Chapter 164: It Turns Out to Be Twins

At the hour of the Rabbit (around 5 AM), people who came to buy vegetables found the market eerily empty—no produce and no vendors.

Officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture immediately arrived to investigate.

The vendors all gave the same excuse: they were feeling unwell and couldn’t open their stalls.

Naturally, the officers didn’t believe it—what were the chances of all the vendors being sick at once?

Moreover, the patrol officers from the Military Commissioner’s Office saw many vendors bringing vegetables into the city.

However, they couldn’t identify the individuals, and since no one had actually violated any laws by not opening their stalls, the investigation had to be left unresolved.

The officials ordered the vendors to immediately open their stalls or face the revocation of their curfew permits.

When the market became bustling again, Ye Chutang, who had been napping, woke up.

She wasn’t planning to go out today.

After breakfast, she began embroidering a mandarin duck headdress.

The embroidery for the headdress was quite intricate, but Ye Chutang completed the task in just one day.

With the remaining two days, she focused on stockpiling supplies.

Aside from clearing out the vegetable market, she also bought grains, alcohol, and cooked food as much as possible.

Of course, she visited the palace every day.

“Zero-cost purchase.”

The palace, home to tens of thousands of people, had an abundant supply of resources.

From the charcoal from the Xixin Bureau, paper from the Baocao Bureau, weapons from the Armament Bureau, clothes from the Needlework Bureau, fruits and vegetables from the Imperial Garden Bureau, to food from the Imperial Kitchen and medicinal herbs from the Imperial Medical Institute—nothing was left out.

She even took anything valuable from the three palaces and six courtyards.

Ye Chutang didn’t spare a single item, nearly clearing out the entire palace.

The upgraded space filled up at a visible speed, no longer empty.

She looked at the stunning results and felt quite satisfied.

When she was about to leave the space, Ye Chutang noticed that her long-neglected Virtue Points had increased by over 100,000 and were continuing to rise.

She quickly realized what had caused it.

The prescriptions she had provided for preventing and treating the plague had saved countless people in Jiangnan.

Shan’er’s voice came from the bedroom door.

“Miss, Prince Chen sent someone to deliver a letter for you.”

Ye Chutang emerged from the space, sat up, and lifted the bed curtains.

“Come in.”

Shan’er handed her the letter.

“Miss, the Ministry of Rites just delivered the wedding dress and accessories. Would you like to try them on?”

“No need, even if they don’t fit, there’s no time to alter them now.”

After saying that, Ye Chutang opened the letter.

Qi Yanzhou had arranged to meet her to discuss the plans and arrangements for tomorrow.

After reading the letter, she tore it up and threw the pieces into the tea on the low table.

The tea blurred the ink, making the writing unreadable.

Even if Qi Yanzhou didn’t come to her, she had already planned to secretly visit the Prince Chen’s residence.

She arranged for Shan’er and Jin Zhi to go to the northwest.

“Shan’er, go tell Aunt Jin to pack up, and before I leave tomorrow, I’ll let you two out of the residence.”

Shan’er knew that Ye Chutang had other plans for her and Jin Zhi.

“Yes, Miss.”

Ye Chutang stood up, stretched lazily, and then, as if in a routine, took her pulse.

Her pulse was strong, and the baby was developing well.

Just as she relaxed her hand, her fingers suddenly paused, a shocked expression appearing on her beautiful face.

She concentrated, carefully taking her pulse again.

But the earlier unusual pulse seemed like an illusion and didn’t reappear.

Ye Chutang didn’t dare to be careless and immediately entered the space.

She went to the examination room and had an ultrasound done.

On the screen, two fetal buds were clearly visible.

“Twins,” she whispered.

The ultrasound could detect if it was twins as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

By pulse, one could only detect it after at least two months.

She printed the image and wiped off the gel from her belly. Staring at the ultrasound sheet, her slender fingers gently traced the two fetal buds, and a smile tugged at her lips.

“Genetically, the chances of them being fraternal twins are very high.”

She hoped it was a pair of dragon and phoenix twins—a son and a daughter.

