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

The bandit stronghold always kept some medicine. When they captured some women, they were not very obedient. They would cry, make a scene, and even threaten to hang themselves. They would give them some medicine. Once they took the medicine, those women would behave and obey them. They could do whatever they wanted with them!

Ling Yun's heart sank to the bottom. He was a man, so he naturally understood what Wu Lao Er meant by those medicines.

It's over! It's over!

His illustrious reputation is about to crumble in this bandit's den!

Li Ergou clicked his tongue.

Alright, Wu Lao Er has made up his mind; this is the man he wants!

Alright, let's make do with this guy for today. He turned around, said no more, and carried Lingyun on his shoulder and left.

Ling Yun's hand was still tightly gripping Ji Yunshu. Li Ergou couldn't move, so he gritted his teeth, hoisted Ling Yun onto his back, and used all his strength to pull her outwards!

Ling Yun grabbed Ji Yunshu and pulled her all the way to the door.

Ji Yunshu chuckled twice, reached out, and gently pried Ling Yun's hands off his sleeve, saying as he did so.

"Well, Lingyun, since they've taken a liking to you, why don't you go with them? You're both men anyway, so you won't lose out."

In this world, a woman's chastity is what matters. You're a man; if you serve these old men well, maybe they'll be in a better mood, and our lives will be easier. Go on your way.

As she spoke, she pried Ling Yun's hands off her sleeve.

Li Ergou successfully carried Ling Yun away.

Ling Yun stared at Ji Yunshu with disbelief in his eyes. He hadn't expected that Ji Yunshu would actually abandon him at this crucial moment!

They not only ignored him, but they even pushed him out?

It was pushed out?

Your Highness, how could you do this? They've been together for so long, how could you bear to push him into a pit of fire!

Wu Lao Er walked past Ji Yunshu, giving her an appreciative look.

"Not bad, not bad, you've got a good sense of things. Seeing how clever you were tonight, you guys get some rest. I'll talk to my brother and we won't bother you tonight!"

After he finished speaking, he hummed a little tune as he got out of the cage, locked it again from the outside, moved out a few large pieces of wood to block the cage door, clapped his hands, and then couldn't wait to head in the direction Li Ergou had left.

Only when Wu Lao Er's figure completely disappeared did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Thinking back to the scene just now, everyone couldn't help but sigh. Today it was Ling Yun, but who will it be tomorrow?

Ji Yunyao was genuinely frightened. Before, when she was in the exile group, the officials had taken better care of her because the First Prince had spoken to her.

Now that she's in the hands of these bandits, who aren't even afraid of government officials, why would they care about her identity?

If these bandits knew her identity, she would probably die even sooner.

"Ji Yunshu, what's your plan? Tell us so we can have some idea. If this continues, how can we sleep peacefully with such anxiety?"

Look at the way you pushed Ling Yun out just now! You're so ungrateful! You and Ling Yun are on good terms, and you pushed him out without even thinking. If we had been chosen, would you have pushed us out too? I shouldn't have relied on you!

As soon as Ji Yunyao said this, everyone's eyes fell on Ji Yunshu.

Recalling the scene where Ji Yunshu pushed Ling Yun away without hesitation, everyone was also wondering whether Ji Yunshu's claim of having a solution was true or false.

Could it be a lie to them?

Are they trying to buy time by sending them out one by one?

Given her heartless demeanor just now, it's very possible!

Ji Yunshu rolled her eyes at her, too lazy to explain why she pushed Ling Yun out, and simply turned her gaze to Ji Yunyao.

"Although I have a way, I can't possibly take so many of you out on my own. I'll need some external help. I heard you and Ah Cai say that the First Prince has arrived, is that right?"

Ji Yunyao didn't know what Ji Yunshu was planning, and nodded blankly.

"It seems that's true, but we haven't been able to contact the Crown Prince. We only know that he's heading in this direction, but we don't know exactly where he is."

Moreover, we've been captured by bandits and are now in their den. Even if the Crown Prince follows the road, he won't be able to find us.

They were drugged and dragged away directly from someone's house without any sign of a struggle. Even if the First Prince passed through that village, he wouldn't have noticed that they had been kidnapped there.

Ji Yunshu nodded. As long as it was confirmed that the eldest prince was coming in this direction, things would be much easier.

When the eldest prince travels, his horses and men are certainly the best; it won't be long before they catch up with them.

They've been dragged to the mountain stronghold for quite some time now, and judging by the time, the eldest prince shouldn't be far from them.

The eldest prince must have many guards around him. We can use his guards to see if we can wipe out this bandit den.

Otherwise, even if she rescues these people, the bandit den will still exist and continue to plague the people within a radius of dozens of miles. This malignant tumor must be completely eradicated.

"In that case, everyone should stay calm. The Crown Prince is not far from us. He must know something about this bandit den. As the Crown Prince of the neighboring country to the east, he certainly won't allow these bandits to continue their evil deeds. Perhaps he's already leading people to look for us."

"Your Highness, are you telling the truth? Is it really possible that the First Prince is looking for us?"

Ji Yunshu...

Of course it's fake.

The eldest prince isn't stupid; how could he possibly confront so many bandits for the sake of a few exiled prisoners? Right now, she wasn't confident either, so she could only comfort everyone and try to keep them from getting too agitated.

"Besides us, there are villagers from other villages here, all subjects of the imperial court. The Crown Prince shouldn't stand by and watch us die; he will come to our aid..."

"Of course the Crown Prince will come to our rescue." Ji Yunshu was interrupted by Ji Yunyao before she could finish speaking.

She continued, her face radiating confidence and certainty:

"Of course the Crown Prince will come to save us, no, he will definitely come to save me."

The others exchanged bewildered glances, wondering where Ji Yunyao's confidence came from.

Although in the capital, Ji Yunyao and the First Prince were said to have a good relationship, and it was also said that the First Prince was particularly fond of Ji Yunyao.

But now times have changed, and the Minister's Mansion is no longer what it used to be. Is the First Prince really so affectionate that he doesn't care at all about Ji Yunyao's status as an exiled criminal?

The crowd scoffed inwardly, but their expressions remained impassive. Who could say for sure about such things?

What if the First Prince really comes to rescue Ji Yunyao? At this time, it's best not to offend Ji Yunyao too much.

Ji Yunshu looked at Ji Yunyao thoughtfully. It was written in the original novel that the eldest prince was indeed very good to Ji Yunyao. He couldn't bear to see her suffer on the way to exile and personally escorted her all the way.

I heard that the two were very sweet on their journey, making no attempt to hide it, and they went through many difficulties together, showing a deep affection for each other.