“Your Majesty!” Henry Carter once again changed his form of address. “Vice Marshal Zong is in Tokyo, his position is critical and he cannot be summoned lightly. Let me inform Your Majesty, the Jin army has already crossed the river again and is advancing on Sishui Pass! If we summon Governor Bennett at this time, wouldn’t Tokyo be left wide open?”

“Then should I go to Tokyo with all of you to see him?” John Harrison pressed again.

Henry Carter was utterly terrified and could only turn to the others for help.

The nearly sixty-year-old Chief Minister Robert Warren could no longer avoid it and finally spoke up helplessly: “How can we let the Supreme One fall into danger again? Your Majesty… I know the Privy Council, and have always been informed of military affairs. Since the Jingkang Incident, the population of Tokyo has scattered, and it is truly an empty city. The surrounding military is weak, famine is unending, there are only defeated soldiers, refugees, and bandits numbering in the millions, looting without restraint. Moreover, that place faces the main force of the Jin army directly. Going there now is truly unwise.”

“Then what do you suggest?” John Harrison sneered repeatedly. “You keep urging me to head south to Huaidian and Yangzhou, but if there isn’t a proper arrangement behind us, how can I go south so easily? At that time, not to mention Hebei and Hedong, even the people of the Central Plains will think that I and all of you are abandoning them! If something happens then, what will you say? You all know how I lost my composure when I fell into the well, so some stories are best treated as mere news… Just the other day, I heard a guard say that during the Jingkang Incident, I went as an envoy to the Jin, sent the deputy envoy ahead, and when he reached Xiangzhou, the people of Hebei, thinking he was going to negotiate peace, beat that innocent deputy envoy to death in the street… Did that really happen?”

“It did.” Outside the hall, the wind and rain raged, but inside, it was quiet for a long time before Chief Minister Robert Warren finally forced himself to speak. “Wang Jizhi, because he sought peace with the north, was beaten to death on the road by the people of Xiangzhou.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being beaten to death?” John Harrison asked softly, as if inquiring what the key officials had for breakfast.

The wind and rain outside came and went suddenly, and in the rear hall of Mingdao Palace, it was as if a storm was brewing. These key officials in the traveling court were clearly stunned by Mr. Harrison’s sudden attack.

After exchanging glances, the few of them had no choice but to let Prime Minister Thomas Howard speak up with gritted teeth: “Then what does Your Majesty think should be done?”

“I will issue an edict, allowing all civil and military officials in the traveling court, regardless of rank, to submit memorials and discuss the defense of the Central Plains.” John Harrison finally took the initiative for the first time, and seemed to reveal his true purpose. “I want to see what the civil and military officials in the court really think.”

The senior officials, in utter embarrassment, looked at each other and finally bowed their heads in acceptance.

Mr. Harrison did not dwell on it, and went straight to the back to rest… After last night’s ordeal, he actually hadn’t rested properly.

Leaving aside how refreshed John Harrison felt after his bold move, on the other side, the five key officials of the traveling court left the rear hall, each going their own way, but a quarter of an hour later, under Henry Carter’s arrangement, they met again in a side room of the central hall of Mingdao Palace.

This was a place temporarily occupied by the Privy Council, and according to Song court protocol, confidential documents were handled here. So after the emperor’s incident, it had become the usual gathering place for the five (sometimes Charles Young did not come).

“Mr. Carter, what’s wrong with His Majesty?”

Outside the side room, rain poured down. This year, Thomas Howard, just fifty years old, appeared the most anxious, and had lost his composure the most in the hall earlier.

Of course, John Harrison might not understand, but these people knew Mr. Howard’s thoughts very well… It must be known that whether it was Abraham Thompson or Andrew Bennett, both directly threatened his position, but more importantly, the struggle between Mr. Howard and Abraham ThompsonMr. Thompson had been bloody!

So, if Mr. Harrison changed his mind, Thomas Howard would not simply lose his position—he might even be sent to Qiongzhou Island.

Henry Carter said nothing, only staring at Charles Young.

Charles Young, always quick to please, understood and immediately bowed respectfully, giving a detailed report to the senior officials about last night’s events and the emperor’s itinerary, omitting only his own defection at dawn, and finally added a speculative remark:

“His Majesty was probably affected by last night’s events, thinking that the people of the north do not wish to go south, and fearing that if no arrangements are made, such incidents will happen again on the road.”

“That does make sense.” Commander Edward King breathed a slight sigh of relief. “It’s human nature. Mr. Carter, you must try to persuade His Majesty more.”

“If there’s a reason, so be it, but that’s only on the surface.” Henry Carter showed no sign of relaxing, his expression growing even darker. “The key is still that time he fell into the well. After waking up, His Majesty suddenly didn’t recognize us, and his behavior was strange, as if he had become a different person…”

“Mr. Carter, mind your words!” Chief Minister Robert Warren immediately interrupted sternly. “His Majesty is His Majesty. Just because he was injured and forgot some things, you can’t say he’s not the emperor.”

“Exactly.” Edward King quickly agreed. “Just think—if the man in the rear hall isn’t the emperor, then where is the real emperor? And the hundreds of civil and military officials in the traveling court, the millions of soldiers and civilians across the land, all recognize this emperor… He speaks clearly and acts freely, so he is the emperor! If we say he’s not, I’m afraid if Brian Scott and those military commanders return, they’ll want to ‘cleanse the emperor’s side’ first!”