Henry Johnson had no idea that in just half a day, his glorious achievements had already become known to everyone, and he couldn't help but feel a bit proud. Now, seeing Mrs. Lincoln also wearing an expression of shared honor, he quickly flattered her, saying, “This is all thanks to your previous teachings, Mother. I just wanted to play a little joke on Duke Adams, but who would have thought he’d say that, so I took the opportunity to tease him a bit.”

“You’re already so sly at such a young age—what will you be like when you grow up?” Mrs. Lincoln scolded him with feigned annoyance, but her face was full of smiles. “I used to see you always hanging around with the ladies, who knew you had so many tricks up your sleeve!”

With his mother in a good mood, Henry Johnson naturally wouldn’t let such a great opportunity slip by: “Now that I’ve gotten what I wanted, and Father also helped a lot, shouldn’t you at least give me a reward, Mother?”

“After accomplishing something so big, you’re still asking me for a reward?” Mrs. Lincoln put on a stern face for a moment, but couldn’t keep it up and broke into a happy laugh. “As long as you don’t try to fool me the way you fooled Duke Adams, that’s good enough! As for a reward, if you keep learning well, I might consider it in the future.”

How would I dare fool you! Henry Johnson secretly stuck out his tongue. Just as he was about to say something, a long announcement suddenly rang out from outside: “His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”

Seeing Charles Johnson walk in, impeccably dressed, Henry Johnson immediately shrank his head. Sure enough, after paying his respects to Mrs. Lincoln, Charles Johnson shot him a fierce glare. Needless to say, the two tutors in the Eastern Palace had already recovered from their illnesses, so his Crown Prince brother would have to continue suffering, and the horse he extorted had turned such a big profit—no wonder Charles Johnson was upset.

Leaving Mrs. Lincoln’s palace, before Charles Johnson could say anything, Henry Johnson immediately took off running, soon leaving Charles Johnson far behind. Hearing a few curses carried on the wind from behind, he just turned around and made a face, then ignored it.

Today truly counted as a business deal with no investment—he’d managed to get James Johnson for nothing, what luck!

However, the relentless Charles Johnson eventually caught up to his palace, where he listed out all his misdeeds one by one. In the end, Henry Johnson had to make a bunch of empty promises to finally send his Crown Prince brother away, then climbed into his warm bed to start scheming.

He’d rarely had the chance to leave the palace before, let alone experience the prosperity of the world outside. Although he’d be free to do as he pleased after setting up his own household, the thought of waiting eight years made him wish he could sprout wings and fly out. Now, he’d soon be able to go out openly. Of course, he’d have to learn James Johnson’s secret skills—only by mastering the art of being invincible could he have the means to protect himself in the future.

As he thought about this, he gradually drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he was invincible, conquering all. Suddenly, his nose felt itchy, and after sneezing, he turned over and continued sleeping. But then his face started itching unbearably for some reason, and no matter how much he scratched, it didn’t get better. Finally, he sat up with a start, only to see the culprit half-sitting on his bed, watching him.

Realizing it was still not fully light outside, and seeing Emily Cooper already fully dressed, Henry Johnson stared in astonishment and asked, “You... how did you get in here?”

Emily Cooper replied cheerfully, “I came into the palace last night, but I was busy settling in, so I didn’t come find you! Aunt agreed, so from now on, as long as I’m in Luoyang, I’ll be living in the Shuimeng Pavilion right next to you. I can come see you every day!”

No way! Henry Johnson felt like crying but had no tears. Emily Cooper’s clinginess was unmatched—he’d experienced it before. Back then, since she came during the day and left at night, and didn’t come every day, he could still handle it. But now, if she was going to pester him every day, how was he supposed to live?

No, he had to do everything he could to shake off this little girl. So, racking his brains, he finally came up with a reason: “But I’ve already taken a master today. From now on, I’ll hardly have any free time, and I might not even be in the palace!”

“That’s okay, I’ll go ask Uncle right now—whatever you learn, I’ll learn too!”

Watching Emily Cooper dash out excitedly, Henry Johnson couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Why, why are women in this era even more forward than men? He did like Emily Cooper, but did she have to follow him around every single day?

Chapter Eleven: This Bóhǔ Is Not That Bóhǔ

Henry Johnson never would have thought that his father William Johnson would be so open-minded, agreeing right away to let Emily Cooper follow him to James Johnson’s residence. Was his father so eager to please his lover that he didn’t even care about James Johnson’s position? When they arrived, would he have to explain to James Johnson that this was his cousin, and that she wanted to learn military strategy alongside him?

The scenery outside the carriage was fascinating. Because the route from the palace to James Johnson’s residence passed through the busiest districts of Luoyang, he could see all kinds of vendors and street performers along the way. Most striking of all were the many exotically dressed people from the Western Regions, and he even spotted the legendary dark-skinned, curly-haired Kunlun slaves. But none of this could interest him—if someone kept chattering in your ear the whole time, who could enjoy anything?

“Xian’er, look how lively it is over there!”