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

Chapter 299: Dispute Begins, Humiliation Suffers
Consort Ning glanced at Consort De upon hearing this: "Sister, you're good in every way, but you're too pessimistic. His Majesty has been quite lenient with us, except that he rarely visits the inner palace. Moreover, since the Empress ascended to the throne, she has never mistreated us sisters. The Empress has done enough; one should be content to find happiness."

Consort De disdained Consort Ning's carefully crafted image of being serene and unassuming, a mere facade of benevolence and righteousness. In this harem, what good people could possibly remain?
Who knows what kind of treacherous person Consort Ning might be behind the scenes?

"What you say is true, sister," Consort De said politely, then ignored Consort Ning.

After the prayers were completed, Consort De and Ran Wanying arrived in front of Murong almost simultaneously, while Lou Suying was pushed aside by the two women.

Lou Suyi just wanted to get back to Xianfu Palace to rest as soon as possible, so she didn't argue with them.

Murong was caught in a pincer attack by Consort De and Liang Wanying, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lou Suying get into the palanquin.

When Consort De noticed that Murong was distracted, she followed his gaze and saw Lou Suying leading a group of people away into the distance.

"Empress has already gone far away, yet His Majesty is still looking. Is Empress really that beautiful?" Consort De said with a hint of reproach, her tone probing.

Murong withdrew his gaze, ignoring Consort De, and instead instructed Jiqing to prepare the carriage to return to Qianqing Palace.

Next, he will host a banquet for his officials in the Qianqing Palace.

Neither Consort De nor Liang Wanying exchanged more than a few words with Murong before watching the imperial procession escort Murong away into the distance.

At this moment, Consort Tao walked over and said with a smile, "Sisters, there's no need to waste your time. His Majesty can't even see us. Apart from the Empress, no one in the harem can win His Majesty's heart."

Liang Wanying didn't like hearing this: "Would Consort Tao die if she didn't speak?"

Seeing that Liang Wanying wouldn't listen to her, Consort Tao sighed softly, "Although the truth is cruel, Consort Hui should still accept it, unless one day Consort Hui becomes the Empress."

Liang Wanying had finally regained her fighting spirit, but Tao Zhaoyi poured cold water on her enthusiasm, which immediately enraged her. Without warning, she slapped Tao Zhaoyi across the face.

Consort Tao was surprised that Liang Wanying would go crazy in public. Many ministers were still present and looked at each other in bewilderment at the scene.

Coincidentally, Princess Guangyi and Empress Dowager Chen had not left yet. Upon seeing this scene, they immediately came over.

Princess Guangyi was surprised by Liang Wanying's arrogance. She frowned and said, "Consort Hui has quite the airs!"

They dared to bully Tao Zhaoyi right in front of her.

Although Tao Zhaoyi was not her biological daughter, she was raised under her name. Liang Wanying slapping Tao Zhaoyi in public was tantamount to publicly humiliating her.

Liang Wanying had not paid attention to the situation at the scene before, and was unaware that Princess Guangyi and Empress Dowager Chen had not left.

Seeing Princess Guangyi and Empress Dowager Chen approaching, she knew that things had gotten out of hand.

Empress Dowager Chen had disliked Liang Wanying for a long time, and now that she had run into her right under her nose, she dared to slap Consort Tao in public. Wasn't this also a slap in her face?
"Fangruo, teach Consort Hui some manners!" Empress Dowager Chen said sternly.

Liang Wanying's expression changed slightly, and she said angrily, "Do I need the Empress Dowager's permission to discipline a concubine of lower rank than myself?!"

If she is constantly hampered by Empress Dowager Chen, what is the point of her being Consort Hui?
Empress Dowager Chen looked at Fang Ruo, who understood and walked up to Liang Wanying and began to slap her.

Even though Liang Wanying was Consort Hui, no one at the scene dared to stop Empress Dowager Chen's people.

Fang Ruo slapped Liang Wanying several times in succession, and soon Liang Wanying's face became red and swollen.

