Baili Lin found it hard to accept that Concubine Ling wished to have her son died so badly.
Concubine Ling looked at her sister and laughed sinisterly. "Aren't you the one who wished for me to be trapped in this place for my entire life? You killed my lover and forced me to attend the meeting just so that you can get close to the Emperor."
Imperial Concubine Xu didn't say any objection. She knew that it was the truth, but who cared? It was something that occurred more than two decades ago.
"Aren't you happy here? Getting pregnant with the Emperor's child even before I can, you stole his affection right away," Imperial Concubine Xu said with hatred.
Concubine Ling laughed. "Who wants that man's child? I wish that he could be burned in hell for all I care."
"You… you're crazy!"
"Call me crazy or anything. I never want to be part of the Imperial Family in the first place," Concubine Ling said unhurriedly. "Besides, you'll never win, my little sister. If not because of using me, you'll never be able to get the Emperor's affection."
Imperial Concubine Xu's face turned red. She glared at Concubine Ling and kicked the nearby rock in her older sister's direction. "In that case, you should just go and die here! No one will be able to get you out."
"You're keeping me alive, my dear sister?" Concubine Ling asked.
Imperial Concubine Xu sneered. "Death is too easy for you. Besides, aren't you waiting for your son's death news? I'll surely deliver it to you and afterwards, I'll send you to be with him."'
Concubine Ling hummed and laughed. "It doesn't sound half bad."
"Consider it as my thanks for helping me in the palace all this time."
"Helping you?" Concubine Ling played with the cup in her hand as her composure slowly returned. She was back to the same composed woman like before. "In that case, I'll be waiting for the good news."
Imperial Concubine Xu sneered and stomped out of the hall. Wei Xiao Hua and Baili Lin followed from behind, feeling utterly confused with the development. Compared to the two of them who were stunned speechless, Imperial Concubine Xu looked calmer as if she had known about this matter.
They could still hear the hearty laugh from behind them but what they had missed was when a drop of tear fell from Concubine Ling's eyes before she disappeared into the rundown building.
After walking for some time, Imperial Concubine Xu stopped walking.
"I used my sister to gain the Emperor's affection because the one the Emperor loved back then is my sister," Imperial Concubine Xu admitted.
Wei Xiao Hua's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. The novel that she read never revealed this information, or it might be inside the part that she hadn't read due to her sudden transmigration. The author kept the information regarding the war in the harem to the minimum and only revealed a bit when it was the time for the battle here.
But even then, Wei Xiao Hua never knew what had happened more than two decades ago between Prince Ji Shu's mother and Prince Ji Sheng's mother.
Imperial Concubine Xu didn't turn around, but her voice cracked a bit. "She had a lover, so she didn't want to go to the palace. The Emperor never pressed her, but I know that if my sister agreed to come to the palace, I can tag along too. So, I killed her lover and force her to enter the palace with me."
Chills ran down Wei Xiao Hua's spine when she heard that. Looking at the demure and elegant Imperial Concubine Xu, she found it hard to believe that she was the same person who killed her sister's lover without second thought like that. Just because she wanted power and position, Imperial Concubine Xu chose to sacrifice her own sister's happiness.
"Just a month after entering the palace, it's made known that my sister is pregnant and the Emperor began to shower her affection. However, it's also the time when she starts to go crazy and tried to kill herself numerous times," Imperial Concubine Xu said without any emotion.
"The Emperor never let her be alone and watched her over to prevent her from killing herself. So, I pressure her to get the Emperor close to me so that she would not be pressured. In the end, I managed to get pregnant but the Emperor still kept tight watch over my sister.
After she had given birth to Ji Sheng, she grows quiet. The Emperor is also busy for a period of time, so I used this chance to snatch him away. With our similar countenance, it's not that difficult to lure the Emperor away."
Imperial Concubine Xu stopped for a while. "She had tried to kill Ji Sheng numerous times in the palace before."
Wei Xiao Hua's eyes widened when she heard that. The novel never revealed Prince Ji Sheng's childhood even after his death. All she knew about that villain was the fact that Prince Ji Sheng stood in the way of Prince Ji Shu's way to the throne. After all, they were all of the same status, which was concubine born prince.
The only one who had higher status was Prince Ji Tian, who came from Empress You, which was why he was named as the crown prince.
Baili Lin furrowed her brows. "She's truly an ungrateful woman."
"She's a romantic person who didn't want to accept that relationship from love will not be able to grow." Imperial Concubine Xu sneered and turned around. She looked at Wei Xiao Hua. "I don't care whether you love my son or just wished to be around him or wanted his power and position. As long as you don't cause him any harm, I'll let you off."
"Yes, Mother."
Wei Xiao Hua felt that the turmoil she experienced in her heart was even bigger than before. In the novel, Imperial Concubine Xu never revealed her other side to the real Wei Xiao Hua because there was no chance for her to do so. But now, Wei Xiao Hua began to understand Imperial Concubine Xu a little bit.
She was someone who wanted the power from this position. She strived for that. Many other women were in similar position as there were many concubines, but not everyone could be as ruthless as Imperial Concubine Xu.
Baili Lin laughed. "Men are there so that we can use them. There's no benefit in marrying them otherwise."
"You know me so well, Lin'er."
"You flatter me, Your Highness."
Wei Xiao Hua looked at the two women in front of her, feeling a bit alienated. She wanted to believe in love and that one should strive for their happiness. Was the real transmigrated Wei Xiao Hua also a ruthless person who would kill even the innocents to achieve her goal? Is that why she was so close with these two?
She didn't know, but she knew that she couldn't get along with Imperial Concubine Xu and Baili Lin that well. She was different from the real transmigrated Wei Xiao Hua and even now, she still held the same view she had from the modern world.
'But I have to survive here… so I can never let them know…'
It was so frustrating for her.