Chapter 178 Ye Chutang is in charge of shopping
After the words recorded in the loudspeaker were played, Ye Chutang put them into the space.
Qi Yanzhou immediately stepped forward and helped her up.
"Atang, are you okay?"
Ye Chutang shook his foot and retracted the half foot that was hanging above the black hole.
"It's okay, I was just a little scared."
Qi Yanzhou always heard that when "ghost thieves" stole, the entire house would often sink into the ground.
He couldn't imagine it and thought it was a bit exaggerated.
Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I am deeply shocked.
So he didn't think much about Ye Chutang being frightened.
Because he was also frightened when the ground in the whole yard collapsed.
"Fortunately, the 'Ghost Thief' is not our enemy."
Otherwise, he will be reduced to ashes in an instant!
Ye Chutang was about to use his earth-related abilities and didn't want to be distracted, so he didn't respond to Qi Yanzhou.
The huge black hole was filled with yellow mud at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Flat and smooth.
But the bluestone slabs were gone, the property was gone, and the royal guards were gone.
The dumbfounded Eunuch De came back to his senses and shouted angrily: "Come here, dig it up!"
He knew it was futile, but he had to do something.
The royal guards guarding outside the palace immediately rushed into Prince Chen's palace and started digging the soil with the swords at their waists.
Without the right tools, digging is a joke.
Eunuch De looked at the group of idiots and was so angry that his eyes went dark. "Hurry up and find a shovel and a hoe!"
Just as he finished speaking, the head of a Royal Guard popped out of the ground.
His face was covered with mud and his head was covered with dirt, so his appearance could not be seen clearly.
Immediately afterwards, many heads emerged from the ground.
The commander of the Imperial Guards took count and found fifty-three people, the same number as the number of Imperial Guards who had fallen.
He walked up to Qi Yanzhou and said, "Master Qi, where are the shovel and hoe in the mansion?"
The person must be dug out quickly, otherwise the mud will continue to press on his chest and he will die.
Qi Yanzhou doesn't usually come into contact with these utensils, so he really doesn't know where they are.
"Your Excellency must ask the servants in the mansion."
After saying this, he no longer cared about the stolen property and called the Qi family to the main hall to discuss purchasing matters.
The Qi family already knew that exile meant hardship and suffering.
The path of exile is fixed.
In addition to reporting to each state and county to receive supplies, they usually took small trails and occasionally had to cross mountains and ridges.
So, even if you have money, you can't buy food along the way.
You have to prepare pots and pans, rice, flour, oil, seasonings, etc. to cook your own meals.
If you don't want to do it, then eat the steamed buns distributed by the officials.
I won’t starve to death, but the food is so disgusting that I want to die.
Moreover, the journey is long, the conditions are harsh, and it is easy to get sick.
Therefore, you have to prepare some commonly used medicinal materials.
The Qi family has been used to a life of luxury and has no idea how to live.
Ye Chutang, the "countryside woman", made a shopping list for them.
The two pages are so densely packed that it hurts my eyes to read them.
"You don't know how to pick these things, so I'll go buy them."
As soon as these words were spoken, Aunt Su was the first to agree.
"My lady grew up in the country, and is best suited to buy the things she needs for her exile."
Whoever buys something pays the money.
In her opinion, since Ye Chutang had a lot of banknotes, it was natural for her to be responsible for the family's expenses.
Ye Chutang had no objection, but she would not be a sucker either.
"The things we buy are things that everyone will use, so the cost will be shared equally among everyone."
Aunt Su frowned, "Is it necessary for a family to calculate so clearly?"
"Auntie is right. A family shouldn't calculate too much. Then you can buy these things."
"no!"
Ye Chutang laughed mockingly, "It seems that Auntie is just trying to take advantage of you."
Aunt Su's cheeks turned red from the ridicule.
"I didn't mean to take advantage of the situation, I just felt it was unfair to share the cost equally among our three concubines."
Due to regulatory issues, the jewelry worn by concubines and illegitimate children could not compare to that worn by the elderly and a newlywed couple.
She has few jewelry items to begin with, and it would be a big loss if she had to spread the cost among the other items.
Ye Chutang looked at Aunt Su who was fussing over everything and said nonchalantly, "If you don't want to give it, then don't give it."
Aunt Su looked at Ye Chutang suspiciously, thinking she was setting a trap.
"Really don't need to give it?"
