Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"You should pay more attention to Francis. Look into possible candidates from noble families that would

be suitable for him.

Once you find someone, tell me right away. I will immediately decree his marriage. It has been delayed

all these years because

of his weak body. Now that he is getting better, it's time for him to get married as soon as possible."

Sherry nodded in silence. The truth was that she didn't want her son to marry a woman he didn't have

affection for. And since it

was about time for him to marry, he must marry the woman he loved. She would never allow him to

suffer in any way or form

again.

The emperor was very pleased with Sherry's obedience. On top of that, Francis was getting better so

he felt like he was on top of

the world. In a second, he pulled Sherry closer to him and kissed her deeply while his other hand found

its way to her body.

However, he found it very hard to do so since he was getting too old for that.

As an emperor, what he craved most for the country was to maintain its peace and prosperity. For

himself, he wanted to live very

long so he cared a lot about his health. Immediately, he sent for an imperial physician to check on him.

The imperial physician

checked his pulse and told him that he was fine. Only then did the emperor feel relieved. However,

when it came to matters

about sex, he had less interest.

As the New Year holiday passed, the officials began to go back to work. The first thing on the imperial

court's agenda was to

discuss how to celebrate the emperor's 50th birthday. After all, reaching that age was a milestone. An

important occasion as

such must have thorough and meticulous preparations so they could have an extravagant celebration.

"Just leave this matter to the Ministry of Rites," the emperor ordered while he waved his hand. As for

his 50th birthday, it was a

custom for the Ministry of Rites to be in charge of the celebration banquet's preparations and planning.

Since the empress

planned his birthday banquets in the past, the Ministry of Rites asked if she would be a part of it.

However, the emperor said that

there was no need for her to participate. Similarly, the empress had thought that she would be

responsible for preparing the imperial banquet so she didn't expect that the emperor would solely hand

the matter to the Ministry of Rites. At that moment, she was immediately displeased. However, the

emperor himself had given the order, so she couldn't defy him. The next morning, Monica and other

concubines paid their regular visit to the empress at the Sleek Palace. "Your Majesty, for the past

years, you had always been in charge of His Majesty's birthday banquet. Why is the Ministry of Rites

preparing it this time?" Monica raised her doubt.

"Unlike ordinary birthdays, this is his 50th birthday. He will even celebrate with the public and set some

criminals free. Of course, he needs to assign the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the celebration," the

empress plainly said, without any expression on her face. Although she was a little unhappy about the

situation, she did not show it in front of anyone. All the women in the Imperial Palace were dignified and

accustomed to presenting themselves very well in front of others. Since she was the empress, she

should remain calm and not show any disagreeable emotions. Meanwhile, Sherry was actively listening

to their conversation. The emperor had always been fond of her, and now that her son Francis had

saved him, he was even more affectionate to her. Because of this, Sherry had a newfound confidence.

She then

picked up their conversation. "Speaking of which, there's something that I was just curious about. I

heard that His Majesty did not

only ask the Ministry of Rites to prepare the birthday banquet, but he also asked the people of

Matthew's mansion to participate."

When the people in the room heard that information, they all stopped talking. After all, in the harem's

residence at the Imperial

Palace, it was not appropriate to talk about Matthew so casually. If something untoward happened, they

might get implicated.

The empress kept silent for a while before answering Sherry. She thought that generally speaking, Ken,

the leader of the palace

guards, should be in charge of the royal banquet's safety, but the emperor made Matthew responsible

for the task. The meaning

behind his actions would certainly make one think further. "Yes indeed, His Majesty told Matthew to

secure the safety of the

birthday banquet." "Aren't the palace guards responsible for the safety of the palace?" someone asked

cautiously. "This birthday banquet is by no means insignificant. All the officials, including the ones

working outside the imperial capital will come here to celebrate for His Majesty. We can't just treat this

occasion very lightly. Therefore, it's only normal to let Matthew take responsibility." The empress then

looked at Sherry straight in the eyes before asking, "By the way, Sherry, how is Francis? Is he getting

better?"

"Your Majesty, Francis is much better. Thank you for your concern." Sherry gave her a simple but

perfect answer. The emperor

loved Francis so much that many people paid attention to him. Some people had come to inquire about

him, and some had

shown their loyalty to him, but all of them had been kept at arm's length by him, so no one could see

through his mind.

"Not long ago, an imperial physician said that Francis spat out blood. I was very shocked and worried

to hear that. If he spat out

blood, it must be serious. But now that you said he is getting better, I can finally be relieved," the

empress stated with so much

conviction while she placed her palm on her chest to further prove her point.

Sherry clenched her hands into fists inside the sleeves of her dress and calmly said, "Don't worry, Your

Majesty. Francis has

been like this for many years. Fortunately, he is very lucky and has met a physician that does wonders.

So now, he is getting so

much better. I'm sure he will fully recover soon."

If one looked closely, there was a sudden coldness in the empress' eyes while her smile faded. But still,

she remained her

composure while she said, "Well, I can only hope that Francis will fully recover as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty," Sherry responded.

The empress then turned to Chloe and asked, "Chloe, how is Wale?"

"Your Majesty, Wale is quite fine. He is so energetic that he's able to make some trouble for me now." It

was the first time for

Chloe to be a mother. She looked very gentle and when she spoke of her son, affection filled her eyes.

The empress nodded. "Wale is the youngest son of His Majesty and he loves him very much. You

should pay more attention to

the baby."

"Yes, I will continue taking good care of him."

"Bring Wale to me. Let me have a look at him," the empress said as she turned to the wet nurse

standing behind

Chloe.