Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

King Qinjiang has a fatal penetrating knife wound, which he sustained when he shielded Emperor Cangxuan from a knife attack years ago.

In addition, the Prince of Qinjiang had smallpox in his childhood and had scars on his body. Although he was chubby, the bandits did not think of him as their master.

Therefore, even though the King of Qinjiang was holding a woman in his arms, that woman was already middle-aged, and apart from her hair, she was otherwise quite ordinary.

The bandits set their sights on a tall steward brought by the King of Qinjiang.

The steward was tall and plump with fair skin, clearly someone who had lived a life of luxury.

Therefore, the bandits all regarded him as their master, while the real master, Prince Qinjiang, escaped very smoothly.

After escaping, the four members of the Qinjiang King's household did not go far, but hid in a nearby cave.

They were lucky; this cave was probably where the pig farmers occasionally lived, and there were even several wolf skins hanging on the cave walls.

The four men, including King Qinjiang, were overjoyed. They took off the wolf skin as if it were a priceless treasure and wrapped it around their bodies.

Jiang and Xuemei breathed a long sigh of relief upon having something to cover themselves, and were almost moved to tears of joy.

"Your Highness, what should we do now? Will those bandits still come after us?"

With clothes covering her body, Jiang finally calmed down and was able to think about the problems at hand.

King Qinjiang's expression was grave. "We cannot stay here any longer. If those captured guards are severely tortured, they may reveal my identity. In that case, our lives will be in danger."

We need to leave this area around Qiongya Mountain as soon as possible; we'll be safe once we reach the villages and towns ahead.

Jiang's face turned pale. "But we have no money left on us except for this animal skin, and we have no other tokens to prove our identity."

King Qinjiang frowned in annoyance and said, "Cang Yingxuan will definitely send someone to find me after receiving my secret letter. If we head towards the imperial city, we might be able to meet up with the people sent by Cang Yingxuan."

A glimmer of hope arose in Jiang's heart, "This is the only way."

But soon, all four of them started having rumbling stomachs.

They were hungry, very hungry.

First, they were attacked by a group of lions, which gave them quite a fright. Then they encountered bandits and had to run away. They were both mentally and physically exhausted.

The four of them looked rather pale, but they simply couldn't find any food at the moment.

Jiang's face turned ashen, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Highness, once we reach the capital, we will make His Majesty issue an edict to hunt down the lions, preferably to kill every single lion in the world!"

King Qinjiang thought of the lions and also found it very strange. What exactly did the scrolls that the lions took out mean?

At this moment, the guard commander Geng Chun walked in from outside the cave and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I have searched around here but have not found a single wild fruit. It seems that we really cannot stay here. If we want to find food, we must move on."

Jiang's face turned pale. She looked down at her feet, which were rubbed raw and bleeding.

If she continued on her journey, her pampered feet would be ruined.

Although Xuemei was a maid, she lived a life of luxury in the Prince's mansion. As the Princess's head maid, she had never suffered such hardship. She looked at her feet, a trace of pain in her eyes.

"Your Highness, my foot... I'm afraid it's going to be ruined," Jiang said in pain.

Only then did King Qinjiang notice that his own feet were also in excruciating pain.

He couldn't help but show a hint of pain. "Your Highness, given the situation, please bear with it."

Jiang's face turned pale, and she couldn't help but tear up.

She hoped that the prince would carry her on his back.

Jiang looked at her head maid Xuemei with some resentment and said, "Xuemei, you still have some strength. Once we get out of this cave, you can carry me on your back. Once my legs have rested, I can walk on my own."

Upon hearing this, Xue Mei, whose soles were throbbing with pain, turned pale.

Jiang was not thin; in fact, she was slightly plump. She was quite heavy.

Although Xue Mei was about the same size as Jiang Shi, she simply couldn't keep up carrying her, especially with hunger and her injured foot.

As Jiang's confidant, I know Jiang's temperament well. She is very vengeful and will seek revenge for the slightest offense. If I disobey her now, she will definitely not have a good life in the future.

Even her family will suffer as a result.

Xuemei had no other choice.

She gritted her teeth and said with utmost deference, "Yes, Your Highness."

Jiang showed a satisfied expression.

Prince Qinjiang glanced at Xuemei's feet, hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

Geng Chun, however, was quick-witted. He gritted his teeth and stepped forward, saying, "Your Highness, I will carry you on my back."

King Qinjiang was self-aware enough to know that he was a fat man and that Geng Chun's legs would be ruined if he carried him.

Furthermore, they still had a long way to go, and without Geng Chun's protection, the danger would be doubled.

