Chapter 262

Aman banished the ridiculous image from her mind and laughingly corrected herself.

“Three heads and six arms won’t do. I should be the Thousand-Hand Guanyin.”

Ye Chutang reached out and poked Aman on the head.

“Then you’re done for. With so many arms, you’d probably need six hours to get dressed and another six to undress.”

Aman burst out laughing again, tears welling in her eyes.

“Then I definitely wouldn’t die from exhaustion while dressing and undressing. I’d starve to death, because I wouldn’t have time to eat.”

With that, she opened her arms and hugged Ye Chutang.

“I like you so much.”

Ye Chutang: “…”

Confessing her love to her romantic rival? That didn’t seem appropriate.

What on earth had Qi Yanzhou said to Aman?

Ye Chutang was far too curious, so she asked outright.

“Aman, where did that come from? What happened during the three days you spent with Azhou?”

Aman released Ye Chutang and lifted her chin toward the teahouse not far ahead.

“Let’s go in and sit down. I’ll tell you everything.”

The teahouse was more crowded than the street.

As the storyteller’s voice rose and fell, bursts of applause and cheers erupted from below.

For the sake of having a convenient place to talk, Ye Chutang asked for a private room on the second floor.

In truth, it was merely a small space divided by a folding screen, with hardly any privacy at all.

Fortunately, the two of them had nothing private to discuss, and no one was in the room next door.

Aman placed the items she was carrying on the table and poured herself a cup of hot tea.

When she poured one for Ye Chutang, Ye Chutang declined.

“I don’t drink tea at night. It makes it hard for me to sleep.”

Hearing that, Aman set down the teapot.

She turned her attention to the storyteller below and listened intently for a while.

“It’s another story about a man taking a concubine and betraying his first wife. How boring.”

Ye Chutang deliberately teased her.

“Who was it that forced Azhou to marry a secondary wife? Who was it that wanted to become a concubine?”

Remembering the absurd things she had said before, Aman wished she could find a crack in the floor and hide in it.

“I wasn’t in my right mind then. None of that counts.”

“And why have you suddenly come to your senses now?”

“Second Brother deserves the credit.”

Aman had now become an adopted daughter of the Qi family, so she addressed the members of the Qi family according to their seniority.

Ye Chutang’s curiosity had been thoroughly piqued. She urged, “Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me.”

“There was only one thing Brother Qi and I did during those three days.”

“What was it?”

“I listened to him talk about you.”

“What did he say about me?”

Aman took a sip of hot tea. It was slightly bitter, with bits of sediment floating in it—not good tea.

She set down the cup and looked at Ye Chutang seriously.

“He told me about everything you had done since the day he met you.”

Ye Chutang said nothing, waiting for Aman to continue.

Admiration appeared in Aman’s eyes, burning bright and sincere.

“You are learned enough to fill five carts with books, and scholars everywhere look up to you. You wrote prescriptions for preventing and treating the plague, saving the people of Jiangnan and even the entire Beichen Kingdom. You refused to practice blind filial piety and avenged your mother, who had died unjustly. You are peerless in wisdom and fearless in courage, and you helped the Qi family survive the disaster that nearly wiped out the entire clan. You do not fear death, and you risked your life to save the people of an entire city.”

“Brother Qi told me so, so much. What I just said is only a tiny fraction of it.

“Every word and every sentence he spoke was filled with his deep feelings for you. At first, I didn’t understand, but after hearing him talk about you so often, I finally realized that you were the best choice for him.

“So I figured things out, gave up, and even came to like you.”

Aman spoke in one breath, every word brimming with genuine feeling.

She stood and solemnly bowed to Ye Chutang.

“Ye Chutang, I was foolish and ignorant before and offended you many times. Please forgive me.”

Ye Chutang hurriedly helped her back to her feet.

“I never blamed you. There’s nothing wrong with fighting for what you want.”

If she became fixated on someone or something, she too would stop at nothing to obtain it.

In truth, no one had been wrong in the matter of saving Qi Yanzhou from the poison. They had simply stood on different sides.

Aman pulled Ye Chutang back down onto the bench and gave a self-deprecating smile.

“That was what I used to think too. If I had to make a sacrifice, then I deserved to receive the reward I wanted.

“The first time I saved Brother Qi, it was for the recovery of Southern Border. I wanted to secure a peaceful life for myself.

“The second time I saved him, it was because I wanted to marry him. But because I had selfish motives, I nearly caused his death.”

After speaking, she looked at Ye Chutang with complete sincerity.

“I’m inferior to you in every way, and Brother Qi is devoted to you alone. If I continued to pester him, I would only be humiliating myself. So I let go and chose to become his adopted sister.

