It turned out that at this time, John Adams had not yet appointed a crown prince. The court officials were divided into two main factions. One believed that the eldest son, Ethan Smith, who was known for his benevolence and considerable talent, was the most suitable candidate. However, the other faction argued that when Ethan Smith was born, his mother was merely a concubine, and her status was naturally inferior to that of the queen, who later gave birth to Henry Adams. Therefore, they believed Henry Adams should be made crown prince. Since the faction supporting Ethan Smith was more powerful, even though John Adams personally favored his younger son Henry Adams, he was unable to make a decision for the time being. Another concubine’s son, Ryan Smith, knew that most ministers leaned toward his elder brother, and since both he and his brother were considered “born of concubines,” he joined forces with Ethan Smith to jointly exclude and suppress the third son, Henry Adams.

At this moment, the Nine Oxen Dance began at the banquet—a performance by dancing slaves with nine tamed oxen. Ethan Smith exchanged a glance with Ryan Smith, who immediately understood and loudly said, “I’ve long heard that our third royal brother possesses astonishing strength, able to tame beasts and lift cauldrons. Since we’re all in high spirits today, why not show us your skills?”

John Adams and the surrounding officials all heard Ryan Smith’s voice and turned to look. Ryan Smith’s intention was obvious: he wanted to take advantage of Henry Adams’s “recent recovery and lack of strength” to embarrass him in front of their father and the entire court. The “good-natured” Ethan Smith, always known for his kindness, remained silent at this moment, clearly sharing Ryan Smith’s intent.

Hypocrites! This kingdom is destined to be mine. With your petty tricks, how can you compete with me? Want to see me make a fool of myself? I may lack many things, but strength is not one of them! You two idiots, just wait and see...

The scene of Ethan Smith instigating Ryan Smith did not escape Jessica Bolton’s sharp eyes. He glanced at the seemingly friendly Ethan Smith, feeling even more contempt in his heart. When he saw the expectant gazes of John Adams and the officials, he was suddenly filled with heroic spirit: “Very well! Since Father is so pleased today, your son will boldly put on a show!”

Jessica Bolton strode down to the stage, pushed aside the dancing slaves, grabbed the tail of one ox with both hands, and shouted, “Come here, you beast!”

The dancing ox let out a wail, dug its hooves into the ground, but could not stop its body from being dragged backward. The oxen, originally wild and only recently tamed, had their wildness aroused by the pain and struggled desperately. Jessica Bolton put on a strained expression, as if he was about to be dragged away. Ethan Smith and Ryan Smith exchanged glances, both seeing the amusement in each other’s eyes. Suddenly, they saw Jessica Bolton flash them a smile, one filled with obvious contempt and provocation.

At that moment, Jessica Bolton suddenly let go with one hand, yet managed to firmly control the frenzied wild ox with just one hand, while dragging over the tail of another ox with the other. The officials all knew that Henry Adams was capable of feats of great strength. At first, seeing him appear to be struggling, they were a bit anxious, but now, seeing his bravery and his ability to control two oxen at once, they all cheered loudly. But the real surprise was yet to come: Jessica Bolton repeated the process, dragging all nine oxen over one by one, surrounding himself in the center. The wild oxen, their wildness fully aroused, struggled with all their might but could not break free. After a while, they were all panting heavily from exhaustion, while Jessica Bolton remained calm and steady as a rock. Under his display of divine strength, the nine oxen moved east or west at his command, like puppets being manipulated. John Adams and the officials were dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting to eat. Ryan Smith and Ethan Smith had not expected that their third brother’s strength, far from weakening after his illness, had actually increased dramatically, to the point where he could drag nine oxen at once. Both were left speechless.

Jessica Bolton’s body was a fusion of a 24th-century new human and the naturally powerful Henry Adams, his physique far surpassing that of ordinary humans, and his strength was simply incredible. The first stance of the Battle Soul Technique, gifted by Yun Zhongzi, was called “Dou” (Combat), which focused on the use of one’s physical strength. Jessica Bolton had been diligently practicing the “Dou” technique recently and had made significant progress, achieving a qualitative leap in his use of physical power—far beyond what he could do during the previous marketplace brawl. To his surprise, his first attempt at the Battle Soul Technique went smoothly, filling him with excitement. He made the nine oxen kneel in submission, as if bowing to the Son of Heaven. John Adams was overjoyed, stood up, and exclaimed, “My son, what divine might!”

The civil and military officials snapped out of their daze and erupted in loud applause. Grand Preceptor Wen’s eyes shone with admiration as he nodded repeatedly. Huang Feihu, a man of the military who respected strength, cheered even louder at Henry Adams’s display of valor. The instigator, Ryan Smith, hadn’t expected his scheme to backfire so spectacularly, giving Henry Adams a chance to shine. His face turned extremely gloomy, and his eyes were filled with barely concealed hatred. As for Ethan Smith, though he appeared calm on the surface, his fists were clenched tightly inside his sleeves.

Jessica Bolton returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, frequently toasting his two elder brothers. Ryan Smith and Ethan Smith looked at his harmless smile, feeling as if they were meeting this unfamiliar royal brother for the first time in all these years, and an involuntary chill rose in their hearts.

After the banquet at Xianqing Hall ended, the officials departed in high spirits. Jessica Bolton was about to return to The Adams Residence when he was suddenly stopped by a eunuch, who said the emperor had other important matters to discuss. (There were already eunuchs in the Shang dynasty; the oracle bone character “凸刀” had a similar meaning to “eunuch,” so for convenience, they are referred to as eunuchs here.) Jessica Bolton did not dare to be negligent and followed him to Zhaoxuan Hall, where he found that Ethan Smith and Ryan Smith were also present.