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

Chapter 430 I Don't Want to Act for Other Women
Murong saw Lou Suyi staring blankly at him, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

Empress Dowager Chen reminded her from the side, "Su Yi, why don't you step forward to express your gratitude?"

Lou Suyi then came to her senses and was about to express her gratitude when Murong stopped her: "We are husband and wife, there is no need for thanks. You have rendered meritorious service in bearing the imperial heir, this is what you deserve."

It seems he had nothing better to offer her.

Although Lou Suyi was not very knowledgeable, she knew that being granted a title was very rare.

During the reign of the previous emperor, very few concubines were granted titles, let alone after Emperor Murong ascended the throne, not a single concubine was promoted.

Although she gave birth to two princes, it didn't warrant being granted a title.

This can only be described as Murong's favoritism towards her; he wanted to give her the best of everything.

She wasn't one to be coy, and after thinking it through, she gladly accepted this favor.

Consort Ning was the first to recover, and replied with a smile, "Such a momentous event as His Majesty bestowing a title upon the Empress should be announced on a larger occasion."

Holding the one-month-old prince, Murong replied calmly, "In my opinion, today is Xiao'er's one-month celebration, and it is also the first day of the Lunar New Year, which can be considered a family banquet. Announcing it today is the best day."

Consort Ning replied respectfully, "Your Majesty is right."

Consort De looked at Consort Ning's forced smile with a half-smile, thinking to herself that although Consort Ning was good at pretending, she was still caught off guard by Murong's sudden attack today, otherwise she wouldn't have such an expression.

What a big deal it is to bestow a title upon an empress! Yet Murong granted it without hesitation. The title itself was even more straightforward: the character "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) indicated that Lou Suyi was a lucky star, and the character "元" (Yuan, meaning first wife) indicated that Lou Suyi was Murong's first wife. The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Any woman who has even a slight interest in Murong would be driven mad with jealousy upon seeing Lou Suyi receiving such favor.
Consort Ning insisted on maintaining her aloof and serene persona, which she found amusing.

As if sensing her gaze, Consort Ning suddenly looked over.

Consort De returned Consort Ning's smile with a gloating expression.

Consort Ning glanced at Consort De briefly before looking away.

Lou Suyi was actually a little tipsy. She would glance at Murong from time to time, but Murong just looked at her gently, making her blush and her heart race.

The exchange of glances between the Emperor and Empress was nothing out of the ordinary people involved, but to onlookers it was a display of affection.

Even Empress Dowager Chen found the emperor and empress's affectionate display somewhat unbearable. She coughed heavily twice, reminding them to be mindful of their behavior.

Lou Suyi then came to her senses and stopped looking at Murong.

Afterwards, everyone had their own thoughts, and they didn't disperse until the full moon banquet ended.

Empress Dowager Chen also stood up and said to Murong, "Emperor, please see me off."

Murong guessed that Empress Dowager Chen had something to say to him, so he handed the child to Jiqing and followed Empress Dowager Chen out of the main hall.

After they had walked a little further away, Empress Dowager Chen said, "With so many concubines present, you should at least put on a show, even if it's just feigned affection."

“There’s no need. I don’t want to put on an act for other women, even if Su Yi isn’t present,” Murong replied directly.

Empress Dowager Chen wanted to persuade her further: "But they have countless connections with the officials in the court..."

“From the moment those people joined forces to impeach Su Yi, I no longer needed to care about them.” At this point, Murong added, “Mother, rest assured, I know what I’m doing.”

"Have you ever thought about raising their ranks?" Empress Dowager Chen asked about another matter.

"No promotion," Murong replied without hesitation.

Empress Dowager Chen had not expected his attitude to be so firm, and for a moment she did not know how to persuade him further.

"Alright, it's good that you understand. I won't say more. But if problems arise, you must not stubbornly insist on your own way. Sometimes, you should prioritize the overall situation." "I know."

Just as Empress Dowager Chen was about to board the palanquin, she suddenly asked, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to stay in Xianfu Palace for so long?"

How could an emperor reside permanently in the empress's palace?

"Su Yi is reluctant to part with me, and the child is still young. I am only taking advantage of my rest time to take care of them. Please take care, Mother." Murong stepped forward to help Empress Dowager Chen into the carriage.

Empress Dowager Chen knew he disliked her nagging, so she simply kept quiet.

After seeing off Empress Dowager Chen, Murong returned to Xianfu Palace.

He saw Lou Suying waiting for him from afar, and quickened his pace to walk up to her: "Do you have something to say to me?"

Lou Suyi took his arm: "I just feel that title is too heavy."

She was an empress who only gave birth to two princes and made no other contributions, yet she suddenly received such a title. Not to mention that others were jealous of her, even she herself felt it was excessive.

She feared that she was not worthy of her position.

"Just accept what I've given you, don't overthink it. It's just a title, nothing special, so what's the big deal?"

Murong's words left Lou Suying speechless: "Only His Majesty would downplay it."

She suddenly thought that the Lou family must be heartbroken. If they had treated her better back then, she wouldn't have had to sever ties with the Lou family.

All the honor and favor she enjoys now should rightfully belong to the Lou family.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. I'll teach you to paint. But you've just finished your confinement period, so we can't go too far. Let's practice today first." Murong said, leading Lou Suying to the study.

Lou Suyi was originally not good at any of the arts, but she felt that it was not too late to learn them now.

But it turned out that she had no talent for drawing; after studying for a while, she was yawning constantly.

She quickly said to Murong, "Why don't we have Yunzhong teach me from now on?"

She was afraid that Murong would think she was stupid.

"You want to be my student?" Murong knew exactly what she was thinking. He continued, "You can learn it in your spare time. What I value is you as a person, not the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. These things can at most cultivate one's character, but they are actually of no use."

Lou Suyi suppressed a laugh, thinking that His Majesty the Emperor was quite good at comforting people.

If these things are useless, why do so many people study them?
"If it's useless, why did Your Majesty study it in the first place?" Lou Suyi retorted.

After a moment, Murong replied, "It's just that everyone is learning, so I must learn too."

“I think the most basic use of His Majesty is that, in my eyes, His Majesty is a man of both literary and military talents. His Majesty can do everything, and I admire His Majesty very much.” Lou Suyi said, and then kissed Murong on the cheek.

Murong simply let her sit on his lap: "She is somewhat useful. When you learn to paint, you can paint a portrait for me."

Lou Suyi laughed heartily: "Your Majesty is truly daring; I'm just afraid I won't be able to learn it."

If she truly cannot learn it, he will have to wait until the end of time.

"With me as your teacher, how could you possibly not learn?" Murong said confidently.

Jinshu peeked at her two masters from outside the study and saw them kissing as they painted. Knowing it was improper to look, she turned around and saw Yan Hui standing behind her.

(End of this chapter)