Chapter 196: Join the Game
Han Chong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had finally deceived Cao Liang and gained his trust.
"Master Cao, what did the emperor say?"
Cao Liang recalled the secret order that Eunuch De had passed on to him.
"In short, we can't let the Qi family leave Liangzhou City alive, otherwise you and I will be in danger!"
Today, the Qi family's prestige continues to rise.
Not only the emperor was restless, but Eunuch De was also restless.
Anyway, the emperor's reputation has been damaged, so he might as well throw away the jar and achieve his goal.
If it doesn't work, just find someone else to be the emperor!
Han Chong knew very well that the emperor would not make such a decision that would dig his own grave.
The person who wanted the Qi family to die in Liangzhou City was Eunuch De, but the person who took the blame was the emperor.
Afterwards, if the emperor could not stop the public from talking, Eunuch De would force the emperor to issue an edict of remorse and abdicate.
At that time, no matter which prince succeeds to the throne, it will not affect the status of this eunuch!
Han Chong suppressed his anger and asked, "Does Lord Cao have a plan?"
Cao Liang put down the purple clay cup and nodded.
"Yes, but it's not perfect. I want to hear what Lord Han thinks first."
"Master Cao, let me think about it. After dinner, we can discuss the specific plan."
"Okay, Master Han, go and rest first."
Han Chong got up and left, going to the guest house arranged by Yuan Ting.
He knew very well that Cao Liang must have sent people to secretly monitor everyone.
Anyone who has contact with the Qi family will be discovered.
He calmed down and seriously thought about the plan of keeping the Qi family in Liangzhou City.
You have to deceive Cao Liang first before you can find out his plan.
Then make a foolproof counterattack!
While Han Chong was lying on the ground, thinking about his plan to deal with the Qi family, the Qi family cleaned up the dilapidated courtyard.
Although you are only staying for one night, you should make sure you stay comfortably.
As the Qi family's laborer, Aunt Su did the most work.
She was so tired that she sat down on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Why didn't anyone bring me water? I'm dying of thirst."
The layout of this courtyard is similar to that of Ningchu Courtyard, but it is slightly smaller in size.
Ye Chutang sat at the stone table in the northwest corner and reminded: "Before using these things from the prefecture, you have to be careful and be cautious."
She didn't care about Aunt Su, she just didn't want to be held back by her.
Aunt Su curled her lips indifferently.
"What? The officials from the prefecture dare to poison us?"
If they cannot get out of the prefectural government alive, not only will the prefect lose his official position, but his family will also suffer!
Ye Chutang looked at Aunt Su coldly, the corner of his mouth raised in an evil smile.
"If you dare to hold the Qi family back, I will kill you!"
Aunt Su was frightened by Ye Chutang's cold eyes and snorted with her neck stiffened.
"If you kill me, you'll have to pay with your life!"
"My medical skills are so good that I have a hundred ways to make your death an accident."
Aunt Su knew that Ye Chutang could do it, and immediately became obedient.
"I'm not stupid. Of course I won't misuse the things of the prefecture."
Seeing that Aunt Su had calmed down, Qi Yanzhou began to assign rooms.
He divided the right ear room among three people, including Aunt Su and Aunt Gao.
The left ear room was given to Aunt Xu and her son.
The two elders of the Qi family lived in the main house, and he and Ye Chutang lived in the side house.
"Let's all go and have some rest."
Everyone took their own bags and entered the assigned rooms.
After Ye Chutang entered the side room, he checked the room carefully.
She found copper pipes used for eavesdropping in all four corners of the wall.
I guess the entire yard is under surveillance and wiretap.
And this copper tube has another function.
Release poisonous smoke!
Qi Yanzhou had discovered the copper pipes and the secret passage when he was cleaning the yard earlier.
After he and Ye Chutang made eye contact, they lay on the bed and chatted.
"Atang, the fire at the post station is definitely not an accident. There is something wrong with the prefectural government."
This matter is questionable, and it would be abnormal if they didn't mention it.
Ye Chutang rested her head on Qi Yanzhou's arm and closed her eyes.
"If the enemy comes, we will stop him; if the water comes, we will block it with earth!"
After that, she found a comfortable position and asked, "Didn't your sister marry the second son of the Liangzhou Tongpan? Why hasn't she come to see you and your parents yet?"
"I suspect something has happened to her."
