Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

Li Changde slapped his mouth quickly and said with a smile, "Look at how stupid I am! Lady Rou has already served you in bed, so according to the rules, you should be promoted to a concubine!"

Nangong Xuanyu suddenly remembered that whether it was the palace selection or serving the emperor in bed tonight, Shen Zhinian's dress was always very plain.

That’s right. She was the daughter of a minor official of the sixth rank and did not even have the qualifications to participate in the selection. How could she compare with those noble ladies from wealthy families?

Nangong Xuanyu couldn't help but feel a little more pity in his heart.

"Go to my private vault and pick out some jewelry that suits her status. I'll send them to Tingyu Pavilion tomorrow."

The specifications and items for the promotion of imperial concubines were all set by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Your Majesty actually wanted to open his own private storehouse for Lady Rou?!

Before Li Changde recovered from his shock, he heard Nangong Xuanyu pause and then said, "I remember there are a few pots of blooming gardenias in the warm room of the flower room. Send them to her as well."

The rich fragrance of gardenia is like a graceful poem, with a light and distant temperament, which is suitable for that young woman.

The emperor has always been free to do as he pleases and is never stingy with concubines who can make him happy.

"Slave, you obey!"

The gardenias that bloom in this season are rare! It seems that Lady Rou means more to His Majesty than he thought.

Li Changde secretly decided in his heart that he would be more respectful to Rou Xiaozhu in the future!

……

The next morning, Li Changde entered Tingyu Pavilion with the imperial edict and Liushui's reward.

Because they lived in the same palace, Concubine Sun had to come out and kneel to greet him.

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, summons: Consort Shen, who is gentle and dignified, has performed meritorious services in the emperor's bedchamber. I am very pleased with her. Effective immediately, she will be promoted to the rank of sixth-rank attendant. I decree this!"

"Rou Changzai, please accept the order!"

Shen Zhinian brought the palace maids of Tingyu Pavilion to express their gratitude: "I obey your order! Long live the emperor!"

Then, at her signal, Handan and Fuqiu rewarded Li Changde and all the eunuchs who delivered the rewards.

Li Changde said with a smile: "Congratulations to Concubine Rou! His Majesty has been thinking about you. Seeing that Concubine Rou is dressed simply, in addition to the promotion allowance from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he also specially ordered the servants to select a few sets of headgear suitable for Concubine Rou from the private storehouse and send them to her."

"There are also these pots of blooming gardenias. Each pot was taken care of by the gardener in the greenhouse, who spent countless efforts to maintain it, so that the flowering period can be extended to the present. Before, Concubine An wanted it, but His Majesty did not grant her permission. However, knowing that Concubine Rou likes the fragrance of gardenias, His Majesty ordered the servants to send them all over!"

"I have never seen Your Majesty care so much about any concubine..."

The palace maids in Tingyu Pavilion were overjoyed and were truly happy for the young lady!

Shen Zhinian's face showed just the right amount of surprise and emotion, but he felt a little sad in his heart.

The emperor is extremely wealthy, and these things are nothing to him, but they can make his concubines grateful and give their true heart to him.

If she wants to go far in the palace, the most important thing is not to compete for favor, but to guard her own heart!

Once you fall in love with the emperor, there will be no return!

However... in her previous life, once she got married, she could only use her dowry to support the Lu family, and she lived a hard-pressed life every day. The emperor was really much better and more generous to her than Lu Jianglin!

Sun Changzai stood in the yard and watched this scene, feeling very complicated...

She approached Shen Zhinian in order to take advantage of Shen Zhinian's favor and get the emperor's attention. But when she really saw Shen Zhinian's favor, she felt an indescribable jealousy and bitterness in her heart.

In any case, in order for the plan to proceed smoothly, Sun Changzai suppressed her emotions, and after Li Changde and his men left, she forced a smile and greeted them.

"Congratulations, Sister Rou! The first time I saw you, I knew that with your looks, you would definitely be favored by His Majesty!"

"With these pots of gardenias, the whole Zhongcui Palace is filled with fragrance. Sister Rou is so blessed!"

Sun Changzai and Shen Zhinian are now both Changzai, but Shen Zhinian has a title, half a level higher than her. According to palace rules, she naturally has to change her address to "sister".

Shen Zhinian smiled and said, "Sister Sun, please stop teasing me."

"During the past few days since I entered the palace, I have been very grateful to Sister Sun for taking care of me. Someone, move half of these gardenias to Lanyue Pavilion!"

Sun Changzai was stunned.

This is a unique favor bestowed by His Majesty, and Concubine Rou is willing to give half of it to her? !

At first, she decided to use Shen Zhinian as a stepping stone because she thought this woman was beautiful and simple, and easy to use. But when she saw Shen Zhinian's sincerity towards her, she was so simple that she had no defense against her...

Sun Changzai's mood became complicated again...

"Thank you, Sister Rou..."

Little did he know that Shen Zhinian just felt that flowers blooming every year were not as important as real gold and silver.

When she entered the palace, the Shen family gave her 80% of their wealth, but Shen's father was only a sixth-rank official, and 80% of his wealth was not much. In the harem, whether it was to manage things, reward palace servants, or to ask the imperial kitchen to add a dish, it all required money.

Shen Zhinian is very poor now. Although gardenias are fragrant, they cannot be exchanged for gold or silver for her use. It is most appropriate to use them as favors.

"It's getting late. I should go in and get ready and pay my respects to the Queen. I'll chat with Sister Sun another day."

"Sister Rou, take care!"

Sun Changzai bowed and looked at Shen Zhinian's slender back, his eyes became firm again!

You can't survive in the harem without the emperor's favor. So, don't blame yourself, Rou Changzai, for treating her as a stepping stone!

At worst, if Rouchang gets into trouble again in the future, she will help if she can.

There were no outsiders in Tingyu Pavilion. Handan, Fuqiu, Xiao Mingzi, Chunhua and Qiuyue all knelt on the ground and saluted respectfully towards Shen Zhinian.

"Congratulations, my lady, on your promotion to the rank of Changzai. I wish you a bright future and continued blessings!"

Shen Zhinian was in a good mood and said with a smile: "I don't have much money on me right now, so I will give the palace servants of Tingyu Pavilion a month's salary first. As long as you are loyal to the master, I will not treat you unfairly in the future!"

Everyone knew that the young lady said this because she did not regard them as outsiders, and they immediately said respectfully: "Thank you, young lady! I will be loyal to you!"

After all, they all saw today how much His Majesty loves the young lady. Even if the young lady is only a concubine now, her future is limitless, so of course they have to perform well!

"Okay, everyone, get up."

Shen Zhinian ordered: "Fuqiu, register the rewards sent by His Majesty according to the old rules and put them in the warehouse."

Handan hesitated and said, "My lady, these headpieces are so exquisite! They were all taken out from His Majesty's private storehouse and were personally delivered by Eunuch Li, so there must be no problem. Today is your first time to pay respects in Kunning Palace after serving the emperor, so why don't you wear them?"