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

Chapter 300 Subduing the Troublesome Emperor

Jinshu and Yanhui exchanged a glance and suddenly remembered that this year's New Year's Eve banquet was the first time that the Empress had been in charge of presiding over it entirely since she became Empress.

If anything were to happen, I'm afraid Your Majesty would also be held responsible. With so many eyes watching Your Majesty, we certainly can't afford for anything to go wrong.

"Don't you think things have been too calm lately?" Lou Suyi said calmly.

Living a peaceful life for too long can easily make people forget that the real culprit who harmed her has not been found, and can also easily make people complacent.

She felt that this might be the calm before the storm.

"We understand," Jinshu and Yanhui said in unison, knowing the matter was of great importance.

After eating and drinking her fill, Lou Suyi reviewed the dinner again to see if there were any oversights.

For a moment, she was lost in thought and remembered what had happened after the prayer. She added with concern, "Keep a close eye on Consort Hui today, and also pay attention to the servants serving at Quanfu Palace."

"Would Consort Hui be so audacious as to cause trouble at the New Year's Eve banquet?"

Yan Hui had barely opened her mouth when Jin Shu kicked her.

"It's just a precaution. Consort Hui isn't very smart to begin with. Who knows if she'll seek her own death?" Lou Suyi looked at Yan Hui. "It's always good to be more careful."

Yan Hui felt ashamed: "It was my shortsightedness."

"Everyone should be on high alert tonight. Jinshu, summon the servants from Xianfu Palace to the main hall. I have something to say." Lou Suyi said, taking the child with her towards the main hall.

Before long, everyone in Xianfu Palace gathered in the main hall. Lou Suyi repeated what she had said before, especially instructing everyone to be careful of suspicious people and things, and not to let anything go wrong at the New Year's Eve banquet.

Everyone knew that the matter was of great importance, and they all agreed.

In the afternoon, all the concubines and noblewomen gathered at the opera house, but Liang Wanying was the only one who did not appear.

This time, the famous opera troupe Mosheng Opera Troupe from the capital was invited to the palace. Lou Suyi didn't like listening to opera, but Empress Dowager Chen liked it very much.

For safety's sake, Lou Suyi also thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of everyone in the Mosheng Opera Troupe before she felt at ease.

Even so, she remained vigilant throughout the performance, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

"Relax!" Empress Dowager Chen noticed that Lou Suying's mind was no longer on the opera.

Lou Suyi smiled and was about to reply when Murong appeared.

His arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention. After exchanging greetings, Murong sat down next to Lou Suyi.

"What does the Empress think of this play?" Murong took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Lou Suyi.

Lou Suyi's attention wasn't on the opera; how would she know?

But it was still necessary to put on an act, so she replied calmly, "Not bad."

Empress Dowager Chen, who was standing nearby, smiled upon hearing this.

Seeing Empress Dowager Chen smile, Murong asked, "What are you smiling about, Mother?"

Empress Dowager Chen smiled with satisfaction: "I am very pleased to see that you two have a good relationship."

Upon hearing this, Murong grasped Lou Suyi's hand: "What the Empress Dowager says is true. I am usually busy with state affairs and spend too little time with the Empress. I have been reflecting on this recently and will definitely spend more time with the Empress and her son in the future."

Lou Suyi was stunned by Murong's words, and even Empress Dowager Chen was surprised.

She knew how eccentric the emperor was; he rarely spoke, let alone bowed his head before a woman. Empress Dowager Chen once again looked at Lou Suying with new respect, realizing how capable she was of managing to tame her troublesome son.

With Murong's arrival, everyone's attention naturally turned to her. The concubines in the harem lost their interest in watching the opera and couldn't help but prick up their ears to eavesdrop on Murong and Lou Suyi's conversation.

When they heard Murong's words, everyone felt nothing but jealousy.

Judging from Murong's words, even if they don't have time, they should still make time to accompany Empress Lou Suyi. What about the others?

They are his women too, why didn't he ever think of taking some time to spend with them?

Lou Suyi felt the venomous gazes of the other concubines fixed on her. She quickly pulled her hand away from Murong's grasp and adopted the demeanor of a virtuous empress: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and of course, the important matters of the country are of utmost importance. I am but a lowly woman in the inner quarters, and I am truly not worthy of Your Majesty's concern."

Empress Dowager Chen smiled upon hearing this: "Look how sensible the Empress is!"

Murong clearly agreed with Empress Dowager Chen's words: "It is my good fortune to have married Su Yi, such a sensible empress."

Consort De, her face expressionless, let out a cold laugh as she listened to the family of three next to her exchanging pleasantries.

The three of them lived happily together, but they never considered that although they were concubines, they were still Murong's concubines in the harem. Murong only cared about Lou Suyi's moods and didn't care about their lives.

They are living, breathing people too. Are they just decorations in Murong's harem?
After that, she lost all interest in listening to the music and felt utterly dejected.

She suddenly felt that only by drugging Murong could she gain his favor. Rather than waiting to die, should she take a desperate gamble?
Ironically, she had little chance of drugging Murong, as seeing him was nearly impossible. Unless her soul possessed Lou Suyi's body, she could never truly win Murong's heart and soul…

After the opera performance, the New Year's Eve banquet began.

Everyone moved to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the Emperor and Empress naturally sat together, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

In addition, the little prince in Murong's arms was so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

When the banquet officially began, Murong finally noticed that Lou Suying seemed a little distracted.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

Lou Suying blinked and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, I'm just a little uneasy."

Especially after the banquet started, she always felt anxious, and she didn't even know why she was anxious.

Murong had only asked casually, but seeing Lou Suying's serious expression, he whispered reassuringly, "Is the banquet boring? Sit a little longer, and then find an excuse to leave."

Lou Suyi forced a smile: "It's alright, it wouldn't be good for me to leave such an important occasion first."

She was worried that something uncontrollable might happen.

Although she had already given instructions and the security check was very thorough, she was still afraid that there might be some oversights.

Liang Wanying did appear at the banquet. She wore heavy makeup tonight, so the handprint on her face was not visible, and she looked no different from usual.

Looking at Liang Wanying's expression again, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it; she was probably just overthinking it.

Even if Liang Wanying was reckless, she wouldn't dare to attack Empress Dowager Chen on such an important occasion. What she needed to guard against was another person lurking in the shadows, and she was sure that person wasn't Liang Wanying.

The banquet went smoothly afterwards, without any major mishaps.

When the banquet ended, Lou Suyi went up to Empress Dowager Chen and said, "It's getting late, I'll take Mother back to rest first."

"Shou'an Palace is very close, I can go back by myself. Let the Emperor send you back to Xianfu Palace first." Empress Dowager Chen rejected Lou Suyi's suggestion.

(End of this chapter)