The Physician Consort Empties the Enemy’s Warehouse and Ventures into Exile

Qi Yanzhou knew that Ye Chutang’s instincts had always been accurate, so he immediately sat down beside the bed.

“Atang, what do you think is going to go terribly wrong?”

Ye Chutang couldn’t explain it. Her heart was simply pounding with unease.

She had always been confident and rarely lost her composure.

Tonight was truly strange.

Seeing that Ye Chutang couldn’t put her feelings into words, Qi Yanzhou gently pulled her into his arms.

“I’m here with you. Don’t worry. If something really happens, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”

Ye Chutang nodded.

She was just about to say something when she suddenly pushed Qi Yanzhou away, her eyes widening in shock.

“Azhou, that… that…”

She was so excited that she didn’t know how to express herself. Grabbing Qi Yanzhou’s hand, she placed it on her belly.

The babies were moving!

Feeling the movement beneath his palm, Qi Yanzhou’s eyes widened even more than Ye Chutang’s.

His hand trembled slightly, and he was so nervous that he didn’t dare breathe.

As a doctor, Ye Chutang knew very well what a child meant to a mother.

Her pregnancy had been relatively easy, and her morning sickness hadn’t been particularly severe.

Because of that, the word “child” had never truly affected her.

But just now, the babies had moved inside her belly.

The indescribable joy made the word “mother” suddenly take on a tangible meaning.

“Did you feel it? They moved.”

Ye Chutang’s trembling voice, filled with excitement, brought Qi Yanzhou back to his senses.

He gazed at her intently, his face shining with the happiness of becoming a father.

A thousand words merged into a single sentence.

“Thank you.”

The joy of feeling the babies move dispelled the unease that had suddenly gripped Ye Chutang.

She took the initiative to embrace Qi Yanzhou.

“I should thank you too, for bringing them into my life.”

He had given this woman, who had always been alone, a bond of blood.

The two of them lay on the bed, too excited to fall asleep for a long time.

Every so often, Qi Yanzhou would touch Ye Chutang’s belly, but the babies never moved again.

Ye Chutang explained, “They’re only a little over five months along. They’ve just started moving. Once they grow a little bigger, they’ll move much more often.”

At those words, concern appeared in Qi Yanzhou’s eyes.

“I hope they stay still and don’t move too often. Otherwise, you’ll suffer.”

He wished he could bear the hardships of pregnancy in her place, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.

“I have a feeling they’ll be very well-behaved. I wonder whether they’re boys or girls.”

An ordinary pulse examination couldn’t determine the sex of the babies. They needed an ultrasound.

It was possible to check after the fourth month of pregnancy.

Ye Chutang had thought that since they were twins and still relatively small, it might be difficult to distinguish them at an early stage, so she had never checked.

Now that she was five months along, it was the perfect time to have a 3D color ultrasound.

She planned to make time for it tomorrow and have a thorough examination while she was at it.

Qi Yanzhou hoped for both a son and a daughter.

But whether they were boys or girls, he would love them all the same.

“As long as you and the babies come through this safely, whether they’re sons or daughters doesn’t matter.”

Ye Chutang smiled. “That’s true. Safety is what matters most.”

Qi Yanzhou kissed her forehead.

“Atang, it’s very late. Go to sleep.”

Ye Chutang’s excitement had already faded. She closed her eyes and rested.

She felt as though she had only just fallen asleep when she was awakened by the sound of birds calling.

“Why are there birds calling in the middle of the night?”

“It’s Nan Xiao. I’ll go take a look.”

Qi Yanzhou got out of bed and left the room.

The chill of the night had become quite noticeable. Wearing only a single layer, he drew his robe tighter around himself.

“Let’s talk outside.”

Knowing that Ye Chutang was a light sleeper, Qi Yanzhou walked with Nan Xiao all the way to the entrance of the village before stopping.

“How did it go?”