"If you don't want to give, then don't give. Who else doesn't want to share equally?"
Although Aunt Gao had little contact with Ye Chutang, she knew that she was not someone who would suffer any loss.
So she kept silent.
Aunt Xu asked, "Madam, if we don't share the expenses equally, will we not be able to use the things we bought in the future?"
Ye Chutang nodded.
"Of course, if you want to use them, you have to rent them. If you want to eat food cooked with these tools, you have to buy them."
As soon as these words came out, Aunt Su asked cautiously: "How much is the rent? How much is the purchase?"
"That depends on what you want to rent. If it's just pots and bowls, it's not expensive, ten cents a time. If you want rice or flour, it'll be at least three times the market price."
"You...you are too dark-hearted, aren't you?"
"You don't have to buy it. I won't force you to buy it."
Aunt Gao's son Qi Yunan interjected.
"There's nothing in the wilderness, so it's good enough to be able to buy something. Three times the price is not expensive at all."
Aunt Su muttered, "Then I can just buy some in the capital and bring them with me."
She felt that she and her daughter couldn't eat much, so it was not cost-effective to share the food equally.
Buy a little first, and then replenish stock in each state or county.
Ye Chutang wished he could cook for fewer people.
"That's fine. Wait until I finish shopping and then go buy whatever you need."
After saying that, she asked Aunt Xu and Aunt Gao.
"What about you?"
Aunt Gao asked, "Madam, our belongings are not worth much money, and we certainly can't afford the expenses along the way. If we spend all of them, will we only be able to eat the steamed bread distributed by the officials?"
"Of course not. As long as you work harder and do more, you will be guaranteed food."
This made Aunt Gao and Aunt Xu feel relieved.
Old Madam Qi gave all her jewelry to Ye Chutang.
Some are hers, and some are the old man’s.
"Tang'er, you will be the head of the Qi family from now on."
Aunt Xu hesitated for a while and gave all her jewelry to Ye Chutang.
"Madam, please pawn all these. Silver will be more useful."
She was a concubine before, and she had a lot of valuable jewelry on her body, worth at least two thousand taels.
If she didn't give it to Ye Chutang, it would be enough for her and her son to save money and reach Tianshan County.
But she was a smart woman and knew it was unwise to break away from her direct line.
Qi Hean followed suit.
He gave Ye Chutang the golden crown, jade pendant and jewel belt.
"That's all I have, please don't despise me, sister-in-law."
In fact, he also hid a few banknotes in his clothes in case of emergency.
Ye Chutang accepted the things from Aunt Xu and her son.
"As long as you and your son behave yourself and work diligently, Azhou and I will protect you."
After saying that, she looked at Aunt Gao.
"Has Auntie made up her mind?"
Aunt Gao was silent for a moment and then nodded.
"Like Sister Su, I want to buy the things for exile myself."
She knew very well that the emperor would never let the Qi family go.
You may die at any time, so instead of living a hard life, you might as well enjoy yourself first.
If they are lucky enough to escape the pursuit, the master will definitely not ignore them and their son.
After the family discussed it, they started to have lunch.
Because something happened in Prince Chen's Mansion, the waiter of Guangjuxuan was stopped outside the door by the Imperial Guards and was not allowed to deliver any food.
Ye Chutang took two bites and left Prince Chen's Mansion under the supervision of four imperial guards.
In ancient times, within one month of marriage, the newlyweds had to wear bright red.
Ye Chutang, dressed in red, was particularly eye-catching, and all kinds of discussions could be heard along the way.
"Miss Ye is so pitiful. She didn't even get to enjoy the blessing of being the 'Princess Chen' for a single day, and now she has to accompany the Qi family into exile and suffer."
"I heard that she volunteered. She is so kind!"
"The Qi family can't carry anything on their shoulders or hands. I'm afraid Miss Ye will suffer a lot during this exile."
"Hey, Chen... Master Qi and Miss Ye are wholeheartedly working for the people, why don't they get any good rewards?"
Ye Chutang listened to the people's discussions and went to the carriage and horse shop.
She bought a cart to transport goods, asked the store to reinforce it, and bought the strongest donkey.
The officers in charge of escorting the exiles would use carts to transport the goods. The Qi family asked to be exiled, so it was not a bad rule to use a cart.
Ye Chutang led the donkey to Xinglin Hall and bought some daily medicines.
Shopkeeper Lin refused to take the money and instead gave her some medicine for internal and external injuries, as well as a hundred-year-old ginseng to save her life at the critical moment.
