The Embroidered Uniform Guard is now in the hands of Ethan Lawson. The henchmen of George Washington and Katherine have all been sent out by Scott Lawson under various pretexts, and Ethan Lawson himself has gone to Guangxi and won’t be back for at least half a year. At present, George Washington has not yet taken charge of the Eastern Depot. Most crucially, the Eastern Depot has no prison; all prisoners must be sent down to the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Zhenfusi prison. Without the help of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it’s difficult for George Washington to even see the prisoners, let alone torture confessions out of them.

In this way, a relatively fair confrontation will be formed: the Donglin Party versus the Eunuch Party. The Donglin Party is powerful, both in and out of court, while the Eunuch Party has the violent institution of the Eastern Depot. Ultimately, victory or defeat lies in the hands of the emperor, John Adams.

However, without evidence of crimes, the emperor cannot do much to so many officials.

In other words, even if Lucas Bennett takes no further action, George Washington and the Eunuch Party will inevitably suffer a major blow this time! This blow may not cripple George Washington or the Eunuch Party, but psychologically, George Washington will realize the strength of the “pure officials” and will not dare to act too recklessly.

“By the way.” After thinking for a while, Lucas Bennett suddenly said to William Carter, “Have the Wu sisters take a look at what illness the empress is suffering from.”

Although Lucas Bennett suspected that Queen Thompson was pregnant, he still needed confirmation to be at ease.

William Carter immediately agreed, saying, “I’ll have someone notify them right away.”

“Next, let’s just sit back and watch the show.” Lucas Bennett stood up, stretched lazily, and said with a look of satisfaction.

Led by the Censorate, dozens of court officials joined forces to impeach George Washington. This was the first time since the beginning of the Tianqi reign, and it naturally alarmed all sides. Immediately after, news came from the Directorate of Ceremonial: the Eunuch Party was also preparing to impeach Jason Turner, listing dozens of people as his followers, intending to have a decisive showdown with the “pure officials.”

This time, not only were both sides sharpening their swords, determined to destroy each other, but even the onlooking officials were filled with anxiety and fear.

The Ming court was about to enter the most intense factional struggle since the start of the Tianqi reign.

Meanwhile, the peasant uprising in Shaanxi was growing ever more intense, and the wars to suppress rebellions in Sichuan and Yunnan were seeing mixed results. In the north, the Jurchens were full of vigor, looking longingly toward the warmer southern climate.

Chapter 13: Enraged

The memorials from the censors have always gone straight to the emperor, but this time, they changed their strategy.

Led by Jason Turner, more than thirty people swarmed into the palace, heading straight for Jingyang Palace, where the emperor John Adams’s study was located.

“Step aside, we must see His Majesty!”

Holding the memorial, dressed in official robes, Jason Turner shouted loudly at the guards blocking the palace gate.

The guard was icy cold, his tone even colder. He pushed Jason Turner back with the hilt of his sword and said stiffly, “Without an imperial order, no one is allowed to trespass!”

“Outrageous! Do you know who we are? Step aside!”

“If you delay our business, can you bear the consequences? We are here to see His Majesty!”

“You must be lackeys of the eunuchs! If you don’t let us through, don’t blame us for impeaching you as well!”

Hearing this, the guard’s face darkened. With a clang, he drew his long sword and shouted, “If you dare trespass again, you will be executed on the spot!”

These were all civil officials—skilled at wielding pens, not weapons—so the sight of real blades startled them.

But Jason Turner grew even angrier. He held his head high and strode forward, shouting, “We are here to eliminate traitors and support the state. How could we be frightened by mere weapons? Even if blood spills three feet, we will fight the traitorous eunuchs to the death!”

Jason Turner’s words instantly stirred the colleagues who had been frightened and even considered retreating. They surged forward, shouting loudly, “We are here to eliminate traitors—death holds no fear for us!”

So many people shouting together made quite a commotion and carried considerable force.

The guard immediately frowned. At most, he could scare these people, but if he really killed them on the spot, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to atone for it.

“Men! Stop them!” the guard shouted. Instantly, dozens of brightly armored imperial guards rushed out from behind the palace gate, armed with spears and swords, blocking the officials outside.

“Let me go! Let us in!”

“You eunuch lackeys!”

“We must see His Majesty!”

The guard had his men block the way and even closed one of the palace gates. Who knew what would happen if these people forced their way in? He quickly sent someone to the imperial study to report to the emperor.

As soon as Jason Turner and the others entered the palace, George Washington, who held the home ground advantage, quickly found out. He was furious and deeply alarmed.

After all, he was just a eunuch, with no real power or influence. His greatest reliance was the emperor. If this group forced the emperor to expel him from the palace, he might not even make it out of the Forbidden City alive!

“Eunuch Wei, let’s fight them!”

“Eunuch Wei, we must not back down, or there will be no place for us in this palace!”

“It’s not just about a place to stay—they want our lives!”

“That’s right, we will never let this go!”

“Let’s go to the imperial study and fight them to the bitter end!”

Inside the Directorate of Ceremonial, a group of eunuchs were furious. They were even more afraid than George Washington. The scholars might not have weapons, but when they killed, they were more terrifying than any weapon!

George Washington, like them, felt disaster looming. The Ming dynasty claimed that the Son of Heaven and the scholar-officials ruled the world together, and countless times it had been proven: once you anger this group of scholar-officials, even the emperor would fear them!