The old Consort of the Prince turned a deaf ear to Concubine Zhang's outburst and fixed her sharp gaze intently on Shang Ruoyi.

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruoyi was momentarily taken aback. To be honest, ever since she married into the Prince's Mansion, she had made up her mind to find an opportunity to divorce He Jingheng and regain her freedom. Then, like a bird soaring in the vast sky and a fish leaping in the boundless sea, in this second life, she yearned for nothing more than unrestrained freedom.

However, at present, He Jingheng was severely injured and unconscious. The only remaining male in the Dingguo Prince's Mansion was He Qinian, who was a bully to the weak and a coward to the strong. Counting on him to take care of them during the exile was nothing short of a pipe dream.

It was simply impossible for these ladies to reach the place of exile alive on their own.

But it was beyond her capacity, in both her past and present lives, to watch upright and loyal people perish before her eyes.

She looked at the old Consort of the Prince, her eyes resolute, and said, "Since I married into the Prince's Mansion, I am part of this family. How could I seek to survive alone at a time like this?"

The old Consort of the Prince's eyes softened, and a rare smile graced her features. "Well said! From this day forward, Shang Ruoyi is the granddaughter - in - law personally chosen by me. If anyone dares to insult her again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Zhang's face underwent several changes, and eventually, she fell silent.

Even though the Dingguo Prince's Mansion had been sealed and they had become prisoners, the old Consort of the Prince was still her mother - in - law, and she didn't dare to defy her.

The Consort of the Prince looked at the front - most prison cart with a face full of worry, her tears streaming uncontrollably. "What are we going to do about Heng'er?"

The old Consort of the Prince furrowed her brows deeply and slowly closed her eyes.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, a group of soldiers stood under the shade of the trees, impatiently fanning themselves. Seeing the prison carts approaching, they said coldly, "Hurry up. What time is it already?"

Shang Ruoyi and the others were roughly pulled out of the prison carts. Concubine Zhang, losing her balance, fell directly to the ground.

"Ouch, ouch!" She sat on the ground, clutching her leg and wailing.

At this moment, a soldier whipped her hard with a leather whip and shouted loudly, "What are you wailing for? Get up quickly! Do you still think you're a lady? Let me tell you, on the exile route, you're no different from those people." He pointed to the prisoners not far away, who were covered in dirt and whip marks. "Those who don't obey or are lazy, don't blame me for whipping you! And if you try to escape, hum，you'll be beheaded on the spot!"

Looking at the gleaming blade, the female relatives of the Dingguo Prince's Mansion couldn't help but be startled.

The last prison cart held the young princess of the Dingguo Prince's Mansion, He Yunyi. Shang Ruoyi had scarcely seen her sister - in - law since marrying into the Prince's Mansion. According to the servants, the young princess was rather introverted and didn't like going out much. Now, being roughly dropped from the prison cart, her face was as white as a sheet, and she cowered timidly behind the Consort of the Prince.

A soldier eyed Shang Ruoyi and He Yunyi with ill - intent.

While others didn't notice, Shang Ruoyi was extremely sensitive to others' gazes and immediately detected the lecherous look in the soldier's eyes.

She immediately formulated a plan in her mind. On this exile journey, it would be all too easy for the guards escorting them to do whatever they pleased to the prisoners.

It seemed that getting to the place of exile safely would require great effort.

Just then, two guards carried the unconscious He Jingheng and placed him in front of the people of the Dingguo Prince's Mansion.

One of He Jingheng's legs was already broken, and there was a deep knife wound on the calf of the other leg. Presumably, the tendon in that calf was severed. If not reattached, this leg was likely to be crippled.

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"Heng'er!" The Consort of the Prince threw herself onto him, wailing loudly. Looking at the continuously bleeding wound, she was at a loss as to what to do. She wanted to wipe it with a handkerchief but dared not, for fear of hurting him.

The old Consort of the Prince also kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief, her heart aching terribly.

Even Concubine Zhang subconsciously grasped He Qinian's arm tightly, fearing that her son would end up in the same state.

Shang Ruoyi crouched beside He Jingheng, felt his wrist, and couldn't help frowning.

His pulse was extremely weak, the wound showed signs of infection, and his body temperature was gradually rising. If not treated promptly, his life would be in danger.

But at the moment, there was no chance to treat him.

However, she could first give him some fever - reducing and anti - inflammatory medicine.

As soon as this thought emerged in her mind, two tablets appeared in her palm.

Could it be that the items in the space could be controlled by her thoughts? She tried again, and indeed, two more white tablets appeared in her palm.

This was incredibly convenient.

Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she put the tablets into He Jingheng's mouth.

She pressed a point on the acupoint on his neck, and his throat twitched, swallowing the two tablets.

Just as she finished this, she heard the guard shout loudly, "Get up, get up! Time to start moving!"

The people of the Dingguo Prince's Mansion were shocked. In He Jingheng's current state, how could he travel?

"Sir Guard, in my son's current condition, how can he travel?" Before the Consort of the Prince could finish speaking, she was pushed to the ground by the guard. "I don't care how you travel! If you delay the schedule, I'll feed him to the wolves!"

Shang Ruoyi looked at He Qinian and said in a deep voice, "Now, in our He family, only you are capable of carrying him."

Before He Qinian could speak, Concubine Zhang's shrill voice rang out. "Are you insane? Asking my son to carry this He Jingheng, who might be dead or alive?"

"Concubine Zhang, how can you say such a thing?" The Consort of the Prince said angrily. "Heng'er is the Young Master. Why can't your son carry him?"

"Our Prince's Mansion is gone! What Young Master? Look at He Jingheng. Even if he survives, he'll be a cripple. How can he carry on the family line for our He family? The only one we can count on now is Nian'er." Concubine Zhang's words made everyone turn their eyes to He Jingheng's legs and then look at Shang Ruoyi with pity.

A young and innocent girl, just married and already starting to live like a widow.

"Even if Heng'er is a cripple, he is the legitimate child of our He family," the old Consort of the Prince said in a deep voice. "Qiniao, quickly carry your elder brother on your back."

He Qinian had been afraid of his grandmother since childhood. He quickly stepped forward and carried He Jingheng on his back.

Shang Ruoyi stood aside and said softly, "Thank you."

"Hey, you people, are you done yet?" The guard brandished the whip in his hand. Although he didn't lash out, the sound of it swishing through the air still startled everyone present.

He Yunyi was so frightened that she kept whimpering softly.

"Yunyi, don't be afraid," Shang Ruoyi said, stepping forward and taking her hand.

"Sister - in - law..."

Shang Ruoyi patted her on the back. "You must stay close to me."

Remembering the guard's lecherous gaze, Shang Ruoyi said in a solemn voice, "Wherever you go, even if it's to the toilet, you must call me. Understand?"

He Yunyi nodded vigorously. The unease that had been weighing on her heart seemed to find a sense of security at this moment.

The exiled group walked along the path on the outskirts of the city towards the distance. On the city wall, two people stood at a high point, watching this scene.

"Your Highness, are you just going to let the He family leave like this?" The speaker was none other than Shang Ruoyi's scumbag father, Shang Nian.

"What else should I do?" The man, dressed in a purple robe, had a sinister smile playing on his lips.