Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

When Francis and Owen reached the gate of the Imperial Palace, Andy stopped them.

With a big smile blooming like a flower, Andy greeted Francis, "Your Highness."

"Lord Andy, are you going out of the palace now, or are you waiting for someone here?" Francis asked

gently.

After Andy heard that, his smile grew even brighter. "I've been waiting for you here, Your Highness. I

wanted to look around for

you, but I was afraid our paths would not cross, so I decided to wait for you at this gate," he answered.

"Does Father want to see me?" Francis asked, his voice still mild and gentle.

"Yes, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study," Andy said, gesturing with his arm to invite

Francis to the Imperial

Study.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

In the Imperial Study, the emperor was reviewing some official reports from his ministers, and his poker

face revealed no hint of

what he was thinking. When Andy led Francis in, the emperor didn't even put down the ink brush in his

hand.

"Father, greetings."

"I heard that you exposed yourself in the rain for two hours at Matthew's mansion," the emperor said,

but without any trace of

emotion in his voice.

After a few moments of silence, Francis replied, "Yes, that's true."

"Don't you care about your own health?" the emperor asked calmly, raising his head and looking at his

son.

Francis smiled bitterly and said, "Father, I have already been in poor health for a long time. Although I

have been feeling better

recently, the foundations of my health are irreparably harmed. My slight convalescence will only give

me a few more years of life

at the most. I don't want to die with any regret."

"Regret?"

"Yes, regret," Francis said, raising his head. "Father, my illness has been unrelenting. The reason why I

went to Uncle Matthew's mansion that day was only because I wanted to request that he let me visit

the military camp of the Black Flag Army. After all, I have never been to a military camp before, and I'm

curious about what an army is like. However, he refused me in the end."

After the emperor heard that, his eyes twinkled with interest. Besides his son, he himself was curious

about Matthew's Black Flag Army. However, no one could approach near to the Black Flag Army except

Matthew himself. It would have been an excellent day's work to gain entrance to the military camp of

the Black Flag Army merely in exchange for a good soak in the rain. "You just wanted to visit the

military camp of the Black Flag Army?" "Yes," Francis answered, nodding his head. "I have been badly

ill and I will die soon..." "Don't talk nonsense. You'll be fine," the emperor interrupted Francis. "You'll

make a full recovery someday. Don't think about such nonsense. The Black Flag Army belongs to your

uncle Matthew himself, and even I can do nothing about it. If you want to see a military camp, you can

go to the barracks of the palace guards." "Thank you, Father. I have always been so weak, but all the

men in the army are strong. That's why I want to visit their camp. I am only curious to see what they do

every day. But I'm not really that interested in going there," Francis said, with his always gentle and

innocent look. "Father, you seem quite happy. There must be some good news, right?" "Yes, good

fortune gives us high spirits, after all. There has been some excellent news, and I feel it has given me

renewed health

and strength," the emperor said with a smile while stroking his beard. "The Longevity Pills have a great

effect. Since I began to

take them, I have been feeling remarkably healthy."

"Of course the Longevity Pills must have some wonderful potency," Francis said tentatively. "Father, I

have been in poor health

and I often fall ill. As a result, I have a lot of unfinished business and I cannot share your burdens. I

always feel ill at ease when I

think of that. Felix has had plenty of time to ponder over his misdeeds. How about forgiving him,

Father?"

The emperor's eyes twinkled. "I have my own idea about that. You don't need to worry about it. Just

take good care of yourself

and focus on your health. That's the only way can you share my burden."

"Yes, Father." "You must care about your own health," the emperor stressed. Looking at Francis, a

fragile boy who seemed so weak that he would topple down from a gust of wind, he felt sorry. But the

tenderness in his eyes was short-lived. "In your spare time, you can have a talk with your brother Lucas

and advise him to change. He is getting more and more unruly these days. He often goes whoring."

"Father, you know what kind of person Lucas is. He has always been like that. How can I persuade

him? He won't pay attention

to me." Francis had no idea what to do with Lucas. The latter had been notorious as a playboy in the

imperial capital for a long

time. Even the emperor, their father, could do nothing about him, let alone Francis, his elder brother.

"You're right. That boy wouldn't be himself if he concentrated on more serious things," the emperor said

with a calm smile. "Now,

Lilian has also reached a marriageable age. Which clan do you think has a son that would be suitable

for her?"

Francis smiled at the question. He said, "Father, Lilian is always on good terms with Lucas, and she is

just as unruly as Lucas is.

Everyone knows that she is madly in love with Master Chodak. If you marry her to any other man at the

moment, she would

probably overturn the roof of her palace."

"But Chodak is a monk."

"Father, I think you might have forgotten who Chodak was before he became a monk," Francis said

with a glimmer in his eyes.

"He was Rolando, once the crown prince of the Great Jade Kingdom."

The emperor's pupils shrank slightly when he heard that. Of course, he knew about Chodak's previous

identity. His reason for

appointing Chodak as the imperial monk was because it was a convenient way to keep a watch on him

in the imperial capital.

However, Chodak did nothing but chant sutras every day. He seemed to be a very dedicated monk.

"He has already become a monk," the emperor sighed. "Before he became a monk, he was on

Matthew's level of power and

popularity. The emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom was stupid to expel such an outstanding son."

Hearing that, Francis lowered his head to conceal the ridicule in his eyes. He didn't think his father, the

emperor of the Bright

Dynasty was any more clever than the emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom. After all, none of his sons

could compare with

Chodak. By fault of the emperor himself, his sons were mostly dead, injured, or disabled. As a result,

the Bright Dynasty was on

the brink of downfall, vulnerable at any moment to a catalyst that would send the regime crumbling

down. Francis was just

waiting to see that happen. He wanted to witness how Matthew would usurp the emperor's throne

when he could no longer

tolerate the emperor's hubris.