Chapter 266 Song Jingning is trapped in Ningzhou City
Qi Yanzhou knew that Ye Chutang's feelings were always accurate, so he immediately sat down beside the bed.
"Atang, where do you think the big incident will happen?"
Ye Chutang couldn't explain it clearly, he just felt very nervous.
She is always confident and rarely panics.
Tonight is really strange!
Seeing that Ye Chutang couldn't explain herself, Qi Yanzhou gently held her in his arms.
"Don't worry, I'm here. If anything goes wrong, we can just stop it."
Ye Chutang nodded.
Just as she was about to say something, she pushed Qi Yanzhou away, her eyes widened in shock.
"Azhou, that... that..."
She was so excited that she didn't know how to express herself. She grabbed Qi Yanzhou's hand and placed it on her belly.
It's fetal movement!
Qi Yanzhou felt the ups and downs under his palm, and his eyes widened even wider than Ye Chutang's.
His hands were shaking slightly and he was too nervous to breathe.
Ye Chutang is a doctor and knows very well what a child means to a mother.
Maybe it was because the pregnancy was relatively easy and the morning sickness wasn’t that severe.
As a result, she has never had any special feelings about the word "child".
Until just now, the baby moved in her belly.
That unspeakable surprise makes the word "mother" concrete.
"Feel it? They're moving."
Ye Chutang's voice, trembling with excitement, brought Qi Yanzhou back to his senses.
He looked at Ye Chutang intently, his face filled with the joy of being a father.
Thousands of words can be summed up in one word: "Thank you".
The surprise of the fetal movement dispelled Ye Chutang's sudden panic.
She took the initiative to hug Qi Yanzhou.
"Thank you, too, for letting them come to me."
It gave her, who was alone, the bond of blood kinship.
The two of them lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time due to excitement.
Qi Yanzhou touched Ye Chutang's belly from time to time, but the fetal movement never appeared again.
Ye Chutang said: "The baby is only five months old, and the fetal movements are just beginning. When it grows a little bigger, the movements will become more frequent."
Hearing this, Qi Yanzhou's eyes showed heartache.
"I hope they behave themselves and don't move too often, otherwise it will be very hard for you."
He wished he could take the blame for Ye Chutang getting pregnant, but unfortunately that was not possible.
"I have a feeling they will be very well behaved. I don't know if it will be a son or a daughter?"
The gender of the fetus cannot be determined by taking the pulse, so only B-ultrasound can be done.
You can check it out after four months of pregnancy.
Ye Chutang thought that the twins were relatively small and it might be difficult to tell them apart at such a young age, so he never checked.
Now it's five months old and I can have a three-dimensional color ultrasound.
She plans to find time to do it tomorrow and do a detailed examination at the same time.
Qi Yanzhou hopes to have both a son and a daughter.
But he likes both boys and girls.
"As long as you and your child are safe, your children are not important."
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "That's right, safety is the most important thing."
Qi Yanzhou kissed Ye Chutang on the forehead.
"Atang, it's late, go to bed."
Ye Chutang's excitement had passed and he closed his eyes to rest.
She felt like she hadn't slept for long when she was woken up by the sound of birds.
"Why are there birds singing in the middle of the night?"
"It's Nan Xiao, I'll go out and take a look."
Qi Yanzhou got up from the bed and left the room.
The coolness of the night was already noticeable, and he pulled his clothes closer.
"Go outside and talk."
Qi Yanzhou knew that Ye Chutang would wake up easily, so he took Nan Xiao all the way to the village entrance before stopping.
"What was the result?"
Nan Xiao shook his head. "General Qin was unwilling to send troops. I mentioned the incident in which Su Chengzong had his soldiers pretend to be bandits and rob in Haixi County. General Qin said he would investigate it strictly and make sure that Su Chengzong's men would never return."
Having said that, he knew very well that Qin Ke would not make any big moves.
Because Su Chengzong's men mostly robbed refugees heading south.
Things like massacring a whole village rarely happen.
Qi Yanzhou was not surprised that Qin Ke refused to send troops.
"Once we get to Tianshan County, I will find a suitable opportunity to replace the commander of the Haixi County garrison."
It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t listen, just replace him with someone who is obedient.
Nan Xiao's face showed worry. "Master, if we place all our bets on General Ma, isn't that a bit risky?"
It’s not that he didn’t trust Ma Weiyuan, he was just afraid of something happening.
