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

Chapter 377 Confession
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tao Zhaoyi's palms were sweaty, and her steps were heavy.

She knew she was finished this time.

Murong didn't want to waste time and went straight to the point: "Consort Tao, you bribed Xiang Dong to add an appetite stimulant to the water and oil, attempting to harm the Empress and the imperial heir. Do you know your crime?!"

Princess Guangyi's heart sank when she heard Murong's words.

As a member of the royal family, she never thought that it was a bad thing for a woman to be shrewd. Among all the girls in the Tao family, Consort Tao was the most thoughtful, calm, and cunning.

If the Tao family were to send a girl to the palace to serve the emperor, Tao Zhaoyi would be the most suitable in terms of both appearance and cunning.

Before Consort Tao entered the palace, she specifically spoke to her, admonishing her to consider the Tao family before doing anything and not to do anything that would harm the Tao family's interests. She entered the palace to help the Tao family consolidate their position in the court, not to hinder them.

How wonderful it must have been for Tao Zhaoyi at the time! She said she would become the pride of the Tao family and would live up to her expectations.

How did Tao Zhaoyi repay her kindness in raising her?
Tao Zhaoyi's lips moved as if she wanted to say that the appetite-stimulating powder was not poison; it only had the effect of stimulating appetite and would not kill anyone. She did not intend to harm Lou Suyi.

But everyone present had been immersed in the palace for many years; who would believe that she did this without malice?

Yes, she wanted Lou Suyi to have a difficult childbirth without anyone noticing, so that both she and her unborn child would die, and the harem would no longer have this eyesore, Lou Suyi, and the position of Empress would be vacant.

She even thought that with Princess Guangyi as her mother, once Lou Suyi died and she was promoted, she might be able to raise the Crown Prince under her own name.

She had actually been holding back for a long time because she always remembered what Princess Guangyi had said: one should not do things without certainty, and one should especially not do things that would harm the interests of the Tao family.

When did she come up with this plan?
On the day of the conflict between Consort Ning and Consort De, because Empress Lou Suyi protected Consort Ning, the victim, had to apologize to Consort De, the perpetrator.

The most tragic thing is that the wise and mighty emperor Murong seemed to have gone blind, actually protecting Lou Suyi, ignoring right and wrong, and completely blind to Consort Ning's grievances.

From that moment on, she told herself that she must get rid of Lou Suyi and make sure that woman could never be so smug again. She would take over everything from Lou Suyi, including her position as empress and the son she had given birth to.

Looking back now, she realizes that she was blinded by anger and desire, which is why she thought of things so simply.

She never considered what consequences she would face if things went wrong, or whether the Tao family would be implicated.

She stood silently in the center, saying nothing, yet that was as good as saying everything.

At this moment, Princess Guangyi stood up, walked slowly to her, and slapped her hard across the face.

A large palm print was instantly left on her face, showing how powerful Princess Guangyi's slap was.

"You have disappointed me greatly!" Princess Guangyi's eyes showed undisguised disgust for Consort Tao.

Tao Zhaoyi opened her mouth, but in the end, she remained silent.

She did disappoint her mother. She should have done it perfectly; her plan wasn't flawless.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; her plan was exposed, and this is the outcome.

She knelt before Princess Guangyi and said in a hoarse voice, "It is I who have been unfilial, not only failing to bring honor to my mother but also disgracing the family. But I have no regrets..."

She spoke very softly for the last sentence; it was what she truly felt.

She had long understood one thing: if Lou Suyi didn't get rid of her, she would never have a chance, and His Majesty would never see her.

Princess Guangyi was nearby and naturally heard Consort Tao's last words.

She knelt down before Murong without any expression. Upon seeing this, Murong hurriedly tried to help her up.

Princess Guangyi insisted on kneeling on the ground: "It is my fault for failing to properly educate my daughter. I am ashamed before Your Majesty. Consort Tao plotted to harm the imperial heir, and her crime is unforgivable. I leave everything to Your Majesty's decision."

Murong helped Princess Guangyi up: "Please rise, Your Majesty. I will make the decision."

Princess Guangyi knew that Murong had been very thoughtful since childhood, and that inviting her to the palace today was probably just a formality.

After Princess Guangyi stood up, Murong looked at Consort Tao and asked, "Last year on the Dragon Boat Festival, did you have anything to do with the Empress Dowager falling into the lake?!"

Consort Tao hurriedly replied, "I will admit to what I have done, but I would never have plotted against the Empress Dowager. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!"

Empress Dowager Chen treated her well. Although she resented Empress Dowager Chen's favoritism, she would not do such a thing to Empress Dowager Chen.

Seeing that Murong remained silent, she continued, "I do resent the Empress for monopolizing His Majesty, but how could I possibly do anything to the Empress Dowager?"

Murong found Lou Suying to be quite quiet, so he asked her, "Does the Empress believe Consort Tao's account?"

"I believe you. Consort Tao has reasons to resent me, but not to resent the Empress Dowager. Besides, she will gain nothing from harming the Empress Dowager, so why bother?" Lou Suyi replied calmly.

In fact, Consort Tao had ulterior motives to harm Empress Dowager Chen. It was only because Empress Dowager Chen favored her that she lost her powerful backer.

But this reason was not enough for Consort Tao to take action against Empress Dowager Chen.

Furthermore, Tao Zhaoyi was a very proud and aloof person, and at this point, there was no need for her to lie.

"How do I know if you're lying?!" Murong asked Lou Suyi, but still refused to believe Tao Zhaoyi's words.

Upon hearing this, Consort Tao smiled wryly: "I believe that even if His Majesty does not trust me, he should trust the Empress's intuition."

She thought that Murong liked Lou Suyi so much that he didn't want to touch any other concubines in the harem except for Lou Suyi.

That's why she took the risk when she had no other options.

"Why should I trust the Empress's intuition?" Murong couldn't understand the logic behind this.

Consort Tao blurted out, "Doesn't His Majesty like the Empress? Since he likes her, of course he should believe her!"

Murong wanted to ask when he had come to like the Empress, but it was a fact that he was trying hard to like her.

His feelings for the Empress should be those of a husband and wife, not romantic love.

He turned to look at Lou Suyi, and met her clear eyes.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a little lost.

Lou Suyi, of course, had no idea what Murong was thinking. Tao Zhaoyi was also quite carefree; even on the verge of death, she was still bringing up the little things between Murong and her.

Seeing Murong's confused expression, Consort Tao suddenly laughed: "It seems His Majesty is telling the truth; you don't like the Empress. Is His Majesty's affection for the Empress merely out of marital duty? I had misunderstood; His Majesty's feelings for the Empress are simply..."

She left her words at that point, but they left much to the imagination.

Lou Suying herself didn't seem to feel anything, but when she saw Murong looking over, she smiled and said, "It seems that Consort Tao is more concerned about His Majesty and my relationship. You're about to die, and you still have the mind to sow discord."