Nan Xiao shook his head. “General Qin refused to send troops. I mentioned the incident involving Su Chengzong having his soldiers disguise themselves as bandits and rob refugees in Haixi Commandery. General Qin said he would investigate thoroughly and ensure that Su Chengzong’s men would never return.”

Those were merely words, however, and Nan Xiao knew that Qin Ke wouldn’t take much action.

Most of Su Chengzong’s men robbed people fleeing south.

Incidents such as wiping out an entire village were rare.

Qi Yanzhou wasn’t surprised that Qin Ke had refused to send troops.

“Once we reach Tianshan Commandery, I’ll find a suitable opportunity to replace the commander stationed in Haixi Commandery.”

There was no problem with having someone disobedient. He could simply replace him with someone obedient.

Worry appeared on Nan Xiao’s face. “Master, aren’t we taking a risk by placing all our hopes on General Ma?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ma Weiyuan. He was simply afraid that something unexpected might happen.

For example, an accident on the road could delay General Ma’s arrival in Ningzhou City.

Qi Yanzhou patted Nan Xiao on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Even the worst-case scenario is that we capture the leader first!”

“Master, has your martial arts recovered?”

After Qi Yanzhou had removed the fire poison, his body had been depleted, and his internal energy had been reduced to half of what it had been at his peak.

After nearly a month of recuperation, his martial arts were now even stronger than before.

“It’s recovered.”

Nan Xiao knew that Qi Yanzhou’s martial arts skills were virtually unmatched, and he finally let go of his worries.

“If we can’t rely on General Ma, we’ll have your stand-in enter the city in your place while you stay hidden and wait for an opportunity to act.”

Qi Yanzhou had been thinking the same thing.

“Mm. That’s what we’ll do. You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest.”

The next day.

Ye Chutang woke to the crowing of a rooster.

She had gone to bed late the previous night, and after being awakened, she could barely open her eyes. She frowned unhappily.

Qi Yanzhou spoke softly beside her ear. “I’ll go kill the rooster. You sleep a little longer.”

“Mm…”

Ye Chutang answered indistinctly, and Qi Yanzhou quickly left the room.

The rooster belonged to the family next door.

Qi Qingyu’s family of four lived there, along with some members of the Huguo Army.

The rooster’s crowing had awakened quite a few people.

Yet no one knew what to do with it. After all, it didn’t belong to them.

When Qi Yanzhou went next door, he was carrying a knife he had taken from the kitchen and a bowl.

The blunt knife slit the rooster’s throat.

As he drained the blood, he asked, “Are there any more chickens?”

Qi Qingyu nodded, her outer robe draped over her shoulders.

“There are five laying hens in the coop.”

Qi Yanzhou had the Huguo Army kill all five chickens.

“Boil some water later and pluck them. Keep half a chicken for me, and take the rest to eat.”

Everyone in the village had died. No one was left to feed the chickens, so they would eventually starve to death anyway.

“Yes, Young Master Qi.”

Worried that he would smell of blood, Qi Yanzhou didn’t return to the room.

Instead, he helped Concubine Xu, who was already awake, prepare the ingredients for stewing the chicken.

When Ye Chutang woke up, the chicken soup was almost ready. The entire courtyard was filled with its fragrance.

She didn’t get out of bed. Instead, she entered her personal space to perform a 3D color ultrasound.

The coupling gel was cold and slippery. She spread it evenly over her belly with the probe.

A clear, three-dimensional color image soon appeared on the screen.

The first thing Ye Chutang did was determine the babies’ sexes.

Just as she had hoped, they were boy-girl twins.

Next, she performed a detailed fetal anomaly scan.

Both babies were healthy and developing normally. There were no problems at all.

Ye Chutang was relieved. She rose from the mobile examination bed and wiped the coupling gel from her belly.

She drew some blood for a Down syndrome screening.

The results would take five to ten minutes.

With limited time, Ye Chutang left the space first, planning to check the results after washing up.

When she came out of the room, everyone else was already awake.

Qi Jingyao was washing clothes in the courtyard.

