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

Chapter 368 He clearly said he didn't like her
That night, Murong came to Xianfu Palace again. Lou Suyi saw him and, as was her habit, did not ask any questions.

But just before she went to sleep, Murong asked her, "Does the Empress like the painting I made?"

Lou Suyi nodded vigorously: "I like it."

She was about to say that there was no need to send it every day, but Murong said, "Then I will paint it again tomorrow."

Well, His Majesty is in high spirits, and she doesn't want to dampen his enthusiasm.

For the next two weeks, Lou Suying received portraits from Murong every day. Each one was beautifully drawn, showing that Murong had put a lot of effort into them.

One day, about two weeks later, she suddenly understood why Murong insisted on sending her portraits every day.

This is how he showed her what true sincerity is. His paintings were created with his heart.

Unlike her, who scratched her head for a long time before finally writing him a short letter.

Jinshu saw Lou Suying sitting at the desk in a daze, so she went closer to take a look. When she saw the portrait of her mistress, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Was this a portrait that His Majesty painted for the Empress himself? It's so beautiful."

Recently, the Empress has been acting very mysteriously, not letting them see the portrait. It turns out this is His Majesty's portrait of the Empress. So vivid, so lively, so beautiful, His Majesty easily captured the Empress's essence.

Lou Suyi put away the portrait: "Yes, I also think I'm good-looking."

She felt that she herself was not as vivid as Lou Suyi in the portrait.

“Does this mean His Majesty still has feelings for the Empress?” Jinshu blurted out.

As soon as she said this, she blamed herself for being too talkative, but Lou Suyi, unusually, did not refute Jinshu.

Murong hasn't come to Xianfu Palace in the past few days, but her portrait has been delivered to her on time.

Yesterday, Jili mentioned that Murong had been lacking energy lately due to the bandit suppression efforts, but even so, he still made sure to take her portrait.

"Have Granny Fan prepare some calming soup and send it to Qianqing Palace," Lou Suyi said, putting the portrait into a large box and locking it up.

Once the soup was ready, Jinshu planned to send it to the Qianqing Palace and specifically asked Lou Suyi if she wanted to pass on a message to His Majesty.

“Tell His Majesty to eat on time. Although state affairs are important, His Majesty’s health is even more important,” Lou Suyi said emotionlessly.

Jinshu sensed that her master's mood was off, but she didn't think much of it and sent the soup to Qianqing Palace.

She specifically relayed her master's words: His Majesty only said one thing, instructing them to take good care of the Empress. If anything happened, they were to report to him immediately.

Jinshu respectfully agreed and withdrew from the Imperial Study.

Ji Qing watched Jin Shu's retreating figure and said, "Since Her Majesty the Empress cares so much about His Majesty, His Majesty must take good care of himself."

Murong silently drank his soup, suddenly wanting to see the Empress's vivid face.

Ji Qing saw that his master had finished the soup and suddenly got up and walked out, not knowing what had happened.

He hurriedly followed, but after walking a few steps, his master suddenly stopped, turned back to the imperial study with a sullen face, leaving him completely bewildered.

"Your Majesty, please tell me what you want to do," Ji Qing said cautiously.

Murong sat quietly for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: "It's nothing."

He had only had a fleeting impulse to go to Xianfu Palace to find the Empress. But he was preoccupied with state affairs and this was not the time for sentimental thoughts.

He paused slightly when he realized he had used "romantic sentimentality" to describe his previous impulsiveness.

"Your Majesty?" Ji Qing saw Murong still sitting there in a daze and couldn't understand how such a busy person as His Majesty could have something on his mind. Murong came back to his senses, looked at the memorials, his brows furrowed slightly, and quickly immersed himself in government affairs.

The days that followed were relatively peaceful.

No matter how busy Murong was, he always remembered to paint Lou Suyi's portrait. Even though she wasn't physically present, he could easily capture her unique charm. This was the only pleasure he found amidst his busy official duties, and he never tired of it.

Lou Suyi knew that Murong was extremely busy, but her portrait was still delivered to her every day.

She would occasionally reflect on whether she was a bad wife.

Take Murong for example. He clearly said he didn't like her, but his actions always gave her the illusion that he actually liked her very much.

She was originally carefree, but lately she hasn't been sleeping well at night because she keeps thinking about Murong.

She dreaded owing favors. She used to think that Murong made her empress because she had given birth to a prince. Now, looking back, she realized that no matter what happened, Murong had always stood firmly by her side, never wavering.

From childhood to adulthood, she had never been chosen with such unwavering determination.

This is what moved her the most.

She was used to being abandoned and disliked, but now she felt that her husband might like her, which made her uncomfortable and put her under pressure.

By the time the bandit suppression was resolved, it was already late March.

Murong first went to Shou'an Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Chen. After chatting about everyday matters, Empress Dowager Chen reminded him, "You haven't been to the inner palace for quite some time. You should visit the various palaces when you have some free time."

Originally intending to visit the Empress and her child at Xianfu Palace first, Murong readily agreed: "What the Empress Dowager says is true."

Empress Dowager Chen's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at him: "Does the Emperor really have no intention of favoring other concubines in the harem?"

As a mother, she really wanted to know what the emperor was thinking.

Why doesn't he favor so many young and beautiful concubines? He seems to have no interest in them at all.

Murong didn't want to discuss this topic with Empress Dowager Chen, so he stood up and said, "I'll go take a walk in the inner palace now."

Seeing his expression, Empress Dowager Chen knew that he was unwilling to say more.

She waved her hand: "Go ahead."

After leaving Shou'an Palace, Murong stood quietly for a moment, pondering which palace he should visit. However, after much deliberation, he still couldn't recall any of the concubines.

Ji Qing, who was standing nearby, came up with an idea: "Your Majesty, would you like to go to Changqiu Palace for a visit?"

Murong used to think that Consort De looked at him in a lewd way, but with the Empress as a comparison, he realized that liking someone should be like Consort De to be considered normal.

"Set up the carriage at Changqiu Palace."

The imperial procession then proceeded in a grand and imposing manner to Changqiu Palace.

Consort De has been living a very low-key life lately, even to the point of being somewhat decadent. Coupled with the lack of hope in the harem, she feels that the harem is like a tomb.

They are clearly still alive, but it's no different from being dead. When will this end?
Just as she was wallowing in self-pity, the imperial procession suddenly arrived at Changqiu Palace, startling her. Realizing she was disheveled, she quickly tidied herself up before rushing to greet the emperor.

Murong entered the hall and saw Consort De hurriedly coming to greet him. He met her gaze, and the light in it was hard for him to ignore. Now he knew that it was because Consort De liked him that she couldn't hide her ardent feelings.

But he felt nothing, and was not moved at all.

Waaah, the stock market is crashing...