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

He didn't care whether he was the Crown Prince's man or not, and stood there coldly, clearly not intending to move aside.

The old princess stood to the side, saying nothing.

This mistress's words were truly awful. Although the people from their royal family had been exiled, Ling Yun was the leader of the exiled officials and had never spoken to them in such a tone.

This mistress, relying on being someone under the First Prince, speaks extremely rudely.

Things have come to this point, and they really don't want to tolerate it any longer.

Seeing that Madam Chen and Madam Li were standing still and showed no intention of giving way, Xiao San'er was also a little angry. He had long disliked the people from the Prince's Mansion.

Previously, Ji Yunshu was in the team, and considering Ji Yunshu's skills, he was somewhat hesitant, worried that she might cause trouble for the Crown Prince.

But now, the remaining people of the Prince's mansion are mostly women—the old, the sick, and the disabled—and he still doesn't take them seriously.

"I advise you not to be so stubborn and refuse to listen to reason. Don't you even know your place? You're nothing but a few lowly commoners, not worth a second thought. Who gave you the audacity to contradict me? Do you really think I'm afraid of you?!"

As she spoke, Xiao San shouted behind her, "Someone, go and report to the First Prince that these exiled commoners are disobeying the First Prince's orders and ignoring his good intentions. I will teach them a lesson on behalf of the First Prince!"

"Two men, hold him down and let Doctor Wu take our esteemed prince's pulse!"

As soon as Xiao San finished speaking, one of the guards standing not far behind him hurriedly ran to the back to report Xiao San's words to the First Prince, while the others stepped forward, preparing to pull Chen Shi and Li Shi away and force Doctor Wu to take Xie Moyao's pulse.

Xie Moyao narrowed his eyes, gripping the pistol tightly in his hand.

He had reached his limit and was about to take out his pistol, pull the trigger, and kill the guards who were about to touch his sisters-in-law.

Just then, Ling Yun stepped into the group and said with a smile, "Third Master, please calm down. The Prince, the First Madam, and the Second Madam didn't mean it that way. They've been traveling a long way and are quite exhausted. The First Prince kindly asked Doctor Wu to treat them, so how could they refuse?"

Don't get angry, take your time. There's no rush. I'll talk to the prince and the others. Besides, there are so many people watching.

Although the prince and his entourage have been exiled, His Majesty has not said anything about what will happen to them. If a conflict breaks out over such a trivial matter and someone gets hurt, you won't be able to explain it to yourselves, will you?

Moreover, with so many people here, if word gets out, it will affect the First Prince's reputation. People will say that the First Prince disregarded His Majesty's decree and acted willfully. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should at least consider the First Prince's feelings."

Lingyun tried to persuade him earnestly, but sighed inwardly.

It's so annoying! Ah Cai just died in the team, and he doesn't know how to go back and report to his superiors. Xiao San has caused him more trouble.

He was in charge of the exile team. The people in the Prince's mansion were different from those who had been exiled before. If anything went wrong, he couldn't afford to take responsibility. He was afraid that they would mess up his job, otherwise he might not even receive his salary when he returned.

The eldest prince was naturally stingy and refused to pay the money he had promised, so he didn't expect to get anything from him.

Since that's the case, he might as well not offend either side. He doesn't know when the princess will return. He feels that only the princess can keep the eldest prince in check.

Besides, it doesn't matter who sees the doctor first, the prince or the first wife, does it?

I don't know what I'm trying to deny, but there's no escaping it now.

Ling Yun was suffering inside, but he dared not show it on his face.

The other villagers didn't dare to speak up when they saw this. They were just ordinary people, even though they felt that the eldest prince's people were going too far.

However, it's understandable that the First Prince intended for his physicians to treat the people in the Prince's residence; at least it would allow them to learn more about the princes' and their health.

The mistress glanced at Ling Yun, a hint of mockery in her eyes:

"Hmph, you certainly know how to talk. It must be tough on you. You're an official of the imperial court, yet you're like a weather vane, swaying left and right. I wonder what benefits the Prince's mansion gave you to make you side with them all the way. I've heard you've taken good care of them along the way."

Xiao San stared coldly at Ling Yun. He had long felt that something was off about Ling Yun. He was clearly an official of the imperial court, working for the court and receiving a salary from the court. The Wang family was just an exiled criminal. Yet, he had been very polite to them all along the way.

They would also look after him from time to time.

The fact that the people from the Prince's Mansion were able to live such a prosperous life on the road was inseparable from Ling Yun!

If he were the leader of the exiles, the people in the Prince's mansion would have been either dead, missing, or crippled long ago. How could he be living such a prosperous life!

Ling Yun lowered his head, startled: What did Xiao San mean by that? Saying he was taking care of the people in the Prince's mansion, calling him a fence-sitter, was she also lumping him together with the people in the Prince's mansion?

Isn't this trying to kill him?

While he did show some favoritism towards the people of the Prince's residence, there was a reason for it. They had been dutifully performing their duties throughout the journey, but the Princess had been particularly attentive to them.

Over time, they developed a tacit understanding to take care of each other on the road, but never crossed the line.

I came out today to dissuade them only because I was worried they would get into a conflict.

When the time came, the eldest prince and his men packed up and left, but he failed to deliver the exiles to the northwest on time and caused a lot of trouble along the way.

Once the rumors spread, everyone would be talking, and the imperial court, in order to silence people, would definitely push someone out to take the fall. He would definitely be the first person to be pushed out to be held accountable!

If he's convicted of a crime, wouldn't all his work be for nothing?

In more serious cases, they might even lose their lives.

"What are you saying, Third Master? As the leader of the exile team, I naturally do my best to do a good job and send these people to their place of exile safely, so as not to betray the trust the court has placed in me."

"There's no question of taking care of her or not. If we're talking about taking care of her, the princess did save my life once when she was in the army. For that reason alone, it's only right that I take a little extra care of her."

It was no secret that Ji Yunshu had saved his life. At the time, the Crown Prince turned a blind eye to their lives and deaths, but Ji Yunshu saved many of their lives without holding a grudge. Just for that reason, shouldn't he take better care of the people in the Prince's Mansion?