“Now I’m your adopted sister too. Can you forgive me for all the foolish things I did before?”

Looking at Aman’s hopeful expression, Ye Chutang nodded.

“Of course. I also want to ask you about your knowledge of gu.”

“That works perfectly. I want to learn about traditional medicine too. We can teach each other.”

“Good. We’ll learn from each other.”

Having received Ye Chutang’s approval, Aman was as happy as a child.

“From now on, I’ll call you Sister Chu, and you can call me Aman. How does that sound?”

“Good, Aman.”

“Sister Chu.”

The two of them listened to the storyteller’s tragic romance while pointing out all the unreasonable parts of the tale. They chatted happily for quite some time.

When the story ended, a woman went up onto the stage to play the pipa.

Aman had no interest in musical instruments and couldn’t really appreciate the performance.

She rose and said, “Sister Chu, it’s getting late. Let’s head back.”

Ye Chutang’s gaze fell on the little trinkets scattered across the table.

“Stay and walk around with me a little longer.”

Now that Aman had acknowledged her as a sister, Ye Chutang naturally had to give her some proper gifts.

Aman did not read too much into it, assuming only that Ye Chutang had not finished browsing yet.

She nodded. “All right.”

After leaving the teahouse, Ye Chutang took Aman to several clothing and jewelry shops.

She bought her two beautiful outfits suitable for traveling, along with two matching sets of hair ornaments and jewelry.

Aman was straightforward by nature and did not refuse.

“Thank you, Sister Chu. I have a gift for you too.”

With that, she summoned a mother-and-child pair of gu.

“This is the last pair I’ve raised. I’ll give Brother Qi another one later.”

Ye Chutang knew Aman meant well, but she was pregnant and did not dare take any risks.

“Give this mother-and-child gu to Azhou for now. His body has been severely weakened. If the gu can help restore his vitality, it should make the recovery twice as effective with half the effort.”

Aman thought it over and nodded.

“That makes sense. I’ll use it on Brother Qi as soon as we get back.”

She had not given it to Qi Yanzhou earlier because his body had been far too weak.

After recuperating for several days, however, he had recovered somewhat and could now use the child gu to nourish his vitality.

She placed the mother-and-child gu back inside the longevity lock and returned to the inn with Ye Chutang.

On the way back, Ye Chutang asked about the effects of the mother-and-child gu, as well as its drawbacks.

The particular mother-and-child gu Aman had raised for replenishing vitality had no drawbacks at all, provided the timing for placing the child gu inside the host’s body was properly judged.

As long as the mother gu did not die, the child gu could continue nourishing the host’s body indefinitely.

If the mother gu died, the child gu would die at the same time and would not cause any harm to the host.

“Sister Chu, although this mother-and-child gu for nourishing vitality is beneficial and harmless, it’s extremely difficult to cultivate. It may be many years before I can give you a gift like this.”

Ye Chutang smiled. “That’s all right.”

The two of them soon arrived at the entrance of the inn.

Ye Chutang was just about to go inside when Aman called out to her.

“Sister Chu, actually, what I felt for Brother Qi wasn’t romantic love. It was infatuation, admiration, and unwillingness to accept defeat.”

“If I truly loved him, I wouldn’t disregard his safety and force him to do something he didn’t want to do.”

Ye Chutang was a little surprised that Aman had said such a thing.

“Brother Azhou told you that, didn’t he?”

Aman shook her head. “Brother Qi has never said a single word against me. He only ever tells me how wonderful Sister Chu is. It was Xi Ze who saw how unhappy I was and analyzed the situation for me.”

Ye Chutang understood at once. Qi Yanzhou and Xi Ze had clearly worked together on this.

“Aman, you’ll definitely meet someone who cherishes you wholeheartedly one day.”

“I think so too. Once I work hard to become stronger and better, my destined partner will come to me without being summoned.”

“That’s right. The higher you stand, the more people will be able to see you.”

Just as Ye Chutang finished speaking, a draft swept through the passageway.

Her thin clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining the slight curve of her belly.

Although she immediately turned to the side, Aman still saw it.

“Sister Chu, you… you’ve put on weight?”

Ye Chutang, whose heart had leaped into her throat, fell silent.

What an unusual way of thinking. Worth praising!

She gave a light cough and lowered her voice. “I’ve been taking it easy these past few days—eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating—so I’ve gained a little belly. Don’t tell anyone.”

Aman hadn’t thought of pregnancy because, in her view, Qi Yanzhou and Ye Chutang had only been married for three months.

Even if Ye Chutang were pregnant, she would only be two or three months along, far too early to be showing.

