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

Chapter 234 Your Majesty the Empress can simply relinquish this position.

"My dear minister, you are a pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty. This matter should be handled with urgency. I will keep an eye on things for you, and if a suitable candidate comes along, I will arrange a marriage for you. If the marriage is not suitable, how about I bestow two beauties upon you first? What do you say?" Murong spoke in a consultative tone.

Xie Zhijie was about to refuse when Murong said, "I am doing this for your own good."

He felt a lump in his throat, and after a long while, he said in a low voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. It would be disrespectful for me to refuse."

Murong nodded in satisfaction: "Please tell me what kind of beauty you prefer, my dear minister."

Xie Zhijie lowered his eyes and replied, "Your Majesty's judgment is trustworthy; what Your Majesty bestows must be the best."

Murong was a woman of action; when Xie Zhijie left the palace, he was accompanied by two young and beautiful palace maids.

The news spread quickly, and Lou Suying also learned about it.

She remembered what Murong had mentioned to her last night. She hadn't expected the emperor to be such a man of action, bestowing the beauty Xie Zhijie upon her so quickly.

Speaking of Xie Zhijie, his greatest wish was to rise to prominence. Now that he has become a powerful minister, with a beautiful woman by his side and being valued by Murong, he can be said to have gotten what he wanted.

That evening, she was actually looking forward to Murong coming to Xianfu Palace.

Unfortunately, Murong did not come even after she went to bed.

Before going to sleep, she was still thinking that she needed to change her lecherous ways. It was all because Murong's face and body were too good-looking; she couldn't escape the trap of beauty.

Fortunately, after waking up from her nap, Lou Suyi's lecherous tendencies subsided, and she quickly returned to normal.

Just then, Liang Wanying, who had been silent for a long time, was released from confinement.

Her appearance immediately made her the center of attention, simply because of her impressive presence.

Just as everyone was paying their respects to Lou Suyi, Liang Wanying said with a smile, "I heard that His Majesty went to the gate of Changqiu Palace on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but did not go into Consort De's palace to sit down. Consort De tried her best but failed to win His Majesty's favor, which makes the sisters in the harem feel quite sorry for her."

Consort De glanced lazily at Liang Wanying, not understanding what this woman had to be so proud of; it was just the pot calling the kettle black.

"Yes, my sister is not like Consort Hui, who was confined for three months and is only now allowed to move around," Consort De said with a sneer.

She had already seen through the situation in the palace. The only winner was Lou Suying, but Liang Wanying still thought that being Consort Hui made her different from other concubines. In reality, she was just deceiving herself.

Provoked by Consort De, Liang Wanying's expression turned unfriendly: "No matter what, I am still not as good as Consort De. I have tried my best but failed to serve the emperor. I heard that you have been very depressed lately. I suppose so. You are not young anymore. In another year or two, there will be another selection of concubines. When new concubines enter the palace, you, an old lady, will have even less chance to serve the emperor."

Consort De had already lost her fighting spirit recently, and when she heard Liang Wanying's words, she was so angry that she laughed.

"As far as I know, Consort Hui is older than me and served the late Emperor. The phrase 'middle-aged woman' is most fitting for Consort Hui," Consort De said sarcastically.

Lou Suyi, sitting in the main seat, watched the two concubines arguing fiercely and felt that the snacks tasted even better than usual.

Liang Wanying was most sensitive about people mentioning that she had served the late emperor, but Consort De insisted on bringing up her embarrassing situation. This vile woman was truly hateful.

"I'm also quite curious, why hasn't His Majesty summoned Consort Hui yet? Could it be that he finds her unclean?" Consort De pressed her advantage, continuing to discuss the topic that Liang Wanying cared about most. Liang Wanying was furious and slammed her hand on the table, startling little Mu Chen in her arms, who shrank back into Lou Suyi's embrace.

Consort Ning saw it clearly and her face darkened as she scolded, "Consort Hui, you've frightened the child!"

Liang Wanying was surprised that Consort Ning would also stand up and criticize her: "When did it become your place to interrupt when I was speaking with Consort De?"

"If you and Consort De want to quarrel, go outside. Today is the day to pay your respects to Her Majesty the Empress. Aren't you two enough to quarrel on ordinary days? Why do you have to come to Xianfu Palace to argue endlessly?" Consort Ning looked at Liang Wanying coldly.

"Even the Empress hasn't said a word. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think the little prince is your son," Liang Wanying scoffed.

Lou Suyi was originally just watching the drama unfold, but she ended up scaring her child, so the matter became her responsibility.

"Consort Hui has never given birth, so she doesn't know that children are easily frightened. If a child is frightened during the day, the child will cry at night. This is all because you have never given birth and don't know the hardships of being a mother."

Lou Suying kept saying that Liang Wanying had never given birth or been a mother, clearly intending to provoke Liang Wanying, but everyone else present felt deeply hurt.

Liang Wanying thought Lou Suyi was a really annoying woman, as if having a child was something extraordinary.

Does her not want to have children mean she can't have them?

During the reign of the late emperor, she was often favored, but when she first entered the palace, she was too popular and was framed by villains, which caused her health to be damaged.

It took her several years to recover her health, and then the previous emperor passed away, and Murong ascended the throne. She entered Murong's harem as she wished, but had no chance to serve him in bed.

If she had the opportunity to serve the emperor, would Lou Suyi have been able to sit on the throne as empress?
Lou Suyi got lucky and became empress, but it was only because she had a son that she gained power.

“I have indeed never given birth, so this matter is the Empress’s fault. Now that the Empress has ascended to the throne, she must manage her sisters in the harem and not monopolize the Emperor’s favor. If the Empress is jealous and unable to be fair and impartial, she can simply relinquish this position.” Liang Wanying then looked at the other concubines, “My dear sisters, am I right?”

Everyone remained silent, none daring to respond to Liang Wanying's words.

First, there's no need to offend Empress Lou Suyi over a mere verbal dispute. Second, this topic has been discussed before, and Empress Lou Suyi has no obligation to arrange for them to serve her in bed.

Furthermore, does Lou Suyi's arrangement guarantee them the opportunity to serve in bed?
Ultimately, the initiative lies in His Majesty's hands. Take the Mid-Autumn Festival night for example. Consort De was stunning, and His Majesty even escorted her to the gate of Changqiu Palace, yet she still fell short.

That night, Consort De had all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support, yet she still suffered a crushing defeat.

On the surface, this appears to be a failure for Consort De, but it also reflects their current situation. If Consort De couldn't even win the Emperor's favor under those circumstances, their fate was predictable.

Some of the concubines even thought that it wouldn't be so bad for Lou Suyi to become empress.

Aside from not having the opportunity to serve the emperor, they lived a life of plenty in the palace, lacking nothing and enjoying even more freedom and leisure than when they were still unmarried. Lou Suying was not one to follow many rules and treated everyone equally.

As long as they don't provoke Lou Suyi, Lou Suyi won't cause them any trouble.

Liang Wanying never expected that after she was released from confinement, these women in the harem would lose their fighting spirit and wouldn't even dare to oppose Lou Suyi.