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

Shen Zhinian felt puzzled: "Why should I be sad?"

She never regarded the emperor as her lover or husband. In her eyes, the emperor was just a tool for her to climb up.

Who would be sad or jealous over a tool?

Just like a man in the officialdom, if he wants to be promoted, he has to flatter his superiors. The same is true for women trapped in the harem and the deep palace. At least in Shen Zhinian's view, there is no difference between the emperor and the superior.

……

The next day, Liu Ruyan was promoted to a noble lady after serving the emperor. The emperor praised her gentle nature and gave her the word "Wan" as her title. Rewards flowed into Yilan Pavilion.

Liu Ruyan was the second newcomer to have a title, breaking Shen Zhinian's uniqueness. Everyone in the harem was speculating that she might also be able to break Shen Zhinian's record of sleeping with the emperor for three consecutive days and become the new favorite concubine.

For a time, Liu Ruyan was the most popular person in the harem. When she went to Kunning Palace to pay respects, she was criticized by many people, but she calmly resolved the situation. She was very good at dealing with people and did not offend anyone.

Even though everyone was waiting to see Shen Zhinian make a fool of herself, her emotions remained stable.

After all, Shen Zhinian understood from the beginning that it was impossible for the emperor to favor only one person. If Liu Ruyan was not there, there would be someone else.

Moreover, in her previous life, in the later period, Liu Ruyan was able to compete with Concubine Liu for the position of queen. How could she not be favored?

Shen Zhinian guessed that if she had not entered the palace instead of Shen Nanqiao in this life and diverted the emperor's attention, Liu Ruyan's favor would have been even greater than it was now.

However... her hostile relationship with Liu Ruyan was doomed from the beginning. If Liu Ruyan really climbed to the position of favorite concubine, it would be extremely disadvantageous to her.

But at the moment, Liu Ruyan's favor has attracted the attention of the harem, so that the concubines will not regard her as a public enemy. This is more beneficial than harmful to Shen Zhinian.

Therefore, she has no plans to take action against Liu Ruyan for the time being.

But enemies often meet in a narrow road!

Shen Zhinian didn't expect that he would meet Liu Ruyan by chance while taking a walk outside.

Her position was the highest among the newcomers, and her father was the prefect of Yangzhou, so her family background was not bad. Many concubines of lower positions felt that Liu Ruyan had a promising future, unlike Shen Zhinian, whose favor was just a castle in the air, and they all gathered around Liu Ruyan to curry favor with her.

She was the center of attention and looked so noble.

Shen Zhinian would naturally not let anyone catch her fault in public, so she performed a standard blessing ceremony according to palace rules: "I greet the noble lady Wan!"

The eyes of these low-ranking concubines fell on Shen Zhinian, and they all became amused: "Hey, isn't this Rou Changzai who has been sleeping with you for three consecutive nights? Why didn't His Majesty continue to go to your palace last night?"

"No flower lasts forever, some people may lose favor..."

Facing their ridicule, before Shen Zhinian could even open her mouth, Liu Ruyan frowned and said, "Okay, we are all sisters, how can you be so harsh?"

She personally stepped forward and helped Shen Zhinian up, looking weak and pitiful, with a hint of guilt and uneasiness between her brows.

"Sister Rou, I really didn't mean to snatch His Majesty from you. Please don't be angry with me, and don't be alienated from me because of this... Okay?"

Liu Ruyan's words were so profound!

She was a noble lady, while Shen Zhinian was only a concubine. However, because she was favored by the emperor, she was so scared that she had to be humble in front of Shen Zhinian. If the news got out, Shen Zhinian would definitely be known as someone who was arrogant and domineering because of the favor.

Moreover, Queen Jiang is the emperor's legal wife. If a concubine is favored by the emperor, she is competing with Shen Zhinian for him. Then what is the empress?

When the time comes, Queen Jiang will be the first one to not tolerate her!

Shen Zhinian's eyes turned cold, revealing a look of surprise: "Sister Wan, what you said is so unreasonable."

"All the women in the palace belong to His Majesty. It is His Majesty's freedom and right to favor whomever he wants. If His Majesty favors a concubine, she will be competing with the previous one for the person, then won't all the women in the harem be charged with the crime?"

With just a few words, Liu Ruyan was put on the spot. If she wasn't careful, she would offend all the concubines in the palace.

Even the low-ranking concubines who followed Liu Ruyan had changed the way they looked at her.

After all, they flattered Liu Ruyan in order to get some of the emperor's favor from her one day. According to Liu Ruyan, if the emperor favored them one day, wouldn't they also become the sinners who stole Liu Ruyan's favor?

Liu Ruyan clenched her hands slightly under her sleeves, but her expression did not change at all: "That's not what I meant, Sister Rou, please don't misunderstand..."

Everyone thought that Liu Ruyan's family background was much better than Shen Zhinian's, and her position was one level higher than hers, so she would definitely be able to suppress Shen Zhinian. Unexpectedly, the reality was completely different from what they imagined.

At this moment, a eunuch suddenly ran over and said hurriedly after paying his respects, "Noble Lady Wan, the Empress orders you to go to Chuxiu Palace immediately!"

Only Jiang Wanning lived in Chuxiu Palace now. Liu Ruyan couldn't think of any connection between her and Jiang Wanning. "Excuse me, sir, why did the Queen summon me?"

The eunuch's attitude was very distant: "When Concubine Wan arrives at Chuxiu Palace, she will naturally know."

Seeing that he was unmoved, Liu Ruyan had no choice but to suppress her doubts and followed him.

Of course, you can't miss the excitement. Most importantly, no matter what happens, you can get first-hand information on the scene.

Shen Zhinian and the rest of the palace concubines followed behind.

……

Chuxiu Palace.

Jiang Wanning was already in a bad mood because of her demotion, and she scolded the palace maid every day. When she woke up early in the morning, she saw the horrified expression of the palace maid, and she felt even more unlucky, so she kicked her!

"If you don't want to serve me, I can grant you a favor and let you go to Xinzheku. Who are you showing this to?!"

The little palace maid knelt on the ground, her voice trembling: "I, I dare not... it's you, my lady... you..."

Xuezhu also noticed Jiang Wanning's abnormality and said in horror: "My lady, your face..."

Jiang Wanning had a bad feeling in her heart and hurried to the bronze mirror. She saw the bright and beautiful woman inside, with her face covered with dense rashes...

"what--!!!"

She covered her face and let out a shrill scream!

"Imperial Physician!!! Go and get the Imperial Physician!!!"

After a period of confusion, the imperial physician was finally invited to Chuxiu Palace. After examining Jiang Wanning, his heart suddenly sank...

Seeing the doctor's expression, Jiang Wanning quickly asked, "What happened to my face? How can I get it back?!"

The imperial physician sighed and said, "My Lord, your face must have been scarred by contact with snowweed. Although it can be used as medicine, it is very toxic to the skin. Even if... even if you treat it well, it is very likely to leave scars..."