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

After Shen Zhiyao was promoted to a talented woman, she could actually add another palace maid and a eunuch, but she didn't have any reliable candidates at the moment and didn't dare to employ people blindly, so she ordered Qiuyue and the others to look for them and was not in a hurry.

However, she could promote the rank of a palace maid, so Shen Zhiyao naturally gave the position of first-class palace maid to Qiuyue, who was brought from her mother's home, and gave the vacant second-class palace maid position to Qiu Ling, who had always served more attentively. The two promoted palace maids were naturally grateful and more loyal.

In late August, during the period of End of Autumn, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Ying State, several civil officials and a general, entered the capital of Zhao State: Dadu.

The weather in Zhao State was still hot in this month, and the sunlight was shining on the earth like a golden ribbon. The envoys from Ying State brought rich and precious tributes with Ying State characteristics, and the team was very large.

General Shen Li, wearing heavy armor and a long sword on his waist, rode on a horse and led 30,000 elite soldiers from Zhao State to escort the envoys from Ying State.

He had not been to Dadu for more than a year since his second daughter, Shen Zhiyao, entered the palace. Whenever he thought of his daughter's sad and unwilling back when she was sent to the palace, he felt heartbroken.

Shen Li sat astride the horse, his eyes firm and deep, his heroic body as steady as a mountain, giving people a strong sense of security. He is 41 years old this year, at the prime of his life.

The emperor issued an edict, ordering him to personally escort the Ying State envoys into Dadu, and specified that during his absence, the border garrison would be taken over by Admiral Zhu Cheng. This made Shen Li doubt the emperor's real purpose in summoning him back to Dadu this time, and a feeling of uneasiness surged in his heart.

Along the way, Shen Li was calculating various possibilities and thinking about how he would respond if the emperor really lost trust in him.

At the same time, he also seriously reflected on all his actions while commanding troops at the border, to see if there was anything he had done inadequately that would cause dissatisfaction among the emperor.

He even carefully reviewed what he had inquired about beforehand about Shen Zhiyao's actions in the palace, and felt that there should be no omissions.

He couldn't help but remind himself in his heart that he must be extra cautious in his words and actions after meeting the emperor this time.

When the team entered Dadu, they immediately went to the palace to pay homage to the emperor and empress.

In the court, Bo Muxi sat upright on the dragon throne, the empress sat on the phoenix throne below, and the royal family members and ministers each took their seats. Except for the Crown Prince of Ying who performed diplomatic etiquette, the other envoys all knelt and kowtowed.

According to the laws of the Zhao Kingdom, a general of Shen Li's rank was allowed to carry personal weapons when entering the palace. However, before entering the palace, Shen Li, who was wearing heavy armor, very obediently took off his sword to show his absolute respect and obedience to the emperor of the Zhao Kingdom.

After Shen Li entered the palace, he performed the great ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows: "Your servant Shen Li kowtows to our emperor and to the empress. Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, and a thousand years and a thousand years of live the empress!"

Bo Muxi was particularly enthusiastic towards Shen Li, and said in a gentle voice: "General Shen, please stand up! General Shen has been stationed at the border for many years, defending the border of Zhao State. I often miss you and want you to return to Dadu to reunite with your family. However, the border cannot be without General Shen, so I should make up for it!"

After Shen Li stood up, tears welled up in his eyes, and he said in a trembling voice: "I am grateful to the emperor for thinking of me. I am willing to guard the border for my emperor!"

"Lin'en, quickly give seats to the Crown Prince of Ying and General Shen!" Bo Muxi said with a smile.

After Ying State Prince Zong Zheng Xiujie sat down, his eyes sparkled with sincere respect, and he smiled and said, "This is the first time for a foreign minister to meet His Majesty the Emperor, but the Emperor and the Empress are even more elegant than the rumors say."

The Queen smiled and said, "Zhao and Ying have been friends for generations. Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has come all the way to Dadu, he must not be too restrained."

Bo Muxi smiled and said, "The Queen is right. We should be like in Ying State in Zhao State. I have already ordered people to prepare a banquet. We will get drunk today!"

The Crown Prince of Ying and the envoys hurriedly stood up and kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

On this day when all the ministers in the court were toasting each other, undercurrents were surging in the Renshou Palace of Queen Dowager Zhao.

"Is there any movement from the Emperor's side?" Queen Mother Zhao asked while twirling her Buddhist beads.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor must have become suspicious of General Shen. A few days ago, several ministers you arranged reported to the Emperor about some of the 'secret collusion' between General Shen and Prince Rui. The Emperor must have listened to it." Nanny Wang bowed and replied.

"Well, have the several important ministers I summoned a few days ago played their role?" the Queen Mother asked with her eyes closed.

"I have asked the spies in the court. In the past few days, the public opinion in the court has gradually changed direction. Some ministers have begun to feel dissatisfied with General Shen, and the discussions have gradually increased." Nanny Wang said with a smile.

"Okay, now that the goal has been achieved, give orders that the people in Renshou Palace, including the Zhao family, are not allowed to act rashly in the next few days. Just stay quiet and watch the show." Queen Mother Zhao sneered. The development of the situation was all within her control.

This was a conspiracy that Queen Mother Zhao had carefully planned a month ago. She ordered her confidants to forge a series of letters between Shen Li and Prince Rui that were so realistic that they could be mistaken for the real thing. The contents covered their dissatisfaction with the emperor's autocracy and the deployment of border troops. These letters were all written in the handwriting of Shen Li and Prince Rui, and were so realistic that they could be mistaken for the real thing.

In order to ensure that the emperor could "coincidentally" intercept these letters, Queen Dowager Zhao carefully arranged a series of "coincidences". Sure enough, the emperor easily intercepted these letters.

After planting the seeds of suspicion in Bo Muxi's heart, Queen Dowager Zhao took the opportunity to whisper in the emperor's ears through some "loyal ministers", revealing more details about the "ambiguous" relationship between Shen Li and Prince Rui, further deepening the emperor's suspicion and dissatisfaction with Shen Li.

Queen Dowager Zhao even summoned some of the more influential "ministers" in the court, and hinted at Shen Li's loyalty issues in her words and deeds, in order to build up momentum in the court through them.

Queen Mother Zhao had experienced a series of brutal palace struggles in her early years, and had long since been tempered into a strong and cruel person. She had previously instructed her subordinates to poison Shen Zhiyao, but it was just a small trick to paralyze certain people.

If Queen Dowager Zhao does not take action, then it’s fine. But if she does, she will strive to kill the enemy with one sword.

Queen Mother Zhao is no longer the young Zhao Yingqing who cared about the life and death and feelings of others. She now only cares about her own interests and goals. The family's influence, expansion and power monopoly have become one of the important pursuits in her life. In order to achieve her goals, she can do anything.

Everyone is just a chess piece in Queen Dowager Zhao's power struggle. If they are obedient, they will be kept; if they are disobedient, they can be abandoned at any time.

Even though she clearly realized that her series of actions had planted a deeper rift and hidden dangers in the relationship between herself and her biological son, she was still willing to do so.

As for Concubine Shen, who did not know what was good for her and dared to disobey her, and the Shen family behind her, Queen Dowager Zhao wanted them to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and regret, reflecting on their mistakes all day long in agony worse than death, so as to serve as a warning to others!