Messages came one after another; the palace seemed to have turned into a battlefield, with enemies everywhere, drawing ever closer. Mrs. Howard’s face remained expressionless; to every report, she simply replied with a quiet “Mm.” If she had to give an answer, it was always the same: “The emperor’s body is barely cold, the empress dowager is heartbroken, and the ministers should be more considerate. Everyone must guard the gates strictly. The ancestral temple is sacred ground— they wouldn’t dare break in.”

As for these reports, David Williams clearly had a different view. Every time he heard one, he would lightly kick James Foster with his foot to show off his satisfaction, but he dared not speak recklessly— the palace maid holding the box stood right behind them, her grip astonishingly strong. After taking two punches from her, David Williams had become much more obedient.

At dawn, the situation grew even more urgent. It was said that the empress dowager’s quarters had been surrounded by a group of senior ministers, who knelt in the courtyard, wailing loudly, mourning the three emperors who had died within a few years, and using this to urge the empress dowager to hand over the two princes as soon as possible. Meanwhile, another group of ministers had rushed to the gates of the ancestral temple, kneeling in unison and reciting an article aloud.

David Williams’s face lit up with joy, seeing this as his own victory. James Foster, on the other hand, was wondering why attendant William Turner was nowhere to be seen. With such a bold eunuch, he shouldn’t be hiding at a time like this.

In the entire hall, only Mrs. Howard remained completely calm, ordering everyone else to hold their posts and giving no response to the chanting outside.

“What are the ministers outside doing? Are they holding a memorial?” Eunuch Henry Clark asked. He had stayed by Mrs. Howard’s side the whole time, but did not share her composure; his handsome face was even paler than the two princes’.

“It’s a remonstrance, or perhaps a proclamation,” Mrs. Howard said softly, listening carefully for a moment. “Floods in the east, earthquakes in the northern counties, a fire at the Changle Palace… They believe the world is out of balance, disasters are frequent, and all the blame lies with the empress dowager and me.”

“Nonsense!” Henry Clark said indignantly, his voice trembling. “The empress dowager… is there any other plan?”

Mrs. Howard shook her head.

“What about Jingyao and William Turner? Didn’t they both swear they could persuade the ministers to withdraw? Why is there still no word from them?”

Mrs. Howard didn’t even shake her head this time.

The chanting outside grew louder and louder. David Williams grew bolder as well, and whispered to James Foster, “It’s actually very simple— hand me over, or proclaim me emperor right here in the ancestral temple, and all the problems will be solved.”

Henry Clark ran to the door, peeked outside from behind the gatekeeper eunuch for a while, then hurried back to Mrs. Howard’s side. “We can’t go on like this. There are a few ministers outside whom I know. Let me go talk to them— maybe I can get them to withdraw from the ancestral temple first.”

“You?” Mrs. Howard looked a little surprised.

“Not that well,” Henry Clark quickly corrected himself. “We just know each other’s names. Besieging the ancestral temple is really improper. If I make that clear, they should back off. Honestly, have all the palace guards defected? How could they let the ministers break in?”

“The guards only obey the emperor’s orders. Now that the throne is vacant, they don’t know what to do,” Mrs. Howard was not particularly surprised. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Go ahead, maybe you really can succeed.”

Henry Clark bowed to the floor and ran out. As soon as he disappeared, David Williams snorted, “Henry Clark is just looking out for himself— he’s trying to escape.”

Mrs. Howard glanced at David Williams, and to everyone’s surprise, a faint smile appeared on her face, but she said nothing and turned away.

David Williams could only boast to James Foster, “If you want to be emperor, you have to be more cunning than others, and be able to see the big picture from the smallest clues.”

James Foster nodded. He had only one hope in his heart: that this would all end soon, so he could leave the palace and return to his mother’s side. To be honest, this visit to the palace had left an even worse impression than the month he’d spent here three years ago.

David Williams seemed to have guessed right— Henry Clark never returned, and the chanting outside did not diminish in the slightest.

As the sun rose higher, the great hall became less gloomy. David Williams stood up and shouted, “What are we waiting for? Once I become emperor, I’ll pardon everyone, and the Shangguan family will receive many rewards.”

The palace maid holding the box didn’t say a word. She grabbed David Williams like a chick with one hand and pulled him back onto the round stool.

“Let go of me! I’m about to become emperor… ow!” David Williams dared not struggle anymore, glaring at the maid, already marking her as the first enemy to be executed after his ascension.

Mrs. Howard turned around to face the two princes. “I’m sorry you have to go through this. Emperors are people too— when it comes to family squabbles, we’re not so different from ordinary households, except more people are involved. No matter which of you becomes emperor, you’ll have the chance to set things right and restore the dignity of the royal family.”

“‘No matter which of us’?” David Williams couldn’t contain his doubt and anger. “Only I am fit for the throne, Mrs. Howard, you should know that, right? The Cui family would never agree to let James become emperor. Look at his name, look at him— does he look like an emperor of Great Chu? What is your Shangguan family really up to? Do you want chaos in the realm?”

James Foster sat there motionless. Mrs. Howard smiled at him and was about to speak when a gatekeeper eunuch shouted loudly, “They’re attacking!”