Forensic Imperial Concubine

"You must be kidding me." Marquis Scarlet was astonished.
Francis raised his head and said seriously, "Do I sound like I'm kidding?"
Marquis Scarlet took a deep breath and replied, "She's Matthew's wife."
"I know that. What about it?" Francis asked with perfect calmness.
"Pearce and Matthew have reached an agreement. Alexander has become Pearce's sworn son. Do you have any idea what it
means?" Marquis Scarlet frowned slightly. It meant, obviously, that Harper and Matthew would be Francis' enemies once they
found out that Francis had something to do with the plot against Alexander.
"So what?" Francis said in an icy voice. "Scarlet Devils took Felix's money, framed Alexander, lured Harper out of the imperial
capital, and ambushed her. It's safe to say that none of this had anything to do with me."
Marquis Scarlet was confused, but after a moment of reflection, it seemed to be true. Although Francis owned the Scarlet Devils,
they never needed his permission to make this deal. They had received 100, 000 taels of silver from Felix to frame Alexander
and kill Harper, and indeed Francis was not directly involved in that transaction. Even if Harper ever learned that he owned the
Scarlet Devils, she couldn't accuse him of anything.
"It is said that invalids are usually cunning. In my view, you are more cunning than you ought to be." Marquis Scarlet was
somewhat vexed now. "How wonderful for you. Now you don't have to take any responsibility. Meanwhile, I'm being hunted down
everywhere. In addition to Matthew's men, there is another force secretly investigating me."
"They must be the secret guards of the Chu Clan, who are under Harper's absolute control. You ought to take great care. If either
of those two forces discovers your whereabouts, you will certainly die," Francis said casually as he pinched the sugar figurine in
his hand.
"Do you have any shame? Don't you remember who got me into this situation? I can't believe that you don't care what happens
to me. I'll certainly sell you out after I get caught."
"No, you won't," Francis said firmly, smiling innocently and sweetly. "Don't forget, we are good friends."
"And is this how you treat all your friends?" Marquis Scarlet took the figurine from Francis's hand and bit its head off. "Don't pay
excessive attention to this hobby! I must go now. Take care of yourself in the meanwhile. They are a devious couple."

"Well, be careful. If the crisis comes, you can abandon your identity as Marquis Scarlet," Francis replied flatly without even
looking up. Marquis Scarlet froze for a moment, but said nothing and disappeared in a flash.
As soon as Harper returned to the mansion, she saw that Matthew was toying with something in his hand. Intrigued, she asked,
"What's that?"
"A gift the crown prince sent to make you happy," Matthew said as he tossed it back into its box. "If you like it, you can put it
away."
Harper picked it up and looked at it. "Such a big, fist-sized pearl is uncommon. Too bad it's imperfect. I saw a big black dog
following Noah when I came in. I think it would look great on that dog's neck."
Matthew laughed. He couldn't help imagine how Felix would react if he saw the pearl on a chain round the dog's neck when he
visited the mansion.
"Your Highness, don't you think that would be a waste? I've never seen such a big pearl. Do you really want to put it on a dog's
neck?" Angelica couldn't help asking, thinking it was too extravagant.
Harper smiled at her. "I'll add a similar pearl to your dowry when you get married. Now take it and put it on the dog's neck."
"Yes, Your Highness." Angelica took the pearl and left. Matthew put his arm around Harper's waist. "How is the situation in
Francis's mansion?"
"Francis was seriously injured, and his abdomen was penetrated. Many officials were visiting him. It was a really interesting
sight." She tucked herself in Matthew's arms, soaking in the warmth of his body.
"His Majesty is grasping at straws. He needs someone to counterbalance Felix's power, and Francis is his best choice. Francis'
mother is from a very influential family. On the other hand, a sickly prince can't afford to be entangled in political intrigues. He has
always stayed neutral in the past. But now Francis is recovering, and he happened to have saved His Majesty's life. Naturally,
His Majesty feels grateful and trusts him. Francis is intelligent and it should be easy for him to succeed." Matthew always had a
more detailed understanding of these things than Harper did.
"So do you think the plot against Alexander has anything to do with Francis?" Harper wrapped her arms around his neck and
asked.

"I'm not so sure," Matthew said slowly. "If the assassination was not carried out by the Scarlet Devils, I would be inclined to think
Francis was behind it. But we had already left the imperial capital, it was illogical for them to mess with us. If they annoyed us,
we could have rushed back to the imperial capital and crushed whatever plans they might have had. So I don't think Francis has
anything to do with it."
"It's a pity that Marquis Scarlet escaped our grasp. If we ever catch him, we can surely make him talk." A cold gleam passed
through Harper's eyes. She had many ways to loosen Marquis Scarlet's tongue, but that man was too cunning and escaped.
"Calm down. Foxes are bad at hiding their tails." Matthew gently patted Harper on the waist. "Remember, you must pay a visit to
the Bu Clan."
"Yes. I will go visit the Bu Clan and then the Kong Clan. It's a pity that I was unable to attend Caroline's wedding. Now that I'm
back, I have to see her." Harper's smile grew wider when she thought of Caroline. Now that Caroline and George were married,
she wondered how her married life was.
"Felix will undoubtedly visit you tomorrow. It would be a good idea for you to visit the Bu Clan. Otherwise, you will be bothered,"
Matthew said softly. "His Majesty seems to want the Bu Clan to be bound with Francis."