Yes, what she had to do now was to stay alive. Otherwise, when the reinforcements arrived, she would be unable to do anything, let alone rescue the princess consort.
As for why the Lady Ning was so bent on saving the princess consort, it was all thanks to the current head of the Zhao family, the elder brother of the princess consort, the man who was both well - versed in literature and skilled in martial arts, Zhao Jin.
If marrying the king of the Western Regions was a last - resort decision, that man was the last piece of pure land in her heart.
The Lady Rui of course didn't want to completely fall out with the Lady Ning. Du Heng was an unparalleled general who had commanded the frontier soldiers for so many years. He held an indescribable position in the hearts of those soldiers. As long as he was around, even without the military amulet, he could make those soldiers serve him.
"Sister, since you've already made up your mind and you've seen the princess consort today, you'd better go back early. This way, you won't get involved."
"Could I stay by your side, sister? Don't worry. Since I've promised you, I won't go back on my word. I'll definitely stay here."
Qiao Meng stepped forward first and flatly refused.
"No! Given the relationship between the Lady Ning and the princess consort, it's not appropriate for her to stay here at this critical moment. Lady Ning, please don't make things difficult for us. Go back as soon as possible and don't cause trouble for your elder brother."
Unexpectedly, this woman actually knew her elder brother. Remembering that this woman had been targeting her all along, she had a hunch.
"Elder brother has always had a mistress kept outside. Could it be this young lady?"
The Lady Rui raised her eyebrows. Regarding what the Lady Ning had said, she felt as if it was referring to herself, for she was also a mistress who couldn't be presented in public.
Moreover, the Lady Ning's words were full of contempt for mistresses.
Remembering her past experiences and hardships, her eyes gradually turned fierce.
But before she could speak, Qiao Meng said carelessly.
"Humph, it was all your elder brother's own will. I didn't force him. Besides, your elder brother hasn't said anything. Who are you, a useless person, to gossip here?"
All her life, even the people in her own family had always doted on her and never spoken harshly to her. But every time she met the Lady Rui, she would be humiliated. Now her dignity was once again in tatters, and she just couldn't hold it in any longer.
"No matter who you are, at most you're just a maid beside the Lady Rui. How dare you talk to this palace like this? It seems you don't want your life anymore."
Although she put on her usual arrogant and unreasonable act, it was nothing compared to Qiao Meng.
Qiao Meng mercilessly shook off her hand and stepped forward boldly.
"Hasn't the Lady forgotten that you're now in our hands? Do you think your so - called status as a concubine means anything to us?"
Hearing this, the Lady Ning staggered backward. Her face turned pale.
She had never been humiliated like this before, so in her moment of excitement, she really had forgotten.
But now that things had come to this, her usually proud nature would never allow her to lower her noble head.
"So what? I may have ruined your plans, but surely you haven't forgotten what you promised my elder brother? I think even if he likes you, he's still my elder brother. Since I was a child, I've been growing up under the protection of him and father."
"So you're just a delicate princess who can't withstand the storms. Otherwise, you wouldn't have cowered the moment you saw us. You're really spineless."
The Lady Ning felt she had suffered the greatest humiliation in her life. Her eyes widened with anger, and she wished she could tear this woman to pieces.
The Lady Rui thought it was about time and hinted to the people around her to stop.
"Meng'er, the Lady Ning has been in the palace for many years. You should still give her some face. Since sister wants to stay here to take care of the princess consort so much, then let her."
She led a large group of people behind her and left. At the same time, the guards at the door became even more strict.
The people standing inside the room watched all this, and tears unconsciously streamed down their faces.
"Qing'er, if this grievance is for you, then I'm willing to bear it. You must come quickly, or I won't be able to hold on."
...
On the other side, the little maid finally managed to reach the Zhao family mansion. She wiped the almost - dried tears from her eyes and knocked on the big door.
The gatekeeper rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Who is it! It's still early in the morning. Our Zhao family doesn't receive guests. This is the rule. Don't you know?"
The maid's throat was hoarse: "Open the door quickly. I'm a maid beside the Lady Ning. I'm here about the matter of the princess consort."
These words instantly drove all the sleepiness out of the gatekeeper's mind. He hurriedly opened the door, let the little maid in, and took a look around before closing the door. Only after making sure there was no one around did he feel relieved.
"What happened to the princess consort?"
"Take me to see the head of the family quickly. I'll only tell him."
"Okay. The head of the family is already up. Follow me."
The two walked into the study. After Zhao Jin heard the maid's purpose, he immediately looked up.
"Go and find the steward for me right away. I have something to order. And don't alarm the others in the mansion."
"Yes."
The door of the study was closed. Zhao Jin looked serious: "Tell me. What exactly happened? Why were you sent here by the Lady Ning?"
The maid told him everything that had happened in the palace. After Zhao Jin heard it, he flew into a rage.
"He's becoming more and more outrageous. He was able to sit on that throne only because of the support of our Zhao family. Doesn't he have any sense at all? Now that he's used my little sister and thrown her away. My little sister endured so much pressure and finally helped him secure that position, but he treats her like this. No, I must take my little sister back right away."
As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up his outer robe and was about to go out, but he happened to meet the steward who was coming in.
The steward frowned and stopped his master.
"Master, it would be too impulsive for you to go like this. We still don't know the exact situation in the palace. The princess consort was probably captured because of that seductress. Now she has control over the power inside and outside the palace. Maybe she has even controlled some of our people from the Zhao family. We need to make careful arrangements."
After this analysis, although Zhao Jin was still a bit anxious, he had calmed down a lot.
"Thank goodness you stopped me. Otherwise, I might really have rushed there impulsively. But we have so little information now. We don't even know how many people have sided with that vixen."
"This is not difficult. We just need to use a small ruse, and then we can just sit back and watch the show."
"It seems the steward already has an idea."
He let out a long sigh of relief. The reason why the steward had always held such a high position in the Zhao family was that he had always worked diligently for the family.