The nearby households, in a daze, seemed to smell the fragrance of meat, smacking their lips as if dreaming, turned over, and dove back into slumber.

There were also a few night watchers, noticing the commotion here, but besides Gu Kaiyuan, the escorts on night duty were busy stewing meat. The aroma was strikingly similar, which made them wary of Gu Kaiyuan, so they wouldn’t come over to seek discomfort.

Early the next morning, Zhuang Datou and the others scratched their heads and stood shamefully in front of Gu Kaiyuan, "Master, why didn’t you call us to keep watch?"

It was agreed that they would watch in the latter half of the night.

Gu Kaiyuan replied, "Anyway, I couldn’t sleep, you all go wash up. I’ve already prepared breakfast."

Zhuang Datou felt even more guilt but before he could say anything, his ear was grabbed. Dongmei was gritting her teeth and questioning him closely, "Zhuang Datou, is this how you take care of the master?"

Huang Pingguo hadn’t had time to react before receiving the same treatment.

The two lamented, "It’s all our fault, we shouldn’t have indulged in sleep."

Gu Kaiyuan said, "Dongmei, don’t trouble them, it was my call. I didn’t wake them up.

I was idle, so I happened to knead the dough. It’s almost ready. You guys steam it; it’ll save trouble for the noon meal."

Bai Suihe found it amusing, "You know how to knead dough?"

Upon approach, she was truly amazed to see the dough ready for steaming.

"I know many things. I stewed meat today; you can try it later. If you like it, I’ll make it for you again."

Bai Suihe blinked, this villain was adept inside and out, trying to snatch away the good wife’s duties?

Dongmei and Chunxiang noticed the interaction between the lady and the master, hurriedly pulled Zhuang Datou and the others aside for a talking-to.

Bai Suihe said, "..." Actually, there’s no need. She wanted to know how ancient women tamed their husbands.

Gu Kaiyuan, seeing Bai Suihe’s curious gaze, couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head, "Don’t worry, Dongmei and the others will behave appropriately."

Bai Suihe asked, "I already know, you didn’t sleep all night?"

Probably due to pregnancy; even after enough rest in the space, Bai Suihe would drift back to sleep upon lying down.

"It’s okay, there are some smooth roads along the way; I’ll take a nap then." Gu Kaiyuan served a bowl of meat soup first to Bai Suihe, "Drink some soup first to warm your stomach; our meal will be ready soon."

Not eating breakfast isn’t a concern; while traveling, they can never be sure when the next meal is. Rice keeps one fuller longer.

The leisurely atmosphere here contrasts starkly with others scrambling around, tackling both meal arrangements and reorganizing their things.

Liu Pingkang, accustomed to this chaos, brought out the day’s rations and had his subordinates distribute them. They relied on night watchers to prepare the food, similar to Gu Kaiyuan’s method.

He couldn’t help but cast an approving look at Gu Kaiyuan. Despite traveling together for days, other families hadn’t learned to be smart, ensuring night watchers took care of meals would prevent daily hustle and bustle.

Once the escorts finished eating, they began urging everyone to prepare for departure.

The road was much easier to traverse today than yesterday, even the escorts looked more pleasant and occasionally laughter could be heard among them.

"Is the group ahead headed for exile to Lingnan?"

While everyone expected another peaceful day, suddenly a troop galloped up from behind.

A dozen fast horses appeared just as the voice landed.

Liu Pingkang greeted them with cupped hands, "I am Liu Pingkang, responsible for escort. May I know your names?"

"Mr. Liu, here’s a letter from the Magistrate’s office of Shangjing," said the bearded man in the lead, pulling out a letter without dismounting, and handed it directly to Liu Pingkang.

In this moment, Liu Pingkang wouldn’t be particular, he received the letter with respect. Despite the Magistrate’s office having nothing to do with them, he felt a touch anxious.

Upon opening the envelope in front of everyone, Liu Pingkang’s expression turned grim.

"This... is there some mistake, Sir?

We are merely responsible for escorting, not serving as anyone’s guard."

"Mr. Liu, your difficulties are acknowledged by those above, hence we’re dispatched to follow behind. You focus on moving forward, and leave other concerns to us."

Liu Pingkang nodded; those words were some comfort, indicating in danger, he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his men as pawns.

Returning to the carriage, his face clouded further. It seemed Gu Kaiyuan’s claims were true; what was the Third Prince planning?

Remaining in Shangjing as a Prince would please all, why burden those at the bottom like them?

He speculated, carriage issues hindering advance were mere pretexts, the real target likely being the Gu Family.

"What do you think the Third Prince intends? Is there something with the Gu Family he desires?"

Yet, Princes aren’t idle; it can’t merely be due to official bonds.

"Chief, I suspect it relates to the Gu family’s eldest daughter," Guo Baoshu chimed in after reading the letter, "Yesterday, the young lady from the Gu family was accompanying the group, even borrowing clothes from Dongmei and others."

"How does the Gu family’s eldest daughter look?" Amidst numerous prisoners, Liu Pingkang hadn’t noticed a young girl.

"She looks quite fetching; I’ve never seen such a lovely girl," Guo Baoshu remarked, smacking his lips, "Her beauty was renowned in Shangjing. Though a few days ago she was worn out, yesterday she cleaned up superbly."

Guo Baoshu winked and nudged, his implication crystal clear.

"I hope the Third Prince is truly here only for her," if a mere romantic affair, spreading such talk could be spun positively; the fear lied in unseen motives.

"If memory serves, Gu Baijiang was implicated in embezzlement," he had a registry with brief notes, but nothing further.

"Those silver must have been confiscated, right?"

Guo Baoshu, baffled, shook his head, "What do you mean by confiscation? Without it, they wouldn’t be traveling with us."

"I mean, is it possible Gu Baijiang still retains a substantial fortune?"

"Impossible, if unrecovered, why would His Majesty let them out?" Guo Baoshu deemed it unlikely; were he emperor, without seeing silver, he’d certainly trace its whereabouts.

"Can you help me call Gu Kaiyuan over?"

"Think that lad would be honest with us?"

Liu Pingkang smiled, "How would we know without trying?"

Despite more cavalry joining, instead of feeling assured, everyone grew more unsettled within.

They had adhered by the rules throughout the journey, with no thoughts of escape—why were they under such scrutiny?