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

Chapter 323 So innocent and easily fooled

Lou Suying shook her head blankly: "Is that so?"

Murong pursed her lips, looking at Lou Suying with a complicated expression: "You don't remember?"

So she had no idea she had bumped into him back then?
Lou Suying didn't really remember much, but after Murong's reminder, it seemed that she did bump into a boy during the Lantern Festival one year, but at the time she was afraid of being abandoned by the Lou family girls, so she didn't take a closer look at the man.

Unexpectedly, that person turned out to be Murong.

Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious. Murong hadn't called her back then either; there were many people around, so it's no wonder she didn't recognize him.

"It seems there was such a thing. But I was young at the time and was afraid of losing the Lou family, so I didn't see clearly that the person was His Majesty." Lou Suyi's face was slightly embarrassed.

Murong felt a little better after hearing her explanation.

Back then, her situation in the Lou family was not good. She was indeed still young and a beautiful girl. It would have been terrible if she had gotten lost outside.

Thinking back to that petite girl who wasn't very tall back then, she now stands beside him, having become his queen.

His empress, with her bright eyes, stood in the center of the lanterns, a scene remarkably similar to that of the long street in Kyoto years ago.

All these years have passed, and she is still standing in front of him.

Lou Suying was unaware of Murong's profound feelings. While she was feeling proud of her new idea, she sensed that someone was spying on her.

She looked in the direction of the intense gaze, only to meet Xie Zhijie's gloomy eyes.

Her brow furrowed slightly, clearly displeased.

Why is Xie Zhijie, this plague god, everywhere?
She deliberately stood beside Murong, not wanting him to know that Xie Zhijie was spying on her.

Although she and Xie Zhijie were indeed no longer connected, she knew that no man would like his woman to be coveted by another man, especially a disgusting man like Xie Zhijie.

Murong noticed Lou Suying's subtle movements and found her behavior strange: "What's wrong?"

"There are many people here, so this way I can protect His Majesty from the crowd." Lou Suying lied without blinking.

Murong looked at Lou Suyi's small frame: "Your way of putting it is quite novel."

No matter what, it's not her place as a weak woman to protect a grown man like him.

"I just want to protect His Majesty!" Lou Suying blinked her starry eyes, staring intently at Murong.

Murong felt uncomfortable under her intense and direct gaze, so he simply pushed her face away: "You smooth talker!"

Lou Suyi thought to herself, "Where did I go for being glib? I was just making up an excuse to fob him off."

However, judging from the emperor's appearance, he seems very innocent and easily fooled.

Thinking back to the time she entered the palace, he has only ever been devoted to her, and even though there are so many young and beautiful women in the harem, he seems to have no intention of favoring any of them.

You know what, men like that are rare indeed.

She stared intently at Murong, wondering if she should treat him a little better in the future, considering that he was still relatively innocent.
Murong couldn't withstand Lou Suyi's direct gaze: "I'm going for a walk over there, don't follow me."

Seeing how he avoided her, Lou Suyi wondered if he was taking advantage of the many young and beautiful ladies entering the palace today to bring a few beauties into his harem.

But considering his rigid nature, he probably wouldn't do such a thing. Just as she was staring blankly at Murong's tall figure, Empress Dowager Chen, carrying little Mu Chen, appeared beside her at some point and whispered, "Is the Emperor really that handsome?"

Lou Suying came to her senses, her face slightly flushed: "His Majesty is indeed handsome, it's all thanks to the Empress Dowager."

"No wonder the Emperor treats you differently; you're so good at saying nice things," Empress Dowager Chen chuckled.

Her little mouth is as sweet as honey; how can she be so good at sweet-talking people?

Lou Suying leaned closer to Empress Dowager Chen so that the Empress Dowager could see her sincere face: "Every word I said is the truth. Mother, you don't think I'm just trying to make you happy, do you?"

Looking at the bright face so close to her, Empress Dowager Chen couldn't help but pinch it: "I know, I know, it's the truth."

Su Yi was telling the truth, which is why she was so pleased with Su Yi. Being with Su Yi seemed to make all her worries disappear.

She loves plain clothes so much, it's no wonder that even a rigid person like the emperor couldn't help but like them.

Furthermore, Su Yi's Lantern Festival celebration tonight was excellent. Even if it were just a simple folk custom brought into the palace, it would still feel novel to everyone.

In previous years, many unmarried young men and women would attend the Lantern Festival. Tonight, Su Yi has brought the Lantern Festival into the palace, allowing these young men and women to socialize within their familiar social circles. Who knows, this might even lead to a few happy marriages.

This is a great thing.

"Suyi, this year's Lantern Festival is very interesting. You did a great job!" Empress Dowager Chen praised generously.

Lou Suyi was quite satisfied: "That's all thanks to Mother's good teaching. Shall I accompany Mother to over there to solve riddles?"

Empress Dowager Chen readily agreed, but just as they began guessing the riddle, Lady Chu came over.

The moment Empress Dowager Chen saw Lady Chu, her face visibly darkened.

Lou Suyi personally drafted the invitation list. After all, Lady Chu was the wife of the Duke of Fuguo, and it was impossible not to invite her, otherwise it would cause gossip.

If Lady Chu had known better, she wouldn't have come to Empress Dowager Chen's side and gotten in the way, but she did anyway.

Chu paid her respects to Empress Dowager Chen and Lou Suyi, and then said to Lou Suyi, "Your Majesty, may I have a word with Your Majesty the Empress Dowager?"

Lou Suyi replied calmly, “What is the meaning of your words, Madam? There are so many people here. Am I trying to stop you from speaking to the Empress Dowager? Besides, whether the Empress Dowager is willing to speak to you depends on her own wishes, not yours.”

Chu Shi disliked Lou Suyi very much. Relying on her status as a member of the Chen family and a first-class duke's wife, she sarcastically remarked, "How could Her Majesty the Empress Dowager be unwilling to speak with a subject like me? Her Majesty the Empress is taking herself too seriously."

Does Lou Suyi still want to interfere in the Chen family's domestic affairs?
Empress Dowager Chen felt uncomfortable upon seeing Chu's face. She said to Lou Suyi, "Suyi, accompany me for a walk over there."

Lou Suying quickly agreed, but Chu Shi didn't take it seriously and wanted to follow. Empress Dowager Chen suddenly turned around and said sternly, "Chu Shi, don't come and get in my way!"

Chu's expression changed slightly; she hadn't expected that Empress Dowager Chen would actually refuse to see her.

It must be Lou Suyi gossiping to Empress Dowager Chen that made her unwilling to see her.

Lou Suyi accompanied Empress Dowager Chen to a distance before saying, "Mother, don't take the Duchess to heart. There's no need to take this person seriously. It's not worth getting yourself sick from worrying."

"There's no need to invite Lady Chu for the next program. I don't want to see any women from the Chen family lately." In order to live a few more years, Empress Dowager Chen decided to temporarily distance herself from the Chen family.

"I'll listen to Mother." Lou Suying deliberately changed the subject and stuffed little Muchen into Empress Dowager Chen's arms. "Chen'er is too heavy. Mother, please help me hold him."

(End of this chapter)