Chapter 4 Jade's Death

"Your Highness, I promise to do three things for you that are within my abilities, and I will keep my promise even if it means I have to risk my life," Harper said as she looked at Matthew intently. "I don't possess special skills, apart from my medical abilities. Kindly order me to come if you need me."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind." Matthew glanced at Maxwell as he saw a guard rush over and whisper something in his ear. The expression on Maxwell's face changed in an instant.

"Harper Chu," Maxwell said grimly.

"General," Harper answered respectfully.

"Jade is dead. I request you to come with me to check on her."

Harper wasn't surprised upon hearing the news of Jade's death. Jade had no conflicts with her at all, and yet she still chose to frame her. It only meant that Jade was incited by someone to act that way. The people behind the conspiracy definitely had planned to kill her in order to keep her mouth shut.

"Yes," Harper said at once.

Jade was killed in her room. She had gone straight back to her room, after knocking out the nanny who had come to check on her body. She perhaps had wanted to pick up something valuable and flee to the people behind the conspiracy for help. However, no one in the imperial capital was stupid enough to offend Maxwell, who was greatly favored by the emperor, and therefore, she was doomed to be killed.

After wrapping her hand with a silk handkerchief, Harper touched Jade's chest and said, "Her body is still warm. She was killed about an hour ago. Someone had stabbed her right in the heart. It looks like she had died without any struggle. Perhaps, the one who had stabbed her was someone familiar to her. She had died even before she could realize what was going on."

"You know how to examine the corpse as well?" Matthew's eyes widened in shock. Coroners and doctors were two different arenas. 'How could this woman perform an autopsy of a corpse?' he wondered.

"Your Highness, offering medical treatments and performing an autopsy are pretty much the same. Both involve the inspection of people. The former caters to the living, and the latter involves the dead." Harper stood up and looked at Maxwell. "The killer is probably still in the house. General, you better search inside your manor. The killer is a man. He is about 1.72 meters tall and is left-handed."

Maxwell looked at Harper in astonishment. "You could even determine the characteristic features of the killer?"

"I have deduced them from the evidence left on the corpse. General, forget about everything else and search the killer based on my clues. After the killer is found, I will tell you everything!"

Although Maxwell doubted the process, he ordered his people to look for the man. Surprisingly, the killer was a guard of the general's mansion and was found in half an hour.

"Why did you kill Jade? Tell me!" Maxwell growled.

"General, I'm innocent. I didn't kill Lady Jade. Please trust me. I'm on patrol and it's impossible for me to kill her." The guard denied the accusations. Maxwell had always trusted his people and couldn't help but cast a suspicious look at Harper.

Harper turned towards the guard and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Julian Wang," the guard answered as he hung down his head.

Harper nodded. "You said you didn't kill Lady Jade, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"I see. You haven't contacted her, either?"

"I haven't!" Julian Wang said resolutely.

Harper smiled and grabbed the man's left hand. "Then why do you have blood on your sleeve?"

Julian Wang's face reddened with shock. He snapped his head and looked at his sleeve-there was indeed blood stain. He quickly rearranged his expression. "This is mine," he said.

"You are lying!" Harper sneered. "You are not hurt, but you have blood stain on your clothes. Moreover, I've made a careful observation. The killer's foot is sure to be covered in black mud-the kind used to plant flowers."

He looked at his shoes and found that they were indeed covered in black mud. But he was not the only one who would step on the black mud in the general's mansion. Before he could argue, Harper continued, "Open your mouth. You are stained with Lady Jade's lipstick. I am aware that only Lady Jade had this lipstick."

As Harper was dropping evidences one after the other, Julian Wang knew that he didn't stand a chance to defend himself. So he bit his tongue and killed himself. It had all happened in the blink of an eye. He didn't dare to look at Maxwell. Maxwell's face turned dark. He couldn't believe that his concubine had pretended to be pregnant, and had lied to him the entire time. Moreover, his guard was a part of this facade.