For example, an accident occurred on the road, delaying the time to Ningzhou City.
Qi Yanzhou patted Nan Xiao on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, the worst-case scenario is that we'll capture the leader first!"
"Master, have you recovered your martial arts?"
After Qi Yanzhou eliminated the fire poison, his body was weak and his internal strength was insufficient, only half of what it was at its peak.
Now that he has recovered for nearly a month, his martial arts skills are even better than before.
“Recovered.”
Nan Xiao knew that Qi Yanzhou's martial arts were unmatched, so he was completely relieved.
"If you can't count on General Ma, then let the substitute enter the city on behalf of the master, and the master will wait in the dark for an opportunity to act."
Qi Yanzhou thought so too.
"Well, it's decided. Thank you for your hard work. Go and have a rest."
***
The next day.
Ye Chutang woke up to the sound of roosters crowing.
She slept late last night and couldn't open her eyes when she was woken up. She frowned unhappily.
Qi Yanzhou whispered softly in Ye Chutang's ear: "I'm going to kill a chicken, you can sleep a little longer."
"Um……"
After Ye Chutang responded vaguely, Qi Yanzhou quickly left the room.
The chickens are from the neighbor next door.
Living next door were Qi Qingyu's family of four and some of the National Protection Army.
The crowing of the rooster woke up many people.
But no one knew what to do with the chicken, after all, it was not their property.
When Qi Yanzhou went next door, he was holding a knife and a bowl from the kitchen.
The slightly blunt knife scraped the rooster's neck.
While bleeding the chicken, he asked, "Are there any more chickens?"
Qi Qingyu, wearing his coat, nodded.
"There are five laying hens in the chicken coop."
Qi Yanzhou ordered the National Protection Army to kill all five chickens.
"You guys boil some water and pluck the chicken feathers. Leave half for me and eat the rest."
All the people in the village died, and there was no one to feed the chickens, so they would starve to death sooner or later.
"Yes, Master Qi."
Qi Yanzhou was worried about the fishy smell on his body, so he didn't enter the room again.
He helped Aunt Xu, who had already woken up, prepare side dishes for stewing the chicken.
When Ye Chutang woke up, the chicken soup was almost ready and the whole yard was filled with fragrance.
She did not get up and went into the room for a three-dimensional color ultrasound.
The coupling agent is cool and slippery, so use the probe to apply it evenly on the belly.
The display quickly displays clear three-dimensional color images.
Ye Chutang determined the child's gender as soon as possible.
Just as she expected, they were twins, a boy and a girl.
Immediately afterwards, she underwent a major fetal abnormality screening test.
Both children are healthy and developing normally without any problems.
Ye Chutang felt relieved, got up from the mobile bed, and wiped off the coupling agent on his stomach.
She had her blood drawn for Down syndrome screening.
It takes five to ten minutes to get the results.
Time was limited, so Ye Chutang left the space first, planning to wait until he finished washing up before seeing the results.
When she came out of the room, everyone got up.
Qi Jingyao was washing clothes in the yard.
The clothes piled up for three days could be described as a small mountain.
Ye Chutang looked at Qi Jingyao, whose hands were all red from washing, and raised the labor fee to one or two taels of silver.
"Thanks."
After her mother's death, Qi Jingyao lost her temper as a spoiled young lady and did all the dirty and tiring work.
So far, she has earned more than thirty taels of silver with her own hands.
This was something she had never dared to imagine before.
Of course, it was also because Ye Chutang paid her a very high salary.
If calculated based on normal wages, it would be good to have accumulated ten taels of silver by now.
Ye Chutang said "hmm" without any emotion and went to wash up.
Now that we have water, we don’t have to search for it anymore, which is great.
After washing up, she went to the toilet and took the opportunity to look at the results of the Down syndrome screening.
Low risk.
In other words, there is nothing abnormal with the child, so there is no need to worry.
Ye Chutang came out of the toilet and asked, "Where's Ah Zhou? Why can't I see him?"
Madam Qi said, "Zhou'er has gone out to discuss some business with Nan Xiao. He will be back soon. Tang'er, do you have anything to do with him?"
"Mom, I'm fine, I just didn't see him. Ask him."
"Don't worry about him, come and sit down."
Ye Chutang felt it was cool in the morning and wanted to go out for a walk.
"Mom, I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back with Azhou to have breakfast later."
