Chapter 143: Forcing Ye Anzhi to Kill His Mother

Ye Chutang refused Qi Yanzhou’s suggestion.

“Your Highness, you should know well how precious the ice leech and cold cicada are. I’m not afraid that you won’t return them, but I’m worried you won’t be able to keep them alive.”

If the ice leech dies, there are substitutes. However, if the cold cicada dies, it has to be reincubated from an egg.

Given Qi Yanzhou’s body, he can’t wait for the cicada to transform from an egg.

After understanding the specific process of dealing with fire poison, Qi Yanzhou asked the estate physician about the ice leech and cold cicada.

The physician said the ice leech hatches in a cold, damp place, grows in a hot, humid environment, and later returns to a damp, cold place to lay eggs.

The cold cicada, on the other hand, requires an entirely opposite environment.

They need two connected extreme environments to survive, something rare and hard to find.

If they were in the capital, Qi Yanzhou was confident he could keep the ice leech and cold cicada alive.

But on the way to exile, it’s uncertain.

“Miss Ye is right. This king hasn’t thought it through. If the witch doctor from the southern frontier can arrive in time to detoxify the poison, I will arrange everything for the journey and make sure you, Miss Ye, aren’t troubled.”

Ye Chutang, who had originally planned to leave the capital with the child, nodded.

“Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t go back on my word. Please rest in the courtyard while I pack up, and I’ll be right out.”

Qi Yanzhou immediately stood up and left the room.

Ye Chutang put the ice leech and cold cicada into her space, poured out the water from the teapot, and filled it with spring water.

She carried the teapot and cup, placing them on the stone table in the courtyard.

“Your Highness, have some water first. I’ll check the kitchen.”

Le’er had already returned and was busy in the kitchen.

She brought back a lot of vegetables, most of which only needed simple preparations.

Seeing Ye Chutang entering the kitchen, Le’er hurriedly said, “Miss, please leave the royal guest to me. I can manage on my own.”

“His Highness has been injured, so make something light.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Ye Chutang couldn’t tolerate the smell of oil, and her stomach was already upset. She quickly left the kitchen.

She sat at the stone table, discussing the plan to fight the “Night Demon” with Qi Yanzhou.

After they finished discussing, she asked, “Your Highness, your internal injury seems worse. Should we delay the timing?”

Qi Yanzhou shook his head, “I don’t have much time left in the capital, and Miss Ye urgently needs capable people.”

He wanted Ye Chutang to feel more secure before he left the capital.

Ye Chutang curiously asked, “Your Highness, are you so concerned about me because I can help you detoxify the fire poison?”

Qi Yanzhou hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “Yes.”

If he hadn’t chosen the exile route, he would have already confessed his feelings to Ye Chutang.

But for now, there was no need to say it and burden her.

Ye Chutang thought to herself: “So it’s true, I was overthinking things.”

She poured Qi Yanzhou a cup of spring water. “Your Highness, you have done so many good deeds. You will surely overcome the dangers ahead.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Miss Ye.”

Just as he finished speaking, Le’er came out of the kitchen.

“Miss, Your Highness, dinner is ready. Shall we eat now?”

Ye Chutang stood up. “Yes, let’s serve the meal.”

After the food was laid out, she sat in the corner of the dining room, as far away from the fish as possible.

“Your Highness, it’s just simple fare. I hope you don’t mind.”

Qi Yanzhou thought Ye Chutang was avoiding suspicion, so he sat opposite her.

“It’s more lavish than what I get at the palace.”

“Your Highness, please make yourself comfortable.”

Ye Chutang was so hungry after emptying her stomach that she ignored table manners and focused on eating light dishes that wouldn’t upset her stomach.

Qi Yanzhou noticed that Ye Chutang ate heartily, more than usual.

After the meal, he got up to leave.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Ye. I’ll see you at the Duke of Chen’s residence tomorrow.”

Ye Chutang understood what Qi Yanzhou meant—he was asking her to go to the Duke’s residence to pick out gold, silver, and jewels.

She thought that besides the banknotes, Qi’s family could hardly carry any treasures with them, so she wasn’t particularly interested.

“Please, I’ll see you off, Your Highness.”

“Miss Ye, please stay. I’ll leave the manor myself.”

“I was just about to go to the front yard. Let’s go together.”

The two left Ningchu Courtyard.

As they passed the courtyard gate, Qi Yanzhou noticed the bloodstains on the ground and warned, “Miss Ye, people’s tongues can be sharp. Be careful of that woman from before.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

As they approached the front yard, Dan’er and Jin Zhi had just finished tallying up the dowries.

In the eighteen carts of dowry, Tang Wanning’s dowry exceeded a full cart.

“Ye Shangshu’s eating habits are really ugly.”

After Qi Yanzhou said this, he quickly left the Shangshu Manor.

Ye Chutang directed the guards to carry the dowry into Ningchu Courtyard.

“Don’t use the boxes, just take the dowries out and place them in the firewood room.”

Without doing so, Ningchu Courtyard wouldn’t have enough space.

“Yes, Miss.”

“Dan’er, Jin Yi, you two go back and have dinner. I need to see Aunt Jiang.”

Aunt Jiang had previously been severely punished by Dan’er and Le’er, receiving fifty slaps to the face, which left her unconscious with a bloodied face. She was later carried back to her courtyard.

She was not favored and lived in a secluded courtyard.

Ye Siyan had already attended the palace banquet.

Aunt Jiang was beaten because she had offended Ye Chutang. The maidservants didn’t dare to seek a doctor on their own and could only treat her injuries with simple cleaning and topical ointments to stop the bleeding.

Although the bleeding was stopped, Aunt Jiang’s face was deeply scarred, a pitiful sight.

Ye Chutang didn’t feel pity for her just because of her appearance.

She picked up the teapot from the table and poured the cooled tea water over Aunt Jiang’s head.

The tea water soaked into her wounds, causing excruciating pain.

“Ah!”

Aunt Jiang cried out in agony, sitting up and touching her injured face with trembling hands, her whole body shaking from the pain.

Ye Chutang coldly watched her, saying, “If you dare spread rumors and ruin my reputation again, I’ll make Ye Siyan into a woman whom everyone can have!”

This sent Aunt Jiang into a state of shock.

Her mouth was broken, and she couldn’t speak, only shaking her head desperately.

“Don’t provoke me. If Kong Ru’s fate is today, tomorrow will be yours!”

After saying this, Ye Chutang left the quiet courtyard and headed for the Wenbo Courtyard where Ye Anzhi was.

Before she entered the courtyard, she overheard the sounds of gasping from inside.

She grabbed a flowerpot from the side and smashed it against the bedroom window.

“Ye Anzhi, come out!”

Ye Anzhi, who had been caught in the act, quickly got off the woman he was with, panicked. He didn’t dare waste any time and hurriedly put on his clothes, barefooted, and appeared in the courtyard.

“Big Sister, you’re here. Please sit down.”

Ye Chutang looked at Ye Anzhi, whose clothes were a mess, her disgust evident in her eyes.

“Ye Anling has already gotten married. If you want to live, take action tonight.”

Ye Anzhi knew what Ye Chutang was hinting at—he needed to kill his mother.

He also knew that Ye Chutang had exposed his mother’s plot to murder the previous First Lady at the wedding banquet.

Even if he didn’t kill his mother, she wouldn’t survive!

So, with no moral burden, he said, “Big Sister, don’t worry. I will complete the task before midnight.”