"After the Qi family got into trouble, didn't you send someone to protect her?"
Qi Yanzhou hugged Ye Chutang and kissed the top of her head.
"No, my brother-in-law was very nice to my sister before. I was careless."
In fact, he had already arranged for people to come to Liangzhou to protect Qi Qingyu, but there was no need to tell this to the people in the prefecture.
Ye Chutang snorted coldly, "Before, you were the King of Chen, second only to the emperor, so your brother-in-law would naturally treat your sister well. Now that the Qi family is in trouble, your sister is no longer useful, and everyone will step on her!"
Qi Yanzhou looked at the beams above his head with sharp and dangerous eyes.
"As long as the Qi family is not extinct, the Chen family won't dare to bully my sister, because they are afraid that the Qi family will make a comeback."
Before this morning, my sister had been staying well at the Chen family and was not affected by the incident at the Qi family.
But she did not appear at the city gate. She must have been stopped on her way out.
Time was too tight, and before his people could deliver the message, the exile team entered the prefectural government.
Judging from the current situation, the emperor has become ruthless and wants to keep the lives of the Qi family in Liangzhou City.
If he guessed correctly, his sister was being coerced and bribed to choose between her husband's family and her parents' family!
Thinking of this, Qi Yanzhou became more worried about Qi Qingyu.
They were afraid that she had a stubborn temper and would refuse to obey, so she would be abandoned and her life would be in danger.
Ye Chutang felt Qi Yanzhou's body tense, so she put her arms around his waist and snuggled into his arms.
"I hope we won't die in Liangzhou City."
Qi Yanzhou's tone was affirmative.
"Atang, don't worry, we will be able to leave safely."
"Go to sleep and recharge your energy."
After Ye Chutang finished his performance, he asked in a low voice, "Is my sister okay?"
"No, if she is in danger, my people will take her away."
But the prerequisite is that she is willing to leave!
"We are under full surveillance now. How can we contact your people?"
Qi Yanzhou patted Ye Chutang's back gently.
"Nan Xiao will find a way. Just go to sleep. I'll keep an eye on you."
Ye Chutang was not sleepy at all and opened his eyes.
"It's not easy to kill the Qi family legitimately. What do you think the prefecture will do?"
Qi Yanzhou thought for a while and came up with a legitimate way to get rid of the Qi family.
He spat out two words, "Fugitive!"
As long as the Qi family escapes, Cao Liang will seal off the city, send troops to kill them, and catch them in the jar!
Ye Chutang felt that escaping was both easy and difficult.
The easy thing is that if they want to escape, they can escape.
The difficulty is that if they don't want to escape, no one can force them to do so.
"No matter what, we won't run away, even if they use your sister as bait, right?"
Even if Qi Qingyu would die, the Qi family would not fall into the trap.
To let the whole family be killed because of her is not loyalty, but stupidity!
Qi Yanzhou nodded.
He also couldn't figure out how the prefecture was going to plan its layout.
So, he returned to her what Ye Chutang had said before.
"If an enemy comes, we will stop him; if water comes, we will block it with earth."
After listening to this, Ye Chutang suddenly had an idea and thought of the key to implementing the "fugitive" plan.
"The prefect doesn't even need us to flee, he can justifiably execute us."
Qi Yanzhou didn't understand.
But he knew that Ye Chutang must have her reasons for saying that.
"Atang, what did you think of?"
Ye Chutang's pink lips moved and uttered two words, "Substitute!"
As long as the prefecture finds a master of disguise, the fake Qi family members can escape in public and then the real Qi family members can be killed!
Qi Yanzhou was shocked. "What a trick! If Han Chong hadn't been turned against us, this plan would have been perfect."
"The prefecture knew very well that if they attacked the Qi family, they could only win and not lose, so they made a plan without loopholes. Han Chong was just the icing on the cake, not the key to success or failure."
"The key is my sister, and my parents."
When Qi Yanzhou thought of the tunnel in the yard, his face changed slightly and he stood up immediately.
"Atang, you take a rest first. Dad and mom must be worried about your sister. I'll go check on her."
Ye Chutang closed his eyes and said, "Hmm," "Go quickly and come back soon. I can't sleep without you by my side."
Qi Yanzhou paused slightly, responded, and strode away.
In the main room.
The two elders of the Qi family were worried about their daughter, their faces were filled with sorrow, and they sat on the chaise longue and sighed.
