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“We’ll be leaving the capital soon,” Shang Ruoyi said calmly. “Since you’re awake, you should eat something.”
She handed him a steamed bun. He Jingheng stared at it for a long moment before finally snapping out of his daze and sneering, “Since you’ve already achieved your goal, why bother following us into exile? Haven’t you done enough harm?”
“With your intelligence, Heir Apparent, you should know this wasn’t my doing.” She shoved the bun into his hand. “Even without me, someone else would have taken my place. It was just a formality.”
He Jingheng glared at her coldly. “At least you have some self-awareness.”
Shang Ruoyi lowered her voice. “Rest assured, Heir Apparent. Once we reach the exile destination and settle in, we’ll divorce. I won’t drag you down.”
*And don’t you dare drag me down either. This lady still wants to travel the world.*
Of course, she kept that last thought to herself.
Divorce?
For some reason, He Jingheng froze for a second upon hearing those words.
When he finally reacted, there was a trace of anger in his voice. “As you wish.”
Shang Ruoyi handed him a water pouch. “Drink.”
Zhang Yiniang and the other two were also given a water pouch each, along with a plain steamed bun.
“How are we supposed to swallow this dry, tasteless thing?” Zhang Yiniang grumbled. “Even the servants in the mansion wouldn’t eat something like this.”
Her son, He Qinian, and his wife, Lin Shuyu, silently ate their buns, occasionally taking sips of water, while Zhang Yiniang continued to complain to herself.
“Ah, my legs hurt so much!”
“My feet are about to fall off!”
“Ugh, is this even fit for humans or just dogs?”
A few prisoners sitting nearby, gnawing on coarse flatbread, scoffed. “Tch, still acting like a noblewoman? Getting white steamed buns and still not satisfied.”
Zhang Yiniang immediately turned to the grimy-looking prisoners and snapped, “You filthy beggars! I’m a concubine of the Dingguo Prince Residence—my status is nothing like you lowly scum!”
The moment they heard “Dingguo Prince Residence,” their eyes turned vicious.
Killing intent!
Shang Ruoyi instantly grew alert.
Not just those three—more than half of the exiled prisoners were glaring at them with hostility.
What was going on?
The Dingguo Prince Residence group sensed something was wrong but couldn’t understand why.
Zhang Yiniang finally grew fearful and awkwardly shut her mouth.
“Zhang Yiniang, watch your tongue!” the Old Princess said sternly. “If you can’t speak properly, then keep quiet.”
With He Jingheng’s leg broken, He Qinian was the only remaining male in their group, and his martial skills were mediocre at best.
If they provoked the crowd’s anger during the exile journey, how would this group of elderly, weak, and women survive?
Clearly, Zhang Yiniang realized the severity of the situation and lowered her head, not daring to speak again.
Just then, a whip cracked ahead.
“Get up, get up! Time to move!” The guards lashed out at a few slow-moving prisoners.
“Hurry up!”
Night was approaching, and this area was known for wolf attacks. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d be in danger.
But some in the exile group were too exhausted to keep up.
Lagging at the back, they were whipped by the impatient guards, but the added injuries only slowed them further.
With three or four such prisoners in the group, they failed to leave the forest before dark.
The sky darkened until the last sliver of light vanished below the horizon—and with it came the time for beasts to hunt.
“Pick up the pace! Just one more mile and we can rest.” The official’s voice mixed with the sound of whipping sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Shang Ruoyi didn’t feel tired at all. Along the journey, she had secretly added Spirit Spring Water to her water pouch several times. Each sip left her refreshed and invigorated.
Though others in the Dingguo Prince Residence hadn’t consumed as much as her, they showed no signs of exhaustion either. He Qinian, in particular, thought his strength had increased, as he carried He Jingheng for so long without feeling sore or numb.
But the others had clearly reached their limits. Just then, rustling sounds suddenly came from deep within the woods.
Shang Ruoyi immediately became alert.
He Jingheng, who also heard the sounds, noticed her expression change and raised an eyebrow.
She had detected the sounds before him.
It seemed Yunqi’s words held some credibility.
Shang Ruoyi subtly moved closer to the Old Princess and Madam Qin.
This slight movement didn’t escape He Jingheng’s notice, and he grew angry. Was this woman planning to use them as shields? How despicable.
Then, a wolf’s howl echoed from the distance.
Trouble!
Wolves were pack animals. In her past life, such howls always signaled the arrival of numerous wolves.
Shang Ruoyi shielded them behind her, her gaze fixed intently ahead, her heart sinking.
If she wanted to escape alone, it would be effortless.
But with so many from the Dingguo Prince Residence, all defenseless, protecting them would be incredibly difficult.
Watching her actions, He Jingheng paused. It seemed he had underestimated her.
The officials panicked at the sight.
Exchanging glances, they abandoned those who could no longer walk and shouted, “Run! Just a few hundred meters to safety! Hurry!”
Terrified by the approaching wolves, the group found renewed strength at the sliver of hope for survival and ran desperately forward.
Those left behind were quickly overtaken by the wolves, torn apart and devoured.
But with dozens of wolves, those few weren’t enough.
Another howl sounded, and the wolves surged past the corpses, charging toward the fleeing crowd.
Shang Ruoyi remained vigilant of the commotion behind.
As more fell prey to the wolves, her unease grew.
Fleeing wasn’t the solution—they couldn’t outrun wolves, especially with fetters weighing them down.
Soon, the wolves surrounded them.
Unlike other animals, wolves were highly hierarchical and fought cooperatively.
Darkness fell completely, the wolves’ eyes gleaming eerily green in the night.
Many began to cry.
Even the usually silent He Yunyi started sobbing quietly.
Then, several wolves lunged at them.
The officials swung their blades with all their might, cutting down the attackers.
The scent of blood enraged the remaining wolves.
They pawed the ground aggressively until a sharp howl from behind spurred them to charge en masse.
Outnumbered, the officials couldn’t keep up with the wolves’ relentless assault.
“Ah! Help!” A man’s agonized scream pierced the air as a wolf clamped onto his leg. Another instantly tore at his throat.
The horrifying sight left the onlookers frozen in terror.
Shang Ruoyi turned to the people from the Dingguo Prince Residence and said, “There are many stones by the roadside. If any wolves come near you, throw the stones at them—throw them hard.”