Chapter 180 The First Day of Exile
Wu Chenggang weighed the silver in his hand and chuckled sarcastically.
"The journey north is long, and this little money is not enough."
Ye Jingchuan certainly knew that ten taels of silver could not buy the ease of traveling more than three thousand miles.
He whispered, "Sir, when we are a hundred miles from the capital, I will give you more gifts, in addition to the shackles and anklets on my body, so that we will not slow down our journey."
Wu Chenggang patted Ye Jingchuan on the shoulder and said, "You are smart."
Although exiled prisoners had no freedom, as long as they brought enough silver, they could suffer less.
Taking the exiled prisoners' money and providing them with convenience was an unspoken agreement between the officials and the prisoners.
As long as the officials followed the rules when reporting to the prefecture and county and delivered the exiles to their destinations, they would have completed their mission.
No one cares about the process.
After all, escorting exiles is hard and dangerous. If there is no money to be made, who would do it?
Therefore, even though the emperor's men were accompanying him this time, Wu Chenggang did not restrain himself at all.
He stuffed the silver into his belt and asked his men to remove the shackles and anklets from the Ye family.
Afterwards, he arranged for his men to distribute black-faced steamed buns and pickles to the families of Qi, Zhao and Ye.
If you want to eat, each person can take two.
If you don’t want to eat it, you can take it away and give it to someone in need, or you can just not take it.
The three families basically brought enough cooked food for the day, and no one wanted the choking steamed buns.
The escorting officers had a good meal, with braised beef in soy sauce and white flour buns, which was enough to fill them up.
Ye Chutang took out a large bamboo tube and two water bags from the cart.
"I'm going to the river to get some water."
Qi Yanzhou wanted to be with her, but was rejected.
"Azhou, divide the meat patties, take out the casserole and light the fire."
Qi Hean asked in confusion: "Second sister-in-law, why are you making a fire in such a hot day?"
"Make some tea to clear away heat and relieve summer heat, otherwise it's easy to get heat stroke if you walk under the scorching sun."
"Second sister-in-law is really thoughtful. I'll go pick up the dead branches."
When Aunt Xu heard this, she immediately went to the river to move stones to build a stove.
Qi Yanzhou took the casserole from the cart and piled the stones that Aunt Xu had brought into a circle of appropriate size.
After hearing Ye Chutang's words, the people from the Zhao family and the Ye family followed suit.
Aunt Su and Aunt Gao were dumbfounded.
What they bought were daily food and utensils, and the medicinal materials they prepared were medicines for external injuries. They didn't buy anything to relieve the heat at all.
The two of them thought at the same time: Let's be thick-skinned and ask for some.
Ye Chutang came to the river.
The river is not deep and the water is clear enough to see the bottom. Occasionally, small fish swim by and you can see their bellies glowing silver.
Although there were live fish, she still took a sip before fetching water.
Unpolluted river water has a faint sweet smell and is non-toxic.
Ye Chutang put two water bags into the river, pretending to fetch water, but actually pouring the spiritual spring water in the space into them.
After filling it up, she took a sip.
The spiritual spring water is extremely sweet and instantly fills my slightly tired body with strength.
She filled the bamboo tube with water again and returned to the big tree.
Ye Siyin only dared to fetch water after seeing Ye Chutang coming back from the river.
The emperor would not let go of any opportunity to deal with the Qi family, and she was afraid that she would be killed by mistake.
Ye Chutang is an excellent doctor, so anything she has used must be fine.
Ye Chutang saw Ye Siyin's little thoughts, but was too lazy to pay attention.
You can't be timid just to prevent others from stealing your ideas.
Qi Yanzhou has already built a stone stove that can hold the casserole.
The two elders of the Qi family and Qi Hean were still picking up dead branches.
Seeing the two elders sweating profusely, Ye Chutang hurriedly said, "Dad, Mom, these dead branches are enough. Stop picking them up. Come and have a rest and eat meat pies."
Old Master Qi waved his hand and said, "Tang'er, you guys eat first. We'll pick up some dead branches and store them away."
Although he became a wealthy man at an early age, he also fought in wars and suppressed bandits with his father when he was a child, and knew a little about how to survive in the wild.
Summer rains come suddenly, so you have to stock up on some dead branches to prevent the wood in the wild from getting damp and failing to catch fire.