"I wonder if Yu'er is doing well in the Chen family? If I had known, I wouldn't have married her so far away."
After Madam Qi finished speaking, she looked at Grandpa Qi with resentment.
"It's all your fault. You said that the Chen family was an old member of the Qi family's army and that their ancestors owed the Qi family a life. Marrying Yu'er there would not only keep her away from the disputes in the capital, but also give her a good home. But now I can't even see her."
Mr. Qi had examined the character of the Chen family before, and only married his daughter to them after he felt there was no problem.
He always felt that his daughter's failure to come to see them today might not be the Chen family's fault.
"Madam, don't worry. Yu'er may be here soon."
When he said this, he had no confidence at all, because human hearts are the most fickle.
Madam Qi asked with red eyes, "What if she doesn't come?"
As soon as Qi Yanzhou walked to the door, he heard his mother's voice and his heart settled down.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
"Dad, Mom, why don't you take a rest?"
Old Madam Qi immediately wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and forced a smile.
"I'm not sleepy. Chat with your dad."
After that, she asked back: "Why are you here if you don't want to rest with Tang'er?"
Mr. Qi immediately asked, "Is your sister here?"
Qi Yanzhou met the two elders' hopeful eyes and shook his head.
"I was worried that you might have imagined something, so I came to check. Sister Di didn't come. She must have been stuck with something."
He deliberately emphasized the tone of the word "tripped".
The two elders understood immediately.
Qi Yanzhou pointed to the corner and tapped his ears to indicate that someone was eavesdropping.
Then he walked to the bed and sat on it, "walking" his index and middle fingers back and forth on the bed alternately, indicating that there was a tunnel.
Although the two elders of the Qi family lived a life of luxury, they understood the secret code of marching.
The two men's expressions became solemn and they nodded, indicating that they understood and would be careful.
Madam Qi sighed, "If we can't meet this time, I don't know when we will meet next time."
Qi Yanzhou affirmed: "Sister is so filial, even if she is stuck, she will find a way to come to see our parents."
This was a promise to the two elders that nothing would happen to Qi Qingyu.
"Yes, I will definitely see it."
"Dad, Mom, this prefecture may be fraught with danger. You must be careful."
Qi Yanzhou didn't want to say too much. After giving a few instructions, he returned to the side room.
When Ye Chutang saw Qi Yanzhou coming back, he said to him, "Azhou, I feel a little unwell. Go get the bag containing the medicine."
When they entered the prefectural government, the carts were placed in the stable for unified custody, and they only took the bags for daily changes of clothes.
Although there are medicines in her space, she can't take out too many at once as it would be too eye-catching.
Qi Yanzhou knew that the medicine Ye Chutang wanted was useful, so he nodded.
"Wait."
After saying this, he left the side room.
When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he was stopped by the National Protection Army.
"Master Qi, the prefecture is not a place where you can walk around as you please."
"My wife is feeling unwell and needs medicine. Please go to the Qi family's cart and get the medicine package."
Just as Han Chong's men were about to agree, the prefectural guards spoke out to stop them.
"The prefect has instructed that no one should get into any trouble in the prefecture. I will go get a doctor right away."
This sounds thoughtful, but in fact it completely isolates the Qi family from the outside world.
Qi Yanzhou sneered and said bluntly: "I don't trust the people in the prefecture. I just want the herbs I prepared myself."
There was a hint of sarcasm in the guard's eyes.
"Master Qi, you are no longer the Prince of Chen. You can no longer act arrogantly in the prefecture."
"Yeah?"
As he finished speaking, Qi Yanzhou gathered his inner strength and said loudly: "The prefecture wants to kill my Qi family? Who gave you the courage!"
The sound emitted by the internal force not only resounded throughout the prefectural government, but also covered half of Liangzhou City.
The guard was shocked to the point of bleeding from all seven orifices, and looked at Qi Yanzhou in horror.
The National Protection Army was also shocked and felt dizzy and their faces turned pale.
Qi Yanzhou stared at the guard coldly, with murderous intent in his eyes.
"If you don't get out of the way, I'll let everyone in the city know that the prefecture is going to kill the entire Qi family!"
The guard opened his mouth and spat out blood, not knowing what to do for a moment.
At this time, Yuan Ting came running over, sweating profusely.
"What happened?"
The National Protection Army briefly recounted what had just happened.
