Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

"Don't shout."

Jin Mozhi's deep voice rang out: "It's me."

In the darkness, that deep voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Is it you?"

A tall, muscular man with a thick beard?

After Cheng Qiqi recognized him, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was a former subordinate of the Crown Prince, and that was why he was there to protect the Jin family.

"Were you secretly protecting us?"

Cheng Qiqi asked in a low voice.

"..."

Jin Mozhi paused for a moment, then nodded.

"You were too close, you almost scared me to death."

Cheng Qiqi thought about how she had accidentally tripped and had her mouth covered, and how she almost exposed the secret of the space, so she used the dagger directly.

Realizing it was a misunderstanding, Cheng Qiqi finally understood that their position was somewhat ambiguous, with most of her body pressed against his.

"I, I'll get up right away."

Cheng Qiqi immediately spoke, the more anxious she became, the more flustered she became. When she pressed her hand on his chest, she was stunned. Was this man's chest made of stone?

A jumble of random thoughts flashed through her mind, and Cheng Qiqi quickly got up.

Hearing the commotion, Marquis Zhongyong rushed over. Cheng Qiqi spoke up, "Father, I accidentally fell, and he helped me up. Is he here to protect us?"

Jin Mozhi dusted himself off and said, "My lord, I'll be going now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Mozhi's figure vanished from their sight.

"Yes."

Marquis Zhongyong glanced at Jin Mozhi's departing figure. With his son present, he didn't think much of it, only asking, "Are you alright?"

No, no.

Cheng Qiqi waved her hands repeatedly and said, "An'an went to bed early yesterday, so I thought I'd get up early this morning to make her something to eat, so that she won't go hungry while we're out working during the day."

Cheng Qiqi went straight into the makeshift kitchen. Thinking about the awkward scene just now, she didn't know what to say. Luckily, her father-in-law was a rough and unrefined man!

From now on, I must be extra careful.

As Cheng Qiqi reminded him, the fire was just started when Marquis Zhongyong called up all the men of the Jin family, including Jin Yanzhi, who shouted, "Before it's Chenshi (7-9 AM), let's hurry up the mountain and gather more firewood."

"Dad, it's too early. Let's pick them up in the evening..." That's fine too.

Jin Yanzhi yawned. After walking for three months, this was the first time he had slept so soundly. He had even eaten his fill of rice yesterday. Since the incident at the Jin family, this was the first time he had slept so peacefully.

Marquis Zhongyong kicked him, saying, "Jin Yanzhi, if you don't go gather firewood, you're not eating tonight!"

In the training ground, although Zhongyong Hou didn't know what he was supposed to do, it certainly wouldn't be a pleasant experience for the prisoners. At night?

We'll talk about gathering firewood tonight if we have the energy!

"father."

After being kicked, Jin Yanzhi felt all his sleepiness vanish. He went up the mountain with his father and could only grunt and groan as he gathered firewood.

The women of the Jin family were also busy, working together. Currently, there is only one pot; the rest are jars, vats, and the like.

One pot was used to cook porridge, while the other pot was used to make pancakes. Cheng Qiqi made a little extra, just in case she didn't have time to make more at noon. Cold pancakes with water would be enough to fill her stomach.

Lin Huilan and her daughter Jin Xueer didn't want to do anything and dawdled until Zhongyong Hou and the others returned before they finally got up.

"There's none for you!"

Cheng Qiqi simply covered the cooked pancake with the pancake.

"you……"

Lin Huilan wiped away her tears and softly complained to Marquis Zhongyong, "My lord, Cheng Qiqi is deliberately targeting my daughter and me."

"It's been an hour since dawn. Mother served Grandmother porridge and changed her clothes."

"My aunt, Jingyao, and Xuan'er filled the water tank together."

"Third Aunt and Fourth Aunt went to the river and washed all the clothes clean."

"Shenglan and Jinqing patched up all the holes in everyone's clothes and put cotton padding inside everyone's shoes. And what did you do?"

Cheng Qiqi slightly lifted her eyelids and said, "I just got up."

Cheng Qiqi's voice was crisp and clear. After a series of rapid-fire pronouncements, she looked at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery!

If her father-in-law is not clear-headed, then she'll have to deal with him properly in the future. Otherwise, she doesn't want to be bullied like she was in the Marquis's mansion!

"Lin Huilan, Jin Xueer, if you want something to eat this morning, figure it out yourselves. From now on, everyone in the family will have to do chores."

The words of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage signify that he stands on Cheng Qiqi's side.

"Your Excellency is right. Things are different now. If you still want to live a life where you are waited on hand and foot, you should give up on that idea as soon as possible."

Liu Suyi stood beside Cheng Qiqi and said, "Qiqi, thank you for your hard work. You made so many pancakes, where did you get the scallions?"

"Mother, the plants behind the house were probably planted by someone else before, and they're growing really well."

As Cheng Qiqi spoke, she began distributing scallion pancakes to everyone, giving each person four!

"Two of them were eaten at noon. They just arrived today and went to work, so we don't know what the situation is like. Everyone brought their own, in case we don't have time to eat, these scallion pancakes can be eaten cold!"

As soon as Cheng Qiqi spoke, Liu Suyi immediately praised Cheng Qiqi for being so thoughtful!

"Then, what about us?" Lin Huilan looked at Marquis Zhongyong with a pitiful expression.

Marquis Zhongyong took a bite of scallion pancake and a sip of porridge, then glanced at them and said, "Find your own way."

"My lord, what if we starve to death? I..."

Lin Huilan had barely begun to speak when Marquis Zhongyong glanced at her and said, "Instead of crying, you should be thinking about what to eat."

Marquis Zhongyong walked past her, looked at the Jin family members, and reminded them, "Today, when we go to the training ground, we might... encounter something bad. You should be mentally prepared."

The Jin family fell silent; instantly, even the flatbread in their hands lost its appeal.

"Second Uncle, will we be beaten?"

Jin Runzhi couldn't help but speak up. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together during their exile that he dared to ask questions.

"It's hard to say."

Marquis Zhongyong shook his head. Although Mo'er had been bribed, she would definitely have to do hard labor!

Training ground.

In Guihua Village, besides the prisoners exiled from the Zhongyonghou family, there were many other exiled prisoners. The training ground was specifically responsible for assigning them tasks!

"You newcomers, come over here right now."

On a platform made from a large tree stump, a dark-skinned man pointed at the Jin family.

"All of you men are going to cut down camphor trees. If you can't bring back ten today, none of you will be going back."

The man spoke directly, without the slightest ambiguity, saying, "Women, go and pound rice and grind flour."

"Wait, why are two of you missing?"

The man frowned immediately as he counted the heads.

"My lord, my mother is seriously ill, and my wife is taking care of her. Please make an exception for me." Marquis Zhongyong immediately handed over the prepared copper coins.

The man weighed it in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Not wanting to work? Fine, one hundred coins per person."