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

But just as she pushed the water pouch over, Xie Moyao handed it over again, his voice more determined than before.

"Second sister-in-law, why don't you have some more?"

Without waiting for Chen's reply, he stuffed the water pouch into Chen's hand, then took another one from his bosom and handed it to the old princess next to Chen.

Ever since learning that Xie Moyao's leg would be healed, the old princess's mindset has changed a lot. She has been traveling a lot lately and rarely takes a carriage. She has been exercising with everyone else and is now in great spirits. Her physical strength is even better than Chen's.

She didn't really want to drink water, but seeing Xie Moyao stubbornly handing her the water pouch, she didn't say anything, just nodded with satisfaction and took the pouch.

"Second son's wife, just take it. Since the third son wants us to drink some more, let's drink more to put his mind at ease."

Besides, this water is very sweet. When I have nothing to do, I like to drink a few sips. It seems that drinking this water makes me feel much more energetic.

She spoke cheerfully as she opened the lid of the water bag, put it to her lips, and took a sip.

Just as she was wondering why the water in the water bag was hot, the taste of it made her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

"Ah, cough cough cough cough!"

Before he could even speak, he was choked by a large mouthful of phlegm.

Madam Chen also noticed the unusual water pouch in her hand. Before she could ask, she saw that the old princess was choking, so she quickly reached out to pat the old princess's back to help her catch her breath.

"Mother, are you alright? Slow down."

How could you choke like this just from drinking water?

But why is the water in this water bag hot?

They hadn't lit a fire, so there shouldn't have been anything warm around them, yet the texture in their hands was clearly warm.

Recalling the strange behavior of Xie Moyao and the old princess just now, Chen's eyes also fell on the water pouch in her hand.

Is there anything different about the contents of this water bag?

Why are my third brother and mother reacting so strongly?

The old princess's throat was sore from choking, and she didn't want to speak. She simply pointed to Chen and gestured for her to open the water pouch and drink.

Chen was full of doubt, wondering what the two were up to. Without asking any questions, she opened the water pouch in her hand, put it to her nose, and immediately smelled the aroma of meat.

Wow……!

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she took a sip of the water pouch. After swallowing a mouthful of pork rib soup, Chen's eyes sparkled. Sure enough, the water pouch really did have a hidden secret!

Good heavens, it tastes like pork ribs!

She turned to look at Xie Moyao in disbelief, only to see him looking at her with a calm expression, as if he already knew the secret of the water bag.

Just as she was about to ask, she saw Xie Moyao shake his head at her. Chen was a smart woman, so she immediately shut her mouth.

She was very curious about how there was pork rib soup in the water pouch, but now was clearly not the time to ask. There were too many people around, and if the Crown Prince found out that such a miraculous thing had happened to them, he would probably turn his attention to the people in their palace, and their lives would become even more difficult.

It's probably not as simple as just being exiled.

Especially now that Ji Yunshu is not in the group, they absolutely cannot show any unusual behavior.

The three exchanged a glance, then silently shut their mouths, not uttering a single word. Each took a water pouch and drank several mouthfuls.

After drinking, Chen took the little dumpling from Li's arms and put it in her own arms. She then took a new water bag from Xie Moyao and handed it to Li.

Li was a smart woman, and from everyone's reaction just now, she could guess that there must be something mysterious in this water bag.

Now, touching the warm water bag, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

After exchanging a glance with Chen, she quickly opened the water pouch in her hand and began to drink.

After just one sip, she understood why Xie Moyao, the old princess, and Chen had reacted so strangely. Even she was quite surprised by what was in the water pouch—it was pork rib soup.

Without thinking too much, she took a few more sips of water from the water pouch. She was still breastfeeding, and the little one needed to drink milk every day, which took a huge toll on her body. When Ji Yunshu was in the team, she would often give her special treats, which is how she managed to feed the little one until he was chubby and healthy.

Now that Ji Yunshu is no longer in the group, and there is food available, she needs to eat more to better nourish the little dumpling.

The aroma of the pork rib soup was rich. When I opened one water sac, I didn't feel anything, but after opening three or four water sacs, the aroma of the pork rib soup in the air became stronger and stronger.

Xie Moyao also noticed this and gave a wink to Chen, Li, and the old princess. The three of them then consciously covered their water pouches.

They drank several mouthfuls in a row, their stomachs were already half full, and they licked the rib soup off their lips, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly said something.

"Hey, can you smell that? I think there's a smell of pork rib soup in the air."

"Tch, you must be desperate for pork rib soup. Where would you find pork rib soup in this desolate wilderness?"

"Exactly, I also think you're just craving pork rib soup. I can't smell it at all..."

Before one of them could finish speaking, he suddenly changed the subject:

"Wait a minute, no, you guys smell it too, I think I can smell pork rib soup too, wow, it smells so good."

As he spoke, he licked his lips, drool dripping from his mouth.

"Huh, now that you mention it, I've taken a closer sniff, and it really does smell like pork rib soup. What's going on? Who's gnawing on pork ribs in this desolate place?"

"Are you guys out of your minds? I can smell the pork rib soup too, but are you blind? You said it yourself, this is the middle of nowhere, where would pork ribs come from? Are you crazy?!"

"Sigh, maybe it's the smell of the flowers, plants and trees around here that smells a bit like pork ribs. After all, everyone is on the road, how could there be stewed pork ribs?"

However, this smells really good! I don't know what's emitting it. If I knew, I'd definitely get some and carry it with me, taking it out to smell every now and then. Just smelling it makes me feel hungry!

They were already hungry, and after such a temptation, many of their stomachs started growling.

But they were still on their way and couldn't stop to get something to eat. Those who were hungry could only reach into their bundles and pull out some dried crocodile meat from before to fill their stomachs.

The aroma of the pork rib soup wafted back and forth until it reached the Crown Prince's group.

The eldest prince had eaten some snacks earlier and felt that his stomach was already a little full, but the smell of the pork rib soup made him swallow hard.

He had originally wanted to sleep, but the smell in the air made it impossible for him to fall asleep.