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

Chapter 407 Even if Lou Suyi dies, I will still live by her corpse.

Murong was someone who listened to advice, and in the end, he refrained from going to find Lou Suyi.

But he did not agree with Ji Qing's words.

Although birthdays come every year, he wants to spend every birthday with her for the rest of his life.

However, there's a saying that goes, "A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan." Now, his approach to Su Yi will only push her into the public eye. His imperial favor is a double-edged sword; Su Yi will be resented by others simply because of him, the root of all evil.

As Murong had predicted, everyone was watching the movements at Xianfu Palace closely.

As night deepened, Murong still hadn't gone to Xianfu Palace to celebrate Lou Suyi's birthday, leading everyone to believe that Lou Suyi might have fallen out of favor with the emperor.

Even so, the Empress Dowager stayed with Lou Suyi for the entire day, only returning to Shou'an Palace at night.

Seeing that Consort De was in a bad mood, Yunmei was puzzled: "His Majesty did not celebrate the Empress's birthday, which is a good thing. Why is the Empress unhappy?"

Consort De shook her head: "What's there to be happy about? In the past, was His Majesty a considerate person? But now His Majesty knows that his favor will put the Empress in a precarious position, and in order to protect the Empress, he chose not to see her today. This can only mean one thing: His Majesty has truly fallen in love with the Empress."

If Murong only had a casual liking for Lou Suyi, he wouldn't have considered things so much for her.

It is precisely because I like it so much that I cherish it.

She felt that a man like Murong, if he didn't fall in love, would only be devoted to Lou Suyi for the rest of his life, leaving no hope for any other woman, including her.

Yes, there's no hope for the rest of her life.

Even if Lou Suyi were to be killed one day, Murong would only live by guarding Lou Suyi's corpse, right?

"Your Majesty, please do not be discouraged, the future is still long..."

Consort De shook her head, looking quite wistful: "You don't need to comfort me. I know His Majesty. He will never be attracted to any woman other than Lou Suyi again."

Whether it's her, Consort Ning, or any other woman, they have all been sentenced to death.

Cloudberry wanted to persuade her again, but Blueberry pulled her away and whispered, "Your Majesty has had moments of discouragement before, but you always managed to pick yourself up quickly, didn't you? Maybe Your Majesty will come to your senses in a few days."

But when Blueberry saw that her master wasn't dressed up for the birthday celebration, she panicked.

Although the Empress had moments of despair in the past, she would quickly recover. Especially on occasions like the Emperor's birthday, when she could see His Majesty, she would dress up beautifully.

But today, the Empress didn't even want to put on makeup and just changed into a random dress, clearly showing that she didn't value this important day at all.

"Your Majesty, would you like to change into a more formal dress?" Blueberry suggested.

Consort De looked indifferent, lacking any enthusiasm: "Let it be. No matter how beautifully I dress up, no one will look at me."

She didn't crave power; all she wanted was Murong's love. But his love was all given to Lou Suyi, and she had no chance.

Seeing this, Blueberry dared not offer any more advice, and her mood became quite heavy.

This year, the civil and military officials forced Murong to depose the empress, and Murong even exempted the ministers from paying their respects.

Respecting the emperor's wishes, Empress Dowager Chen prepared a birthday banquet at Shou'an Palace, which attracted many noblewomen to offer their congratulations.

When Consort De arrived at Shou'an Palace, the other concubines in the harem had already arrived.

Consort Ning's attire was as understated and modest as ever. Consort De sat down beside her. Having been disheartened, Consort De felt a renewed sense of hope upon seeing Consort Ning.

She'd already let it all go and was too lazy to cause any more trouble, but she just really disliked Consort Ning. The moment she saw Consort Ning's hypocritical face, she couldn't help but want to say a few sarcastic remarks. "Sister's plan is perfect, but unfortunately, she's met with His Majesty as her opponent," she deliberately lowered her voice.

Consort Ning looked at Consort De upon hearing this: "What are you saying, sister?"

Consort De glanced at her and smiled: "Let's talk to my sister later, otherwise things will get serious if His Majesty hears us."

Consort Ning said calmly, "Today is His Majesty's birthday. I advise my sister to watch her mouth. Otherwise, if His Majesty investigates, no one can save her."

Consort De laughed upon hearing this: "I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not afraid of His Majesty's investigation. But some people are different; they appear kind on the surface, but who knows how many filthy things they've done behind the scenes..."

She then looked at Consort Ning and asked, "Do you think I'm right, sister?"

Consort Ning ignored Consort De and looked at the Emperor in the head seat.

Perhaps influenced by the recent impeachment of Lou Suyi, His Majesty's brows seemed to be covered with frost, and his imperial might was even stronger than before.

Just sitting there, he was someone you couldn't look directly at.

Seeing that Murong looked like he was about to go into battle, Empress Dowager Chen whispered a reminder: "Today is your birthday, relax."

Murong scanned all the guests who had come to offer their birthday wishes, but he didn't see the person he wanted to see.

He guessed that Su Yi probably wouldn't come to celebrate his birthday today.

Although he knew it was good for her, he was still uninterested.

He knew, however, that he had to sit there and listen to everyone's compliments. All the women present, backed by forces working together to attack his wife, were being treated with kindness and gentleness by him.

After sitting patiently for a while, he suddenly stood up and said, "Disperse. Seeing you all reminds me of those who have made me unhappy."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Empress Dowager Chen hadn't expected Murong to be so direct. She opened her mouth, wanting to smooth things over, but couldn't utter a single word.

Murong was about to leave when he saw Qi Yan's wife and slowed down: "I really like the birthday gift from the Lady of Dingyuan Marquis."

Lady Chi was surprised that Murong would specifically mention her name, so she quickly replied, "This is a birthday gift that my husband and I chose together. It is an honor for my husband and me that Your Majesty likes it."

"Alright, there will be a reward!" Murong's expression softened considerably.

The Chi family then received many rewards, attracting the attention of everyone present.

The others breathed a sigh of relief after Murong left.

The emperor's special praise of Lady Chi was nothing more than a testament to Qi Yan, who was behind her. In this impeachment case, Qi Yan was the first to stand up and speak up for Lou Suyi.

The families and various forces behind them were the main force in impeaching Lou Suyi, which is why the Chi family was singled out by Murong as a reward, clearly a warning to the families behind them.

Going against the emperor will not end well.

Once Murong had gone far away, Empress Dowager Chen gave up on pretending.

Anyway, she preferred plain clothes, and before the emperor broke off relations, she maintained that facade.

The emperor stopped pretending, and she didn't want to pretend anymore either: "Since someone is preventing the emperor from having a peaceful birthday, I don't want to force myself. Everyone, disperse. Lady of Dingyuan, please stay and have a chat with me for a while."

Everyone's pupils contracted. They hadn't expected that Empress Dowager Chen would stop pretending and keep Lady Chi around. This was clearly a sign of favoritism towards Lady Chi.