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

Chapter 352 His Majesty Chooses a Concubine

Ji Qing was taken aback, never expecting that His Majesty would be unable to sleep over such a trivial matter.

There's no need for the Empress to lie. If that's the case, what is the reason for His Majesty's bad mood?
According to the Empress, the one who should be unhappy is the Empress, not His Majesty, but the result is exactly the opposite.

He was momentarily confused and hurriedly returned to the Qianqing Palace.

Upon seeing the koi, he gave it a wink, and the koi quietly left the imperial study.

Ji Qing then recounted what he had learned and asked Jinli, "Why do you think His Majesty is unhappy?"

Jinli thought to herself that she wasn't a mind reader, so how would she know what the Emperor was thinking?
But if His Majesty's inner conflict isn't resolved, these imperial attendants won't have a good life either.

After calming down and thinking for a moment, Jinli suddenly said, "Could it be because His Majesty is dissatisfied with the Empress's generosity and said she would help His Majesty choose concubines to accompany him?"

Ji Qing couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation: "Isn't it perfectly normal for the Empress to select concubines to accompany His Majesty? Why is His Majesty dissatisfied?"

"If Your Majesty likes the Empress, but the Empress still chooses concubines to accompany Your Majesty, doesn't that mean the Empress doesn't care about Your Majesty that much? Your Majesty will certainly not be happy to hear that."

Ji Qing's expression was indescribable after hearing this. After a long while, he finally said, "Your Majesty wouldn't be so stingy, would you?"

His Majesty is a man destined for great things, and he has served him for many years. In his memory, His Majesty is indifferent to everyone, and although His Majesty is a filial son, he is not warm towards the Empress Dowager.

How could such a cold-hearted person get angry because the Empress didn't care about him enough?
"I'm just guessing. Her Majesty the Empress is easygoing. She had a disagreement with His Majesty, turned around and went to sleep. How could His Majesty be happy to see Her Majesty like that? In my opinion, His Majesty is probably angry that Her Majesty doesn't care about him enough," Jinli replied with a smile.

His Majesty is so imposing in front of others; no one in the world dares to displease him. But the Empress did it so easily, and even after angering His Majesty, she was still out of it. It was truly satisfying!
Ji Qing listened and found the koi's words to be more and more reasonable.

He was once again impressed by the koi. It was no wonder His Majesty liked to have koi serving him, since the koi could think of such a thing.

His gaze towards the koi instantly changed: "Then what do you think we should do to reconcile His Majesty and the Empress, and make them happy again?"

This question stumped the koi fish.

She could more or less guess why His Majesty was unhappy, but the only way to make him happy was to let him see that the Empress cared about him.
"With your intelligence, you must have a way," Ji Qing flattered Jinli.

Jinli thought Jiqing was a cunning old fox who didn't try to find a solution himself but instead put her on a pedestal.

"Let's not get involved in this for now. The Spring Hunt is still unresolved. If His Majesty goes on the hunt, the Empress will still have to draft a list of concubines to accompany him, which will displease His Majesty. It's better to wait until the Spring Hunt is resolved before we think of a solution. For now, it's better to keep His Majesty and the Empress separate to avoid escalating the conflict. His Majesty is a wise and powerful ruler; he will surely understand this small matter quickly." After thinking it over, Jinli felt that doing less would be better than doing more.

Otherwise, if things go wrong, you might lose your life, and that wouldn't be good.

Ji Qing had great faith in koi fish and had no objections at the time.

When he returned to the imperial study and looked at his master's cold and aloof face again, he suddenly felt that it wasn't so scary anymore.

Even the most powerful and influential emperor can be troubled by matters of the heart.

He never expected that the Empress was so powerful that she could so easily influence His Majesty's emotions.

But His Majesty himself may not realize that the Empress can influence His Majesty's moods, right?

With Jinli's reminder, Jiqing didn't dare mention Lou Suyi to Murong. He and Jinli had reached a tacit understanding: to be careful, not to run into His Majesty's crosshairs, and most importantly, not to mention the Empress.

Murong was busy with official duties and lost track of time. By the time he had some free time, it was already evening.

He thought Ji Qing would ask him if he wanted to go to Xianfu Palace, but this time Ji Qing was like a mute, only ordering the meal to be served. Murong looked at Ji Qing, who seemed unsteady under his master's deathly gaze.

It must be said that His Majesty's powerful aura is truly terrifying.

Murong then noticed Ji Qing's unusual behavior.

Jiqing used to be very attentive to him, but today he spoke very little and didn't even mention the Empress in front of him.

"Have you seen the Empress today?" Murong asked indifferently.

Ji Qing immediately became very alert: "This servant did indeed go to Xianfu Palace today."

"What did the Empress instruct you on?" Murong asked again.

Ji Qing subconsciously looked at the koi, but the koi pretended not to see Ji Qing's pleading look.

Looking at her was useless; she didn't know how to answer the question either.

His Majesty was clearly asking this question with expectation. If Jiqing said no, His Majesty would surely be disappointed. But if he said yes, it would be deceiving the Emperor, and either answer would be wrong.

Under Murong's gaze, Ji Qing broke out in a cold sweat. He lowered his eyes and replied, "Her Majesty the Empress did not give me any instructions, but Her Majesty is in good spirits. Your Majesty need not worry about Her Majesty the Empress."

"Why should I worry about the Empress?" Murong scoffed.

He knew that the Empress was heartless and lived a more carefree life than he did.

Ji Qing didn't dare to say another word and quietly kicked the koi.

The koi carp ignored Jiqing and stood silently to the side.

Murong glanced at Jiqing every now and then, and Jiqing trembled with fear. He felt that although his master was eating, it was as if he was being tortured at the same time.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after his master finished his dinner, only to hear his master order: "Bring the plaque over!"

Ji Qing's pupils contracted, and he turned to look at the koi.

Jinli was clearly surprised as well. The two exchanged the same message as they looked at each other: Was His Majesty trying to divert attention from the Empress by using the other concubines?

"I told you to bring the plaque over here, why are you looking at the koi fish?" Murong questioned coldly.

Ji Qing quickly replied, "Yes, this servant will bring the plaque over shortly."

The emperor is finally willing to choose a concubine from the harem. This is a great thing, and the Empress Dowager will surely be happy to hear it.

Speaking of which, His Majesty hasn't prepared any nameplates for more than half a year, has he? He searched for quite a while before finally finding all the nameplates for the concubines. When he returned to the imperial court, he couldn't help but look forward to His Majesty officially entering the harem.

Ji Qing carried the plaque to his master and said, "Your Majesty, please choose a plaque."

Murong looked at the green nameplates of the concubines. Apart from Consort Ning and Consort De, he couldn't remember the faces of the other concubines.

Ironically, all the concubines combined were not as distinctive as the Empress.