Aman hurriedly promised, “Don’t worry, Sister Chu. I won’t tell anyone.”

Then she quickly added in praise, “Sister Chu, you’re breathtakingly beautiful. You look good no matter what.”

Ye Chutang smiled and lightly pinched Aman’s nose.

“What a sweet talker. Go back to your room and rest.”

“All right. Tomorrow I’ll place the child gu on Brother Qi again.”

After entering the inn, Ye Chutang went straight back to her room.

To her surprise, she found a man who absolutely should not have been there lying on the bed.

The sound of the door opening woke Qi Yanzhou. He immediately turned toward the entrance, alert.

It was nearly the middle of the month, and the moonlight outside was bright. Lanterns hung in the courtyard, illuminating the grounds.

He recognized Ye Chutang at a glance and quickly relaxed, sitting up.

“You’re back. Are you tired? How did your conversation with Aman go?”

Ye Chutang placed the pastries she had bought on the table.

Instead of answering, she asked, “Why are you resting in my room?”

The room in the rear courtyard was small, and naturally, so was the bed.

If two people slept on it, they would certainly be cramped and overheated.

Qi Yanzhou replied as naturally as could be, “I missed you. I wanted to see you. I wanted to hold you while I slept.”

Ye Chutang stared at the man delivering romantic lines with a perfectly serious expression, then turned and closed the door.

She poured herself a cup of cool water and drank it before bringing up the matter at hand.

“When are you planning to send Xi Ze and Aman away?”

“Aman has only just acknowledged the Qi family as her relatives. Sending her away immediately wouldn’t be appropriate. Three days from now.”

After answering, Qi Yanzhou asked, “Didn’t your conversation go well tonight?”

“It went very well, but she saw my belly. She hasn’t suspected that I’m pregnant yet, but if she gets another good look, she’ll figure it out.”

Ye Chutang had always insisted on keeping her pregnancy secret. There were actually two reasons.

First, she didn’t want the Emperor to learn that she was pregnant and put the child in danger.

Killing her would be difficult, but causing her to miscarry would be comparatively easy.

Second, she didn’t want anyone to know that she and Qi Yanzhou had been intimate before their marriage.

If she could preserve her good name, there was no need to invite gossip and criticism.

She also wanted to protect the child from being branded as the product of an illicit union.

As for how to keep her pregnancy from arousing suspicion, Ye Chutang had already thought of a way.

Qi Yanzhou knew that Ye Chutang didn’t want her pregnancy revealed too soon.

After considering it, he said, “I’ll come up with a reason to have Xi Ze and Aman leave the morning after tomorrow.”

It was already deep into the night, too late to make arrangements.

If he came up with some random excuse to send them away, it might instead arouse suspicion.

Ye Chutang thought that concealing it for one more day would be easy, so she agreed.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

Then she lifted her chin toward the bed.

“How are two people supposed to sleep on such a narrow bed?”

Qi Yanzhou moved farther in, pressing his body against the cool wall.

“We’ll sleep holding each other.”

Ye Chutang looked at him with an indescribable expression.

“Why have you suddenly become so…”

The word “cheesy” turned on the tip of her tongue before she replaced it with “smooth-talking.”

“Atang, it’s been three days since we last saw each other.”

Qi Yanzhou missed more than just Ye Chutang. He was also tormented by the fear of losing her.

Only when he was with her could he truly feel at peace.

Meeting the man’s sincere, loving gaze, Ye Chutang’s lips curved upward.

“I’ll go bathe, then we’ll go upstairs and sleep together.”

Since they had to sleep together anyway, they might as well choose a more comfortable place.

The unease in Qi Yanzhou’s heart vanished, and a smile appeared on his face.

“All right.”

The room in the rear courtyard was small and had no separate bathing area screened off by a partition.

Ye Chutang moved the tub from against the wall to the middle of the room, then carried cold and hot water in from the back kitchen.

After adjusting the temperature, she closed the door.

Then, right in front of Qi Yanzhou, she openly removed her clothes and stepped into the tub.

Her lower abdomen was now noticeably rounded, and she was much fuller than when she had first transmigrated, when she had been all skin and bones.

Seeing Qi Yanzhou shyly turn his face away, she teased him with a laugh.

“What are you hiding from? It’s not as if you haven’t seen me before.”

Qi Yanzhou gave a light cough, his face flushing red and the tips of his ears burning.

“I have seen you before, and I want to see you again. But I don’t dare.”

He had promised to give Ye Chutang a perfect wedding night after they reached Tianshan Commandery, so he refused to break his promise or give in halfway.

If looking at her meant having to endure the temptation, it would be bad for his health. Better not to look.

