Lucas Bennett watched the bustling crowds on the street, not answering William Carter's words. He thought to himself, “To stop George Washington from gaining power, it’s not enough to just control his access to violent institutions; he mustn’t be allowed to dominate the court either. These upright ministers are all resigning one after another, and the vacant positions will inevitably fall into George Washington’s hands. If we can keep as many of them as possible, they will surely become a strong force to check George Washington.”

“Dang dang dang…”

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums rang out from the middle of the crowd ahead, followed by a baritone voice: “Today my daughter and I have come to the capital for the first time. All of you are locals here. The coins in your pockets can’t buy flour or rice, but they can fill our bellies. Gentlemen and ladies from north and south, young and old, check your pockets and see if our performance is worth your happiness!”

“Acrobatics? Let’s go have a look!” Lucas Bennett was intrigued—he had never seen acrobatics from this era before.

Lucas Bennett, being small, squeezed to the front in no time.

In a white chalk circle, a middle-aged man was banging a gong and shouting loudly. In the center stood two girls about sixteen or seventeen, clearly sisters, both dressed in tight martial arts outfits, each holding a long sword, standing straight and tall, looking quite heroic.

“Everyone, open your eyes wide. If you feel it’s dangerous, step back. The performance is about to begin!”

The middle-aged man shouted, and with a clang of the gong, the two sisters shouted in unison. One leapt up and landed on the other’s shoulders—no telling which was the elder or younger. Then, astonishingly, both began to perform swordplay at the same time, moving in completely opposite directions: the one below lifted her left leg, the one above her right, their moves flowing smoothly in all directions, swords whirling with the wind. With the two pretty girls performing, it was a delightful sight.

“Bravo!” Lucas Bennett cheered along with the crowd. This was difficult and skillful—worthy of a reward. He tossed over a small piece of silver.

The middle-aged man quickly raised his hand and said, “Thank you, young master.”

The surrounding crowd also cheered. This was no easy feat—ordinary people couldn’t perform like this. Many tossed money as a reward.

They performed several more acts, all relying on the sisters’ perfect coordination. While not exactly spectacular, it certainly brought joy to the entertainment-starved people of the capital.

As Lucas Bennett watched, a thought suddenly struck him. He turned to William Carter and said, “Go find out the background of these three.”

William Carter quickly replied, “Yes.”

After watching for a while, Lucas Bennett continued to stroll around.

“Make way, make way, the Jinyiwei are handling a case!”

A squad of Jinyiwei came rushing from the end of the street, the leader wielding a Xiuchun Dao, dressed in their distinctive uniforms, exuding authority and power.

The crowd scattered instantly. Lucas Bennett also stepped aside, stroking his chin and muttering, “Are the Jinyiwei always this overbearing?”

Lucas Bennett had previously asked William Carter to do his homework and was familiar with the people around George Washington. At a glance, he whispered to Lucas Bennett, “Your Highness, that’s Evan Young, an officer of the Eastern Bureau, and Eric Taylor’s lackey.”

Lucas Bennett nodded and said, “Send word to Ethan Lawson, have him clean these people out and sever George Washington’s claws completely.”

Chapter 8: Awkward

“Yes, Your Highness,” said William Carter. “Should we inform your uncle?”

Lucas Bennett stroked his chin and shook his head. “Don’t contact my uncle. We need to keep our actions as covert as possible—no one can find out.”

William Carter bowed slightly to show he understood.

“Your Highness, Your Highness…” Suddenly, a young eunuch came running from afar, shouting as he ran.

Lucas Bennett was startled and muttered, “Could it be that my sister-in-law needs me urgently?”

The young eunuch ran over and lunged straight at Lucas Bennett.

“What’s going on? Which bureau are you from? Who’s your supervisor?” William Carter grabbed the eunuch with one hand and barked coldly.

The young eunuch’s face turned pale and he quickly said, “Your Highness, I’m a disciple of Mr. Carter. He sent me to inform you.”

Lucas Bennett’s expression changed. “Has Jason Turner submitted a memorial?”

“Yes, yes,” the young eunuch nodded repeatedly, still dangling from William Carter’s grip.

So, early the next morning, Lucas Bennett hurried to Kunning Palace to scrounge a meal.

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”

Lucas Bennett sat at the table, tapping his chopsticks impatiently like a mischievous child, urging Henry, who was busy on the other side.

Queen Thompson glared at Lucas Bennett and said, “Enough, can’t you see Henry is busy? And you—why did you come so early today?”

Lucas Bennett watched Henry’s fair hands dividing up the food, dipping sauces, soaking, slow steaming… so busy her feet barely touched the ground. His eyes grew even wider as he shouted, “I want pastries! I want pastries!”

Henry straightened up, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and turned to glare at Lucas Bennett.

Lucas Bennett grinned, jumped off the stool, and eagerly said, “Here, Henry sis, let me wipe it for you… ow…”

“Sit still!” Before Lucas Bennett could touch Henry’s pretty face, Queen Thompson grabbed his ear and pressed him back onto the stool.

Lucas Bennett chuckled, rubbing his ear. “I’m just anxious, that’s all. Who can blame me when Henry’s cooking is so delicious?”

“You always have an excuse,” Queen Thompson scolded.

Henry also smiled and said, “Alright, here, you can eat this first.”