Ah, you traveled through time too?

The alliance between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei gradually showed its influence in the court, but all this did not escape the eyes of the emperor. As a young monarch, the emperor has been trying to consolidate his authority and control the government. He is grateful for his mother, the Queen Mother's wisdom and experience, but he does not want to be a puppet being manipulated.

Recently, the emperor has noticed that the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei are working more closely together, which makes him feel uneasy. Concubine Mei was once the center of the inner palace struggle, but now she has joined forces with the Queen Mother, making the situation in the court and the harem more complicated. All this forces the emperor to re-examine the motives of his mother and Concubine Mei.

One day, the emperor summoned his trusted minister, Lord Zhang, who needed some reliable advice on how to deal with the current situation.

"Sir Zhang, what do you think of the recent situation in the court and the harem?" the emperor asked straight to the point.

Lord Zhang pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that the cooperation between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei will help stabilize the situation, but it may also trigger a new power struggle. Your Majesty must remain vigilant to prevent being restrained."

The emperor nodded, frowning, "Lord Zhang, I feel the same way. I need your help to secretly investigate the movements of the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei to ensure that they will not threaten my authority."

Lord Zhang bowed deeply and said, "I understand. I will do my best."

In the following days, the emperor began to closely monitor the actions of the empress dowager and Mei Fei through Zhang Daren and some loyal palace maids and eunuchs. He learned that the empress dowager and Mei Fei were promoting some reform measures, which, although conducive to the development of the country, also secretly accumulated a lot of power.

The emperor's suspicion gradually deepened, and he decided to personally test the true intentions of the empress dowager and Concubine Mei. One day, he went to the empress dowager's bedroom on the pretext of caring about his mother's health, ready to have a deep talk with her.

When the Queen Mother saw the Emperor coming, she smiled with relief: "My son, how come you have time to come and see me?"

The emperor smiled and said, "Mother, I have been very busy lately, but I am always concerned about your health. I took the time out today to come and see you."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Your Highness is thoughtful. I am in good health, but I am a little tired from worrying about state affairs."

The emperor took the opportunity to say, "Mother, I heard that you and Concubine Mei have been promoting some reform measures recently. I wonder what the specific contents of these measures are?"

The Queen Mother smiled slightly and said calmly: "My son, these reforms are for the future of the country. We hope to strengthen the country through financial and military adjustments. At the same time, we also hope that the harem can be more harmonious and reduce disputes."

The emperor nodded to show his understanding, but the suspicion in his heart did not dissipate: "Mother, I fully support your reforms, but I also hope that these measures can be open and transparent so that the ministers in the court can understand and support them."

The Queen Mother looked at the Emperor, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes: "My son, I understand your concerns. Reform does take time and patience, but I believe that as long as we work together, we will succeed."

The emperor nodded, but his doubts still lingered in his heart. He decided to further observe the actions of the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei to ensure that his authority was not threatened.

At the same time, Mei Fei also sensed that the emperor had some doubts about her cooperation with the empress dowager, and she knew that she had to take some action to ease the emperor's suspicion.

One day, Mei Fei took the opportunity to go to the Imperial Garden and happened to meet the emperor who was taking a walk. She bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, you are taking a walk here, but what is on your mind?"

The emperor smiled slightly and said, "Mei Fei, I just came out to relax and think about some state affairs."

Mei Fei seized the opportunity and said gently: "Your Majesty, I have been promoting some reform measures recently. Although there are many difficulties, they are all for the future of the country. I hope Your Majesty can understand and support it."

The emperor nodded and said calmly, "Mei Fei, I see your efforts. But I am worried whether these reforms will cause new problems."

Mei Fei immediately expressed her loyalty: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you and have no second thoughts. All the reform measures are for the prosperity of the country and will never pose a threat to your authority."

The emperor felt a little relieved, but he still decided to continue observing Mei Fei's actions. He knew that only by staying vigilant could he remain invincible in the complex court struggle.

A few days later, the emperor convened a court meeting and specifically mentioned the recent reform measures. He hoped to understand the ministers' true thoughts through open discussion, while also observing the reactions of the empress dowager and Concubine Mei.

At the court meeting, the emperor spoke first: "My dear ministers, the Empress Dowager and Concubine Mei have been promoting some reform measures recently. I hope everyone will speak freely and put forward your opinions and suggestions."

Lord Li spoke first: "Your Majesty, I believe that these reform measures are beneficial to the development of the country, but they need to be more transparent and fair in the implementation process to ensure that every measure can be implemented."

Lord Zhang agreed: "Your Majesty, financial and military reforms are vital to the country, but we must handle them carefully to avoid causing unnecessary disputes."

The emperor nodded and said, "My dear ministers, what you said is very good. I agree with you. The reform intentions of the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei are good, but we must ensure that every measure is open and transparent and has everyone's support."

The Queen Mother smiled slightly and stood up: "Your Highness is right. My reform measures will be more open and transparent. I welcome your valuable suggestions."

Mei Fei also stood up and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I will fully cooperate to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform measures."

After the court meeting, the emperor was satisfied with the statements of the empress dowager and Mei Fei, but the suspicion in his heart was not completely eliminated. He knew that in the court struggle, there were no eternal friends, only eternal interests. In order to ensure his authority and the stability of the country, he must remain vigilant and continue to observe and respond to various challenges.

Empress Dowager Xiao Minghui knew that in order to consolidate her position in this complex court struggle, she must have a more sophisticated strategy. The emperor's suspicion has not been completely eliminated, and Mei Fei's ambitions are gradually revealed. In order to ensure her authority and the smooth progress of the reform, the empress dowager decided to take more secretive and clever means.

Late one night, the Queen Mother summoned her trusted eunuch, Li Gonggong, to her bedroom. Li Gonggong was one of the Queen Mother's most trusted people. He had many eyes and ears in the palace and was well-informed.

"Eunuch Li, what do you think of the emperor's attitude recently?" the empress dowager asked with a slight frown.

Eunuch Li replied in a low voice: "Empress Dowager, although the Emperor supports your reforms, he still has doubts in his heart. He has recently stepped up his surveillance of the palace, especially on you and Concubine Mei."

The Queen Mother nodded, a trace of deep thought flashed in her eyes: "I understand that the prince is young and will inevitably be suspicious. We must use some means to make him completely believe in the loyalty of me and Concubine Mei."

Eunuch Li asked respectfully, "Queen Mother, what is your plan?"

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Eunuch Li, I need you to arrange some people to create some illusions in front of the prince. We need to make the prince think that there is some discord between me and Concubine Mei, so that he can put aside his doubts."

Eunuch Li nodded and said, "Empress Dowager, I understand. I will make arrangements to make the Emperor believe that there is a conflict between you and Concubine Mei."

The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. In addition, I need you to secretly investigate Concubine Mei's movements. Although she cooperates with me, her ambition cannot be ignored."

Eunuch Li responded, "Your Majesty, I will do my best."

In the following days, Eunuch Li secretly arranged some people to create several "small conflicts" between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei in front of the emperor according to the Queen Mother's instructions. Although these conflicts seemed insignificant, in the eyes of the emperor, they gradually formed the illusion of discord between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei.

At the same time, the Queen Mother continued to promote her reform measures and cultivate more supporters in the court. She used some clever means to gradually eliminate those forces that might threaten her and the emperor.