Chapter 5 Called Off The Engagement (Part One)

Coming out of the Imperial Palace, Harper squinted her eyes against the glaring sun. Her vision was a little bit blurred, exactly how she felt about everything around her. She stood there in a daze and felt like no other than a survivor of a disaster. From her rebirth to now, her life was several times put on the edge of life and death. Lowering her head, she heaved a sigh as she thought how she had lived a hard life.

Still standing in front of the empty door of the palace, Harper bitterly smiled. She mulled over everyone who was so indifferent to her in the Chu Clan, and no one cared about her life, except for her grandmother, the only one who used to care about her. But the old lady got so angry with her that she went out to worship the Buddha and refused to come back.

When Matthew came out, he saw Harper covering her face with her hand and assumed she was shedding tears. But when he walked closer to her, he perceived that she was not crying, but merely blocking the dazzling sunshine with her hand.

"Your Highness, thank you for saving my life." Harper fell to her knees, expressing her gratitude to Matthew, who didn't even glance at her. He wordlessly went away, leaving her kneeling in front of the palace like a fool.

Harper was at a loss for words. Gingerly, she stood up and patted the dust on her clothes. And with a heavy heart, she started walking toward her home. Although the Chu Clan mansion was some distance away, for her, it was not a big deal.

Never did she expect, however, that it would take her nearly two hours to walk from the Imperial Palace to the Chu Clan mansion. Her legs and feet were already aching from the long walk. As soon as she came in, she noted that her father was glaring at her. Sue Wang, the hostess of Chu Clan and the other people looked at her with amused expressions, seemingly enjoying her misfortunes.

"Father!"

"Unfilial daughter!" Reaching for the teacup on the table, Charles furiously aimed it towards Harper. She slightly dodged it, and the cup flew past her ear, spilling the hot tea over her. Even though she felt the burning sensation on her body, she didn't let out a single sound. She merely looked at her father.

"How dare you implicate our whole clan! Didn't you know who you were dealing with? It was Prince Matthew! He kills people without batting an eye!" Everyone knew that Matthew was cold, ruthless, and bloodthirsty. Charles couldn't believe that Harper had implicated all the members of Chu Clan to save herself. She was absolutely playing with fire!

"Father, I don't want your reputation to be damaged. If I had committed the crime of murdering the general's child, the general would surely vent his anger on you. His Majesty likes General Maxwell and believes him very much. If I didn't prove my innocence, Father, you would be implicated."

"Stop being unreasonable!" Charles roared as he angrily banged his fist on the desk. When the accident happened, he had made a clean break with Harper. He even had placed her at Maxwell's disposal. How could Maxwell still blame him? "I know you're always domineering, but I didn't expect it to be to such an extent. You didn't care the lives of our clan at all. I don't have a vicious daughter like you!"

"Father!" Harper pleaded, numbed with disbelief. She only wanted to survive! If she were not sure of it, how dared she gamble with the whole clan? The outsiders didn't want to kill her, but her family wanted her life. How could she not feel sad?

"Harper, you are too proud and arrogant. You shouldn't get others involved in this," Sue Wang butted in as she watched the whole scene, feigning sadness on her face. But inwardly, her heart was swelling with happiness. "I...I can't even plead with your father to let you off!"

"That's right. Harper, how could Father forgive you after you did such a cruel thing?" Felicia interjected, adding insult to injury. Even though Harper was a girl, she took advantage of her excellent medical skills to work in the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Charles should be proud of her, but the truth was he loathed this daughter of his.

"Father, I didn't really plan to sacrifice our clan to save my life. I only wanted to ask Prince Matthew to give me a chance to prove my innocence. Father..." Harper explained.

"Shut up! I'm not your father! I don't have a daughter as rebellious as you!" Charles kicked her without warning. Harper fell to the floor as she lost her balance. The dull pain in her chest surged as she looked up at her father, who was staring at her coldly. She put on a bitter smile and thought, 'Harper, do you see these people's faces? They are your so-called family!'

"Father, I just..." Harper muttered.

"Enough! I don't want to hear your lame excuses!" Charles fumed. "From now on, you must stay in your yard and never come out!"

"Father, what do you mean?" Harper asked, looking bewildered.

"That is to say, from now on, you can only stay in your yard, and you are not allowed to come out again!" Charles ordered in a grave tone. He had no idea what troubles Harper would bring if he let her come out again. This time, it was Maxwell and Matthew. Who knew what would happen next time?

"Father, I'm still an imperial physician. How can I stay at home all the time?"

"Harper, don't worry. Since you offended General Maxwell, Father has sent in your resignation to His Majesty to withdraw you from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. And Hailey will take over your position. You'd better go back to your yard to reflect on yourself. Don't piss off Father," Felicia declared with a proud face. 'Harper, you have been domineering for so many years, but from now on, you are doomed!' she thought happily.