"Mrs. Qi, take care!"
Ye Chutang met Shopkeeper Lin's reluctant eyes and waved his hand casually.
"See you again if we are lucky."
After saying that, she went to the grain and oil shop diagonally opposite.
I stockpiled rice, flour and oil for half a month's supply, and also prepared some various seasonings.
She went to the dry goods store, the vegetable market, the blacksmith shop, the clothing store, the farm implement store, the vegetable market, the fruit stand…
The cart was filled with stuff at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ye Chutang checked the list and bought everything he needed.
On the way back to Prince Chen's Mansion, she went to the snack shop again.
Then I heard some big news.
"I thought the emperor would not take any action against the Shangshu Mansion, but I didn't expect that he would suddenly confiscate the property and exile us."
"He colluded with the prince and secretly stored food and weapons. How could the emperor let Ye Jingchuan go?"
"Ye Jingchuan has collapsed, what about the two princes? Why haven't we heard any news?"
"The ones who have the best chance of sitting on the throne are the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. The Emperor relies on them to check and balance the court, so of course he won't touch them."
"The Ye family was not confiscated and exterminated, but was only sentenced to exile. This should be the result of Ye Jingchuan taking the blame for the two princes."
After Ye Chutang paid for the snacks, he came out of the shop and asked the people who were talking at the door.
"Excuse me, where was the Ye family exiled to?"
Several people recognized Ye Chutang and quickly said, "Northwest, Linzhou City."
Linzhou City is a frontier fortress in the northwest. It has been plagued by wars for many years and its environment is very different from that of Tianshan County.
Ye Chutang knew that the emperor arranged for Ye Jingchuan to be exiled to the northwest so that he could deal with the Qi family.
"Thank you!"
After that, she went to the restaurant next door and ordered a large table of delicious food.
What a coincidence, I heard another big news.
"Prince An and his family have been imprisoned in Dingzhou. Their lives are over."
"The emperor has shown mercy to my brother. He provides him with food and drink, but he is not allowed to be free."
"That's right. My son and daughter, who were sentenced to one year in prison, were also sent to Dingzhou. They were considered to be exempted from punishment."
"To go to the northwest, we have to pass through Dingzhou. Will the Qi family and the Zhao family go together?"
After hearing this, Ye Chutang still had nothing to understand.
The emperor made such arrangements in order to use Zhao Mingxu to destroy the Qi family.
Whether he succeeds or fails, the dog emperor can always hide beautifully!
Ye Chutang could already imagine how "lively" the road to exile would be.
"Shopkeeper, the food will be sent to Prince Chen's Mansion at 7:30 pm."
After saying that, she paid the bill and left.
After returning to Prince Chen's Mansion, Ye Chutang led the donkey to the stable, fed it some grass, and then came to the front yard.
The Royal Guards buried in the ground have been dug out.
There were holes left in the front yard.
Since they no longer had to guard the property, many of the Royal Guards withdrew.
The servants who sold themselves in Prince Chen's Mansion were also arranged to go.
The rich ones spent double the money to redeem themselves and left Prince Chen's Mansion.
Those who had no money would be sent to the residences of other officials to serve as servants.
Ye Chutang handed the shopping bill to Qi Yanzhou.
"Here is the detailed list, let everyone see it."
The daily necessities she bought were basically top-of-the-line and not cheap, costing her nearly three hundred taels.
She spent more than one hundred taels of her own money on the snacks and the reserved meal.
Before leaving Beijing, you must have a good meal.
Qi Yanzhou handed it to Aunt Xu without looking at the details.
Aunt Xu did not answer and said respectfully, "Madam is the head of the household. All expenses are decided by Madam."
She knows her position very well and will not do anything to annoy others.
Seeing that Aunt Xu was so sensible, Ye Chutang took back the details.
Since no one knows how much she bought, no one will suspect that the quantities consumed don't match.
The food prepared in the space can also be put to good use.
Of course, the difference in quantity cannot be too large.
Otherwise, with Qi Yanzhou's keen sense, he would definitely be able to see it.
She yawned and said, "I'm a little tired from shopping. I'm going to take a rest."
Aunt Su quickly called Ye Chutang, "Madam, can I see the purchase details?"
She wanted to know what she needed to buy and how much it cost, so she asked for some reference.
Ye Chutang saw Aunt Su's little thoughts and gave her two words.