After quickly weighing the situation in his mind, he waved his hand and said, "Geng Chun, I know you are loyal, but you have injured your foot. I can walk by myself, you don't need to carry me."

Geng Chun was immediately moved and insisted, "Your Highness, I am willing. Please take care of yourself and do not pity me."

King Qinjiang still refused, saying, "Geng Chun, the journey is long. You should conserve your energy to protect me. It's just walking barefoot; I can walk that far."

Geng Chun hesitated for a moment, then his eyes were filled with unwavering determination: "Yes, Your Highness, I will protect Your Highness and Your Highness and Your Highness and Your Highness with my life."

The King of Qinjiang looked satisfied.

Xuemei felt a pang of sadness. She wished the princess could be as understanding and righteous as the prince.

The four left the cave and continued their journey.

They couldn't walk in the forest, firstly because the weeds hurt their feet, and secondly because they didn't know the way.

They could only go to the official road.

The official road was flat, and although there were stones that could scratch your feet, it was still much better than the jungle.

Xuemei carried Jiang Shi on her back, stumbling along, sometimes her legs giving way and she staggered a few times.

Jiang was in great discomfort on Xue Mei's back.

But thinking of the excruciating pain in her feet, she fell silent again.

It's more comfortable for Xuemei to carry me than for me to walk.

The four walked quickly along the official road, fearing that another group of bandits might suddenly appear.

Fortunately, they did not encounter any bandits until they reached the nearest village. They wanted to go to the government office, but they did not have any identification documents.

If the local government were to collude with the bandits, they would be walking right into a trap.

King Qinjiang knew the intricacies of the matter and dared not take any risks.

The four walked down the street. Xue Mei was limping, and pus was oozing from the soles of her feet.

King Qinjiang shook his head from time to time, feeling deeply regretful.

It's a pity about Xue Mei's beautiful skin.

"If only the people His Majesty sent were also in this town, Your Highness, I really can't stand it anymore..."

Jiang's hair was disheveled, and she had no exquisite makeup. The wind and frost along the way, coupled with exhaustion and hunger, had left her with cracked lips and a rough, sallow complexion, completely devoid of her former charm.

King Qinjiang glanced at her and suddenly realized that Jiang was no different from an ordinary village woman, devoid of any color.

He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly, but when he thought that this was his wife, he felt a pang of pity. It was his fault for making her suffer, and he really shouldn't have disliked her.

King Qinjiang said softly, "Wait while I go and get some food."

"Yonghe Town, that's a nice-sounding name."

Ying Yufu and her group entered this lively little town and went straight to the largest inn in town.

It is named Moonlit Inn.

"Do you have any private rooms available?"

Upon seeing their large group, the waiter immediately greeted them warmly, saying, "Esteemed guests, our inn doesn't have private rooms, only the main hall. However, we do have superior rooms available."

"Alright, then give us three superior rooms and five medium-superior rooms," Yu Li said, stepping forward and taking out two silver ingots.

Their group was quite impressive, and the waiter's eyes lit up when he saw Yu Li's generous spending, so he became even more enthusiastic.

"Distinguished guests, please follow me upstairs. If you find the lobby too noisy, I will bring the food to your private rooms."

Ying Yufu and her group were all a bit tired. They didn't want to go to the main hall to join in the fun, so they directly ordered the waiter to bring the food to their private room and a few buckets of hot water.

The waiter left solicitously.

Soon after, the food was brought into the private room.

While Ying Yufu and the others were having dinner in the private room, King Qinjiang, wrapped in a wolf skin and with a scruffy beard, walked into the Moonlit Inn.

"Shopkeeper!" he called out authoritatively.

The waiter approached, sized him up, and, resisting the urge to turn him away, asked, "Are you looking for a room or a meal?"

"Either is fine," said the Prince of Qinjiang, head held high.

The waiter's smile remained unchanged. "Our ordinary rooms cost 200 coins per night, medium rooms cost 500 coins, upper-middle-class rooms cost 3 taels of silver per night, and superior rooms cost 10 taels of silver per night."

"Sir, which class of room would you like to stay in?"

Prince Qinjiang immediately replied, "Of course, I'll have the best room, and a table full of fine food and wine."

The waiter readily agreed, extending his hand: "Alright, will you be paying in cash or by banknote?"

Prince Qinjiang glanced at him, his expression inscrutable, and said, "I...I have no money!"

The waiter immediately laughed. "Sir, you come to the inn if you don't have money? And you want a private room, a table full of good food and wine? Are you still dreaming in broad daylight, or is there something wrong with this place?"

The waiter pointed to his forehead.