"Okay, the boat is heading to the end of the village."
Ye Chutang came out of the house and looked at the village with smoke rising from chimneys. He had the illusion that the villagers were still alive.
The village was not big and the houses were built quite densely. She reached the end of the village in just a few steps.
Qi Yanzhou, who was talking to Nan Xiao, saw Ye Chutang coming and quickly stopped talking.
"You continue to keep an eye on the developments in Ningzhou City. If you have any news, inform me immediately."
"Yes, Master."
Nan Xiao greeted Ye Chutang and left quickly.
Ye Chutang felt that Nan Xiao's expression was not right, and asked, "Did something happen in Ninghai City?"
Qi Yanzhou nodded and pulled Ye Chutang back.
"I'll tell you in detail after dinner."
Ye Chutang intuitively sensed that this was something serious.
She nodded. "Okay."
Breakfast is chicken soup with pancakes.
The chicken soup is fresh and the pancakes are freshly baked.
The family sat around an old but clean square table, eating dough and chatting.
Mr. Qi said, "Winter is about to come. I'm afraid we won't be able to get to Tianshan County before the end of the year."
Although Haixi County is only two prefectures away from Tianshan County, the further north you go, the larger the area of the prefectures and counties becomes.
The area of Tasmania is equivalent to three Ningzhous.
Not to mention Tianshan County, which is close to the border, is at least five times the size of Ningzhou.
Moreover, there is no autumn in the north. When summer is over, winter comes soon.
Although the drought will lead to less snowfall, the white-haired winds will become more intense, making it difficult to move.
Qi Yanzhou also knew that the journey in winter would be difficult.
He said: "If we can't reach Tianshan County before the severe winter, we have to find a suitable place to spend the winter and then head north in spring."
The temperature in the north in winter is so low that it can freeze people to death.
Mr. Qi nodded in agreement.
"Then it's decided. When you have time, mark out places in Tazhou and Tianshan County that are suitable for long-term residence, just in case."
"Okay, I'll study the map later."
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking, he handed the crumbs to Ye Chutang.
"Today's chicken soup is delicious, eat more."
Ye Chutang nodded, put the biscuit crumbs into the chicken soup and stirred it.
She suddenly remembered something and asked Qi Yanzhou.
"How is Big Brother now?"
Qi Shuyan, the eldest son of the Qi family, was also a brilliant figure in the capital.
He passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and took the initiative to go to Qinghe County, the poorest county in the northwest, to serve as an official. It has been six years now.
The Qi family asked to be exiled, and Qi Shuyan was implicated.
The emperor ordered the local garrison to escort him to Tianshan County.
But before the imperial edict reached Qinghe County, he received news from Qi Yanzhou and disappeared.
The emperor’s plan to hold Qi Shuyan hostage and threaten the Qi family failed.
Qi Yanzhou didn't know what happened to Qi Shuyan.
His brother appears to be gentle and polite, but in fact he is very cunning and has his own ideas.
Since his exile, he has received two letters from home, each containing only two words.
"Don't worry."
But he knew that Qi Shuyan was somewhere in the northwest, plotting secretly.
"When we get to Tianshan County, Big Brother will show up."
Ye Chutang nodded and continued to eat the pancake soaked in chicken soup.
Madam Qi looked at Qi Yanzhou and said, "Zhou'er, is there any news about your second uncle and grandmother?"
Mr. Qi's branch was the eldest wife, and when he got engaged, he separated from the second wife.
The second branch went to the Northeast, and with the protection of the former members of the Qi family army, they started a small business and their good reputation spread far and wide.
The Qi family requested exile on their own initiative, and the second branch was not implicated.
But if the ancestor follows the second wife, the emperor will most likely take her as a hostage.
Qi Yanzhou knew what the old lady was worried about.
He comforted her, "Mother, I have already informed the old members of the Qi Family Army and asked them to protect Second Uncle's family. Grandmother will be fine, so don't worry."
"I hope that our family can be reunited in my lifetime."
"I will!"
The family ate and chatted, and the pot of soup was soon empty.
Ye Chutang ate two bowls of chicken soup with pancakes and felt a little bloated.
"Azhou, let's go out for a walk?"
It is now August, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
Cold in the morning and evening, hot at noon.
The rising sun dispelled the chill and the temperature was just right for a walk.
Qi Yanzhou had something important to tell Ye Chutang, so he nodded.
