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

Shen Zhiyao raised her eyebrows, stared at Lady Qi fiercely, and said in a cold voice: "Everyone in the palace knows that Lady Lu and I have no contact with each other on weekdays, so there is really no reason to harm her. But Lady Qi has always been at odds with Lady Lu!"

Shen Zhiyao paused, and sneered as if she suddenly realized something: "Lady Qi, in my opinion, you are also involved in this matter. Are you the villain who filed the complaint first? Why don't you ask the Queen to include you and me in the investigation?"

Lady Qi said angrily: "You...you! It was you who was accused by the servants involved in the incident, and I was not accused. Why do you want to investigate me as well?" Because she was too angry, her face looked a little distorted and funny at this moment.

Shen Zhiyao sneered and said, "Lady Qi, since the Emperor has entrusted the Empress to investigate this matter, I will naturally believe the results announced by the Empress. Since you have doubts, you should investigate the suspects as well!"

"You dare to casually question the results of the investigation in front of the Queen. It shows that you don't believe in and respect the Queen on a normal day!" Shen Zhiyao's attacks were well-founded and she deliberately exaggerated Concubine Qi's words to the level of disrespect for the Queen.

"You!" No matter how much Concubine Qi hated, she was now speechless.

"Alright!" The queen had seen enough of the drama and stopped the dispute in time. She said in a dignified voice: "I will report this matter to the emperor truthfully. The emperor will decide whether the result is fair or not. If anyone has any doubts, please ask the emperor yourself!"

After these words were spoken, no one dared to question them anymore. To continue speaking would be extremely disrespectful to the Queen.

"The Queen is wise and holy. May she live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years." Shen Zhiyao knelt down three times in a row.

Everyone followed the third line, and the matter was completely over.

After chatting for a while, everyone went back to the palace.

"Shen Baolin is really eloquent." In front of Fengyi Palace, Concubine Zhao looked at Shen Zhiyao for a long time and said something meaningful.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my rudeness. I am really in a hurry." Shen Zhiyao seemed like a different person at this moment, as if the fierce person just now was someone else.

"Although he is rude, he is a rare talent... Some time ago, the emperor rewarded me with some spices tributed from other countries. If Shen Baolin is interested, he can come to Yuquan Palace to taste them with me at any time." Concubine Zhao looked at her and said with a smile.

Concubine Zhao was always stern and dignified in front of lower-ranking concubines, but when she smiled sincerely at this moment, she looked as beautiful as a carefully created painting. This gentle look made Shen Zhiyao doubly wary.

Shen Zhiyao knew that Concubine Zhao was trying to win her over.

The situation in the palace is complicated now. The essence of the harem struggle is the struggle between various forces and meritorious families. It is no less dangerous than the struggle in the court. If you make a wrong step, you will lose everything. How can Shen Zhiyao be greedy for temporary benefits?

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will find a good day to pay you a visit." Shen Zhiyao bowed and thanked her respectfully, with an extremely happy look on her face.

In fact, Shen Zhiyao looked down on the powerful Concubine Zhao from the bottom of her heart. In terms of temperament, mind, and vision, she could not compare with the Queen. It was just that it was not easy for her to refuse her directly at the moment.

"Okay, then you go back first." Concubine Zhao smiled with satisfaction, her determination to win was clearly revealed.

Given her current status in the harem, if someone is willing to extend an olive branch to others, the concubine should be grateful and accept it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll take my leave." Shen Zhiyao bowed and saluted, then took Qiuyue's hand and left.

As soon as she arrived at Cuiweixuan, Shen Zhiyao received a reward from the emperor, which was an exquisite jade hairpin. The emperor must have been deeply impressed by her hair bun last night, so he gave her such a reward.

Shen Zhiyao was dancing with an exquisite jade hairpin. The emperor was obviously expressing his satisfaction with her "performance" last night, but Shen Zhiyao felt disgusted. The emperor had put her in the spotlight again, and she didn't want to be the target of public criticism for the time being.

Shen Zhiyao ordered Qiuyue to give the eunuch who delivered the reward five taels of silver as a reward. When she married into the palace, her parents' family gave her a lot of silver, and her family would give her some more on time every month.