Ye Chutang didn't try to persuade him anymore. He just picked up a meat pie and put it in his mouth.
The cold meat patties were no longer crispy but chewy, making my cheeks hurt when I bit into them.
Qi Yanzhou noticed that Ye Chutang was eating slowly and guessed the reason.
He smiled and said, "Atang, wait until the fire is lit and I'll roast it for you."
Hearing this, Ye Chutang immediately put down the meat pie.
If I can eat better, I will never eat worse.
She stood up and said, "I'll go get the ingredients for the summer heat tea."
In ancient times, unlike modern times, there were abundant species and hundreds of recipes for relieving heat.
They usually boil water with tangerine peel and perilla leaves, or boil mung bean and lily soup, and then add some rock sugar for seasoning.
The latter is suitable for making at home, because mung beans are not only heavy, but also need to be soaked in advance.
So Ye Chutang bought the former.
She took enough dried tangerine peel and perilla leaves for six people to drink, then quietly took out a special barbecue grid from the space and returned to Qi Yanzhou's side.
Qi Yanzhou had already made a fire and was breaking branches to prepare the meat patties.
Ye Chutang handed him the grid and spoke nonsense.
"Use this. I went to the blacksmith shop and asked someone to make it for me. It's for barbecue."
During the exile, we spent almost half of the time living in the wilderness, and hunting and barbecue were essential activities.
Qi Yanzhou took the shiny double-layer grid, sandwiched the meat patty in the middle, held the handle, and started baking the patty.
Open flames cannot compare to charcoal, so you have to be extra careful not to burn the meat patties.
His hands were never idle.
The height of the meat patties fluctuates depending on the size of the flame, and they have to be turned over constantly.
Soon, the skin of the meat patty began to sizzle with oil and the fragrance spread.
"Atang, it's done. Let it dry first. It's a little hot."
Zhao Simin, who was not far away, looked at Qi Yanzhou who was considerate to Ye Chutang, her eyes flushed with redness and unwillingness in her eyes.
Such a good man should be hers!
Zhao Qingshu moved his body to block Zhao Simin's sight and warned: "If you still want to restore your dignity as a princess, be honest and don't have any evil thoughts!"
It is said that every failure makes you wiser.
But his sister is not very smart. She keeps hitting the wall but refuses to turn back!
Zhao Simin snorted coldly, "I don't know what's so good about that bitch, even the emperor treats her differently!"
"She's better than you in every way!"
Zhao Qingshu's words were not spoken in anger, but the truth.
Appearance, talent, martial arts, medical skills, mind, and wisdom.
His stupid sister is no match for Ye Chutang!
Zhao Simin was so angry that she kicked Zhao Qingshu.
"Whose brother are you? You're not in love with that..."
She was so frightened by Zhao Qingshu's cold eyes that she swallowed back her unfinished words and changed her words.
"Brother, don't worry, I won't do anything reckless or bad."
She was still waiting to see Qi Yanzhou's angry and regretful expression when he realized that Ye Chutang had never been sincere to him and wanted to kill him to protect himself!
Zhao Qingshu put away his anger and said gently, "Little sister, be patient for now. I will help you get revenge."
Their family is in this state now, all thanks to Ye Chutang!
After I use this bitch to destroy the Qi family, I’ll take her life!
Zhao Simin hugged Zhao Qingshu's arm and acted coquettishly, "Brother is always the best to me."
Zhao Qingshu looked at Zhao Simin's miserable face and pulled his arm away in disgust.
"Remember to apply the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, so that you can marry a good husband in the future."
Zhao Simin also wants to restore her beautiful appearance.
But she knew it was impossible.
The burns were too severe to be cured.
Therefore, she not only hated the "ghost thief" who set the fire, but also hated her own brother who kicked her into the sea of fire!
Zhao Simin lowered her eyes to hide her hatred and replied obediently, "Brother, I know."
When the two siblings finished their conversation, Ye Chutang had already prepared the summer heat tea.
The two elders of the Qi family and Qi Hean picked up a lot of dead branches and sat under the tree to eat meat patties.
Ye Chutang handed the water bag to Madam Qi.
"Mom, the river water is sweet, you and Dad should have some."
The old lady refused, "Tang'er, drink it. We can go to the river to get water later."
When you are in exile, you can't always get water.
So everyone prepared two water bags to ensure a day's supply.
Ye Chutang stretched out his hand, "Dad, Mom, give me the water bag, you can eat slowly."
