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

Chapter 314 Too Ambitious, Abandon It

As soon as Consort De finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Consort Ning's face.

Consort Ning, however, was unwilling to do something so shameless. She calmly said, "If Consort De is not up to it, then I am even less up to it. The Empress Dowager has always disliked me, and I will not go looking for trouble."

Everyone was unwilling to give up, and each person offered their opinion, urging Consort Ning to remonstrate with Empress Dowager Chen. However, Consort Ning, who was usually easy to talk to, was very stubborn this time and refused to budge. In the end, everyone parted on bad terms.

Chen Xing lagged behind, and seeing that everyone had left, he said to Consort Ning, "Sister Consort Ning, please don't take this to heart. They were desperate and that's why they came to you for help."

She actually thought that Consort Ning was right not to agree.

Where Murong goes and which concubine he favors is his own choice. Even the Empress Dowager cannot stop him from favoring other concubines in the harem.

Any concubine with a shred of self-respect would not have gone to beg the Empress Dowager.

From this incident, she could see that Consort Ning also had her own pride.

Consort Ning smiled magnanimously: "I understand how my sisters feel, but I truly cannot do anything about this. His Majesty favors the Empress, which is why he stayed overnight at Xianfu Palace. What good would it do to ask the Empress Dowager for help? Does asking the Empress Dowager mean His Majesty will distribute his affection equally among all the sisters in the harem?"

Is His Majesty the kind of man who is easily swayed?

Chen Xing deeply agreed.

Emotions are something that cannot be controlled, especially for a cold-hearted emperor like Murong. He cared deeply for the world and was indifferent to women; he did not wish to enter the inner palace. Could the Empress Dowager possibly use a whip to force His Majesty into the inner palace?
If His Majesty had no heir, Empress Dowager Chen would be anxious. But now that the little prince is almost a year old, Empress Dowager Chen is naturally not in a hurry.

Moreover, it wouldn't be good if this matter reached the ears of Empress Lou Suyi.

Then think back to the last time an official impeached Lou Suyi, but in the end nothing came of it.

If Consort Ning had any sense, she wouldn't have taken on this thankless task, unless she herself wanted to compete for the Emperor's favor.

Chen Xing chatted with Consort Ning for a few more minutes, and just as she was about to leave, Consort Ning grabbed her hand and said reluctantly, "My sister and I get along very well. Many people approach me with ulterior motives, but only my sister is pure of heart. I have no defenses against her. Please come to Jingren Palace more often in the future to keep me company."

"Sister, you flatter me. I am honored by your kindness and will definitely keep in touch with you often in the future," Chen Xing replied with a smile.

Consort Ning personally escorted Chen Xing out of Jingren Palace, and only returned to Jingren Palace after Chen Xing had ridden away in his palanquin.

Yuexue glanced back at Jingren Palace and saw Consort Ning enter. She whispered, "This servant thinks Consort Ning is so gentle. Apart from not being as beautiful as the Empress, Consort Ning is better than the Empress in every other way. This servant really can't understand why Consort Ning has been with His Majesty for so many years, yet she still can't serve him in bed."

Chen Xing glanced at Yue Xue and said calmly, "Perhaps in His Majesty's eyes, the Empress is better than Consort Ning in every way, which is why he favored her not long after she entered the palace. Feelings are like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. You and I have no right to judge."

Looking at her master, Yuexue felt a great pity.

She is such a good girl, but His Majesty's attention is entirely on the Empress, and he cannot see her good qualities.

"Your Highness is still so young, don't you want to compete for favor?" Yuexue really wanted to encourage her mistress to cheer up. Being so lazy now would prevent her from winning favor, which was different from what she had expected.

Even if the Empress cannot dominate the harem, she cannot remain as ineffective as she is now. During the reign of the late Emperor, even though Liang Wanying was at the height of her power, there were other concubines who competed with her. After all, Liang Wanying entered the palace later and had the advantage of being young and beautiful, while the other concubines had already given birth to princes or princesses. At that time, the power among the concubines was balanced.

By the time of the new emperor, the number of concubines in the harem was pitifully small. There was only Consort Ning left, and a few other concubines, but none of them were any notable. No one could rival Lou Suyi.

No wonder some people wanted to harm Lou Suyi. As long as Lou Suyi was in the harem, the other concubines had no chance.

If she were one of the concubines in the harem, she would do anything to bring Lou Suyi down.

But Lou Suyi always managed to escape unscathed and became increasingly favored by the emperor, which made people hate her even more.

Chen Liang looked helplessly at Yue Youxue and said earnestly, "Yuexue, I remember telling you many times. We can't cause trouble, let alone provoke it. I have the entire Chen family behind me, and the Empress Dowager is also a member of the Chen family..."

"Precisely because the Empress Dowager is also a member of the Chen family, Your Highness should fight even harder and not be defeated without a fight!" Yuexue said impatiently, hoping that her mistress could stand up for herself.

Chen Xing didn't expect Yue Xue to be so stubborn, and he couldn't listen to anything she said.

"It seems you've been wronged by staying by my side. You should find another master," Chen Xing said calmly.

With Yue Xue being so extreme, keeping her around would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later. For the sake of the Chen family, she couldn't keep Yue Xue by her side.

Yuexue was shocked that Chen Xing would suddenly abandon her. She turned pale with fright and knelt down, saying, "This servant was wrong. Please, Your Majesty, do not send this servant away."

Chen Xing, however, turned a blind eye and remained true to his original intention.

As Yuexue watched Chen Xing's palanquin travel further and further away, she completely panicked.

She could tell that Chen Xing had made up his mind. She was completely at a loss, and it took her a while to remember that Consort Ning and Chen Xing had some connection. She could ask Consort Ning for help.

Consort Ning did not expect Yue Xue to return, especially because Chen Xing had suddenly asked her to leave.

She never expected that Chen Xing, who looked so gentle and weak, would be so decisive when making decisions.

Seeing Yuexue crying pitifully, she quickly made a decision: "Fine, I will go and persuade Consort An. As for whether Consort An will listen to my advice, that is not something I can control."

Yuexue quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude and followed Consort Ning to Yonghe Palace.

Chen Xing hadn't expected Yue Xue to invite Consort Ning to act as an intermediary. She and Consort Ning had some prior acquaintance, but she had already made her decision and wouldn't easily change it.

She feared that having a palace maid who disagreed with her would cause trouble. She didn't care about herself, but she couldn't let the Duke of Fu's mansion be put in danger.

As a palace maid, Yue Xue's ambitions surpassed those of her mistress, and she wouldn't listen to her. How could she be allowed to stay by her side and become a ticking time bomb?
Seeing that Chen Xing remained silent, Consort Ning gently advised, "Since you entered the palace, Yuexue has been serving you. You'll definitely feel uncomfortable if you suddenly switch people. Why don't you keep her for now and observe her further? If she doesn't change, it won't be too late to replace her. What do you think, sister?"

Chen Xing smiled gently: "My mind is made up, and I will not change it."

It concerns the entire Chen family; she can't take any risks!