The seventh-rank Baolin only received a monthly salary of 50 taels. If one's family was not well off, one would not be able to cope with the various interpersonal relationships in the palace and would have a very hard life. Fortunately, she did not have such troubles.

Afterwards, Shen Zhiyao ordered Qiuyue to find the "Yuewei Ji" (A Collection of Poems and Essays) written by the emperor and the "Yan Ge Ji" (A Collection of Poems and Essays) written by the empress, and read them carefully. The palace maid thought that she had suddenly become interested in writing poetry and was reading them to learn.

In fact, Shen Zhiyao had no such interest at all. She just wanted to collect "intelligence" from the emperor and the empress through the poems they wrote, and analyze them. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.

The emperor's collection of poems covers his spiritual cultivation process since his youth. If you savor it carefully, you can even experience his mental journey of growth.

Surprisingly, the Queen's poetry collection does not contain any sentimental content. Instead, the poems are full of feelings for family and country, and are majestic and broad-minded, covering her views on politics, economy and all aspects of life.

Shen Zhiyao was so absorbed in her study that even her previous fatigue was swept away. She memorized the key points carefully in her mind and even planned to read by lamplight until late at night. It turned out that the queen of books could read to the end wherever she went.

At this time, in the Empress Dowager's Renshou Palace, Concubine Zhao was paying her respects to the Empress Dowager.

"Han'er, you are now a second-rank imperial concubine, so you should be more thoughtful and cautious in your actions. Don't be too reckless. The emperor doesn't favor you very much because you act without restraint. The eldest prince is now three years old and is not favored either. You can't always rely on your relationship with me to act recklessly, otherwise, how can the eldest prince ascend to the throne?"

Queen Mother Zhao naturally knew that it was Concubine Zhao who caused Concubine Lu to have a miscarriage. She was very angry, after all, Concubine Lu was pregnant with her own grandson.

In order to ensure the status of her own child, Concubine Zhao attempted to murder the royal heir more than once, resulting in the emperor having only one son, the eldest prince. She had to persuade her niece to restrain herself.

"Aunt, I don't want to do this either, but the emperor doesn't like me or Yi'er. Concubine Lu has a good family background and is favored by the emperor. If she also gives birth to a prince, then wouldn't there be even less hope for Yi'er?" Concubine Zhao said with a frustrated face.

"Child, you cannot lack the bearing of a mother of the country. The eldest prince will inherit the throne in the future!" Queen Mother Zhao's eyes were full of disappointment, but she still persuaded him patiently.

In order to support the power of the Zhao family, Queen Mother Zhao supported her niece Zhao Yuhan to the position of imperial concubine. However, looking at her performance now, Queen Mother Zhao is very disappointed.

But even though she was disappointed, she no longer had the idea of ​​supporting anyone else to take the throne. At least Zhao Yuhan gave birth to a prince, so it was all worth it.

The emperor is becoming more powerful and his personality is becoming more assertive. As a meritorious family, the Zhao family is becoming a growing threat to the emperor. The Queen Mother Zhao is finding it increasingly difficult to balance the relationship between her own son and her natal family. Only if the eldest prince can ascend the throne in the future can the Zhao family prosper.

"Among those newcomers who have been in the palace for a year, which one do you think is the best?" Queen Mother Zhao asked slowly, twirling her Buddhist beads.

"Aunt, I think Concubine Qi and Shen Baolin are both very good. They both have good family backgrounds. Concubine Qi seemed better before and was more favored by the emperor. However, Shen Baolin seems to be gaining momentum these days. He is very eloquent and seems to be able to accomplish things."

"Yes, I think so too. Especially Shen Baolin, she is the second daughter of General Zhenyuan's mansion. Although Shen Li is a conservative, it will be of great benefit to the Zhao family if we can win her over."

"Aunt, you are absolutely right. I have expressed my goodwill to Shen this morning. It depends on whether she knows how to deal with the current situation." Concubine Zhao looked smug.

Queen Mother Zhao nodded in approval. Her niece had finally made some progress and had a promising future.

"Of course it would be great if we can win him over, but if we can't..."

Queen Mother Zhao did not say the remaining half of the sentence, but the aunt and niece knew it very well. If the Shen family refused to surrender, it would be a major hidden danger and had to be eradicated.

On the other hand, Shen Zhiyao discovered an incredible secret from the emperor's collection of poems!