Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"Aunt Harper, do you remember the first time we met?" Francis asked casually with a pleasant smile,

as if the question came

innocently to his mind with no ulterior purpose.

Harper poured a cup of tea, holding it in her hand, touching it with interest, and she glanced at Francis

a few times. When he

thought she wouldn't answer, at last she opened her mouth.

"No, I don't remember that. I have a poor memory."

Francis' mood fluctuated slightly, and his eyes flickered with emotion. Fortunately, his face was always

so pale that the change of

his emotion could never make him look worse. He never expected that Harper would dare to say that

she had a poor memory.

He knew very well what a sharp memory she had. She could remember whatever she read, even when

she read very fast. How

could she say that!

"Oh well, it's good that you don't remember." Francis toyed with the jade ring on his thumb. "I feel much

better. I'm sorry to keep

you here for so long. Please go back now, Aunt Harper."

"Well, remember to be careful about what you eat, or you may fall into someone's trap again. You can't

be sure that I will always

be able to save you in time." Glancing at Francis again, Harper added, "Take good care of your master,

Owen."

"Yes, I will, Your Highness."

Francis hinted to Owen to escort Harper out. He stared at her back, and kept his eyes in her direction

even after she

disappeared from his sight.

"She's gone. You're still in a daze." On the roof, Jason in a coquettish red robe crossed his legs. "Don't

forget, she is a poisonous

poppy flower from someone else's mansion. You can only see her from a distance, but you can't touch

her."

"When will you officially return to the imperial capital?" Francis' voice was vague and abstracted.

Jason raised his eyebrows and looked askance at Francis with his amorous eyes. "Whether I come

back or not, no one cares

about me, not even the old man. As for the others, I'm afraid they prefer it when I'm not here."

"Find a good time to come back and help me," Francis said slowly. He had taken a risk to poison

himself this time, in order to let

Matthew and his wife know how much he hated his father. Everything he did was for the sake of

revenge against the emperor,

not to obtain power.

"When would be the right time? I've heard that he indulges in women and alcohol nowadays. Can his

old body resist such

passions?" Jason jibed in a cynical and mischievous manner.

"I've heard that the third Heavenly Book is in Uncle Matthew's mansion. Is it true?" Francis asked

Jason, suddenly remembering

the news.

Jason turned over and flew down from the roof and sat on Francis' bed. Supporting his upper body with

both hands, he said, "I

don't know if it's true, but I've heard some other interesting news that you'll be happy to hear."

"What news?"

"The Qin Clan has made contact with Uncle Matthew."

Francis straightened his back and asked, "Why did the Qin Clan come to the imperial capital at a time

like this?"

"Who knows? The whole direct lineage of the Qin Clan in the imperial capital has been wiped out, and

there is only one of them

left, Harper Chu. Their secrets are passed down to their lineal descendants, including the Heavenly

Book's secrets, the Qin

Clan's secrets and the secrets of longevity. In the whole world, the one who is most entitled to inherit

those secrets must be

Harper." Jason looked at Francis with curiosity. "Francis, can you guess why the Qin Clan wanted to

see her?" "Does it have something to do with the secrets of their clan?" "At that time, the whole direct

lineage of the Qin Clan was destroyed, and there was only Harper Chu left in her infancy. For many

years, the old man sent people to monitor her, but there was nothing to raise any alarms. Apart from

her superb medical skills, she was arrogant, domineering and good for nothing, with no redeeming

qualities. However, as soon as she married Uncle Matthew, her entire personality was turned upside

down. What do you think happened?" "Of course, she has changed a lot since she found a powerful

husband." "Don't play dumb. If this woman has not been scheming and camouflaging herself every

moment since her marriage, then she must be a completely different person!" Jason said ironically. A

flicker of light flashed in Francis' eyes, and a conjecture formed in his mind. Harper's story was indeed

rather unlikely. "Harper and you were taught by the same teacher. What kind of woman do you think

she is?" Jason made a wry face in reaction to that.

"When did I ever learn with that evil woman?" His master had accepted only two disciples, a boy and a

girl. The girl, who was lovely and beautiful, was definitely not the poppy flower in Matthew's mansion!

"Did you use your real name at that time?" "No, I didn't." "Did you show your real face?" "Of course I

did." "She didn't change her overall appearance, but she just changed her face a little. You have been

with her for five years, and you still can't recognize her. Jason, can't you think straight? I recognized her

at first sight. You used to live with her day and night. How could you not recognize her?" Francis said

slowly. Jason's face went pale in utter shock. "That's impossible. She had no internal force at all as I

checked her then. How could that

be possible... Unless she made some great effort!"

