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

Seeing that it was getting late, Ji Yunshu didn't take them sightseeing any longer, as there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Sherlin and Xiaolan are still injured and will be leaving the space tomorrow, so they need to go back and rest as soon as possible.

Xie Mohuan and Xie Mu didn't linger. Together with Xiao Lan and Xie Lin, they followed Ji Yunshu and escorted Xiao Lan and Xie Lin back to their wards before returning to their own villa.

Ji Yunshu taught the two how to use the toilet. Seeing that they were a little tired, she didn't say anything else. After telling them to rest early, she went back to her bedroom.

Outside, the sun had already set.

The weather was extremely cold. During the day, the sun was shining, so it was somewhat warm, but at night the temperature plummeted by more than ten degrees. They were halfway up the mountain with nowhere to hide, and the cold wind was howling, making everyone feel unbearably cold.

Fortunately, the people from the Prince's Mansion had the overcoat that Ji Yunshu had left behind. They wrapped themselves in the overcoat and drank some hot porridge and hot chicken soup, so they were alright.

After Ji Yunshu left the group, Ling Yun took the initiative to lead the officers to the front of the group. He picked up the map in his hand and looked at the terrain on it.

Ji Yunshu left him the topographical map when she left.

Lingyun was particularly grateful for this.

Without this topographical map, he and his team would be like headless flies, wandering around aimlessly for ten days or half a month, and probably still wouldn't be able to get out of here.

The map showed that they had to cross the mountain in front of them and head north to reach a relatively flat area with a town where they could rest.

Then, after traveling north for another two or three days, you should reach your destination.

Ling Yun looked at the three words "destination" on the map and was so excited that she almost cried.

woo woo woo...

After traversing mountains and rivers, he was finally close to completing his mission.

"Lord Ling, what's wrong? Where are we now? It's getting dark, where are we going to stay tonight?"

An official walked up to him and looked at him with concern.

The thought of spending the night in the wilderness made them all feel uneasy, fearing that they might encounter the same monster again.

Last night, at least there was a cave where we could make do for the night, but tonight, the surroundings are bare, and there's not even a place to block the wind.

Ling Yun sighed and looked at the map in his hand. If he wasn't mistaken, they were currently located halfway up the mountain. The map showed that there were indeed no caves or similar places around.

But now it's already dark, and traveling in the dark doesn't seem very realistic. They'll have to spend the night in the wild.

"Give the order that the team will rest here tonight, and that someone stay on guard around midnight to observe the surroundings. If anything happens, everyone should be on alert."

Thinking that there were still the First Prince and the Second Prince's men behind the group, Ling Yun's eyes darted around.

"By the way, send someone to tell the First Prince and the Second Prince that we will be resting here tonight, as this forest is not safe."

We officials are just guards responsible for escorting the exiles; our weapons aren't as good as theirs. If they also need to rest on the spot, we should have our men keep a close eye on the surroundings, because we won't be able to protect them."

He put it very eloquently.

Instead of instructing the princes to increase their patrols, the statement said that the princes were no longer able to protect them.

Even if the Second Prince didn't know about that monster, the First Prince certainly did.

The First Prince's entourage is quite large. With the First Prince's men and the officials patrolling, they should be able to get through the night peacefully.

Chu Jinsheng received this news just when he was already feeling troubled.

He desperately wanted to get out of this awful place as soon as possible, but as Ling Yun had said, it was getting late.

If they leave the group and travel on their own, there's no guarantee that the same situation won't happen again. If they really encounter that monster called a crocodile again, forget about getting anything done; his entire group will probably be wiped out.

After thinking it over, he decided to stay with the group for the time being. In any case, there were so many villagers and officials in the group, and now Chu Jingrui's men were also there. Even if the monsters reappeared, with so many people to distract them, the monsters wouldn't just target their people.

When Chu Jingrui received the news, he scoffed indifferently and looked at the messenger with disdain.

This godforsaken place, you need people to patrol it at night?

He's utterly useless; he wasn't this cowardly when he was at the border.

He waved his hand, sending the messenger back. Liu Zi stood beside him and asked in a low voice:

"Second Prince, shall we rest here tonight as well? Should we send people to patrol?"

Although he also felt that sending people to patrol was completely unnecessary and a waste of effort, he still dared not make decisions on his own without the Second Prince's permission.

"No need. These lowly officials are inexperienced. We are all used to being stationed at the border, and we are definitely more vigilant than them. Just have everyone keep a close eye on things; there's no need to send anyone to patrol."

Liu Zi responded but didn't say anything more.

Chu Jingrui's gaze swept across the crowd, past the First Prince and his entourage, and finally landed on Xie Moyao before he slowly rode over.

Xie Moyao had been keeping an eye on the movements of the First Prince and the Second Prince. Now that he saw the Second Prince walking towards him, he subtly pulled up his wide sleeves to cover up the pile of water bags on the cart.

"Thank you, Your Highness. How have you been?"

The person arrived before the voice.

Xie Moyao didn't want to pay attention to him, but Chu Jingrui was shameless enough that he stood in front of him not long after he finished speaking.

Meeting Chu Jingrui's gaze, Xie Moyao nodded slightly.

"Second Prince, how have you been? Also, I am no longer a prince, so it seems inappropriate for you to call me Second Prince."

He had virtually no connection with this second prince. If there was any connection at all, it was that the soldiers he used to lead were now all under the second prince's command.

"Please don't say that, Your Highness. I've heard about what happened to you this time. After returning to the capital, I told my father that you could never have rebelled. There must be some misunderstanding."

"Don't worry, after I've finished dealing with this matter, I'll definitely return to the capital and get to the bottom of your family's affairs, clearing your name."

His eyes held a hint of regret and a touch of heartache; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was deeply saddened by the fate of the Prince's mansion.

For example, the villagers.

Seeing the Second Prince's appearance, with his eyes reddening, he clearly believed Chu Jingrui's words.

Xie Moyao looked at him with a forced smile. Others might not know Chu Jingrui's true nature, but he did.

Their family was exiled and their property confiscated by the emperor. Chu Jingrui was the second prince and the emperor's most beloved prince. How could he not know about this?

It's just acting.