“Miss Foster’s words are reasonable, but…”

Seeing the expressions of the crowd, the guard understood and frowned slightly. “First, take away the body of Adam Wright and clean up the scene. If His Majesty the Emperor sees this and becomes displeased, that would be terrible.”

James Clark could hear the guard’s intention to settle things hastily and was immediately displeased. “This Ethan Brooks killed someone at a banquet hosted by His Majesty the Emperor. Are you saying there will be no punishment at all? Wouldn’t that mean anyone could kill at will in the future? If this continues, won’t our Great Qi Dynasty fall into chaos sooner or later?”

“This matter will be explained in due course!” After saying this, the guard waved to his subordinates. “Take the body away first.”

“Wait a moment.” Just then, a voice suddenly came from the crowd. Immediately after, a tall man in his thirties, surrounded by a group of people, stepped out from among them!

Upon seeing this tall man, another wave of suppressed exclamations rippled through the crowd!

“David Clark, that’s General of the Northern Campaign, Lord David Clark.”

“Lord David Clark is the most famous general among the younger generation, commanding 120,000 troops. Among all the outstanding young talents of Great Qi, he is one of the most prominent, not inferior even to the Second Prince or Lord Henry Walker… I didn’t expect him to arrive so early.”

“I heard Lord David Clark is a general under the Second Prince’s faction. Judging by his appearance, he must have just been called over. I doubt James Clark and the others will let this matter go easily now.”

“Very likely! But this Ethan Brooks is truly too arrogant, daring to draw his sword and kill at a banquet personally hosted by His Majesty the Emperor. Right now, he’s just an ordinary swordsman with no official position. If he gains fame and rises to high office in the future, will he care about anyone else at all?”

“That’s right, let General David Clark teach him a lesson and let him understand what it means to be a decent person!”

Amidst the crowd’s whispers, General of the Northern Campaign David Clark had already arrived at the scene.

For this general who had earned his reputation on the battlefield, the guards all showed due respect. “General David Clark, do you have any instructions?”

“This matter is not so simple.” As he spoke, David Clark glanced at Ivy Foster nearby, then fixed his sharp gaze on Ethan Brooks.

Back in the capital, Ivy Foster was renowned throughout the city, admired by countless young talents. Even David Clark had once harbored feelings for her. But since Miss Foster only had eyes for the Second Prince and never considered anyone else, and after the two of them fell out, as a trusted subordinate of the Second Prince, he dared not pursue Ivy Foster any further and could only watch as this beauty—one of the three great beauties of the capital—married another.

If Ivy Foster had married someone like Logan Bennett or Henry Walker, top figures among the younger generation, he would have let it go. But in the end, she chose an ordinary noble son with no reputation or official rank in the capital, which naturally left him unsettled.

Everyone feels jealousy; sometimes, a man’s jealousy is no less than a woman’s.

“To draw a sword and kill at a banquet hosted by His Majesty the Emperor—even with the best reasons, that cannot be used as an excuse to absolve him! The impact of this incident is too severe; it must be dealt with strictly!”

“This…”

“What, do you have something to say?”

“No! Please rest assured, General David Clark. I will report this to the Department of Justice and handle it impartially and strictly!” With that, he turned again to Ethan Brooks. “Lord Ethan Brooks, I must trouble you to come with us.”

Noticing the change in the guard’s tone, Ivy Foster instinctively sensed something was wrong. “Everyone here can testify that the fault lies with Lord Adam Wright. He brought this upon himself, and it has little to do with Ethan Brooks.”

“Miss Foster, this guard is only handling the matter impartially. I believe he will not show any favoritism.”

“It was all Lord Adam Wright’s fault. He provoked first, and Ethan Brooks only fought back in self-defense. Could it be that General Clark is so magnanimous that he can be insulted to his face without anger?”

Seeing Ivy Foster defend Ethan Brooks so staunchly, David Clark felt even more unsettled. “Even if it was self-defense, it didn’t warrant drawing a sword and killing on the spot. If we let this set a precedent, and people start fighting to the death over trivial matters, won’t our Great Qi fall into chaos?”

Ivy Foster also knew that Ethan Brooks’s act of drawing his sword and killing was excessive. Even with some justification, it would be hard to escape blame, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to do.

Just as things seemed to be getting worse, Ethan Brooks suddenly stood up again!

As he stood, he immediately drew everyone’s attention. Everyone wondered what kind of backing this man, who dared to draw his sword and wound someone at such an important banquet, had to justify himself!