Forensic Imperial Concubine novel Chapter 586

As Walden cast a glance at Francis who was pretending to be sad for him, he felt quite uncomfortable. How he regretted his crime now! It was frustrating for him to think of how badly his actions had backfired against him. If only Scott hadn't refused to give him the pill, he wouldn't have been so cruel. It seemed to him at the time that he had no choice but to kill Scott, but now it seemed that his own doom was sealed.

Matthew also looked furtively up and down at Francis. Francis' words put another nail into Walden's coffin. Whether he would be executed or not, it was clear now that he was the murderer. Francis' words doomed Felix's right-hand man, who was also his brother. From this aspect, Francis was not soft-hearted at all.

"Walden, I saw you grow up. I don't believe that you are such a ruthless viper..." The empress wiped the corners of her eyes, looking sorrowful. "If you have been wronged, just tell His Majesty. He will uphold justice for you."

Looking at the sad empress, Walden felt regretful. But someone must take responsibility for this act, either he or Felix. And if Felix were blamed, he would fall with him, without hope of a comeback!

"I'm sorry, Mother. I am indeed the culprit, and I let you down. I didn't know that Scott already intended to present his Longevity Pill to Father. I heard that Felix was worried about Father's birthday gift, and he knew about the Longevity Pill, so I took the initiative to go to the physician's mansion to beg for the pill."

"Prince Walden, you were not begging but robbing." A reprimanding voice sounded immediately. A prince of a country had been so vicious as to murder a whole family and commit robbery.

Walden ignored that person's reproach and just looked at the emperor. "Father, it's all my fault. Scott refused to give the pill to me at that time. I was so angry about his stubbornness that I killed him and his family in a fit of rage. I just wanted to relieve Felix's worry, and I was also afraid that the news about the killing would spread, which might affect him. So I had the Longevity Pill sent in secret to Felix's mansion. I feared that he would ask where the pill came from, so I told my courier to sell it to him. Felix never knew anything about it. Father, please don't punish him."

"You are such a fool, Walden." Felix felt sad. He was moved by Walden's willingness to protect him.

Walden's defense of Felix also impressed the empress. However, they didn't realize that the emperor's anger was only provoked by this more and more. Felix and Walden had grown up together from childhood. Walden's mother died at an early age, and he had been raised by the empress. Moreover, Walden had no ideas of his own, and most of the time, he followed Felix. But this time Walden had actually committed an evil deed for Felix. As an emperor, he couldn't afford to tolerate such a thing.

"Since you have pleaded guilty, you must accept your punishment," the emperor pronounced sternly. "As a prince, you have failed in your duty to protect the common people, and instead you took your lessons from thieves and robbers who kill and loot. Your crime is ruthless and terrible. You are not worthy of being a royal family member!"

Walden trembled fearfully. He never expected that his father would deprive him of his identity as a prince just because he slew Scott's family. This was too heavy a punishment for him.

"You are stripped of your title as a prince and you are relegated to a civilian. You will be sent into exile in the southeast. Do you accept your punishment?" the emperor asked.

"Father, I..." Walden wanted to say he didn't, but he couldn't refute the fact that he had killed people for his own profit. Moreover, if a prince were to be punished like any other murderer, he could only atone for his crime with death. However, his brother Hoffman had committed a much more serious crime, and he had only been relegated to civilian status and imprisoned in the Repenting Tower. Why would Walden be exiled to the southeast?

"Father, is the punishment too...?" Felix wanted to suggest that Walden get a more lenient punishment, but the empress cast a glance at him, and he said nothing more.

"What? Do you think the punishment is too heavy?" the emperor asked coldly with a trace of displeasure. "Or do you think I have punished him inappropriately and you want to punish him for me?"

"I dare not..." Felix was intimidated and quickly knelt down.

"Then you think the punishment is insufficient," the emperor interrupted Felix. "Since you think the punishment is too lenient, tell me how to punish him."

Felix was totally unprepared to be put in such a spot. He could choose either his loyal brother, or the trust of his father, the emperor. He didn't know what to choose. He had a long hesitation and still couldn't find an answer.

"I think, Walden has committed a serious crime, and he should be punished. I also think Scott's family should be comforted."

"Your Highness, all the members of my master's entire family were killed," Hodge said painfully. His master who had brought him up lovingly came to a miserable end, while the mastermind of the crime, Felix, was to be let off the hook entirely. How could he vent the anger in his heart?

