It was just a casual remark, but unexpectedly, it triggered an even stronger reaction from Concubine Rui.
She hurriedly snatched the painting scroll and stuffed it back into the box. In fact, this "stuffing" was accompanied by some caution.
At that time, he didn't think much about it. Now, looking back, it seemed rather ridiculous. He had completely overlooked such obvious details.
Memories slowly flooded back. Looking at the face on the painting scroll in front of him, which was exactly the same as the one in his memory, he finally realized how thoroughly he had been deceived.
"So from the very beginning, I've been the only fool," he murmured.
Seeing the look of pain on his face, Qin Feng knew how badly he had been deceived by Concubine Rui.
Sighing, Qin Feng did something that no one had expected.
He stepped forward and patted Fan Zhen on the shoulder.
"Brother, don't be too sad. A woman like Concubine Rui has no heart."
Being comforted by his love rival, this handsome man was a bit surprised.
"Don't you have any feelings for Concubine Rui?"
Qin Feng rolled his eyes. He originally wanted to expose the truth directly, but thinking of the instructions from his beloved before coming, he finally gave the Empress Dowager this face.
"Alas, Concubine Rui always said that she wanted to be a free pair of mandarin ducks with me and claimed that she had no ties with any other man except me. I've been deceived by her for so long. I didn't expect you were in the same boat, brother. It seems we're both fallen men in the end of the world."
Fan Zhen was stunned for a moment. Finally, this great man, the leader of a killer organization, actually blushed his eyes in front of everyone.
He hugged Qin Feng and cried uncontrollably, as if he had found a bosom friend.
"I trusted her so much that I gave her such an important token. In the end, she let me down."
Although Qin Feng felt a bit stiff, he still seriously comforted Fan Zhen, gradually calming his emotions.
After Fan Zhen calmed down, his face was full of anger.
"Before, I thought Concubine Rui always opposed the Empress Dowager, so the Empress Dowager must be a very vicious woman."
When he said this, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Shi Muyuan suddenly didn't know what kind of expression to use to respond to this handsome man.
With such low emotional intelligence, it seemed normal that he couldn't win Concubine Rui's favor.
I'm not angry. I'm not angry. I won't be angry with such a straight - laced man.
It took her a great deal of effort to calm herself down, but then this handsome man gave her another surprise.
"Now, looking at the Empress Dowager, although she is a bit young, she is definitely better than that woman Concubine Rui in any case."
No, he was complimenting her. How could she be angry? Not angry, not angry.
Shi Muyuan finally couldn't bear it anymore. "Lord Fan, just say what you want to say directly. It's really annoying to beat around the bush like this."
Fan Zhen seemed to realize that he had said something inappropriate. He coughed twice and quickly changed the topic.
"I'm willing to serve the Empress Dowager in the future and help you deal with Concubine Rui."
"Hehe, love turning into hatred. But Young Master Fan is really bold and straightforward. You really have the guts to say such a thing. Aren't you afraid that she will use the beauty trap on you later? How can I be at ease then? After all, it's like having a sharp blade behind my back."
Her concerns were reasonable. If she hadn't known their story at first, she might not have had such thoughts. But now that she knew, she would never tolerate a seed of betrayal beside her.
Fan Zhen, who had fought his way up in the Jianghu, could understand her thoughts.
"Since the Empress Dowager is worried, how about this? You can place a person beside me, someone you trust the most, to observe my movements. If I do anything wrong, you can kill me directly, and that person can replace me as the new leader of the organization."
It was not easy for the leader of an organization to say such a thing. And almost all his relatives were here today. Once he said it, he would surely do it. Shi Muyuan couldn't help but admire him sincerely.
But admiration aside, she handed this matter over to her most caring elder brother.
"I believe big brother will be willing to handle this for me, right?"
"Of course."
Shi An clapped his hands, and immediately a shadow guard appeared out of thin air in the room.
"This is one of the people who has been with me for many years. I'll be at ease if you use him."
"Then it's him."
The matter was quickly settled. Shi Muyuan directly destroyed the token in front of everyone.
This move almost surprised everyone in the organization.
As the leader of the organization, Fan Zhen also didn't understand.
"This is a token that can mobilize our entire organization. Why doesn't the Empress Dowager keep it by her side and take good care of it?"
Shi Muyuan sneered contemptuously. "Do you really think this token is useful in your eyes?"
These words directly stunned everyone in the organization. Even Granny Liu raised her doubts.
"If we lose this token, we won't be able to stop those who want to rebel against the Empress Dowager in the future."
"I never keep people with two - faced minds around me. Moreover, if Big Brother Fan can't discipline his subordinates well, he'd better not stay by my side in the future. I don't keep useless people around me."
As the last words fell, the aura of a superior rushed towards them. Even these people who had been wandering in the Jianghu for many years were shocked.
After Fan Zhen came to his senses, he knelt on one knee, completely convinced by the person in front of him. It was also the first time he really wanted to serve someone and stay by that person's side.
"Welcome, my lord."
As he spoke, the others weren't stupid either. One voice after another rang out. Although Shi Muyuan was still a bit unaccustomed, this represented her authority. She had to take strong measures first, or it would be very troublesome in the future.
After everyone had knelt down for a while, she waved her hand.
"Alright, that's all for today. I want to make some adjustments to you first. Big Brother Fan will stay by my side from now on. Granny Liu and Uncle Wu will manage things together. If there's anything wrong here, send someone to deliver a message to the palace."
"Yes, my lord."
It just so happened that Fan Zhen also wanted to leave with her. He had just been waiting for an opportunity. Now that the opportunity came, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Sitting in the carriage, Fan Zhen was curious about everything. He looked at one cabinet and then another. Finally, Xiao Xiao couldn't bear it anymore.
"Has Young Master Fan never seen a carriage before? This is the Empress Dowager's territory. You'd better be more restrained and don't let outsiders see you like this. It will cause a lot of trouble for the Empress Dowager."