Forensic Imperial Concubine

Chapter 48 Where Did The Poison Come From (Part One)

Carrie was hurt by Harper, so she thought to tell what happened to her husband. However, she wasn't able to see Charles. She went to the Peony House, thinking she could malign Harper in front of Mavis. But when she arrived at Peony House, Annie stopped her and did not allow her to enter the house.

"Nanny Annie, is Lady Mavis in?" Carrie was proud to be Hansen's future mother-in-law. But even so, she liked to play safe and keep all her pride inside. There was no reason for her to unnecessarily boast in her mother-in-law's house. It was better to keep her head down and act modestly.

Annie smiled sadly at her, not believing Carrie was truly in the house to pay a kind visit to Mavis. "Oh, you just missed her. Lady Mavis has already fallen asleep. But before that, she asked me to deliver a message to you."

"Tell me." Carrie bit her lip, looking uneasy. At this, she recalled that Harper had left the Peony House earlier. Something must have happened while she was here. Did Harper accuse her of something in front of Mavis? Promptly, she asked Annie, "Did Harper say anything bad about me?"

Annie frowned, which Carrie thought to speak louder than any word she could have said. To cover herself, she rebuked, "How shameless of her! She called me all the unpleasant words you can think of to curse and hurt me, and now you're telling me she defamed me in front of Lady Mavis? Unbelievable!"

"Lady Carrie!" Annie objected. "On the contrary, Lady Harper did not say anything ill of you in front of Lady Mavis. Lady Mavis asked me to tell you that you should be wary of your identity. You are a concubine and as such, you will remain a concubine for the rest of your life. Lady Harper is the daughter of Prime Minister Charles' first wife. It is not just allowed for you to offend her. Severe punishment awaits anyone who oversteps their boundaries."

Carrie's eye twitched at the awkwardness of this scene. She refused to feel guilty, even though the feeling of guilty in her heart began to coil tighter. "I did not intent to offend Harper in any way,

intentionally or not. In fact, one could say it was her—"

Before she could finish, Annie interrupted her. "Well, I was just asked to relay the message. It would be best for you to go back and take care of Lady Yvonne. She is going to get married very soon and you must be careful not to tip the scales of fortune." After her cryptic words, Annie slammed the door shut. Carrie's nose was almost hit by the door.

Furious and offended at Annie's mocking of her, Carrie turned red. Things had been going so well for her since she took over managing the clan's affairs and with her daughter's upcoming wedding. But Harper had been sabotaging all her hard-earned popularity over the Chu Clan mansion. How dare she gossip about her in front of Mavis! Things had become so bad that Mavis couldn't even bear to face her. She even asked a servant to ask Carrie to mind her own business.

"My Lady, are you all right?" Shirley asked with concern.

Carrie turned around, her face marked with a deep frown. "Let's go back."

"Yes, My Lady." Shirley followed Carrie carefully as they headed for the Excellence House.

Harper heard that Carrie had a hard time outside the Peony House. There wasn't much she could do to help. Unexpectedly, Carrie sent her many precious things several days later. As an expert in medicine, Harper did her best to test them. After all the tests, she found that they were nontoxic.

"Please tell Lady Carrie that I'm grateful for her gifts," Harper asked Shirley to send Carrie her gratitude. As she looked at the maid, she followed with a question. "How's Yvonne doing these days?"

"Lady Yvonne is doing all right," Shirley replied.

"That's good. I can rest easy then. The wedding ceremony will be held in less than ten days and she must be careful. Well, you can go back and report to Lady Carrie that I've accepted her gifts."

"Yes, Lady Harper." Shirley then turned around and rushed out of the Emerald House as quickly as she could, as if she didn't want to come here at all. Seeing this, Harper felt funny. 'Do I look like a hideous beast? Why is she so afraid of me? Funny how I didn't notice her fear of me before.'

"Shirley has been acting strange. It looks like she thinks you would eat her alive," Nina said to Harper, curiosity coloring her tone. "My Lady, the bird's nest looks very good. Let me cook it for you."

Harper took the bird's nest and had a look at it. "Lady Carrie is telling me that we can enjoy the bird's nest all thanks to her."

"Who cares what she thinks? Let's not look a gift horse in its mouth and just enjoy it!" Anabel beamed. She giggled and then took the bird's nest to the kitchen while Nina collected and organized the rest of the items in the storage. Carrie's gifts were not bad. Harper knew it was Carrie's way to show off her power and wealth.

Harper wasn't interested in the fights inside the Chu Clan. Unless anyone attacked her directly, she would rather sit the fights out and stay silent at her own corner. She thought she had given enough warning for Carrie to stop attacking her. But it turned out that Carrie had made up her mind to deal with Harper.

After dinner, Anabel brought a bowl of bird's nest soup to Harper. "My Lady, the bird's nest smells so good. I have cooked it in low fire for a whole day and it tastes very good. Have some now. You don't look good recently and it will help you gather more strength," she said to Harper with concern in her voice.

Harper smiled and took the bowl. "Thanks, Anabel. You guys can also treat yourselves later. Carrie has brought us so much bird's nest. Get some bowls and let us all share our little feast."

"Yes, My Lady."

Harper stirred the bird's nest with a spoon and looked at Anabel, who went to the kitchen. There was a faint smile on Harper's face. She took a spoonful of the bird's nest, excited to try the delicious meal. Before she could swallow it, she immediately spat it out. Seeing Anabel bring a bowl filled with the same food, she quickly stretched her arm out and overturned the bowl in Anabel's hand.

"What's wrong, My Lady?" Anabel asked in surprise.

"Don't eat. There's poison in it," Harper said in a low voice.

"I didn't poison it, My Lady," said Anabel, frightened, as she took a step back.

After washing her mouth with water, Harper said, "I know it's not you. I have also checked the bird's nest. It is not poisoned. Have you left the pot while you were stewing it?"

"I have always been careful with what you eat, My Lady. We never left. Nina and I took turns to watch the food all the time," Anabel replied. She looked pale with fear. If Harper didn't detect the poison in the bird's nest, all of them would have been dead now.

"Enya, Elsie," Harper called.

"Yes, My Lady," Enya and Elsie responded in chorus.

"Has anyone entered to the kitchen today?" Harper asked with a dark look.

Enya and Elsie shook their heads and replied, "No." Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Harper then waved her hand and signaled to them to leave. Her mind began to race. Nina and Anabel had never left the kitchen. According to her other maids, no one came close to the kitchen. She had checked and confirmed that the bird's nest was clean. Strangely, where did the poison come from?