John Harris also remained silent, stood up and left the hall. He walked over to James Bolton and took the knife from him. With just one look, he immediately understood.

"This is the saber of an officer above the rank of Qianhu in the Beijing Guard, made by the Armory Workshop. Such sabers always have inscriptions on them..."

With that, John Harris drew the blade and looked closely, his eyes instantly widening.

There was indeed an inscription on the blade, engraved with the words 'Beijing Guard Deputy Commander'.

John Harris was shocked. The Deputy Commander of the Guard is a fourth-rank military officer, and as for the Deputy Commander of the Beijing Guard...

He muttered to himself, "Three months ago, the Beijing Guard was ordered to suppress the rebel Zhao, but in the mountains, they fell into an ambush set by Zhao's men. As a result, the Deputy Commander Thomas Green of the Beijing Guard was killed in action, and over 170 officers and soldiers were killed or wounded. Naturally, his saber also went missing... But just based on this saber, to say this person is a rebel..."

"There's more!" James Bolton immediately reached into his sleeve and pulled out a rough gold seal, which fell into his hand.

John Harris looked at the gold seal and was once again dumbfounded.

In all the land, only the Emperor and the princes dare to have gold seals made!

Of course, this gold seal was clearly not made by the official workshop, as it was far too crude!

He took the gold seal and saw that it was engraved with the words 'Heavenly King Zhao Cheng'.

John Harris's pupils suddenly contracted, his arm holding the gold seal trembling, and he said, "This rebel Zhao is wildly ambitious, gathering thousands of followers and proclaiming himself Heavenly King. He even dressed himself in imperial robes and had craftsmen make a gold seal, using it to stamp proclamations everywhere, openly rebelling against the Emperor. The Jinyiwei have also confiscated some of Zhao's proclamations before. As for the seal on them, just compare this imprint and it will be clear at a glance."

As he spoke, he handed the gold seal to a nearby captain. "Go check it, quickly!"

This gold seal represented the authority of the rebel Zhao and would surely be kept close at all times. With this saber, and if the gold seal was also genuine, then the owner of this head must undoubtedly be King Zhao himself.

John Harris then looked up at James Bolton in astonishment, his face showing disbelief.

If James Bolton had truly killed the rebel Zhao, what a tremendous achievement that would be.

You have to know, this rebel Zhao had gathered over a thousand followers, threatened the capital, attacked countless villages, and killed who knows how many people. The court might ignore bandits a thousand miles away, but would never allow a thief like Zhao to operate under the Emperor's very nose.

James Bolton stood by with a slight smile, wanting to say something, but saw that John Harris was too agitated to calm down. With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth, looking deeply troubled, and at this moment, he completely ignored the three brothers James Bolton.

No one knew how many times he circled. Just then, the captain who had taken the gold seal hurried back, bringing with him a yellowed proclamation. He exclaimed with delight, "Captain Harris, we've compared it—it's the rebel Zhao's seal, a perfect match!"

Upon hearing this, John Harris gasped, not bothering to check it himself, but instead rushed straight to James Bolton.

While James Bolton was still in a daze, John Harris suddenly grabbed him with both hands, staring into his eyes. After a long moment, John Harris finally spoke, his voice trembling with excitement, "Virtuous nephew!"

James Bolton: "......"

John Harris's face was glowing with joy. "This is an enormous achievement!"

James Bolton quickly said, "Not at all, this is all thanks to Elder Harris's guidance and leadership."

As he spoke, he shook a pearl out from his sleeve, and while John Harris was holding his hand, he casually slipped the pearl into John Harris's palm.

This pearl was quite valuable, worth at least thirty or forty taels of silver, and had been found in King Zhao's treasure chest.

When working on a project—no, when getting by in society, especially in the old days, you naturally had to know how to share.

John Harris barely glanced at the pearl. Just by feeling it in his palm, he immediately knew what it was, and judging by its size, he instantly understood its value.

He looked at James Bolton again and suddenly found James Bolton inexplicably endearing.

No matter how he looked at him, he found him pleasing to the eye, and couldn't help but say, "Oh, this won't do, this won't do, your father and I..."

Before he could finish, James Bolton shook out a small gold ingot from his sleeve.

Though the gold was only half the size of a thumb, it was still worth dozens of taels of silver. With a casual push, he slipped it right into John Harris's hand.

James Bolton said, "My father used to tell me about Elder Harris all the time. I've admired you for a long time and have always hoped to meet you. Now that my father is in prison, I am alone and helpless, lost and at a loss, but meeting Elder Harris today is like rain after a long drought, or meeting a close relative in a foreign land."

When giving money, you have to give a little first, then add more. The initial gift is already generous, and when the other party is overjoyed, you give another big one. This is called double happiness, far exceeding the other person's expectations, and their psychological defenses are completely broken.

Standing to the side, Edward Smith and Henry Cooper stared wide-eyed.

This is real silver.

Just given away like that?

Chapter Seven: The Mighty Jinyiwei

After leaving the Qianhu Office, breathing in the fresh air of Beijing, James Bolton felt as if he had lived two lifetimes.