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

"And this young lady is...?"

Hu Dali stared intently at Jin Xue'er, his gaze fixed like a wolf eyeing its prey.

Jin Xue'er was so frightened that she immediately hid behind Lin Huilan. All the complaints she had just had about doing some hard work instantly turned into worry and fear.

"My lord, this is my daughter, she hasn't come of age yet."

Marquis Zhongyong stepped forward and roared at Lin Huilan, "Why aren't you back inside working? What are you standing there for?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Lin Huilan grabbed Jin Xueer, turned to the side to block Hu Dali's view, and pulled Jin Xueer back to the room.

Jin Xueer kept her head down and covered her face the whole time. When she returned to her room, she still felt like she was being pricked by needles.

Upon entering the room, Jin Xue'er's eyes were filled with panic and fear: "Mother, I, he, I..."

In the past, although she was a concubine's daughter, she was still the only daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion!

When you're out and about, who wouldn't give you some face?

Jin Xue'er could get the guards to gouge out the eyes of a toad like Hu Dali!

But now?

They are prisoners.

Jin Xue'er was filled with anxiety.

"Don't worry, your dad will definitely protect you."

Lin Huilan offered only dry words of comfort.

"But they're adults, and we're prisoners."

Jin Xue'er wasn't comforted at all; instead, she panicked even more, pacing anxiously back and forth in the room, thinking, "What if..."

Jin Xue'er bit her lip. This was different from the guards escorting her. She heard it was a high-ranking official from the capital. What if he really took a liking to her? Wouldn't that mean...?

Her back was pressed tightly against the wall, her hands clenched tightly in front of her chest, and helpless tears slid down her cheeks. Just looking at Hu Dali's shifty-eyed appearance was disgusting.

She'd rather be dead than submit to someone like that!

……

Outside the courtyard, Hu Dali stared at Jin Xue'er's back until she disappeared. He had originally planned to leave, but now he plopped down in the courtyard, saying, "I have to see what you exiled people eat."

"..."

The courtyard was completely silent.

Hu Dali's thoughts were no longer concealed.

For dinner, the Jin family prepared something modest: pickled cabbage porridge and fish caught from the river.

Cheng Qiqi didn't cook; instead, she asked Liu Suyi to do it.

What if Hu Dali sets his sights on her cooking if she cooks well?

So, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, being very perceptive, gave the opportunity to cook to Liu Suyi, who was not good at cooking.

When the dishes were served, the performance of Zhongyong Hou and Jin Yanzhi began.

"Sir, we caught some fish today, and they tasted great."

Marquis Zhongyong looked like someone who couldn't even catch a fish normally.

Jin Yanzhi was holding the sauerkraut porridge and eating it with great relish, wolfing it down as if he had never tasted anything so delicious before!

"Jin Yanzhi".

Marquis Zhongyong stared at Jin Yanzhi with a dark expression, his eyes filled with a desire to devour him whole.

"Dad, I haven't had such thick porridge in a long time."

Jin Yanzhi doesn't care; he'll take the insults even if they're harsh!

The pickled cabbage isn't as good as the one my sister-in-law makes.

The fish wasn't made by my sister-in-law either.

Jin Yanzhi imagined the delicious food his sister-in-law would make, and his face was filled with satisfaction.

Hu Dali: "..."

That's all the food they ordered, not even rice...

It seems the Jin family is indeed not doing very well.

"Village head, hurry up and get the meat."

Hu Dali gave the instructions.

"..."

Zhuang Li gritted his teeth and stared at Hu Dali for a long time, but he didn't see Hu Dali make any move to take out money, so he could only grit his teeth and go buy meat.

"Village head, is this all the meat you're giving us?"

Zhao Hei said through gritted teeth, "He was eating and taking bribes at the training ground during the day."

The old woman added, "The sugar factory also brought a whole box of sugar."

"What can we do if we don't take it? We can't afford to offend a high-ranking official from Kyoto."

The village head sighed and prepared meat to send to the Jin family. Hu Dali was about to ask the Jin family to cook, but seeing their cooking skills, he immediately changed his mind and said, "Village head, find someone who can cook."

Village head: "..."

The meat is cooked, and the rice is steaming. Although it's not the fine rice from Kyoto, it looks much better than sauerkraut porridge.

"Aren't you women coming out for dinner?"

Hu Dali looked at the meat on the table and asked with a smile, "You still haven't given up on your thieving intentions!"

"They have long hair but little knowledge; wouldn't their presence spoil the adults' enjoyment?"

Marquis Zhongyong's face was grim, as if he was suppressing the anger in his heart.

Inside the house, Jin Xue'er could clearly hear the sounds coming from the yard, and she didn't even realize that her nails were digging into her flesh.

"Let them come out."

Hu Dali spoke, enjoying the commanding tone.

The once loyal and brave Marquis is now as obedient as a dog.

"..."

The courtyard was completely silent; everyone could clearly see what Hu Dali was thinking.

Suddenly, Jin Yanzhi stood up angrily and said, "Sir, we are all men. It's inconvenient for women to come out like this. We should avoid suspicion."

Jin Yanzhi clenched his fists tightly.

Hu Dali saw that he suddenly got angry and realized that Jin Xue'er was his own sister.

"Jin Yanzhi, don't be angry. I'll treat you to meat."

Hu Dali picked up a large piece of fatty meat and put it in Jin Yanzhi's bowl, saying, "You guys aren't having a good time here, are you? If you're willing, I can help you!"

"Jin Yi, don't you think so?"

Hu Dali looked up and said, "This house is so dilapidated, I can have someone rebuild it for you. Also, it's so cold outside, and you're dressed so thinly, it's not good, is it?"

"This dish won't do without meat, right?"

This means they're revealing their hand directly.

"I don't want to."

Before Jin Xueer could finish speaking, Lin Huilan covered her mouth.

"The master would not sell his daughter for personal gain."

Liu Suyi glanced at them, and when she saw the attraction in Lin Huilan's eyes, a flash of disdain crossed her own.

"right."

Cheng Qiqi nodded in agreement. The Marquis of Zhongyong was a man of unyielding integrity and would never sell his daughter for personal gain.

"We're lucky to be alive now."

Marquis Zhongyong directly rejected Lord Hu's offer.

"Yes, pickled cabbage porridge is also quite good."

Jin Yanzhi straightened his back. With his father backing him up, he felt more confident and said, "At least, we're not eating anything against our conscience."

"hehe."

Hu Dali put down his chopsticks and looked at the Marquis of Zhongyong and his son, saying, "Are you refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit?"

"I've taken a liking to your daughter."

Hu Dali sneered, "Don't forget, you're prisoners now. If you don't see your daughter tonight, you..."

"Pah! Don't even think about it!"

The Marquis of Zhongyong, hearing his undisguised words, glared at him with bloodshot eyes: "Don't think that just because you've become a nobody official, you can act with impunity and do whatever you want. Believe me, I'll kill you!"

As soon as the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery finished speaking, he nimbly rushed forward, grabbed Hu Dali by the neck with both hands, and gritted his teeth, saying, "At worst, I'll sentence him to death again!"