After she finished speaking, looking at the unmoved man, confusion flashed in her eyes.
"Aren't you afraid? If there are any more loopholes in our plan, all our previous schemes might end up in vain."
This didn't elicit any reaction from the man. He thought it was ridiculous. "My plans have never failed. Even if something goes wrong, it must be due to others."
Since he had said so, Concubine Rui had no choice but to sit down beside him and wait with the man.
...
Soon, Cui Qizhou led a group of people to the place where they had found the supplies the other day.
"Everyone, I hope you can keep it down. I'm counting on you today. Don't let me down."
Everyone nodded seriously. They knew the great significance of this batch of supplies to the people in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Don't worry, Master National Teacher. We will surely live up to your expectations."
After assigning tasks to everyone, Cui Qizhou's gaze finally landed on the young empress dowager. He suddenly felt a headache.
When this woman was ruthless before, he didn't find her so troublesome.
Now some of the things she did were beyond his understanding.
Wasn't she the person placed in the palace by the Shi family? Or had the Shi family completely given up power?
No, that was wrong. He had already sent someone to investigate. These two assumptions were unlikely. So what on earth was going on?
Sensing the man's inquiring gaze, Shi Muyuan's heart skipped a beat. Every time this man looked at her like this, something bad was bound to happen.
Sure enough, the next moment, Cui Qizhou sneered. "Is the empress dowager planning to play some tricks again? Don't forget that these supplies are crucial to the people in the south of the Yangtze River. You came here for them before."
Immediately understanding what he meant, Shi Muyuan twitched the corner of her mouth. "This time I just came here to help. Please don't misunderstand, Master National Teacher."
"Then the empress dowager might as well stay here and wait. We'll leave directly when we come back."
"No!" Without even thinking, Shi Muyuan flatly refused.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew things wouldn't go so smoothly. This woman probably had other motives.
A cold smile slowly appeared on his lips.
"If the empress dowager causes trouble here, it will also damage your reputation. So you'd better think it over."
"No, I don't mean that. I hope to do more. I'll feel bad if I just sit here and wait."
At this, suspicion flashed in the man's eyes. He seemed to be considering whether to believe her words.
After a long time, Xiao Xiao spoke up to break the awkward silence.
"Empress dowager, Master National Teacher, how about the three of us act together? We can take care of each other later."
It seemed that this was the only option. Cui Qizhou reluctantly agreed but still gave repeated instructions.
"Empress dowager, don't run around later. Just stay behind me. Otherwise, I won't be responsible if you get hurt."
"Got it, got it."
The three of them walked in cautiously. It didn't take long before they reached the place where the supplies were stored.
But the journey there was a bit too smooth. There seemed to be no one around. Had someone come here and cleared the place before they arrived?
Just as they were all filled with doubts, a familiar voice came from inside.
"Master National Teacher, Empress Dowager, come and take a look quickly. This is the supplies we've been looking for. They were really hidden here. Since no one has discovered us yet, let's take them away quickly."
Cui Qizhou still had an impression of this person. Before they came in, he had divided several people into a small team. This person was the team leader of one of the teams and also the most active one.
He heaved a sigh of relief. It made sense. Some of the people here knew some kung fu, so they must have cleared the place on the way here.
If so, he could rest assured.
"Find the right moment to move all these things out. I'll send someone to pick them up later. I'll cover you."
"Okay."
That person was directing his team while helping to carry the supplies out. His face was full of joy.
But a casual remark from him made everyone tremble with fear.
"We're really lucky. We found these supplies as soon as we came here, and there's no one guarding around. Those people didn't expect us to come at this time, right?"
Cui Qizhou's face changed slightly. He exchanged a look with the woman beside him.
"What did you just say?"
Seeing his gloomy face, the team leader thought he had said something wrong and panicked.
"Master National Teacher, I, I was just making a casual remark. I didn't mean anything else. Please don't misunderstand."
"No, say what you just said again. I always feel that something is wrong here."
So that was it. The team leader let out a sigh of relief and repeated it.
After hearing this, Cui Qizhou immediately understood what was going on. He hurriedly ordered the people behind him. "Hurry up! It's a trap!"
Before the others could react, there was a sudden noise at the door. Then, a large group of people swarmed in and surrounded them in the middle.
Cui Qizhou protected everyone behind him. Looking at the approaching figure, he had a guess in his mind.
"You should be the one who has been helping Concubine Rui. I wonder what grudge we have against you that makes you take such a risk."
The man sneered directly and drew out his long knife. He was completely wrapped in black, leaving only a pair of eyes. It seemed that he didn't want others to know his identity.
If so, there might still be room for maneuver in this matter.
Cui Qizhou reached out to block his first attack.
"Don't be so angry. Sir, you can sit down and talk to me. Maybe the reward I offer will be more generous than what Concubine Rui can give. You might be more satisfied then."
Hearing this, the man didn't hesitate to launch his second attack. Although he didn't say a word, his actions said it all.
Cui Qizhou still calmly blocked it. "You don't have to worry that our offer won't be enough. Just name your price."
This time, the man couldn't hold back anymore.
"I never thought of betraying my people. You think too highly of yourself. Maybe you don't know that the relationship between me and Concubine Rui can't be bought with money."
The information in this sentence was too much. Shi Muyuan felt a bit overwhelmed.
"Xiao Xiao, did you hear what he just said? Is there some other scheme between him and Concubine Rui?"