Forensic Imperial Concubine

After giving it much thought, Jason had to agree with Francis that Lucas seemed most likely to be chosen by the emperor.
However, Lucas was rather notorious, having a bad reputation as a playboy. While he very much enjoyed seeking pleasure,
gambling and going whoring, he had shown little interest in serious matters. If the throne ended up in his hands, there would be a
good chance that he would give it to someone else in the blink of an eye.
"If the throne is handed over to Lucas..." Jason whispered under his breath, lost in thought. After a while, with his eyebrows
raised and a faint smile on his lips, he continued, "Will he choose beauties from all over the country to enter his harem every
year? Or will he exchange ten cities for a beauty from a foreign country?"
These wild thoughts of his made the corners of Francis' mouth twitch slightly. Although he didn't humor Jason with a response,
the expression on his face shifted.
"Will he end up losing the national treasury completely by gambling?"
The corners of Francis' eyes began to twitch when he heard that, and the smile on his face disappeared completely.
"Will he waste manpower and money just so he could taste some delicacies, neglecting the common people and letting them live
in poverty and misery? For example, he may want to have watermelons or the newly picked fresh litchis during winter?"
At this point, Francis cast Jason a suspicious glance, wondering if Lucas would really go this far.
Jason couldn't help laughing at the thought of the terrible things that could happen if Lucas were to become the new emperor. "If
Lucas becomes the emperor, there's no doubt that the imperial harem of the Bright Dynasty will be filled with numerous beauties.
Because of that, he will end up indulging himself in the pleasure and neglect his duties as the emperor. He probably won't have
time to attend imperial court sessions or discuss the national affairs. Instead, he will drown himself in wine and surround himself
with women. Maybe he'll even force the courtiers to go gambling with him. The mere thought of it is enough to make me laugh."
"Go away," Francis exclaimed as he could not bear listening to Jason's ramblings any longer. As far as Francis was concerned, if
Lucas really was such a playboy, he never would have survived the fight for power. Moreover, Francis had investigated him
countless times already, and every single time, he got the same result just as Jason had imagined. If it was true that Lucas was
only keeping a facade all the time, that would make him an extremely devious and cunning man.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll take my leave now," Jason said, walking out of the room. In fact, he thought that he was only telling the
truth, and nobody would blame him imagining Lucas in this way. After all, it was Lucas himself who brought all of it onto himself

and established his own bad reputation. That being said, how could such a good-for-nothing playboy take care of the different
forces with such ease without getting himself implicated? Was he really a good-for-nothing playboy?
When Fred finally came to senses and found himself at the back gate of Matthew's mansion, he broke out in a cold sweat out of
fear. It wasn't until he entered the mansion and found out that Harper was safe and sound that he was able to breathe a sigh of
relief.
"Your Highness."
"Where have you been?" Matthew asked, looking at Fred, who seemed quite distraught and disheveled. Fred had been working
for him for many years, but this was the first time he had ever seen him acting like this.
Resentment flashed across Fred's face. "Forgive me, Your Highness. When I was at Prince Francis' mansion, I fell into
someone's trap and lost consciousness because of knockout smoke."
"Go and get flogged thirty times."
"Yes, Your Highness."
While reviewing official documents, Matthew thought about what had happened the night before. He wondered what would have
happened if he hadn't come back last night. With these thoughts running through his head, he concluded that what had
happened to Fred last night must be Francis' doing.
"What are you thinking about? You look so deep in thought," Harper asked in confusion. As soon as she walked into the study,
she stumbled upon Matthew staring blankly into space.
"It's nothing," Matthew said in a rather serious tone. "I'm just working."
Grabbing the official document from Matthew's hand, Harper went ahead and turned it upside down. After that, she immediately
said, "Darling, you were holding the document upside down. Even though you can read ten lines at one glance, I think it would
still be very hard to read it upside down. Please just read it like a normal person would."
Despite being red in the earlobes, Matthew tried not to show any sign of embarrassment. Putting down the official document as if
nothing happened, he asked, "How did you fall asleep at Francis' mansion last night?"
"It was a bit weird. I just felt drowsy all of a sudden and then fell asleep. Then, you got there as soon as I woke up," Harper
answered, rubbing her temples. "I was planning to go back home by myself as soon as Francis' condition became stable, but

somehow, I dozed off."
Hearing that, Matthew could more or less guess what had happened. "I don't want you to go to Francis' mansion ever again,
even when he is dead," he said in a domineering tone.
"Okay, okay, it's up to you," Harper obediently replied. Snugging in his arms, she then continued, "There's something I have to
tell you."
"What is it?"
Taking out a pill, Harper said, "This is the Longevity Pill His Majesty has been taking. Guess what's in it."
"Poison?"
Harper shook her head at first, but then nodded right after. "It's not really a poison, but it could be considered poisonous. It's
poppy. Someone has refined the poppies in the pill."
"What are the side effects of taking it?"
"Poppies can be used to treat cough and diarrhea and to relieve pain. But prolonged use should be avoided, because it would
act as a poison which slowly takes effect and is highly addictive as well. Once you become dependent on it, the pain will be like
being bitten by tens of thousands of ants when you stop taking it," Harper explained, playing with the pill in her hand. "You can
tell just how much Francis hates his father. He's dealing with his father in the same way his father has been dealing with him."
"If it is poisonous, shouldn't the imperial physicians have found out the truth already?"
"When poppies are mixed in the pills, the tiny amount on a single pill is not lethal. However, they will be lethal after long-term
use. Given that, how could imperial physicians notice it? Besides, when someone starts taking the poppy, they will feel sober and
refreshed. I guess by the time the emperor has taken all the Longevity Pills in his hand, he would become totally addicted to it."
Upon saying that, Harper put away the pill. "I'm afraid that Francis is about to take action," she remarked.
"He is a very patient man," Matthew simply said. In spite of everything, he couldn't help but admit that Francis was indeed
patient. Even though the current situation was already quite favorable to him, he was still acting humbly. He did his duties and
treated everyone sincerely. Right now, he still looked as gentle as ever. The gentle and courteous attitude he always showed had
won the hearts of many courtiers.