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

Chapter 436 The Empress is good in every way, except that her health is a little weak.

It turns out that men who have been starving for a long time are difficult to please.

Lou Suyi didn't sleep much that night, while His Majesty the Emperor was clearly very interested in exploring her body, studying her inside and out. No matter how much she begged for mercy, he seemed not to hear her.

She eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.

Murong wasn't actually satisfied, but seeing that the Empress was truly exhausted, he knew when to stop. The Empress was good in every way, except that her health was a bit weak.

The consequences of indulgence were obvious. When Lou Suyi got up the next day, her whole body ached. Coupled with the fact that she hadn't been favored for a long time and that Murong had gone too far, she felt like her body didn't even belong to her.

When she stepped out of the cabin, her legs weak, she looked up and saw Murong looking at her with a half-smile.

Her face flushed red with embarrassment, but she couldn't care less about being shy. She frowned and asked, "Why is Your Majesty still here?"

"Why can't I be here today if there's no morning court session?" Murong stepped forward, picked her up, and carried her off the painted boat.

"Your Majesty, please put me down. I can walk by myself." Lou Suyi was not used to being carried around by him in broad daylight.

"The Empress suffered last night, so it is only right that I hold her." Murong whispered in Lou Suyi's ear.

Lou Suyi: ...

Fortunately, the area was cleared out, and there were no outsiders, only guards who kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Once she was seated in the carriage, Lou Suyi breathed a sigh of relief.

She wondered if others would have any ideas about her returning to the palace at this hour.

Seeing Lou Suyi frowning, Murong assumed she hadn't had enough fun yet: "If you want to leave the palace, I'll take you out again next time."

Lou Suying quickly shook her head: "Your Majesty is busy with important matters."

She was going to the Mulan Hunting Grounds in March, and she needed to start preparing. The list of concubines accompanying her had not yet been finalized, and she still needed to discuss this matter with Empress Dowager Chen.

“I haven’t had enough fun yet. I’ll take you out of the palace again next time,” Murong said.

Lou Suyi gave him a reproachful look: "His Majesty is not the type to enjoy playing around."

When he said he hadn't had enough fun, could it be that he hadn't had enough fun with her?

Murong was not the type to enjoy himself, but he found endless joy in being with his wife and could enjoy their time together without anyone else interfering in his relationship with Suyi, which made him very happy.

Lou Suying was unaware that another group of concubines had gathered in Jingren Palace, inevitably bringing up her again.

Consort Wang was the most talkative: "I wondered why there was no banquet for the Lantern Festival. It turns out that His Majesty wanted to accompany the Empress on a trip outside the palace. His Majesty really dotes on the Empress."

As soon as she said this, the others echoed her sentiments.

Liang Wanying looked at the composed Consort Ning and said, "Consort Ning is so calm. Nothing can move her."

Consort Ning said calmly, "His Majesty's favor towards the Empress is nothing new; you sisters will get used to it."

"But this is too outrageous. The Lantern Festival is an annual event, a day that is usually so lively. But His Majesty canceled even the regular festival just to spend time alone with the Empress. I heard that His Majesty and the Empress haven't returned to the palace yet, so you can imagine how wild they're having." As Consort Wang spoke, her face twisted with jealousy.

Seeing this, Chen Xing remained silent, but quietly observed Consort Ning's expression. She could only say that she couldn't see anything wrong with Consort Ning; her expression seemed perfectly normal, as if she had no desires and no jealousy towards Lou Suyi.

But to be honest, even though she was open-minded, when she first entered the palace and saw Lou Suyi being pampered by Murong, she was still a little jealous, but she only came to terms with it later.

Just then, Consort Ning said calmly, "I think all of you sisters are too aggressive. You should all learn from Consort An. Consort An has never uttered a single complaint, while you only know how to complain when things happen."

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Chen Xing's face.

Chen Xing said calmly, "His Majesty and the Empress are a loving couple. It's normal for His Majesty to dote on the Empress. There's no need for everyone to gossip about the Empress behind her back. It's fine for everyone to chat here, but if it gets to His Majesty's ears, I'm afraid things won't end well. Besides, the Empress treats her sisters very well."

“Sister Anpin is on good terms with Her Majesty the Empress and assists Her Majesty in managing the harem, so it’s natural that she can live a carefree life,” Consort Wang sneered.

Seeing that the conversation was not going well, Chen Xing stood up and said, "Sisters, let's continue our chat. I'll head back now."

Seeing this, Consort Ning smiled and said, "Sister, come and play again when you have time."

Chen Xing agreed and left Jingren Palace.

She felt somewhat disheartened; there was so much hypocrisy in this palace. She increasingly felt that Consort Ning was indeed problematic, and that she had trusted the wrong person before.

I'm just wondering if I should remind Lou Suyi about this, and warn her to be careful of Consort Ning?

She thought about it and decided to give up, since Consort Ning hadn't done anything yet.

After Chen Xing left, the others also got up to say goodbye, leaving only Consort Ning pressing her temples.

"If Your Highness doesn't want to associate with these noble people, then just stop seeing them. They're all good-for-nothings." Linglong felt sorry for her mistress.

“After all, they are all sisters in the harem, so it’s not appropriate for me to refuse. By the way, have His Majesty and the Empress really not returned to the palace yet?” Consort Ning asked in a hoarse voice.

Linglong nodded slightly: "His Majesty and the Empress left the palace yesterday evening and haven't returned yet. His Majesty is really something, how could he be so bewitched by the Empress—"

"Linglong, you must not be disrespectful to His Majesty!" Consort Ning said coldly, interrupting Linglong's long speech.

Linglong lowered her head: "It was my slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Consort Ning's face was somewhat gloomy: "I have said many times that too much talk leads to mistakes. This is the only time; there will be no next time!"

"Yes, I understand," Linglong replied quickly.

Consort Ning went to the window, looked at the azure sky outside, and murmured to herself, "Wang Cairen was right about one thing: His Majesty truly dotes on the Empress. Back when we were still princes, His Majesty would send all the good things to Consort De. I thought that the ultimate way His Majesty treated someone was like how he treated Consort De. It wasn't until the Empress entered the palace that I realized how shallow and ignorant I had been."

"It's only because the Empress is so cunning; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to seduce His Majesty while he was still a nun," Linglong muttered softly.

This time, Consort Ning disagreed with Linglong's words: "It's not necessarily that the Empress had any tricks up her sleeve, but rather that the timing of her appearance was just right. His Majesty had just ascended the throne and needed a woman to bear him an heir. The Empress just happened to appear at that time. The right time, the right place, and the right people all contributed to the Empress's ascension to the throne. The Empress was just... just a little lucky."

Linglong, however, disagreed.

There were still many concubines in the harem at that time. Even if His Majesty needed a woman to bear an imperial heir, why didn't he choose a concubine from the harem, but instead found a nun?

She always felt that the Empress had deliberately seduced His Majesty, and that His Majesty couldn't resist and fell into the Empress's trap.