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

Chapter 369 Jealousy and Despotism
When Consort De met Murong Qing's cold gaze, her enthusiasm was suddenly doused with cold water, leaving her feeling utterly chilled.

After paying her respects, she stepped aside, no longer offering the usual courtesies.

She understood that Murong had no feelings for her; it was cruel, but it was the truth.

Murong did not notice anything unusual about Consort De. After asking a few questions and receiving her standard answers, he could tell that Consort De was listless, just like himself.

His visit to Changqiu Palace was merely a routine matter.

"My dear consort, please take good care of yourself." Murong stood up, intending to leave.

Consort De silently followed behind Murong, intending to see her off.

Watching Murong's retreating figure, she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to act recklessly. She blurted out, "We are all His Majesty's concubines, why doesn't His Majesty favor us?"

She knew it was inappropriate to ask such a question, but she felt wronged.

If she didn't like him, she wouldn't care whether he touched her or not, but if she liked him, she would be sad and upset if he ignored her.

Murong was surprised that Consort De would be so bold, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Your Majesty is a normal man. Which man in the Great Xia Dynasty doesn't have three wives and four concubines? Why doesn't Your Majesty touch us?" Consort De insisted on getting an answer from Murong.

If he didn't like women, why would he have favored Lou Suyi, who was a nun at the time?
She used to think he was keeping himself pure for Lou Suyi, but later he also said in public that he didn't like Lou Suyi.

If he doesn't like Lou Suyi, why does he favor Lou Suyi but not her? What's the difference between her and Lou Suyi?
She really wanted to know the reason, so she disregarded everything and asked her face to face.

Murong glanced at Consort De and said, "My beloved consort is bewitched. Why don't you call the imperial physician to come and take a look at her?"

After saying that, he walked away without looking back.

Consort De did not chase after her this time. She stood there for a long time before turning back weakly.

Even if she is sentenced to death, can't Murong at least let her die knowing the truth?

After leaving Changqiu Palace, Jiqing stole a glance at Murong's expression. At first glance, he couldn't discern any emotion, but having served his master for many years, he naturally knew what kind of person he was.

Your Majesty must feel offended by Consort De, right?
In fact, he was also curious why His Majesty, who was clearly normal and had the desires of an ordinary man, and had so many beauties in the harem, did not favor them.
No matter how you look at it, this is not a normal phenomenon.

However, His Majesty was indeed not interested in women before he ascended the throne. At that time, the emperor was self-disciplined and followed the proper etiquette. Even though there were Consort De and Consort Ning in the inner palace, His Majesty never seemed to have any intention of sharing a room with them.

The Empress Dowager was very worried about this matter. However, the master was very opinionated. He agreed to the Empress Dowager's words at the time, but still did not enter the rooms of the two noble ladies.

Later, when His Majesty ascended the throne and became emperor, the harem was filled with beauties, but His Majesty still showed no intention of favoring any of them.

It wasn't until Lou Suyi, who had disappeared for five years, suddenly reappeared that he saw His Majesty show interest in a woman for the first time. Even if that interest was superficial at the time, he knew that the Empress was different from other women.

As it turned out, the Empress was capable enough to make His Majesty consider bringing her into the harem. However, the Empress not only rejected His Majesty's proposal, but also shaved her head and became a nun.

Even so, His Majesty still managed to trick the Empress, who had become a nun, into entering the palace.

Looking back now, His Majesty did many outrageous things for the Empress back then. At the time, he was only surprised, but he didn't think about it too deeply.

Could it be that His Majesty has long been in love with the Empress?

Or was it that she was only slightly interested at the time, but later developed genuine feelings for him without realizing it? Ji Qing's curiosity was piqued, but he was not as bold as Consort De and dared not ask his mistress such a treasonous question.

As for Murong himself, he didn't have that many thoughts.

He had never thought about the question Consort De asked before, and he had no interest in the many concubines in the harem. In the past, he felt that he was not good at interacting with women, so he tried to avoid encountering Consort De and Consort Ning.

After he ascended the throne as emperor, he had responsibilities and obligations, and only then did he occasionally move around in the harem. Even so, he had no interest in touching them.

When he was with the concubines in the harem, he preferred to bury himself in handling state affairs.

He hadn't thought about why he didn't touch them, and there wasn't any reason needed; it was probably because he didn't have the urge to touch them.

But the Queen seemed different; when he saw her, he found her interesting…

"Your Majesty, where to next?" Ji Qing's voice startled Murong from his thoughts.

Without much thought, Murong replied, "Xianfu Palace."

Ji Qing clicked his tongue inwardly, realizing he shouldn't have had any expectations of His Majesty.

The Empress Dowager invited His Majesty to visit the inner palace, and His Majesty agreed, indeed going to Changqiu Palace for a while. Perhaps in His Majesty's mind, this was enough to fulfill the Empress Dowager's request, and going to Xianfu Palace was His Majesty's own wish.

After learning that Murong had gone to Changqiu Palace, the eunuch of Jingren Palace immediately reported the news to Consort Ning, adding, "His Majesty rarely visits the inner palace. Since he has gone to Changqiu Palace, he will surely come to Jingren Palace for a short visit."

Linglong smiled and agreed, "Yes, Consort De and Consort Ning have been with His Majesty the longest. His Majesty is always sentimental and will certainly not forget them."

Consort Ning said calmly, "The inner palace is so large, His Majesty cannot possibly visit every palace."

Seeing this, Linglong dared not say anything more.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Soon the eunuch went to inquire about the situation again, and when he returned, Linglong realized that something was wrong.

"Speak, which palace did His Majesty visit?" Consort Ning could tell that the little eunuch was hesitant to speak.

The young eunuch regretted his loose tongue and stammered, "His Majesty has gone to Xianfu Palace."

Consort Ning raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it normal for His Majesty to go to Xianfu Palace? What's so hard to say?"

This time, even Linglong didn't dare to speak.

His Majesty is far too biased. Consort Ning was one of the first consorts to serve His Majesty, and no matter how heartless His Majesty may be, he should not treat her so poorly.

In contrast, the Empress had everything, was pregnant with her second child, yet still clung to the Emperor. No empress throughout history was as jealous and autocratic as this Empress.

Inside Xianfu Palace, Lou Suying was sunbathing when Murong's tall figure came into view.

Having not seen this man for some time, Lou Suying found him even more handsome than before; the aloof and otherworldly air about him was captivating. She had to admit, this man was truly handsome!
She's incredibly lucky to have slept with the most distinguished and handsome man in the world.

"What is the Empress looking at?" Murong leaned down to look at Lou Suyi, his eyes focused.

Lou Suying met his deep eyes and felt a sudden flutter in her heart. She sat up straight uncomfortably, avoiding his affectionate gaze: "Is Your Majesty finished with your work?"