Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Harper originally thought it would take Mavis at least some time to hire a qualified nanny for her. But she was surprised at the
sight of Mary. She couldn't imagine what it took for Mavis to invite Mary. Although she wasn't a maid in the Imperial Palace
anymore, she had served the emperor's late mother for more than thirty years. Therefore, she was an experienced nanny. Even
the empress had to show due respect to her.
"Pleasure to meet you, Nanny Mary." Harper bowed to her politely. She really respected those who had outstanding abilities.
"My Lady, it has been a long time since I last saw you. You don't look well," Mary said with a smile, which brought a sense of
relief to Harper.
"I heard from Grandma that she would find a nanny for me, but I didn't expect that it was you. To be honest, I'm a little flattered,"
Harper said with a smile. "I am not a talented girl, so please do your best to instruct me. Don't hesitate to let me know if I make
any mistake."
When Mary saw Harper behave so polite and eager to learn, a gleam of doubt came into her eyes. The last time she saw Harper,
she told her it was no good to be too overbearing. At that time, Harper just snorted and left arrogantly. But now, the girl in front of
her looked completely different, as if she had changed into another person.
"My Lady, you have changed a lot." Mary was quite relieved. If Harper was still as arrogant as before, she wouldn't teach her
even if Matthew ordered her to do so. But it was a good thing that Harper seemed willing to change her arrogant behavior.
"I have already died once, so I ought to change myself. I want learn the imperial etiquette as I don't want to be a rude lady
anymore. Please help me, Nanny Mary," said Harper in a humble tone.
"Well, you only have a month. I have to remind you first that what you can learn in this short period totally depends on your own."
Mary was very pleased to see the change in Harper. Now that Mavis had offered her many benefits, she was also supposed to
give the best instruction to Harper. Besides, Matthew wanted her to see if Harper could be useful. She couldn't afford to be soft-
hearted to Harper in the following month.
A month passed quickly and the day of Harper's departure finally came. Mavis looked at Harper, who was standing near the
carriage quietly. Although she just quietly stood there, the passersby couldn't help paying attention to her. Having Mary instruct
Harper kept the worry from Mavis' heart. The experienced nanny would not hold back in teaching Harper. Under her great
tutelage, Mavis was sure her granddaughter would learn a lot.
"Grandma, let me help you." Mavis went into the carriage with the help of Harper. Her every move and smile exuded a charm
that no one dared to criticize. Even Mavis was impressed by her.
"Harper, sit with me." Mavis stopped Harper and asked her to take the same carriage with her. To be honest, she only wanted to
know if Mary would even consider taking Harper under her wing. But to her great surprise, Mary only thought for a moment and
agreed to her proposal. Mary had once served the emperor's late mother. After the dowager empress passed away, the emperor
allowed Mary to retire from court life comfortably. Even at present, all the servants in the imperial palace would show due respect

to her.
"Yes, Grandma." Harper agreed to her request and sat quietly beside her. The more Mavis looked at her, the more satisfied she
was. She had high hopes for Harper and she believed that many men would fall for her. Surely, Mary would know the best way to
cultivate a girl's etiquette and manners. After all, Mary had stayed in the Imperial Palace for decades now. "I once thought that
you would soon give up under Mary's strict guidance, but you finally proved yourself. Good girl!" Mavis complimented Harper on
her great performance sincerely. While saying that, she held Harper's hands slightly. She knew how strict Mary was, but she
never heard Harper complain. And Mary had never said anything against Harper. Maybe Mary had a soft spot for Harper. 'If I
send Harper to the Imperial Palace, she will surely be selected as an imperial concubine and become a good helper to my
daughter, ' Mavis thought. "I know how difficult it was to pull strings just to have Nanny Mary take me under her wing. I could only
study hard to repay your kindness. And by the way, I haven't thanked you yet, Grandma!" Harper was about to kneel down
before Mavis, but the latter stopped her. "I know you are a filial girl. We are coming home now, and you shall not fight with your
father and Sue. Is that clear?" Mavis said in a grave tone. "Your father doesn't like anyone to contradict him. Keep your head
down and obey whatever he has to say." "I understand," replied Harper. "That's great. Then I am relieved," Mavis said with a
smile. Although she didn't get along well with Charles because of Harper, he was his only living son. Besides, she couldn't live in
the country house all the time. So she returned home when Charles sent servants to pick her up. At the gate of Chu Clan
mansion, Felicia was unhappy to see that Mavis was coming back. Her presence only meant Harper was in tow. Thinking of her
punishment caused by Harper, Felicia became furious again.
"Felicia, when you meet your sister later, remember to apologize to her," Sue said in a soft tone. She knew what kind of person
Harper was. She intended to make Charles dislike Harper forever. If all went well, he would disown Harper and even when Mavis
would be unable to protect her. "Yes, Mother," Felicia reluctantly agreed. Behind her stood Yvonne Chu, daughter of Carrie, one
of Charles' concubines. Yvonne Chu remained silent all the time. She knew exactly just how cruel and heartless Sue was. She
was going to be old enough to
marry soon. And if Sue randomly assigned a wedding for her, she would have to accept her fate without complaint.
When Mavis' carriage appeared at the entrance, Charles stepped forward immediately. "Mother, you are back at last."
The carriage door opened as Harper helped Mavis out of the carriage. She wore a green dress, looking elegant and lovely. At
first sight, Charles didn't recognize his daughter.
Harper helped Mavis get out of the carriage, and then bowed to Charles and Sue. "I wish you good health, Father and Mother."
（TN：In ancient China, the children of a man's concubine also needed to call the man's legal wife "Mother." Although Sue was
Charles' concubine on official records, Charles made her the hostess of the clan and the clan members all treated her as
Charles' wife.）
Squinting his eyes, Charles looked at Harper from head to toe. Her daughter looked exactly like her deceased mother, an