When Mrs. Qi saw Ye Chutang's filial piety, a smile appeared on her sunburned face.
"The sun is too strong, let Zhou'er go."
After saying that, she took Mr. Qi’s two empty water bags and handed them to Qi Yanzhou along with her own.
Just as Qi Yanzhou was about to take it, Ye Chutang snatched it away first.
"Azhou, you come and teach my third brother how to tie up the dead branches. I'll go get some water."
Qi Hean: “…”
Okay, there's no harm in learning some survival skills.
Ye Chutang filled the two elders' water bags with spiritual spring water.
When walking back, Aunt Xu came towards me.
She bowed respectfully and said, "Madam, if you need He An, please tell him where to go. Although this child knows nothing, he has always been diligent and eager to learn."
Aunt Xu is the person with the least presence in Prince Chen's Mansion, but she is a very insightful person.
She knew very well that if her son wanted to live a good life, he had to be on good terms with Ye Chutang.
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. As long as Third Brother is not lazy and doesn't eat and work hard, we won't abandon him."
"Thank you, madam."
Ye Chutang glanced at the water bag in Aunt Xu's hand and had no intention of filling it with spiritual spring water.
She would not share good things with Aunt Xu and her son until she recognized them.
Back under the tree.
She returned the water bag to the two elders of the Qi family.
"Dad, Mom, drink some water and rest for a while. The journey this afternoon will be very tiring."
Madam Qi took the water bag and patted the place beside her.
"Tang'er, you come and have a rest too. Just let Zhou'er make some summer tea."
"Just boil a pot of water until it's half full."
After Ye Chutang gave Qi Yanzhou some instructions, he sat down next to Old Madam Qi and leaned against the thick tree trunk.
Her eyes fell on Qi Hean, who was tying dead branches.
Qi Hean only held the pen in his hand, and he was clumsy in doing the rough work, sweating profusely in a hurry.
But he didn't ask anyone for help, and tried hard to tie the scattered dead branches together.
When Aunt Xu came back with water, he tied the disobedient rope into a knot.
She did not blame her son, but handed him the water bag and struggled to untie the knot.
"He An, this is how the knot should be tied."
After demonstrating once, she untied the rope and said, "Try it yourself."
Qi Hean succeeded after trying twice and was very happy.
"Mom, I will."
After saying this, he picked up the bundle of dead branches and tied them firmly to the cart.
Ye Chutang closed his eyes and dozed off.
In a daze, I heard someone arguing with the police.
"The bushes here are so sparse and short that I can't use the toilet at all. I'm going over there."
The person who spoke was Zhao Mingxu's youngest concubine's daughter, Zhao Zhinian.
She held her stomach with one hand and pointed at the bushes with the other, her face flushed.
Wu Chenggang thought that Zhao Zhinian had royal blood in his body, so he called his men over.
"Take Miss Zhao over there for an incense stick of time."
Zhao Zhinian's eyes widened in disbelief. "My stomach feels uncomfortable. One stick of incense is too short."
Seeing that she was getting more and more aggressive, Wu Chenggang snorted coldly.
"Then don't go!"
Zhao Zhinian was so frightened that he quickly changed his words, "Enough, enough!"
As she walked towards the lush bushes in the distance, Ye Siyin stood up shakily.
"Sir, I want to go to the toilet too."
Wu Chenggang pointed to the bushes nearby and said, "Go ahead."
Ye Siyin's face turned pale as she looked at the bushes that couldn't cover her figure at all.
"Sir, this..."
"What the hell! Remember, you are not a royal relative, you are an exile!"
Prisoners must have the awareness of being prisoners and have no right to be picky.
Ye Siyin pursed her pale lips.
"I'm not going."
After a while, she set off and went to the toilet in a place with lots of grass and trees.
Wu Chenggang snorted, "You can go if you want."
Aunt Jiang saw that Ye Siyin was feeling a little uncomfortable, so she took out a dark coat from her bag.
"Yin'er, go ahead. I'll use my clothes to cover you."
Ye Siyin felt too embarrassed and didn't want to go.
"mother……"
"Go ahead, you'll have to get used to it."
When Ye Jingchuan heard these words, he felt very sad, and his haggard face looked several years older.
He originally thought that after letting Ye Chutang marry Qi Yanzhou, he would be granted a title of nobility.
