Chapter 9: The Peerless Consort
"Examination." The Empress did not engage in superfluous talk. Being in charge of the entire harem meant one must have certain methods and could not be overly lenient; otherwise, no one would fear them.
Several maids came over and lifted Consort Lan's body. Then, one maid separated her legs and squeezed that area, and indeed, a pool of warm liquid flowed out. Both the Empress and the court physician saw it clearly. The physician fainted on the spot.
"Take both of them out and execute them," the Empress commanded. After giving the order, she turned and left, but after a few steps, she stopped and looked back at Liu Hairui, asking, "What is your name?"
"Your Majesty, this servant is Hai Chen," Liu Hairui replied.
"Hai Chen, good. Go back and greet your mistress for me; I won't visit her myself."
After returning to Consort Mei's palace, Liu Hairui recounted the events that had transpired to her. Hearing this, Consort Mei's face bloomed with joy. She held Liu Hairui's hand and said with a smile, "Hai Chen, you are indeed my good servant. From now on, in this Fragrant Plum Palace, besides me, you are the master."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace," Liu Hairui was naturally delighted as well. This meant that he was now the most powerful person after Consort Mei herself. If he didn't go to other palaces, he could almost control everything here.
"By the way, since you have the means to kill Consort Lan, I believe you must also have the means to bring down Consort Li. You will also have a way to make the Emperor favor me, won't you?" Consort Mei said with a smile, "If you can achieve this, I will reward you with a thousand acres of fertile land and a thousand taels of gold."
"It can be done, but Consort Li is currently favored by the Emperor. If we want to move against her, it will take some time," Liu Hairui thought for a moment and said, "It seems we must act from outside the palace. The Emperor goes to Consort Li's place every day, and we simply don't have the time to deal with her."
"Alright, I have time. Just hurry up and handle it for me."
After bidding farewell to Consort Mei, Liu Hairui began to think of ways to deal with Consort Li. Not for anything else, but if he could really help Consort Mei ascend to the throne of the Empress, he would naturally take his place as the head of the harem, and then gradually extend his influence to the court, wielding immense power.
"Eunuch Hai, the head of the harem, Grandfather Gao, wants to see you," a young eunuch reported.
"He wants to see me?" Liu Hairui frowned. Why would he be looking for himself while he was with Consort Mei? "Lead the way."
Inside the Hall of Nurturing Life.
"Hai Chen, I heard you've been quite the sensation today," the head of the harem, Grandfather Gao, sat in a chair sipping tea. "You thwarted Consort Li today and harmed Consort Lan. Your hands are now stained with blood."
"Grandfather Gao is joking. I am just a small eunuch. I just told the truth, and as for Consort Lan, I just happened to come across it. I didn't want our harem to become filthy, so I reported the matter to the Empress."
"Oh? Then why didn't you come to tell me directly? Don't you know I am the head of the harem?" Grandfather Gao's tone changed, and his voice became cold: "Let me tell you, in the harem, there is not only the Empress."
"About this matter, it's like this," Liu Hairui's mind was racing. If he offended Grandfather Gao at this moment, as the head of the harem, he would definitely not let him go, and he was a favorite by the Emperor's side. He really couldn't afford to offend him: "At that time, I wanted them to report to Grandfather Gao, but I met the Empress on the way. Under her questioning, they blurted out everything. These servants really don't know how to handle affairs."
"Are you trying to use the Empress to pressure me?" Grandfather Gao sipped his tea and said indifferently, "Today you have taken all the limelight and forgot to tell you, the harem is such a place, where the bird is hit, sometimes being too prominent can lead to a quick death."
"I understand, I will follow Grandfather Gao in the future." Liu Hairui said, "Whatever Grandfather Gao wants me to do, I will do."
"It's good that you understand this. As long as you follow me, I won't make things difficult for you. Alright, you may go." Grandfather Gao waved his hand and let Liu Hairui out.
On the surface, Grandfather Gao seemed to be asking Liu Hairui about Consort Lan's matter, but in reality, he was trying to recruit him. From his words, Liu Hairui could tell that he was very dissatisfied with the Empress, and he probably would be unfavorable to her in the future. Liu Hairui's mind began to turn, if he didn't stand in the right place this time, perhaps he would lose everything before he got what he wanted. But no matter who he followed, as long as he was still alive, he could do whatever he wanted with the consorts, princesses, and maids in the harem. The next one should be Consort Li.