Before he could return to his quarters, Liu Hairui was summoned by the Empress. In her chambers, he knelt for half an hour before being granted an audience with her.
"Hai Chen, are you aware of your wrongdoings?" The Empress's first words to Hai Chen were commanding and intimidating.
"Your servant is ignorant." Liu Hairui prostrated himself on the ground, thinking that the Empress was trying to assert her dominance, just like that Gao Eunuch. They both seemed to want to bring him to their side.
"Did you cause trouble in the harem? Was today's incident with Consort Lan orchestrated by you? Was it your mistress's order?" The Empress slammed the table in a fit of rage, "Bold servant, if you do not confess, this palace will resort to punishment."
"Your Majesty, I truly have done nothing wrong. I only reported what I saw to Your Majesty." Liu Hairui kept his head down, not out of fear of the Empress. From the moment she asked his name, he knew she wanted him to follow her. In the murky and scheming harem, everyone wanted a few close and clever servants.
"So you imply that you will not confess unless I use punishment on you?" The Empress sneered, ordering the torture devices to be laid out before Liu Hairui. She then stood up, walked over to him, and said with a smile, "This palace will not allow anyone to disrupt the peace of the harem. I believe a mere servant like you does not have the audacity. If you do not confess, it will be you who suffers."
"Your Majesty, I have said all that needs to be said. Consort Mei is not yet aware of this matter." Liu Hairui slightly raised his head and said, "If Your Majesty truly wishes to punish me, I accept my fate. But I will not betray my mistress, nor will I attribute false crimes to her."
"Very well, since you are unwilling to speak the truth, I can only have you killed." A glint of murderous intent flashed in the Empress's eyes, but it quickly faded, "Rise."
"Does Your Majesty not intend to kill your servant?" Liu Hairui had anticipated this outcome.
"You will achieve nothing following Mei Fei; it would be better to serve me." The Empress said, "I will give you everything you desire."
"I believe it is best for me to remain by Mei Fei's side for now. I have just reported Consort Lan's affair. If I were to join you at this moment, people would surely think we conspired to kill Consort Lan. Therefore, I think it is safer for me to stay with Mei Fei."
"Hmmm, I did not expect you to be so thoughtful." The Empress nodded, then with a gloomy expression said, "I believe you are a smart servant. You should know that I will take good care of those who are loyal to me and provide them with everything they want. But for those who are not my servants, I will ruthlessly kill them. I will not allow anyone to threaten my position. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I will pledge my loyalty to the Empress unto death." Liu Hairui nodded and withdrew.
All the way back, Liu Hairui pondered the events of the day. Clearly, he could not side with any party now; otherwise, they would surely plot against him. The only option was to stay quietly with Mei Fei for now and wait for the right opportunity to choose his allegiance wisely.
After returning to Mei Fei's quarters, Liu Hairui went to her chambers. He knew she must have already heard about his summons by Gao and the Empress. Instead of waiting for her to come to him, it was better to show his sincerity by reporting the matter to her directly.
"Mistress Mei, Gao and the Empress both summoned me earlier." Liu Hairui said with a smile after seeing Mei Fei, "They suspect you ordered me to kill Consort Lan and even threatened to torture me."
"Did you confess?" Mei Fei's expression changed upon hearing this. If Liu Hairui had confessed, it would have been a death sentence for her.
"Of course not, if I had, I wouldn't be coming back." Liu Hairui replied, "Since we have nothing to do with it, they couldn't trouble me further, so they let me go."
"Good job, you did very well." Mei Fei approached, looking at Liu Hairui with satisfaction, then took his hand and said, "Didn't you say your massage skills are excellent? I feel like taking a bath now, why don't you join me?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liu Hairui eagerly followed, driving away all the maids. Mei Fei led Liu Hairui to the edge of the bath, undressing bit by bit in front of him. When the last pieces of cloth covering her lower body and chest were removed, Liu Hairui's eyes brightened, and his breathing grew heavy. Mei Fei's full and mature figure stirred his imagination, and his body responded instantly.