Three days’ worth of laundry had piled up into what could only be described as a small mountain.

Seeing that Qi Jingyao’s hands had been washed red, Ye Chutang raised her payment for the work to one tael of silver.

“Thank you.”

After her mother’s death, Qi Jingyao had lost all traces of her spoiled young-lady temper and was willing to do any dirty or exhausting work.

By now, she had earned more than thirty taels of silver with her own hands.

That was something she had never even dared to imagine before.

Of course, it was also because Ye Chutang paid her generously. At the usual rate, she would have been lucky to accumulate ten taels by now.

After Ye Chutang responded with an emotionless “Mm,” she went to wash up.

Now that they had a water source, she no longer had to be so stingy with water. It felt wonderful.

After washing, she went to the latrine and took the opportunity to check the results of her prenatal screening.

Low risk.

In other words, there were no abnormalities detected in the baby, so there was no need to worry.

When Ye Chutang came out of the latrine, she asked, “Where’s Azhou? I haven’t seen him.”

Old Madam Qi replied, “Azhou went out to discuss some important matters with Nan Xiao. He’ll be back soon. Atang, do you need him for something?”

“Mother, it’s nothing. I just didn’t see him, so I was asking.”

“Don’t worry about him. Come over and sit down.”

Ye Chutang thought the morning air was pleasantly cool and wanted to go for a walk.

“Mother, I’m going out for a stroll. I’ll come back and have breakfast with Azhou later.”

“All right. Azhou went toward the end of the village.”

Ye Chutang stepped out of the house and looked at the village, where smoke rose from cooking fires everywhere. For a moment, she almost had the illusion that the villagers were still alive.

The village was not large, and the houses had been built close together. She had only walked a few steps before reaching the end of the village.

Qi Yanzhou, who had been speaking with Nan Xiao, saw Ye Chutang approaching and immediately stopped the conversation.

“Continue keeping an eye on the situation in Ningzhou City. Notify me immediately if there’s any news.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After greeting Ye Chutang, Nan Xiao hurried away.

Ye Chutang thought Nan Xiao’s expression looked unusual and asked, “Did something happen in Ninghai City?”

Qi Yanzhou nodded and took Ye Chutang by the hand as they walked back.

“I’ll tell you everything after we eat.”

Ye Chutang had a feeling that something serious had happened.

She nodded. “All right.”

Breakfast consisted of flatbread soaked in chicken soup.

The chicken soup was freshly made, and the flatbread had just been cooked.

The whole family sat around a square table that, though old, was clean. They tore off pieces of flatbread and chatted as they ate.

Old Master Qi said, “Winter will be here soon. I’m afraid we won’t be able to reach Tianshan Commandery before the New Year.”

Although Haixi Commandery was separated from Tianshan Commandery by only two commanderies and prefectures, the farther north they went, the larger each region became.

One ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‍Tazhou was equivalent in size to three Ningzhous.

Tianshan Commandery, which lay near the frontier, was even larger—at least five times the size of Ningzhou.

Moreover, there was no autumn in the north. Once summer passed, winter arrived almost at once.

Although the drought would reduce the amount of snowfall, the bitter white winds would become even more fierce, making it difficult for anyone to travel.

Qi Yanzhou also knew that traveling in winter would be extremely difficult.

He said, “If we can’t reach Tianshan Commandery before the harsh winter arrives, we’ll have to find a suitable place to spend the winter and continue north once spring comes.”

The temperatures in the northern winter were so low that people could freeze to death.

Old Master Qi nodded in agreement.

“Then that’s settled. When you have time, mark out the places in Tazhou and Tianshan Commandery that would be suitable for a long-term stay, just in case.”

“All right. I’ll study the map later.”

After saying that, Qi Yanzhou handed Ye Chutang the pieces of flatbread he had torn apart.

“The chicken soup is especially fresh today. Eat more.”

Ye Chutang nodded and dropped the pieces into her bowl of soup, stirring them together.