"Do you remember when Harper's personality changed?"

"It was... after Daniel disappeared."

"When did he disappear?"

"Seven years ago!"

Francis looked at Jason in disappointment and pushed him. "Get out of here. How blind can you be?

You don't even recognize

someone you spent every day with."

In Matthew's mansion, a shadow sneaked into the deserted northern garden. It was the shape of a

figure who was looking for

something. Who would expect that Matthew had hidden such an important thing, the Heavenly Book, in

such a deserted yard?

But the shadow couldn't find what he wanted after an exhaustive search. He looked around the whole

northern garden and

yelled, "Damn it! Where did you put it?"

"Are you looking for this?" A candle was suddenly lit in a dark room. Matthew was sitting by the table,

staring coldly at the

masked man.

"Why are you here?" The man was appalled with surprise. "Didn't expect to see me? I should have

been in Francis' mansion, right? Why am I here? I didn't expect you to be the one to betray me."

Matthew's indifferent voice revealed no emotion.

When the man heard this, he wanted to jump straight out of the window and escape, but Fred was

standing guard outside it. He wanted to run out the door, but Matthew was sitting at the door. He knew

he was not a match for Matthew. So he could only flee to the other side, but Barry was guarding there.

"Jack Jun, do you still want to run away at this point?" Matthew's voice was as cold as ice. He had

suspected Rufus, Noah, and even Barry, but never had he doubted Jack. Although Jack's personality

was sometimes unsteady, he believed he would have been absolutely loyal and devoted to him. But to

his disappointment, the person he had trusted most actually betrayed him! The masked man was

shocked and panicked. Being trapped in the room, he knew that he couldn't escape. Even if Matthew

was the only one there, he couldn't escape, not to mention Barry and Fred standing guard.

"When did you discover it was me, Your Highness?" asked Jack, removing the black cloth from his

face.

Matthew looked at Jack's familiar face and said, "It wasn't me. It was my wife who discovered

something wrong with you."

"It was Her Highness, no wonder. I've tried my best to avoid meeting her, but she still saw through me."

Jack sighed.

"Aside from my wife, Fred also noticed something unusual with you. You have taken precautions

against Harper, but you forgot

to be on the alert against others." Matthew's eyes were totally void of warmth. "Speaking of this, I want

to know who you work

for."

"I'm working for my master, of course," replied Jack, leaning against the wall.

"And I am not your master. Don't you want the Heavenly Book?" Matthew said. The Heavenly Book

was in his hands, and he

played with it. "Come and take it."

"Is this the Heavenly Book owned by Her Highness?" questioned Jack, staring at the book in Matthew's

hands.

"Yes, it is."

"Her Highness is quite capable. Many people suspected that she was part of the Qin Clan, and had

even been keeping her

under surveillance. Despite this, she still lives well. Later, after she married you and receives your

protection, she doesn't expose

her nature but hides it even better. Your Highness, do you really know the woman who shares your

bed?" said Jack with a playful

smile.

"Of course I know her better than you do."

When Jack was about to speak again, he saw a figure coming over with a graceful stride. She stopped

at the door and looked

quietly at the people in the room, with a gentle and modest smile on her face.

"Your Highness, you are back."

"Of course I came back. After all, you sent me a major gift, and I have to thank you," Harper said in a

gentle voice as if she were

talking with an old friend. Nothing but tenderness could be heard in her voice.

"Well, it seems that you do like my gift, Your Highness."

"Of course. I am overjoyed by it." She laid emphasis on the word "overjoyed". "If it wasn't for the drug

you gave me, I wouldn't

have been so happy for so long, even though I later found out the truth."

"You are quite philosophical, Your Highness." Jack showed a brighter smile. "When did you discover

something amiss, Your

Highness?"

"I found something amiss with the miscarriage prevention medicine sent by His Highness." Harper

entered the room and sat

down next to Matthew. "Ordinarily, the miscarriage prevention medicine should be a safe drug. But an

imperial physician from the

Imperial Academy of Medicine was so kind that he worried about my weak body. Thus, he acted on his

own initiative and added

an extra herb into the medicine, and thus, I found something wrong." Touching her belly, Harper said,

"Do you think that I would

sit still and wait for death when I found something unusual like this?"

"I'm just curious, Your Highness. How did you confirm that I did all of this?" Jack had no choice but to

marvel at her capability. It

was amazing that Harper was able to detect what was wrong even when she was pregnant. No wonder

she was able to live a

good life under so many watchful eyes, without being found out. She was a prodigy indeed!