Forensic Imperial Concubine

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.