Seeing this scene from not far away, Lord Liang felt that Liang Wanying had completely disgraced the Liang family. At this moment, he felt that he could not hold his head up in front of everyone.

Liang Wanying herself felt humiliated. She was clearly the highest-ranking concubine besides Empress Lou Suyi, yet she suffered such humiliation because of Empress Dowager Chen. How could she not hate her?

Princess Guangyi felt a sense of satisfaction seeing Liang Wanying's angry but speechless expression.

If anyone dares to embarrass her, the Liang family will not gain anything.

Consort Tao felt a sense of relief and pride. She thanked Empress Dowager Chen, who said to her, "If you encounter any problems in the future, you can come to me. If you can't find me, you can also go to the Empress."

Tao Zhaoyi repeatedly agreed, thinking to herself, how could she possibly look for Lou Suyi?

She disliked Lou Suyi and would never seek help from that woman even if she encountered problems.

With her face red and swollen, Liang Wanying looked at Empress Dowager Chen, Princess Guangyi, and Consort Tao chatting happily, her eyes filled with resentment.

Adding to the embarrassment of being pointed at and whispered about by many people, she felt utterly humiliated and ended up practically fleeing in disgrace.

Upon returning to Quanfu Palace, she saw her swollen cheeks and clenched her fists.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. She had planned to dress up nicely for the family banquet and make Murong remember her, but now her face is so swollen, how can she face anyone tonight?

"This servant will apply some ointment to reduce the swelling for Your Highness, and then you can put on some heavier makeup. There shouldn't be any problem. Your Highness should rest well now." Mo Lan immediately brought over the precious ointment.

With tears welling in her eyes, Liang Wan said fiercely, "I will definitely get rid of Empress Dowager Chen!!"

Yulan's face paled slightly in fright: "Your Majesty, be careful, the walls may be listening!"

If such words were to reach the ears of Empress Dowager Chen or His Majesty, even eight mouths wouldn't be able to explain them.

Liang Wanying sneered: "Do you think I'm afraid of that old hag?"

Even in front of Empress Dowager Chen, she wasn't afraid to repeat those words again: between her and Empress Dowager Chen, only one of them could live.

Mo Lan also advised from the side, "Your Majesty, please don't say such hurtful things. It will only make Your Majesty's situation more difficult."

With the encouragement of the two palace maids, Liang Wanying gradually calmed down. After her afternoon nap, she looked at her face again and found that the redness and swelling had indeed subsided considerably, and it wouldn't have much of an impact on the evening's banquet.

Inside Xianfu Palace, Lou Suyi took a nap as soon as she returned. It wasn't until she woke up hungry that she heard Jinshu recount the conflict between Consort Tao and Liang Wanying.

"Consort Hui is impulsive and easily angered. It was only during the late emperor's reign that she could peacefully be his favored concubine. Nowadays, no one will unconditionally indulge her anymore, so being humiliated is perfectly normal for her," Lou Suyi concluded after hearing this.

Leung Yuen-ying is not a very smart woman, no wonder she is now disliked by everyone.

Presumably, during the reign of the late emperor, Liang Wanying must have had many conflicts with Empress Dowager Chen because she was favored by the late emperor; otherwise, Empress Dowager Chen would not have disliked Liang Wanying so much.

Liang Wanying did not know how to restrain herself and even slapped Tao Zhaoyi in public. It would be strange if Empress Dowager Chen did not take the opportunity to teach Liang Wanying a lesson.

“There were so many people there. I heard that Lord Liang was there too, and many ministers didn’t go far either. Many people saw Aunt Fangru slap Consort Hui. I think Consort Hui was really embarrassed at that time. I wonder if she will hold a grudge against the Empress Dowager…” Yan Hui rattled on.

Lou Suyi paused in her eating and said seriously, "There will be many people at the family dinner tonight, so we need to be especially careful about what we eat and drink, and not give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of us."

(End of this chapter)