Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Harper originally thought it would take Mavis at least some time to hire a qualified nanny for her. But

she was surprised at the

sight of Mary. She couldn't imagine what it took for Mavis to invite Mary. Although she wasn't a maid in

the Imperial Palace

anymore, she had served the emperor's late mother for more than thirty years. Therefore, she was an

experienced nanny. Even

the empress had to show due respect to her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Nanny Mary." Harper bowed to her politely. She really respected those who had

outstanding abilities.

"My Lady, it has been a long time since I last saw you. You don't look well," Mary said with a smile,

which brought a sense of

relief to Harper.

"I heard from Grandma that she would find a nanny for me, but I didn't expect that it was you. To be

honest, I'm a little flattered,"

Harper said with a smile. "I am not a talented girl, so please do your best to instruct me. Don't hesitate

to let me know if I make

any mistake."

When Mary saw Harper behave so polite and eager to learn, a gleam of doubt came into her eyes. The

last time she saw Harper,

she told her it was no good to be too overbearing. At that time, Harper just snorted and left arrogantly.

But now, the girl in front of

her looked completely different, as if she had changed into another person.

"My Lady, you have changed a lot." Mary was quite relieved. If Harper was still as arrogant as before,

she wouldn't teach her

even if Matthew ordered her to do so. But it was a good thing that Harper seemed willing to change her

arrogant behavior.

"I have already died once, so I ought to change myself. I want learn the imperial etiquette as I don't

want to be a rude lady

anymore. Please help me, Nanny Mary," said Harper in a humble tone.

"Well, you only have a month. I have to remind you first that what you can learn in this short period

totally depends on your own."

Mary was very pleased to see the change in Harper. Now that Mavis had offered her many benefits,

she was also supposed to

give the best instruction to Harper. Besides, Matthew wanted her to see if Harper could be useful. She

couldn't afford to be soft-

hearted to Harper in the following month.

A month passed quickly and the day of Harper's departure finally came. Mavis looked at Harper, who

was standing near the

carriage quietly. Although she just quietly stood there, the passersby couldn't help paying attention to

her. Having Mary instruct

Harper kept the worry from Mavis' heart. The experienced nanny would not hold back in teaching

Harper. Under her great

tutelage, Mavis was sure her granddaughter would learn a lot.

"Grandma, let me help you." Mavis went into the carriage with the help of Harper. Her every move and

smile exuded a charm

that no one dared to criticize. Even Mavis was impressed by her.

"Harper, sit with me." Mavis stopped Harper and asked her to take the same carriage with her. To be

honest, she only wanted to

know if Mary would even consider taking Harper under her wing. But to her great surprise, Mary only

thought for a moment and

agreed to her proposal. Mary had once served the emperor's late mother. After the dowager empress

passed away, the emperor

allowed Mary to retire from court life comfortably. Even at present, all the servants in the imperial

palace would show due respect

to her.

"Yes, Grandma." Harper agreed to her request and sat quietly beside her. The more Mavis looked at

her, the more satisfied she

was. She had high hopes for Harper and she believed that many men would fall for her. Surely, Mary

would know the best way to

cultivate a girl's etiquette and manners. After all, Mary had stayed in the Imperial Palace for decades

now. "I once thought that you would soon give up under Mary's strict guidance, but you finally proved

yourself. Good girl!" Mavis complimented Harper on her great performance sincerely. While saying that,

she held Harper's hands slightly. She knew how strict Mary was, but she never heard Harper complain.

And Mary had never said anything against Harper. Maybe Mary had a soft spot for Harper. 'If I send

Harper to the Imperial Palace, she will surely be selected as an imperial concubine and become a good

helper to my daughter, ' Mavis thought. "I know how difficult it was to pull strings just to have Nanny

Mary take me under her wing. I could only study hard to repay your kindness. And by the way, I haven't

thanked you yet, Grandma!" Harper was about to kneel down before Mavis, but the latter stopped her.

"I know you are a filial girl. We are coming home now, and you shall not fight with your father and Sue.

Is that clear?" Mavis said in a grave tone. "Your father doesn't like anyone to contradict him. Keep your

head down and obey whatever he has to say." "I understand," replied Harper. "That's great. Then I am

relieved," Mavis said with a smile. Although she didn't get along well with Charles because of Harper,

he was his only living son. Besides, she couldn't live in the country house all the time. So she returned

home when Charles sent servants to pick her up. At the gate of Chu Clan mansion, Felicia was

unhappy to see that Mavis was coming back. Her presence only meant Harper was in tow. Thinking of

her punishment caused by Harper, Felicia became furious again.

"Felicia, when you meet your sister later, remember to apologize to her," Sue said in a soft tone. She

knew what kind of person Harper was. She intended to make Charles dislike Harper forever. If all went

well, he would disown Harper and even when Mavis would be unable to protect her. "Yes, Mother,"

Felicia reluctantly agreed. Behind her stood Yvonne Chu, daughter of Carrie, one of Charles'

concubines. Yvonne Chu remained silent all the time. She knew exactly just how cruel and heartless

Sue was. She was going to be old enough to

marry soon. And if Sue randomly assigned a wedding for her, she would have to accept her fate

without complaint.

