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

After everything was arranged, the twelve escorts were already divided into two tables and eating and drinking. Hot water was first delivered to Gu Nanzhi's room.

That's perfect. Now that we have this option, after three days, we can finally wash up.

After everything was almost ready, the ordered table of dishes was brought up and delivered to Jun Yanchen's room in the middle.

"Cang Ling, go and call Nan Nan over for dinner."

"Yes"

Cang Ling left her room and knocked on the door of the room next door where Gu Nanzhi was, but Xia He answered the door instead.

"Miss Xiahe, please come and have your meal, Madam."

As soon as Cang Ling finished speaking, Gu Nanzhi had already reached the door. Cang Ling immediately bowed to her and said again,

"Madam, please come and have your meal."

"Alright, Xiahe, let's go eat."

Since Xinzi doesn't belong to ancient times, her overall demeanor and behavior are more unrestrained. She walks out the door and closes the door behind her, where Xia He closes it.

Upon entering the middle room, I asked another question.

"Did they call Uncle Li and the others?"

Not yet

Cang Ling behind him answered,

Go and call them over to join us.

"Yes"

After speaking, Gu Nanzhi knocked on the door. Receiving a response from Jun Yanchen inside, she pushed the door open and entered the room. Jun Yanchen was already seated at the table, where food was laid out.

"Nan Nan, come and sit down."

Gu Nanzhi didn't stand on ceremony and walked over to sit down directly. She also looked at the dishes on the table. They were simple, with both meat and vegetables. They didn't look particularly appealing, but at a time like this, being able to eat such a hot meal was already quite good.

Xia He stood obediently behind her young mistress.

"Master, Madam"

A moment later, Cang Ling entered with Butler Li and Zhou Cai, but they all stood aside like Xia He when they arrived at the table.

Unlike before in the wilderness, they were subordinates and could not eat at the same table as their masters; they could not disregard the rules.

Upon seeing this, Gu Nanzhi finally realized, "Oh right, this is a time when rules and hierarchy were extremely important, but this is a special period."

Her eyes darted around, glancing at Jun Yanchen sitting to her right, then at the four people standing.

"Jun Yanchen, Uncle Li, I know you were very particular about rules when you were in the Prince's mansion, but we are now in exile, and the situation is different. So, how about we be a little more flexible about meals and sit down to eat together?"

"We don't have the means right now, and setting up two tables would be wasteful. Of course, this is just my personal suggestion. If you disagree, then please hurry and ask the messenger to bring a few dishes to divide them up."

If it were just her and Xia He, things wouldn't be so particular. According to Xia He's description, the two of them used to rely on each other for survival when they lived on the estate.

Now that she's decided to protect this little girl, she'll treat her like a younger sister, so she naturally can't do something like making her stand aside and watch her finish her meal before she eats herself.

Moreover, we're not in a wealthy family now, where we have to follow those rules to avoid giving others something to talk about.

But Jun Yanchen and the other three were just part of the same group as them. They used to be from a prince's mansion, so there were definitely more rules for them. As an outsider, she couldn't decide other people's affairs, so she could only make a suggestion.

As soon as Gu Nanzhi spoke, Steward Li and the others immediately declined the offer. Last night, eating alone in the wilderness with only one bowl each was one thing, but dining with their master was something else entirely.

How dare I overstep my bounds and sit at the same table as my master?

"Madam, you mustn't!"

"Madam, please begin your meal. This old servant will attend to you. We will eat after you have finished."

"Please, Master and Madam, have your meal first."

Letting them eat first would mean eating leftovers, regardless of how the world treats its subordinates.

But she did what she thought was best. Since they couldn't sit at the same table, she figured she'd just have to get bowls to divide the food.

Just as she was about to speak, Jun Yanchen, who had been silent, spoke up.

"sit down"

Those two simple words conveyed his attitude, and they carried an undeniable authority over Butler Li and the others. In their eyes, Jun Yanchen was always their pillar of support; they would unconditionally obey whatever he said.

Even so, this was still breaking the rules, so they didn't move for the time being.

"master"

"Listen to Nan Nan, the situation is special, sit down."

Jun Yanchen added that in other matters, once an order is given, others simply need to carry it out; he never repeats his orders.

Cang Ling understood this all too well, and in response, he bowed respectfully to his two masters.

"Yes, Master."

He then stepped forward and sat upright on the long bench, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

Since his master had already given the order, based on his experience, it was best to obey, no matter what the order was. Besides, his master wasn't as outwardly affectionate as he seemed.

His master didn't pay much attention to these rules, especially back in the military camp when they were on campaigns. He didn't adhere to these rules at all, and even ate and slept with his subordinates.

It was simply that he later returned to the capital. After all, it was the capital city, unlike the military camp, where one had to pay attention to rules and regulations in all aspects of conduct.

Cang Ling sat down, but Steward Li, Zhou Cai, and Xia He still hesitated. This was a prince, and they, as his subordinates, were still uneasy about dining at the same table with him, even though it was the prince who had spoken.

And then there's Xia He. How could she be so unruly and presumptuous? Her young mistress is nice to her, but there's a prince sitting here, and her understanding of the prince is still mostly based on rumors. She dares not relax her guard.

Gu Nanzhi still appreciated Jun Yanchen's orders. After all, at this time, it was truly exile, and to still emphasize those formalities seemed a bit pretentious to her.

In this situation, the best outcome would be for everyone to arrive safely and completely at Junlan, the place of exile. As for the rules, once you've settled in Junlan, you can set them however you like.

But since we're still on the road, we need to be flexible and adaptable; otherwise, we'll just be creating more problems.

Just like those among the other exiles who still expected to be served, their journey wouldn't be so easy.

Having received Jun Yanchen's response, Gu Nanzhi then turned slightly and pulled Xia He behind her.

"Xia He, come sit down and eat. Hurry up, your young lady is very hungry."

"And Uncle Li, Zhou Cai, you too, please sit down."

It wasn't that Gu Nanzhi was urging her; she was genuinely hungry. She hadn't eaten well at noon, and after walking for so long, she believed everyone would be hungry by now.

As a result, this matter will delay our meal time.

"Uncle Li, Zhou Cai, the mistress has already spoken. Let's listen to the mistress."

Cang Ling, who had already sat down, chimed in, "Now is not the time to dwell on these rules. Considering the current situation, what the lady said is absolutely right."

Moreover, the lady said she was hungry. Given how much his master cared about her, if they were to delay any longer, the master would probably be displeased.