"cannot!"
After saying that, she glanced at Qi Yanzhou and walked into the east hall.
Aunt Su curled her lips and said, "If you don't want to watch it, then don't watch it!"
Having said that, she went shopping under the supervision of the Imperial Guards.
Qi Yanzhou saw that Ye Chutang had something to say, and said to her back: "Atang, I have something to tell you."
"Come in and talk."
Ye Chutang leaned against the headboard of the bed, and Qi Yanzhou sat down beside the bed and gave her a leg massage.
She closed her eyes comfortably and told Qi Yanzhou the two pieces of news she had heard.
Qi Yanzhou pressed his legs lightly.
"Atang, don't worry, no matter how many accidents there are, they are all under control."
"I believe you, but I'm afraid the pregnancy can't be kept secret for long."
Once the emperor knows about her pregnancy, she, as an "insider", will no longer be able to get the inside information.
"If you can't hide it, then don't hide it. You can feel more relaxed. Just lie down and sleep."
After Ye Chutang became pregnant, she felt sleepy very quickly.
She groaned and lay down.
"Stop pressing it, my legs aren't tired. Go tell them it's time to pack."
"Okay, go to sleep. I'll call you at dinner time."
Ye Chutang slept for half an hour.
When I woke up, I happened to run into Aunt Su coming back from shopping.
She was carrying a lot of bags, and under the weight of the objects she walked, she staggered and gasped.
The exquisite clothes were replaced with coarse linen clothes, which were almost soaked with sweat.
"Yao'er, come and help."
Qi Jingyao looked at the disheveled Aunt Su, frowned in disdain, and reluctantly took the bag from her.
"Mom, what did you buy? Why is it so heavy?"
"I bought pots, bowls and food for half a month."
"It's so heavy, can we still walk after carrying it? Why don't you buy a donkey?"
The donkey is not expensive, only three or five taels of silver.
Aunt Su also wanted to buy it, but the Imperial Guards wouldn't let her.
Allowing the Qi family to buy a donkey to pull goods is already a favor from the emperor.
"Yao'er, mother is of humble status and is not worthy of buying a donkey."
Qi Jingyao pouted unhappily, "Then we should buy a small cart. It's easier than carrying it on our backs."
Aunt Su knocked her head in annoyance.
"I forgot. I'll go buy it now."
The Imperial Guard said, "You can't go out again. The Qi family has one last chance to go out."
Hearing this, Aunt Gao said, "I'll go!"
She hasn’t bought anything yet!
Aunt Su quickly stuffed a piece of silver into Aunt Gao's pocket.
"Sister, please bring me a stroller, please."
Although she had no idea about prices, she believed that a wooden cart was a common household tool and must not be expensive.
Aunt Gao looked at the silver in her hand and said bluntly, "It's less."
"It must be a lot. A small cart is worth at most 300 coins. This piece of silver is worth at least 500 coins."
"Five taels, I'll help my sister get the cart back."
Aunt Su's eyes widened in anger, "Five taels? You are blackmailing me!"
Aunt Gao is just extorting money.
The more money you have, the better your life will be in exile.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
When Aunt Su saw Aunt Gao turn around and leave, she called her angrily.
"Isn't it just five taels of silver? I'll give it to you!"
Aunt Gao took the silver and went shopping happily.
It’s halfway through the You hour.
The restaurant delivered the food on time, with a total of ten signature dishes, all of which were delicious and tasty.
As soon as the waiter left, Guangjuxuan came to deliver the food.
Since the lunch dishes could not be delivered, four dishes were delivered in the afternoon.
A full table.
Ye Chutang invited the two elders of the Qi family and Qi Yanzhou to sit down.
After the three of them sat down, she planned to call Aunt Xu and Qi Hean.
As a result, Aunt Su, who was covered in sweat and stench, pulled Qi Jingyao to sit down first.
She looked at the dishes on the table greedily. "The dishes made in the restaurant are still more fragrant. Just smelling them makes me hungry."
Qi Yun'an saw Aunt Su was about to pick up her chopsticks and quickly reminded her, "My mother hasn't come back yet."
Aunt Su snorted in annoyance when she thought of the five taels of silver that had been extorted from her.
"She's slow, and we can't let everyone wait for her. The food won't taste good if it gets cold, right, sir?"
Old Master Qi looked at Aunt Su coldly and scolded, "Get off the table with Yao'er!"