Suddenly, she remembered something and asked Qi Yanzhou, “How is Eldest Brother doing?”

The eldest son of the Qi family, Qi Shuyan, had once been a brilliant and celebrated figure in the capital.

At seventeen, he had passed the imperial examination and become a presented scholar. He had then volunteered to serve as the magistrate of Qinghe County in the farthest and poorest reaches of the northwest. He had been there for six years.

When the Qi family had requested exile, Qi Shuyan had been implicated as well.

The emperor had ordered the local garrison to escort him to Tianshan Commandery.

But before the imperial decree reached Qinghe County, he had received Qi Yanzhou’s message first and disappeared.

Thus, the emperor’s plan to use Qi Shuyan as a hostage to threaten the Qi family had failed.

Qi Yanzhou had no idea what had happened to his elder brother.

On the surface, Qi Shuyan was refined and gentle, but in truth, he was deeply calculating and had plans of his own.

Since the exile began, he had received two letters from him. Each time, they contained only two words:

“Do not worry.”

But Qi Yanzhou knew that Qi Shuyan was somewhere in the northwest, secretly making his plans.

“When we reach Tianshan Commandery, Eldest Brother will appear.”

Ye Chutang nodded and continued eating her chicken soup and flatbread.

Old Madam Qi looked at Qi Yanzhou. “Azhou, have you heard anything about your Second Uncle and Grandmother?”

Old Master Qi’s branch was the main branch of the family. When he had arranged the marriage, he had already separated from the second branch.

The second branch had gone to the northeast, where they were protected by former soldiers of the Qi family army. They ran a small business and were renowned for their benevolence.

The Qi family had requested exile themselves, so the second branch had not been implicated.

However, the Old Ancestress had gone with the second branch, and the emperor might very well seize her as a hostage.

Qi Yanzhou knew what his mother was worried about.

He reassured her, “Mother, I’ve already contacted the former soldiers of the Qi family army and asked them to protect Second Uncle’s family. Grandmother will be safe. Please put your mind at ease.”

“I only hope that our family can reunite while I’m still alive.”

“We will. We definitely will!”

The family talked as they ate, and before long, the entire pot of soup was empty.

Ye Chutang had eaten two bowls of chicken soup with flatbread and felt a little too full.

“Azhou, shall we go for a walk?”

It was already August, the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.

The mornings and evenings were chilly, while midday was hot.

The rising sun dispelled the lingering cold, and the temperature was just right for a walk.

Qi Yanzhou had something important to discuss with Ye Chutang, so he nodded.

“Let’s go. The scenery in the hills behind the village is quite nice.”

The two of them left the house and headed toward the rear hills.

The farther north they went, the fewer trees there were in the mountain forests. The landscape consisted mainly of low grass and shrubs.

If the environment was suitable, medicinal herbs such as wolfberries, ephedra, and fritillaria could be found growing on the mountains.

In some places, they could even dig up cordyceps or find snow lotuses.

The villagers of this village made their living by gathering such medicinal herbs.

Perhaps because there was a mountain spring behind the village, the air on the mountain was humid. The grass had not withered, but neither did it look particularly lively.

As Ye Chutang walked, she kept her eyes on the ground, searching for medicinal herbs.

“What happened in Ningzhou City?”

The only explanation she could think of was that Su Chengzong had discovered that the soldiers and bandits he had sent out had been killed by Qi Yanzhou. He had therefore sealed off Ningzhou City and refused to let the exile convoy pass through.

Since he had already rebelled, he no longer feared being punished by the emperor.

Hearing Ye Chutang’s question, Qi Yanzhou stopped and looked at her.

“Song Jingning was captured by Su Chengzong.”

Ye Chutang spotted a patch of fritillaria and was about to crouch down to dig it up.

But when she heard Qi Yanzhou’s words, she immediately straightened and turned to look at him.

“My brother was still in Yushu Prefecture a few days ago. How did he suddenly end up in Ningzhou City?”

