“Mr. Scott, on that day when Mr. Thompson was twice dismissed as Prime Minister, it was you who impeached him most fiercely...” Seeing that Henry Carter could no longer hold himself together, he suddenly fell to his knees in the hall with a thud. Only then did John Harrison come back to his senses and carefully consider his words.

With these few sentences, Henry Carter, who was prostrate on the ground, finally stopped trembling.

It must be said that only at this moment did this Mr. Carter, who had served as ‘Inner Minister’ for nearly ten days, finally awaken from his dream. It turned out that under the system of the Great Song court, once separated from the Emperor and the Prime Minister, he couldn’t even handle a single Censor! And at this very moment, Mr. Carter had no doubt that, should the ‘changed’ Emperor sitting in the hall give the order, Charles Young, who had always held an umbrella for him and even stood by while he washed his feet, would immediately drag him out, and that very day send the likes of Eric Shaw and Frank Dawson to exile him to Shamen Island.

He even thought that, in order to cover up Charles Young’s disgrace, there might be a beating with the executioner’s staff along the way, killing him on the spot and destroying the body to erase all traces.

And in this process, the most terrifying thing was not the possibility of death, but that, as a ‘ten-day Inner Minister’, he had not the slightest means to cope, and could only rely on ‘Heaven’s grace’.

“This is a different time.” Peter Scott stood tall and composed as ever. “In Your Majesty’s eyes, and in the eyes of those few traitors who have cut off the court from the outside world, I have always opposed Mr. Thompson, as if it were a public and private feud, irreconcilable as fire and water. Thus, my sudden reversal today appears to be the act of a petty man...”

The hall remained unusually quiet, with only the Censor in the hall raising his voice in response.

“However, in my view, though I have changed, it is not for political or personal strife, but because my own state of mind has changed over time.” Peter Scott spoke calmly and fluently, clearly well prepared. “I was orphaned at four, and since then have never known how to lie, which is why I became known in my hometown. At twenty-two, I passed the imperial exam and entered officialdom, and remained the same... During the Jingkang era, I impeached Abraham Thompson for the first time because I saw him lose the army beneath the capital. Following my own nature, I spoke as I saw, and impeached according to the rules. But after Jingkang, in Tokyo, I personally witnessed the sharpness of blades and axes, the terror of a fallen nation, the sorrow of chaos and loss. Only then did I realize that, for the greater good, some things must be prioritized. To maintain the overall situation, sometimes one must endure humiliation and filth, and show forbearance for the sake of the country.”

John Harrison was slightly moved, but still gave no clear response. Arthur Lee couldn’t help but glance at Peter Scott, but it was only a glance.

“When I arrived at the temporary capital, Your Majesty wished to appoint Mr. Thompson as Prime Minister. My good friends Samuel Vaughn and Samuel Smith were then Remonstrance Ministers, and both thought it unwise and advised against it. Though I had a personal grudge against Mr. Thompson, I said nothing, and instead urged them not to stir up trouble. Later, when Mr. Thompson took office, Samuel Vaughn was demoted, Samuel Smith was killed, and I was filled with hatred, yet still did not attack him as a Censor... because I knew that, at that time, with the nation broken and families destroyed, only a strong and forceful Prime Minister like Joseph Thompson could restore morale and rebuild the court.”

“Later, when Joseph Thompson had succeeded and the court was restored, the situation stabilized, but he repeatedly slighted Your Majesty, acted with arrogance and excess, promoted private associates, and even seemed to invert the proper order. At that time, though my political views were almost entirely aligned with his, I could not tolerate his disregard for Your Majesty’s authority, and so I impeached him...”

“Hold on...” John Harrison suddenly interrupted. “In what political views do you agree with Mr. Thompson?”

“Your Majesty!” Peter Scott replied sternly. “Since I endured humiliation and survived from Tokyo to here, my views have long been set: First, the Jurchens are barbaric and cunning, and must never be negotiated with! Second, Hebei and Hedong are the foundation of the nation and must never be lightly abandoned! Third, though the South is rich, if we rely on it, it will only lead to a situation of partial peace. Only by advancing to Guanzhong, seizing the strong soldiers and fine horses of the northwest, and controlling the manpower of the Central Plains, can we restore order and reclaim our rivers and mountains! These three points—ask me once, I answer once; ask me ten times, I answer ten times. I will never change my principles because of personal grudges!”

John Harrison was momentarily speechless.

“As for now.” Peter Scott laid out his political strategy, stunning both Mr. Harrison and Mr. Lee on the spot, then continued to elaborate on his ‘different times, different measures’. “Now, Your Majesty has fallen into a well and been injured, lost your memory, and been isolated by treacherous ministers, while the imperial heir is only a month old and doesn’t even have a title... At this time, after Your Majesty has dealt with the traitors Huang, Wang, and Kang, if you act even slightly out of order, the central authority’s prestige will be swept away, and the people’s hearts will become unstable. If Your Majesty wishes to maintain the authority of the temporary court and restore morale, only strong ministers like Abraham Thompson and Andrew Bennett can do it!”

At this point, Peter Scott looked again at the silent Arthur Lee sitting to the side, still with a dignified bearing: “As for Mr. Lee, just as Your Majesty has arranged, with Mr. Lee’s gentlemanly talent and virtue, he can serve as deputy, to provide counsel and reassure the people, but in these turbulent times, the court cannot be entrusted to him.”

Arthur Lee immediately rose and bowed to John Harrison, though it was unclear whether in agreement or not.

John Harrison was filled with confusion, and after pondering for half a day, suddenly realized something and couldn’t help but laugh lightly: “After all this, Mr. Scott, you have first established the guilt of Prime Minister Huang and Mr. Carter for isolating the court, and only then spoken of recalling Mr. Thompson and Governor Bennett?”