"Master, I didn't say anything wrong. Why are you so angry at me?"
Aunt Su said this in a wronged tone and looked at Ye Chutang.
"Madam, who knows when Aunt Gao will come back? We can't just keep waiting for her, right?"
Ye Chutang looked at Aunt Su mockingly.
"Everyone who wants to eat has arrived. Of course we won't wait."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Aunt Xu, "Aunt, come and sit with my third brother."
Aunt Xu knew that the food on this table was not cheap, and she also knew that she did not plan to invite Aunt Su and Aunt Gao to eat.
She deliberately said, "Madam, there is no need to spend so much money."
The implication is that since Aunt Su and Aunt Gao didn't pay, they were not entitled to eat.
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "It's my last meal before leaving Beijing, so I deserve to spend money on it."
Madam Qi nodded in agreement.
"Tang'er is right. Just consider it as a farewell meal."
After saying that, she looked at Aunt Su who had an unhappy expression on her face.
"Su, if you want to eat, just pay the money. The Qi family today won't tolerate freeloaders."
Aunt Su knew that this table was not cheap. If she had to pay for it, it would probably cost thirty taels of silver.
She was reluctant to pay.
So he got up with a grim face and pulled his daughter Qi Jingyao away.
If you don’t want to eat, then don’t eat. It’s no big deal. The kitchen will deliver the food soon.
Qi Yun'an looked embarrassed and left the main hall with a stern face.
Seeing that all the annoying people had left, Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Eat it while it's hot."
Just as they started eating, Aunt Gao came back pushing a small cart with one hand.
At this time, the food in the kitchen was ready.
Four people had five dishes and a soup, and the meal was quite good.
After a full meal.
Ye Chutang said: "I bought this table of food with my own money, and didn't use any money from my family."
The reason I explain this is that I don’t want to be misunderstood as spending money indiscriminately.
Madam Qi glared at Ye Chutang and said, "We've already eaten this dish, how can we let you spend money?"
Qi Yanzhou echoed.
"Atang, you can spend the money at home. If you run out of money, I will find a way."
Ye Chutang nodded, "Okay, have you packed your luggage?"
"It's all packed."
The valuables in Prince Chen's mansion were confiscated, and the Royal Guards were not allowed to take away anything of value.
So the Qi family packed some clothes and shoes.
The Imperial Guards also did not allow people to take too much, for fear that they would sell them for silver.
Not only do you have two sets per season, but you also have to choose the old one.
Although there were not many things, everyone had a bulging bag because of the thick winter clothes.
Qi Yanzhou said, "Atang, you only have summer clothes. I'll buy you new ones when the weather gets cooler."
Ye Chutang nodded, "Okay, I bought some coarse cloth coats for everyone."
During your exile, you cannot dress too fancy, otherwise you will be easily targeted by thieves and bandits.
She took coarse cloth clothes from the cart and distributed them to the five people.
"Rest early today and recharge your energy."
It was getting dark and everyone in the Qi family went to bed.
Ye Chutang woke up from a nap, knocked out the five people in the east hall, and left Prince Chen's Mansion.
She went to the royal summer resort and took away the fat ice leeches.
He walked around the palace again and ordered a few dishes from the imperial kitchen.
Then he took all the medicinal materials that had just been replenished by the Imperial Hospital.
After returning to Prince Chen's Mansion, Ye Chutang went to the ice cellar.
Because of the cicadas, the ice in the ice cellar has almost melted.
After she found the cicada, she put the cicada and the ice leech back into the Chinese medicine store in the space.
She also put the intact ice cubes into the space.
Finally, she collected all the treasures that had been buried today.
Ye Chutang lay on the bed and entered the space.
The rate at which merit points increased has slowed down a lot, indicating that the plague in Jiangnan has been brought under control.
She sorted out the gold, silver and treasures in Prince Chen's Mansion and went out of the space to continue sleeping.
Not knowing how long he had slept, Ye Chutang was awakened by the sound of approaching footsteps.
A slender bamboo tube extended from between the two bed curtains.
White smoke came out from the hole in the bamboo tube.
It's a magic incense.
Ye Chutang guessed that someone was going to take her money, so she has been more cautious in recent days.
Tonight, I finally got someone.
She quickly blocked the smoking hole and kicked the man away.
"ah!"
A woman's scream was heard.
Ye Chutang was stunned for a moment and pulled aside the bed curtain.
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