"Sir Yuan, although the Qi family has been exiled, they are not criminals. Young Master Qi is not someone that the prefectural guards can bully at will. Now that things have become ugly, what will the people outside say when they hear about it?"
To Yuan Ting, these words meant that the Dragon Guards were speaking for the Qi family.
He looked surprised, but did not refute. After all, what he said made sense.
"You little slave, apologize to Master Qi right now!"
The guard quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Qi Yanzhou.
"I spoke out of turn, Master Qi, please forgive me."
Qi Yanzhou put away the murderous intent in his eyes and said, "Since you said something wrong, I'll slap you twenty times."
Yuan Ting looked at the arrogant Qi Yanzhou and endured his humiliation for the sake of his next plan.
"Slap!"
When the loud slap sounded, Yuan Ting looked at the National Protection Army standing beside him.
"Please explain to the people later that Master Qi misunderstood the good intentions of the prefect and that the killing was completely false."
"Don't worry, Master Yuan. I will tell you the truth."
The reason why the National Protection Army headed towards the prefectural government was because the time had not yet come for them to be exposed.
Yuan Ting looked at the guard whose face was swollen like a pig's head and said, "You were disrespectful to Master Qi and made Master Qi misunderstand that the prefect had ulterior motives. You don't need to work for the prefecture in the future."
The guard knew that he was being used as a pawn to quell the rumors, and he kowtowed resignedly.
"Thank you, Master Yuan, for your kindness."
At this time, Han Chong rushed over after hearing the noise.
After he understood the situation, he said to his men, "You go out of the palace with the guards who offended Master Qi and explain to the people."
"Yes, Hantou."
Han Chong looked at Qi Yanzhou and assured him, "Don't worry, Master Qi. As long as the Qi family doesn't become fugitives, they will be able to reach Tianshan County safely."
He believed that Qi Yanzhou could understand the hidden meaning of his words.
"Don't worry, sir. Exile is the choice of the Qi family. They will never run away halfway."
"Mr. Qi always keeps his word, so I naturally believe him."
After saying that, Han Chong asked his men to go to the stable and get the bag of medicine from the Qi family.
When the bundle reached Qi Yanzhou's hand, Yuan Ting said, "Master Qi, don't you want to let everyone know that the prefecture has no ill will towards the Qi family. Did you misunderstand?"
“It’s natural.”
Qi Yanzhou used his inner strength to shout again: "It turns out that I misunderstood the prefect. I'm sorry."
After saying that, he took his bag and went back to the side room.
Ye Chutang looked at Qi Yanzhou and raised his eyebrows approvingly.
"Well done. Although you helped the prefecture to explain, you have already planted the seeds of doubt in the hearts of the people. If something happens to us in the prefecture, the prefect will definitely not be able to escape responsibility."
Qi Yanzhou handed the bag to Ye Chutang.
"Atang, check the bag first to see if it has been tampered with."
"Well, it's better to be safe than sorry."
When Ye Chutang checked the bag, he took out some bottles and jars used for disguise from the space and put them in.
"There's nothing wrong with these medicines. Have someone bring some hot water. I need to take them."
As she said this, she wrote two words on the bed with her fingers.
Disguise.
The prefectural government can allow people to disguise themselves as members of the Qi family, and she can also disguise herself as someone in the prefectural government.
Qi Yanzhou understood the meaning of the word "disguise" and nodded.
"Wait a moment, I'll go find the officer."
He came to the gate of the courtyard again and looked at the guards of the prefectural government.
"We haven't had a drop of water since we came in. The prefecture doesn't intend to let us die of thirst, right?"
The guard was worried that Qi Yanzhou would talk nonsense if they disagreed, so he quickly promised to deliver water.
"Master Qi, please wait a moment. The water will be here soon."
"We need both cold and hot water. There are many of us, so we need enough."
The guards were very unhappy when they saw that Qi Yanzhou treated the prefectural government as an inn and Qi Yanzhou as a waiter.
But the prefect instructed that as long as the Qi family’s demands were not excessive, they should be met immediately to prevent the Qi family from causing any more trouble.
"Okay, Master Qi."
Qi Yanzhou returned to the side room and sat down next to Ye Chutang.
"Atang, the hot water will be here soon. Are you feeling better?"
"Maybe it's too hot. My stomach feels a little uncomfortable. I'll be fine after taking some medicine and resting for a while."
