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

"Excellent, excellent! I never expected Yuncheng to have such talent. You, quickly send someone to Yuncheng to inquire. Find out who made this tent, how many are left, and bring me the person who made it, their remaining tents, and the tools used to make them!"

Wouldn't it be much more convenient to fight wars if we had this?

Setting up camp alone saved a lot of time. Most importantly, the tent was extremely warm; he had never seen a tent with such good insulation before.

If he were to get this thing to the military camp and let the soldiers use it, wouldn't his men be more obedient to him in the future?

Liu Zi's eyes sparkled, and he guessed the meaning behind Chu Jingrui's words. Overjoyed, he quickly replied:

"Yes, I will immediately send my men to Yuncheng to inquire about the origin of this tent. Within a few days, I will bring the person who made the tent to the Second Prince."

Chu Jingrui didn't say anything more, nodded, went back to his tent, zipped it up, and went to rest.

The mistress also witnessed this scene between the two.

Chu Jingsheng lay in the carriage, too cold to sleep.

Although his men had covered him with all the clothes and blankets, the carriage was like an icebox, with the wind constantly blowing in through the windows.

Even with my head covered by the blanket, I still felt incredibly cold all over, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar!

He couldn't take it anymore and flung open the carriage curtain: "Guards! Guards! Light a fire for this prince!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of the Second Prince's carriage not far ahead. Remembering that Chu Jingrui had just arrived from the capital, and that the carriage should contain a lot of supplies, he changed his tone and said:

"No need, just find a way to get two quilts from the Second Prince."

Xiao Wu and Xiao San exchanged a glance, unsure whether to speak—

They had already tried to find blankets in the Second Prince's entourage, but were turned away.

"What are you two standing there for? Can't you hear what I said?! Go and ask for the blankets, and say that I want them. As for my good second brother, although we don't get along, he wouldn't be stingy with a blanket! Even if he refuses to give them to me, he can move two blankets from his men over."

Seeing that the two of them hadn't made a move, Chu Jingsheng got a little annoyed.

He was so cold that his whole body was numb. These two idiots just stood there like wooden blocks, not even trying to think of a solution for him. I really don't know what they're good for.

"Your Highness, it's not that we're unwilling to ask for blankets, but we already went to try, only to be stopped by Sixth Prince, who said..."

They said they didn't have blankets either...

Xiao Wu and I didn't believe it at first, thinking it was just an excuse. But just now, Xiao Wu and I saw the Second Prince and his men take away the villagers' tents.

The Second Prince is currently resting in his tent, as are the rest of his men…

The mistress's words carried a hint of envy.

They were so stupid before, why didn't they think of asking the villagers for a few tents?

Look how clever the Second Prince's men are! They took away the villagers' tents as soon as they arrived and are sleeping so comfortably.

"What did you say?! They took the villagers' tents!"

Chu Jingsheng's eyes were filled with disbelief. He looked up and saw that many elderly, weak, women and children who should have been resting in the tents were now exposed in the wilderness.

A dozen or so people huddled together for warmth, each shivering from the cold, their lips turning purple, their thin clothes making it feel like they weren't wearing anything at all.

If Chu Jingsheng had seen such situations before, he would not have been moved. But this time, he witnessed firsthand how these villagers' village was buried, how they escaped death, and how they finally made it here.

Seeing them like this now, I still feel a little sorry for them.

His second brother is truly ruthless. Even he couldn't bear to rob the villagers' tents, but Chu Jingrui snatched them without batting an eye.

And they didn't just rob one; they took all the villagers' tents.

Currently, all the tents are in the hands of the Second Prince and his men, so Chu Jingsheng can't just go and snatch them from Chu Jingrui's men.

A gust of cold wind swept by, making him more alert. He waved his hand.

"Alright, since they've already taken over all the tents for today, let's talk about it tomorrow. You two try to make a fire and bring it in. We'll make do for tonight, and we'll discuss everything tomorrow."

His team has suffered heavy losses recently, and he has neither the energy nor the confidence to clash with Chu Jingrui's people.

After hearing this, Xiao Wu and Xiao San didn't say anything more.

Xiao Wu had the lighter that Ji Yunshu had given him before, so starting a fire wasn't difficult for him.

Before long, some fire was lit and placed inside Chu Jingsheng's carriage.

With a fire burning in the carriage, Chu Jingsheng finally felt warmer, covered himself with a blanket, and fell asleep.

Outside the carriage, Xiao Wu and the other guards lit a fire. The guards sat around the fire, which was much better than before.

Lingyun and the officials were also freezing.

He knew that the Second Prince's men had looted the villagers' tents, but as a lowly official, he was powerless to do anything about it.

Seeing that the villagers were freezing, Ling Yun suddenly remembered the lighter that Ji Yunshu had left him, and quickly ordered the officials to gather some firewood and start a large fire.

The villagers followed Ling Yun's example and used the lighter Ji Yunshu had given them to start a fire.

Before long, more than a dozen bonfires had been lit in the group. With the fires, everyone felt warmer and lay down on the ground to doze off.

Fortunately, they had the lighter that Ji Yunshu had left them. Otherwise, in this desolate wilderness, with such cold weather and no dry firewood, it would have been difficult for them to start a fire.

That night was quite long.

Xie Moyao lay in the tent, aware of what was happening outside, and he sighed deeply.

Given his current situation, he is powerless to do anything about these matters. In the end, he is just an exiled prisoner, and he has no power to fight back against princes like Chu Jingrui and Chu Jingsheng.

It's just a pity for those villagers, having to suffer in the cold outside.

Just as he was wondering whether he should invite a few villagers in to rest together, a familiar scent suddenly appeared beside him.

Xie Moyao was overjoyed and turned his head to look. Sure enough, he saw that familiar figure lying next to him, smiling at him.

"Why did you come out?"

He thought Ji Yunshu wouldn't be back for at least a day or two. Luckily, he was a beat too slow to react and hadn't called anyone in yet, otherwise...