"You can leave now," Maxwell said as his mind was whirling in a pool of mixed emotions.

"All right, General." Harper Chu was about to leave.

"Harper Chu, you can't leave now. I want you to follow me to the Imperial Palace and give your report. You were wronged and I have disobeyed the imperial edict because of you. Therefore, you are obliged to report the whole thing to His Majesty," Matthew said and stopped her at once.

"Your Highness, as you wish." Harper obediently walked behind Matthew as she followed him to the Imperial Palace. After watching Harper leave, Maxwell couldn't handle his confusing mood. He ordered his servants to deal with the body and wallowed in silence.

The spies had informed the emperor about the happenings at the execution ground and the general's mansion. When Matthew ushered Harper into the study of the emperor, he was questioned immediately.

"Matthew, you showed up!" The emperor's indifferent tone made Harper kneel down and lower her head, while Matthew stood erect, wearing a neutral expression.

"Yes." Matthew's response was emotionless that made Harper lose her balance. She thought wildly, as panic surged in her veins. 'Prince Matthew, I finally understand, of all his brothers, why His Majesty wants you dead. No one dares to be as arrogant as you are. How could you give a terse response when His Majesty questioned you?'

"So, you know that you are wrong?" The emperor raised an eyebrow.

"What have I done wrong?" Matthew's face was as serene as the moon. "Harper Chu said that she was innocent. Now it's proven that she's indeed innocent. I've dealt the situation based on the truth. How is that wrong?"

"You think you did nothing wrong?!" The old emperor raised the booklet in his hand, and intended to smash Matthew with it, but he thrashed it back on the desk, instead. His face was boiling in anger. "After you've disobeyed my will, you..."

"Your Highness, please don't break in. His Majesty is in a meeting now."

The door of the emperor's study was pushed ajar as the eunuch tried stopping the intruder. A young man who looked like he was in his late teens, wearing a purple silk robe and a snow-white fluffy cloak, rushed in like a walking koala. The cold wind that he carried along made Harper feel cold.

"Father, look at my new cloak. Isn't it beautiful?"

The emperor's face turned obscure at the sight of the furry thing standing in front of him. "Son, don't you see that I'm talking to your uncle Matthew right now?" the emperor asked through gritted teeth.

"Really? Father, I know I was wrong." Lucas Jun, the eighth son of the emperor, leaned towards his father with a mischievous smile. He looked at his father and his eyes were glinting with amusement. "Father, I'm sorry to bother you. Please punish me."

"You naughty monkey, you are causing trouble every day." The emperor glared at him. "Get out of here and stop bothering me. Otherwise, I'll ask your mother to punish you."

"Father, no. I'll get out of here, right away." Lucas Jun rolled on the floor as he looked right into Harper's eyes. His face broke into a wide grin, revealing his two cute protruding canine teeth. He finally curled into a ball before rolling out of the study.

"A naughty monkey indeed!" The old emperor couldn't control his laughter. He loved his eighth son with all his heart. But he grew uncomfortable when he turned around to look at Harper, who had been silent the whole time. "Harper Chu, are you blaming me?" he finally asked.

"Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare," Harper said with the utmost respect.

The emperor narrowed his eyes. "You are an interesting person. Since you have proved your innocence and both Matthew and Maxwell have put in a good word for you, I've decided to set you free. You can leave now."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," Harper said gratefully as she bowed her head in respect and walked out, looking humble. Her demeanor was in complete contrast with how she had looked at the general's mansion. 'This woman is a great actress!' Matthew sneered inwardly.

"Matthew," the emperor called out.

"Yes."

"You are not a young lad anymore; you've twenty-six now. When I was your age, my first son, the crown prince, was already born. It's high time I got you married." The old emperor stared into his brother's eyes. "The youngest daughter of the minister of the Ministry of National Defense will be the perfect match for you. I'll soon make the arrangements for you both to get married. You may leave now."