"Let's do it this way, but we need to find out where the prefect's residence is and how many people are in his family first, so we don't miss anyone." Zhu Qingruo narrowed her eyes, wishing she could start arresting people immediately and not let a single one escape.
"We'll split up. You take half the men to arrest the prefect, and the other half will come with us to storm the prison tonight to rescue him," Zhu Lin said to the head of the secret guards.
In fact, the people of Xianwu Island could have easily dealt with the guards at the prison, but considering that the imperial envoy and his entourage might have been seriously injured, the secret guards who accompanied them were responsible for carrying them out.
"Go on, everyone be careful." Xingxing gestured for the head of the guards to leave.
Upon hearing the words "be careful," the head of the secret guards paused for a moment, his eyes flashing slightly. They had been selected by the emperor from a young age and sent to undergo inhuman training. They were born to be assassins, and had long since disregarded life and death. They had also long accepted this fate.
No one ever told them to be careful when going on missions. Every mission was a life-or-death struggle, and they knew they might not come back alive.
The princess is still young, innocent and adorable, soft and sweet, which is why the emperor and empress dote on her.
Although the princess's concern was of no use to the assassins, it did leave a strange feeling in the head of the secret guards' heart, something that was hard to explain but not entirely unacceptable.
At midnight, a group of men in black leaped out of the inn's windows one after another, their figures swiftly darting to the rooftops opposite. This time, Xingxing didn't go to rescue them; she was left at the inn by the boy. Of course, Zhu Lin didn't go either.
Zhang Xiantao, along with her bodyguards and Zhao Mingyue, followed behind the group. These three were simply there to join in the fun. Zhao Mingyue had recently been completely fooled by Zhang Xiantao and believed her every word. The two of them were inseparable all the time.
At that time, Zhang Xiantao said to Zhao Mingyue, "That imperial envoy was the top scholar in the previous imperial examination and a disciple of the emperor personally appointed by the emperor. He was born into a poor family, but he is upright and loyal and is highly valued by the emperor. If we go together to help rescue people this time, the emperor will definitely reward us, and we will have made a great contribution."
Zhao Mingyue didn't know much about the affairs of the court. No, he didn't know much about the outside world. His mother had told him to ask Zhu Chumo if he didn't understand anything, but apart from offering some guidance on medical matters, Young Master Zhu gave very perfunctory answers to other questions.
Unlike Zhang Xiantao, who would answer any questions he had, Miss Zhang would answer them without hesitation, even going so far as to extend her explanation to other matters, and they could chat for an hour straight, with her explanations being incredibly detailed and engaging.
Every time Zhao Mingyue watched Miss Zhang talk incessantly, her spittle flying as she spoke, her face radiant with excitement, he felt that she was exceptionally sincere and patient, which helped him understand many things he hadn't known before.
So when Zhang Xiantao said he was going to the prison to rescue someone, Zhao Mingyue immediately agreed to go with him. Dazhuang and Daze naturally didn't object, so they came along too.
"Go to bed and get some sleep. They won't be back anytime soon. There's no point in just waiting around anxiously." Zhu Lin's eyelids were starting to droop as she looked at the stars, and she offered a few words of advice.
She had already gone to bed earlier. When Zhu Changge got up, she moved very quietly, afraid of waking her. Unexpectedly, as soon as she sat up, the little girl also opened her eyes and sat up.
Her wet eyes were clear and bright, showing no sign of sleep. It turned out that the princess had been pretending to be asleep, waiting for them to wake up and wait for them to set off.
However, being so young, she's starting to feel the strain.
"I'm so anxious I can't sleep. Don't try to persuade me, I'll wait a little longer." Xingxing stood up, pacing back and forth with her hands behind her back. Her old-fashioned manner amused the boy.
Two quarters of an hour later, Zhu Qiuyu and his group arrived at the prison of the government office first, followed by a group of secret guards, and Zhang Xiantao and his group at the very back.
As expected, there weren't many guards at the prison; a rough estimate puts it at only about thirty people. It's likely that most of the city's troops were deployed to guard the city gates.
Zhu Qiuyu made a hand gesture, and the six of them leaped out at the same time. Then came the sound of weapons clashing. The guards were also very fast, and the soldiers guarding the prison were quickly dealt with.
When Zhang Xiantao and Zhao Mingyue rushed into the prison, the guards had already begun carrying people out. The followers were indeed beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding. Only about thirty people were able to walk on their own, and the others had to be carried away.
Zhu Qiuyu and his group led the imperial envoy back to the inn first. Before leaving, Zhu Qiuyu also captured Zhang Xiantao and Zhao Mingyue and a group of people to be laborers and make them help carry people.
"These people acted too quickly, I didn't even have a chance to show my skills. Oh well, you can help carry the person out." Zhang Xiantao called to Zhao Mingyue to help her carry the person out.
"...I counted twice and it was the same, only 346 people. Didn't we bring a total of 500 people? Where are the remaining 100-plus people?" After carrying one person out, Zhang Xiantao started counting the number of people back and forth, but no matter how she counted, it didn't match up.
"Miss Zhang, hurry up and get to work. Stop counting. What else could it be if there are fewer people? They've just lost some," Qingyan and Qingluo said casually as they carried one person past her.
Zhang Xiantao stomped her foot angrily, "The prefect of Xiyan City has some nerve! He actually dared to kill someone sent by the imperial court. Once he is arrested, his entire family will be executed."
"Punishing nine generations of one's family?" Zhao Mingyue looked like she needed an explanation.
"This person committed a crime, deceiving the emperor and rebelling. All his relatives and friends will be implicated and beheaded together, *splat*." Zhang Xiantao made a beheading gesture and added his own voiceover.
"The emperor's power is that great?" Zhao Mingyue scratched her head thoughtfully.
"Shh, the Emperor is the Son of Heaven, the whole world belongs to him, his word is law. You must not talk about His Majesty in front of others. If you say something wrong and someone reports it to the Emperor, you will be punished, do you understand?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head; she didn't know.
"The Emperor has many ministers and soldiers. When he sends someone to arrest you, you'll either be imprisoned or beheaded. In short, don't try to challenge the imperial authority..." Zhang Xiantao's mouth was dry from talking so much. She sincerely taught Zhao Mingyue how to conduct herself in the capital.
After all, she was going to take him back to the capital. If nothing unexpected happened, this handsome young man would be her future husband. She liked this slightly goofy young man who needed her to teach him everything, and she felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"Miss, stop chatting and let's go. Everyone's gone. If we don't leave now, we might not be able to leave." Xiao Huan and the others waited outside for a long time but Zhang Xiantao didn't come out. Seeing the guards quickly leaving with the rescued people, they hurriedly came in to call for help.
Zhang Xiantao paused, glanced around for a moment, and sure enough, she saw that only she and Zhao Mingyue were left in the prison. After regaining her senses, she immediately pulled Zhao Mingyue and ran out.
"Why didn't these people warn me when they left all their clothes on? They're so disloyal!" Zhang Xiantao complained as she ran.
Xiao Huan secretly curled her lips. How dare the young lady say that? Everyone was busy rescuing people and retreating. At that critical moment, she was the only one in the mood to chat with her lover in the prison.
Alas, this young lover is only thirteen; he seems too young. Miss should wait a few more years before they can marry.
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