"Let's go, the scenery at the back mountain is pretty good."
The two left the house and headed to the back mountain.
The further north you go, the fewer trees there are in the mountains and forests, with mostly light grass and shrubs.
If the environment is suitable, medicinal herbs such as wolfberry, ephedra, and Fritillaria cirrhosa will grow on the mountain.
In some places, you can even dig up Cordyceps and find Snow Lotus.
The villagers in this village make a living by digging these medicinal herbs.
Maybe there is a spring in the back mountain, so the moisture is quite heavy. The grass on the mountain is not dead, but it is not very lively either.
Ye Chutang walked while looking at his feet, searching for medicinal herbs.
"What happened in Ningzhou City?"
The only thing she could think of was that Su Chengzong discovered that the soldiers and bandits he sent out were killed by Qi Yanzhou, so he sealed off the Ningzhou City and prevented the exile team from passing through.
Since he has rebelled anyway, he is not afraid of being blamed by the emperor.
When Qi Yanzhou heard Ye Chutang's question, he stopped and looked at her.
"Song Jingning was captured by Su Chengzong."
Ye Chutang saw a Fritillaria cirrhosa and prepared to squat down to dig it.
After hearing Qi Yanzhou's words, she immediately stood up straight from her squatting position and turned to look at him.
"Wasn't my brother still in Yushu Prefecture a few days ago? Why did he suddenly come to Ningzhou City?"
When Song Jingning traveled for study, every time he arrived at a prefecture, he would stay in each county under its jurisdiction for a day to teach and answer questions.
According to the time calculation, it would take at least half a month for him to travel to Ningzhou City for his studies.
Qi Yanzhou didn't know why Song Jingning suddenly came to Ningzhou City.
He guessed, "It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival."
This is the first Mid-Autumn Festival after Song Jingning and Ye Chutang met each other, and he definitely wants to spend it with his loved ones.
After all, the two of them are not far apart.
Ye Chutang's heart was touched.
She quickly calmed down and analyzed: "With my brother's status and fame, Su Chengzong would not do anything to him. He put him under house arrest probably to force the Song family to help him."
Although the Song family did not enter the officialdom, their disciples were spread throughout the Beichen Kingdom.
Among students, one call will attract a hundred responses.
More importantly, the Huating Academy founded by the Song family taught both civil and military education.
As a result, one-third of the officials in Beichen Kingdom are related to the Song family.
Qi Yanzhou thought so too.
"Atang, don't worry. Your brother is very smart and will be able to protect himself. I have asked Nan Xiao to send people to Ningzhou City to see if there is a chance to rescue your brother."
Su Chengzong should have asked Song Jingning to write a letter to the head of the Song family and use his life to force the Song family to compromise.
Ningzhou City is far away from the capital, and it takes at least a month for letters to go back and forth.
During this period, as long as Song Jingning behaves himself, nothing will happen.
Ye Chutang grabbed Qi Yanzhou's arm and said, "It's easier for Sun Chu to get information from his gambling house and restaurant. Send someone to tell him to keep an eye on my brother's movements."
"I have already told Nan Xiao that my people will go find Sun Chu."
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking, he took Ye Chutang's hand and continued walking up the mountain.
"I have an idea, listen to it."
Ye Chutang had no intention of observing whether there were any medicinal herbs on the ground. He looked at the distant mountain top and followed Qi Yanzhou closely.
"Go ahead."
"Let the double stay in the exile team instead of me. I will disguise myself and enter Ningzhou City first."
Ye Chutang thought this was a good idea.
She wanted to go too.
"Can you find a substitute for me? I will go to Ningzhou City with you."
When Qi Yanzhou decided to go into exile, he had already found a replacement for Ye Chutang.
Her stand-in has been following Nan Xiao.
That was why, when they were in Jizhou City before, he suggested that Ye Chutang take a carriage to Tianshan County and let a substitute stay in the exile team in her place.
But he didn't want Ye Chutang to take the risk of going to Ningzhou City.
"Ah Tang, one of us has to stay behind to provide cover. If we both use stand-ins, it will be easy for the Sun and Ye families to see through us."
How could Ye Chutang not know what Qi Yanzhou was thinking.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, "If a stand-in can't even hide the truth from others, can it still be called a stand-in?"
Qi Yanzhou smiled helplessly when he saw that his little trick had been discovered.
