After Becoming the Cannon Fodder Live-in Spouse A (GL) - Chapter 17: The Seventeenth Day

Chapter 17: The Seventeenth Day

At dusk, Ye Family.

In the west-facing “Autumn Sound” courtyard, Ye Yuge was flipping through a book. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar figure lingering at the door. She closed the medical record and stood up:

“Father.”

The second young lady of the Ye Family showed no surprise. Seeing the hesitant worry on the family head’s face, she guessed his purpose. “Is another noble in the palace ill?”

The honest-looking middle-aged man wore a neatly pressed medical officer’s robe. Even after leaving the Imperial Medical Academy and returning home, with his shoulders and pant hems wet from the rain, he hadn’t changed out of his official attire. It was unclear what troublesome task he had taken on.

Not all noble ailments in the palace were hard to treat, but diagnosing them was tricky. Some nobles feared needles, others disliked bitter medicine, and those favored or pregnant with the Emperor’s child needed constant care—meals, clothing, and daily life all required attention. Working in the Imperial Medical Academy was truly tough.

Ye Yuge was used to Ye Rong coming to her whenever he was unsure about a case.

But today, the head of the Ye Family stayed silent longer than usual.

It was as if he had countless thoughts but didn’t know where to begin.

She waited patiently. After watching Ye Rong pace in circles twice, he suddenly spoke. “Yuge, I heard colleagues chatting. They mentioned frequent floods across the Great Dynasty in recent years and many deaths from last year’s snow disaster. This year’s imperial exams will likely focus heavily on current affairs. The tutor I hired for you isn’t skilled in this area. Why not return to our old home in Jiangning City, study a few more years, and try again next time?”

Ye Yuge’s expression was even calmer than her light blue dress today.

She said, “The exams aren’t held every year. Waiting for the next one could take years.”

“Besides, if Father has taken on a task that could cost his life, where could Mother and I escape to?”

Ye Rong sighed deeply.

His brow furrowed, his face like a bitter gourd. “It’s my fault. I should’ve known Yong’an City was a dangerous place—”

“Enough,” Ye Yuge cut in. Unlike her mother, she couldn’t stand this old man’s habit of wallowing in melancholy or nostalgia at every little issue. She held out her hand. “Give me the medical record.”

Ye Rong: “…”

He hesitated for a long time but finally pulled a stack of medical records from his chest, carefully handing them over. Then, out of nowhere, he added, “If only you had been the one married into Prince Qi’s mansion…”

He didn’t finish.

Ye Yuge’s gaze silenced him.

He explained softly, “I just thought, even though Prince Qi’s influence has waned, she’s still royalty. If I make a mistake this time, perhaps you’d be spared.”

Ye Yuge was his most cherished daughter.

Incredibly clever, though reserved, Ye Rong felt her demeanor was that of a true scholar. He genuinely loved this child and didn’t want her to waste her life as he had in his early years.

…

Ye Yuge already knew Ye Rong wasn’t capable. Back in Jiangning City, meeting that old sage was the luck of a lifetime, allowing him to stay in the Imperial Medical Academy until old age—a blessing from the Ye Family’s ancestors.

But she hadn’t expected that even with that sage’s guidance, Ye Rong might still fail—

Flipping through a few pages of the medical record, she quickly understood the rest.

The symptoms were too familiar.

Scythe pulse.

Thanks to Ye Fuguang’s trust, Ye Yuge could recite every liver-protecting and liver-treating remedy in the family by heart. But she never imagined Ye Rong would bring back such a detailed medical record.

Seeing the shock in her expression, Ye Rong tucked his hands into his sleeves and mumbled, “I-I know this is a fatal pulse. But I’ve seen the… senior’s prescriptions in the academy. It’s not about curing, just prolonging life. It’s… it’s not that hard, right?”

By palace rules, copying a noble’s medical record and bringing it home was already against the law. To avoid implicating his family if caught, Ye Rong never named the patient, only discussing symptoms and expectations.

But Ye Yuge always guessed most of it.

This time was no exception.

Her dark eyes fixed on Ye Rong.

Thinking of this patient’s connection to both him and Ye Fuguang, and knowing the palace’s prescriptions only aimed to prolong life—some even worsening unconsciousness—how could she not guess who it was?

