Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

"I also do not wish to see my uncle die so unjustly, but it is heartbreaking that he was dissatisfied with my father and let such a grave mistake go unpunished. It is also a pity for Miss Gu. She should be enjoying wealth and luxury in the capital, with her every need taken care of by her maids... but now she has to suffer along with them to a barbarian land thousands of miles away."

Gu Nanzhi rolled her eyes inwardly. Life truly is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills.

"What? The Second Prince is still trying to persuade me to return to the capital?"

“Miss Gu, if you are willing, I certainly do not want to see you suffer. Miss Gu is probably unaware of the situation at home. Your father’s family has suffered a misfortune, with some members injured and others sick. Aren’t you worried? Don’t you want to go back and see?”

This person is really persistent; it's a pity, she actually knew about this.

"Second Prince, you must know that I grew up on the estate, right? That home is not my home, and my father is not worthy to be my father."

"Miss Gu..."

The second prince was about to say something more when there was a knock on the door.

"Honored guest, I've brought some food..."

Interrupted, the second prince had no choice but to let the others in.

"Enter"

The innkeeper personally delivered the prepared food into the room. During this time, he didn't dare look around, but simply placed the food down respectfully and left.

The food finally arrived, and Gu Nanzhi picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, ignoring everyone else. She was too lazy to waste any more words on this kind of person, so she ignored them and focused on eating.

It would be foolish not to take a free meal;

The Second Prince, naturally, couldn't lower himself to dine at the same table as Gu Nanzhi. He simply sat and watched her eat. Not long after, the pills he had taken to be examined were returned.

"master"

The man offered the pills with both hands and shook his head.

The second prince then took the medicine and looked at Gu Nanzhi. Gu Nanzhi, while eating, returned his gaze with a very sincere look. See? She's a genuine person.

"water"

The man poured a glass of water for the second prince and offered it to him. The second prince hesitated for two seconds, but ultimately put the two pills in his mouth and swallowed them.

Gu Nanzhi watched him take the medicine, and mentally added two words: "Yeah, right."

"Alright, the poison has been neutralized. Can I go now? Any later and I'll be late for my journey."

"No"

"What else do you want?"

"You can leave after 45 minutes when the poison has been neutralized."

As soon as the Second Prince spoke, Gu Nanzhi understood after a moment's thought: he would likely have another attack within half an hour.

"Alright, the Second Prince is certainly cautious."

Gu Nanzhi sat down again, ate some more, slowly drank two cups of tea, and quietly waited for time to pass.

Meanwhile, the prefectural government office, whose house had been raided by Gu Nanzhi the previous night, was in an uproar; their home had been ransacked overnight.

Someone in the household immediately sent a messenger to the prefectural government to investigate, and also sent someone to find the prefect and inform him of the situation. The prefect was also in a panic when he learned that his home had been searched. When he rushed home, he was met with the complaints of his wives.

However, he didn't have time for that. He casually dismissed the mess and went to check on his own yard first, only to find it searched as well.

His home had been ransacked, forcing him to cautiously open the mechanism. The sight of the empty room was the most shocking moment; he collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale.

This isn't just about losing some gold or silver; it's about being beheaded...

It took him a long time to finally calm himself down. He hurriedly left the mansion without even having time to inquire about the situation.

In a hurry, they arrived at the restaurant where the Second Prince was.

Just then, after a quarter of an hour, and seeing that the Second Prince showed no signs of illness, Gu Nanzhi left. She had barely stepped out of the restaurant when she saw the prefect arriving.

After glancing at him, Gu Nanzhi guessed who he was. She smiled and walked back to Fulai Inn.

The private room after Gu Nanzhi left

"Master, shall we let him leave?"

"Find an opportunity to kill him on the way."

The Second Prince was clearly smiling, but his words were icy cold. Gu Nanzhi was right about one thing: his current focus was on the struggle with the Crown Prince and others in the capital.

However, this does not mean that he will not get involved at all on the side of the Imperial Uncle. With the help of many parties, he also wants to see if the Imperial Uncle can safely reach Junlan.

"Yes"

At this moment, the Second Prince was still thinking about the fate of his uncle and Gu Nanzhi, but after a while, he could no longer remain calm.

His subordinates reported that the prefect had come looking for him. Upon seeing him, the second prince was alarmed by the news the prefect had given him, and they left the restaurant together.

Their side is destined to be in chaos again, and they won't be able to take care of Gu Nanzhi and the others for the time being.

Gu Nanzhi returned to the inn. The others who had gone out to buy supplies hadn't returned yet. She went to Jun Yanchen's room, where only Jun Yanchen and Cang Ling were present. Seeing that she had returned safely, their worries subsided.

"Nan Nan, are you cured?"

"It's solved."

Gu Nanzhi nodded, but what she said next left the two of them speechless.

"However, I downloaded another one."

Seeing their expressions, Gu Nanzhi smiled indifferently and explained, "I didn't put this in; the Second Prince ate it willingly. He won't find out until he returns to the capital. It won't kill him, but he'll suffer a bit."

Voluntary? Cang Ling just couldn't believe it!

However, he thought his wife's behavior was very good. In her words, it was a thumbs-up. The second prince was not a good person, and it was too good for him to suffer a little.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chen Qiang received a travel permit to leave the city and understood that this matter was over. He wondered what Gu Nanzhi and the others had done.

Now that they were free to leave, they didn't delay their journey any longer. They regrouped their group around noon and set off on their exile's path.

They encountered no further obstacles on their way out of the city. This was mainly because the current events at the prefectural government office left them no time to concern themselves with this matter. In fact, given their previous status, some officials hoped they would leave quickly to prevent any leaks.

The Zhao family, who had initially held onto hope of finding an opportunity, remained in a state of despair even after leaving the city.

They had hoped that this chance to win over the Second Prince would change things, but Zhao Meng'er's words suggested that the Second Prince had already abandoned them, and even his attitude towards Zhao Meng'er seemed to have changed.

This trip to Linzhou City, filled with anticipation, failed to change their fate in any way. In the end, all they received was medical treatment for their injuries and a small amount of money from Zhao Meng'er; nothing else.

The exile caravan continued on its journey, and after half a day's travel, they finally spent the night in the wilderness. Having been used to this along the way, they stopped complaining and instead looked for a place to rest.

When the Second Prince of Linzhou learned of all the investigation results regarding the confiscation of the Prefect's property, his first thought was that it was familiar. Wasn't this exactly the same as the numerous theft cases that had occurred in the capital before?

Those claims about ghosts and spirits are just excuses for not being able to find the truth. Who really committed the theft? Is it related to powerful figures in the capital? How did they suddenly appear in Linzhou and steal from the prefect's residence...?