"Mother knows you're feeling down at this moment, but we can't stay in this secret passage for too long. I'm sure the pursuers behind will catch up soon. Right now, the most important thing is to find a safe place."
"Yes, Mistress. The princess is still in a coma. If she's captured again, those people will surely torture her to death."
Reluctantly, Zhao Jin glanced at his younger sister's pale face. Then he took a step forward. This time, he made a decision that no member of the Zhao family had ever made.
"I'm going to find the Great Liang's military camp. It's the safest place now. Moreover, I'll make those people from the Western Regions pay the price they deserve."
His eyes were filled with hatred, but the two elders of the Zhao family didn't stop him.
Currently, only the Great Liang could stop Princess Rui. After they left the secret passage, they headed south all the way.
After days of traveling, they finally reached the border seven days later.
Looking at the flags of the Great Liang, they were so touched that tears welled up in their eyes. Unable to hold on any longer, they fainted.
When Shi Muyuan received the news, at first she thought it was unlikely.
"Are you guys too idle recently? How could you come up with such a baseless speculation? The Zhao family from the Western Regions has always been loyal to their master. Why would they come to defect to us?"
She smiled lightly and put a piece of pastry into her mouth.
Xiao Xiao had no choice but to coax her master to go and see for herself. Only then would she believe it.
"Since you don't believe it, let's go and find out."
Noticing the determination in her eyes, although Shi Muyuan thought she was being absurd, she still followed her to the prison. The divine doctor was already inside examining the three of them. Seeing her come, he slowly got up.
"The others are fine. They're just exhausted. Only the princess was seriously injured and hasn't recovered yet. If she's not treated properly, she may have some lingering ailments in the future."
A look of surprise flashed across Shi Muyuan's eyes. "Are they really from the Western Regions? And the Zhao family?"
San Qi looked confused. "Didn't Aunt Xiao explain clearly when she went to find the empress dowager just now?"
Thinking of what Xiao Xiao had told her just now, she realized that it was just her own disbelief at first.
She pursed her lips and changed the topic.
"How long will it take for these people to wake up?"
Just as she finished asking, before the divine doctor could answer, the people on the ground made a sound.
At first, the old lady was a bit flustered, but only for a moment. Then she regained her usual composure.
"This old woman pays respects to the empress dowager."
The others followed suit and bowed. They were calm and there was a hint of relief on their faces. This strange scene made Shi Muyuan feel quite curious.
These people from the Western Regions didn't stay in their own homes. Instead, they suddenly came to the territory of the Great Liang and seemed quite happy. Could there be a plot behind it?
While thinking, she had already stepped outside and ordered the prison door to be closed.
Seeing the barrier in the middle, she slowly let out a sigh of relief.
"Tell me. What's your intention for suddenly coming here, you people from the Zhao family? If you can confess everything, I might spare your lives."
After saying that, she raised her head proudly. Such a way of interrogation was really unprecedented. Everyone beside her was stunned.
San Qi even twitched the corner of her mouth.
"The empress dowager's interrogation is really a breath of fresh air among all the prisons in the world."
Shi Muyuan looked back and saw that everyone was looking at her in surprise. Only then did she realize that something seemed wrong, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was. She could only blink her eyes.
"Did I do something wrong?"
At this moment, everyone tacitly chose to turn a blind eye.
"The empress dowager can just follow your own mood. You must be right."
Hearing this, Shi Muyuan rolled her eyes without hesitation.
Zhao Jin also came to his senses from this strange interrogation.
"Your Majesty may not know. We came here suddenly just because we want to make a deal with the Great Liang."
"Oh? Your Zhao family is the most loyal lackey of the royal family in the Western Regions. What kind of good deal could you have with us? It must be a lie. Do you think I'll be deceived by you?"
She thought it was meaningless to continue this conversation. It was just a waste of everyone's time. She turned around and was about to leave.
Seeing this, the people from the Zhao family all got anxious.
"The Zhao family is no longer what it used to be. Your Majesty, please give us a chance. Let's have a good talk."
"Do you think you have the qualification to talk to me?"
She stared closely at the man who was speaking. The mockery in her eyes couldn't be hidden at all.
This kind of reaction was exactly what should be shown to the people from the Western Regions. Everyone was watching from the side, and the suspicion in their eyes became more and more obvious.
"Your Majesty, I don't think we need to listen to these people's nonsense anymore. Just drive them all out. This is already our last bit of mercy. These people from the Zhao family deserve to die, but we don't want to have blood on our hands like they do in the Western Regions."
These words clearly showed the difference between the two sides. Yes, when the Western Regions attacked the Great Liang, the Zhao family had made so many contributions. They were heroes in the Western Regions, but also the objects that everyone in the Great Liang hated.
Shi Muyuan also thought that these people coming here suddenly must have some bad intentions. Maybe they were just like Lin Sun before. She took a deep breath and was too lazy to stay here any longer. She gave an order.
"You guys throw these people back to their territory in the Western Regions. During the war between the two sides, we don't kill the unarmed."
Her magnanimity seemed like the last straw to them.
Zhao Jin gritted his teeth. For the first time in his life, he put down all his dignity. He bent his knees and knelt straight on the ground, making a loud noise.
Suddenly, it attracted everyone's attention.
Shi Muyuan was also a bit surprised by this sudden scene. She raised her eyebrows. She had heard a lot about the legendary deeds of this head of the Zhao family. Now, this proud man was kneeling in front of her. What was the reason behind it? Her interest was piqued.
"What does the head of the Zhao family mean by this? Just because I don't buy your act of feigning hardship, so you want to force me into submission in this way?"
"It's not like that, Your Majesty. We really came here to ask for help. Your Majesty can think about it. If it's really an act of feigning hardship, why would we bring my elderly father and mother with us?"
Following his words, Shi Muyuan looked at the two elders.
Because of the long journey, their faces were dirty. Although they had been well-maintained before, now there were more and more white hairs on their temples. And there were colorful stains on their hands. As a woman from the new era, she naturally knew that those must be the indelible colors from wild fruits.