He turned around and looked at the gloomy Jin Yi Wei Qianhu Office, but suddenly felt an indescribable sensation—there was no fear in his heart, but rather a sense of closeness.

Perhaps he had inherited the feelings of the body's original owner, after all, he was the descendant of hereditary Jin Yi Wei officers.

Edward Smith, standing beside him, complained a little, “We gave too much to Captain Harris. It’s not easy to have some money, we should be more frugal.”

When giving gifts to John Harris just now, both Edward Smith and Henry Cooper were somewhat reluctant, feeling that the money was not well spent.

But James Bolton appeared very calm. He said seriously, “Big brother, second brother, don’t you feel that something is off in this world?”

“Off?” Henry Cooper and Edward Smith looked around. The street was bustling with people, and to them, nothing seemed different, so they asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

James Bolton frowned, walking as he spoke, “The capital is lively, as if nothing has happened. Especially in the inner city, the people live and work in peace and contentment, everyone is prosperous. Look at their expressions—so at ease and carefree. By rights, this should only be seen in a time of great peace. But right under the emperor’s nose, a notorious bandit like William Carter could appear, causing the court endless trouble. So, have you two ever thought about what’s hidden behind the prosperity of this capital?”

Edward Smith was clearly not interested in knowing these things.

His way of thinking was different from James Bolton’s.

It was now the sixth year of Tianqi. From the perspective of someone like James Bolton, a transmigrator, he was already aware that a great crisis was approaching.

But for Edward Smith, the world had always been this way since he was born. His ancestors had always served the Ming dynasty, and subconsciously, he believed the emperor’s surname would always be Zhu, and he would follow in his ancestors’ footsteps.

In their understanding, even if the Ming dynasty would not last forever, its end was still far off.

Henry Cooper, on the other hand, was listening attentively. Clearly, compared to the reckless Edward Smith, he was someone who used his brain, so he asked, “What does this have to do with giving gifts?”

“The world is already rotten, no matter how splendid it looks. But this rot is from top to bottom, inside out. If the three of us brothers want to gain a foothold, want to change something, or even just to secure our own place, we need to understand the rules within.” James Bolton spoke very earnestly.

Ever since he transmigrated, he had been in a state of constant tension, trying to save the original owner’s father, trying to save himself—he never dared to let himself stop for even a moment.

But now, things had finally settled down. All that was left was to wait for the court’s final verdict. At this moment, James Bolton finally had the mind to think about what he should do in this world, to plan for the future.

At this time, the street was still bustling. The three brothers were already tired and wanted to return to the Zhang family to rest. On the way, Edward Smith got thirsty and said, “Let’s go, let’s have some tea at a tea stall.”

The two of them were still wearing the uniforms of the Jin Yi Wei imperial guards, with iron Fanyang hats on their heads and swords at their sides. Since they had just visited the Qianhu and were members of the guard, naturally, they were dressed as Jin Yi Wei.

As the two of them and James Bolton swaggered through the streets, it was clear that the passersby were somewhat afraid of them, often quickening their pace when passing by.

When they arrived at a tea stall, Edward Smith took off his hat and placed it on the table, then said, “Someone, come here.”

The attendant was already so frightened that his face was pale. He hurried over, nodding and bowing, “What orders does the officer have?”

“Bring good tea, and some pastries as well,” Edward Smith barked.

He spoke as if no one else was around, looking around with pride.

James Bolton clearly knew that Edward Smith wasn’t doing this on purpose, but was simply used to it.

Within the secret police, although the Jin Yi Wei were suppressed by the Eastern Depot, those eunuchs from the Eastern Depot obviously couldn’t parade around the streets all the time. To ordinary people, the might of the Jin Yi Wei was unmatched.

James Bolton observed quietly and sat down as well.

The attendant, looking as if his soul had left his body, brought over good tea and pastries, smiling obsequiously, “Please have some tea, officer.”

Edward Smith waved his hand, signaling him to leave. After this incident of executing William Carter, the three brothers had become much closer.

In the past, these two sworn brothers had looked down on their younger brother to some extent—after all, he had been too much of a scoundrel. If not for the fact that he was their foster father’s only bloodline, with their temperaments, they would have beaten James Bolton to death long ago.

But now, Edward Smith seemed to have started to look at his younger brother with new respect. He leaned forward slightly, took a sip of tea, and then said, “Jingyi, you’ve become more sensible than before. Now that you’ve taken down William Carter, the court will surely reward you. Maybe they’ll even let you join the guard to fill a vacancy.”

“I’m going to join the guard too?”

Although James Bolton vaguely knew that his identity was inseparable from the Jin Yi Wei, he was still a bit surprised to hear it brought up now.

Henry Cooper chimed in, “It’s almost certain you’ll join the guard. You’re already a child of the guard—your Zhang family is hereditary imperial guards. Now that you’ve made a contribution, even though you’re young, how can you still idle about outside? In my opinion, this is a good thing. It’ll keep you from loafing around all day.”

James Bolton asked, “So if I join the guard, what will I do?”