When Mavis' carriage appeared at the entrance, Charles stepped forward immediately. "Mother, you

are back at last."

The carriage door opened as Harper helped Mavis out of the carriage. She wore a green dress, looking

elegant and lovely. At

first sight, Charles didn't recognize his daughter.

Harper helped Mavis get out of the carriage, and then bowed to Charles and Sue. "I wish you good

health, Father and Mother."

（TN：In ancient China, the children of a man's concubine also needed to call the man's legal wife

"Mother." Although Sue was

Charles' concubine on official records, Charles made her the hostess of the clan and the clan members

all treated her as

Charles' wife.）

Squinting his eyes, Charles looked at Harper from head to toe. Her daughter looked exactly like her

deceased mother, an

elegant and graceful woman. Emotions clogged at his throat, rendering him speechless.

"Charles, Harper is still bowing to you," reminded Sue. Sue was unhappy to see Charles speechless.

He didn't come to his

senses again until Sue pulled his sleeve. He then said, "Rise, Harper. And please walk slowly and

carefully, Mother. Let me help

you."

Mavis let Charles help her and together, they made their way into the mansion. Harper followed the pair

unhurriedly before

Felicia intercepted her. With a bow, Felicia started, "Harper, I'm so sorry. It was my fault you were

beaten the other day." "What are you talking about?" Harper asked, greatly confused at what Felicia

was saying. "The other day, you were wrongly accused of poisoning me. Father ordered to beat you up

before we found out who the real culprit was. We were wrong in accusing you. You can find it in your

heart to forgive me, right?" Felicia asked in an over-the-top way, her body language screaming

superiority and sarcasm despite her words asking for forgiveness. "I've already forgotten that thing,"

Harper said coldly, appearing calm and sober.

The expression on Felicia's face immediately changed. Harper's hand in hers felt like lead. She thought

Harper would shake her hand off. She planned to provoke her into a rage so Charles could see how

hopeless Harper was. But Harper didn't behave as

she and Sue had expected.

"Felicia," Mavis interrupted her. Charles remained calm, but Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's little

trick.

"Grandma." Felicia lowered her voice right away. She was a little afraid of Mavis.

"Let bygones be bygones. Harper is generous enough to forgive your fault, so don't cling to the past

anymore. After all, it was

you who made a mistake." Mavis' comment was harsh. Tears welled up in Felicia's eyes at what Mavis

said. Sue immediately

pulled her back. If Felicia cried on the day Mavis returned home, it would probably make her angrier.

"Felicia, don't be rude." It was rare for Charles to scold Felicia like this. She felt even more aggravated,

with tears rolling down

her face. In fear of being seen by others, Felicia lowered her head and sobbed quietly, as if she was

greatly wronged.

Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's behavior. She hit the ground with her walking stick and said, "You're

not happy to see me

back, aren't you? Why are you sobbing the minute I step my foot back here? I am not dead yet!"

"Mother, don't be angry. Felicia is just a kid who needs strict guidance," Sue said to calm Mavis down

while Charles also put in a

good word for Felicia. Although Mavis was unhappy about it, she decided to save her son's face and

save the argument for later.

Holding Charles' hand, she then said, "You are the backbone of our clan, the prime minister of the

country. If people know that

your family holds grudge against each other, your future will be affected. Moreover, Felicia isn't a child

anymore. She is about to

come of age and has been engaged to His Highness. How can she be so ill-bred?" Mavis took a

disgusted look at Felicia,

thinking that this girl could do nothing but cry.

"Mother, don't be angry. I'll give her a strict talking-to later." Sue quickly pinched Felicia. Feeling a sharp

pain, Felicia cried even

harder.

Harper hurriedly offered her handkerchief to Felicia. "Felicia, don't cry. Look, your make-up is ruined by

your tears."

"Stop your crocodile tears!" Felicia pushed away Harper's hand and ran away, crying harder. Unable to

hold her back, Sue had to

ask the maids to follow Felicia. She could only hope that Felicia wouldn't be foolish enough to do

something stupid, or else Mavis

would have a worse impression of her.

Embarrassed, Charles tried to ignore the fiasco. He had always been proud of his eldest daughter

Hailey and fourth daughter

Felicia. But he didn't expect Felicia to act ridiculous today. Sue was also irritated. She had planned to

expose Harper today to

make Charles hate her forever. But now it was her own daughter who had fallen into the trap and left a

bad impression on

everyone present.

"Watch out your step, Mother," Harper reminded Sue, for she almost fell over when she kicked a stone.

Instead of thanking

Harper, Sue shook off her hands. Harper's newfound politeness made her have an extremely

uncomfortable feeling, like a swarm

of bugs crawling on her skin. Creepy and unnatural.

At the welcome banquet for Mavis, Sue had a bad time and lost her appetite. Among all the people,

only Harper enjoyed the

meal. She behaved so elegantly and beautifully, which even impressed Charles. And this unnerved

Sue even more. Charles

looked at Harper like he was solving a complicated problem, which was not good for Sue or her plans.

Sue had a strong feeling

that Harper would come to make trouble for all of them!