"Your Majesty... Sima Hui and Sima Che are here to spy on you. Please do not trust them!"
Cao Mao was somewhat bewildered.
At that moment, the four eunuchs Zhong Hui had planted around Cao Mao surrounded him, with Xu Sheng taking the lead in saying those words.
"They often order us to write down Your Majesty's words and hand them over..."
Cao Mao had only just gotten out of bed when these four palace eunuchs pulled a shocking move on him, exposing themselves outright.
Xu Sheng said through gritted teeth, "Those treacherous villains have gone too far!!"
"What are you..."
Cao Mao looked at them in some bewilderment.
Xu Sheng said earnestly, "Your Majesty... those villains treat us like pigs and dogs. We all knew Li Sheng, Zhou Sheng, and the others from before. What crime did they commit to deserve having their entire families slaughtered?"
"I heard Sima Hui speaking privately with Sima Che, saying that after a little more time, they would replace us again..."
There was despair in Xu Sheng's eyes.
"We have committed no wrongdoing. Even if we are killed, we truly do not wish to drag our clans down with us. We beg Your Majesty to save us!"
Cao Mao immediately fell silent.
Cao Mao had sensed long ago just how much Zhong Hui looked down on these people. Nor was this an isolated case; Jia Chong, too, held these eunuchs in utter contempt.
The previous leak had left Zhong Hui deeply distrustful of the eunuchs in the imperial palace.
Thus, they had decided to replace the people around the emperor from time to time... and Li Sheng, Zhou Sheng, and the others had already demonstrated with their lives what happened to those who were replaced.
Cao Mao had thought those people had merely