost Thief' must be Qi Yanzhou's man."
"The 'ghost thief' framing Chen Wangfu is completely false. Qi Yanzhou must be plotting a rebellion!"
"Your Majesty, Qi Yanzhou is trying to find loopholes by taking advantage of the lack of evidence. You can't trust him!"
Although the emperor was very satisfied with the report, he still needed evidence to judge the case.
Even if it's perjury.
But all these ministers said were speculations, which made him very annoyed.
Qin Zheng saw the emperor's displeasure and interrupted the chattering people.
"My Lords, please do not make any unfounded assumptions. Otherwise, I can also say that you are involved with the 'ghost thief' and that you deliberately let the 'ghost thief' rob your house in order to get rid of suspicion."
“Sir Qin, even if you have a good relationship with Qi Yanzhou, you can’t slander us with empty words, right?”
"It turns out that Lord Wang has also learned the term 'empty talk'. I thought you didn't understand it!"
“You…you…”
The emperor was annoyed by the noise and shouted, "Enough! This is the throne room, not a market!"
The Golden Throne Hall, which was filled with discussions, immediately quieted down.
The emperor asked every day: "Have you found out the source of the weapons in Prince Chen's Palace?"
The Grand Secretary of the Dali Temple and the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture stepped out.
"I am incompetent!"
Qin Zheng moved sideways, stood in the middle of the Golden Palace, and saluted the emperor.
"I have found some clues."
The clue was given to Qin Zheng by Qi Yanzhou's people.
He was asked to find a disciple with a low official position to pass the clues to the emperor, but he showed up himself.
The emperor's expression turned ugly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"The Prime Minister is really capable. The Dali Temple and Jingzhao Prefecture have found nothing, but you have a clue."
Qin Zheng handed the clue in his hand forward.
"I'm just lucky."
At the emperor's instruction, the eunuch took the clue from Qin Zheng and handed it to Eunuch De.
After reading it, Eunuch De handed it to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, these are not clues, they are just guesses."
The clue Qi Yanzhou gave was Ye Chutang's 128 loads of dowry.
The dowry box looked very heavy when it was carried into Prince Chen's mansion, and the servants had a hard time lifting it.
As a result, there were only one or two items in the dowry box, and it was very light.
And there was a box full of dust, which corresponded to the dust on the weapons.
In other words, the weapons were most likely transported into the warehouse by Ye Jingchuan in the dowry box in order to frame Qi Yanzhou.
Of course, clues and guesses cannot be used as evidence.
After reading the clues, the emperor felt relieved and looked at Qin Zheng coldly.
"Prime Minister Qin is really meticulous. Unfortunately, these clues cannot prove that the weapon did not come from Prince Chen's Mansion."
Qin Zheng said: "Your Majesty is right, but I believe that if we continue to investigate, we will definitely gain something."
"The three-day deadline has come, and Prime Minister wants me to break my promise?"
The imperial majesty was overwhelming, and Qin Zheng knelt down immediately.
"I dare not, I just..."
The emperor interrupted Qin Zheng unhappily.
"My dear Lord Qin, my words are as good as gold. If you can find evidence that Prince Chen's Mansion has been wrongly accused before noon, I will immediately restore the title to the Qi family!"
Qi Yanzhou achieved his purpose of handing the clue to Qin Zheng.
He wanted to take advantage of the emperor's sense of crisis and decide on the exile as soon as possible.
Qin Zheng bowed his head and said, "I obey your command."
After saying that, he stood up and mentioned Ye Jingchuan who was imprisoned in the Shangshu Mansion.
"Your Majesty, the matter between Minister Ye and the two princes has been put on hold for three days."
This completely angered the emperor.
He slapped the armrest of the dragon throne, "Prime Minister, are you telling me what to do?!"
"I dare not."
"Qin Aiqing has committed an offense against his superiors. He is ordered to return to the Grand Tutor's Mansion to reflect on his actions for ten days and be fined one month's salary."
This result was within Qin Zheng's expectations.
"I thank you for your grace."
He knew that after the emperor eliminated the Qi family, he would take action against those who had close ties with the Qi family.
Qin Muyun and Qi Yanzhou are good brothers, and the Taifu Mansion is the first to bear the brunt.
So he deliberately provoked the emperor, took the initiative to accept the punishment, and avoided the days when the emperor was most angry.
After Qin Zheng left the Golden Palace, no one dared to offend the emperor again.
The emperor asked about the flood in the south of the Yangtze River.
The Tongzhengsi quickly replied: "Your Majesty, the rain has stopped in Jiangnan. Although there is an epidemic, the food and medicine were delivered in time, and the epidemic has been brought under control."
"Don't take it lightly. All outsiders entering and leaving the capital must be strictly checked."
After the emperor finished speaking, he prepared to leave court.
“Boom boom boom!”
A dull drumbeat was heard.
Someone is knocking on the drum at the gate of the palace!
All the civil and military officials were very curious, who was beating the drum?
After a while, the officials guarding the drum arrived outside the Golden Palace.
During this time, the drum beats never stopped.
Without waiting for the eunuch outside the palace to pass on the message, the emperor said, "Come in and talk. Why hasn't the drum stopped yet?"
