Forensic Imperial Concubine

At that time, Zack visited Harper at Matthew's mansion. He wanted to apologize for failing to keep his promise of taking her back
home the other day. At the same time, he wanted to gather some information from her.
"Harper, I'm really sorry for what happened the other day. I thought my duties would end early, so I was very confident that I
could pick you up when I left the palace. Unexpectedly, Prince Jason stopped me and I was detained at the palace." Zack made
a sincere apology, implying to Harper that Jason had a problem.
"You don't have to worry about it. Matthew came to pick me up a little later," Harper plainly said. She then pushed the washed
cherries closer to him and added, "These cherries are fresh and they taste really sweet. I like them very much. Take one and try
it."
While still looking at her, Zack picked up a cherry and put it into his mouth. "Indeed, it is very sweet."
"I heard that the officials had a big argument in the session hall today. Was it troublesome for you since you're the future grand
secretary of the Cabinet?" Harper asked while she gestured for him to eat more cherries.
Zack turned to look at Harper who was obviously taking great pleasure in his misfortune. With a gentle smile, he said, "It has
nothing to do with me. Why should I be bothered by that? Prime Minister Philip reported today that the imperial harem should
have a new empress. Some officials immediately proposed Lady Sherry for the position. But some officials instantly objected that
motion. They thought Prince Francis was physically weak and if he was appointed as the heir to the throne, it wouldn't do any
good to the entire empire."
"Well, did the emperor agree to that proposal?"
Zack shook his head with a smile. "No, he didn't. The ministers and courtiers actually had different opinions about this matter.
Some believed that the emperor should marry a new empress, while some people thought that Lady Sherry should be appointed
as the empress. And others said that Lady Monica is suitable for the position. Anyway, the more important matter is who will be
the crown prince. In this case, the court is divided into two factions. One faction is in support of Prince Francis as the crown
prince. After all, it's obvious to everyone that he is talented and almost perfect except for his weak physical state. Meanwhile, the
other faction is in support of Prince Jason as the crown prince. As you know, he doesn't have much support from the officials of
the court. However, if he ascends the throne, those who help him get the crown will become very powerful. Thus, his supporters
won't give up that easily."
"The emperor didn't stop this argument?" Harper slowly asked.

Zack picked up a round and plump cherry. With a meaningful smile, he stated, "No, he didn't. His Majesty said that he's still alive
and he has his own decision about the heir to the throne. Prince Francis had done a terrific job in rescuing His Majesty and he
was also the only one who stood against Prince Felix at that time. So I thought he would be greatly favored by His Majesty. But
as it turns out, I was wrong."
Harper couldn't help but laugh. "The officials who expressed their views at the session today must have been severely scolded."
"That's right. When His Majesty was in the Golden Hall, he was so furious that he reprimanded Prime Minister Philip for meddling
in the affairs of the imperial harem. He even asked Philip if he wanted to be the chief eunuch." At that, Zack was reminded of
Philip's pale face. He couldn't help but feel entertained about that thought.
"But His Majesty has always been fond of Philip. Why did he scold him like that today?" Harper was confused. Was the
emperor's condition getting worse than she had expected?
In fact, Zack was a little worried and it showed in his face. "Recently, His Majesty has changed a lot. He would strike or swear at
the officials for the most minor reasons. Now, all of the officials are as mute as a fish, for fear that they will anger His Majesty and
lose their life. By the way, I recently heard that most of the servants in the Tranquil Hall were changed. Because they were
punished to death by His Majesty when he lost his temper."
At that point, Harper was sure that the emperor had increased his dosage of the Longevity Pills. It could only lead to the increase
of the poison in his system. Now, he would no longer be able to resist the poison's control over his body. As for who had
increased the emperor's dosage, Harper rolled her eyes when a thought occurred to her. There was only one person who she
thought could do that and that was the chief eunuch, Andy.
Harper then said, "Andy is very interesting to me. Zack, do you think Andy is loyal to His Majesty? When the empress was
controlling His Majesty, Andy was the one who took care of him. He was by the emperor's side, looking after him. Almost every
member of staff in the Tranquil Hall had been replaced except for Andy."
Zack sneered silently before responding, "Well, after all, Andy has served His Majesty for decades. He should understand his
temper very well. However, His Majesty's health is getting worse and worse as the days go by. I guess Andy is making
preparations for himself.
"It's time for Lucas to come back, right?" There seems to be light flashing in Harper's eyes.

Zack laughed and replied, "Yes, he is coming back very soon. Prince Lucas did a great job in the disaster relief operations. Many
civilians actually spoke highly of him. I used to look down on him before. But now, he had certainly proved himself."
Harper threw a cherry into her mouth and spit out the stem. "Anyway, Lucas is still a member of the royal family. So I think no
matter how young he is, he still inherited some qualities of his father. I have never underestimated him."
"What do you mean?" A confused expression bloomed on Zack's face.
Meanwhile, the smile on Harper's face became even wider. "On the second day of February, the day of His Majesty's birthday
banquet, Lucas warned me to be careful of the empress. Everyone says that Lucas is so troublesome and carefree that he is
only interested in eating and playing. If this was true, then he wouldn't be alive right now. Moreover, although he doesn't take part
in state affairs, no one has ever dared to touch him no matter which clan or individuals are in conflict."
"You're right. It's impossible for Prince Lucas to simply be the irresponsible man that everyone has painted him out to be." Zack
nodded in agreement. He wanted to say something more but he quickly stopped himself. It seemed like he was second-guessing
himself. He didn't know if he should continue speaking.
Harper noticed this, so she asked, "What's the matter? Why are you hesitating?"
"Have you heard that Master Chodak went to heaven?" Although it was a question, Zack's tone was full of doubt. Honestly, he
didn't believe it. It was impossible for the master to have died. Zack would rather believe that Chodak was in hiding.