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

Chapter 400 But I took it seriously.

Consort Ning smiled calmly: "The Empress and His Majesty's good relationship is not something that happened overnight, so there's no need for you to try to sow discord between us. As you said, we are getting older, so if you want to rise in rank, you'd better hurry up."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the emperor and empress, who were exchanging tender glances.

Tao said that His Majesty might abolish the six palaces for Lou Suyi's sake, which greatly shocked her when she heard it.

After returning to Jingren Palace, she calmed down. She secretly sent people to inquire, but no one received the news, and not even a whisper of it spread.

Upon closer reflection, Tao Shi claimed that she had merely guessed. But that was just Tao Shi's conjecture; how could a convicted woman in a cold palace possibly fathom the thoughts of an emperor?

As the ruler of a country, even if His Majesty likes Lou Suyi very much, he would never do such an absurd thing for her.

His Majesty is no ordinary man. He has the world in his heart. How could he possibly disobey ancestral precepts and dissolve the harem for the sake of a woman?

Yes, she didn't believe His Majesty would do something so irrational.

Consort De was about to refute Consort Ning when she noticed that Consort Ning's expression looked strange.

It wasn't gloomy, nor was it gentle; it just had an indescribable eeriness that gave her goosebumps.

She increasingly felt that Consort Ning was not a good person.

Just then, a group of young gentlemen and several officials dressed in court robes arrived at the Chrysanthemum Garden.

Lou Suyi spotted Xie Zhijie at a glance.

It wasn't because she still had feelings for him, but because Xie Zhijie's appearances always brought trouble, and she was thoroughly annoyed by him.

When she saw Xie Zhijie come to pay his respects to Murong, her expression turned cold.

At this moment, Murong tightened his grip on her hand. She looked at Murong, who returned her a gentle smile, and she felt a slight sense of relief.

When Xie Zhijie paid his respects, he saw Murong and Lou Suyi's hands clasped tightly together, a sight that glared at him. He was the one who should have been holding Suyi's hand; how had His Majesty stolen his woman away?

At this moment, Murong's voice rang out: "Everyone, please rise. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so there's no need to be too formal. I will take the Empress for a stroll in the garden; please feel free to do as you please."

After saying that, Murong took Lou Suyi's hand and walked away.

Lou Suyi could feel Xie Zhijie's gaze on her. She tightened her grip on Murong's hand and leaned on his shoulder.

Seeing her dependence on him, Murong smiled and asked, "Tired?"

"If there weren't so many people, I really wanted His Majesty to carry me." Lou Suying simply took his arm.

Murong's heart stirred; he too was thinking of strolling through the garden with his wife in his arms—that would surely be quite romantic. However, he was, after all, the emperor, the role model for all people, and every word and action was being watched.

At this moment, he thought again that being an emperor was not as comfortable as being a man in an ordinary family.

Lou Suying smiled as she saw Murong's expression harden. "I was just saying it casually. Your Majesty didn't take it seriously, did you?"

She knew he was the emperor; how could he possibly do something so outrageous?

No matter how arrogant and willful she is, she would never actually let him hug her in public.

Murong Shen glanced at her and whispered in her ear, "There will always be opportunities in the future."

At worst, he could wait until she gave birth, and then, when no one was around, he would carry her to the Chrysanthemum Garden one more time. Lou Suying was speechless, and said dejectedly, "Your Majesty, I was just saying..."

“But I took it seriously.”

The emperor and empress were whispering to each other, standing very close. To onlookers, it seemed as if they were about to kiss.

Empress Dowager Chen was very pleased to see this, realizing that the emperor wasn't completely clueless; he just needed to be selective about who he was with. Before Su Yi arrived, the emperor had shown no reaction whatsoever when surrounded by so many beauties, like a block of wood.

As soon as Su Yi arrived, he knew she was gentle and considerate, and no longer had the airs of an emperor.

“What a perfect match they are,” Empress Dowager Chen said to Princess Guangyi.

Princess Guangyi also found it strange. The emperor had always been rigid in his temperament, and there seemed to be nothing in this world that he particularly cared about, let alone women.

The last time the Emperor and Empress were together, they weren't this considerate. Has His Majesty finally come to his senses?

"Does His Majesty favor the Empress?" she guessed.

"Even the Emperor himself doesn't understand, and I don't know what he's thinking either. But he has made progress after all, and their marriage is harmonious, which is more important than anything else." Empress Dowager Chen was very satisfied with Lou Suyi.

In addition, Su Yi had contributed to the birth of the imperial heir, so she liked Su Yi very much.

Princess Guangyi did not pursue the matter further. Given the Emperor's rigid nature, it was already remarkable that he had gone this far.

Seeing Murong and Lou Suyi whispering to each other, Consort De deliberately provoked Consort Ning again: "Is His Majesty kissing the Empress? I thought His Majesty was rigid, but it turns out that he can't help himself when facing the Empress. Indeed, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman."

Consort Ning knew what Consort De was planning, but she remained unmoved: "Sister, you are also a beauty. Surely one day His Majesty will also see your beauty. Sister, there is no need to be discouraged."

Consort De thought this made sense: "Sister's complexion is indeed a bit poor, the most ordinary among all the concubines in the harem. Even so, Sister should not be too discouraged."

She laughed again as she spoke: "That being said, my sister and I have spent the most time with His Majesty. Has His Majesty ever seen my sister's quick wit?"

Consort Ning merely raised an eyebrow: "In terms of eloquence, I am far inferior to my sister. Speaking of which, back when we were still princes, we got along quite well. I can't understand why, after His Majesty ascended the throne, my sister has been targeting me at every turn."

Consort De was like a mad dog, biting anyone she saw.

Consort De sneered, "Back then, you were very good at hiding your true colors, so I didn't see them. Later I realized that when it comes to hypocrisy, you are the best in the palace."

She even felt that people like Consort Ning were much more annoying than Lou Suyi.

Lou Suyi's ability to win Murong's favor is due to her own skill, while Consort Ning is like a rat in the gutter, resorting to underhanded tactics.

She even suspected that Consort Ning might also like Murong, but Consort Ning was just good at hiding it and hadn't shown it.

If it's really as she suspects, then Consort Ning is terrifying. After all, during their time in the Prince's residence, Murong treated her quite well, while Consort Ning was practically invisible; this woman never showed the slightest dissatisfaction towards her back then.

"When it comes to arrogance, my sister has certainly broadened my horizons," Consort Ning retorted calmly.

Just as they were exchanging barbs, Lou Suyi said something that made Murong suddenly smile.

The moment Consort Ning saw Murong's smile, she suddenly felt a little dazed.

Consort De noticed that Consort Ning's expression was off, followed her gaze, and then muttered to herself, "His Majesty rarely smiles, but when he does, he looks so handsome. Only Her Majesty the Empress has the ability to make His Majesty smile."