Chapter 13: The Needs of Consort Mei
After completing this matter, Liu Hairui settled down comfortably with Consort Mei, occasionally offering her advice and helping her avoid numerous disasters. Of course, when Consort Mei needed him, Liu Hairui was always the first to rush to her side.
In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. With the emperor's favor, Consort Li became even more unbridled, establishing her own faction in the harem, creating a tripartite balance of power with the Grand Commandant and the Empress.
One day, while wandering in the palace, Liu Hairui encountered a trusted eunuch of the Grand Commandant. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the eunuch whispered to Liu Hairui, "You might not know yet, but recently the Grand Commandant is planning to make things difficult for the Empress."
"Is that so? It's a good thing; the Empress will have to be taken down sooner or later," Liu Hairui said with a poker face. "Since there's trouble, we'll have work to do. I think even if you hadn't met me, the Grand Commandant would have sent you to find me."
"The Grand Commandant always praises you for being smart. It seems Uncle Hai is indeed very clever. The Grand Commandant said that if you can bring down the Empress this time, his position will be yours in the future," the young eunuch said with a smile. "The Grand Commandant also instructed that if you want to leak the news or refuse to do it, you're doomed."
"Well, I need some time for this matter. After all, the Empress is the mother of the nation and the ruler of the harem. It's not easy to topple her," Liu Hairui had long expected this day to come but didn't know it would arrive so soon. It seems he really needed to find a patron, but Consort Mei wouldn't let him go; she still relied on him to serve her. However, if he didn't break free from Consort Mei, he couldn't serve a new master. Most importantly, she knew too many of his secrets. If she revealed them before her death, he would be doomed.
"Uncle Hai, what are you thinking about?" The young eunuch nudged the dazed Liu Hairui and said, "Did you think of any method?"
"Not yet," Liu Hairui shook his head. "What I need now is time. You go back and tell Uncle Wu that when the opportunity arises, I will definitely bring down the Empress."
"Okay, I'll go back first," the young eunuch left.
To be honest, during these six months, Liu Hairui and Consort Mei had been together day and night, and the two had long since developed feelings for each other. It was impossible for Liu Hairui to kill Consort Mei. But he couldn't afford to offend the Grand Commandant, which was quite a dilemma. After returning to Consort Mei's palace, Liu Hairui discussed with her and boldly went to the Grand Commandant's side. Of course, he also knew that the Empress's people were following him all the way. But Liu Hairui didn't avoid the Empress's people. After meeting with the Grand Commandant and talking for a long time, he was directly taken to the Empress's palace by the Empress's people and was forced to the ground.
"You bold dog of a servant, you dare to collude with the Grand Commandant behind my back, trying to kill me," the Empress's face was full of anger as she sneered at Liu Hairui. "Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"
"I'm afraid, I'm very afraid, but I believe the Empress won't kill me," Liu Hairui chuckled, stood up, and waved his hand, saying, "Please let your Majesty's people step back, some things cannot be known by outsiders."
"Alright. All of you step back."
After everyone left, Liu Hairui walked up to the Empress and whispered, "The reason I went to the Grand Commandant's side was to catch his weakness. Now our opportunity has come."
"What? What opportunity?" The Empress's heart trembled: "You dog of a servant, won't you deceive me again, I tell you, if you dare to have the slightest ill intent, I will never forgive you."
"Your Majesty can rest assured, how dare I, a dog of a servant, deceive you." Liu Hairui looked around, making sure there was no one, then whispered in the Empress's ear: "The Grand Commandant and the Prime Minister are preparing to stage a military coup, intending to use the emperor to command the feudal lords."
"Really?" The Empress was shocked. Since ancient times, eunuchs in the harem have always been like this; once they have great power, they are bound to become a disaster.