Song Jingning traveled from place to place to broaden his knowledge. Whenever he arrived in a commandery or prefecture, he would spend a day in every county under its jurisdiction, teaching and answering questions.

Judging by the schedule, he should not have reached Ningzhou City for at least another two weeks.

Qi Yanzhou did not know why Song Jingning had suddenly come to Ningzhou City.

He guessed, “The Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here.”

This would be the first Mid-Autumn Festival Song Jingning spent after recognizing Ye Chutang as his sister. He must have wanted to celebrate it with his own family, especially since they were not far apart.

Ye Chutang felt her heart stir.

She quickly calmed herself and analyzed the situation. “Given my brother’s identity and reputation, Su Chengzong won’t dare do anything to him. He’s probably keeping him under house arrest to force the Song family to help him.”

Although the Song family did not serve in the government, their former students were scattered throughout the entire Beichen Kingdom.

Among scholars and students, the family could be said to command widespread influence with a single call.

More importantly, the Huating Academy founded by the Song family taught both the civil and martial arts.

In this way, one-third of the officials in Beichen were connected to the Song family.

Qi Yanzhou thought the same.

“Atang, don’t worry. Your brother is exceptionally clever; he’ll certainly be able to protect himself. I’ve already asked Nan Xiao to send people to Ningzhou City to see if they can find a chance to rescue your brother.”

Su Chengzong must have forced Song Jingning to write to the head of the Song family, using his life to pressure the Song family into compromising.

Ningzhou City was a great distance from the capital. A letter would take at least a month to make the journey there and back.

As long as Song Jingning stayed quiet during that time, he would be safe.

Ye Chutang grabbed Qi Yanzhou’s arm. “It’ll be easier to gather information at Sun Chu’s gambling house and restaurant. Have someone send him a message and tell him to keep an eye on my brother’s movements.”

“I’ve already told Nan Xiao. My people will go find Sun Chu.”

After saying this, Qi Yanzhou took Ye Chutang’s hand and continued up the mountain.

“I have an idea. Hear me out.”

Ye Chutang had no interest in looking for medicinal herbs on the ground. She gazed at the mountaintop, which seemed impossibly far away, and followed closely behind Qi Yanzhou.

“Go on.”

“Have a substitute take my place in the exile convoy while I disguise myself and enter Ningzhou City ahead of them.”

Ye Chutang thought it was a good idea.

She wanted to go with him as well.

“Can you find me a substitute too? I want to enter Ningzhou City with you.”

When Qi Yanzhou had decided to volunteer for exile, he had already found a substitute for Ye Chutang.

Her substitute had been staying with Nan Xiao all along.

That was why, back in Jizhou City, he had suggested that Ye Chutang take a carriage to Tianshan Commandery while her substitute remained in the exile convoy in her place.

But he did not want Ye Chutang to take the risk of going to Ningzhou City.

“Atang, one of us has to stay behind to serve as a decoy. If we both use substitutes, it’ll 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. “If a substitute can’t fool anyone, can they still be called a substitute?”

Seeing that his little scheme had been exposed, Qi Yanzhou gave her an exasperated smile.

“Atang, you’re pregnant and shouldn’t be traveling around. Don’t worry. I’ll definitely rescue your brother.”

Ye Chutang lowered her head and glanced at her belly, concealed beneath her loose dress, then nodded.

“All right. I really shouldn’t be riding a horse in my condition. Once we reach Ningzhou City, we can have the substitute take my place.”

Qi Yanzhou thought that once they arrived in Ningzhou City, Su Chengzong would certainly make a move against the exile convoy.

He said, “Before we arrive in Ningzhou City, have your substitute enter the city in your place.”

That way, Ye Chutang would be even safer.

Ye Chutang agreed. “All right.”

Afterward, she became curious about the substitute Qi Yanzhou had prepared for her.

“Can I meet her?”

“Of course. Nan Xiao and the others are camped near the spring. I’ll take you there.”

Qi Yanzhou turned and changed direction.

