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

After the horses were sold, Gu Nanzhi led Taxue away from the stable. Finding a secluded spot, she took out a vast array of items from her spatial storage: grains, various seasonings, pots and pans, and more—a truly complete collection, all plundered without spending a single penny.

Not only these things, but she also took out the clothes she had just bought. With so many items and no proper packaging, she spent time finding fabric, packing them separately, tying them in pairs with rope, and then having Ta Xue carry them.

"Ta Xue, you've worked hard. I'll give you something delicious to eat later. Let's go."

Having finished their business here, and with time running out, Gu Nanzhi led Taxue through the East Market to the restaurant to pick up the ordered food and drinks.

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After separating from Gu Nanzhi, Chen Gang found a place to relieve himself, and his stomachache subsided. He then prepared to go find Gu Nanzhi again, but he couldn't find her even after going to the rice shop.

He wandered around the streets by himself for a while, and eventually ran into Chen Qiang.

When Chen Qiang saw that Gu Nanzhi was alone and he didn't hear her voice, his heart skipped a beat. Could that woman have run away?

"Gangzi, why are you alone? Where is Gu Nanzhi?"

"Big brother, it's you guys. Miss Gu went to buy something. I felt unwell in my stomach while we were walking, but we didn't have much time, so I asked Miss Gu to go buy something first. She can meet us at the meeting point after she's done." Chen Gang was worried that his older brothers would suspect Miss Gu, so he took the blame and said that he was the one who asked Miss Gu to split up.

Chen Qiang was almost driven mad by his naive younger brother when he heard this.

"You're being foolish. Gu Nanzhi is an exiled convict. What if she takes this opportunity to escape?"

If Gu Nanzhi really escaped from Chen Gang's hands, then Chen Gang will be held accountable. Moreover, Gu Nanzhi is married to the Prince of Yan, which will implicate him even more.

"Brother, no, Miss Gu won't run away. I trust her. She'll definitely come back when the time comes. Miss Gu is very capable; if she wanted to run away, she would have done so long ago. Why would she have suffered with us for several days and only run away now?"

Chen Gang still chose to believe Gu Nanzhi. Since she had promised not to run away, she definitely wouldn't.

"Also, I just accompanied her to the clothing store, and Miss Gu bought clothes for the Prince and the others. Miss Gu certainly wouldn't abandon the Prince and the others and run away alone."

Chen Qiang felt that his younger brother might be a little slow-witted. Although Gu Nanzhi promised not to run away, who knew? After all, this was exile, and in a godforsaken place like Junlan at that—a place where life was full of hardship and misery.

It was precisely because of her great abilities that if she successfully escaped and lived in seclusion there, it would be better than going to a place like Junlan.

Another escort who was traveling with Chen Qiang also felt that Chen Gang had definitely been deceived.

“Chen Gang, just because she says she won’t run away doesn’t mean you’ll believe her. And don’t forget, she knows medicine. Your stomach discomfort might be because she drugged you to get you out of the way.”

"Impossible, don't talk nonsense, Miss Gu would never run away," Chen Gang retorted. "Brother, don't worry, Miss Gu will definitely come back when it's time to assemble. We'll just wait."

I trust Miss Gu. If she doesn't return, then she escaped from my grasp, and I will accept the appropriate punishment. I won't implicate my elder brother or the other brothers.”

Anyway, he had already sent the man to act alone. No matter what the outcome, Chen Gang, as a man, would naturally take responsibility for his choice. His words were righteous and eloquent.

"Hmph, sir, in my opinion, that little slut must have run away. Since she's skilled and even knows medicine, why would she willingly stay and be exiled to Junlan, a useless and dying man like Prince Yan?" At this moment, the man from the Zhao family who had come into town with them to shop spoke up.

Regardless of whether Gu Nanzhi would escape, his only goal was to incite the guards' suspicion and dissatisfaction towards that bitch, letting her steal the limelight and hide so much money.

If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have needed to spend ten taels of silver to persuade the escort to make the purchase;

The person has been gone for some time now, and even if Chen Qiang wanted to search for them, he wouldn't know where to begin. Therefore, he could only accept this outcome for the time being and wait until 4:45 PM (5:45 PM) to find out whether the person had escaped or not.

It would be best if they didn't escape. If they did escape, we can only report them to the authorities immediately for arrest and then take control of the other people in the Prince Yan's Mansion.

"Shut up, you have no right to speak here."

Chen Qiang yelled at the Zhao family members who were speaking, saying that regardless of the outcome, this was a matter between the escorts, and it was none of his business as an exile.

He then turned to Chen Gang seriously and said, "Gangzi, things have come to this. We'll see what happens at four quarters past noon. If the person doesn't return, you will be held responsible."

At this time, it wasn't just him and his younger brother who knew; there were other brothers present as well. Therefore, he couldn't protect his younger brother and implicate the other brothers, otherwise he would be an incompetent eldest brother.

"Don't worry, brother, I'll take care of it myself."

Chen Gang wasn't afraid. He believed that Gu Nanzhi wouldn't lie and would come back. Even if she ran away, it didn't matter. After all, Miss Gu had saved his life, and he could bear the consequences.

"Okay, now you can come with us."

"yes, Sir"

Next, Chen Gang followed Chen Qiang and the others. After all the supplies were purchased, they went together to the agreed meeting point after entering the town to wait for the other escort and Gu Nanzhi to return.

As time passed, the four escorts had all returned, along with representatives from the other three families. Now, only Gu Nanzhi was missing.

However, there was still a little while before the agreed time.

After waiting a while longer, and still no one returning, some of them couldn't contain themselves any longer. The first to speak up was the escort who had initially claimed that Chen Gang had been tricked.

"Brother, Gangzi, the time is almost up, and no one has come yet. Gu Nanzhi may have really run away."

"Yes, brother, why don't we report it to the authorities as soon as possible?"

The escape of an exiled prisoner midway through the journey is no small matter and must be reported to the authorities for capture as soon as possible.

"Well, sir, I told you that the slut must have abandoned that good-for-nothing Prince Yan and run away alone. You didn't believe me, but now you've waited until now."

"Perhaps, what this official said earlier is true. Your discomfort was caused by that vile woman drugging you, and you foolishly believed her."

Both the Zhao and Xiao families believed that Gu Nanzhi had run away, and were even secretly excited about it.

The only member of the Qi family remained silent, but he couldn't help but wonder if the woman had truly abandoned the others and run away alone. After all, the woman was capable, and given the current state of the Yan Prince's Mansion, it was understandable that she would make such a choice.

"Shut up, all of you! I believe Miss Gu won't run away!" Chen Gang roared, then turned to Chen Qiang and said, "Brother, the time hasn't come yet. Miss Gu will come back. Just wait a little longer."