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

All the horses broke free of their reins and ran wildly through the ranks. The frightened horses were like madmen, charging forward with their heads down, trampling on many of the guards.

Several horses scattered and jumped around in the procession, breaking everyone up.

Liu Zi didn't even bother to tame the frightened horse anymore; he quickly protected Chu Jingrui and stepped back to prevent the crazed horse from trampling him.

The military doctor was also startled, and carrying his medicine box, he followed beside the Second Prince.

In an instant, the scene was in complete chaos. Everyone else was in a panic. The only two people in the group who remained relatively calm were Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu.

At first, they also thought that an assassin was trying to kill the Second Prince, but Xie Mohuan, with her sharp eyes, spotted a familiar figure under a big tree at the edge of the woods.

She was both happy and excited, and quickly tugged at Xie Mu's sleeve.

"Hey, Xie Mu, look, look! Look under the big tree, isn't there a figure? I think that figure looks like Third Sister-in-law, but the clothes she's wearing seem a bit off."

The person's clothes were a bit strange, seemingly different from theirs, but she couldn't see them clearly from a distance.

Xie Mohuan thought to herself, and dared not keep her eyes fixed in that direction, worried that if the person coming was really Ji Yunshu, her staring in that direction would reveal Ji Yunshu's location.

Xie Mu also looked in the direction Xie Mohuan pointed, and sure enough, he saw a blurry figure under the big tree.

He was a bodyguard who operated in the shadows year-round, and his eyesight was exceptionally good, allowing him to see more clearly than Xie Mohuan.

The man's figure did indeed resemble Ji Yunshu's, but his strange clothes made him somewhat unsure.

"Looking at that figure, it does resemble the Princess, but what's with the Princess's clothes? They seem different from what the Princess usually wears. Perhaps we're just mistaken, and this person isn't the Princess, but just someone who's come to cause trouble for the Second Prince."

Xie Mu abruptly changed the subject, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"No matter who that person is, the scene is chaotic now, which is the perfect time for us to escape. My foot is injured, so I can't run far. When they're not paying attention, you run quickly. As long as you run into the princess, she will definitely find a way to protect you."

Xie Mu was absolutely certain that if the Princess Consort could protect so many people in the Prince's Mansion right under the First Prince's nose, she could also protect Xie Mohuan right under the Second Prince's nose.

Xie Mohuan kept shaking her head, "No, my third sister-in-law said we're all family, I can't leave you here alone."

The Second Prince is ruthless. He almost killed you just now. If I had just run away, you would have been doomed once he realized what was happening. I won't leave you here alone!"

Although she was a woman, her father and brothers were all generals, and she would never do something like abandoning her comrades to save her own life.

Moreover, even if she managed to escape, with so many men under the Second Prince's command, and knowing neither martial arts nor lightness skills, she certainly couldn't outrun so many people, and would be caught sooner or later.

Rather than fleeing for his own life, he should stay with the group and try to take Xie Mu with him.

Xie Mu's leg is almost fully healed. If they can wait a few more days until Xie Mu's injury is fully recovered, she can find a chance to escape from here with Xie Mu.

The agreed-upon time for them to contact their third sister-in-law has passed. If she can't find them, she'll definitely come looking for them.

Once their third sister-in-law arrives, they will be saved.

There was also their package containing a pistol, but they were captured by the Second Prince's men before they could even take it out and use it.

Looking back now, Xie Mohuan truly regrets it. If only she had kept that thing called a pistol close to her body, she wouldn't have had no chance to react when the enemy came.

Seeing that Xie Mohuan remained unmoved and insisted on not escaping on her own, Xie Mu sighed and had no choice but to go along with her.

The scene was chaotic for a moment, and Xie Mu's gaze fell on the bundle not far away—

Their bundle was there, and in it were the pistols the princess had given them.

"Miss, listen to me. The scene is chaotic right now. Let's try to get to the place where the bundles are being moved and take out the pistol that the princess gave us. With that, our chances of escaping will be much better."

We don't know yet whether these assassins are after the Second Prince, but in any case, they have created an opportunity for us. Now is the perfect time for us to retrieve our belongings and escape.

"Since my foot is injured and I'm not as agile as you, I'll block you in front, and you can hide behind me, quietly walk over to the bundle, take our bundle, and we'll leave quietly."

As Xie Mu spoke, he slowly took two steps forward and stood in front of Xie Mohuan.

Xie Mohuan nodded seriously, "Okay, I'll go right now!"

As she spoke, she crouched down behind Xie Mu and took small steps toward their own bundles.

The scene was somewhat chaotic, with everyone busy protecting the second prince and taming the frightened horse, and no one paid any attention to the two of them.

By the time anyone realized what was happening, Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu had already run far away with their bundles.

The guard shouted, "Quick, quick, catch them! They've escaped!"

The guard shouted, and the others came to their senses. Sure enough, they saw Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu carrying a bundle and staggering away.

The guards were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to protect the Second Prince's safety or to go and bring Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu back.

Liu Zi, however, reacted quickly: "Leave some men to protect the Second Prince's safety; the rest of you, go out and bring them back!"

The guards split up. Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu, who were running ahead, were discovered so quickly. Xie Mohuan subconsciously took out a pistol from his bundle, aimed it at the guards behind him, and prepared to pull the trigger.

"Wait, young lady, wait!"

Xie Mohuan had already pulled the trigger, and even though Xie Mu grabbed her hand, the bullet had already been fired. With a "bang," the bullet accurately struck a guard's feet, creating a crater.

Xie Mohuan was somewhat confused and looked at Xie Mu with incomprehension. "What are you doing? If you hadn't caught me, I would have killed him."

"No, Miss, no! This is the Second Prince's entourage, officials of the imperial court. We are exiled prisoners. If you so blatantly kill officials of the court, the Second Prince will surely accuse our manor of treason!"

Xie Mohuan was startled; he had been so focused on escaping that he had forgotten about this.

Yes, Chu Jingrui knew their identities. If he really killed these guards, he would definitely be charged with treason.

They themselves are one thing, but to implicate their mother, eldest brother and sister-in-law, and third brother and sister-in-law is truly a sin!

Xie Mohuan's hand gripping the pistol cracked loudly; he felt deeply resentful.

"What do we do then? Are we just going to let them catch up? We barely managed to escape, and look at Chu Jingrui's expression, he clearly has no intention of letting us go. We're going to die here!"

As the two were talking, they were about to be caught up by the guards.