In Another World, Everyone Want to Kill Me!-Chapter 206: Butterflies in the Imperial Garden

Only a small portion were drawn by the scent and fluttered in Concubine Hua’s direction, with some particularly bold ones even landing on the edge of her skirt.

Seeing that the timing was right, Yue Mingxuan quietly led the attendants from Roufu Palace to hide themselves.

What followed would depend entirely on how Concubine Hua chose to perform her part.

As soon as the Emperor entered the Imperial Garden, he noticed a corner filled with fluttering butterflies.

His expression tightened, as if something had occurred to him, and he hastened two steps in that direction... Only to stop again.

The inner attendant beside him could not help but grow anxious when he saw that the Emperor was not moving forward.

After all, he had already accepted one hundred taels of gold from Concubine Hua.

If the Emperor did not go over there, he feared he would have to spit that silver back out.

However, the Emperor did not hesitate for long.

After a brief pause, he strode quickly toward that direction, his steps even more urgent than before.

When he saw the white clad figure kneeling on the ground, he completely lost the composure befitting an emperor. From afar, he called out, "Chuchu! Is that you? Chuchu?"

Following Yue Mingxuan’s instructions, Concubine Hua did not respond.

She maintained an appearance of devout concentration, as though she were earnestly praying, until someone suddenly embraced her tightly from behind.

That embrace was so tight it made one feel as though they might suffocate.

Yet the sensation it brought to Concubine Hua was more one of aching pain and bitterness deep in her heart.

In this imperial palace, she had battled Concubine Keshun for so many years, yet in the end, she could not compare to a dead woman.

For a fleeting moment, her heart felt desolate and discouraged. But she quickly steeled herself again, she still had her son.

The son she had painstakingly protected and brought into this world. Even for his sake alone, she had to perform this scene well.

Concubine Hua gently struggled free of the Emperor’s arms and slowly turned around.

She then lowering her head softly, this, too, was one of the expressions of the woman in the painting.

After years of imitation, she had mastered it to perfection.

"Your Majesty, you are hurting this concubine."

Upon hearing Concubine Hua’s voice, the frenzy in the Emperor’s eyes instantly receded, replaced by emotions others could not quite decipher.

Yet his hands did not loosen.

He wrapped his arms around her once more and said affectionately, "My beloved Concubine, so it is you. I had thought a celestial maiden had descended from the Ninth Heavens... I never imagined that you would still be as beautiful as when I first met you, no, even more beautiful than back then."

Concubine Hua lowered her head timidly. "Your Majesty flatters me. This concubine is merely clumsily imitating another, hoping only to amuse Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Hearing her openly admit to imitating someone else, the Emperor asked in mild surprise, "Then whom is my beloved consort imitating?"

Taking the opportunity, Concubine Hua leaned gently against the Emperor’s chest and spoke softly, "The selection of the Flower God among the four nations has existed for generations. This concubine once heard that in one such selection, a Flower God of a previous dynasty pleaded for the people in the former Beirong imperial palace, moving Heaven itself, which then sent butterflies to accompany her. This concubine does not possess such concern for all under Heaven. This concubine seeks only three things: first, that Your Majesty’s dragon body remains in good health; second, that Shan’er be safe and well; and third, that when Your Majesty has time, you might spare this concubine a little more affection..."

By the end of her words, Concubine Hua’s voice had grown as soft as a mosquito’s hum, and a faint blush spread across her face at just the right moment.

Seeing the person in his arms so delicate and alluring, the Emperor laughed heartily and scooped Concubine Hua up in his arms, carrying her all the way toward Roufu Palace.

Concubine Hua shyly buried her face against his chest, yet her heart was filled with undisguised joy.

Seeing that everything had gone off without a hitch, Yue Mingxuan quietly withdrew and concealed himself.

In truth, he had been extremely nervous just moments earlier, fearing that the carefully prepared fragrance would fail to attract butterflies and instead summon a swarm of bees.

Fortunately, everything had proceeded smoothly.

In the three days that followed, the Emperor stayed overnight at Roufu Palace every single day, even suspending court for two consecutive mornings.

On the fourth day, an imperial decree was issued to elevate Concubine Hua’s rank, placing her on equal footing with the Imperial Consort Zhou.

This decision caused an uproar throughout the entire Beirong court.

Since the founding of Beirong, ancestral law had stipulated that there could be only one Imperial Consort.

Now, with a single word from the Emperor, two were to stand side by side.

This move not only broke ancestral precedent, but also delivered a resounding slap to the face of the existing Imperial Consort.

Upon hearing the news, the Imperial Consort Zhou flew into a rage and smashed an entire set of fine cloisonné ware within her palace.

Even her closest senior palace maid was caned merely for saying one wrong word.

The rest of the servants were terrified into extreme caution, not even daring to walk too loudly.

Meanwhile, Concubine Hua was formally promoted to become Imperial Consort Hua.

For a time, her influence in the palace was unrivaled, and voices even began to arise within the former court advocating the establishment of Prince Rong as Crown Prince.

Of course, in her moment of triumph, Imperial Consort Hua did not forget Yue Mingxuan’s contribution.

On a dark and windy night, a discreet young eunuch secretly delivered the silver notes worth three thousand taels of gold to Yue Mingxuan’s courtyard.