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

Chapter 248 It’s hard to calm down

Lou Suyi didn't say much, but just listened quietly to what Empress Dowager Chen had to say.

Not long after she accompanied Empress Dowager Chen back to Shou'an Palace, Chen Xing also returned, looking at her with a hesitant expression.

Empress Dowager Chen immediately understood what had happened. She called Chen Xing aside, asked him what had happened, and then dismissed him.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Chen was also hesitant to speak, Lou Suyi simply asked directly, "Is Miss Chen going to enter the harem? Your Majesty, please speak frankly."

Empress Dowager Chen also knew that she had to make things clear to Lou Suyi about this matter: "Xingxing expressed her feelings to the emperor. The emperor said that she would regret her choice and advised her not to enter the harem, which is a path of no return. But Xingxing insisted, so the emperor relented."

Lou Suyi never expected that Murong would advise Chen Xing not to enter the harem; he actually knew that entering the harem was a path of no return.

Back then, he took her virginity without ever asking her if she wanted to be his woman.

The differences between people are truly vast!
“Now that His Majesty has given his approval, what title should be given to Miss Chen? I will follow my mother’s arrangements so that I can prepare the investiture ceremony,” Lou Suyi readily agreed.

Empress Dowager Chen grasped Lou Suying's hand: "I'm sorry to trouble you. She is a daughter of the Chen family, we can't treat her poorly, so let's confer upon her the title of... Consort An."

"Will this matter be decided before or after the Emperor's birthday celebration?" Lou Suyi asked again.

Empress Dowager Chen made her decision without much thought: "The investiture ceremony will be held after the Emperor's birthday."

Lou Suyi had no objection.

Empress Dowager Chen felt guilty towards Lou Suyi and was too ashamed to keep her for lunch at Shou'an Palace.

After Lou Suyi and her son left, Empress Dowager Chen called Chen Xing to her side and told him the results of her discussion with Lou Suyi.

"The Empress is magnanimous and didn't say a word more, but I still want to ask you one more time: are you sure you want to enter the palace? The Emperor is like that, and I can't persuade him. You may never be valued by the Emperor in your life, or you may end up like other concubines, living a life of widowhood. It is only because you are a daughter of the Chen family that I am giving you a chance to change your mind," Empress Dowager Chen said solemnly.

Chen Xing had overheard Lou Suyi and Empress Dowager Chen's conversation from behind the curtain.

Lou Suyi was indeed magnanimous and did not make things difficult for her in the slightest. Even Murong and Empress Dowager Chen gave her room for choice.

Everyone seemed to think that entering the palace was not the best choice for her, but she just fell in love with Murong.

"Xingxing will not regret it. It is Xingxing's honor to be able to enter His Majesty's harem," Chen Xing said solemnly.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Empress Dowager Chen stopped trying to persuade her.

Women blinded by love are all like this. She had the same experience before. Only after being brutally beaten by reality will she realize that love is too illusory and not everyone is lucky enough to encounter it.

What's wrong with living like a pixelated figure? You don't seek the love of an emperor, you don't ask for much, yet you receive quite a lot in return.

It would be a pity if Chen Xing were to become like other concubines in the imperial harem one day.

Lou Suyi returned to Xianfu Palace, and Jinshu, worried that her arms would get tired, took the little prince from her.

She asked curiously, "Isn't Your Majesty sad?"

Lou Suyi chuckled: "It's a good thing you held back all the way before asking. What's there to be sad about? His Majesty already has quite a few concubines in his harem, and there will be a selection of concubines in the future. If it's not Chen Xing today, it could be Yang Xing or Li Xing tomorrow. There will never be a shortage of beauties in the harem."

Jinshu couldn't help but feel a little sad; she wished her master hadn't seen things so clearly. In any case, the matter was now settled.

Lou Suyi deliberately had someone spread rumors that Chen Xing was about to be officially appointed, so that all the concubines in the harem, including Consort Li, would be mentally prepared.

In her opinion, the one who suffered the most was Consort Li.

Once such a bright and flamboyant person, he fell ill and was abandoned by his family, becoming a discarded pawn. He had to watch helplessly as another woman from the Chen family took his place. This is the cruelest thing.

The news that Chen Xing was about to enter the harem quickly spread throughout the palace. This matter did not cause much of a stir, simply because everyone had already been mentally prepared when Chen Xing moved into Shou'an Palace.

Consort Li was still affected by the news and fell ill again that night.

The inner palace was also a place where orders were issued based on merit. Liuli went to ask the imperial physician but to no avail, so she could only seek help from Xianfu Palace.

Lou Suyi ordered someone to fetch the imperial physician on night duty, while she rushed to Xihe Palace.

Before she even entered the bedroom, she heard Consort Li coughing violently.

Upon hearing this, Jinshu frowned and said, "Your Highness, shall I go in and visit Consort Li?"

"It's alright, Consort Li's old illness has relapsed, it won't be contagious. I'll go in and check on her." Lou Suyi said as she entered the bedroom.

The bedroom was filled with a strong smell of medicine. She walked slowly to the bedside. Consort Li was coughing so hard that she looked up and was somewhat surprised to see Lou Suyi.

Just as she was about to get up and bow, Lou Suying stopped her: "You're not feeling well, so just stay in bed. The imperial physician is on his way to Xihe Palace, so please bear with it for now."

Consort Li really didn't expect Lou Suyi to come to visit her at this time.

From the day Lou Suyi entered the palace, she never gave Lou Suyi a kind look, and Lou Suyi didn't seem like a magnanimous person either.

"Does the Empress think I'm pitiful?" Consort Li had barely opened her mouth when she was struck by another violent cough.

Lou Suyi waited until Consort Li finished coughing before replying, "Getting sick is common, what's so pitiful about it?"

Consort Li scoffed lightly: "The Empress knows perfectly well what I'm talking about."

Lou Suying blinked and said calmly, "I don't think you have anything to pity. Back then, my situation in the Lou family was much worse than yours, but I didn't feel sorry for myself. I've died once, and I think that in this world, apart from life and death, there is nothing worth worrying about."

Consort Li was taken aback, then laughed so hard she bent over, and finally laughed until tears streamed down her face: "Your words of comfort have made me feel much better."

“That’s how it is. When your family abandons you, you should abandon them too. That’s fair.” Lou Suyi couldn’t quite understand why Consort Li would ruin her body just to get rid of her family.

“You don’t care because you’ve never had it. But it’s different for me. I was once the darling of heaven, showered with love and affection. But when I lost my value, my family members who once loved me abandoned me, including my own parents who gave me life and raised me. I’m sad because they loved me so much, so why did they all abandon me?” Consort Li wiped away her tears haphazardly.

Whenever she thinks about this, she feels deeply resentful. She doesn't understand why even family ties can disappear.

Lou Suyi recalled the Duchess of Fuguo she had met before. At that time, the Duchess of Fuguo hadn't even glanced at Consort Li. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Consort Li and the Duchess of Fuguo had no connection whatsoever.

“You should think about it from a different perspective. At least you received maternal love. As for me, I have never received a single bit of love from my mother since the day I was born,” Lou Suyi said calmly.

She felt that since no one else loved her, she could love herself more.