Henry Baker was nearly scared out of his wits. He never expected that he would actually steal the young master's thunder and make the young master hold a grudge against him. He hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. The young master is the most... no, the young master is the most remarkable."

Charles Foster then glanced at Grace with a deliberately disdainful look. "You've made such a big mistake, and you're still crying? Now, your punishment is to return to your quarters and face the wall for three days. You are not to leave your room for three days. Otherwise, I will make an example of someone and slaughter Henry Baker..."

Henry Baker: "..."

William Carter glanced fearfully at Henry Baker, then stammered for a long time before squeezing out a smile. "Young master is wise!"

Grace seemed to be frightened. She thought the young master disliked her and was punishing her, so with red eyes, she obeyed and left.

Watching that frail figure walk away, Charles Foster subconsciously took out his Xiangfei fan and gave it a shake, sighing inwardly.

He had always felt that replacing someone else and adapting to another person's life was miserable beyond words. But at this moment, he realized that in this world, there were far too many people more wretched than himself. The former wastrel must have done countless evil deeds, so now, perhaps it was time for him to pay back a little of that debt.

……

The Forbidden City, the Warm Pavilion.

At this moment, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, George Washington, was peeking around outside the Warm Pavilion, his eyes darting sneakily as he glanced inside. Immediately, a dignified voice came from within: "Come in."

George Washington stuck out his tongue, then quickly put on the bearing of a crown prince and strode into the pavilion. As soon as he entered, he realized it was not a good time to come. His father, the emperor, was seated high at the head of the table, with several tutors kneeling on either side.

These tutors were all renowned ministers of the Hongzhi era, famous for their uprightness. But since they were so upright, they generally didn't show George Washington much kindness.

Just as George Washington was about to salute, the Hongzhi Emperor waved his hand. Not having seen his only son for a few days, the emperor now smiled kindly and said, "My son, The Clark Family just mentioned to me that you have memorized 'On Discerning Traitors'?"

The Clark Family was none other than the current Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Edward Clark. He sat to the emperor's left, an elderly man with somewhat unattractive features. At this moment, he nodded at George Washington.

Edward Clark, as Grand Secretary, also served as the Crown Prince's tutor, so he would occasionally go to the Office of the Crown Prince to supervise George Washington's studies. In recent days, it seemed the crown prince had made some progress, which comforted the old man.

Upon hearing this, George Washington's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he quickly composed himself and said, "Your son is ashamed."

The Hongzhi Emperor smiled and said, "It shows you have applied yourself, and that is good."

He smiled again. "Sit to the side. I have matters to discuss with the ministers."

George Washington inwardly groaned, but still obediently knelt and sat.

The Hongzhi Emperor continued, "A few days ago, during the review, the Imperial Guards sent in more than a dozen good essays. These past days, I have been thinking about the matter of pacifying the southwest. Ah... the troubles in the southwest have long plagued the Ming. For a hundred years, the court has suppressed rebellions again and again, and though we claim victory every year, reports of new uprisings keep coming in, endlessly vexing. You all are my right-hand men, so I imagine you have also been troubled by this. Today, since these young men are taking the civil exam, I took the opportunity to set this policy question. Perhaps, someone might come up with an unexpected and effective solution."

Edward Clark and the others all smiled slightly, though their smiles were reserved, more like they were humoring the emperor. In their eyes, the current emperor was wise enough, and the cabinet and ministers were competent, yet no fundamental solution had been found. Could a bunch of youngsters be relied upon?

For such an exam, especially with a group of noble scions, their policy essays were probably not even as good as those of ordinary scholars. As long as they could read and write neatly, no one expected them to have any real insight—just that their writing was coherent was already considered excellent.

Chapter 0012: The Little Ancestor Is Stirring Up Trouble Again

The Hongzhi Emperor ordered the dozens of exam papers submitted by the Imperial Guards to be distributed. He also had several on his own desk. When George Washington heard it was a policy essay, and that it was about pacifying the southwest, he seemed interested and looked pitifully at his father.

Unfortunately, the Hongzhi Emperor ignored him, focusing instead on picking up an essay from his desk. After a cursory glance, he said after a while, "Not bad. You all may take a look."

With that, he handed it to a young eunuch beside him, who then passed the essay around.

Edward Clark glanced down at it for a moment and immediately understood. The emperor's so-called "not bad" was just that—"not bad." In this "not bad" essay, the handwriting was neat, and the answer discussed how to use troops in the southwest, laying out the points in order.

Of course... for a noble scion, such an answer was indeed hard to criticize.

The Hongzhi Emperor then read several more essays in succession. Occasionally, he would nod, but sometimes he would add a brief comment: "This one is acceptable as well."

He gave a self-deprecating smile. Though he said "acceptable," his brows began to furrow slightly, and a look of disappointment appeared deep in his eyes.