Exile? A mad, wicked woman empties the national treasury to escape famine.

As they spoke, the water level rose again, and this time it had flooded into the carriage.

"Help! Help! Your Highness, help me!"

An old man, around fifty or sixty years old, was being swept downstream by the flood, not far from their carriage.

The old man clung to a piece of driftwood, panicked, and kept waving his hands in the direction of Chu Jinsheng and the others, shouting for the Crown Prince to pull him up.

The river was flowing too fast, and Chu Jinsheng and the others hadn't even had time to react. In addition, the old man was still some distance away from them, so even if Chu Jinsheng wanted someone to pull him back, there was no way to do so.

In the blink of an eye, the old man was swept away.

Chu Jinxuan and the others could only hear his shouts growing ever more distant.

They were all stunned.

Has the floodwaters risen this high?

Just then, many villagers were swept away by the flood.

While they were still stunned, the water level at their feet rose even higher. Chu Jinsheng, sitting in the carriage, found his shoes soaked by the rain. He gritted his teeth and glared at the two guards outside the carriage.

"You two, if you don't bring the person with you, you can just wait to die here. You don't need to follow me anymore. Xiao Wu, drive!"

This godforsaken place can't be left here for even a second longer; if he stays any longer, he'll surely die here!

Xiao Wu had been waiting impatiently for a long time. At the Crown Prince's command, he raised his whip high and slammed it down on the horse's back. The horse, in pain, reared up and neighed, pulling the carriage and rushing out of the village.

The other guards gritted their teeth and ran after the carriage. The two guards who had hesitated earlier finally ran quickly to Ji Yunyao's side, supporting her on either side. The group then sped off towards the edge of the village.

Ji Yunyao had regained consciousness, but she had no strength at all, felt limp, and her head was spinning. She couldn't speak and could only let the two guards drag her forward.

Just after they left, the water level in the village suddenly rose again, and all the houses were flooded, including the houses of Zhang Lizheng and Zhao Laotou, which were located on higher ground.

All the villagers' belongings were washed away by the flood.

The floodwaters, carrying mud, sand, and pebbles, relentlessly pounded against the surrounding tree trunks and houses.

Many villagers who went back to pack their bags didn't even bother to pack their things; they just turned around and ran away!

Fortunately, they were familiar with the terrain of the village and quickly left before the mudslide arrived completely.

Even so, many people were unable to leave in time and were buried under the floods and mudslides.

Moments later, the entire village was filled with floodwaters and mudslides, and it was no longer the same as before.

Ji Yunshu and her group left early and did not witness the situation in the village firsthand, but they kept looking back as they walked.

The night was pitch black, with occasional flashes of lightning streaking across the sky, illuminating the surrounding scenery clearly. The mountain behind the village had long since collapsed, no one knew when.

Seeing this, everyone was filled with fear again.

Ji Yunshu was also still shaken. Fortunately, they left quickly, otherwise they would be buried in the village right now.

Seeing the villagers relentlessly chasing after her, Ji Yunshu felt a pang of sadness. There were hundreds of people in this village, but many hadn't escaped.

There was nothing she could do. In that situation, she couldn't persuade them or wait any longer. If she waited any longer, they would all get stuck there too. So she had no choice but to lead everyone away first.

Zhang Lizheng stood beside her. He was old and had difficulty walking. Fortunately, the princess helped them onto the carriage, which saved them from this calamity.

Not only them, but Ji Yunshu had been observing the situation behind her the whole way out.

Seeing the villagers chasing after her, she tried her best to pull everyone onto the carriage, saving them a lot of effort.

Even so, many people still failed to get up.

Seeing Ji Yunshu's expression, Zhang Lizheng also felt bad.

"Sigh, so close, just a little bit more. If there had been more time, I might have been able to persuade everyone to leave!"

I wonder what's happening in the village now, and whether those who didn't leave are still safe.

Having lived in the same village for decades, even though they had escaped, he still felt uneasy knowing that others were buried in the village.

The other villagers remained silent. No one wanted to see this happen, but who could predict such a thing?

Fortunately, the princess had the foresight to persuade them earnestly.

Ji Yunshu took a deep breath, said nothing more, and prepared to lead everyone to continue forward.

The map Xie Moyao gave her showed two routes: one downstream and one upstream. The upstream route was more difficult, but compared to the ever-present threat of flash floods downstream, it was the best option.

"Zhang Lizheng, please help us take a headcount. Now that we've escaped, we need to make sure everyone leaves here safely and doesn't fall behind."

If there are any elderly, weak, sick, disabled, or injured people, please let them squeeze into our carriage.

Zhang Lizheng sniffed, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and nodded. For now, this was the only way.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I thank you on behalf of everyone."

"Well, our carriages aren't very big, so they might not be able to seat too many people. Once everyone has gotten through this period, we'll think of a way to get a few more carriages or handcarts."

As she spoke, she looked at Sherlin beside her and said, "Let's keep going and figure out where to stop as we go. We've been in a hurry today and everyone's soaked. We need to find a place to rest and dry our wet clothes."

Not only the villagers, but also the people who rushed out of the village were soaked by the wind and rain, and even the carriages were flooded.

Fortunately, Xie Moyao's legs were protected by the waterproof patch she had put on; otherwise, they would definitely be soaked by now.

Just as everyone was resting, Chu Jinsheng and his group, who were at the back, gradually caught up.

Xiao Wu drove the carriage recklessly, hurtling straight towards Ji Yunshu and her group.

But when they got close to Ji Yunshu, Xiao Wu turned his horse around and stopped the First Prince's carriage about ten meters away from them.

"Your Highness, the Princess and the others are here. Should we continue on?" Xiao Wu asked.

Now he realized that Ji Yunshu was incredibly wise. He wanted to stay by Ji Yunshu's side, but he was also worried that Ji Yunshu and the others might have actually contracted the plague.

Chu Jinsheng was jolted violently on the way. Xiao Wu was driving the carriage fast, and with the poor road conditions, the carriage swayed from side to side, and he was bumped several times!