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

Gu Nanzhi wasn't the quiet, reserved type in her past life. Although she grew up without family, she was doted on by her master. She was quite mischievous as a child, but matured gradually as she experienced more. She tends to be a bit aloof in front of strangers.

In front of his master and Bai Su and the others, he still maintained that clever and quick-witted demeanor.

After a long day, enjoying such a delicious meal is a welcome relief, and everyone seems to have warmed up a bit more.

"Come on, Jun Yanchen, you should have some rabbit too. If it weren't for the limited seasonings, the taste would be absolutely amazing."

"Uncle Li, here you go."

She immediately set aside three rabbit legs, then realized she wanted to eat them, so without feeling embarrassed, she addressed the other two directly.

"Cang Ling, Zhou Cai, you guys eat the chicken legs. I'll take this rabbit leg; you can help yourselves."

Butler Li and Zhou Cai were also moved by Gu Nanzhi's kindness; for a moment, they forgot their sorrow of exile and all smiled.

"Alright, thank you, Madam. We won't stand on ceremony then."

"Don't be so polite. The six of us are practically a small group now, so we should help each other out. It wouldn't be comfortable if we stayed distant."

Gu Nanzhi seemed the most casual; ignoring everyone else, she broke off the last rabbit leg and took a big bite.

Hmm...it still lacks flavor, but for now it's already delicious and fragrant;

Seeing how much she enjoyed her meal, Jun Yanchen, who was to her left, also put the meat in his hand to his mouth and started eating. It was indeed delicious, much more delicious than the meat that the soldiers sometimes grilled in the camp during their marches.

The six-person team thoroughly enjoyed their meal, with fragrant grilled meat, baked flatbread, and steamed buns. They were not only satisfied but also very full.

Even after finishing half a rabbit leg, Gu Nanzhi sighed, "Ah, if only we had a bottle of wine with this!"

She has quite a bit of wine in her storage space, but it's best not to be so blatant right now. She'll have an excuse when she finds an opportunity to buy more.

Gu Nanzhi's behavior made Jun Yanchen see her carefree attitude, which explained why she had such thoughts during their conversation during the day.

They were enjoying their meal, but it was a hardship for those who could only watch and smell the aroma. Even Chen Qiang and the other escorts, who also had a pheasant, felt that their chickens didn't taste as good as Gu Nanzhi's.

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.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Commander Wang, the Crown Prince, and the Prime Minister stood trembling with fear, heads bowed, before the Emperor, whose face was grim, to receive his questioning.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant, along with the Dali Temple and Commander Wang, has thoroughly examined the national treasury, private vaults, and the Eastern Palace where His Highness the Crown Prince resides. Based on the testimonies of the guards on duty last night and the findings of the on-site investigation, it appears that only a few footprints left by thieves were previously discovered. Judging from the footprints, it seems to be the work of the same person."

Furthermore, based on the size of the footprints, it can be determined that they were left by a woman. No other traces of thieves were found, and nothing unusual was discovered anywhere last night.”

This is precisely what is hard to understand: how could a woman quietly take away so many things when so many crimes were committed in one night, and the places were heavily guarded?

"Later, news came that the Prime Minister's residence and the residence of Minister of Revenue Gu were both robbed last night, and like the national treasury, all the valuables in the residences were quietly emptied."

Upon learning this news, your humble servant and Commander Wang suspected it might be the work of the same person. Therefore, we led our subordinates to the Prime Minister's residence and Lord Gu's residence to investigate. The results confirmed our suspicions; we found the same footprints, and nothing unusual was discovered.

While reporting on the search, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was himself completely baffled; this was the most perplexing case he had ever encountered.

No matter how you analyze it, it doesn't make sense. Besides the only footprint found, there are no other clues, and even that footprint seems to him the same as having no clues at all.

It's just too ordinary, too commonplace.

"The only difference is in Lord Gu's residence, because the thieves not only emptied the mansion of its valuables, but also injured people. All the masters in Lord Gu's residence, including Lord Gu himself, have developed various symptoms."

In short, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review said a lot, but the conclusion was that the case was making no progress. The Emperor's face darkened further upon hearing this; the national treasury was now completely empty, even his private treasury hadn't escaped the theft, and the residences of other ministers had also been robbed.

After searching all day, all I got was a message that I found nothing.

Noticing the Emperor's change in attitude, Commander Wang, who was standing nearby, also spoke up.

"Your Majesty, what Lord Zheng said is all true. We have interrogated the guards on duty at the national treasury and the residences of several officials last night, and found nothing unusual about their actions."

Furthermore, judging from the footprints left by the thief, they were all left by one person. But how could a woman move freely in such a heavily guarded palace and take away so much wealth? We, your subjects, truly cannot understand it.”

Commander Wang's words were like adding fuel to the fire, which only fueled the emperor's anger. So many people had searched all day and found nothing. Now they came to him saying they couldn't understand it. Did they want him to investigate himself?

"Waste, a bunch of waste"

Enraged, the emperor swept the memorials and teacups off the table before him. His fury terrified the servants and eunuchs attending him, who all knelt on the ground, heads bowed.

The four people standing in front didn't stand idly by either; their movements were incredibly swift, as if they had knelt on the ground at the same time as the scattered memorials and teacups.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"Father, please calm your anger."

The emperor swung his hand back and slammed it heavily onto the table, making a loud thud.

"bang"

The deafening sound seemed to strike the hearts of everyone kneeling on the ground, sending shivers down their spines.

"Calm down, calm down! What can you do besides tell me to calm down? How could such a thief move freely inside and outside the palace overnight and steal valuables? After a whole day of investigation, this is the result you present to me. What use are you to me?"

Is it their fault? Didn't they want to find the thief and recover the stolen goods as soon as possible? So many people went back and forth to the places where the theft occurred, searching down to the smallest rat holes, practically checking every speck of dust.

But the result was still the same; there was no trace at all, as if... as if those things had vanished into thin air, leaving no way to investigate.

When the emperor unleashed his anger, everyone was terrified and dared not utter a word. At that moment, the silence was so profound that you could hear a pin drop.

If word gets out that the national treasury has been robbed, it will unsettle the people. Moreover, rumors of defying the emperor's authority have already appeared in the city. If there is no explanation, where will the emperor's dignity be?

Furthermore, if the stolen goods cannot be recovered, replenishing the national treasury becomes a top priority, but rumors have already circulated...