Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

The door of the side hall was closed slowly. The empress released Harper's hand and sat down at the

head of the table while a

maid served them hot tea. "Harper, I'm sorry to trouble you by bringing you here."

"Your Majesty, it's all right." Harper had the teacup in her hand. She sniffed at it, and there was an odd

smell. With a gleam in her

eyes, she took a slow sip, and said, "It's my honor to talk with you."

"It's said that you are an intelligent lady. You are indeed very understanding," the empress said with a

smile. "Matthew dotes on

you. Even in his mansion, you are the one in command. Every lady in the imperial capital admires you."

"Yeah, that's true," Harper said nonchalantly. Then she suddenly rubbed her temples, feeling some

discomfort in her head.

The empress kept her eyes fixed on Harper, with an evil gleam in them. Harper looked up at the

empress, and felt dizzy. Then

she passed into unconsciousness.

Nancy stepped forward to check Harper's condition, and found that she had passed out. She nodded at

the empress. "Call her

over and get them changed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A woman emerged from an inner room. She was like a mirror image of Harper, identical to her in both

face and figure. Nancy

quickly removed Harper's ceremonial outfit and put it on the woman. Then she clothed Harper with the

maid-in-waiting's clothes.

After they left the side hall, she told another servant to take Harper away.

After the woman put on Harper's ceremonial outfit, she bowed to the empress and said, "Your Majesty."

Her words and gestures were exactly the same as Harper's. The empress nodded with satisfaction and

extended her hand to the

woman. "Harper, the banquet is to begin. Let's go to the front hall."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The woman came forward to accompany the empress, smiling decently just as

Harper did. Every step she

took was proper and all of her words were spoken softly. Even the empress could detect no difference

from the real Harper

whatsoever, as if she were not an imposter.

The moment the door opened, Forsythia hurried up to the false Harper. "Your Highness."

She nodded at Forsythia. "Let's go to the front hall."

Forsythia followed her lady directly behind, leaving Fred in the rear. He was standing there with his

head bowed. The false

Harper passed him and glanced coldly at him, but without saying a word.

Fred's shadow slowly faded to the end of the group and then disappeared in the darkness behind. A

moment later, he

reappeared with the rest of them, following those in the front, heading to the front hall.

After everyone left, two maids propped up someone dressed like a maid-in-waiting, and came out of

the room. "Good grief! Why

did you have a relapse on a day like this? Aren't you making trouble for others? Let's hurry up and send

her back."

The two maids carried the unconscious maid-in-waiting briskly along, having the bearing of martial arts

masters. Instead of going

to the place where the maids lived, they took her to the Cold Palace. As they went further and further,

there was no other person

along the way, except for the three of them.

Suddenly there was a quick movement, and one of the maids tumbled and fell to the ground. The other

was taken off guard and

let go of her hand, but hit back at the newcomer with a backhander. But her attack was warded off and

she was struck. Then she felt a sharp pain in her chest, where a dagger pierced her chest. Before she

died, the maid was shocked to see the owner of the hand holding the dagger. When did Harper wake

up?! Harper took the dagger out of the dead maid on the ground. Then she smiled at the newcomer. "It

turned out the empress wanted to play a game with an imposter of me. But I don't know exactly who is

waiting for me at the Cold Palace." "Your Highness, let me have a check," Fred offered. "Thanks,

please do." Harper looked at the first maid lying on the ground and quickly had an idea. Before long,

Fred came back, his face livid with murderous anger. While Fred was away, Harper cleared away the

dead maid's body by putting some corrosive substances on it, and disguised the other one who was in

a coma as her. "I imagine there is some sort of big shot waiting for me in the Cold Palace," Harper

commented with great curiosity. 'This is turning out to be quite an interesting banquet.' Fred gnashed

his teeth wrathfully, and after a long pause, he squeezed two words from his teeth. "His Majesty."

Harper narrowed her eyes slightly. Her doppelganger and the empress went to the Grand Hall, but the

hero of the birthday banquet, the emperor himself, was waiting for her in the Cold Palace. She knew

perfectly well about how much the emperor hated her, and she had no doubt about the depths of his

depravity. It was clear that his purpose of waiting for her was to torture and violate her, but she wouldn't

allow his wish to come true. "Come here." Harper crooked her finger at Fred, indicating him to come

close, and then she whispered in his ear. He nodded and quickly sent a message. A man came there in

a quarter of an hour, with an unconscious woman in his arms. Harper pinched the woman's chin and

forced her to look up. It was the crown princess, Fiona. Harper put a pill in Fiona's mouth and then did

something to her face. She was remarkably fast, but when Fred saw Fiona's face

becoming like Harper's, he was too astonished to say a word. Then he saw Harper take off the crown

princess's coat, leaving her

only in her underwear, and his eyes widened.

