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

Upon hearing Qian Laosi's words, Chen Qiang didn't have time to think further. His brother's condition was very bad. This wasn't his first time escorting prisoners; he had traveled quite a bit and had encountered similar situations before. However, those had happened to prisoners, and in those cases, the poison hadn't been neutralized in time, leading to the prisoner's death after two days.

At that time, he didn't take it that seriously. After all, it was a journey of exile; if a few people were killed in an accident along the way, he could still explain it away.

But since it happened to his brother, it had to be taken seriously. Moreover, judging from his brother's bluish complexion, he could tell that this poison was much stronger than the one they had encountered before.

Chen Qiang immediately stood up and strode over to Gu Nanzhi, looking down at her.

"You know pharmacology?"

Gu Nanzhi sat on the rock, seemingly the weaker party in terms of posture, but her calm expression was in no way diminished in front of the seemingly fierce Chen Qiang.

"meeting"

Gu Nanzhi's appearance alone would raise suspicions about her knowledge of pharmacology, but her confident tone made her seem convincing. Mainly, Chen Qiang had no other choice; as the leader of the escort team, he was naturally familiar with the route and itinerary.

Whether they were heading forward or backward, reaching a place with a doctor wouldn't be a quick journey, even if they were rushing. And given his brother's current condition, he couldn't guarantee he could hold out until then.

"My brother was bitten by a poisonous snake, please go and take a look at him."

These past two days, Gu Nanzhi has always been very good at understanding the rules and handling things. Now that Chen Qiang needed her help, he said "please" with a hint of respect, but upon closer inspection, his words were quite forceful and left no room for refusal.

Gu Nanzhi didn't mind, after all, this was an opportunity for her. Saving people was no problem, but she couldn't let it go unrewarded.

"Okay"

He readily agreed to the request, and at the same time, he stood up from the stone and went to take a look at the object.

"Miss"

At the same time, Xia He, who was standing next to her, was still worried and gently tugged at her young mistress's sleeve. Although Xia He knew that her young mistress had medical skills after being enlightened by the immortal, she was still a little worried about her going to treat the escort who had been poisoned by snakes.

Gu Nanzhi could only smile at her, give her a reassuring look, gently pat her hand, and then walk towards Chen Gang.

Jun Yanchen watched all this quietly. When he saw Gu Nanzhi walk in that direction, he raised his eyes and gave Cang Ling a look. Without saying a word, Cang Ling understood his meaning, nodded and followed Gu Nanzhi's steps, adopting a protective posture.

Without a word, Gu Nanzhi examined the teeth marks on Chen Gang's leg, then took his pulse. She quickly determined the type of snake venom Chen Gang had been poisoned by and provided initial treatment.

In other words, while Gu Nanzhi was examining Chen Gang, Old Cao, who had been summoned by Chen Qiang to inquire whether any of the exiled families knew anything about pharmacology, returned. He also brought back news that none of the other three families understood pharmacology. This meant that their only hope now lay with Gu Nanzhi.

"Lord Chen, give me a strip of cloth and some water, quickly."

Chen Qiang and the others looked at Gu Nanzhi with tense and apprehensive expressions. Upon hearing what she needed, they immediately reacted.

"Quick, water, water!"

"Find the strips of cloth"

"Give"

Gu Nanzhi took the cloth and quickly tied it around Chen Gang's calf about 8cm from the snake fang mark. Then she rinsed the wound with water.

Now that we've done all that and reached this point, it's time to discuss terms.

"He was bitten by a snake called the banded krait. Symptoms of this venom include respiratory paralysis, respiratory failure, dizziness, cyanosis of the lips, dilated pupils, loss of pupillary light reflex, and coma. If not treated in time, he will die within two hours."

The symptoms Gu Nanzhi described were simply echoes some of the symptoms Chen Gang was currently exhibiting, albeit milder ones. This led Chen Qiang and the others to acknowledge her pharmacological abilities.

They were also increasingly worried about Chen Gang's condition. He would die from the poison in two hours. Two hours wasn't a long time, but it would pass in the blink of an eye. If no one knew how to cure the poison, two hours wouldn't be enough for them to get him to the doctor, even if they rode at full speed.

Let alone whether we can find a doctor in the next town,

At this point, they could only place their hopes on Gu Nanzhi. Since she could describe what kind of venomous snake had bitten her, she must have a way to help.

"Your Highness, do you have the cure for this poison?"

Unable to find a better address for the moment, Chen Qiang used the title "Princess Consort," and indeed, he needed her help at the moment.

The other guards also looked at Gu Nanzhi, which showed that they cared about Chen Gang.

"Sure, but I don't act rashly. If you want the antidote, there are conditions."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiang and the others' expressions instantly turned grim. Was this considered taking advantage of someone's misfortune?

Using Chen Gang's life as leverage to gain benefits at this time is nothing short of despicable.

Cang Ling, who had been standing coldly behind Gu Nanzhi, hadn't expected Gu Nanzhi to bring up terms at this moment. But thinking about the lady's behavior over the past two days, everything seemed quite reasonable.

He even suspected that the reason the lady had agreed to come over so readily was because of the conditions she hadn't yet mentioned.

However, Chen Qiang glanced at Chen Gang, who was lying on the ground, weak and struggling to breathe. His expression darkened slightly, but he had to suppress his dissatisfaction and ask a question.

"What are your conditions?"

"Lord Chen, my condition is very simple. These shackles are quite heavy, so please remove them from us. Lord Chen, is my request simple enough?"

Gu Nanzhi calmly stated her conditions. She had been thinking about how to create an opportunity to bring them up, but Chen Gang had unexpectedly given her the chance, so how could she let it slip by?

After all, it's a life at stake, and Chen Qiang is Chen Gang's brother; surely they wouldn't just stand by and watch him die.

Even if Chen Qiang disagrees, she hasn't lost anything. It's just a matter of finding another opportunity to openly remove the shackles. It doesn't matter.

However, the seemingly simple conditions Gu Nanzhi mentioned were anything but simple in the eyes of these escorts. They were now exiled prisoners; did this woman even know what exile meant, yet she dared to be so carefree and relaxed?

Furthermore, these shackles are also worn to prevent them from escaping midway. If they are unlocked and escape, then the escorts responsible for the journey will be held accountable.

The guards' expressions were now even more unpleasant than when Gu Nanzhi had mentioned the conditions just a moment ago; they clearly didn't respect the authority of the guards at all.

Each of them wore a fierce expression, while also staring at their leader, Chen Qiang. They knew their leader would never agree to such a request.

As expected, Chen Qiang rejected the condition without much hesitation.

"No"

How could he agree to such a request? Not only was wearing shackles an imperial decree, a legal requirement, but Chen Qiang wasn't some ignorant lowly escort; he possessed some understanding of the power dynamics and situations of the major forces in the capital.