Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Seeing his wound, Harper touched her nose, feeling guilty for what she had done. She ordered, "Forsythia, bring me my
medicine kit."
"Yes, Your Highness." Rufus was a frequent visitor to Matthew's mansion, and Forsythia also knew him well. Ever since Harper
had been staying in the Sleek Palace, they had always been on alert. When Rufus tried to break in secretly at midnight, they
thought it was some random rounder outside, and that was the reason why they had waited behind the door to strike him down.
They didn't expect it would be Rufus.
Harper quickly applied some medicine to Rufus' head to stop his bleeding and then bandaged the wound on his head. She said
apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you here. I thought it was some rounder trying to pick up loose women, so I tried to..."
Rufus rubbed his head angrily. It was an unforeseen disaster for him. Even though he understood Harper's situation, he couldn't
help but snort at her. "But you should have asked who I am before you struck," he said.
"If it was an enemy outside and if I were to ask, then I would end up exposing myself to danger, right?" Harper said, pouring a
cup of tea and handing it to Rufus. "Here, have a cup of tea and it will calm you down. Don't worry, your wound isn't serious, and
it will recover soon."
Rufus drank up the tea in one gulp. He shouldn't have explored the Sleep Palace this way. He realized that Howard must have
guessed about this hidden threat as well as the possibility that Harper would be on high alert. That would be the reason he dared
not come first, but encouraged him to do that. Rufus wondered if Matthew's head had ever been smashed when he courted
Harper and broke into her room at night in the first place.
"Have you broken Prince Matthew's head previously while he was trying to enter the Chu Clan mansion at night?" Rufus asked

as he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Waving her hand and shaking her head, Harper said, "That's impossible. Matthew has excellent martial arts skills and quick
reflexes. Even though I tried launching a sneak attack, I was no match for his talent." Rufus' face darkened when he heard her.
Did she mean that he got struck only because he was weak in martial arts and was slow to react? "Now that you made all the

way to the Sleek Palace at night, there must be something urgent. Is it because of your younger sister?" Harper believed Rufus
must have come for Cynthia. This was because Cynthia had just come during the daytime and he had appeared at night of the
same day.
"I came for you!" Rufus said, giving Harper something secretly. "I hope that you wouldn't be bullying my younger sister too
much." Harper took over the thing Rufus gave her nonchalantly. "Why would I bully your younger sister? She's not just your
sister, but Matthew's cousin as well. She has always been a part of my family. I will treat her well for your sake, even if not for
Matthew's sake." "Come on! I know you're dark-minded!" Rufus didn't believe Harper's words at all. He knew her too well. If any
woman were to cast her greedy eyes on Matthew, she would not sit idly. It was not her way of doing things. "Why wouldn't you
trust me? When your younger sister came to see me, I immediately arranged for her stay in the main hall for
the night. I have really treated her very well!"
Rufus' face twisted in shock. "Does my younger sister stay in the main hall of the Sleek Palace?"
"Yes. The Sleek Palace has only one main hall and one side hall. If I stay in the main hall, she will have to stay in the side hall
which would have been unkind from my side. So I let her stay in the main hall. Haven't you seen her in the main hall?" Harper
asked in surprise.
"No, there isn't anyone in the main hall."
Harper pondered carefully for a while and then said, "Now that there is no one in the main hall, I think she must be sleeping in

the drawing room, where there is a soft bed. I feel sorry for her. The bed in the main hall is big and soft, but she seems to dislike
it somehow. Instead, she prefers the small and narrow soft bed in the drawing room." Rufus thought to himself, 'How shameless
you are! You yourself don't dare to sleep in the main hall, but you incited my sister to do that. If my sister were to sleep in the
main hall, while you were actually sleeping in the side hall, what all consequences would she be facing then?' "How long do you
intend to stay in the Sleek Palace?" Rufus asked, shifting the topic of conversation. That was because he was

afraid that if they continued their conversation about his sister and Harper said something that really irritated him, he might take
her by the throat when he could not endure his anger.
Harper answered, slightly sadly, "Mister Rufus, there is no point in asking me that. You should ask Francis when he is planning to
let me out of the Imperial Palace."
"I think he would never let you out of the Imperial Palace," Rufus mumbled. "You always attract the attention of too many men. I
don't know why Matthew married a woman like you. Just because of that, he always has to guard against the flies around you.
He is always fed up with Zack. Now here comes Prince Francis."
Harper grounded her teeth and gave Rufus a tight stab on the wound on his head without any hesitation. The pain made him
grimace. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" he complained.
Harper yawned. "I mean it's time for you to leave. Goodnight."
"I almost forgot that I have something else to say," Rufus said, grasping Harper's sleeve. "There are too many guards outside the
Sleek Palace. Howard is also outside. He is trying to get in."
Harper was taken aback. Then she quickly realized that Howard might be worried about her displeasure as he had lost Felix,
which resulted in Felix's early death. "Tell him to meet with the master of another house and not to take action arbitrarily."
"Just that?"
"Should I ask you to pass a long speech to him?" Harper asked back. "Will any woman like such a dilatory man like you?"
"That's pure slander, Harper Chu!"
"Get out! You are troubling me now!" Harper exclaimed, pushing Rufus out of the room. Then she closed the door, went to bed
and told Forsythia to go to sleep too. She didn't care about Rufus, or what would happen to him. If he fell into Francis' hands, she
thought she couldn't be blamed for that, and that would be purely due to his misfortune..