James Foster hesitantly nodded.

“Emperor Wu, in his wrath, could spill blood for a thousand miles, but beyond those thousand miles, there are still more thousands. The armies of Great Chu have never conquered the world, and even Emperor Wu had troubles at his side: three times he changed the crown prince, seven times he executed high ministers, countless favorites in the inner palace were elevated and cast aside. In his life, Emperor Wu faced at least five crises—three while traveling incognito, one in the court, and one right inside the palace.”

James Foster’s eyes lit up. “Mother never… I’ve never heard these stories before.”

“These are not bedtime stories.” William Turner’s tone grew stern. “I am teaching you a lesson.”

“Even the mightiest emperor has times when things don’t go his way?” James Foster guessed.

William Turner said coldly, “I am telling you what a real emperor is like—the truest kind—not the version those so-called learned scholars proclaim.”

James Foster thought for a while, then murmured, “Beyond a thousand miles, the emperor’s reach does not extend; within ten paces, the emperor is no different from an ordinary person. So the emperor’s power only exists between ten paces and a thousand miles… But I am trapped within those ten paces.”

This child was very clever. If circumstances were a bit better, William Turner was confident he could raise him to be a wise ruler. But as things stood, he could only talk on paper.

“How can I break out of this predicament?” James Foster looked up and asked.

William Turner shook his head. “There’s no way. It’s a matter of timing and circumstance. Throughout history, how many heroes and great men have lived in obscurity simply because they were born at the wrong time? Your Majesty, you should just rest.”

William Turner withdrew. He had no need to serve the emperor at night, nor to teach him everything hand in hand.

James Foster lay in bed. Someone entered the room, blew out the lamp, and lay down on the small couch by the window.

“Beyond ten paces, within a thousand miles.” James Foster pondered William Turner’s words, wondering if and when his own “time and circumstance” would come. Suddenly, a thought struck him: William Turner had left some things unsaid. Since everyone within ten paces is just an ordinary person, why couldn’t he do something within those ten paces?

He turned to look at the blurry figure on the couch and realized that these days he’d been so focused on the Empress Dowager and the powerful eunuchs that he’d overlooked so many details nearby. “Ahem… What’s your name?”

Silence in the darkness. The new attendant seemed to have learned from the mistakes of the previous two eunuchs and was unwilling to converse with the emperor. After a long while, a woman finally spoke: “My name is Sarah Carter. Do you need something?”

Her voice was icy, neither referring to herself as “your servant” nor addressing him as “Your Majesty,” even ruder than Samuel Clark and Henry Clark who had come to question him.

James Foster’s first attempt “within ten paces” met a tough opponent. He tried to recall the appearance of this palace maid, but couldn’t remember at all. Too many people had come and gone these days, all with the same expression, making it impossible to tell them apart.

“What happened to those two people?”

“Which two people?”

“The two who were beaten because of me.”

In the darkness, Sarah Carter was silent for a while. “They got what they deserved.”

“If they were truly guilty, then my guilt is even greater.”

“There is a difference between ruler and subject, noble and lowly. Since there are masters and servants, the guilt cannot be the same.”

James Foster had hoped to win the favor of the palace maid, but was left speechless by her reply. Sarah Carter didn’t move, as if she was about to fall asleep.

The next morning, James Foster finally saw Sarah Carter’s true face. She looked about twenty, not much taller than the thirteen-year-old emperor, neither ugly nor beautiful, her expression dull, no different from anyone else in the palace. James Foster couldn’t remember when she had started serving him.

The young emperor was not discouraged by this setback. Instead, he resolved to pay attention to everyone “within ten paces,” but to avoid the mistakes he made when writing “secret edicts”—he must never implicate others again.

Soon, he discovered that the eunuchs and palace maids around him were not all the same. Behind their blank expressions, each hid their own little secrets: the old eunuch holding the crown would occasionally steal glances at the maid holding the robes; the maid with the robes quietly watched her companion carrying the jewelry box… Sarah Carter was also part of this chain of mutual surveillance, just with a slightly higher status—no one dared meet her gaze.

William Turner did not take part in these little games. He waited outside the door, looking at no one, escorting the emperor to see the Empress Dowager and attend ceremonies as soon as the time came, hardly leaving his side.

At first, James Foster thought these people were full of mutual conflict. On the way to meet the officials from the Ministry of Rites, he suddenly realized that the eunuchs and maids each served their own masters and were wary of each other.

The Minister of Rites did not come today; a vice minister took his place, always keeping his distance from the emperor and speaking as little as possible.

The afternoon fasting was normal enough. William Turner did not kneel at the door, but stood guard outside as per the rules, never entering to disturb the emperor and David Williams.

David Williams was quite surprised by this, waiting over an hour before finally speaking. “How strange, no one is watching us.”

James Foster said nothing, nor did he turn around.