Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"The Bu Clan?" Harper was taken totally aback. Many of the officials were Franklin's students, so the

idea of joining Francis

together with the Bu Clan seemed far too bold a move. What on earth could the emperor be playing at?

Did he want to make a

new crown prince?

Noticing Harper's puzzlement, Matthew explained to her softly, "The Bu Clan won't befriend any prince.

His Majesty knows that

perfectly well. His only purpose in doing this is to mislead Francis into thinking that His Majesty thinks

highly of him. It also

carries the side benefit of making Felix feel uneasy."

"What a devious plot!" Harper never had any good impression of the emperor, and now she was even

more displeased to see

him plotting against Francis. "Even vicious tigers don't eat their own offspring. But monarchs are all

heartless. There is very little

love in them. They just can't seem to build any filial love, even between father and son, or husband and

wife."

"I love you with all my heart," Matthew said immediately. "I'm not like them at all. They are fakers and

schemers, but I'm sincere."

"You know I didn't say anything bad about you." Harper poked Matthew's forehead. "It has been an

exhausting day. That long

journey and the visit to Francis have worn me out. I'm going to take a nap now. Don't wake me up until

dinner."

"All right. I must deal with some paper work."

Matthew carried Harper up to bed, tucked her in, and then went out to review the official files. So many

files had piled up in the

past few days and he needed to read all of them in case any important information was contained in

them.

The next morning, Harper brought gifts to visit Franklin and Isabella. When she arrived, Franklin and

his son had still not returned from the imperial court session. So she chatted with Isabella for a while,

then took her leave and went off to the Kong Clan. As the Kong Clan had just hosted a wedding not

long ago, and the wedding decoration at their door hadn't been taken away yet, the whole mansion

seemed to have a festive atmosphere. Harper sent a servant to knock at their door. The steward

recognized them by Matthew's carriage, and immediately invited them in. Harper was ushered into the

parlor and she sat there for a moment. A moment later, a pretty girl ran into the room and called out,

"Harper!" With a resigned smile on her face, Harper said, "Calm down. You're a married woman now.

How can you still be so naughty?"

Caroline made a silly face at Harper and sat down beside her. "Harper, you're finally back! But you

missed my wedding ceremony!" "That's why I had to come here and see you directly after I came

back," Harper said with a smile. "How is your new married life? Is George treating you well?"

Caroline blushed slightly and stole a shy glance at Harper. Twisting the handkerchief around her

fingers, she said, "George treats

me very well."

"Your happy face shows me that you're telling the truth. So, George is a court official, and now the

other members of the Kong

Clan are all in the south. I'm sure you must be working hard to take charge of all the arrangements for

the mansion. If you have

any problems, don't hesitate to go back to the Bu Clan and ask your mother for advice, or send

someone to inform me."

"Yes Harper, don't worry. I will keep that in mind." Then Caroline took Harper to walk around and see

her new home. It was not big, but it was decorated in fine and delicate taste. The Kong Clan had

bought this house in a hurry, but George had already converted it into an elegant, comfortable home.

The pavilions, rockeries and waterfalls were quite a treat for the eyes. "Harper, His Majesty intended for

Prince Francis to join the court," Caroline whispered in a low voice after she sent the servants away.

"Besides, His Majesty has been dropping hints to my father that he wants my father to give his support

to Prince Francis. He also wants my father to familiarize Prince Francis with the Cabinet as soon as he

recovers from his injuries."

Harper raised her eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. The emperor had actually told

Franklin to help Francis get

familiar with the Cabinet. She would never have guessed that the emperor would be interested in such

a thing.

"What did your brother say about it?"

"His Majesty wants my brother to spend more time with Prince Francis. He said something to the effect

that they're both young

men and must share some common interests. My father has been worried to death nowadays."

Although Caroline was a girl, she

was not entirely ignorant of the court. After all, she was Franklin's daughter, so her political antennas

were better tuned than

most.

"His Majesty has plenty of good reasons to do so. Anyway, your father and brother will deal with it. Rest

your heart. The Bu Clan

always takes His Majesty's side. His Majesty would never weaken himself for someone else." Harper

understood that the old

emperor just wanted the Bu Clan to play along with him to deceive everyone.

"But we still don't know who was behind the assassination, and now His Majesty is trying to push us

into a prominent position.

I'm concerned about the safety of my father and brother." Caroline remembered the day Zack was

nearly killed. If it hadn't been

for Harper, Caroline and Zack would have died.

Harper took Caroline's hand in hers. "Don't worry. I understand why you are scared, but lightning

doesn't strike twice. We were

just caught off guard last time. If the enemy tries to make a move again, we will not let them go."

"Harper, my brother asked me to tell you..." Caroline looked a little awkward as she said this. "Beware

of Prince Matthew."