At this moment, David Bolton saw James Bolton come into the courtyard and start doing some strange movements, such as stretching his arms, sometimes twisting his waist, and even muttering to himself: “One, two, three, four, two, two, three, four...”

David Bolton said, “Young master, I wonder how the master is doing now. Are we still leaving the capital or not? Without the master, our Zhang family has lost its backbone. Who knows what the future will be like.”

What he said made James Bolton, who was doing radio calisthenics, feel a jolt in his heart.

All day, he had been worrying about what to do with his own future, but had neglected...

The backbone...

His own father was the backbone of the Zhang family!

But in this Ming Dynasty, isn’t the current Tianqi Emperor the backbone of the Ming?

The Tianqi Emperor was not a good emperor—at least, the history books say he was a thoroughly incompetent ruler.

But... as for history, James Bolton knew a bit. At the very least, history had already proven that Chongzhen’s stubborn and irresponsible nature was, to some extent, also a main reason for the fall of the Ming.

If... the Tianqi Emperor had lived a few more years?

Although, perhaps, the Ming might not have lasted anyway.

But... who knows?

How did the Tianqi Emperor die?

James Bolton gradually remembered—it was from falling into water. Because he was in the water for quite a while, and after all, this was the north, and northerners aren’t good swimmers. By the time everyone finally managed to rescue him, the Tianqi Emperor, having been frightened and caught a chill, passed away.

The current Tianqi Emperor should still be quite young.

Northerners aren’t good at swimming...

If... if he could enter the palace?

Just as James Bolton was pondering this in his mind—

There was a knock at the door from outside.

David Bolton hurried to open it, only to see a middle-aged man, disheveled and dirty, walk in.

David Bolton exclaimed in delight, “Master, master, you...”

Master...

James Bolton snapped back to his senses, staring in astonishment as someone staggered in.

It was Charles Bolton. In the imperial prison, he had thought he would soon be executed, but unexpectedly, a eunuch from the palace had come, asked his name and official position, and then immediately ordered his release.

Charles Bolton felt as if he were dreaming. He thought perhaps one of his brothers in the guards had pleaded for him—maybe the Jinyiwei Commander Wu Tongzhi, or perhaps Liu Wen, the Qianhu of the East City.

But right now, he couldn’t think about all that. He hurried home—no matter what, he had to see his son first to feel at ease.

Who knows what kind of trouble his son might have gotten into these days.

Charles Bolton ignored David Bolton, his gaze falling on James Bolton.

His son was fine.

All his features were there.

No arms or legs missing.

Chapter 10: The Imperial Edict

All at once, a wave of relief surged in Charles Bolton's heart, and his eyes reddened instinctively. “Jingyi, you haven’t suffered, have you?”

This sentence...

Shouldn’t I be asking you that?

James Bolton thought to himself. Clearly, it was this ‘father’ who had just come out of prison.

But looking at this unfamiliar middle-aged man, James Bolton just couldn’t bring himself to feel close to him right away.

Fortunately, Charles Bolton seemed used to James Bolton’s cold attitude.

Maybe... it was because the original owner of this body was just this heartless.

Seeing James Bolton remain silent, Charles Bolton was still overjoyed and said warmly, “It’s almost noon. I had many things I wanted to say to you, but you must be hungry. While I was away, you must not have been eating or sleeping on time again. Wait a moment, just wait a bit. Today, I’ll cook myself and make your favorite chicken.”

At this moment, Charles Bolton didn’t care at all that he had just gotten out of prison. After speaking, he limped toward the kitchen, instructing David Bolton as he went, “Is Cook Li still here?”

“These days, with you gone, she’s taken leave as well.”

She said it was leave... but in truth, she knew the Zhang family was finished, so she simply stopped coming.

Although David Bolton was nagging and a bit silly, compared to others, he had stayed to look after the house all along—he was loyal.

“Go buy a chicken from the street. Is there any rice left at home?”

“There’s rice, there’s rice—two sheng left.”

Limping, Charles Bolton said this as he went into the kitchen, and soon, smoke began to rise.

They say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.

Clearly, as a Deputy Qianhu of the Jinyiwei, Charles Bolton did not fit the ancient standard of a gentleman.

But he seemed used to it, taking on the role of both father and mother.

James Bolton felt he needed to calm down. He could quickly adapt to the sudden appearance of two sworn brothers.

But a father this significant dropping from the sky—he needed some time to mentally adjust.

When David Bolton brought back the chicken, Charles Bolton came to the courtyard, cleaver in hand, and with a smack, slit the chicken’s throat.

The technique was very skilled.

At a glance...

James Bolton just couldn’t reconcile the image of a fierce Jinyiwei executioner with that of a father killing a chicken to cook.

It felt so out of place.

So he deliberately hid back in his room.

Half an hour later, the whole house was filled with the aroma of meat. Outside, Charles Bolton called out, “Jingyi, Jingyi, come out and eat.”