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

"We are just exiled prisoners, not death row inmates, yet Ji Yunshu secretly poisoned my parents! She's clearly defying the imperial decree and trying to kill us! Your Honor, you must do us justice!"

As she spoke, she kept rubbing her body against the official, wiping her tears and snot all over his clothes, which made the official look disgusted.

"Your Highness, what exactly happened? You are all prisoners of the court. The imperial edict only ordered your exile, not your execution. Did you really poison them?"

If Ji Yunshu really poisoned Zhou's parents in front of so many people, they wouldn't be able to hide it from them.

Ji Yunshu sneered as she looked at Zhou Yanran.

What a wicked person who files a false accusation first!

She recounted what had just happened in detail, her face expressionless.

"I didn't poison them. The water I just fed them was brought to us by Zhou Yanran. She said that you, sir, asked her to bring it over. But my family members all got poisoned after drinking the water from that water bag."

"I have no doubt about your intentions, sirs. I believe you treat us all equally and would never poison our water. If that's the case, then the problem must lie with Zhou Yanran. I asked her for the antidote, but she refused and insisted that the water wasn't poisoned. Since she's so certain, then I'll let her parents taste this water too."

"You all saw her reaction just now. Since she said the water wasn't poisonous, why did she tell her parents to spit it out after they drank it? And why did she say I would kill her parents? I don't need to explain the whole story here."

The official opened his mouth, looking at Zhou Yanran with a puzzled expression.

"When did we ask you to deliver water to them?"

The weather is so hot, and they haven't encountered a water source for a long time. The water in their water bags isn't even enough for them to drink, so how could they possibly have any extra to send to Ji Yunshu and the others!

Zhou Yanran, who had been sobbing, paused upon hearing this, and unconsciously became tense.

"Um, um, yes, yes..." She stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything.

If she were to admit now that she had delivered water to the people of the Prince's residence without authorization, wouldn't that prove that she was the one who poisoned the water?

Wouldn't that make it seem like she's trying to kill someone?!

No, she absolutely couldn't admit to something like this! But for a moment, she couldn't think of a good excuse.

Ji Yunshu wasn't initially sure if Zhou Yanran was responsible, but seeing her guilty expression now, it was practically an admission of guilt. She reached out and grabbed Zhou Yanran's neck tightly, her tone slightly threatening.

"I don't care what you're trying to say, but I've confirmed that you're the one who poisoned the water. Now, give me the antidote right now, or I'll snap your neck!"

As she spoke, Zhou's parents collapsed to the ground, unconscious, with black blood flowing from the corners of their mouths, their eyes rolling upwards, and their bodies convulsing uncontrollably.

Ji Yunshu was still shaken. Fortunately, the old princess and the others hadn't drunk much, otherwise, they would have looked just like Zhou's parents.

Zhou Yanran was struggling to breathe as Ji Yunshu choked her. She desperately tried to pry Ji Yunshu's hands off, but Ji Yunshu's hands were like a pair of vises, holding her so tightly that she couldn't move. Moreover, the more she moved, the tighter Ji Yunshu's grip became.

Zhou Yanran felt dizzy and the air around her nose was getting thinner and thinner.

"You, you, you, let me go! This poison was given to me by Ji Yunyao, and I don't have the antidote."

Ji Yunshu narrowed her eyes, turned to look at Ji Yunyao not far away, loosened her grip, threw Zhou Yanran to the ground, and walked towards Ji Yunyao.

Zhou Yanran collapsed to the ground, a little bit of air reaching her nose. She opened her mouth and desperately gasped for fresh air.

Ji Yunyao had been paying attention to the commotion, and when she saw Ji Yunshu walking towards her with a dark expression, she felt quite uneasy.

Damn Zhou Yanran, did she reveal her identity so quickly?

What to do? What to do? Ji Yunshu looked like she wanted to kill him.

Ji Yunyao panicked and looked around, trying to find a place to hide, but no matter how she looked, the surroundings were barren. There wasn't even a rock to hide in!

In the blink of an eye, Ji Yunshu was already in front of her.

Unable to avoid it, Ji Yunshu had no choice but to confront Ji Yunshu head-on.

"Ji Yunshu, what are you doing! Let me tell you, don't you dare do anything reckless! If you dare to hurt me, you won't escape, and not only you, but everyone in the Prince's Mansion will be caught! When I left the capital, the First Prince instructed the officials to look after me. If you dare to hurt me in front of so many people, the First Prince will not let you off..."

"Slap! Slap!"

Before Ji Yunyao could finish speaking, Ji Yunshu slapped her twice across the face.

Immediately, a hand reached out in front of her, and Ji Yunshu's cold voice rang out.

"Ji Yunyao, I don't want to waste words with you. Hand over the antidote."

Her expressionless face was quite intimidating.

Xi Yunyao was genuinely frightened; she shrank her neck and kept backing away.

"I... I didn't poison him. I don't have the antidote. I really don't have the antidote."

When the eldest prince gave her the poison, he only told her to keep it on her person and use it in a critical moment. He never told her about the antidote, so she didn't even know what kind of poison it was!

However, even she probably wouldn't believe it if she said that, let alone Ji Yunshu.

But, God.

There really is no cure for her.

When she gave the poison to Zhou Yanran, she didn't expect Zhou Yanran to be so stupid as to openly poison her!

Stupid! Absolutely stupid! She had never seen anyone so stupid!

Moreover, they actually betrayed her directly; she was truly impressed!

How could she choose such an stupid person as a teammate?!

It's true, I'm not afraid of wolf-like opponents, but I'm afraid of pig-like teammates!

"Ji Yunyao, Zhou Yanran just said that you were the one who gave her the poison. Now you're telling me you don't have the antidote. Do you think I'll believe you? I'll give you one more chance. I'll count to three. If you don't hand over the antidote, I'll find it using my own methods."

"3"

"2"

Ji Yunyao was genuinely panicked, waving her hands frantically at Ji Yunshu, her tone urgent.

"I don't have the antidote, I really don't have the antidote. I'm all alone now, I don't have anything on me, you can tell at a glance!"

"Besides, the person who gave me this poison never mentioned an antidote. I really didn't know anything about it. And it's not like I poisoned you, so why are you coming to me? Go find Zhou Yanran!"

"1"

As the last sound faded, Ji Yunshu showed no mercy, grabbing Ji Yunyao's hair and pulling her towards him, her hand immediately gripping her neck.