The result was that his property was confiscated and he was exiled.
If he wasn't still useful to the emperor, he would have been beheaded!
Ye Siyin couldn't accept going to the toilet in public and shook her head.
"After we set off, I'll pick a better place to go."
Old Madam Ye drank a lot of water and could hardly hold it in any longer.
"Jiang, go and block it for me."
The Ye family has lost all face long ago. What’s the big deal about being humiliated? A living person can’t be suffocated to death by urine!
After saying hello to the officer, Aunt Jiang took Old Madam Ye to the bushes.
She chose the right angle and covered the old lady with her clothes.
The officers listened to the intermittent sound of water and said words that were unbearable to the ears.
Their eyes were vaguely cast on Aunt Jiang and Ye Siyin, with obscene expressions.
After Ye Siyin noticed it, she quickly lowered her head, feeling extremely panicked.
She needs to find a capable backer.
Otherwise, he would definitely be molested by the escorting officials during his exile!
Thinking of this, she looked around.
There were only four men in the exile and imprisonment team.
Ye Siyin ruled out Qi Yanzhou without even thinking about it.
This man is not only smart, but also has great martial arts skills. She cannot afford to mess with him.
Soon, she ruled out Qi Yun'an.
A son who was excluded by Mr. Qi is of little use.
So she chose Zhao Qingshu and Qi Hean.
Zhao Qingshu is the only son of the Zhao family. One can imagine his status and he is more than capable of protecting her.
But it's not easy to get close to him.
Although Qi Hean was born out of wedlock, he was relatively close to Old Man Qi.
The point is, he looks simple and approachable.
Ye Siyin decided to approach Qi Hean first and test Zhao Qingshu at the same time.
If you can't choose the latter, choose the former, you won't suffer any loss.
Ye Chutang, who was leaning against the tree trunk, noticed Ye Siyin's gaze.
Her intuition told her that this woman was going to cause trouble, so she had to be careful.
She estimated that it was time to set off, so she stood up and took six bamboo cups and a spoon from the cart.
Each cup is signed with a name, so they won’t be mixed up.
"The tea is cold, everyone get up and drink some."
As she was spooning tea into the cup, Aunt Su and Aunt Gao arrived.
"Ma'am, we forgot to buy some pills to relieve the heat, so we'd like to ask for a cup."
Ye Chutang refused without even looking up, "We only cooked enough for six people, we can't give it to you."
Aunt Su looked at each cup filled with tea and curled her lips.
"Wouldn't it be possible to even out the amount if everyone drank a little less?"
Qi Yanzhou looked at Aunt Su coldly, "If the amount is less, it won't have the effect of relieving the heat."
After he spoke, Aunt Su walked away with her waist twisted.
Aunt Gao looked at Ye Chutang and asked respectfully, "Madam, do you have any pills to relieve the heat? I want to buy some."
Of course Ye Chutang had it, it was given to her by Shopkeeper Lin.
Although pills are convenient to take, they taste too strong and are worse than drinking summer heat tea.
"Okay, three times the price."
Aunt Gao nodded in agreement, "Okay, how much silver?"
Ye Chutang found a brown medicine bottle and handed it to Aunt Gao.
"Fifteen taels."
A bottle of ordinary heat-relieving medicine costs about one or two taels of silver.
The one that Shopkeeper Lin gave Ye Chutang was the best, which was worth about five taels.
Aunt Gao took the medicine bottle and paid the money happily.
She and Aunt Su were resting under a tree, and he poured out two pills of summer heat medicine and handed them to her.
"Take it. We will help each other on the way."
Being alone is good, but when it comes to doing things, you have to do it yourself.
It would be much easier if there was someone to share the burden with.
Aunt Su understood what Aunt Gao meant and took the pill.
"Okay, let's help each other."
On Ye Chutang's side, a few people had finished drinking the cooling tea, and Qi Yanzhou went to the river to wash the clay pot.
Old Madam Qi stood up with the help of a tree trunk, looking troubled.
Aunt Xu saw this and asked with concern, "Madam, do you want to do this?"
She drank too much water along the way and she also wanted to go to the toilet.
Madam Qi shook her head and said, "The surrounding environment is not good. Forget it."
Even if we could get far, it would only be slightly better than the bushes in front of us.
And with the police watching, she was really...
Ye Chutang stood up and said, "Mom, I bought a simple toilet at the carpentry shop."