Feeling a pang of embarrassment, King Qinjiang couldn't help but say, "If you do me a favor today, I will repay you a hundredfold in the future!"

"Hahaha!"

The waiter chuckled, "Gentlemen, this beggar said that since I gave him a good room, good food, and good wine today, he'll repay me a hundredfold in the future!"

The lobby fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a burst of laughter.

King Qinjiang was stiff all over; he had not suffered such humiliation for many years.

He was only ridiculed like this when he was a child, before he started fighting alongside the late emperor.

The waiter took out two steamed buns, stuffed them into his hand, and said, "Here are two steamed buns for you. Take them and go."

"Judging by your size and fat frame, you've probably been a swindler and cheater your way through life. Go away, go away, there's nothing here to cheat you out of."

With that, the waiter gestured to several thugs, who then drove Qinjiang Wang out.

King Qinjiang, clutching two steamed buns, looked utterly humiliated. "You have no idea what an opportunity you missed. Do you even know who I am?"

No one cares about him.

King Qinjiang was furious, his face turning ashen. He wanted to throw away the two steamed buns in his arms and refuse to eat the charity food.

But when he could faintly smell the aroma of wheat from the steamed buns, he couldn't help but swallow and take a bite.

The three members of the Jiang family came over, and King Qinjiang fairly divided the two steamed buns into four portions.

Jiang looked at the half-eaten steamed bun, a food she would normally not even glance at, but now it made her even hungrier and suddenly tasted incredibly sweet.

She wolfed it down.

"It's so dry. I wish I could have a bowl of water." Jiang patted her chest, her face full of longing.

King Qinjiang was also thirsty, but after glancing at the inn, he walked away with a humiliated expression.

"Your Highness, why don't we go to an ordinary household and ask for a bowl of water?" Geng Chun suggested.

Following Geng Chun's advice, King Qinjiang left the Yuelai Inn and went to the homes of the residents in the alley.

"Pah, this wine has been watered down, hasn't it?" Young Master Jiang spat out the wine he had just taken a sip of.

"This wine is a bit bland," Yu Li said.

"The wine is so-so, but the crispy roast duck is quite good," Ying Yufu said.

"This stir-fried pork is also quite good," Shangguan Fei said.

Young Master Jiang stole a glance at the Crown Prince and tentatively asked, "Young Master Ying, have you not yet met the relative you're looking for?"

He just wanted to test whether the relative the crown prince mentioned was his father.

The Crown Prince glanced at Young Master Jiang with a smile, "We haven't met yet, but my relative is on his way to the capital. As long as they take the official road, we're sure to run into him."

Young Master Jiang's heart sank.

The relative the crown prince mentioned is most likely his father.

No, it's definitely true.

His father sent him and his sister to the capital to make them act pitiful and win the sympathy of their uncle, the emperor.

But the result?

Unfortunately, they ran into the Crown Prince and were captured by him.

Young Master Jiang suddenly felt that the food in his mouth no longer tasted good.

He would have been very satisfied after eating cornbread for several days, but he never expected that he would be suffering inside.

I'm so bitter inside that nothing tastes good anymore.

He could imagine the shock in his father's eyes when he saw that the Crown Prince had brought them back again.

Miss Jiang ate with great relish; she hadn't had a decent meal in several days.

Seeing her brother's expression of difficulty swallowing, Miss Jiang couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

The prince found it amusing and said meaningfully, "Young Master Jiang, eat. You still need to eat. There won't be any inns for several days after leaving Yonghe Town. You'll be eating and sleeping outdoors. If you want to eat again, you won't be able to."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Gong realized it made sense.

Neither his father nor his other father could kill him.

Even if his father wanted to kill him, he would still die a full-fledged glutton.

Thinking of this, he angrily picked up a duck leg, bit off a large piece of meat, and ate it with his mouth full of oil.

Meanwhile, King Qinjiang and the four members of the Jiang family were being driven out by a household.

"Where did this beggar come from who wants water? Get out, get out of here, you're bad luck!"

The host poured out a basin of clean water.

King Qinjiang looked at the basin of water that had been spilled on the ground, licked his chapped lips, and swallowed hard.

But in the end, they left in a sorry state.

"We can't possibly drink the river water, it's too dirty..." Jiang couldn't help but show fear in her eyes.

Geng Chun said, "Your Highness and Your Highness, please don't be anxious. When it gets dark, I will go to this family's house and steal some clean water."

Jiang's eyes lit up: "Let's steal some more food."

Geng Chun nodded.

They have no other options now.

"It would be best if we could steal some money," Jiang added.