Five years after her death, she awoke on the dragon bed.

Chapter 166 Handing over custody of the child
Liang Wanying was also quickly calculating. If Lou Suyi was not a threat to her, she would not need to target Lou Suyi.

Lou Suying shows no signs of returning to secular life, meaning she'll likely leave the palace sooner or later. If that's the case, could she try to gain custody of the young prince?
It wasn't just her who was scheming; Consort De was scheming too.

Murong usually seems unapproachable, but her eyes are full of tenderness when she looks at the little prince. If the little prince is raised by her, she will have more opportunities to see Murong. At that time, she will not have to worry about not having the chance to serve the emperor and get pregnant.

Since Lou Suyi has no official status and cannot raise the little prince herself, Lou Suyi should be grateful to her for helping Lou Suyi raise the child.

After thinking it over, Consort De felt confident of victory.

This matter cannot be discussed with Murong; it should be discussed with Empress Dowager Chen instead.

Empress Dowager Chen, who controls the inner palace, needs Liang Wanying to deal with her. If she asks Empress Dowager Chen for custody of the young prince, Empress Dowager Chen will most likely agree.

There's no need for Murong's consent to do this.

Lou Suyi was unaware that many concubines were preoccupied with their children, and the appearance of Aunt Ke somewhat affected her mood.

Although she no longer cared about any of the Lou family members, including Aunt Ke, seeing them still reminded her of those unpleasant past events.

Murong noticed that she wasn't in a good mood.

After the banquet ended, Murong dismissed the guests, saying, "Everyone, please leave."

Empress Dowager Chen was still holding little Muchen, and she could tell that Lou Suying was not in a good mood.

She put the little one back in Lou Suyi's arms and said softly, "Since you have severed ties with the Suning Marquis's Mansion, there is no need for you to be unhappy for them."

Lou Suying forced herself to stay alert and replied, "Your Majesty is right, I understand."

Empress Dowager Chen nodded approvingly and left Xianfu Palace accompanied by Fang Ruo.

At this moment, Consort De chased after her: "This concubine will escort the Empress Dowager back to Shou'an Palace."

Empress Dowager Chen glanced at Consort De, but did not send her away.

Consort De's sudden show of goodwill towards her couldn't possibly be as simple as just wanting to give her a gift.

As expected, upon returning to Shou'ankang, Consort De, after rambling on, got to the point: "His Majesty has not yet given Abbess Kongchen a formal title, so is it inappropriate for Abbess Kongchen to raise the young prince?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Chen looked at Consort De, her eyes sharp.

Consort De calmly returned the gaze: "Your Majesty has also seen that Abbess Kongchen is at odds with the Lou family. The young prince is of noble birth, but he does not have a powerful maternal family to support him, which is not suitable. For the sake of the young prince, we must find him a foster mother with a powerful family backing him. I believe that my family background is good, and I am now one of the Nine Consorts, so I am qualified to raise the young prince. I hope Your Majesty will consider my suggestion."

Empress Dowager Chen fell silent after hearing Consort De's words.

Even though Consort De had her own selfish motives, she was right about one thing: Su Yi had no official rank and had now severed ties with the Lou family. How could a woman without a family to rely on raise a prince?

It must be said that Consort De's suggestion stirred something within her.

When Consort De saw that Empress Dowager Chen's expression had softened, she knew that her words had moved Empress Dowager Chen.

Even though Empress Dowager Chen had some connection with Lou Suyi, which woman in the harem didn't prioritize her own interests? Especially when it concerned the future of the imperial heir.
She felt that she had a chance to gain custody of the young prince.

She chatted with Empress Dowager Chen for a while about everyday matters, and before leaving, she sincerely stated her position: if she were to gain custody of the child, she would definitely raise the child well.

Although Empress Dowager Chen did not express anything, it was clear from her expression that she had been persuaded.

The next step is to see if Empress Dowager Chen can make up her mind to entrust the young imperial heir to her care. The best solution would actually be to get Murong to agree to let her raise the child, but she can't fathom Murong's intentions. During the New Year period, she briefly thought Murong admired Lou Suyi, but recently she's uncertain of her suspicions, simply because Murong neither granted Lou Suyi a title nor visited her and her child at Xianfu Palace after Lou Suyi gave birth.

In this situation, she really couldn't figure out what Murong was thinking.

Perhaps Murong's interest in Lou Suyi was just a passing fancy. If Murong really liked Lou Suyi that much, how could he resist going to see her? Especially during Lou Suyi's postpartum period, he ignored her completely and didn't even visit the little prince.

After much deliberation, Consort De still felt that she shouldn't go to Murong.

The Emperor's intentions are unpredictable; it would be more prudent for Empress Dowager Chen to handle this matter.

Inside Xianfu Palace, after all the guests had left, Lou Suyi thought that Murong, who was very busy, would also leave, but to her surprise, he followed behind her carrying a child.

"Isn't Your Majesty busy today?" Lou Suyi asked, puzzled.

Murong asked calmly, "Are you alright?"

Lou Suyi replied softly, "What could be wrong with me?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood," Murong said, handing the child to her. "Look at our child, and you'll naturally feel better."

Lou Suyi looked at the increasingly adorable baby in her arms, her eyes softening.

Murong is right. When you're in a bad mood, looking at your child makes all your worries disappear.

She played with the child for a while, then started yawning repeatedly. Regardless of whether Murong was still there, she simply took the child to bed and went to sleep.

Murong looked at the mother and child sleeping peacefully on the bed, and decided to go to bed for a nap as well.

Lou Suyi slept soundly, and when she woke up it was already dusk.

The child is a good sleeper; he didn't cry or fuss during this time and was extremely well-behaved.

Even Granny Fan said that the baby was very well-behaved and sensible, never making a fuss, completely different from Murong when she was little, and that the baby might be like her.

As for Murong's departure from Xianfu Palace, she wasn't surprised. After all, the emperor was a very busy man, not only with state affairs but also with a bunch of women in the harem who needed his attention.

Two days later, after much deliberation, Empress Dowager Chen decided to first probe Murong's intentions.

It just so happened that Murong came to pay his respects to her early that morning. She chatted with the emperor for a few minutes before bringing up the matter of custody of little Muchen.

"What are the Emperor's plans regarding the custody of Chen'er?"

Murong paused in his tea-drinking motion and looked at Empress Dowager Chen: "What do you mean by that, Mother?"

"Su Yi has no official rank and has severed ties with the Lou family, so it is unreasonable for her to raise Chen'er. A suitable foster mother should be found for the child. Does the Emperor have a suitable candidate in mind?" Empress Dowager Chen bluntly stated her opinion.

She assumed that since the emperor was delaying in granting Su Yi a formal title, she would have to relinquish custody of the child.

Murong remembered the promise he had made to Lou Suyi, but did not reply.

"If the Emperor doesn't have a suitable candidate, I can suggest one. In this palace, Consort De is the most suitable person to raise Chen'er. What does the Emperor think?" Empress Dowager Chen was afraid that Murong would give the child's custody to Liang Wanying, so she couldn't wait to reveal her plan.

Anyone can raise Chen'er, except for Madam Liang!
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