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

Gu Nanzhi and her group, who were at the very back, only saw the general outline of the scene from afar. They knew someone had been beaten, but because the Qi family members were blocking their view, they couldn't see the details.

The escort mission involved a total of twelve guards, in addition to two horse-drawn carts, which were presumably loaded with supplies.

The two carts were positioned one at the very front of the procession and the other at the very back. Four people led the way, two at the very back, and the remaining six were distributed among the middle of the procession.

These guards, who also escorted prisoners, all looked extremely fierce and intimidating in order to intimidate the criminals.

Therefore, it's best to play it safe. It's only the beginning; don't rush into direct confrontations. After all, there's a long road ahead.

Gu Nanzhi also felt uncomfortable from the sun, but she suppressed her irritation and chose to shift her attention, curiously asking Butler Li about some gossip.

"Uncle Li, do you know which families were exiled to?"

Gu Nanzhi's curious question drew Jun Yanchen's direct gaze from the cart, but she ignored him and chose not to see him.

Even after feeling ignored, Jun Yanchen, sitting on the cart, showed no emotional change. He simply moved his hands, pulling over the bundles placed on either side of him to examine them.

Butler Li already had a good impression of Gu Nanzhi, and even though he felt uncomfortably hot, he still chose to earnestly tell his wife what he knew when she asked.

"Madam, the family at the very front is surnamed Xiao. A member of the Xiao family is an official named Xiao Yuanshan, holding the rank of a sixth-grade cavalry captain. Those people should all be his family."

"The middle family is surnamed Zhao, and one of them is Zhao Zhiyuan, a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. As for why these two families were exiled, it is unknown."

They didn't get much information from Steward Li, except for the surnames of the two families and the fact that of the four exiled families, the Zhao family originally held the lowest official rank.

That was all, which didn't surprise Gu Nanzhi.

Meanwhile, after examining the three bundles, Jun Yanchen finally found what he was looking for. He took out a water pouch from the third bundle and handed it to Gu Nanzhi, who was on the left rear of the cart, to his right.

The timing was perfect, right after Butler Li finished speaking, and Jun Yanchen finally uttered his second sentence, which was still just two short words.

"Drink water"

This action surprised everyone in their group of six, except for Jun Yanchen himself and Zhou Cai, who was pulling the cart in front. No one had expected Jun Yanchen to do this.

Butler Li and Cang Ling were even more incredulous. Was this really their master? Their master was actually offering water to a woman?

Could he have been beaten senseless? Or was he traumatized by this exile?

This action also caused Xia He, who was timid towards Jun Yanchen, to timidly glance at him, then quickly look away, still afraid but not understanding and not daring to speak.

Let alone others, even Gu Nanzhi herself was completely bewildered at the time. What was wrong with this guy?

Why would someone suddenly hand her water out of the blue? Or did she misunderstand and think it wasn't meant for her?

But if it wasn't handed to her, why was she reaching out her hand in her direction? Weren't Butler Li and Cang Ling on the other side?

Unable to understand the man's behavior, Gu Nanzhi did not reach out to take it, but continued walking at a normal pace. At the same time, she looked up and met his deep gaze, as if asking what he meant.

Jun Yanchen kept his arm still, and his deep eyes remained unchanged.

Again, it was just two words: "drink water".

Gu Nanzhi: "..."

Could this person not only have a problem with their legs, but also with their voice? Is it possible that they can only say two words?

For some reason, I sensed a burning intensity in those eyes; they were staring intently, impossible to ignore.

The two stared at each other, their positions shifting forward by two meters.

In the end, Gu Nanzhi was the first to give in. Well, she was indeed thirsty in this heat. She had a spiritual spring in her spatial storage, but it wasn't appropriate to just take out water and a cup that didn't belong to this world from her sleeve. So she could only endure it.

Since Jun Yanchen had taken the initiative to show kindness, she would remember it and repay him later.

Gu Nanzhi quickened her pace slightly and reached out to catch the water bag, saying, "Thank you."

Butler Li and Cang Ling on the other side were also observing the two.

Aside from his earlier surprise, Butler Li was now relieved. This was the first time in so many years that his master had proactively offered water to a woman, and it was his wife no less. It seemed there was something going on between them this time.

Cang Ling was still puzzled by her master's sudden action. Could it be because of the medicine?

However, the water pouch had barely moved from Jun Yanchen's hand to Gu Nanzhi's, and neither of them had retracted their outstretched hands, when a fierce voice came from behind, "What are you doing? Get the hell out of here!"

Gu Nanzhi was immediately displeased by the "I, Laozi" coming from behind her.

She obediently followed along and went to exile in misery. Was this person trying to cause trouble?

Jun Yanchen also shifted his gaze slightly from Gu Nanzhi to the escort who had come up last looking for trouble.

The gaze he had held before Gu Nanzhi was now devoid of its previous indifference, turning sinister. The escort who met his eyes felt a shiver run through him; for a fleeting moment, he seemed to feel a chill creep over him.

He knew the man's identity, but then quickly realized he was no longer a prince, just an exiled convict. What was there to be afraid of?

After a brief internal struggle, he instantly straightened up, regaining his previous ferocity.

He knew perfectly well that he was deliberately causing trouble, since although these people were at the back of the group, they had obediently followed the group ahead the whole way without falling behind.

He just couldn't stand it and didn't want them to live so comfortably, so when he saw Jun Yanchen take out a water pouch from his bundle and hand it to the woman, he couldn't help but want to step forward and teach them a lesson.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't achieve his goal. Just then, the group in front stopped and announced that they would rest for half an hour and have a meal.

Those cold, sinister eyes were still fixed on him, as if conveying the message that if he dared to do anything, he would be in trouble the next second.

Moreover, it wasn't just the oppressive aura emanating from Jun Yanchen; even the woman's gaze was fixed on him with a cold chill.

In the end, he could only suppress his anger for the time being. The road to exile had only just begun, and he refused to believe he wouldn't find an opportunity to teach these people a lesson. How dare they be so arrogant? He would definitely give them a good whipping when the time came. What kind of prince was he? Bah! In his eyes, he was just a crippled good-for-nothing.

And this woman is a princess, right? He'll definitely have to taste the princess's flavor someday.

Thinking this way, my anger seemed to subside a little.

"Rest in place for half an hour"

The man gave up on causing trouble, which Gu Nanzhi appreciated. She withdrew her gaze and prepared to hand the water pouch to Xia He so she could drink. Now that they were resting, she could finally find a chance to get some water. Look at the little girl, her head covered in sweat.