In the early morning, the autumn wind blew in gusts, the sky growing ever more overcast, with a hint of autumn rain in the air. Charles Young also released his grip on his sword, stepped half a pace forward, and continued speaking to Mr. Harrison, who, though his mind was racing, showed nothing on his face. “First, though the world is in chaos, Your Majesty is the only legitimate ruler under heaven, the one to whom all hearts turn. In this temporary capital, no one can shake Your Majesty’s throne. Second, under the Song system, all matters are decided before the sovereign; no one can become a power-hungry minister... Among them, the Academicians can handle confidential documents, the Hanlin scholars can attend within the palace, the Censors can check the Prime Ministers, and all the generals of the Imperial Guard are directly under Your Majesty’s command. From the Commander-in-Chief down to the common soldiers, all are at Your Majesty’s word to stay or go... Even I was only brought here because Your Majesty wanted to rebuild the Ban Zhi, and requested me from General Scott (Zhang Jun). I have no foundation in the palace, and with a single word, Your Majesty could send me back.”

Standing before the tent, John Harrison was astonished. Even in his confusion, he understood what Charles Young meant.

These two statements: the first told him, John Harrison, not to worry about his personal safety or his throne, because at the very least, in this temporary capital that inherited the entire Song framework, he was still irreplaceable; the second bluntly pointed out the weaknesses of Kang, Huang, Wang, and even Charles Young himself!

Use those with the title of Academician to seize power!

Specifically, use Hanlin Academicians to suppress Kang Lü!

Use Censors to restrain the Prime Ministers!

As for Charles Young and that Edward King, they were hardly worth mentioning, because with the Song system in place, Mr. Harrison could, in a public setting, decide the fate of these military men with a single word.

In other words, Charles Young was defecting unconditionally!

“Why are you telling me this?” Watching the busy and excited members of the Chixin Squad not far away, John Harrison turned his head slightly and squinted. “Just because I pardoned those few people yesterday, spent a night here, and promoted Matthew Lewis? What Han and Tang heroism is there in that?”

“Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven by right!” Charles Young bowed his head slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.

“Then why didn’t you say so yesterday?” John Harrison came back to himself, pressing relentlessly. “Or the day before?”

“If Your Majesty insists on getting to the bottom of it, I have only four words to say!” Charles Young finally raised his head fully before John Harrison.

The two, similar in height, faced each other at close range. For the first time, John Harrison noticed the young face hidden beneath the armor, rather than just the image of a simple watcher.

“What four words?” After a pause, John Harrison finally asked.

“National enmity, family hatred... that’s all!” Charles Young replied expressionlessly.

John Harrison was left speechless in astonishment. Of course, he knew that was the phrase he himself had used last night, from the perspective of James Harrison’s body, just to shut Charles Young up.

To be fair, it was meant as a perfunctory remark, but unexpectedly, it struck home with this man!

And, John Harrison was not unaware that there must be deeper reasons for the other’s defection—for example, that phrase “Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven by right” might be the most fundamental reason. For even if these people had doubts, they dared not deny that this body was indeed Mr. Harrison, and as the sovereign, he naturally held authority. As for Charles Young, though he appeared to hold a prestigious position as a palace attendant, he was actually the lowest-ranked among the five-man group, almost like an appendage to Kang Lü. Rather than stubbornly holding on, it was far more promising to defect and take a gamble.

But whatever the case, at this moment, John Harrison was filled with curiosity and shock at those four words: national enmity, family hatred.

“I remember a Ban Zhi once said, you come from a family of generals...” John Harrison folded his hands and stood, then turned his head to look elsewhere. “You should also know, after the fall, there are some things I don’t remember clearly.”

“I am well aware.”

Charles Young stood upright, speaking frankly. “During the Jingkang Incident, my father Charles Young Jr., governor of Linzhou’s Jianning Fort, died at the hands of the Jurchens; my grandfather David Young Jr., then the chief administrator of Yongxing Command, fell in battle against the Jurchens... I was twenty-three at the time, my family destroyed, yet I could not die for my country, so I fled east to Hejian, met General Scott on the road, traveled together to Xinde Prefecture, and was taken in by Chamberlain Reed (Liang Yangzu), thus arriving at the Marshal’s Office... National enmity and family hatred, to me, are pains etched in my bones!”

“Your grandfather was named David Young Jr.?” John Harrison turned back in a daze. “From the ‘Zong’ generation.”

“Yes.”

“Then what is your family’s relation to William YoungInvincible Young?”

“At the founding of the dynasty, my great-great-grandfather William Young Jr. was stationed long in Jin, and did have some reputation, but the title ‘Invincible’ I have never heard of.” Charles Young still answered truthfully.

“You’re a direct descendant of the Yang family?” John Harrison was finally dumbfounded. “A bona fide Yang family general?”

“I wouldn’t call myself a direct descendant, nor dare claim to be a true family general of the Song.” Charles Young’s ever-unchanging expression finally grew somber. “But my family has been in Hedong for a hundred years, six generations as generals, naturally with some reputation in the Western Army. Yet since the Jingkang Incident, the family has scattered, and only four brothers remain by my side, the rest lost to unknown fates. And here in the temporary capital, I am probably the only one who entered officialdom as an adult. At this point, if there are so-called Yang family generals, I am likely the only one left.”

So it seems Henry Young may not be your direct grandson, but perhaps your grandnephew... In a daze, John Harrison actually thought of this absurd detail.

However, as a drop of autumn rain fell, he quickly snapped out of it, then took the initiative to step forward: “What is your courtesy name, Mr. Young?”

Chapter Five: The Meeting

“I want to recall Mr. Thompson!”