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

Chapter 395 Controlling the Emperor
After hearing Lou Suyi's words, Jinshu paced back and forth, and asked in a low voice, "Did Your Highness report this matter to His Majesty?"

"How can we report this? I have no evidence at all, it's all just guesswork. If the real culprit isn't Consort Ning and that person, and it causes a huge commotion, how will we handle it? Don't forget, Consort Ning has the General's Mansion backing her." Lou Suyi said seriously.

Jinshu remained silent.

Yes, the Empress has no family members to support her, but she has the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to protect her.

Consort Ning's backing is not to be underestimated; the General's Mansion boasts a wealth of genuine military achievements. If Consort Ning cannot be decisively defeated in one fell swoop, the General's Mansion will certainly seize this opportunity to dethrone the Empress.

"So, are we just supposed to wait for them to make their move again?" Jinshu asked, a little worried.

After all, the Empress is pregnant, so if Consort Ning wants to deal with the imperial heir in the Empress's womb, she will be in a very passive position.

Lou Suyi knew what Jinshu was worried about, and smiled, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Furthermore, Consort Ning has been very quiet lately; I wonder if she's brewing a big move to deal with her.

If she wants to take the initiative, she needs to find a way to lure the fish into the trap.

That night, in the Cold Palace.

Tao Shi did not expect Lou Suyi to come to the Cold Palace. The moment she saw Lou Suyi, she subconsciously felt that Lou Suyi was dissatisfied with only being banished to the Cold Palace and had come here to personally send her on her way.

Her face was ashen, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but couldn't utter a sound.

She quickly remembered that she had not yet paid her respects to Lou Suyi, so she hurriedly knelt down and bowed.

Lou Suying, supported by Yunzhong, took her seat, but did not excuse herself from the courtesies offered by Tao.

Tao was filled with anxiety. After waiting for a while, seeing that Lou Suying still didn't speak, she couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Highness come to the Cold Palace so late to take the life of this sinful woman?"

Lou Suyi glanced at Tao Shi and said in a low voice, "I have no interest in your life."

Tao breathed a sigh of relief. Ultimately, she was still afraid of death; after all, she was so young, and who would willingly die like that?
She quickly realized something was amiss: "Why has Your Highness come to see this sinful woman at this hour?"

Lou Suyi smiled and said, "If I asked you to do something, and after you did it, I could plead with His Majesty to let you fake your death and leave the Cold Palace, would you be willing to cooperate with me?"

Tao knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Even if Lou Suying wanted her to cooperate, this matter wouldn't be simple.

She was more than willing to regain her freedom and start over in the palace.

"Your Majesty, please tell me. I'm afraid I can't help you," Tao said solemnly.

"Get up and speak," Lou Suyi said calmly.

Tao got up nervously, waiting quietly for Lou Suyi to say what she was going to say next.

"Next time Consort Ning visits you in the Cold Palace, just say that His Majesty seems to be considering disbanding the harem," Lou Suying said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Lady Tao's expression changed several times: "Your Majesty, this is a false imperial decree..."

Even if Murong Zhen likes Lou Suyi, he wouldn't do something like disbanding the harem, would he?

"How can this be considered a false imperial decree? You think His Majesty is considering disbanding the harem for my sake. You and I know this, and then you can let Consort Ning know. Think about it yourself, all you need is a single sentence to exchange for possible freedom in the future. What a worthwhile deal!" Lou Suyi glanced at Tao Shi indifferently. "You don't still think Consort Ning is really your good sister, do you?"

Tao remained silent.

Actually, she had been thinking about this question recently, and the result was that she might have really been deceived by Consort Ning.

Lou Suyi's arrival further confirmed her suspicions.

It's laughable that she prides herself on being shrewd, yet she was unknowingly manipulated by Consort Ning. "Will Your Majesty truly grant this criminal woman her freedom? Will His Majesty spare her?" Tao's heart pounded.

Lou Suyi didn't want to waste any more words with Tao Shi and turned to leave.

Tao was anxious and hurriedly said, "This sinful woman agrees to cooperate with Your Highness! But Consort Ning has not been to the Cold Palace recently, so this sinful woman is afraid that she will not have the opportunity to convey this message."

"You will have your chance. By the way, if His Majesty asks me what I'm doing in the Cold Palace, you must say no. Wait until His Majesty comes a few more times, then tell him I came to inquire why he came to the Cold Palace to see you. Don't mention Consort Ning," Lou Suyi instructed.

Tao was stunned. Did Lou Suying mean that Murong would definitely come to the Cold Palace? And not just once?
Lou Suyi then quietly left the Cold Palace.

The guards outside the Cold Palace had long been silently subdued by Yun Zhong. Of course, they would wake up soon after they left, and no one would know that she had been to the Cold Palace that night.

Upon returning to Xianfu Palace, Yunzhong was still hesitant about whether to tell His Majesty that the Empress had visited the Cold Palace.

The Empress seemed to know her concerns and said to her, "You can tell His Majesty about my visit to the Cold Palace, but you cannot let His Majesty know about my conversation with Lady Tao."

Yunzhong quickly replied, "Yes, this servant understands."

The next day, Murong received the picture album sent by Yunzhong. When he saw the scene of Lou Suyi entering the Cold Palace overnight, he immediately questioned Yunzhong.

Following Lou Suyi's instructions, Yunzhong only said that she had been dismissed at the time and did not know what the Empress and Tao had said.

Seeing that he could not get any answers from the questions, Murong dismissed Yunzhong.

After finishing his business, he remembered Lou Suyi's trip to the Cold Palace and couldn't sit still any longer, so he decided to go there himself.

The moment Tao saw Murong, she immediately remembered Lou Suying's instructions.

She greeted Murong, and as expected, Murong asked, "What brings the Empress to see you?"

Upon hearing this, Tao lowered her head: "This is a secret between this criminal woman and Her Majesty the Empress."

"I command you to speak," Murong emphasized.

Tao knelt down without hesitation: "This sinful woman cannot speak."

Murong frowned as he looked at Tao, finding her increasingly irritating.

So Tao knelt on the ground, and Murong wouldn't let her get up, but Tao still refused to tell the truth.

After a full hour of stalemate, Murong finally turned and left.

Tao's knees went numb from kneeling, and at that moment she understood why Lou Suying hadn't let her tell the truth. Lou Suying simply knew that Murong cared about her and would come to the Cold Palace again to inquire.

This made her even more certain that Murong was head over heels in love with Lou Suyi, and it was no wonder that Lou Suyi could easily manipulate Murong, the emperor.

After leaving the Cold Palace, Murong really wanted to go find Lou Suying herself and get to the bottom of things. For her to be in the Cold Palace at midnight, it must be no small matter.

However, if he were to ask Lou Suyi directly, Lou Suyi would know that someone from Xianfu Palace had informed him of the situation, and he worried that she would mistakenly think that he was spying on her, which would affect their marital relationship.

In the end, he still didn't go to Xianfu Palace.

But this matter still became a worry for him.

Two days later, he went to the Cold Palace again. As soon as Tao saw him, she said, "Your Majesty, please don't force this sinful woman. I promised Her Majesty the Empress, and I cannot go back on my word."

"Tell me the truth, and I will improve your living conditions in the Cold Palace." Murong changed his coercion to enticement.