Forensic Imperial Concubine novel Chapter 653

Felix squinted his eyes as he looked at Jason. He didn't have many memories about Jason since Jason was rarely in the imperial capital. In his memory, he had only seen Jason a few times. Jason's mother was merely a humble concubine of the emperor, which meant that the prince didn't have that much support from his mother's family. Plus, the emperor did not favor him. Therefore, it came as no surprise that Jason was subconsciously forgotten by almost everyone.

"Jason," Felix called. He couldn't help but be suspicious about Jason. His gut was telling him that Jason wasn't as innocent as everyone was making him out to be. Jason hadn't been in the imperial capital for years; therefore, no one knew what he had been doing in all that time. It wasn't difficult to believe that Jason had come back with malicious intentions in mind.

"Felix, looks like you've been living the life. You tried to murder Father and yet, here you are in your own mansion, safe and sound. Father treats you so well. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have gotten away with it scot-free the way you have. I actually have a few examples in mind. Do you still remember Hoffman who's currently in the Repenting Tower and Walden who has been banished from the imperial capital?"

"Well, do you want that to happen to you?" Felix teased as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Please leave now. You are not welcome here!"

Jason pulled Francis as if to tell him to leave.

"Francis, let's go. You're not in good health, so being in such a filthy place for an extended period of time can't be good for you," Jason urged as he dragged Francis.

Francis frowned, relaxing his hands. Putting on a smile, he asked, "Jason, what brings you here?"

"If I hadn't come here, I guess you would have killed him due to outrage, right?" Jason spat back. He then pushed Francis into the carriage but didn't go up with him. It was common knowledge that Jason wasn't really friendly with any one of the princes. So he thought he had better not go inside the carriage with Francis because if that happened, it would make them look like intimate brothers. That was not Jason wanted.

"Well, I'll see you soon. Let's have a feast then," Francis responded.

"Okay, okay," Jason replied at once. "But I won't stay in the imperial capital for too long. When Father gets better, I'll go out to continue my traveling. As for your poor health, you should take good care of yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, Jason. I got it. I'll leave now. Please excuse me," Francis said. Then he instructed his groom, "Head back." Once the carriage curtain had been drawn to a close, it was difficult to hear anything that was going on inside. The smile on Francis' face then disappeared.

"Killing him would make him suffer less. I'm not doing him any favors. I want him to live miserably—even worse than if he were to die. I want him to be tormented both physically and mentally with every passing day. I want him to suffer!" he murmured in a low voice. Even Owen, who was sitting right outside the curtain, couldn't hear him.

As soon as Francis came home, he fell ill almost at once. It came out of nowhere. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Academy of Medicine were at a loss with what to do with him. The emperor was immediately distressed upon learning about this. Sherry was even more anxious as this was her own son who was suffering. The emperor then quickly issued an imperial edict to Harper, ordering her to cure Francis.

Andy came to Matthew's mansion to deliver the imperial edict. Scowling, Matthew wanted to smash Andy's head when he read the imperial edict. However, he could neither do this nor refuse to obey the order. It was obvious that Francis was the emperor's new favorite. Since the emperor had ordered Harper to treat Francis, Matthew had no choice but to let her.

"Darling, Francis is seriously ill. I need to go and check what's wrong with him," Harper said as she looked into his eyes. She had already asked Forsythia to take the medicine box.

Matthew frowned and exclaimed in anger, "It seems as if anyone who gets sick nowadays can ask for my wife's help. What? Is she so accessible that even someone with just a cough could ask for her help? Are all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Academy of Medicine that useless?"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness!" Andy pleaded as he knelt on the ground in fear. "Lady Harper's medical skills are unmatched and Prince Francis' condition is special. The imperial physicians were helpless. That's why His Majesty sent me here. He was hoping Lady Harper could make a diagnosis for Prince Francis."

"Darling, don't worry. His Majesty can pay for the treatment," Harper said, consoling him. "Andy, I'd like to confirm something with you. The diagnosis fee is going to be 3, 000 taels of gold. As for the medicine to be used, we can compute that later on once I've diagnosed him. If I need to stay there to take care of him, it's going to cost 1, 000 taels of gold per day."

Andy's jaw dropped in shock when he heard the prices. He couldn't believe that Harper had the guts to talk prices especially when it was the emperor who had ordered her to treat Francis. This was such a bold move. Not to mention, the prices were quite expensive.

"Why are you reacting like this? What? Do you think the prices are not reasonable? Do I need to raise the prices?" Harper asked innocently.

"No, no. I will convey the message to His Majesty," Andy replied at once as he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Well, that's great. In that case, let's go to Francis' mansion," she suggested.

"I'll go with you," Matthew proposed at once.

However, Harper stopped him and shook her head. Now that Felix wasn't the crown prince anymore, his men were left vacant. Matthew's task was to recruit them to work for him. Harper needed Matthew to focus on that. She suspected that Francis had fallen ill at this crucial time on purpose.

"Your Highnesses, Mister Zack is here," a servant reported.

Matthew turned to look at the gate and saw a man dressed in blue walking slowly towards them. "Your Highness, greetings. Harper, I heard that His Majesty asked you to treat Prince Francis. I intended to pay a visit to him so I came here and thought that we could go together," Zack offered.

"That would be great," Harper answered at once. She then turned to Matthew and said, "Darling, don't worry about me. I'll be back soon."

With a long face, Matthew finally conceded. He looked at Zack meaningfully and said, "Keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happens to her."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I can guarantee you her safety," Zack promised, smiling.

Matthew decided to agree with this arrangement. He understood why Harper did not want him to go with her. And Zack accompanying her was actually a relief. At least, he didn't need to worry about Harper's safety anymore. As a gentleman, Zack invited Harper to walk in the front and also helped her get into the carriage.