The young emperor slowly raised his head, his eyes giving the eunuch only a cursory glance before lowering them again. He then said indifferently, “What is it?”

“Report from the Western Depot: the Jinyiwei have failed in their duties, allowing Rogue Carter to repeatedly cause disturbances. Among them, the Deputy Qianhu of the Jinyiwei, Charles Bolton, has been negligent and incompetent. Therefore, the Jinyiwei Commander, Samuel Clark, has submitted a memorial requesting the execution of Deputy Qianhu Charles Bolton as a warning to others.”

A trace of anger appeared on the young emperor’s face as he glared at the young eunuch: “All the guards have failed in their campaigns, the secret police are incompetent, and in the end, the blame falls solely on a mere Deputy Qianhu of the Jinyiwei?”

The young eunuch was so terrified that his soul seemed to leave his body. He hurriedly prostrated himself: “This servant deserves to die a thousand times.”

The young emperor’s expression softened slightly: “Companion Bennett is the Director of the Eastern Depot. What does he say?”

“That is exactly Mr. Bennett’s opinion. Mr. Bennett believes…”

The young eunuch continued trembling, “Mr. Bennett thinks that this Rogue Carter is rampant and skilled at stirring up the people, able to rally thousands of bandits, while the court knows very little about him. This is clearly the failure of the secret police, which is why, despite repeated campaigns, the court has been unable to bring the matter to a close, always missing one thing while attending to another. For this reason, punishing the Jinyiwei Deputy Qianhu Charles Bolton for dereliction of duty will serve as a warning to others. It will let everyone in the secret police know the court’s determination to suppress Rogue Carter…”

The young emperor was visibly displeased.

Chapter Five: The Hidden Threat

The young emperor’s face was deathly pale.

Clearly, the young eunuch dared not respond.

If he sided with John Bennett and the bandit was not captured in the end, who could say how things would turn out?

But for the emperor, it was another matter entirely—a bandit who had gathered thousands of rabble, rampaging through Shanxi and Northern Zhili, had become a grave threat to the heart of the empire!

And yet, from the Eastern Depot to the Jinyiwei, from the Grand Secretariat to the capital garrison under the Six Ministries, the court was utterly helpless against this bandit!

Where could the court and the emperor’s dignity be placed?

The young eunuch kept emphasizing the bandit’s strength, but there was nothing else he could do. For over half a year, they had failed to eliminate the bandit, so all he could do was claim the bandit was extraordinarily powerful—what else could he say?

The emperor clearly understood the eunuch’s meaning, so he snorted coldly and said nothing more.

The young eunuch carefully withdrew.

Only then did the emperor slowly stand up. He paced over to a wall in the warm chamber, where a huge painting was hanging.

It was none other than “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains”!

This painting was created by Wang Ximeng of the Northern Song dynasty. In it, the vast rivers and undulating mountains formed a magnificent and grand landscape!

The emperor’s gaze fell upon the fishing villages and rural markets, the waterside pavilions, thatched huts, and long waterwheels and bridges nestled among the rivers and mountains.

He stood there for a long time, his eyes fixed, and finally let out a gentle sigh.

That sigh carried a hint of melancholy.

……

Imperial prison.

The Jinyiwei Qianhu of the Eastern City was holding an imperial edict from the Directorate of Ceremonial as he strode quickly into a cell.

He wore the imperial-bestowed flying fish robe, his frame broad and sturdy, a Xiuchun sword at his waist, and a coiled palm hat on his head. Beneath the brim of the hat was a face with a hint of authority, though at this moment, it also showed some guilt.

The cell door opened.

Inside, someone was dressed in prison garb, shackled hand and foot, sitting on the ground.

The prisoner sitting on the ground heard the door open, opened his eyes, and gave a bitter smile.

He stood up, the shackles clanking, and bowed to the newcomer: “Captain Harris…”

The visitor was none other than the Eastern City Qianhu, John Harris. John Harris quickly returned the bow: “Charles, are you alright?”

This man called Charles was James Bolton’s father, Charles Bolton. Charles Bolton glanced at the edict in John Harris’s hand and seemed to understand everything at once. He gave a bitter smile and said, “The palace has already made up its mind, hasn’t it?”

John Harris lowered his head in shame: “Sigh… those above failed in their duties, but the blame is being pushed onto those below…”

At this moment, Charles Bolton seemed very calm. He said, “I can only blame myself for accepting this task in the first place. Now that it’s come to nothing, I have only myself to blame.”

“Damn it.” John Harris clenched his fist, looking furious.

The Jinyiwei were the emperor’s personal troops, and ever since the founding emperor, it had been established that these positions were hereditary. Both John Harris and Charles Bolton held hereditary posts.

In other words, their ancestors had served together, their fathers had worked together, and now, in this generation, one was a Qianhu and the other a Deputy Qianhu. Even if they weren’t close, they saw each other often—after all, they couldn’t avoid each other.

John Harris felt quite sorry for Charles Bolton, but as a mere Qianhu, he had no say in the affairs of the guard, let alone when the Eastern Depot stood above the Jinyiwei.

Charles Bolton showed no resentment; he had long accepted his fate.

Charles Bolton said, “It doesn’t matter if I die. It’s just my son… Brother Harris, you know, don’t you? He’s never suffered in his life. Now that disaster has struck our family, I worry about him… so I had two adopted sons escort him out of the capital. The capital is a place of trouble… I just don’t know how he is now.”

“You mean James?” John Harris’s expression turned odd when he heard this.