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

After quickly exchanging a few words with his deputy, Commander Wang hurriedly left the exile corps and rode off in the opposite direction towards the palace.

The messenger, who had come to deliver the order, took over Commander Wang's place and led the other officers and soldiers to escort the exiled prisoners out of the city.

"Hurry up, all of you, don't be late!"

"hurry up"

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.

These soldiers didn't care about the exiled prisoners' lives at all; they urged them onward, not daring to delay even a moment after leaving the city gate, heading towards Wuliting.

Shili Pavilion, as its name suggests, is a pavilion located ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) from the city, hence its name.

This place has long been a place for bidding farewell to travelers.

As exiled prisoners, those on duty not only completed the handover at this place, but also gave the exiled prisoners' relatives the opportunity to come and bid farewell to their loved ones.

Ten li is neither a long nor a short distance; it would still take at least half an hour to walk, so it wouldn't be considered a wasted trip.

Dragging the weight of shackles for such a long time would obviously be quite a hardship for those who are usually pampered.

So what? We still have to keep going.

When their group arrived at Shili Pavilion, nearly a hundred people had already gathered there.

Their arrival attracted the attention of the others. Several officers dressed in official robes, each with a sword at their waist and a whip in their hand, looked menacing; they were presumably the escorts.

The others were clearly divided into two small groups, waiting in place under the imposing presence of the guards, and each of them was also wearing shackles.

It turns out that this exile wasn't limited to the Prince of Yan and the Marquis of Zhongyong's family; members of two other families were also sentenced to exile, though it was unclear what crimes they had committed.

Clearly, these people were waiting for their arrival, and soon an escort stepped forward to hand over the group to Commander Wang's men.

Therefore, they finally had a short break.

Zhou Cai, who was pulling the cart, came to a steady stop. Butler Li helped Cang Ling to sit down on the ground to rest for a while.

"Lord Cangling, please be careful. Sit down and rest. This old servant will go check on the Prince's condition."

Because of her serious injuries and lack of proper rest, even with her strong body, Cang Ling's face appeared somewhat pale after such an ordeal.

"Uncle Li is no longer in the Prince's residence. Just call me by my name."

"Eh"

Butler Li sighed softly, a hint of weariness appearing on his kind face.

Although walking this distance was nothing for Gu Nanzhi, her current body was still in very poor condition, and she couldn't compare it to her previous life.

In addition, these shoes were not suitable for long-distance travel, and they made them look a little tired. Since they could rest, they naturally found a place to sit down and rest with Xia He.

Gu Nanzhi was no stranger to this feeling of being in the wild mountains.

The two didn't stray too far, after all, this wasn't a time of freedom, and they were considered part of a small team along with Jun Yanchen and his group, so they kept a distance of about three or four meters.

Gu Nanzhi noticed the expression on Butler Li's face. After thinking for a second, she called out to Butler Li, who was walking towards the cart.

"Uncle Li, come here for a moment."

Gu Nanzhi also changed her form of address, since the situation was different now, and Uncle Li was easier to address than Butler Li.

Just as Steward Li was about to walk towards Jun Yanchen, he heard the Princess call him. He glanced at Jun Yanchen, then turned and walked towards the Princess.

This princess was unlike any other woman he had ever met in the capital; she even knew medicine, and last night she gave him medicine so he could treat the prince and Cang Ling's wounds. His fondness for this princess increased considerably.

"Your Highness, what are your orders for this old servant?"

This commotion also attracted the attention of those placed on the cart.

Gu Nanzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Uncle Li, from now on, please don't call me Princess Consort. Just call me by my name."

Having just been reminded by Cang Ling, and now with the Princess's words, Butler Li realized that their circumstances were different now, and it would indeed be inappropriate to still address her as "Princess."

But regardless of whether they were still a prince and princess, he was willing to follow them. As a subordinate, a servant, how could he call his master by his name?

"From now on, Your Highness, I will address you as Madam. As husband and wife, it is most appropriate for you to call me Madam."

Gu Nanzhi: "..."

She felt it was inappropriate; she didn't approve of this husband. However, she also felt the gaze from the person on the cart, but she simply chose not to respond or pay attention.

Recalling what she had learned from taking his pulse last night, this man was truly pitiful, now reduced to such a state. In the end, she would show him some respect. She would inform the others about the divorce after she had a private conversation with him, to save him some face.

It's just a temporary title; she doesn't care.

"Alright, alright, whatever you want, here you go."

Gu Nanzhi took a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and tossed it to Butler Li. Butler Li caught the bottle steadily, held it in his hand, and, not understanding its meaning,

"Madam, this is..."

"medicine"

Butler Li uncorked the small porcelain bottle and poured the contents into his palm. Seeing that it was exactly the same as the medicine Madam had given him the night before, he immediately understood Madam's meaning.

The slight somber mood on his face briefly dissipated. "Yes, Madam, this old servant understands. This old servant will take it to your master immediately."

Last night, thanks to the medicine Madam gave us, both the oral and topical versions were quite effective. Fortunately, thanks to Madam's medicine, Master and Cang Ling, despite their severe injuries, did not get infected, and the bleeding from the wounds stopped. Otherwise, he wouldn't know what to do.

He still had some of the medicine powder left over from last night's wound treatment, and he was thinking of finding an opportunity today to apply some more medicine to his master's and Cang Ling's wounds.

Butler Li excitedly took the medicine and walked towards the Prince. At this moment, Gu Nanzhi also looked up and met Jun Yanchen's gaze. Jun Yanchen was being helped onto a cart by Zhou Cai.

Despite his paralyzed legs and severe back injuries, he remained upright when he sat up. His dark robes and silver mask, illuminated by a ray of sunlight filtering through from the side, created a striking contrast between light and shadow on the mask. Combined with his defined jawline, this undoubtedly gave him an air of mystery and enigma.

But at this moment, he seemed to exude a hint of loneliness in Gu Nanzhi's eyes.

And those deep eyes hidden beneath the mask, their emotions both rich and calm, were something Gu Nanzhi couldn't decipher.

Their previous eye contact in the prison was brief and dimly lit, yet now their gazes met, neither looking away. Gu Nanzhi still couldn't understand it.

At this moment, Butler Li arrived at Jun Yanchen's side with the medicine. Having just changed his address to the Princess, he also automatically changed his address to Jun Yanchen.

"Master, here, this is medicine from the madam. Please take it; it will be good for your injuries."

Jun Yanchen then withdrew his gaze, looking down at the white pills handed to him by Butler Li in silence for a moment.

Butler Li, thinking his master was suspicious of the unfamiliar medicine, quickly explained, "Master, please rest assured, this medicine was given by Madam. Madam understands pharmacology. This old servant already gave you one dose last night. Madam also gave you medicine for treating external injuries. After you take the medicine, this old servant will apply medicine to the wound on your back."