At this point, she felt sorry for the infatuated Consort Lian from back then, and her eyes reddened. She said, "These men are all untrustworthy. We women have to take care of each other to make life a little easier."

Chu Nian: "Sister is right."

The emperor was so angry he felt like vomiting blood. He roared, "You two, that's enough!"

Chu Nian: "Your Majesty, since my sister is unwilling, please don't force her."

The Emperor said, "I have already promised the Regent. If I don't keep my promise, I'm afraid the Regent will be unhappy. If this causes a further rift between us..."

“Your Majesty can summon the Prince to the palace,” Chu Susu hurriedly said. “I will speak to him myself and make sure he doesn’t hate Your Majesty because of this.”

Chu Nian nodded and said, "That's right. He was the one who sent my sister to the palace back then. Now that my sister has gotten used to living in the palace and doesn't want to leave, he has no right to force her to leave."

The emperor returned to the Qianqing Palace with a pale face and sent someone to deliver a message to the regent.

Li Xiao nearly fainted upon hearing this news; he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings!

He entered the palace at the time agreed upon with Chu Susu. The time was around midnight, because Chu Susu wanted to have a private talk with him.

The time Chu Susu chose made the emperor suspicious. He wondered if the empress was plotting with the regent to force him to abdicate. So, in the dead of night, he sneaked to the location Chu Susu had chosen: a rockery behind the Imperial Garden.

However, after meeting at the artificial hill, the couple changed locations, surprisingly moving to the Eaves Blue Palace. Seeing how familiar and experienced they were with this arrangement, the emperor knew that this was definitely not the first time the two had "secretly met."

He was furious, but the thought that the empress would likely leave after her meeting with the regent made him feel a little better. However, he was still curious about what the two were talking about, so he followed them to the Yanlan Palace and remained hidden in the shadows.

It must be said that the emperor's martial arts skills were also quite remarkable. Moreover, for tonight's operation, he had specially taken a drug that could help conceal his presence. Therefore, neither Li Xiao nor Chu Susu, despite their high martial arts skills and profound internal strength, were able to detect him for a while.

"The Emperor said you don't want to leave the palace, why?" After the two stopped and checked their surroundings to make sure no one was around, Li Xiao spoke first.

Chu Susu said, "As the Empress, why should I leave the palace? After leaving the palace, will I, the former Empress, still be able to appear in front of people?"

Li Xiao thought about it and agreed. After a long silence, he said, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have sent you to the palace in the first place."

Chu Susu said with a cold laugh, "Your Highness, haven't you realized yet that I am no longer the Chu Susu I used to be?"

Li Xiao: "I know, it was I who broke your heart and changed your temperament."

The Chu Susu of the past was a typical virtuous wife and loving mother whom he had personally cultivated.

When he was grooming this woman, the emperor was still young, and the two were closer than brothers. He hoped to raise a docile woman who would always consider the emperor's needs.

Chu Susu giggled, her laughter filled with sarcasm. This left Li Xiao utterly bewildered.

Finally, Chu Susu finished laughing and said, "Your Highness, it's not just my temperament that has changed!"

The emperor, who was secretly listening, was getting very anxious: "Why can't the empress just tell Li Xiao what she wants to say? Why is she being so slow?"

The drug he used to conceal his presence and aura had a time limit.

Li Xiao asked, "Susu, are you talking about... your feelings for me?"

Chu Susu: "No, that's not what I meant."

Li Xiao looked at her with even more confusion.

Chu Susu continued, "Haven't you noticed that I'm very different from the Chu Susu of the past?"

Li Xiao thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, several months ago you had a high fever that wouldn't go down. After you recovered, you changed a lot. It's like... it's like..." He didn't know how to describe it for a moment.

Chu Susu sighed and said softly, "It's like you've completely changed into a different person."

Li Xiao: "Yes." But what changed was only her temperament and way of doing things; her heart remained the same.

Chu Susu said, "To be honest, Your Highness, I have indeed become a different person."

Li Xiao looked at her with surprise and doubt, somewhat not understanding the meaning of her words.

Chu Susu said with a touch of sadness, "Actually, the real Chu Susu died in that high fever, and I am someone else. I was originally a man, but after I died, I found myself waking up in this body..."

Li Xiao was shocked.

Not only him, but even the emperor, who was hiding in the shadows, almost cried out when he heard the news. Fortunately, this man had been a puppet for many years and had considerable patience, so he didn't make a sound.

Li Xiao composed himself and said, "I don't believe it. If you were a man, and you woke up after a high fever, why would you treat me... and..."

Chu Susu didn't want him to know that she was Chu Shu, after all, being a eunuch was a great disgrace to any man.

She said, "After I awoke, influenced by the original soul memories of this body, I did have improper thoughts about you. However, since Consort Lian became close to me, I have gradually realized that my feelings for you can only be described as admiration at most."

Because of your policies on governing the country and your military and political talents, no one in the world today can match you. Such extraordinary talent would inspire genuine admiration in anyone who speaks of you.

Li Xiao said through gritted teeth, "You've fallen in love with that Lian Nian?"

Chu Susu gave a helpless bitter smile and said, "Yes, although she is a woman, many of her ideas are no less than those of men, and in fact, far surpass those of many men."

Li Xiao: "Why did you tell me all this?" He wanted to find the Chu Susu of the past, but was that the Chu Susu he loved? Obviously not. He loved the one he loved now.

But now, this Chu Susu tells him that she is a man and loves women. How can he, as a man himself, bear this?

"Why? Why did this happen?" Li Xiao couldn't accept this fact and said with great sorrow.

Chu Susu: "Your Highness, you love a woman with extraordinary talent, not the Chu Susu you deliberately trained to be gentle and obedient in order to help the Emperor stabilize the harem. So why are you sad?"

Li Xiao: "Don't you know how I feel about you?"

Chu Susu: "Now that you know I'm actually a man inside, will your feelings for me still be the same?"

Li Xiao was a little stunned, feeling quite bewildered.

Chu Susu smiled faintly and said, "You see, once you know the truth about me, it will be hard for you to feel genuine love for me anymore! My talents and methods may be outstanding among women, but they won't seem so remarkable to you among men."

Li Xiao remained silent: He realized that he did indeed have this feeling.

Chu Susu asked again, "Do you still want to take me out of the palace and make me your queen?"