Why would the Emperor entrust such a figure to Ye Rong, a mere fifth-rank medical officer?

Did the other physicians know this task was deadly and push him forward as a scapegoat?

Amid Ye Rong’s unease, Ye Yuge finally spoke, slow and steady. “This prescription has been used for half a year. It hasn’t removed the poison, leaving her liver qi depleted. Prolonging her life now is nearly impossible. Life or death—there’s only one path left—”

Her heavy gaze met Ye Rong’s eyes. Her thin lips parted, and her words fell like thunder. “Does the Emperor want her to live or die?”

Ye Rong trembled, speechless.

But Ye Yuge was already thinking further.

Ye Fuguang was sent to Prince Qi’s mansion for a marriage to bring good fortune. It hadn’t even been a month. If Prince Qi died now, Ye Fuguang’s life would likely be at risk. Once she entered the mansion, her fate was no longer her own.

As for the Emperor’s stance.

Even after the Yancheng defeat, he spared Prince Qi’s life, and they were siblings from the same mother. But Ye Yuge knew the Yancheng loss was shrouded in mystery. Before that battle, the court was in turmoil over the Emperor’s lavish summer garden project in the south. Prince Qi’s faction clashed with the Emperor’s loyalists, nearly implicating the trusted Prime Minister Li Yanlin in a decree—

In the past six months, many of Prince Qi’s faction had been purged from court.

If it came down to life or death, what choice would the Emperor on the throne make for his sister?

Reviewing past palace medical records, Ye Yuge suddenly felt she held two thin ropes, each tied to a butcher’s knife—one aimed at the Ye Family, the other at Ye Fuguang.

And she could only pull one.

–

Ye Fuguang didn’t yet know the next physician for Shen Jinglan was her father.

She was busy dealing with the crisis at hand.

Good news: Yu Qing wasn’t seriously harmed by her anger. After fainting, servants quickly fetched the mansion’s physician, who revived her.

Bad news: Yu Qing’s gaze upon waking was deeply unfriendly. She said Ye Fuguang’s outing had shamed the mansion and asked her to reflect in Plum Garden’s side courtyard. Also, since she thought a light diet was good for the Prince, she should eat the same as the Prince.

In short.

No more eight dishes and one soup per meal, and no more wife to cuddle at night.

Ye Fuguang: “?!”

She hesitated for a full five seconds between grand meals and her cuddle pillow before choosing to fake cry. “No way! The Prince and I are deeply in love now. She can’t live without me!”

Yu Qing, supported by her subordinates, sneered. “Side Consort, you jest. You disregard the Prince’s safety, indulging night after night. Without you, the Prince would likely fare better.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

Seeing the courtyard gate wide open, Ye Fuguang bolted, lifting her skirt and running with the desperation of an 800-meter sprint. Those chasing her, mindful of her status, didn’t dare use too much force. Her sleeve tore, and her long hair loosened, but she made it to the main hall of Plum Garden.

Just as she reached the bed, several hands grabbed the back of her neck.

…

“Shen Jinglan…”

“They’re bullying me…”

As Ye Big Cat was dragged out, she radiated rebellion against her fate, even forgetting the taboo and calling Prince Qi by name.

A burly servant pulling her whispered, “Lady Ye, Manager Yu oversees the mansion’s affairs. It’s best not to anger her further—”

Ye Fuguang, nearly in tears, said, “I didn’t anger her.”

The servant tugged her again. “Then stop secretly hooking the bedpost with your foot.”

“…”

Ye Fuguang, hopeless and helpless, slowly retracted her foot.

She sadly lowered her head.

But the servants still couldn’t pull her away.

The next moment.

Yu Qing entered with her group, ready to scold the servants for dawdling. But glancing into the inner chamber, she suddenly held her breath.

“Prince.” After a pause, she murmured.

Then, the hands holding Ye Fuguang loosened. Knees hit the carpet in a sequence of thuds. She looked up, confused, and saw everyone around her bowing their heads, kneeling.

Ye Fuguang sensed something and turned to the bed, where a corner of the mandarin duck-patterned red silk quilt had fallen—

Under it, a strong, distinct hand was revealed.

Its long fingers tightly gripped a piece of ice-blue fabric.

It was the hem of her outer robe.

She gasped, realizing.

…Was this another righteous mother working miracles?!