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

Old Wu nodded excitedly. They knew that Ji Yunshu's words were mostly meant to comfort them. After all, everyone was locked up here, and how could it be easy to escape?

They appreciated Ji Yunshu's words of comfort.

It's ironic that they are ordinary citizens of the imperial court, who have fallen into this predicament. Instead of the imperial court sending troops to suppress the bandits and rescue them, it is a princess exiled by the imperial court who keeps saying that she will definitely take them out. What is this if not irony?

"Alright, Your Highness, we will do as you say, conserve our strength, and try our best not to attract the attention of those bandits. You too, whether you can escape or not, you must keep hope alive."

We're all old bones, half-buried in the ground, there's no way we can escape. You don't need to worry about our lives, just focus on saving yourselves.

"Yes, Your Highness, I just saw that you two have had a tough time. You were holding the Prince, weren't you? The Prince was seriously injured, and Your Highness has been taking care of him without ever leaving his side. The couple's love is truly deep."

Just like what Uncle Wu said, if you really have a chance to escape, you don't need to care about us. We are all villagers who were captured from this area. Our homes were ransacked, and our relatives were either dead or injured.

Even if we are rescued, we'll probably starve to death sooner or later. We've discussed it, and when you run, we'll keep watch or hold off the bandits so they don't chase after you. Just keep running forward.

The villagers chatted amongst themselves, and as Ji Yunshu listened to them, her nose began to sting with tears.

They had never met these villagers before, yet these villagers had already made up their minds to risk their lives to cover their retreat.

How could she bear to abandon such kind and simple villagers and leave them to their fate?

Ji Yunshu didn't say much, only reminding Uncle Wu and the villagers to conserve their energy.

They had barely exchanged a few words when one of the bandits came out of the house and slowly walked to their cages.

"I'm warning you, all of you better behave yourselves. My brother's in a good mood today, so you should be grateful he won't make an example of you. If you behave, I'll let you live another day. If you don't, I'll kill you all tonight!"

After the bandit finished speaking, he spat at them, turned around, and was about to go back into the house when he ran into Wu Lao Er, who was coming out of the inner room.

"Hey, Brother Wu, what brings you out here? Is something wrong? If you need something, just tell me, I'll take care of it. I'll make sure it's done perfectly. Are you still hungry? Should I drag a couple out and slaughter them for a stew?"

Their leader had said that the things and people they brought back today were all thanks to Wu Lao Da and Wu Lao Er. They could choose whatever they wanted from these things. If he could please Wu Lao Er, he might be able to get some extra benefits as well.

Wu Lao Er had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, with long, narrow eyes. He would occasionally chuckle softly, looking quite sleazy.

"Hehe, hehe, Li Ergou, how can you be so insensitive to women? There are so many beauties here, and all you talk about is dragging them here to be slaughtered. Let me tell you, besides dragging people here to be slaughtered, there are things that bring even more pleasure."

He chuckled softly, the sound of his laughter sending chills down the spines of everyone in the cage.

Everyone saw what Wu Lao Er said and what he did.

They weren't fools; they knew what Wu Lao Er meant. The men breathed a sigh of relief, but the women's hearts were in their throats.

Women are inherently at a disadvantage compared to men, let alone falling into the bandits' den. They thought they were going to die, but now they have to be humiliated?

Li Ergou, having been a bandit for many years, immediately understood Wu Lao Er's meaning. He rubbed his hands together, a lewd smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, second brother, you have to think about me, right? You can't keep this to yourself, can you? It's been a long time since I've had any fun. You guys brought back so many women this time, it'll be enough for the brothers in the village to have a good time."

The two men laughed slyly, and their laughter, when it reached the women's ears, sounded like a demon from hell reaching out and grabbing their throats.

A woman's chastity is very precious. Some women are willing to risk it, while others are not. For example, in their group, only Zhou Yanran is willing to risk it.

Zhou Yanran had recently become close to the officials, flitting among them like a butterfly. But now, seeing the bandits' lewd grins, she couldn't help but tremble.

She could flirt with these officials in exchange for their favor, but these officials were also men from respectable families.

The thought of having to submit to and please these wicked and depraved bandits filled Zhou Yanran with resistance. The thought of those bandits' mouths, which had eaten human flesh, made her stomach churn.

If that's really the case, I might as well just kill her!

Asking her to kiss mouths that have eaten human flesh is no different from her eating human flesh herself!

Most of the people in the cages had their hands and feet tied. Li Ergou and Wu Laoer weren't worried that they would escape or resist. They simply opened the cage doors, slowly walked into the cages, and carefully selected the animals.

Ji Yunshu's expression was cold, but she silently appeared in front of the people from the Prince's Mansion, shielding the others behind her.

Her hand also gently fell down, and with the help of her sleeve, she took out several silver needles from her pocket and held them tightly between her fingers.

She had prepared for the worst. If these two men, Li Ergou and Wu Laoer, dared to harm anyone from their royal residence, she would shoot the silver needles in her hand into their throats.

However, doing so might alert the enemy prematurely, which would be disadvantageous for the others in their escape.

But if things really come to that point, she won't be able to care about anything else.

Li Er followed closely behind Wu Lao Er. He wasn't qualified to choose these people; he could only pick them up and enjoy himself after Wu Lao Er had chosen them.

It doesn't matter which one he chooses, as long as it makes him happy, it doesn't matter since she's a woman, it's all the same with the lights off.

Li Ergou leisurely circled the cage, his eyes darting over the people inside. After a moment, he stopped and stood in front of Ling Yun.

Pointing at Ling Yun, he said to Li Ergou behind him,

"That's him! Carry him back!"

Everyone had been afraid that Wu Lao Er would choose them, so they all kept their heads down. When they realized that Wu Lao Er was not standing in front of them, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

He cautiously looked up, wanting to see which unlucky person Wu Lao Er had chosen, only to see him standing right in front of Ling Yun!

He pointed at Ling Yun with one finger, grinning lewdly.

Everyone was dumbfounded, looking at Wu Lao Er in disbelief, and then at Ling Yun!