Hearing this, the prince and princess of the Xiao Wang Mansion expressed their profound gratitude.

"Attendants! Search for suspicious individuals around the post station. The murderer must not be allowed to go unpunished!"

"Yes!"

He Lingsheng's men set out in a grand manner to look for suspicious people, while the real instigator was cooking for the guards.

Shang Ruoyi stir - fried a plate of shredded pork with green peppers and a plate of eggs. She claimed to have found wild eggs and wild peppers on the mountain, but in fact, these were taken from her space.

"Chief, this is the best - catered escort mission for exiles I've ever had."

Zhang Hu nodded. Not only was the food the best, but they also received the most silver.

Was Shang Ruoyi really the unfavored concubine - born daughter as people said?

Not to mention a concubine - born daughter, even a legitimate daughter might not have so much gold and silver at her disposal.

Little did he know that the money Shang Ruoyi used for bribing was from the dowry in her space. As for the things in the treasury of the Dingguo Prince's Mansion, she hadn't touched a single cent.

When she returned with two plates of dishes, the eyes of the He family members lit up.

"There's actually meat!" He Jingxi exclaimed. "There's enough for each person to have a piece."

Although the two plates of dishes were not abundant, on the way of exile, they should be secretly delighted to have such food.

Seeing them eating so deliciously, the other prisoners were so greedy that their mouths watered. They bit hard into their coarse - grain cakes, as if they could taste the flavor of meat.

At this moment, they saw that there was actually a piece of meat and several pieces of eggs in Fuzi's bowl, and they couldn't help but envy him.

Just then, a man came forward and knelt beside Shang Ruoyi. "Miss Shang, do you need a servant? I used to be a bodyguard in a security company and know some martial arts."

Shang Ruoyi looked at him and nodded. "That could be possible."

In fact, Shang Ruoyi had noticed him for a while. This man was burly and clearly a martial artist. The journey ahead was long, and there were many female relatives in the He family's group. There was no guarantee that there would be no danger.

Having a bodyguard in the group would make them much safer.

"Thank you, miss. My name is Li Wenyuan."

Shang Ruoyi handed him a pair of chopsticks and a bowl. "There's rice in the pot. Serve yourself."

Seeing that she had taken in another bodyguard, the He family members couldn't help but worry.

If this continued, how could there be enough food?

He Jingheng's eyes fell on Li Wenyuan, and looking at the food in his bowl, he lost his appetite.

"Why aren't you eating?" Shang Ruoyi saw him put down his chopsticks. "Is the food not to your taste?"

"I'm full." He Jingheng tapped the table with his index finger, and He Qinian quickly helped him up.

The leg that He Jingheng had reattached could already be used for walking, but the other leg still couldn't. The skin and flesh had started to heal, but he still limped when walking.

He Jingheng sat on a stone, with his back to the crowd. He Yunyi, looking at her brother's posture, walked up to Shang Ruoyi and whispered, "I never thought my brother would be like this today."

"Hmm?" Shang Ruoyi didn't understand. "What's wrong with He Jingheng?"

"I used to only read in storybooks about men being jealous, but I always thought such things only happened in storybooks. In reality, how could a man be like a petty woman? But today, I actually saw it with my own eyes." He Yunyi's voice was very low, but it sounded like thunder to Shang Ruoyi. "Sister - in - law, my brother is jealous because you took in a bodyguard."

What?

Jealous?

How could that be possible?

The two of them had agreed that they would discuss divorce when they reached the place of exile.

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"You're overthinking it." Shang Ruoyi shook her head. "Your brother isn't the type to be jealous. Besides, we've only been married for a few days, and we only saw each other on the wedding day."

"Don't you know, sister - in - law?"

"Know what?"

"You're just like the beauty in the storybooks who makes people fall in love at first sight. Which man wouldn't like you?" In He Yunyi's eyes, Shang Ruoyi was an extremely perfect person. "If I were a man, I would definitely marry you no matter what."

Shang Ruoyi couldn't help but rub her forehead. Her sister - in - law, who claimed to dislike going out and meeting people, was actually reading storybooks in her room all the time.

She looked at He Jingheng, who was sitting on the stone, eyes closed, resting. She really couldn't imagine what this man would be like if he fell in love with a woman.

She didn't notice that two men in the prisoner team exchanged a glance, as if they were quite surprised.

In the following few days, it was sunny every day, and the temperature rose day by day. Coincidentally, they were traveling along a mountainous route with no water source in sight.

The water supplied by the guards was almost used up.

Shang Ruoyi had secretly added spiritual spring water to the water bags several times. Otherwise, their water would have run out long ago.

"What kind of damned weather is this? A few days ago, it was pouring with rain, and these days, it's extremely dry." The guards wiped the sweat from their foreheads, becoming increasingly irritable.

The prisoners were so thirsty that their lips were chapped.

The He family members hid their water bags, fearing that the little water they had left would be snatched away.

"Mother." Concubine Qin poured a small amount of water and handed it to the old princess. "Have a drink."

The old princess drank the water and sighed. "It seems that the road ahead will be getting more and more difficult."

He Zhiyuan nodded. "Yes! It seems there's a severe drought here."

In the past few days, the land they passed by was cracked, indicating that it hadn't rained for quite some time.

It was the season for planting grains now, but due to the lack of water in the land, all the seedlings had withered, and the farmland was barren.

As they were talking, they saw a group of people approaching from afar. They were dressed in rags and were clearly refugees.

Seeing the firelight here, they walked towards it.

Unexpectedly, it was the guards escorting prisoners.

An elderly man came forward, his back slightly hunched, and said to the guards, "Sir, we are villagers from Lijia Village. I'm Li Gui, the village head. It's getting late, and we really can't continue our journey. I wonder if we can stay here for the night? Don't worry, sir. We'll just make do outside the temple. We won't disturb you."

Zhang Hu nodded. "You can stay inside too."

Hearing this, the old man was overjoyed and quickly called on the villagers to come in.

"Old man, are you all moving?" Zhang Hu walked up to him, looking at the hundreds of villagers with a frown. "What happened in Lijia Village?"

Mentioning this, Li Gui let out a long sigh. "It's a long story. Our Lijia Village has been suffering from a severe drought for three consecutive years. The crops in the fields have failed completely. Moreover, we have to pay taxes every year. We have no other choice. Otherwise, who would be willing to leave their homes?" After a pause, he continued, "In the village, most of the elderly and children have starved to death. Alas, it's tragic."

Just then, the cry of a baby came out.

Li Gui quickly walked over and said in a deep voice, "Quickly find a way to stop her from crying. We it's not easy found a place to stay. If we anger the guards and they drive us out, what shall we do?"

"But..."

Just then, a jade - like hand held out a bowl of water in front of the baby. "Drink this. It might help."