After Ye Chutang finished speaking, he hugged Qi Yanzhou's arm and leaned his head on his shoulder.
"I will knock out the person who brought the water in a moment. Please cooperate with me and keep him in the room for an incense stick of time so that I can disguise myself."
Her voice was soft and her breathing was gentle, as if she was teasing.
Qi Yanzhou ignored the itch in his ear and asked, "Atang, can you disguise yourself?"
Ye Chutang knew that as long as she demonstrated her ability to disguise herself, it would further confirm her relationship with the "Ghost Thief".
Because the "ghost thief" is also a master of disguise.
But it doesn’t matter, Qi Yanzhou had already made up his mind about this matter anyway.
"Yi Rong is the life-saving skill left to me by my master who taught me medical skills."
"What about 'Ghost Thief'?"
"secret."
Qi Yanzhou did not ask any further questions and started talking about the disguise.
"The one who brought the water must be a man. It's just a good opportunity for me to disguise myself and go out to contact Nan Xiao."
Ye Chutang stretched out his index finger and waved it in front of Qi Yanzhou's eyes.
"No, I am in disguise. Disguise techniques are not to be passed on to outsiders. You are not allowed to look at them for a while."
Qi Yanzhou is too tall and strong, so even if his face is changed, he can still be recognized.
Although her height is shorter than that of boys, she can just use a height-increasing pad.
As for your body shape, wearing two more pieces of clothing can make you look stronger.
Qi Yanzhou didn't want Ye Chutang to take risks.
But before he could object, the water delivery man arrived.
The footsteps came closer and closer and entered the yard.
Qi Yanzhou shouted, "Send the water to the side room."
The guard of the prefectural government reluctantly carried the tray into the side room.
There were two oversized kettles on the tray, one filled with hot water and the other with cold water.
Between the two kettles, there were stacked cups.
The guard slammed the tray on the table.
He rubbed his sore wrist and asked rudely, "The water has been delivered. Do you need me to feed you?"
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "You don't have to feed me, but I need you to pour me a cup of hot water."
The guard glanced at the stunningly beautiful Ye Chutang, and as if possessed by a demon, he poured water and brought it to her.
While Ye Chutang knocked over the cup, he chopped the guard unconscious with a knife.
Qi Yanzhou immediately caught the man and stripped off his coat.
Ye Chutang took out the things needed for disguise and directed the performance himself.
"Ah! You want to scald me to death? Go add some cold water."
“What a hassle!”
The guard's voice fell into Qi Yanzhou's ears, and he was so startled that he looked at Ye Chutang.
Thinking that the art of disguise should not be passed on to outsiders, he immediately looked away.
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou did not pry into her secret, Ye Chutang raised the corners of her mouth.
She pretended to embarrass the guard while applying makeup on her face.
After Qi Yanzhou took off his guard's coat, he acted with Ye Chutang so that she could feel more relaxed.
"Where are you looking? You don't want to live anymore, do you?"
Ye Chutang quickly followed up.
"If I don't watch, and the water is spilled, it will be my fault."
After that, she muttered unhappily, "I have no obligation to serve tea and water."
Qi Yanzhou snorted coldly, "I want you to pour it! Pour me a cup of hot water and then pour me a cup of cold water."
"I……"
"If you refuse, I will howl again and make sure you can't be the governor!"
"You're so cruel, I'll do it!"
Next, Ye Chutang concentrated on changing his appearance.
As Qi Yanzhou spoke, the cup clinked loudly.
He portrayed a scene where someone deliberately made things difficult for the guard, but the guard dared not speak out.
But you can't rely on pouring water. Leaving a stick of incense for the guard will arouse suspicion.
"Okay, go ahead."
Ye Chutang knew that Qi Yanzhou didn't really want to drive people away, so he ignored him.
"Wait a minute, why did the post station suddenly catch fire?"
"Maybe it's because of the dry weather."
Qi Yanzhou shouted outside the courtyard: "Sir, I have something to ask you."
After saying that, he pretended to say to the guard: "Don't leave yet."
The National Protection Army entered the side room and saw the knocked out guard and Ye Chutang who was changing his appearance, and they did not show anything unusual.
Because he knew that the couple would never sit still and wait for death.
So, he immediately cooperated in the acting and successfully dispelled the suspicion of the eavesdropper.
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