After leaving the ultrasound sheet in the rest room, Ye Chutang exited the space.

She changed into slightly more elegant clothes and headed to the yard.

Jin Zhi immediately brought out bird’s nest soup from the warming pot.

“Miss, it’s not too hot, just right.”

Since learning that Ye Chutang was pregnant, she had been preparing meals according to medicinal prescriptions to alleviate her morning sickness.

Every afternoon, she would also prepare various tonics.

The effect was quite noticeable, and Ye Chutang had only experienced slight nausea in the mornings, but had not vomited anymore.

She took the white porcelain cup and drank the bird’s nest soup.

“I’m going out for a while. If my father looks for me, tell him I’ll be back before dinner.”

With that, she left the joyous and lively Ministry of Works residence.

Ye Chutang first went to Xinglin Hall.

Manager Lin immediately handed her the accounts.

“Miss Ye, a portion of the medicinal herbs has already been shipped out. Here’s the detailed list.”

Ye Chutang glanced over briefly and returned the accounts to Manager Lin.

“I trust your integrity, Manager Lin. I came today to ask for your help.”

Manager Lin quickly waved his hand. “Miss Ye, no need to be so polite. Please, speak.”

“My younger brother will be attending Huating Academy tomorrow. He’ll be boarding at the academy, but his health is not well, and he needs periodic acupuncture treatments. I’d like to ask you to send a doctor to give him acupuncture.”

“It’s a small matter. I will handle it.”

After teaching the doctor the acupuncture methods for Jun’er’s treatment, Ye Chutang wrote down the frequency of the acupuncture sessions.

“With acupuncture and medicine, Jun’er will be fully healed in two months at most.”

She then gave Manager Lin two taels of silver as the consultation and medicine fee.

Manager Lin couldn’t refuse and accepted it.

“Miss Ye, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your younger brother.”

“Thank you.”

Ye Chutang left Xinglin Hall and went to Wanbao Pavilion.

She had ordered some dark jade jewelry, and the craftsmen had made a few more sets.

After taking the jewelry, she went to Guangju Xuan.

Qi Yanzhou was already waiting for her in the private room.

He poured tea and handed her a cup of red date tea.

“Ah Tang, have there been any changes in the Emperor’s arrangements?”

Ye Chutang took out the letter from the Emperor and handed it to Qi Yanzhou.

“No changes. It’s still the same—military supplies and the witchcraft doll.”

Qi Yanzhou opened the letter, looking at the words written in a handwriting similar to his own, a mocking smile curving on his lips.

“This letter won’t convict me, even if it isn’t destroyed.”

Anyone familiar with calligraphy would instantly recognize the letter as a forgery.

Ye Chutang had already realized it was fake.

“The dog emperor set up the trap, but he wouldn’t leave such obvious flaws. He might be trying to test me.”

Tomorrow, these letters might be replaced with ones written in a similar handwriting.

Qi Yanzhou thought the same and returned the letter to Ye Chutang.

“The letter was just to provoke suspicion about the witchcraft dolls and military supplies; whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, the most important thing is the military supplies and the witchcraft dolls.”

“I’ll destroy part of the military supplies. The letter…”

“The letter should be replaced with this.”

Ye Chutang took out a letter implicating Ye Jingchuan in collusion with the crown prince and the fifth prince, handing it to Qi Yanzhou.

After reading it, Qi Yanzhou said, “If this letter reaches the Emperor, Ye Jingchuan will either be dismissed from his post or imprisoned.”

Colluding with the princes was a serious crime!

“Everything of his is what my mother gave him. It should have been returned to my mother long ago. There are also military supplies in the secret room of the Ministry of Works, prepared for the fifth prince’s rebellion.”

Ye Chutang planned to stir up the capital’s waters completely before her exile.

Then she remembered the military supplies under the stable of the Prince An’s residence.

Several days had passed, and she had not heard that Zhao Mingxu’s family had been imprisoned or exiled.

“Ah Zhi, when do you plan to dig up the military supplies from the Prince An’s residence?”