Forensic Imperial Concubine

Chapter 28 A Head-on Blow (Part One)

Just when Harper was about to fall asleep, she heard the clamor outside. Not knowing what happened, she turned over and covered her head with the quilt, trying to sleep. Yet the outside noise continued to disrupt her sleep. Finally, she was forced to get up. She pushed the door open and yelled, "Why are you screaming so early in the morning? Mourning? I'm still alive!"

In an instant, the courtyard fell silent. Ruby stared at Harper as if she had seen a ghost. It seemed that she did not expect Harper to be at home. And then, she even quickly glanced at Enya.

"My Lady, Nanny Ruby insisted on coming in and said Lady Sue is waiting for you at her place," Nina replied hurriedly.

"Mother wants to see me?" Harper rolled her eyes upwards. "What's up?"

Ruby took a deep breath and calmed down before she replied, "Lady Sue said Lady Hailey would be back today. So she wants you to wait for her there, My Lady."

"Nina, give her a slap!" Harper looked at Nina and yelled out angrily. No sooner did Harper finish her words than Nina turned around and slapped Ruby in the face. It happened so fast that Ruby could not even do anything for her self-defense. She was left aghast.

"You bitch! How dare you hit me! Even Lady Sue has never hit me. How dare you! I'll kill you!" Ruby flared up in rage and rushed to retaliate with a fiercer blow on Nina.

Harper sneered, "Nanny Ruby, I am surprised to see your audacity. I'm the daughter of Father's legal wife. How dare you ask me to wait for a concubine's daughter!"

Upon hearing this, Ruby retorted immediately, "My Lady, you're the daughter of Prime Minister Charles' wife, but so is Lady Hailey. Moreover, she is working at the Imperial Academy of Medicine. It's normal for you to greet your sister!"

"Huh? Are you insane?" Harper smirked at Ruby. "Nanny Ruby, don't you know the laws of the country? Once a concubine, always a concubine. Even though my father honored Lady Sue to be the hostess, she is still a concubine on the official records. And since she is a concubine, Hailey is a concubine's daughter. You want to violate the law?"

Ruby was left dumbfounded in front of the strong logic given by Harper. Her face turned pale as she looked at Harper, who was standing in the attic with a frozen expression on her face. Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't utter a single word to refute her. What Harper said was true. And it was also true that Sue was a concubine even though Charles treated her as a wife. In this country, the stature and respect that were given to the wife could never be given to a concubine. The laws aimed at protecting the status of the wife and her children.

"My Lady, aren't you afraid that you might offend Lady Sue by saying that?" Ruby gritted her teeth and asked vengefully.

Harper turned to Ruby at once and said coldly, "Nina, give her twenty slaps to teach her a lesson. Nanny Ruby needs to learn how to respect me. My father is the prime minister of the country and knows the laws very well. And I am sure he can't accept such an unreasonable and uncourteous nanny. Mother manages the mansion because my father thinks highly of her. But she might not be aware that this old maid just pretends to comply on the face but opposes in the heart. She doesn't respect me!"

"Yes, My Lady." Ruby was appalled by Harper's words. Though she wanted to resist, she ended up standing like a stone as Nina approached her.

"Nanny Ruby, you'd better not run. Otherwise, if I go to the Ministry of Rites and accuse Lady Sue, a concubine, of abusing me, and ask Father to marry a legal wife, do you think Lady Sue will let you go?"

Nina used both of her hands to slap Ruby in the face twenty times. Ruby stood there with her face completely swollen up. Harper changed her clothes and came out of her room. She cast a glance at Ruby, who was standing in front of her with blood oozing from the corner of her lips. Harper then patted Nina's shoulder and said, "Let's go to Peony House to visit to Grandma."

As soon as Harper left, Ruby's eyes were blazing with hatred. She had been Sue's wet nurse. In all these years, no one ever dared to show disrespect to her, but Harper even had the nerve to humiliate her like that!

Anabel glanced at Ruby and said, "Enya, Elsie, why don't you see Nanny Ruby off? Lady Harper will come back for breakfast very soon. It's time to prepare the meal."

Enya and Elsie exchanged looks with each other and said, "Nanny Ruby, please." © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Enya. She got to her feet and staggered out of the yard. After she got out, she gave a ferocious glance at the Emerald House. 'Harper, wait and see. You will pay for what you have done to me today, ' she cursed inwardly before leaving the place.

Harper reached the Peony House earlier than usual. Mavis hadn't woken up yet. Harper entered the bedroom and helped Mavis get up.

"What makes you come here so early today?" Mavis asked Harper curiously.

"I couldn't fall asleep, so I got up early. Then I came to see you, Grandma."

"It is not that Lady Harper couldn't fall asleep. It's because of someone..." Nina started to explain.

"Shut up!" Harper stopped Nina. She then turned to Mavis and said, "Grandma, this girl is too blunt. Please don't listen to her."

"Tell me, what happened?" Mavis looked at Nina and urged.

"My Lady, Lady Sue's wet nurse Ruby broke into the Emerald House even before the sunrise. She asked Lady Harper to get up immediately and wait at gate for Lady Hailey. She said Lady Hailey was a daughter of Prime Minister Charles' wife and working in Imperial Academy of Medicine, so Lady Harper should greet her at the door. Lady Harper argued with Nanny Ruby. Then she insulted Lady Harper and called her bitch. Lady Harper was so angry that she asked me to slap her."

Nina walked on her knees towards Mavis. "My Lady, please help Lady Harper. She is the daughter of Prime Minister Charles' legal wife. Even a nanny can insult her like this! It's unfair to her."

"Nina, Nanny Ruby was the wet nurse of Mother and gained her respect. She stands for Mother. Mother loves Hailey a lot. It's only too normal for her to ask me to welcome Hailey," Harper reproached Nina. "Grandma, please don't pay attention to what Nina said just now. Hailey is working hard. She is earning glory for our clan. Naturally, Mother loves her so much."

"Humph! Does she think she is Charles' wife?" Mavis snorted. She was willing to turn a blind eye to everything only because her son liked that woman. She had said that Harper would be the emperor's concubine, but Sue still didn't learn how to behave. Mavis really loathed Sue!

"Grandma, what are you talking about? Mother is the hostess of the clan, and it's natural for her to manage the household affairs. It's just that Hailey is now working in Imperial Academy of Medicine and serving the distinguished ladies in the Imperial Palace. Why does she come back today?" Harper asked, looking confused.

Mavis thought of Hailey, and immediately the stern expression on her face gave way to a more mellowed and soft look. "Maybe she misses home."

"All right. Even I haven't seen Hailey for a long time. I don't know how she is doing at Imperial Academy of Medicine. I hope she has not been bullied by anybody," Harper observed with an anxious look on her

face.