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

Chapter 229 Murong's favorite person is Lou Suyi
Lou Suyi saw Yan Hui's sullen appearance and thought she was a bit childish: "In this harem, if you spend your days listening to gossip, you'll only make yourself miserable."

She knew, of course, that Consort De had deliberately chosen tonight to snatch Murong away from her, since Murong had just agreed to stay overnight at Xianfu Palace on the first and fifteenth of each month from now on, as Empress Dowager Chen had just agreed.

Consort De's use of both self-inflicted injury and seduction tactics shows her determination to win over Murong.

She knew this, but she did not interfere. She knew that Murong did not belong to her alone, and how could she decide the fate of the emperor, Murong?

Does that mean if Consort De tries to take someone from her, she should also try to take him from her? That would be too ugly a scene; she couldn't do it, and she didn't want to.

Before Yan Hui could say anything more, Jin Shu tugged at her sleeve and gave her a look, telling her to shut up.

Yan Hui sighed inwardly and ultimately chose to remain silent.

Your Majesty is a discerning person; you must have seen through Consort De's tricks long ago, right? Your Majesty, as the Empress, would it be beneath you to compete for favor with Consort De? That would be beneath you.

It's just that His Majesty is easily swayed; Consort De seduced him with a mere flick of her wrist, showing no regard for the Empress's dignity.

On the way back to Xianfu Palace, Yan Hui muttered complaints about His Majesty the whole way...

Murong stopped after escorting Consort De back to Changqiu Palace, saying, "My dear consort, you should rest early."

Consort De was initially pleased with herself for snatching Murong away from Lou Suyi, but she never expected that Murong would not go in even though she had arrived at the gate of Changqiu Palace.

How is this possible?

She had been plotting this all along, waiting to successfully serve the emperor tonight, humiliate Lou Suyi, and replace Lou Suyi as the most glamorous woman in the harem.

How could Murong give her a glimmer of hope only to deliver a devastating blow?

"I'm so cold, Your Majesty, could you please escort me inside?" Consort De looked at Murong with her beautiful eyes sparkling.

Murong's expression was gentle, but his thin lips uttered ruthless words: "No. I must stay overnight at Xianfu Palace tonight; this is the respect I should give to the Empress."

Consort De finally broke down upon hearing this. Through her teary eyes, she looked at Murong and said, "Does Your Majesty only have the Empress in your heart? I am also one of Your Majesty's concubines. I have served Your Majesty for many years and I love you. Can't Your Majesty stay and keep me company?"

Murong simply took a step back, his expression still gentle: "My beloved consort, do not let your mind wander."

The moment he turned around, Consort De hugged him from behind without hesitation.

She disregarded everything else, abandoning all pride and dignity; all she wanted was to keep him: "Your Majesty, have pity on this concubine..."

Before she could finish speaking, Murong grabbed her wrist, pushed her away, and glanced at Ji Qing out of the corner of his eye.

Consort De wanted to pounce on him again, but Ji Qing stopped her in time.

His Majesty's repeated rejections of Consort De show that he has no interest in her whatsoever.

It's true that His Majesty is ruthless. Even he thought Consort De was stunning tonight, yet she still couldn't move His Majesty. There's only one possibility: His Majesty doesn't have the kind of feelings a man has for a woman.

Otherwise, how could he possibly turn away a beauty that was practically offered to him?

Consort De stood there dumbfounded, watching the imperial procession drive away in a grand procession, and finally couldn't help but burst into tears.

How could Murong do this? She had already disregarded everything for him, just to keep him by her side, yet he still pushed her away without hesitation.

What does he really consider her to be?
Seeing that Consort De had lost control of her emotions, Yunmei quickly called Lanmei to help her inside, otherwise the whole palace would be filled with news that Consort De had broken down in tears that night. Consort De cried her heart out, and Yunmei felt a pang of sorrow looking at her mistress.

How could His Majesty bear to push away such a beautiful and talented lady?
"His Majesty doesn't like me, does he?" Consort De asked in despair after a long while.

What a load of rubbish about a "white moonlight"! Even she herself was almost fooled. Murong is so cruel, to treat her sincerity so cruelly and trample her dignity into the ground.

"Your Majesty is so wonderful, how could His Majesty not like you? It's because His Majesty values ​​propriety and rules and is rigid in his nature that he pushed Your Majesty away without understanding your feelings," Yunmei quickly coaxed.

Consort De chuckled and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Don't lie to me, I know he doesn't like me."

Liking someone wouldn't be like this; even if she doesn't come to him, he can't help but get close. So, is Lou Suyi the only one he likes? Even after Lou Suyi became a nun, he still favored her and even made her his empress.

She had deceived herself time and time again before, but now she sees everything clearly.

Murong loves Lou Suyi, and only Lou Suyi!
It must be like this.

But why did Murong give her the illusion that he cared about her? Before Lou Suyi appeared, he treated her very well during the years they were together, giving her everything she wanted and never refusing her anything.

That's why she had the illusion that he cared about her.

But upon careful recollection, no matter how well he treated her, he never made any intimate gestures towards her.

How ridiculous she must be to be so delusional as to be so presumptuous?
Inside Xianfu Palace, Lou Suyi came out of the bath and couldn't wait to go to bed to rest.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, someone slipped into her bed. She opened her drowsy eyes and was stunned when she saw the handsome face looming before her.

Didn't Murong send Consort De back home? How did he end up in her bed?
Before she could figure out what was going on, the man bit her lip hard, as if he wanted to chew her up.

She looked bewildered, wondering what was wrong with him.

This man must be angry, right? Otherwise, why would he be so rough with her?
She secretly groaned, wanting to struggle and resist, but how could she be a match for him?

That night, Lou Suyi truly experienced what it meant to feel both alive and dead.

She eventually fell asleep from exhaustion...

She was just glad that none of the concubines would come to pay their respects that day, so she slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

To her surprise, Jinshu told her that Consort De had arrived early in the morning and had been waiting for several hours, and was still waiting outside.

"Why is she here today?" Lou Suyi asked, puzzled.

"This servant doesn't know either. I just see that Consort De looks haggard, as if she hasn't rested well, and her eyes are swollen." Jinshu hesitated before speaking.

She always felt that Consort De was up to no good.

Lou Suyi remained silent, her brows furrowing slightly as she recalled what had happened last night.

"Yan Hui whispered to me that the whole palace is saying that Consort De tried everything but failed to snatch His Majesty from the Empress. They all treat Consort De as a joke and say that she brought this humiliation upon herself. Seeing how haggard Consort De looks, I'm worried that she might take her hatred out on the Empress," Jin Shu said, expressing her concerns.

Lou Suyi remained silent. She ate her breakfast before going out to see Consort De.

She also felt that Consort De's arrival was ill-intentioned. Perhaps she hated Murong or had abandoned her and returned to Xianfu Palace?