Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

.

Cynthia was retained in the Sleek Palace. Since Harper stayed in the side hall, there was just the main hall that remained
vacant. Looking at the luxurious and spacious main hall, Cynthia frowned tightly and asked the young maid who had guided her
there, "Excuse me, but why do I stay in the main hall for the night?"
"Lady Cynthia, since Her Highness is staying in the side hall, only the main hall is available now. So, Her Highness herself
ordered me to arrange your stay in the main hall," the young maid answered respectfully.
"I'm just a civilian girl. It's not appropriate for me to stay in the main hall of the Sleek Palace. Can you pass a message to Her
Highness for me asking her if she will stay in the main hall and let me stay in the side hall?" Cynthia was somewhat annoyed.
She was merely a guest visiting Matthew's mansion. If she stayed in the main hall of the Sleek Palace, obviously she would
become the topic of gossip. She could imagine what others would think of her. Moreover, with a position higher than hers, Harper
was staying in the side hall. In that situation, if Cynthia were to stay in the main hall, it would be an act of adding fuel to the fire,
making it easy for others to attack her verbally.
"Lady Cynthia, please try to understand. Her Highness has already gone to bed. Besides, the moment she stepped into the
Sleek Palace, she had clarified that she wouldn't be staying in the main hall. So please stay in the main hall for the time being
despite your unwillingness," the young maid said helplessly. She thought it was a great honor to stay in the main hall of the Sleek
Palace for a night. She couldn't understand why both Harper and Cynthia were refusing such an honor. She wondered, 'Do they
look down upon the main hall of the Sleek Palace?'
Looking at the receding back of the young maid, Cynthia frowned tightly. Her maid, Amy, also looked quite uneasy. "My Lady,
what do you think about Lady Harper's intention? She stays in the Sleek Palace, but she lives the side hall instead of the main

hall, and lets you stay the main hall..."
"Stop it," Cynthia said, shaking her head. Surely, she couldn't stay in the main hall. She had no choice but to find another place
to stay for the night. "I remember there is a soft bed in the drawing room. The weather isn't cold now. Bring a quilt and follow me.
I will sleep on the soft bed in the drawing room." "Yes, My Lady." When Rufus sneaked into the Imperial Palace, he found that the

palace was heavily guarded and fortified. The palace guards patrolled once a quarter, leaving no loophole for him to make use
of. "What a waste of talent for Francis to pay attention to such trivial things!" Rufus sighed. "Look at the layout. If he was on the
battlefield, he would be an able general."
"To the Sleek Palace," Howard reminded Rufus, as he was impatient hearing the latter's sigh. Of course, Francis was talented. If
he had been worthless, he could never have brought the whole situation under his control. Rufus pouted. Following Howard, he
headed towards the Sleek Palace. However, before they could get closer, they stopped in their tracks. The Sleek Palace was not
just protected by ordinary guards, but there were also additional secret guards outside the palace. They perceived no less than
ten secret guards nearby. It was difficult for Rufus to break into the palace, even with Howard's help. It was also impossible for
them to enter the palace together.
"Are you sure about getting in? The palace is so heavily protected," Rufus asked with suspicion.
"No, I can't!" Howard answered, gritting his teeth in frustration. He perceived that Francis might have regarded Harper as his
most valuable asset and would have been extremely worried about her. That could be the reason why he provided such a heavy
guard to the Sleek Palace. It was almost impossible for the two of them to enter the palace under such heavy defenses.
"Then what should we do?" Rufus asked helplessly.
"Try to see if you can sneak in. If you are successful, go to locate your younger sister first. Inform me when you find out Harper's
location in the Sleek Palace. I will somehow find a way to get in," Howard whispered to Rufus after thinking for a while.

Rufus thought for a while and then deemed Howard's plan to be feasible. "Okay then, I'll try it first. If I cannot defend myself,
back me up." "Don't worry. I'll be there to support you. Go ahead," Howard said and reassured Rufus. Thinking he would have a
fight at the worst, Rufus flipped over the wall and entered the Sleek Palace. To his surprise, he wasn't stopped by anyone. None
of the secret guards moved, while the ordinary guards could not find out about his existence. In this way, he got inside the palace
smoothly.

Standing by the enclosing wall of the Sleek Palace, Rufus still felt unreal. But without wasting another minute, he entered the
main hall of the palace and looked for Harper and Cynthia.
He was surprised to find that neither Harper nor Cynthia was staying in the main hall. Then he made his way to the side hall.
Since Harper was staying in the Sleek Palace, and since he didn't find anyone in the main hall, he concluded that both Harper
and Cynthia were staying in the side hall.
When Rufus was trying to open the door secretly, Harper and Forsythia quickly got out of the bed. The two stood behind the
door, each with a vase in the hands, both ready to smash the intruder. They were expecting a rounder who had broken into their
room in the middle of the night.
Rufus was trying hard to pick the lock and when he heard the door pin getting removed, he felt happy. He cautiously pushed the
door open, intending to slip into the room. However, as soon as he popped his head into the room, he found something wrong
and retracted his head immediately. At the same time, a vase was thrown at him, but he was lucky enough to escape from it. It
fell onto the ground and shattered into pieces instantaneously. Rufus broke into a cold sweat at the thought of what would have
happened to his head if he had reacted a little slow.
"Harper, it's..." The vase in Harper's hands was already picking up the momentum towards his head. Although she tried to
reduce her strength as soon as she heard Rufus' voice, the vase still struck his head.
Rufus froze for a moment and felt like the stars were dancing in front of his eyes. He cried in his mind, 'No wonder the secret
guards outside didn't move an inch. It turns out they knew I would suffer here!'
"Rufus?" Harper wasn't sure if the intruder was Rufus indeed. She ordered Forsythia to light the oil lamp. As the lamp was lit, she
found out that the person who sneaked into the room was really Rufus. Due to his poor sense of direction, it was difficult for him
to find the side hall. However, he got a bleeding wound on his head.