Time Travel: The actress's acting skills exploded, and she was favored by the harem

Shen Zhiyao guessed that the prince of Ying State came to pay tribute in person this year, and he must have wanted to gain the support of Emperor Bo Muxi of Zhao State and make friends with him to help him ascend the throne smoothly.

The situation of this prince of Ying State is somewhat similar to that of Bo Muxi back then. The emperor of Ying State is nearly seventy years old this year and his health is deteriorating. Although the prince is the eldest son, his mother is not favored by the emperor. Several of his younger brothers have won the support of various forces, and the struggle for succession in the Ying State court continues.

Therefore, there is a high possibility that the Prince of Ying will be assassinated when he enters Dadu this time. Shen Li has fought in the border areas for many years and has made great military achievements. He will be personally escorted by Shen Li, which is very intimidating and will definitely be able to protect the Prince's envoy team.

Therefore, when the Queen told Shen Zhiyao about this matter, she was hinting that it was related to her, or that it might be deliberately used by some people with ulterior motives to make a fuss. As for how they would make a fuss, it was unknown.

"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your reminder. I know what to do." Shen Zhiyao raised her head and looked at the queen with a firm look in her eyes.

She couldn't let anything happen to the Shen family, otherwise, she would be completely helpless in the palace. She had to work extra hard to survive in this competitive and dangerous place.

Seeing that Shen Zhiyao could understand what she meant so quickly, a glimmer of admiration flashed in the queen's eyes. She admired the intelligence, tenacity and self-confidence of this little concubine. After not seeing her for a month, Shen Zhiyao was not depressed and self-deprecating, but became more sharp. She believed in her own vision and believed that it was only a matter of time before Shen Zhiyao would stand out in the palace.

The queen smiled and nodded, saying, "That's very good."

Shen Zhiyao couldn't help but feel confused. She and the Queen were neither enemies nor friends, and there was actually no need for the Queen to help her.

Most of the time, the Queen did keep a wait-and-see attitude, so why did she specifically remind herself this time?

"I have some doubts and would like to ask the Queen in person." Shen Zhiyao looked at the Queen and asked sincerely.

"Oh? If you have any questions, feel free to ask." The queen said with a smile.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Zhiyao finally took a deep breath and asked, "I am just a small talent. To Her Majesty, I am as insignificant as an ant. Why would Her Majesty bother to give me some advice?"

The queen didn't expect that she would ask such a question directly. Instead, she seemed to understand her hesitation and whispered, "You can rest assured. So far, I have no other intentions towards you. I am just interested in what kind of surprises you can bring."

No intention? Shen Zhiyao didn't believe it, but the queen didn't lie to herself. She had indeed been examining her own strength, while also testing the strength and loyalty of the Shen family.

Shen Zhiyao even believed that as long as the right time came, the Queen would definitely force her and the Shen family to take sides.

The queen seems more like a patient hunter, waiting for the best time to capture her prey. The so-called waiting for an opportunity does not mean being passive, it’s just that the time has not yet come.

Shen Zhiyao smiled sweetly and leaned forward and said, "Please rest assured, Queen, I will definitely not let you down."

Shen Zhiyao was making her position clear to the Queen that no matter what tricks those with ulterior motives used, she would keep calm, be prepared, and would not surrender easily.

The queen showed a satisfied smile and nodded to Shen Zhiyao, saying, "The golden chrysanthemum that the emperor gave me is fragrant and refreshing. You should try it too."

Shen Zhiyao responded and quickly picked up the tea bowl to sip it. The two of them fell into a brief silence again.

Shen Zhiyao naturally understood that the Queen appreciated her and wanted to win her over.

If she could join the Queen's camp, it would mean she would have more opportunities to strive for higher status and power, but at the same time, she would also face more challenges and risks.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then Shen Zhiyao stood up and left. They had already achieved their goals, and there was no reason to stay any longer.

