At this point, some people still can’t see the situation clearly and are just like mantises trying to stop a chariot. That day, his father personally made a promise in front of his mother—“A gentleman’s word is his bond.” Besides, even his father thinks that Benjamin Franklin and the others are blackmailing him—how could this possibly end well? He suddenly regretted coming here; unless something unexpected happened, things were about to spiral out of control.

“If Your Majesty wishes to appoint another empress, please select from among the noble families of the realm. Why must it be Consort Wu? Everyone knows that Consort Wu once served the late emperor. If Your Majesty insists on going your own way, how can you deceive the eyes and ears of the world? How will future generations judge this? If Your Majesty fails in your duty as a son, you will surely bear a bad name, and the signs of chaos will begin with this matter!”

Who is this reckless fool, daring to speak so bluntly, not giving his father or mother any face at all? Even if you want to offer advice, you should do it with some tact—how can you just blurt it out like that?

Henry Johnson secretly cursed this person for being so pedantic. Suddenly, he heard a series of thumping sounds from up ahead, followed by exclamations all around. Oh no, could this be the legendary “remonstration unto death”? It definitely wasn’t that cunning old fox Benjamin Franklin, so was it John Adams?

“I know I have offended Your Majesty, but as long as I do not fail the late emperor, I am willing to die a thousand deaths!”

“Guards, drag John Adams out!”

William Johnson’s furious roar rang out clearly from the front, and Henry Johnson could only sigh to himself. After words like that, it wasn’t just his mother who was half-mad with anger—even his father couldn’t stand it anymore. No wonder those who dared to speak frankly almost always ended up demoted or dead. Even someone like Edward Harris, who left behind a good reputation, had his memorial tablet toppled by Taizong after his death, and his children’s marriages canceled—let alone those loyal souls whose bones are now white with age. What ruler could ever listen to such rebellious words? Looks like he’d better learn from this in the future.

“Why doesn’t Your Majesty just have this scoundrel killed?”

When his mother’s sharp voice rang in his ears, he wasn’t surprised at all. He didn’t even notice someone carrying him out. His mother’s rampage had already begun, so to save face as emperor—and for those unfathomable reasons—how long could it be before his father took action?

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams… these people were doomed!

The only thing that concerned him was that his own status would change from a concubine’s son to the legitimate heir, and his mother would become the rightful empress. As for whether those people outside lived or died, it was no longer his concern. For quite some time, he could peacefully enjoy the good life of a legitimate imperial prince and think about the future. As for the crown prince, that would always be his older brother Charles Johnson’s job—he had no interest in it!

Chapter Four: The Crown Prince Gets Teased

In the bright and beautiful springtime, all the women in the palace had changed into light spring clothes. But except for the consorts and female officials of seventh rank or above, most wore the usual palace attire—tight at the top, loose at the bottom. Ever since Empress Wang and Consort Xiao died, there were fewer and fewer consorts in the palace, and after Empress Wu took the throne, she advocated frugality, so even the palace dresses were no longer as bright and luxurious as before.

However, Henry Johnson found this even more pleasing to the eye. A woman’s beauty is three parts natural, seven parts adornment, but when the adornment drops to three parts or even less, natural beauty is revealed in full. He wished his mother would order that no one in the palace be allowed to wear makeup—then he could discover even more beauties and enjoy more eye candy.

Of course, for now, all he could do was look, not touch, because…

He clenched his fists in frustration, deeply resentful of how slowly he was growing up. Surrounded by all these beauties every day, he truly was “passing through a sea of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him.” But it wasn’t by choice! He was only eight years old—eight!

At this moment, Henry Johnson stood idly in the middle of the west gate, his eyes wandering over the palace maids as he schemed about how to spend the day.

His brother Charles Johnson had already been made crown prince. Now only ten years old, he was locked up in the Eastern Palace every day, bombarded by ministers and scholars. Henry Johnson had once sneaked over to take a look, and was especially grateful that his father respected the order of seniority and hadn’t made him crown prince—otherwise, he’d be the one suffering now.

“Sixth Brother!”

He turned to see Charles Johnson, and couldn’t help but think, “speak of the devil and he appears.” He quickly greeted him with a grin, “Fifth Brother, no lessons today?”

“Sigh, both of my tutors are sick today.”

What a coincidence! Henry Johnson tilted his head and glanced at his brother, feeling that there was a hint of schadenfreude in his sigh. Well, it made sense—Charles Johnson had only just moved into the Eastern Palace and already looked much thinner, with little spirit in his eyes. Clearly, he’d suffered a lot, so no wonder he was so happy when his tutors fell ill.

“Then, Fifth Brother, do you want to sneak out and have some fun with me?”