The two of them went to the valley on the southern side of the back mountain.

Nourished by the spring, the valley was carpeted in lush green grass and brimming with life.

Among the group of men, one woman dressed as a man stood out conspicuously.

She did not look much like Ye Chutang, but her height and build were quite similar.

The reason Ye Chutang noticed her first was because her skin was so pale it seemed to gleam.

Qi Yanzhou looked toward the woman. “Lan Yue, Madam is looking for you.”

The woman called Lan Yue rose and came before Ye Chutang, then performed a graceful curtsy.

It was the flawless curtsy of a young lady from a respectable family.

“Greetings, Madam.”

Her voice was identical to Ye Chutang’s.

With a change of face through disguise, she would be the spitting image of another Ye Chutang.

“You may rise. Do you know how to disguise yourself?”

Lan Yue nodded firmly, her movements still imitating Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang was very impressed by Lan Yue’s ability to mimic her.

“How long did you observe me, and how long did you practice, to reach this level?”

“Answering Madam, this subordinate observed you for half a month and studied for one month. I can now imitate you quite convincingly—one might even say I’ve captured your manner perfectly. However, I don’t know about your past or understand your thoughts, so I can only imitate your appearance and mannerisms.”

Ye Chutang smiled. “As long as you can avoid being recognized for two days, that will be enough.”

“As long as I don’t spend too much time around people who know you well, hiding my identity for two days will be no problem.”

“Do you know medicine?”

Lan Yue gave a slight nod. “I know a little.”

“Let me see your disguise.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Lan Yue had a professional set of disguise tools.

She worked quickly, taking only a quarter of an hour to transform herself into Ye Chutang.

Looking at the face that was nearly identical to her own, Ye Chutang said, “It could be made even more convincing. May I use your tools?”

She had studied ancient disguise techniques in the past and knew a thing or two herself.

A flicker of surprise appeared in Lan Yue’s eyes. “Please do, Madam.”

“Your surprise doesn’t look convincing enough. It’s too superficial.”

After saying this, Ye Chutang demonstrated it herself.

Lan Yue immediately imitated her with remarkable precision.

“Very good. Come over and let me touch up your makeup.”

Using Lan Yue’s disguise tools, Ye Chutang made a few adjustments for her.

Lan Yue committed Ye Chutang’s improvements to memory as she watched.

As soon as Ye Chutang set down the makeup brush, Lan Yue picked up the mirror and examined her subtly refined face.

Most people would not have noticed the difference, but Lan Yue immediately realized that Ye Chutang’s disguise technique was superior.

She put down the mirror and sincerely bowed to Ye Chutang.

“Madam’s hands are remarkably skilled. This subordinate has learned much from you.”

“I’m helping you, but I’m also helping myself. There’s no need to be so polite.”

Ye Chutang then looked at Qi Yanzhou. “Which one is your substitute?”

The moment she finished speaking, a man standing in the distance walked over.

He looked about sixty percent like Qi Yanzhou. With only a little disguise, he could pass as his substitute.

Qi Yanzhou said, “The Qi family has trained him as a substitute since he was a child. He can imitate not only my appearance, but my manner as well.”

With that, he had the substitute demonstrate.

Ye Chutang was the person closest to Qi Yanzhou, so naturally she could tell that the substitute was not the real him.

But she had known in advance that he was a substitute, which was why she had been able to identify him so quickly.

If she had not known beforehand, and the substitute had not stayed glued to her side, it would have taken her at least half a day to grow suspicious.

“Not bad. With me helping to cover for him, even Father and Mother would be fooled.”

Qi Yanzhou thought the same.

“Atang, should we pretend to have a quarrel and sleep in separate rooms?”

He really did not want to see another man staying in the same room as the woman he loved.

Ye Chutang was speechless.

“We’ve always had a good relationship. If we suddenly had a quarrel and started sleeping in separate rooms, wouldn’t that make people even more suspicious of the substitute? Or do you not trust him—or me?”