Ye Chutang knew that Qi Yanzhou had exceptionally strong principles.

Even if he was aroused, he would force himself to endure it. She didn’t tease him any further.

She didn’t want him to suppress himself so much that he became useless later.

With Qi Yanzhou’s back turned toward her, she boldly took shower gel and a bath bomb out of her space and scrubbed herself clean.

She hadn’t sweated much that day, so she didn’t wash her hair.

A quarter of an hour later, she climbed out of the tub and put on a snow-white silk undergarment, along with an outer robe.

“Let’s go. We’ll sleep on the third floor.”

After saying that, she packed up their luggage and went upstairs with Qi Yanzhou.

As for the tub and dirty clothes, Qi Jingyao would take care of them the next day.

There were plenty of ice blocks in the Heaven-Class Room. The moment they entered, a cool breeze greeted them, bringing immense comfort.

Ye Chutang casually set the bundle on the table and lay down on the bed with Qi Yanzhou.

She used his arm as a pillow, curled up against him, and wrapped her arms around his waist before offering her assessment.

“You’ve lost quite a bit of weight. The comfort level is lacking.”

A bad review!

Qi Yanzhou laughed at her words and kissed the top of her head.

With her soft, fragrant body in his arms, he finally felt the reality of having her back after nearly losing her.

“Atang, don’t worry. I’ll regain my strength soon and put the weight back on, so you’ll be more comfortable holding me.”

“Fine. I’ll wait and see.”

Qi Yanzhou tightened his embrace and placed his large hand over her slightly rounded belly.

“Atang, we have to be well. We’ll watch our child grow up together.”

At the mention of the child, Ye Chutang remembered what she had been considering earlier.

She poked him in the chest.

“I don’t want anyone to know that our child was conceived before we were married. I don’t want them to be criticized or looked down upon.”

Ancient society was especially harsh toward women. No matter the reason, premarital intimacy was considered a serious taboo.

If they could keep it hidden, that would be best.

Qi Yanzhou knew all too well that public opinion could save a person—or destroy one.

He nodded in agreement. “After you hid your pregnancy from me several times, I guessed what you were planning.”

“Atang, you’re right to think that way, but a belly carrying twins grows quickly. Can we really keep it hidden?”

If she had been carrying a single child, concealing the pregnancy’s actual stage would have been relatively easy.

But twins…

Ye Chutang tilted her head and kissed Qi Yanzhou’s chin, where a faint stubble had begun to show.

“Don’t worry. The fact that I brought this up means I’ve already thought of every possible solution.”

Her uterus was tilted backward, so her pregnancy barely showed.

Otherwise, now that she was more than four months along with twins, she would have been unable to keep it a secret.

Besides, the weather would soon turn cold, and as her clothes grew thicker, concealing her belly would not be difficult.

When the babies were six or seven months along and it became impossible to hide, she would admit that she was only four or five months pregnant.

Since she was carrying twins, it was perfectly normal for her belly to be somewhat larger.

As long as she did not let a physician take her pulse, no one would uncover the lie about how far along she was.

In addition, twins tended to be small and were rarely born at full term. A full-term delivery could simply be passed off as a premature birth, and no one would become suspicious.

After hearing Ye Chutang’s plan, Qi Yanzhou thought it was feasible.

He said apologetically, “Atang, when it comes to the children, you’ve always been the one worrying about everything. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t know much about this. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty about. Go to sleep.”

The two embraced and fell asleep, sleeping straight through until dawn.

Ye Chutang was awakened by the commotion and frowned irritably.

Qi Yanzhou had already been awake for some time.

Lying on his side with one elbow propped against the bedboard and his chin resting in his hand, he gazed at her tenderly.

Seeing the irritation on her face, he reached out and lightly tapped her nose.

“Atang, it’s time to get up and eat breakfast.”

Ye Chutang opened her bleary eyes and sat up lazily.

“What time is it? Why is it so noisy downstairs?”

“It’s just past the hour of Chen. Governor Kong has arrived, probably because of Concubine Xu being robbed last night.”

At those words, Ye Chutang’s drowsiness vanished at once.

She threw off the quilt and got out of bed. “I’m going to take a look. Something about last night’s incident doesn’t seem right.”

“I’ll go down with you.”

Ye Chutang put on her outer robe and loosely pinned up her long hair with a hairpin.

There was water in the room for washing up.

After making a quick effort to freshen themselves, the two hurried downstairs.

Governor Kong had already been waiting downstairs for half an hour.

In truth, he did not need to personally inform them about what had happened the previous night.

The reason he had waited until now was that he had heard Qi Yanzhou was seriously ill and wanted to pay him a visit.

