Qi Yanzhou suddenly recalled the time in the prison of the Dali Temple when Ye Chutang had also felt sick and vomited.
Back then, he assumed it was due to the foul environment and odors of the cell.
But now, he realized that wasn’t the case at all.
A woman bold enough to perform surgeries and dissections wouldn’t be bothered by the smell of blood.
Could she be carrying his child?
As this thought crossed Qi Yanzhou’s mind, Ye Chutang looked at Concubine Jiang and let out a soft laugh.
"Do you know what happens to servants who slander their masters? They get beaten to death."
Concubine Jiang was terrified by the murderous glint in Ye Chutang’s eyes.
"Young Mistress, I meant no harm, I just—"
Ye Chutang had no patience for her excuses.
"Dan'er, drag her out and slap her fifty times. Don’t dirty your hands—use the sole of your shoe. If she dies, it’s on me. If you get tired, let Le'er take over."
"Yes, Young Mistress."
Dan'er hauled the wailing Concubine Jiang out of Ningchu Courtyard, removed her shoe, and struck the woman’s face with force.
Ignoring Concubine Jiang’s shrill screams, Ye Chutang turned to Qi Yanzhou.
"Your Highness, please follow me to my chambers."
At the mention of "chambers," the tips of Qi Yanzhou’s ears reddened slightly.
Ye Chutang didn’t notice his reaction as she led him through the main hall into her private quarters.
"Please wait here for a moment, Your Highness."
She needed to prepare the items required to treat his fire poison.
After a short wait, Qi Yanzhou heard her call, "Your Highness, you may enter now."
Ye Chutang sat on a chaise lounge, where a low table held an array of tools.
She first checked Qi Yanzhou’s pulse, her composed expression turning grave.
"Your Highness, your fire poison has worsened. The time left for the Nanjiang witch doctors is even shorter now."
The unspoken implication was that Qi Yanzhou’s chances of survival had dwindled further.
Qi Yanzhou was not a man who feared death.
"Life and death are fated. We can only do our best."
Her heart twisted at his words. "I’ll do everything I can to save you. Let’s start by treating your internal injuries."
She began acupuncture, carefully inserting silver needles coated in medicine.
As he watched her focused expression, Qi Yanzhou voiced the question burning in his mind.
"Miss Ye… are you with child?"
He knew it was abrupt, but he needed to know.
Ye Chutang was relieved she had already finished inserting the needles—otherwise, she might have slipped.
She knew that if Qi Yanzhou discovered the child was his, he would never walk away.
But she refused to marry a man whose heart belonged to another.
A loveless marriage or a disloyal husband? Neither was acceptable to her.
"Your Highness, isn’t it improper to ask such a thing of an unmarried woman?"
Qi Yanzhou immediately bowed his head. "My apologies, Miss Ye. That was indeed presumptuous."
Ye Chutang adjusted the needles on his body and countered, "What answer were you hoping for?"
Of course, Qi Yanzhou wished she was pregnant.
But he couldn’t say it.
An out-of-wedlock child would bring immense shame upon any woman.
"Whatever the truth may be, I will respect your decision, Miss Ye."
Ye Chutang changed the subject. "Have you thought of a way to break the deadlock?"
For now, the Emperor only dared to scheme against Qi Yanzhou in secret.
But if he were gone, the Qi family would face annihilation.
In her eyes, unless Qi Yanzhou overthrew the throne, his family had no future.
Qi Yanzhou had one idea. "Exile."
Leaving the capital would allow them to plot in secret and eventually overthrow the regime.
But exile required the perfect opportunity—one he hadn’t yet devised.
Too little, and it wouldn’t work. Too much, and it would mean execution for nine generations.
Ye Chutang agreed that exile was the best option when direct confrontation wasn’t feasible.
But it would ruin the Qi family’s reputation and cost them their accumulated wealth.
"Your Highness, is there no better way?"
Qi Yanzhou shook his head slightly.
"The Emperor wants the Qi family eradicated. Only by leaving the capital can we escape his endless schemes."
They weren’t ready to fight back yet. For now, they had to endure.
"Miss Ye, if you were the one to orchestrate the Qi family’s exile, you could negotiate with the Emperor and avoid becoming his concubine."
Ye Chutang studied Qi Yanzhou, who seemed to consider her at every turn. It was hard not to wonder if he had feelings for her.
Suppressing unrealistic thoughts, she removed the needles from his body.
"Next, I’ll treat your fire poison. The process will be agonizing. Would you like an anesthetic?"
Qi Yanzhou knew that while numbing the pain might help temporarily, it would hinder recovery.
"No, I can endure it."
"If it becomes unbearable, tell me."
Ye Chutang opened a small wooden box containing ice leeches.
A thick layer of frost coated the interior, as the creatures absorbed heat.
She handed Qi Yanzhou a pill. "Take this, Your Highness."
Having long known the detoxification process, Qi Yanzhou understood this medicine would trigger the fire poison.
He swallowed it.
A scorching heat surged through his veins, as if his blood were boiling.
His dark hair gradually turned crimson.
His vision flooded red.
Qi Yanzhou felt his skin might crack open at any moment, his body exploding from within.
Just as he reached his limit, a sharp pain pierced the back of his hand.
Coolness spread from the spot, soothing the searing heat.
But then came an icy torment—his blood threatening to freeze solid.
Trapped between fire and frost, he wished for death.
Seeing Qi Yanzhou on the verge of passing out yet silent, Ye Chutang gave him an approving nod.
"Just a little longer, Your Highness. It’ll be over soon."
When his body was half-scorched, half-frozen, Ye Chutang placed a frost cicada on his hand.
The creature devoured the cold, and the frost vanished visibly, restoring his skin.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the fire poison was suppressed. Ye Chutang stored the ice leeches and frost cicada.
"How do you feel now, Your Highness?"
"Perfectly fine. My internal injuries seem much better too."
Ye Chutang wrote a prescription and handed it to him.
"The fire poison is under control for about three months. Your exile plan can’t wait that long, can it?"
The Emperor’s two-week deadline was approaching. Even if delayed, it wouldn’t be for long.
If the Qi family were exiled, she, as a pregnant woman, would have to travel far for his treatments?
Not impossible, but three months of walking would barely cover…
Well, a fraction of the Beichen Kingdom!
Qi Yanzhou noticed her hesitation. "Miss Ye, if you trust me, you could lend me the ice leeches and frost cicada. Once I return to the capital, I’ll return them intact."
Xi Ze’s medical skills rivaled Divine Doctor Xue’s. With the right tools and knowledge, Ye Chutang wouldn’t need to make the arduous journey.
He added, "Before the Qi family is exiled, our estate will be raided. Take as much gold and jewelry as you want. Whatever’s left, tell ‘Ghost Thief’ to retrieve it."
Better she have it than the Emperor.
But his plan had one flaw—only Ye Chutang could keep the ice leeches and frost cicada alive.