The official immediately entered the palace and knelt on one knee, "Your Majesty, there are more than ten people here to beat the drum, and each of them has someone to sue."
When these words were spoken, all the officials were shocked.
The emperor asked: "Who are these people? Do they know the price of beating the drum?"
"It's the family of a court official, suing other ministers."
"Speak clearly."
"The servant of Lord Wang's family sued Lord Chen for stealing things from the mansion; the servant of Lord Chen sued Lord Fang for stealing things from the mansion; the servant of Lord Fang..."
The emperor was so annoyed by the confusion that he shouted, "Speak human language!"
"The residence of Lord Wang, the judge of the Dali Temple, was robbed. The servant saw Lord Wang's favorite Ru porcelain bowl being used to feed the dog at the door of the residence of Lord Chen, a doctor of the Imperial College."
The official explained clearly what each servant had complained about.
In short, the belongings of the officials whose homes were stolen from appeared in other people's homes.
Normally, if something like this happened, one should go to Jingzhao Prefecture to report it to the authorities.
They came and beat the drum to report their actions, and made a scene before the Emperor. It was obvious at a glance that someone was behind this.
Several adults immediately knelt before the emperor.
"Your Majesty, it was not my order for the servants to beat the drum. They must have been bewitched by the 'ghost thief'!"
Just as he finished speaking, another officer guarding the drum for reporting came to the Golden Palace.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
The emperor heard that it was not a good thing and pinched his eyebrows in annoyance.
"explain!"
The officer immediately presented the secret letter he had just received.
"Your Majesty, someone has placed a secret letter on the drum. As the drum vibrates, the letter falls down. The letter reveals that several people are planning a rebellion. Your Majesty, please take a look."
The emperor now gets a headache whenever he hears the word "rebellion".
"Show it up."
But when he saw the contents of the secret letter, he threw it hard onto the throne.
"The 'ghost thief' is really endless!"
The secret letter was "written by a ghost", saying that when he went to the houses of several adults to steal things, he found that they had hidden weapons, and the letter also directly pointed out the location.
After reading the secret letter, several adults kowtowed to show their loyalty.
"Your Majesty, I swear on the lives of my entire family that I have absolutely no intention of treason, and I have no weapons hidden!"
"I am loyal to Your Majesty and have never had any improper thoughts. Please understand!"
"This is a frame-up by the 'Ghost Thief'..."
As soon as these words were spoken, all officials immediately thought of Qi Yanzhou.
The emperor knew that the "ghost thief" framed officials in order to destroy the court and bring about the demise of the Beichen Kingdom.
He asked Eunuch De to take the secret letter back and tear it up in public.
"My dear ministers, please stand up. The 'ghost thief' is a culpable person, and I will not fall into his trap. In order to prevent anyone from making a big fuss about this matter, I will send the Royal Guards to visit your residences."
If the weapons were non-existent, that would be good.
If there are weapons, they must be transported away quietly.
In order to avoid certain people getting the chance to clear the injustice for the Chen Palace!
Lord Wang and his companions understood the emperor's thoughts and immediately kowtowed to express their gratitude.
"I obey your command!"
The emperor didn't want anything to happen again, so he immediately dismissed the morning court.
When the officials left the palace after court, they saw that the servants who had beaten the drum for reporting had been beaten to pieces and were almost half dead.
***
Noon.
The emperor's edict was delivered to Prince Chen's Mansion.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims that Prince Chen's Mansion has secretly stored three thousand weapons. I am grateful..."
There was a lot of nonsense, the gist of which was that the Qi family intended to rebel, but the emperor was kind and generous, and the Qi family had a strong ancestral influence, so he did not execute the entire nine clans for the crime of treason.
Now all the property of Prince Chen’s Mansion has been confiscated, and the Qi family will be exiled to Tianshan County in the northwest, and will set off early tomorrow morning.
After reading the imperial edict, Eunuch De said, "Qi Yanzhou, the emperor has been so kind that he has allowed the Qi family to send one person to buy supplies for the exile."
Qi Yanzhou took the imperial edict.
"Long live the emperor!"
"Although the Qi family requested to be exiled, exile is not a game. You must be careful and don't even think about escaping!"
"I obey your command!"
Eunuch De looked at Ye Chutang and said, "The Emperor wants to ask Madam Qi for a piece of calligraphy."
Ye Chutang bowed and said, "Master, please wait a moment. I will be right back."
She wrote a sarcastic poem and gave it to Eunuch De.
When Eunuch De took the poem, he secretly handed Ye Chutang a treasure bag.
Ye Chutang touched it and found it was a temporary antidote for Duanjinsan.
After hiding the brocade bag in her sleeve pocket, she retreated to the flower tree at the door and bowed.
"Farewell, Grand Eunuch!"
Eunuch De waved his hand at the imperial guards and said, "Move these confiscated properties to the national treasury."
The moment the words fell, the entire courtyard quickly collapsed into the ground.
All the property in the yard and the royal guards who were guarding it disappeared, leaving only a huge square black hole.
Ye Chutang pretended to be so frightened that his legs went limp and he fell to the ground.
Her hands touched the soil beneath the tree, transmitting the loudspeaker in the space underground.
The loudspeaker came with the words she had recorded long ago.
"With a tyrant in power, the Beichen Kingdom will perish!"
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