The moment he saw Qi Yanzhou come downstairs, he hurried forward to greet him.

As he looked over the thin and frail Qi Yanzhou, Governor Kong was secretly startled.

He knew that Qi Yanzhou’s condition was poor, but he had not expected him to be so seriously ill.

“Young Master Qi, I heard that you’ve been unwell. Are you feeling any better?”

Qi Yanzhou nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Prefect Kong. I’m no longer in any serious danger. After resting for a few more days, I’ll be leaving.”

“Young Master Qi, your health comes first. There’s no harm in leaving after you’ve fully recovered.”

Qi Yanzhou did not respond to that. Instead, he asked about Governor Kong’s purpose in coming.

“I’m sorry to have kept Prefect Kong waiting so long. You came so early in the morning—was it because of last night’s incident?”

“Yes. The money has been recovered, and the case has been fully investigated.”

“Prefect Kong, please sit down and speak with us.”

Governor Kong quickly stepped aside. “Young Master Qi is unwell. Please sit.”

Ye Chutang asked, “Prefect Kong, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? If you don’t mind, we can talk while we eat.”

“In that case, I’ll gladly accept your hospitality.”

He had spent most of the night interrogating the suspects, then had barely rested before coming to the inn. After sitting there for half an hour, he was exhausted and starving.

Concubine Xu and Old Madam Qi had already prepared breakfast.

Although it was not particularly lavish, there was certainly enough to eat.

Chicken congee, side dishes, and vegetarian steamed buns were soon brought to the table.

Old Master Qi invited him warmly, saying, “Prefect Kong, these are only simple home-cooked dishes. Please forgive us if they are lacking.”

The fragrant chicken congee immediately stirred Governor Kong’s appetite.

“This is more than enough. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The congee had been sitting in the pot for quite some time and had cooled to just the right temperature.

After devouring a bowl, the gnawing hunger that had left him feeling hollow finally disappeared.

Once he had regained some strength, he briefly explained the results of the investigation.

They were much the same as the information the Huguo Army had brought back.

Some time ago, the hunters who had turned to banditry had been sent into Jizhou City by the head of their mountain stronghold.

They had been ordered to produce ten taels of silver each within five days as proof of their loyalty.

The hunters had originally made an honest living. They had turned to banditry only because they had been driven to desperation.

They did not know how to swindle people, nor did they dare to steal or rob.

After wandering around the city for three days, they saw that the deadline set by the bandit chief was fast approaching. Thus, they joined forces and decided to rob people for money.

At first, their targets were the chaotic northern part of the city.

Most of the people living there were lowborn and ignored by everyone.

There were plenty of people who made a living by stepping over the corpses of others.

As long as they did not cause too much commotion, the authorities would not intervene.

But the poor had barely a few copper coins on them. The hunters robbed countless people without even managing to gather one tael of silver.

So they turned their attention to drunkards who went to taverns to drink.

Anyone who could afford to drink at a tavern had at least some money in his pockets.

Once their victims were drunk, the hunters chose those who seemed easiest to rob.

The method proved extremely effective, and they soon amassed more than fifty taels of silver.

When some of the victims sobered up and discovered that they had been robbed, they immediately reported the thefts to the authorities.

However, because they remembered nothing after getting drunk, the authorities had no way to investigate, and the victims could only accept their misfortune.

But as the reports accumulated, the authorities began to notice that something was wrong.

Governor Kong had just been preparing to assign constables to watch the various taverns when Concubine Xu was robbed.

With the help of the Huguo Army, they had managed to capture the hunters in advance.

As for Concubine Xu being robbed, that had been a complete accident.

She and Qi He’an had been discussing going to Baiwei Restaurant to order dinner when the hunters overheard them.

Seeing that the mother and son were dressed plainly, the hunters assumed they were servants of a wealthy household and devised a plan to rob them of their silver.

Qi Yanzhou was not actually concerned with the details of how Concubine Xu had been robbed.

After listening to Governor Kong’s account, he confirmed one thing and finally relaxed.

The hunters had turned to banditry—they were not rebels!

He asked, “Prefect Kong, why did the hunters turn to banditry?”

After eating two cabbage buns, Governor Kong let out a heavy sigh.

“It was the drought. Many villages are already facing problems getting water. The vegetation on the mountains has gradually withered, and game has become scarce. The hunters could no longer make a living, so they turned to banditry.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the street outside the inn, bleached white beneath the scorching sun. Worry covered his features.

“If the drought continues, the crops will yield nothing and there will be no water to use. The people will have no choice but to abandon their homes and flood into the various prefectures and commanderies. When that happens, unrest is sure to follow.”