He looked as if his soul had left his body. Not only did he not dare to accept James Bolton's money, but with a thud, his knees buckled and he knelt at James Bolton's feet, kowtowing like pounding garlic, and said in terror, "How... how could a lowly one dare? Sir, please don't bring disaster upon me, don't joke with someone like me. I... I..."

When he raised his head, there was actually blood on his forehead, clearly scared out of his wits, and those few kowtows were very real.

James Bolton had never seen anything like this before—he was just trying to pay, yet what he got in return was such fear.

At this, Edward Smith finally chuckled, looked at James Bolton with a show of swagger, patted James Bolton on the shoulder and said, "Alright, third brother, stop scaring him. Do you really have to frighten the man to death before you're satisfied? As members of the Jinyiwei, we should accumulate virtue and do good deeds—we can't go around causing deaths."

He acted as if he had just done a good deed, and took the money from the shop assistant. Only then did the shop assistant seem to breathe a sigh of relief. Though his eyes brimmed with tears, he forced a smile and said, "Thank you, sir, for your mercy."

With the tea money received, the three of them left.

Along the way, Edward Smith walked with his head held high, while Henry Cooper walked shoulder to shoulder with James Bolton, and said in a low voice, "Third brother, this is how it is for people from our guard when we go out—it's the rule. If you try to pay, you're breaking the rule. If you don't take the money, just think—won't those merchants be scared to death? They give us tea money just for peace of mind. But if you refuse it, they'll only think either we think it's too little, or, worse, that we have some other motive. Of course they'll be terrified. From now on, don't mess around. You need to act like a Jinyiwei. Why scare people for no reason?"

Damn it...

James Bolton wanted to say something.

He was clearly just trying to pay for his tea.

Now look—he ended up seeming like the villain.

These people, who acted like bandits, instead became the ones doing good deeds.

Is this what it means to be Jinyiwei?

Is this the sixth year of Tianqi?

James Bolton looked at the bustling and peaceful capital. By now, dusk was falling, and in the twilight, the last rays of the setting sun stretched his shadow long and thin.

Stepping on his own shadow, facing the last bit of sunlight, James Bolton could faintly sense that the long night was coming. This slanting ray of sunlight—perhaps it was the very last glimmer of the Ming Dynasty.

……

The Forbidden City.

Maoqin Hall.

At this moment, a stage had been set up outside the hall, and several opera performers were singing lines from "The Legend of Yue Fei."

The young Tianqi Emperor, dressed in armor, sat upright beneath the stage. When the opera reached its most intense moment, the Tianqi Emperor rested his hand on the desk beside him. Around him stood eunuchs and great Han generals.

John Bennett stood a bit farther away, also gazing at the stage, seemingly entranced.

Later generations called the Tianqi Emperor the "Carpenter Emperor," saying he was illiterate, cared nothing for state affairs, and only knew how to do carpentry.

But in reality, though the Tianqi Emperor did occasionally do some woodworking, his interests were quite broad—he actually liked reading and had quite a few ideas of his own.

Moreover, the Ming Veritable Records contain many accounts of the Tianqi Emperor.

For example: John Bennett promoted martial pursuits, urging the emperor to drill the palace guards every month. Each time, they tested the red-barreled cannons, and the entire palace would shake.

This means that almost every month, the Tianqi Emperor would personally drill the palace guards in the inner court, and he especially loved firing cannons—each time he did, the noise was tremendous.

Another example: John Bennett rode a horse before the emperor, and the emperor shot and killed his horse; the emperor often practiced with swords and blades, sometimes all night without rest, and so on.

In other words, the Tianqi Emperor not only liked military drills and was skilled in archery and horsemanship, but he also enjoyed wielding swords and blades, often practicing all night without stopping.

Such were the wide-ranging hobbies of the Ming Son of Heaven.

As for how the "Carpenter Emperor" reputation spread, it actually seems rather odd.

But the Tianqi Emperor had another great passion—watching opera.

Not only did he love watching opera, he would only watch plays about Yue Fei, never tiring of them. Today, with some leisure, naturally, surrounded by John Bennett and others, he had a stage set up to watch a play.

Whenever this happened, John Bennett would always hide off to the side, because he knew very well that His Majesty not only loved watching opera, but also got deeply absorbed in it.

Whenever he got caught up in the play—like now...

Seeing that Yue Fei was about to be summoned back by twelve imperial edicts, the young Tianqi Emperor's veins bulged on his forehead, his face twisted with rage, as if possessed, and he cursed loudly, "Qin Hui deserves to die, deserves to die, deserves to die..."

The little eunuchs nearby were so frightened they all knelt down, each one saying, "Your servant deserves ten thousand deaths."

But the Tianqi Emperor still gnashed his teeth, clenching his fists tightly: "Truly deserves to die—no, even ten thousand deaths would not be enough to atone. Treacherous minister, villain!"

As he cursed, his eyes reddened and tears fell. Thinking of the fate about to befall Yue Fei, his face flushed red, teeth bared, and he fell silent.

At times like this, John Bennett would always stand far away, knowing the emperor's temperament—every time he watched a play, he would end up cursing, and John Bennett dared not risk getting caught up in it.