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

Chapter 361 The Slap in the Face Came So Quickly

Consort Ning remained silent for a moment before saying, "I feel wronged, but it's within my tolerance. Life is full of disappointments, and thinking about it this way makes it less painful. Don't worry about me, sister; I'm able to take many things in stride."

At this moment, Consort Tao admired Consort Ning even more.

She felt she didn't have that kind of magnanimity and couldn't be so open-minded.

Watching Consort Ning walk away, she turned back to look at Xianfu Palace.

She wanted to see how long Lou Suying could enjoy her success.

The Xianfu Palace has finally returned to tranquility.

Lou Suying, supported by Jinshu, headed towards the corridor: "This servant thinks that Consort Ning is a person who can bend and stretch. Before His Majesty appeared, she seemed determined to compete, but after His Majesty came, Consort Ning quickly accepted reality."

Lou Suyi deeply agreed: "This is enough to prove that Consort Ning is capable of great things."

If it were her, she might not be able to resist and would directly confront Murong.

Consort Ning, on the contrary, was able to swallow her anger easily, a magnanimity that amazed her.

"Is Your Highness testing Consort Ning's reaction?" Jinshu voiced her suspicions.

The Empress has always acted fairly, but today she has acted out of character, forcing Consort Ning to ask His Majesty to intervene and uphold justice. This is definitely not the way the Empress usually behaves.

Lou Suyi gently tapped Jinshu's forehead: "You're the smartest."

Yan Hui, standing to the side, said sullenly, "How could I not have guessed that Her Highness was deliberately testing Consort Ning?"

"It's normal that we didn't know beforehand since Her Majesty didn't inform us," Jinshu replied softly.

Yan Hui knew that Jin Shu was trying to comfort her. She was just a bit slow-witted and not as clever as Jin Shu, which was why she couldn't see through the Empress's intentions.

Lou Suyi gazed into the distance, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Consort De and Consort Ning have been with Murong the longest. I wonder how they got along when they were in the Prince's residence."

“That’s easy. I’ll go find out and then report back to Your Highness,” Jinshu replied immediately.

Lou Suyi had no objection and told Jinshu to find out as soon as possible.

Jinshu used to serve in the imperial court, and she was very popular, having connections with many palace maids, so finding out this information was no problem for her.

She soon found out the situation and reported back to Lou Suyi.

"According to what I've heard, Consort De and Consort Ning got along well when they were still in the Prince's residence. However, Consort De had someone else in her heart back then, and His Majesty doted on her greatly. Between Consort De and Consort Ning, His Majesty favored Consort De, sending any good things to Consort De's courtyard first. Consort Ning never felt jealous of Consort De at that time. In short, although the two consorts had no personal relationship, they were not enemies either," Jinshu finished speaking in one breath.

"That's strange. Since the two have no old grudges, why did Consort De suddenly start arguing with Consort Ning? They used to get along peacefully, but now that they're both out of favor, how did they become enemies? Did Consort Ning do something to displease Consort De?" Lou Suyi asked, puzzled.

Jinshu looked around and replied in a low voice, "I heard from the palace maids working in Changqiu Palace that Consort De thinks Consort Ning is hypocritical."

Lou Suyi's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Jinshu, you're quite something. You actually managed to talk to the maids of Changqiu Palace."

"I used to serve in the Emperor's court, and many of my female colleagues tried to befriend me, so I naturally have some connections," Jinshu said without any modesty this time.

Lou Suyi gave Jinshu a thumbs up.

Yan Hui chimed in from the side: "Jinshu is amazing. She can talk to anyone and everyone loves her. Everyone likes to associate with Jinshu."

She also liked Jinshu; she was beautiful, intelligent, and had a good personality.

"I think you're even better; your words are like honey." Jinshu affectionately pinched Yan Hui's cheek. Lou Suyi stared blankly at the two palace maids in front of her.

They all used to serve in the imperial court, including Jili; they were all very likable, yet Murong easily gave them to her.

Jinshu's name was known to everyone in the harem; she used to be the most capable palace maid in front of the emperor.

It must be said that Murong treated her very well after she entered the palace.

If it were her, she wouldn't be willing to just give away three of her most beloved palace maids so easily, especially not as if they were free.

Jili was also the eunuch most valued by Murong, besides Jiqing.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

Could it be that Murong gave these people to her because he felt guilty for tricking her into the palace?

But she knew nothing at the time, so he didn't need to go to such lengths.

As she looked down, she saw her stomach and suddenly everything became clear.

When she entered the palace, Murong had no children yet. As the emperor, it was absolutely unacceptable for him to be without an heir. He had his eye on her pregnant belly, and since she was carrying the imperial heir, he felt at ease sending his most trusted servants to serve her.

Having figured this out, she began to ponder about Consort Ning.

Since Consort De said that Consort Ning was hypocritical, then Consort De must have seen through something.

She also suspected Consort Ning, but everyone else had been won over by Consort Ning, which was enough to show that Consort Ning was not a simple person, and her suspicions were not unfounded.

Since Consort Ning is not simple, does that mean she has a reason to harm her?

Could we try to investigate the previous unsolved cases and the mysterious person who knew hypnosis into Consort Ning?
Thinking of this, she called Jili to her side and asked him to thoroughly investigate the past of Consort Ning and the General's Mansion.

"This matter should be carried out in secret, without alerting the enemy. Don't alarm His Majesty yet," Lou Suying specifically instructed at the end.

Jili respectfully agreed and then set about investigating Consort Ning.

Lou Suyi was not short of money now, and with money, it was naturally easier to get things done, so Lou Suyi waited patiently for good news.

That evening, after Lou Suyi had dinner, Ji Qing suddenly arrived, saying that Murong wanted her to go to Qianqing Palace to report to him on the outcome of the conflict between Consort De and Consort Ning.

Lou Suyi thought to herself, what is there to report? Didn't he say that he would give her full authority to handle the matter?
It's already night, and you're still making this pregnant woman run around like this? Aren't you afraid something might happen to her...?

When she saw the palanquin with its thick cushions and the large retinue, she realized she had been worrying too much.

Clearly, what she thought of, Murong also thought of; he wouldn't let anything happen to his child.

"Jiqing, has your master been very busy lately?" Lou Suyi asked casually on the way to Qianqing Palace.

Since we're just killing time anyway, we might as well chat for a bit to pass the time.

Ji Qing's brow twitched slightly. He felt that he couldn't let the Empress know that His Majesty was in love with her, otherwise His Majesty would lose face.

Last time His Majesty publicly said he didn't like the Empress, but it turns out he's really in love with her. The slap in the face came so quickly...

"His Majesty has been busy with state affairs lately and has not had time for Her Majesty the Empress. Please forgive him." Ji Qing said with a careful smile.

"I'm just concerned about His Majesty. You are the person His Majesty values ​​most, so you must serve His Majesty well," Lou Suyi said naturally, offering polite words.