Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"No problem. I know how to give orders." Harper was overjoyed, but when Rufus received his

summons to River City, he felt a

shiver down his spine.

"Mister Rufus, are you all right?"

Rufus rubbed his hands and said, "The cold air has got to my bones nowadays. Make the stove burn

hotter. Don't slow down.

Prince Matthew has summoned me to River City urgently. Something momentous must have

happened."

"Yes, Mister Rufus."

But to Rufus' amazement, he was called in urgently to see Matthew, not for military business, nor for a

matter of life and death. It

was just because his wife wanted to open a shop in River City that he was summoned in such a hurry.

The main point was, as soon as he arrived, he was informed that Matthew had taken a well-run tea

house in the best location

from him, and offered it to his wife like a trinket for her amusement! Money shouldn't be wasted like

that!

"Your Highness, what has got into you? Have you been drugged?" Rufus gritted his teeth. That tea

house had been a perfect

place to inquire for information, as many people came and went through there. But Matthew offered to

his wife without regard for

anything. 'Even if you wanted to give your wife a tea house, we could choose somewhere else. Why

insist on taking this one?'

Rufus thought.

"What's wrong? Do you think I look like I was drugged? Take out the title deed," said Matthew with

unconcern

"No way!" Rufus howled. Then he sat down and crossed his legs, with a sulky and defiant look at

Harper.

While playing with a silver needle in her hand, Harper gave a cold glance at Rufus. "Mister Rufus, your

thin blood and your swollen eyes are the omens of kidney deficiency. Do you want me to give you

some acupuncture?" "You're suffering from kidney deficiency, and your whole family suffers from it,"

Rufus said crossly. But a split second later, Matthew's murderous look overwhelmed him, making him

tremble with cold. Realizing that Matthew was also a member of her family, he quickly said, "Your

Highness, I didn't mean you." "You are one of my family members, Matthew. It's obvious that he was

talking about you, no matter how he denied it. Honey, I promise you that I will turn him into a duck dying

of kidney deficiency if you say the word," Harper said, with a mischievous intention.

Hearing that, Rufus didn't know how to respond. He looked at Matthew furtively, and found that

Matthew was not merely a bit irritated. In fact, the prince was ready to eat him alive. So without any

further resistance, he took the title deed out and said, "Here you are. It's the deed that you want."

Matthew took it over and handed it to Harper, who received it and then whispered in his ear, "Honey,

don't you think that Rufus

looks like your neglected wife while I'm your favorite concubine?"

Considering Harper's words, Matthew looked at the woeful Rufus and said seriously, "You are the only

wife I have. I have no

concubines. Even if I have one, you will still be my only wife. He is a trouble-making concubine, so I

allow you to deal with him."

"What? Wife? Concubine?" asked Rufus, feeling utterly perplexed.

"I said you look like Matthew's resentful wife while I look like his concubine. He pampers his concubine

more than his wife. Thus,

when I'm competing with you for power, he supports me against you. Yet, he disagreed about my

interpretation, saying that you

are a concubine who has got the power, while I am the poor wife bullied by you. He asked me to punish

you at my will," Harper said slowly. Hearing this, Rufus almost jumped up and said, "Who would dare to

give you trouble? Even if Matthew has concubines in the future, could they dare to be a nuisance to

you? I'm afraid you'll kill them secretly when they least expect it." "You imagine too much. I'm a person

of principle." With a cup of tea in her hand, Harper drank it calmly. "I would never take the

initiative to hurt anyone else."

"Did every one of the Chu Clan take action against you without provocation?" Rufus sneered.

Harper drank her tea indifferently. There was only one person in the Chu Clan who had never hurt her,

Gianna. Harper had taken

her out of Nicole's belly. Of course, it was because the baby was too young. Even Alexander had once

had bad intentions toward

her at first. Later, he repented, and she was softhearted. She had intended to send him away to see if

he would become a good

person. Surprisingly, he had already become a good boy. It was not until then that she decided to send

him to the Clivia School

to keep him away from the disaster-ridden Chu Clan.

"Did Alexander actually hurt you, too? He's just a child less than ten years old."

"I heard that your elder brother tried to strangle you when you were six years old, and he was only

eight at that time. I don't care

about any of the small trouble they stirred up and wouldn't have taken action if I hadn't felt threatened

by them," Harper said in a

relaxed and unconcerned tone.

Rufus blanched. As the second son of the Xiao Clan's head, he had a high position in his mansion, but

there was deep enmity

between him and his family. That was why he stood by Matthew. Nonetheless, the Chu Clan was not a

patch on the Xiao Clan.

"I know. The Xiao Clan is more complicated than the Chu Clan, but at least not everybody in your clan

wants to kill you, right?

What's more, you are on Matthew's side now. Those of your clan do not object to you for that?" Harper

asked.

"Why would they object?"

"Because the Xiao Clan betrayed Matthew when his mother died."