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

Shen Zhinian's respectful attitude made Concubine Liu more satisfied, and she didn't mind praising her: "Your Majesty, Rou Changzai is so smart, gentle and humble. In my opinion, the position of Changzai is a bit unfair to her, why not promote her to a noble lady."

Queen Jiang's eyes flashed with gloom. If it weren't for Shen Zhinian, she would have made the Imperial Concubine pay the price this time! The Imperial Concubine deliberately praised Shen Zhinian just to annoy her.

But in just a moment, Queen Jiang regained her usual graceful and kind appearance. Although her voice was weak, it was fair: "I understand that Rou Chang is helping the Imperial Concubine, so it is understandable that the Imperial Concubine wants to promote her."

"But the palace rules are strict. Imperial concubines cannot be promoted without reason. Imperial concubines must not act willfully. Otherwise, we will worry about the inequality rather than the scarcity of wealth. I'm afraid all the imperial concubines in the palace will be resentful."

The implication is that Concubine Liu disregarded palace rules in order to abuse her power for personal gain and win people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, what you said is totally unreasonable."

Concubine Liu looked at her in surprise: "If it weren't for Rou Changzai, the real murderer who killed Concubine Jiang... Concubine Jiang would have gone unpunished. By then, she would not be able to rest in peace in the underworld. Logically speaking, Rou Changzai is also the benefactor of the Zhenguogong Mansion and the Empress."

"Is Concubine Jiang's fairness unimportant to the Queen? How can this not be considered a great achievement? Rou Changzai was promoted for her merits, which is reasonable and in line with palace rules!"

Shen Zhinian kept his head down obediently, but a sense of surprise arose in his heart.

She originally thought that she would have to wait until the Wanshou Festival to find a reasonable opportunity for promotion, but she did not expect that Concubine Liu would hand her the ladder so quickly.

Of course, whether it will succeed in the end depends on the emperor's intention. But Shen Zhinian feels that this matter is almost certain.

The expression on Queen Jiang's face froze, and she could hardly maintain her loving smile, because Concubine Liu's words made it impossible for her to refute.

Before she could speak, the emperor said, "Your Highness is right. Concubine Rou has made great contributions in helping to solve the case and maintaining the harmony of the harem and the peace of mind of the people. She deserves a generous reward! From today on, she will be promoted to a noble lady and retain her title."

He had long felt that this young woman was to his liking and wanted to raise her position, but she was considerate, gentle and sensible, and did not want to embarrass him, so she refused the special promotion.

Now that he had a legitimate reason, he naturally didn't mind giving her more love.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

"Thank you, Madam Concubine, for your appreciation!"

Shen Zhinian knelt down to express his gratitude, with a sly smile on the corner of his lips.

At this moment, everyone's eyes fell on her. Some were envious, some were jealous, and some were indignant, but no one dared to say anything.

After all, Shen Zhinian really made a contribution this time, and it was His Majesty's golden words.

Liu Ruyan stood in the crowd, still maintaining a graceful demeanor, but her hands were slightly clenched under her sleeves.

Among the newcomers entering the palace this time, those with better family backgrounds than her are not as gentle as her; those with gentler temperaments than her are not as beautiful as her. Liu Ruyan thought that she would be the best among the newcomers and be favored by everyone!

I didn't expect that Shen Zhinian, whose family background was not as good as hers, could be on equal footing with her so quickly! If this continued, wouldn't it be long before he would step on her head?

Liu Ruyan can allow other people to be favored, but Shen Zhinian cannot! Because she always feels that Shen Zhinian knows about her attack on Zhao Yungui on the day of the talent show.

The two were close friends, and Shen Zhinian must have remembered Zhao Yungui's revenge in her heart. If she let her climb to a high position, how could she have a good life in the future?

Liu Ruyan's gaze gradually became dim.

The murder of Jiang Wanning was completely over, and the sky darkened. The emperor took Shen Zhinian's hand and left Chuxiu Palace.

There are so many women in the harem, but he only feels relaxed when he is with her.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully send you off!"

Queen Jiang's health had been poor to begin with, and she was only holding on on a breath. When the breath was lost, her body staggered and she almost fainted.

"Queen!"

Fanghua quickly supported her. She was experienced in handling such matters, and ordered in an orderly manner: "Send the queen's phoenix sedan chair over, return to Kunning Palace, and bring the imperial physician along!"

Whether the concubines were sincere or not, their faces were full of concern: "Please take care of yourself, Queen!"

Only Imperial Concubine Liu looked more and more proud, and said slowly: "The Duke of Zhenguo just lost his young daughter. The Queen must take good care of herself and not let the Duke of Zhenguo be sad again."

This was already considered a curse, but Concubine Liu's family background was not inferior to Queen Jiang's, and she had the support of Empress Dowager Liu. She had always been arrogant and domineering in the palace, and Fanghua dared not speak out.

It was like gods fighting, and the other palace concubines were so frightened that they dared not even breathe.

Queen Jiang forced her eyelids open, looked at Concubine Liu and said, "Concubine, you praised the newcomer today. Have you heard that the old people only laugh when the newcomers do? Who has ever heard the old people cry?"

"I am not in good health and cannot serve His Majesty. Naturally, I hope that the sisters in the harem can serve His Majesty on my behalf. But the Imperial Concubine is different from me. If the favor is taken away by the newcomer I have promoted, I have to let it go..."

Concubine Liu annoyed her by praising Concubine Rou, so she gave her a taste of her own medicine.

As expected, Concubine Liu narrowed her peach blossom eyes, and when she thought of the emperor taking Shen Zhinian away, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes.

But no matter how unhappy she was, Concubine Rou was just her chess piece, how could she turn it over in her palm? She couldn't be fooled by the old woman, the Queen!

"It is said that only the new people laugh, but not the old ones cry... I have not been with Your Majesty as long as the Empress."

What it means is that the Queen is yesterday’s news!

Looking at Queen Jiang's stagnant expression, Concubine Liu bowed perfunctorily and turned away arrogantly.

……

Tingyu Pavilion.

The young lady was conferred the title of noble lady, and everyone in the palace was very happy. Especially when they saw His Majesty personally accompanying the young lady back, everyone was overjoyed.

After dinner and washing up in the evening, Shen Zhinian and the emperor sat on a chair by the window and played chess.

She found that the emperor was indeed an emperor, his cunning and strategic skills were far beyond her reach. However, after playing chess four or five times together, the emperor had figured out her tricks and won more and more times.

Shen Zhinian lost this round again.

She put down the chess piece in her hand and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, you are bullying me..."

Nangong Xuanyu was in a good mood: "My beloved concubine is the only one in the harem who can be my opponent. This is not called bullying."

When playing chess with other concubines, he would only despise them for being stupid, instead of interacting with her.

Moreover, as the number of times he defeated Shen Zhinian gradually increased, the emperor's desire to conquer as a man was gradually satisfied.