Ah, you traveled through time too?

After a period of observation and deep thought, the emperor finally realized that although the alliance between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei temporarily brought some reforms and stability, it was not in his long-term interests. The emperor gradually realized that as the ruler of a country, he could not allow his power to be controlled by others. He decided to take decisive countermeasures to regain the dominant position of power.

One day, the emperor summoned his trusted minister, Lord Zhang, and several loyal generals to discuss countermeasures in the imperial study, preparing to launch an all-out counterattack.

"My dear ministers, I have seen the current situation clearly. Although the cooperation between the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei has temporarily stabilized the court, their power is growing, and my authority has been weakened. We must take action to regain control of the situation." The emperor said straight to the point.

Lord Zhang spoke first: "Your Majesty, we fully support your determination. Although the reforms of the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei were well-intentioned, there are indeed many problems in the implementation process. We need to gradually weaken their power and restore the absolute rule of the emperor."

Military commander General Li also agreed: "Your Majesty, I think we can start with the military and gradually strengthen your direct control. We can place some generals who are loyal to your Majesty in the frontier garrisons to ensure that the military force is not controlled by others."

The emperor nodded. "General Li said it very well. The military is the lifeblood of the country, and we must ensure that military power is under my control. At the same time, finance is also a focus that we must pay attention to. Lord Zhang, you must closely monitor financial affairs to prevent anyone from using financial power for personal gain."

Lord Zhang responded, "Your Majesty, I will do my best. We also need to strengthen surveillance of the harem to ensure that those with ulterior motives do not pose a threat to Your Majesty."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction: "My dear ministers, your loyalty and wisdom are my greatest reliance. We must work closely together to face the challenges ahead."

In the following days, the emperor began to gradually implement his counterattack plan. First, he strengthened his control over finance and military through Zhang Daren and other confidants. He ordered the Ministry of Finance to conduct a comprehensive audit to check all financial expenditures to ensure that every penny was spent in the right place.

At the same time, the emperor gradually placed some trusted generals in the frontier garrisons through General Li and other loyal generals to ensure the loyalty of the army. Although these measures encountered some resistance in the early stage, they gradually achieved results under the emperor's firm determination and careful layout.

At the same time, the emperor also began to take action in the harem. He learned about the movements of the empress dowager and Concubine Mei through some secret channels and closely monitored their every move. In order to further weaken Concubine Mei's power, the emperor decided to take some more decisive measures.

One day, the emperor summoned Concubine Mei and decided to personally test her reaction to determine her true intentions.

"Concubine Mei, how have you been handling the affairs in the palace recently?" the emperor asked with a smile.

Mei Fei replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have been doing my best to handle the affairs of the palace, hoping to share your worries."

The emperor nodded, but was secretly alert in his heart: "Mei Fei, I have heard some rumors about you recently. I hope you can be honest with me."

Mei Fei was shocked and said quickly, "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you and have no second thoughts. Those rumors must have been spread by someone with ulterior motives, trying to sow discord."

The emperor smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone: "Mei Fei, I hope you can understand that the struggle in the palace has never stopped. What I need is absolute loyalty and support. I hope you will not let me down."

Mei Fei quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will fully support you and will never have any other intentions."

The emperor nodded, but he had already made a decision in his heart. He decided to completely weaken Mei Fei's power through a dramatic event.

A few days later, the emperor ordered a large palace banquet to be held and invited all the concubines and ministers to attend. At the banquet, the emperor deliberately raised some issues about finance and military affairs in an attempt to provoke a conflict between the empress dowager and Concubine Mei.

"Empress Dowager, Concubine Mei, how have the recent financial and military reforms progressed? I hope you can report in detail." The emperor asked calmly.

The Queen Mother and Concubine Mei looked at each other, both of them a little wary. The Queen Mother spoke first: "My son, the financial reform is progressing smoothly. We have initially solved some problems, but there is still a lot of work to be done."

Mei Fei also quickly agreed: "Your Majesty, military reform is also progressing steadily. We are strengthening border defense to ensure national security."

The emperor nodded, but his next words shocked everyone: "Empress Dowager, Concubine Mei, I have heard some rumors recently that there are some problems in your reform process, and even that someone is secretly plotting something bad. I hope you can explain it."

The faces of the Queen Mother and Concubine Mei turned serious at the same time. The Queen Mother said calmly: "My son, these rumors must be spread by someone with ulterior motives. I have always tried my best to promote reform and have no second thoughts."

Mei Fei also quickly expressed her opinion: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, and those rumors are all groundless."

The emperor smiled slightly. "In that case, I hope you can publicly clarify these issues. I have already arranged some personnel to conduct a comprehensive investigation."

After the banquet, the emperor's words caused an uproar in the palace. The empress dowager and Mei Fei both understood that the emperor had begun to take actions to try to weaken their power. They had to be more cautious to avoid being caught by the emperor.

In the following days, the emperor stepped up his investigation of the empress dowager and Mei Fei. Through Mr. Zhang and other confidants, he gradually revealed some problems that the empress dowager and Mei Fei had in the reform process. Although these problems were not serious, they were enough to attract the attention of the ministers in the court.

One day, the emperor publicly announced some investigation results at a court meeting, pointing out some mistakes made by the Empress Dowager and Concubine Mei in the reform process.

"My dear ministers, through my recent investigation, I discovered that the Empress Dowager and Concubine Mei made some mistakes in the financial and military reforms. I hope you can put forward suggestions for improvement to ensure that our reforms can proceed smoothly." The emperor said in a firm tone.

Lord Li spoke first: "Your Majesty, I believe these problems need to be resolved as soon as possible. We can ensure the smooth implementation of reform measures by strengthening supervision and auditing."

Lord Zhang also agreed: "Your Majesty, we still need to further strengthen our control over finance and military affairs to avoid more problems."

The emperor nodded. "Very good. I hope that you can work together to ensure that our reforms will be successful."

Through this court meeting, the emperor not only successfully aroused the ministers' suspicion of the empress dowager and Mei Fei, but also further weakened their authority. Although the empress dowager and Mei Fei were dissatisfied, they had to keep a low profile temporarily in the face of the emperor's decisive actions.

At the same time, the emperor continued to strengthen his surveillance of the harem to ensure that every step he took was under control. He used some covert means to gradually weaken Mei Fei's influence in the harem while strengthening his control over the empress dowager.

One day, the emperor summoned the empress dowager, hoping to further consolidate his authority through a frank conversation.

"Mother, I know you have been working hard for the stability and prosperity of the country, and I am deeply grateful for this. But I hope you can understand that as a ruler of a country, I need more autonomy." The emperor said in a gentle tone.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "My son, I understand your intentions. I have always supported your decisions and hope that you can become a wise monarch."

The emperor nodded. "Mother, I hope we can continue to cooperate and work together for the future of the country. I will pay more attention to the progress of the reform, and I hope you can understand my position."

The Queen Mother spoke in a gentle tone: "My son, I have always supported you. As long as you need me, I will do my best to help you."

Through this conversation, the emperor further consolidated his position in the heart of the queen mother. He understood that only through steady actions and firm determination could he be invincible in this complex power struggle.