After saying that, she pulled out four pieces of wood that were put together from the bottom of the cart.
The height of the board is about chest level.
It is surrounded by four wooden boards, so if you use the toilet inside, people outside cannot see the people inside at all.
This was something Ye Chutang specially asked the carpenter to make after he knew he was going into exile.
After shopping yesterday, she quietly hid the wooden board under the cart.
She dared to use it openly because the royal guards who accompanied her shopping were not there, so no one knew what she bought specifically.
Madam Qi looked at the wooden board with satisfaction, "Tang'er is really thoughtful."
"Mom, please go quickly. It's time to set off soon."
Ye Chutang greeted the officer.
Wu Chenggang nodded in agreement.
The Qi family requested exile on their own initiative, and unlike ordinary exiles, they were given more freedom and respect.
As long as they don't run away and don't leave the officers' sight, it'll be fine.
Aunt Xu took a light wooden board and went to an open space in the distance with Old Madam Qi.
The officers followed.
Aunt Su quickly pulled Qi Jingyao to go to the toilet.
Although the mother and daughter were unable to use the simple toilet.
But with the toilet as a cover, there was no need to worry about being seen by the officials.
When they returned to the river, Wu Chenggang shouted, "Get ready to go!"
After saying that, he ordered his men to put shackles and anklets on the Ye family.
Because of the previous toilet incident.
Aunt Jiang and Ye Siyin were both touched twice by the officials.
The midday sun was so hot that you could clearly see the steam rising from the ground.
Not to mention the Qi, Zhao and Ye families who had never suffered, even the police officers felt dizzy from the sun.
But the official was in good health and had a foundation in martial arts, so he was able to hold on.
But most of the people in the three families could no longer walk.
Especially the Ye family members who wore anklets.
If the officers had not threatened them with whips, they would not have been able to move their feet at all.
After walking slowly for an hour, Old Madam Ye fell to the ground and fell unconscious.
Her face was as pale as paper, but her neck and below were red, and her whole body was twitching.
Wu Chenggang saw that Mrs. Ye had heatstroke, and immediately helped her to rest under a tree by the roadside.
"Pause, rest."
It was the duty of the officials to escort the exiled prisoners to the designated location.
Although many prisoners did not survive to the exile.
But if someone dies, when reporting to the authorities along the way, a clear cause of death must be given.
After the local government's coroner's investigation, if it is found that the prisoner's death is related to the escorting officials, the prisoner will not only be dismissed from office but also be imprisoned.
That's why Wu Cheng saved Old Madam Ye immediately.
He called Aunt Jiang over.
"Untie her coat and pour water on her."
Aunt Jiang’s water bag didn’t have much water left, and she didn’t want to waste it on Old Madam Ye.
She unbuttoned her clothes while mumbling unhappily.
"I took the heat-relieving pills, so why did I get a heat stroke? Did I buy fake medicine?"
Wu Chenggang heard it and explained: "I am old and in poor health. Even if I take the summer heat pill, it won't be very effective."
After saying that, he urged Ye Jingchuan to pour water on Old Madam Ye.
Ye Jingchuan was a filial son, so he immediately did as he was told.
He not only emptied out the water in his own water bag, but also poured out all the water in Aunt Jiang and Ye Siyin's.
Seeing that Madam Ye's complexion had improved a little, Wu Chenggang spoke again.
"Turn her over, grab the back of her neck, and use scraping to reduce the temperature."
He escorted exiles throughout the year and handled simple emergencies.
Sure enough, not long after, Old Madam Ye woke up.
Her temples were throbbing and her head felt like it was going to explode, it hurt so much.
"What's wrong with me?"
Ye Jingchuan's heart dropped, "Mom, you are weak, the heat entered your body, and you fainted."
"Chuan'er, Mom has a severe headache and is too weak to walk."
This is a bit exaggerated.
She was afraid that if she continued walking, she would die.
Wu Chenggang looked at Ye Jingchuan and said, "I'll take off the shackles from you, and you carry your mother on your back."
The pace of progress was already slow enough; if we delayed any further, we would not be able to reach the post station thirty miles away from the capital before dark.
Just as Ye Jingchuan was about to nod, Madam Ye said, "Sir, my son is not young anymore. I'm afraid he won't be able to walk if he carries me on his back."
After saying that, she looked greedily at the Qi family's cart.
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