In the next few days, the emperor still had no intention of paying attention to Shen Zhiyao, but turned over the names of Concubine Wei Kangfei, Noble Lady Lu, and Concubine Qi respectively.

During this period, several major events occurred in the palace.

As expected, the emperor promoted the four concubines according to the agreement he had made with the empress.

Concubine Sun, who had followed Bo Muxi for many years, was promoted to Shurong and given the title: Wan.

The daughter of Zheng Yi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was promoted from Baolin to Beauty.

Shen Zhiyao was not surprised by the promotion of these two. She could guess what the queen was thinking. Sun Shurong seldom participated in fights in the palace and belonged to the neutral faction. The queen was sending a friendly signal to the neutral faction.

As for Concubine Zheng, her father Zheng Yi will be highly valued by the Emperor and is very likely to succeed the Minister of Revenue within this year.

The current Minister of Revenue is an insider of the Zhao family, which is a hidden danger to the emperor. The emperor wants to take back the power of managing the household registration and financial institutions.

What surprised everyone was that Concubine Kang of Wei, who had rarely been in bed with the emperor, was unexpectedly pregnant.

After Imperial Doctor Zhang took the baby's pulse, he confirmed that the fetus was three months old and was considered to be stable. The emperor was overjoyed and immediately followed the queen's advice. He issued an edict to confer the title of Imperial Consort on her and bestowed upon her the title: Zhuang.

Concubine Wei Kang unexpectedly became Concubine Zhuang. Since then, the two concubine positions of the first and second rank have been filled. Unless Concubine Zhao can be promoted, no one else needs to think about this position anymore.

The three who successfully advanced to the throne all thanked the emperor excitedly and even went to Fengyi Palace to express their gratitude.

Some were happy while others were sad. In this battle, the queen took care of all aspects of her relationships and won. But Concubine Zhao was embarrassed. Concubine Wei Kang from the queen's faction was promoted to Concubine Zhuang. Not only was she on an equal footing, she also had an extra title. For a time, she was suppressed.

None of the concubines from Concubine Zhao's faction were promoted, which made Concubine Zhao feel extremely embarrassed.

There is another thing. The legitimate daughter of the first-rank admiral Zhu Cheng was also sent into the palace. Bo Muxi seemed to like her particularly, so he specially conferred the title of Baolin on her. She slept with him on the day she entered the palace and was also given many rewards.

This incident made Shen Zhiyao a little alert. Zhu Cheng and Shen Zhiyao's father Shen Li were both first-rank military officials. To some extent, they were in a competitive relationship.

Bo Muxi did this most likely to prevent the Shen family from becoming too powerful, and he specifically supported the Zhu family to check and balance the power of the Shen family. At the same time, he was also trying to warn Shen Zhiyao and the Shen family.

Shen Zhiyao took this seriously but was not panicked. A good iron must be made strong before it can be forged. Although Zhu Cheng was quite powerful, he was far inferior to Shen Li in terms of military talent and political experience. As long as Shen Li did not commit the crime of treason, it would be difficult for him to be replaced by others in the short term.

What's more, Shen Li's stance on government affairs has never deviated. He has always been a conservative royalist and has never sided with any other forces for the sake of money or power. His loyalty is trustworthy enough.

Shen Zhiyao also knew Shen Li very well. He was very calm and rational. More importantly, he knew the limits of a subject. Despite his great military achievements, he never took credit for himself.

However, the emperor's various actions also sent a signal: Bo Muxi wanted to set up a brilliant chess game and provoke conflicts between various forces in order to consolidate his absolute control over imperial power.

From then on, the political situation in Zhao State officially entered a crisis-ridden moment.

Whether in the court or in the harem, everyone needs to re-examine their position and find a way to protect their own interests to the greatest extent while preserving themselves and their families.

In this battle of power and belief, Shen Zhiyao and the Shen family need to find the right position to protect themselves and even the honor and status of the entire family...