"Hide this maid. Let's send Felix's wife to His Majesty and see what he intends to do." Harper took out

a small mirror and

changed her make-up. In a few moments, she looked like an ordinary maid-in-waiting, someone who

would be invisible in the

crowd.

Fred and Harper, on each side of Fiona, carried her to the Cold Palace. As soon as they entered, the

old emperor asked angrily,

"Why are you so late?"

"Your Majesty, there was a brief accident. Fortunately, we are safe and sound and have brought her

here," Harper said in a rush.

The emperor stepped forward and pinched the unconscious woman's chin. He looked at her beautiful

face, his fingers playfully

moving on it, and said, "Put her down. You can leave now."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Harper and Fred put the woman down on the bed, exchanged a glance with each

other, went out and shut

the door.

Looking at the woman on the bed, the emperor gnashed his teeth out of hatred, and quickly took off his

waistband, saying,

"Harper Chu, when you betrayed me, did you ever imagine such an outcome? When Matthew knows

that you have been defiled,

I'll see if you still have the face to live. I won't be the one to kill you. Your suicide has nothing to do with

me." As soon as he finished his words, he got on the bed and stripped off the clothes that were left on

the woman. With absolutely no preliminary tenderness, he went straight to the point. At that moment,

the woman woke up inexplicably. When she saw the man on top of her, her eyes opened wide in horror.

She wanted to scream, but she couldn't utter a peep.

The old emperor was taken aback when he saw her wake up, but then he felt greater satisfaction with

his revenge. He suppressed the struggling hands of the woman under his body, and his movements

became rougher. He had an obscene and happy smile on his face. "You know what? Your frightened

eyes make me want to rape you even more. This is the price of your betrayal!"

Being totally unable to fathom the emperor's words, Fiona widened her eyes in even greater disbelief.

How could the emperor

treat his daughter-in-law like this? And how could she have betrayed him? However, no matter how

much she tried to speak, she

couldn't make a sound. The immorality and cruelty of the emperor's deeds were incomprehensible.

It was unusual for the emperor to perform so energetically in bed. He vented his anger but also felt a

glow of satisfaction. When

he saw the woman under his body crying ceaselessly, powerless to resist, his excitement increased

and he wanted to torture her

more and more. He altered his position and Fiona had already lost all her will to struggle. She was

exhausted and weakened, so

she just lay passively, letting the emperor do whatever he wanted.

About an hour later, the old emperor finally climaxed. He got off Fiona, wiped himself with her

underwear, and then threw it at her

face. Then he dressed himself and opened the door. As he walked out, he commanded, "Send her to

the back gate."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Harper walked to the bedside and saw Fiona lying on the bed, with hopeless and spiritless eyes. She

sent her back to

unconsciousness with a needle, and then put the ceremonial outfit of the crown princess on her again.

She ordered a servant to

leave Fiona at a place near the Grand Hall. Fiona would never reveal this to anyone if no one found

out.

Then Harper pulled out the hidden maid who was her doppelganger, and made some scratch marks on

her body. She wanted to

find out what had been planned for her.

The two of them carried the maid directly to the back gate of the Imperial Palace, where purchasers

went through. Apparently,

the plan was to drive her out of the palace.

"Fred, go and tell Matthew..."

"His Highness ordered me to follow you closely. If you suffer the loss of even one hair on your body, I'll

have to commit suicide."

Fred didn't dare to leave Harper's side. This was a crucial moment, and who knew how many people

wanted to kill Harper?

"Well, then you will accompany me to see who is behind this."

Both Harper and Fred put black cloaks on themselves, as well as on the maid they carried. As soon as

the three of them

appeared at the back gate, they saw a carriage waiting for them. When the carriage saw them

approach, someone stepped

forward to bring the maid into it, and then the carriage slowly drove away from the Imperial Palace.

The two of them turned around and pretended to leave, but hid in a corner. "Find a way to follow that

carriage."

"Aren't you going back to the Grand Hall, Your Highness?"

"There is another Princess Harper in the hall now," Harper said, smiling slyly. She wanted to know how

Matthew would react

when he saw a false Harper. Would he recognize her?

"Your Highness, are you leaving the palace?"

"I certainly am." Harper asked Fred to get two sets of eunuch's uniforms. After putting them on, they

quietly followed others out of

the palace. After confirming the direction in which the carriage set off, they chased after it.