Dress up as a sickly person to capture the villain princess!

"I, your humble servant, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The two shadow guards had been waiting in the side room for a long time. They stood there, not moving a muscle.

Until the door creaked open.

The two shadow guards raised their heads and saluted. They knelt on the ground, and the things they brought were neatly placed on the table.

Waiting for His Majesty to come and inspect.

"No need to be polite."

"What did you find out?"

Zhao Changlin was dressed casually today, wearing an ink-colored robe and soft armor that was tied around his body. This was the attire of the Shadow Guard when he took off his heavy armor.

This is how they dress on weekdays when they are resting.

With his ponytail standing up, Zhao Changlin naturally saw the animal trap on the table.

There was some wet mud on it, and the smell of rust gradually spread in the room.

It has been raining recently, and many brown marks have spread onto the sharp blade of the trap.

Obviously, this trap has been in the forest for quite some time, which is why it has accumulated so much rust.

"Bear trap..."

Xia Zhiyuan stepped over the threshold and walked over.

The two shadow guards immediately moved to the side and made way.

"To answer your question, sir, this was found in the nearby forest. This is just one of them. In total, we found... several hundred scattered animal traps."

“There should be more than that.”

"After the bandits retreated, they took away a lot of things."

"We also found traces of oil barrels piled up in the forest. From the oil stains on the soil, we can tell that it is indeed kerosene."

After saying that, the man took out the soil wrapped in oil paper from his chest. He opened the oilcloth package with his fingertips and saw that the brown soil was indeed covered with a layer of grease.

“It seems that there are no ambushes in this forest, but there are ambushes.”

Xia Zhiyuan was now even more certain that the person behind the command of these horse bandits was indeed... an expert who had been well educated, marched, and fought in battles.

This move is more sinister than the previous one, it should not be the dead male protagonist.

It’s more like Gu Zhao’s doing.

However, hasn’t Gu Zhao’s body been transported back to the Gu family?

In just two years, after losing his eldest son and second son, Mr. Gu became disheartened and bid farewell to the court.

Even before His Majesty planned to clean up the Gu family, he had already volunteered, saying that he was willing to give up everything and be a minor official to atone for the sins of the court and his son.

During the long period of time since Mr. Gu resigned, His Majesty sent shadow guards to observe him secretly. Apart from handling official business every day, Mr. Gu lived in his own house.

If you don’t go out from the front door, you won’t take a step toward the second door.

It seems that he has really become pure-hearted and forgotten everything.

Hiss——Could it be that Gu Zhao is not dead?

Xia Zhiyuan and Zhao Changlin looked at each other, and instantly understood each other's thoughts as if they had telepathic connection.

"Your Majesty, should we continue investigating?"

Shaking her head, Zhao Changlin placed her slender fingertips on her chin. She turned around and looked at the two shadow guards.

The voice was cold and clear, "There is something more important that needs to be done by you."

Upon hearing this, the two shadow guards immediately bowed again.

The attitude was very respectful.

They said in unison: "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

"Immediately return to the imperial city and investigate the tomb of Gu Zhao, the ancestral tomb of the Gu family. Record any suspicious points."

"Pay close attention to the actions of the Gu family and remember not to expose yourself."

“Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain.”

……

His fingertips fell on the mask on his face.

Gu Zhao touched the pattern that was burning with raging flames and traced it inch by inch.

He held the bronze mirror in his hand, and the glory he had in the past with his youth was no longer possible.

Thinking back to when he first took office as the commander, Gu Zhao rode a fine horse and enjoyed the glorious scenery, looking so proud.

All the noble ladies in the imperial city were infatuated with him. They threw down a spring flower and looked at the mountains, the water, and their lovers.

Also looking forward to this spring scenery.

But now, all of this seems like a dream.

"Xia Zhiyuan... Even if you have made all the calculations, even if you have mastered the strategy, even if you hold great power, so what?"

"You would never have thought that I...Gu Zhao is still alive!"

"As long as I have this mirror, as long as I have this mirror... I can kill you, I can kill the emperor and take the throne myself!"

"I will make those who are afraid of me stare at my face day and night, so that they... dare not utter a single sigh, otherwise... I will make them lose their heads!"

"hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

The crazy laughter sounded again.

The pirate leader squatting outside the house had a solemn expression on his face. He didn't know how to start the conversation... If only this sneak attack failed, it would be fine.

However, the mine incident was discovered, and even the contact person Zhou Asan was thrown into the government office in Longcheng and there has been no news of him since.

But fortunately, they retreated early and did not suffer many casualties.

However, I don’t know whether the guys I brought from Xizhou City have been hiding from the limelight these days or have already seen the west.

I haven't seen them come back in the past few days.

"Dashan, come in."

After laughing.

Gu Zhao returned to his indifferent look. Almost all the skin and flesh on his face were turned inside out. After healing, it looked even more frightening.

If you are timid, you will probably pee out of fear.

"Yes, boss."

The man called Dashan stood up immediately. Before stepping over the threshold, he hesitated for a moment and straightened the wrinkles on his clothes.

Only then did he step in without hesitation.

"Boss, you call me."

Dashan is still a man of some courage. If it weren't for the burned man's willingness to keep donating money to support them, and their common goal, which is to kill the corrupt official of the imperial court who is the source of the troubles in Xizhou City - that lord.

He had already set up his own business with his brothers.

Although they didn't know where this man came from, he was able to continuously withdraw government silver from local shops, and that's how they, the pirates, were.

Just ask for today, not tomorrow.

"I've heard about what happened before - you did such a mess, it reminded me of an old friend."

Gu Zhao had some hint in his mind, but today when he got the customized mask, he felt a lot better.

Originally, he thought that Xia Zhiyuan would be hit by the arrow and at least would not be killed on the spot, but would be disabled at least.

But unexpectedly, Xia Zhiyuan is still full of energy and jumping around in front of him.

If Xia Zhiyuan was not in a dying state, then even if he personally went into battle, he would probably not gain any advantage from her.

Therefore, Gu Zhaoyan's intention was not because he was considerate, but because he had suffered too much at the hands of Xia Zhiyuan.

"I know better than you uneducated brains, how can you possibly deal with a sober Xia Zhiyuan."

"Unless she faints... or is alone, we will have a chance to take advantage of her."

"Only then can we completely put her in a cage."