Being interrupted made Felix a little angry. If Hodge hadn't intervened in the matter, Walden wouldn't have been relegated to civilian status. "I mean we should have a decent plot of land to bury Scott and his family."

"The dead have already been buried," said Hodge calmly.

"That's enough!" the emperor interrupted them. "Walden's punishment has been decreed. As for Felix..."

The emperor looked at Felix. Felix and the empress were frightened into a cold sweat. They had assumed that as long as Walden took all the blame, Felix would be safe. But they were too naive about that.

"Although Felix didn't know it, he committed an oversight." The emperor frowned. "I order you to stay secluded and ponder your mistake. You are not to leave your mansion until you receive a summons."

This was a thinly-veiled plot to put Felix under house arrest. The empress felt uneasy about the situation. She turned her eyes instinctively at the woman next to Matthew, but quickly looked away. It would be best if they made no resistance. Otherwise, the emperor would doubt them even more, and she and Felix would be suppressed.

"Yes, Father."

Because of Walden's crime, a strange tension enveloped the air at the emperor's birthday banquet. Everyone was very nervous and afraid of displeasing the emperor, and they all just wanted the event to be over as soon as possible.

At that same moment, in a residential building outside the city, the fake Harper who had been sent out of the Imperial Palace was in a dire situation. She was tied to a rack, and a person in a black cloak laughed wickedly while seeing her on the instrument of torture. The person in black slapped the woman's face hard. She woke up slowly and was terrified by what she saw.

"You didn't expect me to capture you, did you, Harper Chu?"

"Ahhh!" The woman tied to the rack was not Harper, but a maid-in-waiting of the empress. She tried to defend herself, but she couldn't speak.

"What? Aren't you rather arrogant? Why are you so scared to see me? Can't you open your mouth? Speak up!" The person took off the cloak and revealed a ferocious and hideous face. "Are you not afraid when you see my face?"

That maid-in-waiting had never seen such a terrifying face. The face was thickly piled up with multiple scars, and there were many new scars on it. She could even smell a rotten odor from the woman. The woman with such a hideous face turned out to be Hailey.

"When I see your face, I hate you so bitterly." Hailey touched the face in front of her, and her heart was consumed with hatred. She took out a dagger and viciously attacked the maid's face.

Hailey then laughed even more ferociously, but her laughter only lasted for a moment and then disappeared, because she found that there was something wrong with the woman's face. When she looked carefully, the closed door was suddenly opened.

Fred looked at Harper's feet, and then at the door that had just been kicked open. The princess was totally riled up. She would never have done such a rude thing before. Even when she was infuriated, the smile on her face was still quite elegant. But today, her anger made her lose all restraint.

"I wondered who it would be, and it turns out to be you." Looking at that twisted and mangled face, Harper asked, "Do you like my gift?"

Hailey looked at the woman who was tied on the rack of torture, and then back at Harper. "You are the real Harper Chu."

"Yes, it's me. Why didn't you recognize me? I am your old friend, after all. I never thought you would be colluding with the empress! But I'm glad you did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you." Harper smiled exultingly.

Hailey saw Fred standing beside Harper and asked, "You only brought one person with you?"

"Yes, I've only brought one, but one is enough to deal with you. You won't be able to escape this time," Harper replied in a low and confident voice.

"I didn't plan to escape today!" After Hailey finished her words, a man behind her made a quick movement, striking directly at Harper's vital part. But Harper stayed still, and Fred took a step forward. He blocked the man's attack directly, and then fought back at him.

Harper stepped forward and said, "At long last, we can have a talk."

"Yes, we can finally talk this through," Hailey responded hoarsely. She used to be a privileged member of the Chu Clan, but now was reduced to this low condition because she had been framed by Harper.

"Have you seen your own father? I heard he is guarding the city gates." Harper's posture was relaxed. Although she was wearing men's clothes, her demeanor annoyed Hailey a lot.

Thus, her face was distorted with anguish. She couldn't stand to admit her identity at all. She regarded herself as the eldest daughter of the Chu Clan, not an illegitimate child. "I don't want to quarrel with you. Come on, Harper Chu."

Harper looked disdainfully at Hailey, and Hailey was fiercely agitated by her disdain. She ran madly at Harper with a bloodlust.

"You will die now!"

Hailey had a poisonous thorn in her hand. It was about to stab Harper, but a shadow suddenly blocked her hands and kept the thorn an inch away from Harper.