Forensic Imperial Concubine novel Chapter 613

When Francis and Owen reached the gate of the Imperial Palace, Andy stopped them.

With a big smile blooming like a flower, Andy greeted Francis, "Your Highness."

"Lord Andy, are you going out of the palace now, or are you waiting for someone here?" Francis asked gently.

After Andy heard that, his smile grew even brighter. "I've been waiting for you here, Your Highness. I wanted to look around for you, but I was afraid our paths would not cross, so I decided to wait for you at this gate," he answered.

"Does Father want to see me?" Francis asked, his voice still mild and gentle.

"Yes, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study," Andy said, gesturing with his arm to invite Francis to the Imperial Study.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

In the Imperial Study, the emperor was reviewing some official reports from his ministers, and his poker face revealed no hint of what he was thinking. When Andy led Francis in, the emperor didn't even put down the ink brush in his hand.

"Father, greetings."

"I heard that you exposed yourself in the rain for two hours at Matthew's mansion," the emperor said, but without any trace of emotion in his voice.

After a few moments of silence, Francis replied, "Yes, that's true."

"Don't you care about your own health?" the emperor asked calmly, raising his head and looking at his son.

Francis smiled bitterly and said, "Father, I have already been in poor health for a long time. Although I have been feeling better recently, the foundations of my health are irreparably harmed. My slight convalescence will only give me a few more years of life at the most. I don't want to die with any regret."

"Regret?"

"Yes, regret," Francis said, raising his head. "Father, my illness has been unrelenting. The reason why I went to Uncle Matthew's mansion that day was only because I wanted to request that he let me visit the military camp of the Black Flag Army. After all, I have never been to a military camp before, and I'm curious about what an army is like. However, he refused me in the end."

After the emperor heard that, his eyes twinkled with interest. Besides his son, he himself was curious about Matthew's Black Flag Army. However, no one could approach near to the Black Flag Army except Matthew himself. It would have been an excellent day's work to gain entrance to the military camp of the Black Flag Army merely in exchange for a good soak in the rain.

"Father, you know what kind of person Lucas is. He has always been like that. How can I persuade him? He won't pay attention to me." Francis had no idea what to do with Lucas. The latter had been notorious as a playboy in the imperial capital for a long time. Even the emperor, their father, could do nothing about him, let alone Francis, his elder brother.

"You're right. That boy wouldn't be himself if he concentrated on more serious things," the emperor said with a calm smile. "Now, Lilian has also reached a marriageable age. Which clan do you think has a son that would be suitable for her?"

Francis smiled at the question. He said, "Father, Lilian is always on good terms with Lucas, and she is just as unruly as Lucas is. Everyone knows that she is madly in love with Master Chodak. If you marry her to any other man at the moment, she would probably overturn the roof of her palace."

"But Chodak is a monk."

"Father, I think you might have forgotten who Chodak was before he became a monk," Francis said with a glimmer in his eyes. "He was Rolando, once the crown prince of the Great Jade Kingdom."

The emperor's pupils shrank slightly when he heard that. Of course, he knew about Chodak's previous identity. His reason for appointing Chodak as the imperial monk was because it was a convenient way to keep a watch on him in the imperial capital. However, Chodak did nothing but chant sutras every day. He seemed to be a very dedicated monk.

"He has already become a monk," the emperor sighed. "Before he became a monk, he was on Matthew's level of power and popularity. The emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom was stupid to expel such an outstanding son."

Hearing that, Francis lowered his head to conceal the ridicule in his eyes. He didn't think his father, the emperor of the Bright Dynasty was any more clever than the emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom. After all, none of his sons could compare with Chodak. By fault of the emperor himself, his sons were mostly dead, injured, or disabled. As a result, the Bright Dynasty was on the brink of downfall, vulnerable at any moment to a catalyst that would send the regime crumbling down. Francis was just waiting to see that happen. He wanted to witness how Matthew would usurp the emperor's throne when he could no longer tolerate the emperor's hubris.