Looking at the identical expressions on those shadowy figures, Zhao Jin took a deep breath.
"The princess consort is also a member of our Zhao family. Many of you received her kindness when you were in the Zhao family. In other words, without her, there would be no you today."
He stopped there, just wanting to see these people's attitudes.
Fortunately, they were all carefully cultivated by the Zhao family, and of course they were whole - heartedly devoted to the Zhao family.
"Master, we were all orphans picked up by you and Miss. If it weren't for Miss and your magnanimity, we might have been seriously ill by now. We would have died in those unknown small villages. Even if we survived by chance, we would have had our legs broken by the beggar gang and been thrown onto the street to beg, lingering on feebly."
Seeing that they still remembered everything from the past, Zhao Jin finally let out a sigh of relief.
As long as these people still remembered the kindness, he didn't have to worry about betrayal later. He could boldly implement the next plan.
"If it weren't for such a major incident, I wouldn't have mobilized you."
"Master, just tell us directly. As long as we can repay the kindness from the past, we're willing to sacrifice our lives."
At first, when training these people, he only thought about their future usefulness. Unexpectedly, now listening to what they said, Zhao Jin suddenly felt a bit reluctant.
He made an unprecedented decision.
"Now you all have unique skills. If you go out on your own, you will surely be able to protect yourselves. I'll give you a choice. If anyone of you wants to quit now, no one will make things difficult for you. This mission is extremely dangerous."
Hearing this, no one changed their previous decision. On the contrary, all of them knelt on the ground, declaring their loyalty.
"Live and die with the Zhao family, advance and retreat with the princess consort!"
At this moment, the man who never easily showed his emotions in front of outsiders actually shed tears.
The butler initially thought that these people were forced to be trained and would never risk their lives even if they received kindness. Unexpectedly, the result was beyond his expectation.
In this case, he felt more at ease. With the participation of these dead - loyal warriors, he believed there should be no problem in rescuing the princess consort this time.
Zhao Jin quickly told the dead - loyal warriors his plan and assigned relevant tasks to each of them.
Night fell quickly. Looking down at those shadowy figures, he still spoke before they set off, "At critical moments, remember that your own safety is of the utmost importance."
"Yes."
"Set off!"
This time, Zhao Jin took off his luxurious clothes and put on a black outfit, slowly disappearing into the night.
The patrolling guards on the street seemed to sense something wrong behind them. It seemed like a shadow flashed by, but when they turned around and looked carefully, they saw nothing.
"Hey, did you notice anything strange just now?"
A guard from the same team rolled his eyes and stretched, "I guess you've been on night duty for several days and can't hold on anymore. Where's there any movement?"
A group of guards turned back and observed carefully, but in the darkness, there seemed to be nothing but the sound of the wind.
The guard who had just asked the question scratched his head, "Could it really be that I'm being over - suspicious?"
"You'd better find some free time to go back and rest."
"Alas, the palace has been on high alert recently. Even if I want to be lazy, I can't. I'll have to wait and see for a while."
Just like this, the guards gradually walked away until they were out of sight. Only then did countless shadowy figures emerge from the dark.
Having learned from the previous experience, Zhao Jin was more cautious now and reminded the people beside him.
"Be careful. Don't let yourselves be discovered again. Once we enter the palace, those people are ruthless."
"Yes."
...
Concubine Rui was sitting under the tree, yawning boredly.
"It's already very late. Even if the Zhao family wants to take action, they won't come today."
Qiao Meng slowly placed a chess piece on the chessboard.
"Why are you so sure, Your Highness? Maybe they haven't shown up because they're plotting something. We mustn't let our guard down."
"At this late hour, does the Zhao family not even need to sleep and will come out to ambush me?"
"It's hard to say. The person we're currently keeping under house arrest is the apple of their eye. Moreover, this game of chess can only be completed with the people from the Zhao family."
Concubine Rui was a bit helpless and could only continue to wait with her under the tree. The two were playing chess, and unexpectedly, they were evenly matched.
Zhao Jin had actually arrived long ago and had been observing secretly, waiting for a suitable opportunity to act.
The butler said with a gloomy face, "The person beside Concubine Rui looks a bit familiar. From their conversation just now, it seems they've long known we're coming. Master, there's something fishy going on."
Even if this wasn't said, Zhao Jin already had a general idea in his mind.
But he really couldn't figure out which link had gone wrong. He had clearly calculated every step precisely, and he hadn't even contacted outsiders this time.
Wait, outsiders. He thought of someone.
"How's Du Heng?"
As he asked this question, a shadow landed beside him.
"He hasn't been out recently, but a young servant went out the other day."
"Did you investigate what the young servant went out for?"
"Yes, he seems to have contacted a rouge shop."
Zhao Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, "Is that rouge and powder shop called Beauty Pavilion?"
When the shadow spoke this time, there was a bit of surprise in his tone.
"How did you know, Master?"
When Zhao Jin spoke again, he was gnashing his teeth. He never expected that the mole would be someone he once trusted the most.
"Because Beauty Pavilion belongs to the prime minister."
Everything made sense now, and the butler also recognized Qiao Meng.
"Isn't this the orphan girl that General Du brought to meet you before, Master?"
"Good, very good. You, Du Heng, after all these years of friendship with me, actually plotted against me because of a woman. It seems I've been too kind to you people, making you forget that the Zhao family is actually the one in control of the Western Region's territory."
He said coldly, "You stay here and guard. If those people try to go and find the princess consort, do your best to hold them back and buy me half an hour. Act according to the previous plan."
"Yes, sir."
"Remember to put your own lives first. If there's any change, use our secret signal."
He flew away, leaving more than a dozen people to surround the Kunning Palace completely.
After finally avoiding the palace guards and finding the princess consort's bedroom, Zhao Jin encountered a tricky problem on the roof.
He cursed in a low voice, "That Qiao Meng is really a scheming woman."