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

Chapter 365 Does the Empress Love Me?

After giving instructions to Jinshu, Lou Suyi turned around and met Murong's probing gaze.

What's wrong? What did she do to make him look at her like that?

"Does the Empress love me?"

Just as Lou Suyi was trying to figure out what Murong was thinking, she suddenly heard him ask a question.

Not only was Lou Suyi herself stunned, but the other servants present were also quite frightened. This was not a private matter for them to hear, and this time, without Ji Qing needing to chase them away, everyone tacitly kept their distance from the two masters.

To avoid hearing things you shouldn't hear and bringing about your own death.

Lou Suying saw everyone moving away out of the corner of her eye. Faced with Murong's deadly question, she herself wanted to run away.

However, Murong was eyeing her covetously, so she couldn't escape.

"I have said that there should be no hesitation in answering this question." Murong's eyes were cold and piercing.

Lou Suyi felt that Murong looked like he was about to kill someone. She hadn't done anything heinous, and even if she didn't like him, it didn't mean she was guilty.

"I...I really like Your Majesty, but it would be better if Your Majesty wasn't so fierce. It's frightening to our child." Lou Suyi specifically reminded Murong that she was pregnant and he should be gentler with her.

Murong took a deep breath, looked away, and calmed the sudden surge of anger that had welled up inside him.

Although her words of comfort were indeed skillful, he also understood that she did not love him.

Perhaps the way Consort De looks at someone with genuine affection is different from the simple, pure look the Empress gives him.

He now felt that Lou Suyi's gaze made him unhappy, while the way Consort De looked at him was the normal gaze of a woman who admired a man.

At dinner time, Lou Suyi felt a little indigestion when she saw Murong's sullen face.

Although the others didn't hear the Empress's answer to His Majesty, they could tell from his expression that it displeased him. Thinking deeper, it meant the Empress disliked His Majesty, which was why he was unhappy.

Having figured this out, everyone became even more careful in serving His Majesty, for fear of displeasing him.

Lou Suyi, having had enough of Murong's cold attitude, quickly finished her dinner and decided to go out for a walk to digest.

To her surprise, as soon as she put down her chopsticks, Murong also got up. She walked towards the corridor, and he followed closely behind her. This gesture was a silent way of putting pressure on her.

Jiqing and Jinli followed at a distance, and seeing this scene, they both felt that His Majesty was like a child begging for candy. Unable to get any, he kept following behind, as if that would somehow get him some candy.

If His Majesty only wanted ordinary candy, it would be an easy matter, but that particular candy happened to be the Empress's favorite.

That's quite difficult.

Lou Suyi glanced at the long legs behind her out of the corner of her eye and was speechless.

She had a vague feeling that Murong was putting pressure on her in this way, but she didn't think it made any sense. She couldn't expect him to suddenly fall in love with her just by pressuring her.

Because Murong followed closely, Lou Suying walked for a while and then turned back along the same route.

Murong Ai can go with him if she wants; she'll go to sleep after her bath anyway, and then she won't have to face his sour face.

Half an hour later, Lou Suyi lay comfortably on the bed and soon became sleepy.

Just as she fell asleep, she felt a weight on her side; Murong had gotten into bed.

She pretended not to notice and continued sleeping, but the next moment, the man kissed her on the cheek. Her brow twitched slightly, wondering if she could still continue sleeping.
As she became more and more conscious, the man's presence became stronger and stronger, and she couldn't pretend she didn't know he was there.

Just as she was feeling down, Murong's voice rang in her ears: "You are my empress, you must love me!"

Lou Suying almost laughed in anger upon hearing this. What kind of outrageous statement was this? How many couples in this world never even met before marriage? Did every wife have to fall in love with her husband?
She really had a completely new understanding of His Majesty the Emperor.

"Empress, stop pretending to be dead, answer me!" Murong's voice rang out again.

Lou Suying stopped pretending to be asleep; she knew she couldn't hide it from Murong's eyes.

She looked at Murong helplessly and said in a low voice, "Doesn't His Majesty dislike me? If that's the case, how can His Majesty expect me to be in love with him?"

She wanted to ask him a question: How could he have the nerve to say that so confidently?
Murong was speechless for a moment, as he had never thought about this question.

Now that the Empress has said it, it seems to make some sense.

"How about this, I will try my best to like the Empress, and the Empress must also like me. Isn't that fair?" Murong said leisurely.

Lou Suyi looked at Murong as if he were a monster. How could he, the wise and mighty emperor, come up with such an opinion?

Murong, however, did not think there was anything wrong with his statement. He said calmly, "The Empress and I are husband and wife, so naturally we should set an example for the people. If the Empress and I are not on good terms, how can we convince the people? For the sake of the people of Great Xia, the Empress and I must be a loving couple."

Lou Suyi thought that Murong was indeed worthy of being the emperor, as he could elevate everything to the level of the Great Xia Kingdom.

"What? As the Empress, you can't even set an example for the people of Great Xia?" Murong looked at Lou Suyi with disapproval.

Lou Suyi wondered to herself, "Is this setting an example?"
He's forcing her to like him, but the problem is, can feelings be forced like that?
"Lou Suyi, get up. I need to have a serious talk with you about this matter," Murong said coldly.

Lou Suyi thought to herself, "I'm pregnant. As the emperor, isn't it too much for him to make so many demands on me during my sleeping hours?"
Under Murong's glare, Lou Suying had no choice but to struggle to her feet.

"Your Majesty, please speak quickly. I'm not sleeping. The baby is growing, and insufficient sleep is not good for the pregnancy." Lou Suyi intentionally reminded Murong that she was still carrying his child, and he should know when to stop.

Murong, however, did not take it to heart.

She only acts so entitled because she's pregnant.

Does that mean she can't be cold-blooded and heartless to her husband just because she's pregnant?

"From this day forward, the Empress and I agree to three conditions: you must fall in love with each other within three months. If the Emperor and Empress's relationship deteriorates, how can we explain this to the people of the land..."

Lou Suyi yawned, finding Murong quite long-winded.

After he finished speaking at length, she readily agreed, "Your Majesty is right. May I go to sleep now?"

There's always a way around the rules. Who can guarantee that someone will fall in love with Murong within three months?
Besides, does he really think someone like him could fall in love with a woman? That's ridiculous. This isn't child's play; you can't just say you love someone and expect to.

"Starting tomorrow, the Empress will write me a love letter every day." Murong quickly came up with a way to enhance the relationship between husband and wife.

"Huh?" Lou Suyi thought she had misheard.

"To be fair, I will also write a letter to the Empress every day," Murong said reluctantly.

Lou Suyi: ...

Okay, Murong's gone mad, so she'll go mad with him this once, it's not a big deal.