Thinking of his status as a prince, Henry Clark finally showed a trace of a gratified smile on his face. This might be the happiest thing since he transmigrated. However, right after that, Henry Clark remembered that ever since he was struck by ball lightning, although some people had come to visit him, his emperor father Edward Clark had never come. Only Empress Thompson brought the imperial physician to treat him and assigned Emily Foster to supervise his recovery. So now, in the entire prince’s residence, Emily Foster had the final say, and even all the people around Henry Clark had been replaced.

Thinking of Edward Clark, Henry Clark immediately recalled the historical records about this Emperor Yingzong. He was fairly familiar with the history of the Northern Song during this period. According to what Henry Clark knew, his cheap old man had a very rough fate. Back then, Emperor Renzong had no sons, so he adopted Edward Clark as his own. But later, a concubine in the harem became pregnant, so Edward Clark was driven out of the palace. Unexpectedly, that prince died young, so in the year before Renzong’s death, Edward Clark was finally made crown prince and eventually ascended the throne.

Edward Clark’s health was very poor. He had been emperor for less than a month before falling so ill that he couldn’t handle state affairs, so he asked Empress Dowager Foster to take over the government behind the curtain. This was also the main reason why Edward Clark hadn’t come to visit Henry Clark. In addition, due to some other matters, the relationship between Edward Clark and Empress Dowager Foster became very strained. Fortunately, Charles Grant and Arthur Blake mediated between them, which eased things a bit, but only just. There was no real affection between this nominal mother and son. On the contrary, Edward Clark’s wife, Empress Thompson, was Empress Dowager Foster’s own niece and had been raised in the palace by Empress Foster since childhood. The two were as close as mother and daughter. Precisely because of this, Empress Thompson had always acted as a buffer between Edward Clark and Empress Dowager Foster.

Henry Clark also knew that once Edward Clark recovered, the most famous “Puyi Dispute” of Emperor Yingzong’s reign would break out. The so-called Puyi Dispute was actually about how Edward Clark should refer to his biological father, Prince Puyan Yi Thomas Clark. This dispute dragged on for 18 months, while Edward Clark was emperor for only four years in total. To later generations, this might seem incredible, but for the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty, it was a matter of royal ritual. At the same time, it was precisely this dispute that made the relationship between Empress Dowager Foster and Edward Clark even worse.

The Puyi Dispute hadn’t broken out yet, but even if it did, Henry Clark didn’t plan to get involved. First, he had just transmigrated and was completely unfamiliar with everything in the Northern Song. Second, the dispute was essentially a struggle between the emperor Edward Clark and Empress Dowager Foster. As a junior, Henry Clark had no place to intervene, so he might as well stay quietly in his prince’s residence and focus on recovering.

Having figured out his situation, Henry Clark suddenly jumped out of bed. As the old saying goes, the body is the capital of revolution. Now he had both money and power, but his health was lacking. There was still a life of endless pleasure waiting for him to enjoy. Without a good body, he would never withstand the corrupting influence of the extravagant life of a feudal noble.

Life is all about one’s mood. If you’re in a good mood, any kind of life is enjoyable; if you’re in a bad mood, even being surrounded by beauties and fine food won’t make you happy. Now Henry Clark had already come out of the depression of transmigration and started to face his new life positively. He even made a fitness plan for himself: practice Tai Chi in the morning, run in the morning, run in the afternoon, and run again at night. Isn’t it said that life is in movement? Henry Clark planned to adjust his life through exercise, and he would start right after lunch today.

Lunch consisted of a bowl of millet porridge with vegetables and tofu, almost a repeat of breakfast. The only difference was that lunch included a steamed bun. Looking at this unappetizing meal, Henry Clark decided to cancel his afternoon run. If he couldn’t even eat meat, what was the point of running?

Dinner was the same. Henry Clark closed his eyes and forced down the vegetables and tofu, silently telling himself it was for his health, and canceled his evening run as well.

The next day, three meals were still the same. Henry Clark endured...

The third day, endured again...

The fourth day, endured and endured...

The fifth day, couldn’t endure any longer...

Chapter Five: The Prince’s Three Meals (Part Two)

Henry Clark angrily carried his breakfast, walked through the corridor, and entered Emily Foster’s room. With a bang, he threw it in front of Emily Foster, who was eating, and shouted angrily, “Emily Foster, I know Her Majesty asked you to supervise my recovery, and I know you dislike me, but you can’t take personal revenge by making me eat this pig food every day!”

“Your Highness, please mind your words. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s pig food, does it?” To Henry Clark’s surprise, Emily Foster also stood up in anger when she heard this, even forgetting to wipe her mouth. Henry Clark could see a grain of millet still hanging at the corner of her mouth.

“I...” Henry Clark was full of anger, but when he saw the food in front of Emily Foster, he was suddenly at a loss for words, because her food was exactly the same as his. The only difference was that Emily Foster had almost finished hers, while he hadn’t touched his at all.

“I... I am at least a prince of the Song Dynasty, and I’m also a patient. How can I eat this stuff every day?” As the saying goes, when you have no reason, make a scene. That was exactly what Henry Clark was doing now. In any case, he just couldn’t eat another bite of those vegetables and tofu.