Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Soon after Zack arrived in the Dragon Pass, the Great Jade Kingdom stopped attacking the Bright Dynasty. With the warring
sides ceasing all their attacks against each other, the area quieted down, though eerily. The blood-soaked soil on the battlefield
was also a grim reminder that the peace was short-lived, and could be shattered at any minute.
At that same time, Maxwell, who was leading the Bright Dynasty's reinforcements to the Dragon Pass, was starting to feel
helpless. They still had to pass a river wide enough to drown every one of his men. A stone bridge had initially been set across it
to help people traverse it, but due to the heavy downpour in the past few days, the said bridge had been destroyed. This forced
them to wait until it was repaired.
"General, I'm afraid it will take days before we can cross this river," one of Maxwell's generals reported.
A grim expression contorted Maxwell's face, as he walked towards the river to see how damaged the bridge was. To him, the
bridge collapsing just like that was suspicious. Had it been a wooden bridge, he would have understood, but a stone one? They
had been attacked by enemy forces numerous times, and he was sure this was one of their little tricks to further delay them from
reaching their destination.
The bridge hadn't been thoroughly washed out—some stones still remained so that a martial artist who was equipped with the
ability to jump high could cross it. Unfortunately, most of his soldiers did not have that kind of skill.
At that point, he admitted that Zack had the amazing gift for foresight. He was with them when they started the journey, but he
decided to break from the group and go first. If he continued traveling with them, then he might have also been stranded, which
was the worst case scenario for them. 'I'm sure he has already arrived in the Dragon Pass,' Maxwell thought, annoyed. 'While
our reinforcements are still stuck here!' "I was thinking maybe we can swim across, but the river current is still so fast that it
would be impossible to do so. Moreover, not everyone in our army can swim well," Maxwell's military counselor said, sounding
anxious and frustrated at their current situation. "The only way we can cross this is with a bridge. If there is none, we have no
choice but to make one," said Maxwell calmly. "Ask the troops to find ropes. The thicker, the better." "Yes, My Lord." With the

ropes, the soldiers were ordered to make some kind of a net. After that, the few soldiers who had great flying skills were asked to
fly over the river to tie one end of the net over there. When that got done, the soldiers carefully put wooden boards on it
and steadied them, effectively creating a temporary bridge. "Ten people form one group, and one group crosses the bridge at a
time. Pass fast but be careful not to destroy anything," Maxwell ordered immediately after everyone was back from their duties.
Their journey could not be delayed any longer— Rolando was treacherous, and even if Zack had reached the Dragon Pass, they
couldn't slack off. The forces of the Bright
Dynasty protecting the Dragon Pass had already lost many men, so they needed to be there as soon as possible.
"Yes, general!"
Maxwell knew that Rolando wouldn't let them get to the Dragon Pass that easily, but he also knew that he couldn't be too careful
as it would only slow them down. He also knew that they couldn't afford to be separated, as once they did, they would be
vulnerable to any attacks launched by the Great Jade Kingdom. They needed to get to the Dragon Pass as a whole, as their
kingdom needed them to be.
In contrast to the brief period of peace in the Dragon Pass, forces in the Mountain Pass were going after each other as fiercely
as they could. Louis, after arriving at the Mountain Pass, replaced Miguel as the commander in chief of the army. He gave orders
immediately to launch attacks against the forces of the Wonder Kingdom and to arrest Prince Kile alive. "My Lord, General Louis
is already attacking the Mountain Pass." Looking at Miguel as he leisurely lay on his bed, York said, "Weapons are blind. The
battle is fierce, but if anything happens to Princess Harper..."
"It's all because of Louis! It has nothing to do with me!" Miguel said indifferently. 'But it's great if Harper gets injured. Actually, it's
better if she dies, because if she's alive, she can hurt His Majesty!'
With a frown, York answered, "His Majesty's anger is beyond whatever you imagine, My Lord. Once he gets mad, there is no
way he'd listen to anything you say."
Miguel understood Rolando wouldn't listen to his explanation. But if Louis wanted to hurt Harper, it would depend on whether he

was powerful enough. Miguel knew that the reason why Rolando sent Louis here was to restrain the Wonder Kingdom, but Louis'
action didn't seem to be so. Instead, he wanted to take the advantage to conquer the Mountain Pass.
"York, please go and check what order His Majesty has given to Louis." Miguel wasn't interested in Louis, and even though they
both worked for the emperor, they didn't get on well with each other because of the political conflicts. They seldom worked
together. This time, Rolando sent Louis to the Mountain Pass, which meant he didn't trust Miguel.
Miguel understood that no matter what Louis was doing, he couldn't stop him. The only thing he could do was turn a blind eye to
it. Therefore, he chose to stay indoors with the excuse of healing his wounds. Moreover, he was indeed injured.
"Yes, My Lord."
After York left, Miguel rested his head on the pillow and sank into contemplation. 'At present, the Great Jade Kingdom is fighting
with the Bright Dynasty and the Wonder Kingdom at the same time. It would be extremely disadvantageous for us if the two
countries formed an alliance. But His Majesty still did so, which means that he knows it well or has a back-up plan. However,
Matthew and his wife would never sit still and wait for death. As long as the couple are still alive, nobody could defeat the Bright
Dynasty. His Majesty is reluctant to hurt Harper. Did he plan to let Louis kill her?'