"Atang, you are in a heavy body and should not travel too much. Don't worry, I will definitely rescue your brother."
Ye Chutang looked down at her belly hidden by her loose dress and nodded.
"Okay, I'm really not fit to ride a horse right now. I'll let a substitute take my place when we get to Ningzhou City."
Qi Yanzhou thought that after arriving in Ningzhou City, Su Chengzong would definitely take action against the exiled team.
He said: "Before arriving at Ningzhou City, let your substitute enter the city in your place."
In this way, Ye Chutang will be safer.
Ye Chutang agreed, "Okay."
After saying that, she became interested in the substitute that Qi Yanzhou had prepared for her.
"Can I meet this double?"
"Sure, Nan Xiao and the others are staying near the spring. I'll take you there."
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking, he changed direction.
The two went to the valley on the south side of the back mountain.
Thanks to the nourishment from springs, the place is covered with green grass and full of vitality.
Among a group of men, a woman dressed as a man stood out.
She didn't look like Ye Chutang, but her height and figure were not much different.
The reason why Ye Chutang's eyes were fixed on her at the first moment was because she was so white that it was blinding.
Qi Yanzhou looked at the woman and said, "Lanyue, the Madam is looking for you."
The woman named Lan Yue stood up, walked in front of Ye Chutang and bowed to her.
The lady's curtsey was impeccable.
"Meet the madam."
Her voice is exactly the same as Ye Chutang's.
If he used disguise to change his face, he would definitely be another Ye Chutang.
"Wake up, can you disguise yourself?"
Lan Yue nodded affirmatively, still imitating Ye Chutang's movements.
Ye Chutang highly recognized Lan Yue's ability to imitate.
"How long did you secretly observe me, and how long did you study, to achieve this result?"
"Madam, I have been observing you for half a month and learning from you for a month, and now I can imitate you. It is not an exaggeration to say that I have mastered you to the core. However, I do not know your past, nor can I see through your thoughts. I can only imitate you in appearance."
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "As long as you can avoid being recognized within two days, that will be enough."
"As long as you don't have frequent contact with people who know you well, you can keep it a secret for two days."
"Do you know medical skills?"
Lan Yue nodded slightly, "I know a little bit about it."
"Show me your disguise."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lanyue has professional disguise tools.
She changed her appearance very quickly, and in just a quarter of an hour, she had transformed herself into Ye Chutang.
Ye Chutang looked at the face that looked almost the same as his own and said, "It could be more similar. Can I use your tools?"
She had studied the ancient art of disguise before and knew a thing or two about it.
Surprise flashed in Lan Yue's eyes, "Madam, please."
"Your surprise is too superficial."
After Ye Chutang finished speaking, he demonstrated it himself.
Lan Yue immediately learned it perfectly.
"Not bad, come over and touch up your makeup."
Ye Chutang used Lan Yue's disguise tools to help her tinker with it.
Lan Yue listened to Ye Chutang's improvements and kept them in mind.
When the contouring brush was put down, she immediately picked up the mirror to look at her face after slight retouching.
Most people may not be able to tell the difference, but she immediately saw that Ye Chutang's disguise skills were superior.
She put down the mirror and bowed sincerely to Ye Chutang.
"Madam, you are very skillful. I am grateful for your instruction."
"Helping you is also helping myself, you're welcome."
After Ye Chutang finished speaking, he looked at Qi Yanzhou and asked, "Who is your stand-in?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a man standing in the distance walked over.
The man looks 60% like Qi Yanzhou, and with a slight change of appearance he can serve as a stand-in.
Qi Yanzhou said: "He is a stand-in trained by the Qi family since he was young. He is able to be similar in both appearance and spirit."
After saying that, he asked the stand-in to demonstrate it.
Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou are the closest people, so they can naturally tell that the substitute is not the real person.
But this was only possible if she knew it in advance, so she could quickly distinguish it.
If she didn't know about it beforehand and the substitute didn't stick with her, it would take her at least half a day to become suspicious.
"That's right. With me helping to cover up, even my parents can keep it a secret."
Qi Yanzhou thought so too.
"Ah Tang, should we have a fight and live separately?"
He really didn't want to see another man in the same room with his sweetheart.
Ye Chutang: “…”
"We have always had a good relationship, but suddenly we had a fight and slept in separate rooms. Are you afraid that others won't suspect you're a substitute? Or do you not believe him, or do you not believe me?"
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