Mu Zhizhi's family situation is a bit complicated. Her mother passed away when she was ten years old, and her father remarried not long after.

When the stepmother first came into the family, she treated her very well. But after she gave birth to her younger brother, she discovered that her father didn't care much about her as his daughter, so he began to ignore her.

Yes, it wasn't abuse, it was just neglect, and she allowed all the servants who mistreated her to go unpunished, ignoring all their evil deeds against her.

She herself never took action, but the servants, in order to curry favor with her, began to find all sorts of ways to cause her trouble.

Either her father would finally remember to test her homework, only to have her handwriting splattered with ink and rendered unrecognizable, or her newly embroidered birthday picture would be cut into pieces.

They were all minor incidents, and none of them actually hurt her.

She had complained to her father, but he ignored her cries and pleas, looking at his smiling stepmother and adorable younger brother.

No, the wind didn't even reach his ear before it dissipated.

After that, she never went to bother anyone again. She simply dismissed the servants and stayed alone in her courtyard, doing everything herself.

Despite being a young lady from a wealthy and noble family, she lived like a weed in a secluded courtyard.

The only thing to be thankful for is that her mother had taught her a lot before she left, which enabled her to survive even so and become more resilient.

Therefore, even after she got married, she didn't like having anyone serve her, because those subtle, hidden criticisms left a very deep and bad impression on her.

Even knowing that the General's Mansion was safe and that there was no such person there, she still preferred to be alone. Only then did she feel at ease and at peace.

Unexpectedly, this idea was shattered on the way to exile. The original courtyard was like a protective wall, but it was also a cage in another sense.

Now that boundaries have been broken, she is living a life she never imagined, forced to interact with more people and exchange pleasantries.

But none of this made her feel uncomfortable.

She thought, it really is a people problem. As long as she doesn't come into contact with her stepmother and her group of people, she doesn't have to isolate herself.

That's fine too.

Putting aside her family, just the two of them, Liuyun and Xuanyue, made her feel very comfortable around them.

At first, she felt embarrassed because she had troubled them, but as they got to know each other better, she felt that they were all family and that she would naturally repay them when her husband and son got better. So she no longer felt so indebted.

She will find a way to earn money and save up more dowry for them, which will also fulfill the affection she has shown them at this time.

Isn't it better than constantly avoiding each other?

Mu Zhizhi's long-standing inner conflict has finally been resolved.

Looking at the porridge bubbling in the pot, Shen Xingmian felt a little helpless. The dry food was all gone, so she had to cook some fresh porridge.

However, this porridge was not enough to fill everyone's stomach. Fortunately, there was also some fried wild boar meat to make up for it, otherwise the men would have had to travel on an empty stomach.

She had quite a few steamed buns and pancakes in her storage space, but she hadn't replenished her supplies along the way, so she couldn't take them out at all.

They're all from the capital. Oh, everyone else's food is spoiled, but yours is perfectly fresh. Isn't that like seeing a ghost?

No, she had to find out when they could go into the city to resupply.

She suddenly stood up, startling her aunt who was watching the fire, but she didn't ask anything and continued to watch her fire.

Shen Xingmian sometimes found it amazing that her aunt often gave her the feeling that she lived in her own world. If she hadn't been forced into exile, she probably would never have come out of her own world.

It seems pretty good as it is now.

He got up and looked at the nearest official, who happened to be the one he had bribed with wild boar that day. Not bad, much easier to talk to now.

She ran over lightly and greeted him warmly, "Young officer, do you know when we can go into town to buy supplies? We're running out of food at home, and the higher-ups won't let us leave the group to hunt. It's so worrying, sigh—"

After saying that, he let out a long sigh.

The junior official scratched his head, seemingly overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I heard it's tomorrow, if the journey goes smoothly without rain. But looking at this bright sunshine, it doesn't seem like it'll rain."

Shen Xingmian followed his example, covering her eyes with her hands and looking up at the sky. Indeed, the sky was clear and cloudless.

It hasn't rained since she arrived here. No matter how fertile the land is, crops won't grow well if it's constantly dry.

It is important to know that Linyue has always been known as a major grain-producing country. If the harvest here declines, it will have an impact on the surrounding countries.

She was genuinely worried about a drought.

Given the current emperor's character, even if there is a famine, he probably won't care, as long as it doesn't affect his extravagant and wasteful lifestyle in the palace.

At that time, there will likely be a large number of rebels, and foreign invasion could occur at any time, which will bring great suffering to the common people.

The emperor, whom Shen Xingmian rarely thought of, hadn't been having a very comfortable time lately; he was the kind of person who wanted everything.

If he could openly and honestly be a tyrant, he might be living quite comfortably right now. Even if the national treasury is emptied, wouldn't it be fine to just exploit and oppress the people?

Once you become emperor, you're bound to have no shortage of sycophants around you.

With just a slight hint, someone would go to great lengths to plunder the people's wealth and offer it to him so he could continue to squander it.

However, he insisted on trying to gain the reputation of a wise ruler in a roundabout way.

It was as if only by having such a good reputation could he prove that he was indeed more outstanding than the crown prince and was a more suitable candidate for the dragon throne.

Indeed, what one cannot obtain in youth can truly trap one for a lifetime.

Shen Xingmian, who was still worrying about the weather, never imagined that what the emperor wanted most was not the throne, but for everyone to acknowledge that he was better than the crown prince.

But he seems to have forgotten that he has already killed the crown prince. What's the point of comparing himself to a dead man?

Meanwhile, at the Princess's residence, after many days of fruitless searching, even the Emperor was at a loss, and the Princess gradually came to terms with reality.

It seems impossible to find those treasures again.

But life goes on.

She refused to believe that she could acquire those treasures before and wouldn't be able to do so in the future.

"Someone come here! I haven't seen Qin Xuan lately. Where has he been hiding and slacking off? Bring him here to me!"

Her men were stunned when they heard her order, and they didn't move.

The princess, her anger rising, smashed her newly bought teacup and yelled, "What are you all standing around for? Do you think I can't order you around?"

The people below knelt down in fear and trembling. One of them stammered, "Reporting to Your Highness, Guard Qin... has already been beaten to death by your men."