Forensic Imperial Concubine

Chapter 672 A Time For Mourning (Part One)

Amidst the dreadful silence in the Tranquil Hall, the emperor's body was lying on the bed. At the same time, Felix's body fell to the ground while blood flowed all over him. The eunuchs and maids who were on duty to serve were also killed. Francis' arm was injured and the imperial physician was covering it up with a cloth to prevent further infection and bleeding.

"What happened?" Matthew calmly asked.

"There were a lot of things which needed to be dealt with tonight. After I finished all of them, it was already late at night so I went to the side hall to have a rest. However, in the middle of the night, I heard someone screaming for help. Confused, I rushed over and saw Felix killing our father. He was about to escape. Out of rage, I accidentally killed him." Francis could not help the grief from overwhelming his handsome face, as if he was too affected by the death of his father and brother.

It was only then that Matthew's eyes fell on Francis. He could see that Francis looked very disheartened, as if he had lost everything. There was nothing except sorrow on his face. No one would ever doubt his innocence. Despite this, Matthew was sure that it was Francis who killed the emperor and Felix. That foolish Felix must have been too furious to calm himself down. So he came back to question Francis. Francis must have killed him in a battle that he couldn't have won in the first place.

"How are you going to tell the officials about the death of His Majesty?" Matthew abruptly asked.

Francis looked down on the ground, seemingly in deep thoughts about how to answer that question. "Father had been in a critical condition recently. The imperial physician also said that he didn't have much time. Although Felix killed our father and committed a terrible crime, we are still brothers. Uncle Matthew, I want to tell everyone that Father died because of his illness. When Felix heard about this, he couldn't handle it and took his own life. I will suggest that Felix's funeral ceremony should be as grand as the crown prince's. What do you think?"

Although Matthew sneered in his heart, he didn't object to his proposal. "Francis, it's up to you."

"Now that Father had suddenly passed away, the marriage for peace alliance will be delayed. Uncle Matthew, will you please escort Lilian to the Great Jade Kingdom after Father's funeral?"

"Okay, that sounds agreeable," Matthew briefly responded. Now that the emperor was dead, Lilian had to mourn for her father. And as the emperor's younger brother, Matthew couldn't run away from his duty as well. However, he didn't understand why Francis would think that he could take the throne for himself after he killed the emperor at such a time like this.

Due to the demise of the emperor, the civilians in the imperial capital took down every single object in their houses that represented joy. Then, they put on cotton and linen clothes to observe the mourning period for the late emperor. Moreover, festive events, music, and entertainment were not allowed within three months.

Inside the palace, Francis was wearing a mourning gown while he arranged the funeral of the emperor in an orderly manner. Officials of the Ministry of Rites did not dare to slack in their efforts even by just a little bit. Everyone was busy running around, trying to get everything done perfectly. Soon enough, the Bureau of Astronomy calculated that the most suitable date for the funeral was seven days later. As the weather grew hotter, the body could not be kept for too long. So the funeral would be held at the prescribed date.

When everything was ready, the officials came to mourn for the emperor. Every woman in the imperial palace had been sent to grieve for him as well. But there was someone who was nowhere to be found. It was Prince Lucas and soon enough people started asking questions.

"Do you know where Lucas is?" Francis inquired with so much suspicion in his tone.

"Your Highness, Prince Lucas hasn't come to the palace so far. He's not at his own mansion as well. I heard, um, I heard that he went to the brothel and hasn't come back yet."

A frown instantly found itself on Francis' face. To test his doubts, he decided to find Lucas himself. Eventually, he found his younger brother in the room of the brothel's top courtesan. He didn't know what to feel when he saw Lucas drunk as a skunk.

The top courtesan, Yvette looked at Francis' nonchalant face with a smile on her face. "Mister, we're not open yet." All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Francis only ignored her while he grabbed a teapot on the table and threw the water inside it to Lucas. The man who had been sound asleep was suddenly drenched and awake. He frowned in annoyance, wiped his face, and snapped, "Bastard, who dares to—" But when he saw that it was his brother Francis, he immediately changed his tone. "Francis, what brought you here?"

The frown on Francis' face couldn't get any deeper. Instead of answering Lucas' question, he asked back, "Do you know what time is it? Why are you still sleeping here? You are just too—" Francis couldn't finish his sentence because he was just too furious.

"Francis, did you finally found out how much fun I have in here? Do you want to experience it as well? Well, Yvette is excellent. I have a great idea! How about—?" Lucas raised his eyebrow suggestively.

But Francis' handsome face was as cold as a stone. "Haven't you heard the death bell?"

Lucas was quite surprised. "Death bell? Who died? Why did they ring the death bell?"

Francis looked at Lucas who looked so confused. In the Imperial Palace, the death bell would only be rung when a handful of people passed away. According to the rules of the Bright Dynasty, the short list only included the emperor, the empress, and the empress dowager. The empress dowager had been long gone and the empress was just recently dethroned. Only the current emperor was left. How drunk was Lucas that he couldn't remember the meaning of the death bell?

"Who do you think is eligible for the death bell?" Francis seriously questioned.

Sluggishly, Lucas answered, "It only rings on the occasion that the emperor, the empress, the empress dowager..." His voice faded away. He then abruptly yelled when he finally realized what had happened, "What? Did our father pass away?"

Immediately, the expression on Lucas' face distorted. He was so surprised that tears streamed down his cheeks in an instant. No one would ever doubt how genuine his reaction was, especially when he grabbed Francis by his collar. "That's impossible! You're lying to me. How could he have died? I just visited him yesterday. Our father scolded me with so much enthusiasm. He even hit my head in anger. How could he pass away in one day? Francis, you're lying to me, right? Please tell me this is a joke, please!"