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

"Your Majesty, I have lived in the palace for a long time and rarely see the scenery outside. I was distracted for a moment and ignored Your Majesty. Your Majesty is magnanimous and will definitely not argue with me."

Nangong Xuanyu was not willing to argue with a little girl about such a small matter. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb and said, "It's a bleak winter. What's so good about the scenery outside?"

Shen Zhinian's charming eyes were filled with deep affection for him: "Whether the scenery is beautiful or not is secondary. The main thing is that there are so many sisters in the harem, and Your Majesty only brought me out. This thought makes me very grateful, and I naturally cannot let you down..."

The slight unhappiness in Nangong Xuanyu's heart caused by being ignored disappeared without a trace because of these words, and he even felt a little happy.

He is the emperor, rich, but lonely. Only she can make him feel the ups and downs of ordinary people's emotions from time to time and dilute the feeling of being lonely at the top.

Perhaps because of this, he favored her a little more.

"It's good that Nian Nian knows that I love you."

……

The carriage traveled on the road for two hours, and it was already noon when it arrived at the Xiaotangshan Palace.

"The people below have already arranged your accommodation. Go and have lunch first. If you are bored, you can walk around the palace. I still have some government affairs to deal with later, so I will come to see you later."

The emperor was diligent and would bring memorials with him even when he came to stay in the palace for a short time.

Shen Zhinian said sensibly, "I understand. Your Majesty, remember to have lunch. You are busy with government affairs, so you should also take care of yourself."

"I understand."

The eunuch who led the way made a gesture and said respectfully, "Please ask Lady Rou to come this way with me."

"Concubine, please retire."

Shen Zhinian bowed to Nangong Xuanyu, then left with Handan, Yuanbao, and the little eunuch.

There are hot springs under the palace, so even in winter, the climate in Xiaotangshan is as warm as spring. Not only is it extremely comfortable to live in, but there is also lush greenery everywhere.

Shen Zhinian was in a good mood. After lunch, he took a walk in the palace to digest the food.

Handan followed beside him and served him. She said happily, "My lady, in winter, everything is bleak, but here there are flowers blooming. This is the first time I have seen such a scene since I was a child. It is all thanks to you, my lady!"

Yuan Bao also laughed and said, "Who asked His Majesty to favor our young master? Even the Imperial Concubine has never received such favor..."

Shen Zhinian frowned: "To be favored is to be hated. If such words are spread out, it will definitely cause trouble. Don't say it again in the future."

Yuan Bao slapped his mouth quickly: "I spoke my mind because we were outside the palace and there were no outsiders. My lady has taught me a lesson, I will be more cautious next time!"

"what?"

Handan pointed ahead and asked curiously, "My lady, look, there are many palace maids picking flower petals over there!"

"Just now, I heard the eunuch who led the way casually say that in winter, even in the Xiaotangshan Palace, there are very few flowers in full bloom. Palace servants are not allowed to pick them at will. If they damage them, they will be punished. So how can they..."

Something must be wrong when something is out of the ordinary. Even outside the palace, Shen Zhinian never let down his guard: "Go and take a look."

Seeing Shen Zhinian, the palace maids immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully: "This servant greets the noble lady, may the noble lady be blessed!"

"No need to be polite, just get up."

Shen Zhinian smiled casually and asked casually, "What are you going to do by picking these petals?"

The two leading maids looked at each other, hiding the panic in their eyes: "This...this...Hui Rou, noble lady, this matter was instructed by the higher-ups, and this servant has no idea..."

Shen Zhinian did not miss their little actions and naturally understood that the two palace maids knew about it.

But this was not Tingyu Pavilion, and they were not her palace servants. If she questioned them harshly, it would inevitably leave a bad impression on people, spread rumors that were unfavorable to her, and easily alert the enemy.

"It's okay, I'm just asking casually, you guys continue with your work."

"Yes."

When they were alone, Shen Zhinian ordered, "Yuanbao, go and find out what's going on quietly."

He used to serve in the imperial court, so he was naturally more familiar with the Xiaotangshan Palace than Handan.

"The slave obeys."

Handan speculated, "My lady, could it be that those palace maids picked the flower petals to provide you and His Majesty with a hot spring bath?"

"If that's the case, why hide it? Being sneaky must be suspicious."

Handan nodded: "That's true. To be on the safe side, let Yuanbao go and find out."

After this episode, Shen Zhinian no longer had the mood to wander around, so he took Handan back to his residence.

Not long after, Yuanbao came back and bowed, saying, "My lady, I heard about the petal picking. It was a maid from the palace who ordered it. She said... that a noble person from the palace would need some tonight..."

Handan was very surprised: "Your Majesty only brought the young lady with him this time, where did the other nobles come from? Could it be that someone was so bold that he followed him to Xiaotangshan just to win favor?"

Shen Zhinian narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly: "Do you know who that person is?"

"My lord, when I heard the news, I did not dare to take it lightly and immediately went to investigate. The other party was very vigilant and did not reveal his specific identity, but I vaguely heard the word 'Yi'."

Handan frowned. "Yi? There is no concubine in the harem with this word in her name or title."

"Yi...Yilan Pavilion."

With someone suspicious, Shen Zhinian felt more relaxed: "If it's really Liu Ruyan, things will be interesting."

When she left the house today, Little Li said that she had already done what she asked her to do. Liu Ruyan might end up losing more than she gained.

Handan asked in confusion, "My lady, Concubine Liu has long fallen out of favor. You came to the Xiaotangshan Palace without permission. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty will find out and blame you?"

Shen Zhinian raised the corners of his lips slightly: "It is precisely because life is not easy after falling out of favor that she wants to take a risky move."

"There are so many women in the harem. It's not easy for her to get ahead after she falls. And I'm the only rival in the palace. As long as she steps on me, she can regain the emperor's favor!"

Handan was very angry: "Lady Liu is really going too far!"

Shen Zhinian saw further: "How can a mere nobleman have such ability? I'm afraid these things were arranged by the Queen."

No wonder Liu Ruyan is willing to work hard for Queen Jiang.

Handan asked worriedly, "My lord, what should we do now?"

"You don't need to do anything, just watch her perform quietly."

Liu Ruyan had carefully planned this, but unfortunately, Shen Zhinian had acted earlier! Everything she did today was destined to be in vain, and it was very likely that the emperor would dislike her even more.