elegant and graceful woman. Emotions clogged at his throat, rendering him speechless.
"Charles, Harper is still bowing to you," reminded Sue. Sue was unhappy to see Charles speechless. He didn't come to his
senses again until Sue pulled his sleeve. He then said, "Rise, Harper. And please walk slowly and carefully, Mother. Let me help
you."
Mavis let Charles help her and together, they made their way into the mansion. Harper followed the pair unhurriedly before
Felicia intercepted her. With a bow, Felicia started, "Harper, I'm so sorry. It was my fault you were beaten the other day." "What
are you talking about?" Harper asked, greatly confused at what Felicia was saying. "The other day, you were wrongly accused of
poisoning me. Father ordered to beat you up before we found out who the real culprit was. We were wrong in accusing you. You
can find it in your heart to forgive me, right?" Felicia asked in an over-the-top way, her body language screaming superiority and
sarcasm despite her words asking for forgiveness. "I've already forgotten that thing," Harper said coldly, appearing calm and
sober.
The expression on Felicia's face immediately changed. Harper's hand in hers felt like lead. She thought Harper would shake her
hand off. She planned to provoke her into a rage so Charles could see how hopeless Harper was. But Harper didn't behave as
she and Sue had expected.
"Felicia," Mavis interrupted her. Charles remained calm, but Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's little trick.
"Grandma." Felicia lowered her voice right away. She was a little afraid of Mavis.
"Let bygones be bygones. Harper is generous enough to forgive your fault, so don't cling to the past anymore. After all, it was
you who made a mistake." Mavis' comment was harsh. Tears welled up in Felicia's eyes at what Mavis said. Sue immediately
pulled her back. If Felicia cried on the day Mavis returned home, it would probably make her angrier.
"Felicia, don't be rude." It was rare for Charles to scold Felicia like this. She felt even more aggravated, with tears rolling down
her face. In fear of being seen by others, Felicia lowered her head and sobbed quietly, as if she was greatly wronged.
Mavis was unhappy about Felicia's behavior. She hit the ground with her walking stick and said, "You're not happy to see me
back, aren't you? Why are you sobbing the minute I step my foot back here? I am not dead yet!"
"Mother, don't be angry. Felicia is just a kid who needs strict guidance," Sue said to calm Mavis down while Charles also put in a
good word for Felicia. Although Mavis was unhappy about it, she decided to save her son's face and save the argument for later.
Holding Charles' hand, she then said, "You are the backbone of our clan, the prime minister of the country. If people know that
your family holds grudge against each other, your future will be affected. Moreover, Felicia isn't a child anymore. She is about to
come of age and has been engaged to His Highness. How can she be so ill-bred?" Mavis took a disgusted look at Felicia,
thinking that this girl could do nothing but cry.
"Mother, don't be angry. I'll give her a strict talking-to later." Sue quickly pinched Felicia. Feeling a sharp pain, Felicia cried even
harder.

Harper hurriedly offered her handkerchief to Felicia. "Felicia, don't cry. Look, your make-up is ruined by your tears."
"Stop your crocodile tears!" Felicia pushed away Harper's hand and ran away, crying harder. Unable to hold her back, Sue had to
ask the maids to follow Felicia. She could only hope that Felicia wouldn't be foolish enough to do something stupid, or else Mavis
would have a worse impression of her.
Embarrassed, Charles tried to ignore the fiasco. He had always been proud of his eldest daughter Hailey and fourth daughter
Felicia. But he didn't expect Felicia to act ridiculous today. Sue was also irritated. She had planned to expose Harper today to
make Charles hate her forever. But now it was her own daughter who had fallen into the trap and left a bad impression on
everyone present.
"Watch out your step, Mother," Harper reminded Sue, for she almost fell over when she kicked a stone. Instead of thanking
Harper, Sue shook off her hands. Harper's newfound politeness made her have an extremely uncomfortable feeling, like a swarm
of bugs crawling on her skin. Creepy and unnatural.
At the welcome banquet for Mavis, Sue had a bad time and lost her appetite. Among all the people, only Harper enjoyed the
meal. She behaved so elegantly and beautifully, which even impressed Charles. And this unnerved Sue even more. Charles
looked at Harper like he was solving a complicated problem, which was not good for Sue or her plans. Sue had a strong feeling
that Harper would come to make trouble for all of them!