In Another World, Everyone Want to Kill Me!-Chapter 204: Ambition

A faint smile surfaced on Concubine Hua’s face. "I don’t know why, but from that day on, I went to that room every single day, trying to imitate the woman in the paintings, her movements, her expressions, even the tiny scar at the corner of her eyebrow, I copied it exactly. The palace maids I shared quarters with all said I was crazy to do such things. But they had never seen that woman’s portraits. If they had, they would certainly have been just like me."

When Yue Mingxuan heard this, he frowned slightly. He had heard that the Could Palace once belonged to a favored consort of the previous dynasty.

Could it be that the portraits in that room were of that former dynasty’s favored consort?

Concubine Hua continued, "Half a year passed like this. My mannerisms grew more and more like the woman in the paintings. Sometimes, when I looked into the mirror, I would feel confused. Was that person my previous life? Why did I want to imitate her? Was I myself, or was I her?"

Yue Mingxuan looked at Concubine Hua and felt a chill creep up his spine.

Could it be that Concubine Hua had developed some kind of split personality?

Why was there not a single normal person in this palace?

"Until that day, when I encountered the emperor wandering outside the Cold Palace. He called me ’Chuchu’... After that, I became his favored consort. The following year, I gave birth to Shan’er. Only then did I learn that the woman in the portraits was a favored consort of the former dynasty’s emperor, who had already passed away many years ago."

At this point, Concubine Hua sighed again. "Back then, I didn’t know why I wanted to imitate her. It wasn’t until the day Shan’er was born that I realized that, deep in my heart, I was unwilling to remain a palace maid. I didn’t want to be ordered around every day. I wanted to become someone above others."

Seeing that Concubine Hua’s tone was growing somewhat unhinged, Yue Mingxuan cautiously said, "But haven’t you already gotten what you wanted? Although the emperor has many favored consorts, he has never shaken your position. Are you still not satisfied?"

Concubine Hua gave a somewhat bitter smile. "The emperor’s infatuation is only temporary. The reason I can still stand in my position is merely because Shan’er is capable."

Looking at Concubine Hua, Yue Mingxuan felt a coldness rise straight up his back.

The woman before him was scheming, resilient, and instinctively knew how to choose and exploit things that benefited her.

Such a person was a natural expert in palace intrigue.

"Then what exactly does Your Ladyship want from summoning me here today?"

He knew that when dealing with such a woman, asking a direct question was far more effective than listening to her long winded monologue. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Moreover, the air outside the Cold Palace was thick with resentment and staying here for too long made his body feel somewhat uncomfortable as well.

Concubine Hua had not expected Yue Mingxuan to ask so bluntly. She froze for a moment before answering, "I have stayed at the rank of the Fourth Consorts for far too long. I need the Flower God to give me a helping hand and push me a step higher."

Hearing this, Yue Mingxuan rolled his eyes inwardly.

Please, wasn’t promotion in rank something that should be achieved by currying favor with the emperor?

What was the point of coming to him for this?

He was not the personnel department of Beirong.

"Your Ladyship must be joking. This kind of matter, how could I, a hostage prince, possibly be of any help to you?"

Schemes of palace intrigue were far too mentally exhausting, not to mention that this Concubine Hua was clearly no simple character either.

"If you were the former you, I wouldn’t even bother saying a single word to you. But the current you is different," Concubine Hua said as she stood up and stared fixedly at Yue Mingxuan. "State your conditions. You know that someone like me, once I’ve climbed up, is unwilling to fall back down. Other than the position of Shan’er’s official wife, I can give you anything else."

Yue Mingxuan looked at Concubine Hua helplessly. "I remember that I once promised to you that I’ll not provoke Rong Tieshan anymore. Besides, I have no interest whatsoever in the position of his official wife."

Although she did not want Yue Mingxuan to become her son’s official wife, seeing her outstanding son being dismissed so casually still left Concubine Hua somewhat dissatisfied.

"I’ve heard that you were quite close with Prince Qing. You do have good taste. It’s just that His Majesty has always lacked constancy. In the end, who will emerge victorious is still uncertain."

Yue Mingxuan rolled his eyes again.

Please, it’s Rong Qinglei the one that was clinging to him.

When had he ever gone looking for Rong Qinglei?

The women in this palace really liked to complicate everything unnecessarily.

"Your Ladyship’s obsession with a higher position is probably also to pave the way for Prince Rong, isn’t it? As the saying goes, a son is honored through his mother, and a mother is elevated through her son. Although Your Ladyship already holds a high rank, compared to that one, you still fall short. What’s more, that one also has a son under her knee, and he even has military merit. In terms of betting on the winning side, she has a far greater chance than you."

"Since you sees things so clearly, there is even less reason not to cooperate with me," Concubine Hua said. "As far as I know, that one has been deeply offended by you."

Seeing that Yue Mingxuan had a clear grasp of the situation, Concubine Hua instead felt reassured.

That way, even if it were only for self-preservation, he would still help her ascend to a higher position.

Hearing this, Yue Mingxuan frowned.