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

"Okay, Miss Gu, I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest. I'll head back now. Please continue to rest."

"Um"

Chen Gang left and returned to relay the reply he had received from Gu Nanzhi to Chen Qiang and the escorts. The group glanced at the Zhao family members and remained silent.

They don't care if you suffer or not as long as you don't die. Besides, they don't look like they've been poisoned, so just let them vomit. As long as it doesn't kill them, it's fine.

"Um"

"Gangzi, you guys continue your night watch. The rest of you go and rest. You'll take turns on the second half of the night," Chen Qiang ordered, no longer caring about the Zhao family's fate.

"yes, Sir"

Since it didn't concern them, everyone else went back to rest, leaving only the Zhao family to endure the torment. For them, this night was destined to be unbearable.

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.

The next day, darkness dissipated and daylight arrived as scheduled. It was time to prepare to set off again. Those who had rested overnight were refreshed and ready to face another day of travel.

However, for the Zhao family members who had been tortured all night, when the escorts urged them to prepare to set off, they felt as if the sky had fallen.

After a night of torment, they were completely exhausted, their bodies limp and powerless, lying on the ground like puddles of mud.

However, the guards didn't care about any of that. Even if they had to crawl, they had to get up and keep crawling forward. They weren't given any extra time to rest.

If you don't move, you'll be waiting for the whip.

Weak and unable to withstand the whipping, they could only move forward step by step with the help of others. Their unsteady steps threatened to cause them to fall at any moment, yet they still received no sympathy from the guards, who kept urging them on as they slowed down...

The Zhao family's state of mind was worlds apart from that of Gu Nanzhi and the other six, who were already leading the group. One was suffering terribly, while the other was leisurely and carefree.

Inside the carriage, Gu Nanzhi was cutting a piece of stiff paper she had taken out of her spatial storage with scissors. Xia He was also very curious about what her young mistress was doing.

"Miss, what are you planning to do? How can I help you?"

"Xia He, wait a moment."

Gu Nanzhi quickly cut out four pieces of paper, each about the size of a playing card, and then handed the scissors to Xia He.

"Xia He, come here, cut these papers out to this size."

"Okay miss"

Xia He immediately took over the task and asked, "Miss, what are you doing with such a small piece of paper?"

"Making playing cards"

What are playing cards?

"It's an entertainment prop. The journey has been so boring. Once it's finished, I'll teach you how to play."

"it is good"

Indeed, the journey involved frequent stops and starts, with most of the time spent on the road. Sitting in the carriage, Gu Nanzhi had gradually become accustomed to the swaying motion.

She was so bored that she had to find something to do. In the cramped carriage, she played cards while enjoying the scenery along the way, which was a kind of fun, wasn't it?

Gu Nanzhi picked up a pen and began drawing on the small pieces of paper she had cut out, while Xia He was in charge of cutting out the paper. In this way, a less-than-perfect deck of cards was gradually completed through their collaboration.

After all fifty-four drawings were completed, it was announced that the project was finished.

"Alright, done. There are fifty-four cards in total. Xia He, now I'll teach you how to recognize the cards and the rules. Then go to the carriage in the back and find Jun Yanchen and the others to play cards."

Upon hearing that she would be playing cards in the same carriage as the prince, Xia He felt a surge of nervousness just thinking about it.

"Okay, miss, how many people do you need to play cards with?"

Fifty-four cards, this must be very complicated to play. The young lady seems very interested, but she's afraid she won't be able to learn it.

"You can play with three or four players, and there are many ways to play, like Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), comparing sizes..."

After listening to her young mistress's brief explanation, Xia He felt a little uneasy. It was too complicated; she couldn't learn it in a short time. However, not wanting to spoil her mistress's interest, she suggested...

"Miss, I'm too stupid. I'm afraid I won't be able to learn it or remember it in a while. Miss, shall I go and ask the Prince and Brother Cang Ling to come and play with you? I'll learn first, and then I'll play with you when I've learned it, okay?"

Gu Nanzhi nodded.

"Okay, then I'll explain the rules to you all in a bit."

"Okay miss"

"Uncle Li, stop for a moment."

"call"

Butler Li, who was driving the carriage, called it to a stop.

"Madam, what are your orders?"

Because their carriage was in front, Steward Li stopped there, and Zhou Cai's carriage behind also stopped.

"Uncle Li, I'll go to the back to find Jun Yanchen."

Gu Nanzhi led Xia He down from the carriage, carrying a deck of cards that had just been made, and went to the carriage behind.

Zhou Cai and Cang Ling had already gotten off the carriage and were standing on the ground. "Madam, what are your orders?"

"lady"

"Um"

Gu Nanzhi nodded, then said to Jun Yanchen inside the carriage, "Jun Yanchen, I'm getting on."

"Hmm, be careful."

Jun Yanchen lifted the curtain from inside and said considerately;

As soon as Gu Nanzhi got into Jun Yanchen's carriage, she took out the playing cards in her hand. "Look, these are called playing cards. They're a kind of entertainment tool. We'll be so bored on the way here. Shall we play together?"

"Okay, Nan Nan, how do we play?"

Although Jun Yanchen had never met or heard of her, he was willing to keep up with her good mood.

"Wait a minute, Cangling, come here, let's move the things from the carriage to the front first, otherwise it will be crowded. This is more fun with at least three people."

"Yes, ma'am"

Having received the instructions, Cang Ling and the others immediately moved some items from one carriage to the other, making room for four people and reducing the weight on the horses.

After moving some things, considering that the horses were too tired, Xia He ultimately returned to the carriage in front.

"Okay, I'll teach you after we stop in the evening."

"Okay, miss, I'll go upstairs now."

"Go ahead, let Uncle Li continue on his way."

"Yes"

So it became Xia He and Steward Li in the front carriage, while the other four were in the back carriage, with Zhou Cai driving outside.

Jun Yanchen, Gu Nanzhi, and Cang Ling were inside the carriage when a small card table was set up.

"Let's play Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) with three people. Next, I'll show you how to recognize the cards and explain the rules."

"Um"

"Please speak, Madam."

"First, a deck of cards, fifty-four in total, numbered from one to fourteen, with four suits as I've drawn..."

Gu Nanzhi carefully explained the rules to the two of them, who diligently took notes. Because the carriage curtain was open, Zhou Cai, who was driving, could hear everything clearly, although he couldn't see what the signs looked like.

"Well? Did you remember it?"

"Um"

"I've got it, Madam."

"Alright, let's begin. I'll teach you how to play openly a couple of times, and you'll get the hang of it. I'll shuffle the cards."

"it is good"

Gu Nanzhi shuffled and dealt the cards with exceptional skill.

"Look, in this round, Jun Yanchen, you're the landlord, so Cang Ling and I are on the same team. You arrange the cards, and it's your turn to play first..."

"Look, once you've arranged your cards, you can only form a sequence of five or more cards in Dou Dizhu. For example, with your hand, you can go from three to Jack, which is eleven."

"We can't afford this one; we're one ticket short."

"Cang Ling can decide for herself whether she wants it or not. If she does want it, she can split the three Qs..."