The people of the second branch of the He family were taken aback by her abrupt departure.

They were left dumbfounded.

Zhang quickly said, "Since it's already been brought here, there's no reason to take it away."

"Since you dislike it so much, eating it would probably make you uncomfortable. So why bother?" Shang Ruoyi swayed the wolf meat in her hand, walked up to the third branch, and smiled. "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, would you like some?"

Before they could respond, He Jingxi stepped forward and took the wolf meat. "I'm sure Sister - in - law's cooking won't disappoint. Thank you."

Seeing their son's reaction, the couple remained silent.

After a long day of traveling, they were already starving.

Although Lin was not fond of Shang Ruoyi, she was no fool. On the exile journey, physical strength was of utmost importance.

Originally, they were quite averse to wolf meat, considering it wild game. But now, having meat to eat was a rare luxury.

The moment they took the first bite, they were astonished.

They never expected that roasted wolf meat could be so delicious.

They couldn't help but devour it hungrily.

The people of the second branch watched, their mouths watering. He Ning'an said in a deep voice, "It's all your fault. She brought it to us, and you had to act so picky. Now we have nothing and can only watch."

He Jinghe couldn't help complaining, "Mom, we haven't eaten for a day. Finally, there's some meat, and you ruined it."

Zhang watched them eating with relish and sheepishly closed her mouth, saying no more.

However, her gaze towards Shang Ruoyi grew even more resentful.

That little brat dared to play a trick on her.

She was now certain that Shang Ruoyi had deliberately paraded the meat in front of her without any intention of giving it to the second branch.

Shang Ruoyi handed the last bit of wolf meat to He Jingheng.

"Eat this."

He Jingheng had long smelled the aroma of the wolf meat.

Considering how his extremely picky grandmother had enjoyed it, the taste of this roasted meat must be excellent.

"Thank you."

Shang Ruoyi didn't say anything more and turned towards the pile of wolf skins.

"Sir, I'll go throw these wolf skins away." The guards were engrossed in eating and, without even looking back, waved their hands, telling her to do as she pleased.

Shang Ruoyi left the dilapidated temple, carrying the wolf skins.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she quickly entered the space with the wolf skins.

She washed the wolf skins clean in the spring water and hung them to dry in the space.

These wolf skins were valuable items. The place of exile they were heading to was far away, and the long journey would inevitably take several months.

The current climate was warm, but in a few months, winter would arrive. Dressed so thinly, they might freeze to death before reaching the place of exile.

She then looked at the seedlings growing in the space's fields.

She was once again grateful that on the second day the space had appeared, she had asked the servants to buy her a variety of seeds.

Although she had never planted crops in her previous life, she had at least seen how it was done.

Moreover, the fields in this space seemed different from those in the outside world. The seeds had germinated into seedlings just a few days after being planted.

Currently, there were corn seedlings as well as many vegetable and fruit seedlings in the field. Although they would have a vegetarian diet on this journey, at least they wouldn't starve.

She would figure out the next steps after reaching the place of exile.

When she returned to the temple, the guard frowned. "Why did you take so long?"

"I thought it would be better to throw them far away. In case there are really wild beasts, they won't find us easily."

The guard thought about it and didn't suspect anything.

Shang Ruoyi returned to her spot and closed her eyes to rest.

Just as she closed her eyes, she found herself in the space.

She was startled.

If she disappeared out of thin air in front of so many people, wouldn't she be regarded as a witch?

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

While she was filled with trepidation, the scene outside the space appeared before her eyes. Her body outside was leaning against a stone pier, sound asleep.

Could it be that her consciousness could enter the space independently of her body?

It seemed that this was another new function brought about by the space's upgrade.

She went to the laboratory and prepared several bottles of medicine to promote wound healing.

During this journey, there were bound to be bumps and bruises. In the laboratory, there were only tablets that could be taken orally. Medicines for external use to treat wounds had to be prepared by herself.

Just as she finished preparing the medicine, she exited the space.

By then, it was already late at night, and everyone was sound asleep. The guard on duty was also starting to doze off.

She walked up to He Jingheng. Before she could squat down, the man in front of her suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze, as sharp as that of a hawk, startled Shang Ruoyi.

Seeing that it was her, He Jingheng furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"

She took out a porcelain bottle, ready to apply the medicine to the wound on his arm.

"What is this?"

"When I was dealing with the wolf skins, I found some herbs there. They're helpful for wound healing," Shang Ruoyi said without batting an eyelid, spouting blatant lies.

He Jingheng blocked the wound with his hand, looking at her with a skeptical expression.

"With you in this state, do you still think I'm going to harm you?" Shang Ruoyi rolled up her sleeve, revealing a wound on her arm that had been scratched by a branch, and dripped the medicine onto it.

"See? I've tested it on myself, Young Master. " Shang Ruoyi rolled her eyes. She should have known better than to bother with him. Her kindness was being repaid with ingratitude.

This time, He Jingheng didn't stop her.

Watching her skillfully apply the medicine to his wound, he asked softly, "You know medicine?"

"Yes!" She not only knew it but was proficient in it, Shang Ruoyi nodded.

Seeing He Jingheng's hesitant look, she laughed. "You're not going to ask a stupid question like 'How could a young lady from the Prime Minister's Mansion know medicine?', are you?"

He Jingheng touched his nose and remained silent. But the fleeting look of discomfort on his face was proof that Shang Ruoyi had guessed correctly.

"One becomes a good doctor through long illness. Have you ever heard that saying?" Shang Ruoyi sneered. "What kind of life do you think an unfavored second daughter could have under the thumb of the First Lady? If my mother had been favored, things might have been a bit better. But unfortunately, my mother was a stain in Shang Nian's eyes."

He Jingheng understood.

Many people knew that Shang Nian had once been a poor scholar and had only entered the imperial court after passing the imperial examinations. Over the years, without the help of Shang Ruoyi's maternal grandfather to smooth things over, he could never have reached the position of prime minister.

A first - rank prime minister who had reached his position through an concubine. If word of this got out, who wouldn't laugh at him behind his back?

As the medicine seeped into his flesh, the pain in his body gradually subsided.

He Jingheng looked at the porcelain bottle in her hand, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

What kind of herbs could have such a miraculous effect on relieving pain?

Shang Ruoyi furrowed her brows as she looked at the whip marks on his arm and said in a deep voice, "Are there more on your back?"

He Jingheng smiled. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Why should I be?" Shang Ruoyi said indifferently. "What's this bit of injury? In my previous life, I've seen countless mutilated corpses and severed limbs. These are just some whip marks. What's there to be afraid of?" But these words, when heard by He Jingheng, carried a different meaning.

Denying her food was a form of punishment, wasn't it?

He Jingheng's eyes turned extremely dangerous. What a Prime Minister's Mansion, what a Shang Nian. They were really something.

Looking at the criss - crossed whip marks on his back, Shang Ruoyi was a bit shocked.