David Williams coughed twice and finally couldn’t help but speak his mind. “I wasn’t the one who tattled—it was your own carelessness that gave you away. But your move was pretty sly: ‘I want to eat meat.’ You wanted to test whether the Minister of Rites was trustworthy, right? Hm, you’re cautious—maybe a bit too cautious.”

James Foster’s last bit of trust in David Williams had long since vanished, but since the man was within ten paces, he didn’t want to start an argument. So he said, “Either way, this matter can’t be done.”

“If you’d been a bit bolder, maybe the Minister of Rites would have taken action yesterday. But you just wrote ‘I want to eat meat’—of course the ministers wouldn’t take it seriously. Only by taking risks can you get results. If you keep acting like this, you’ll never get ahead.”

“I never wanted to ‘get ahead’ in the first place. Things aren’t any worse now than before.”

“As you are now, you could lose your head at any moment!” David Williams found the emperor’s composure unbelievable, but then, remembering that none of his previous threats had ever worked on his royal brother, he let it go. “I get what you mean. You and your mother really had it rough before… No title, no teacher, not even as well off as ordinary members of the royal clan. If you ask me, the Empress Dowager must really hate you two—she doesn’t even want to see you.”

“You’ve met the Empress Dowager?”

“I met her before. She’s no simple character…” David Williams lowered his voice even more. “As long as she’s around, Father’s attention never falls on anyone else. They say she practices—witchcraft.”

At the mention of “witchcraft,” David Williams startled himself, immediately kneeling properly and muttering, “Maybe she can hear us talking here, or maybe she’s been hurt by her own witchcraft, so she’s hiding and doesn’t dare see anyone.”

James Foster didn’t really believe in witchcraft. He turned slightly, looked at David Williams, and asked in puzzlement, “Then why did the Empress Dowager make you my attendant and allow us to be alone together?”

“To humiliate me and the Cui family, of course.” David Williams said angrily, making no effort to hide his resentment toward the Empress Dowager and his ambition for the throne.

James Foster didn’t see it that way. He even suspected David Williams was playing dumb. If he were David Williams, he wouldn’t be anxious at all. Since the Cui family was a great clan, they would never easily yield to the Empress Dowager—David Williams still had a chance.

“We still need to find a way to deal with the Empress Dowager—this time, let’s send a message to someone from my Cui family.” David Williams couldn’t guess the emperor’s thoughts and eagerly offered a new suggestion.

“No.” James Foster refused flatly. “I don’t want to go against anyone, especially not the Empress Dowager. If I don’t last long on the throne, that’s just my fate.”

James Foster turned away. David Williams stared at him in shock, and after a moment, his face twisted in bitter hatred.

There was an extra dish at dinner. It tasted meaty, which surprised James Foster—he was still fasting and absolutely forbidden from eating meat. After a few bites, he realized it was mushrooms. Apparently, his complaints had had some effect.

After the meal, James Foster took every opportunity to talk with the eunuchs or maids around him, but gained little. They were confused by the emperor’s change in temperament and soon became wary, avoiding answers whenever possible. When they had to speak, they chose their words with extreme care. It didn’t feel like they were talking to the emperor, but rather as if they hoped their words would reach someone else who wasn’t present.

What everyone felt from the emperor was not warmth, but pressure.

Andrew Turner came and went, overhearing some conversations. He neither objected nor took the chance to offer advice. He was like a half-hearted shepherd, occasionally checking if the cattle and sheep were still grazing in place, then going off to mind his own business.

By the end of the day, James Foster was exhausted. All he’d gotten were a few brief answers—within ten paces of him, it was still a barren wasteland.

Lying in bed that night, James Foster reflected on the day and realized he hadn’t come away empty-handed. At least he’d learned one thing: the Empress Dowager’s faction wasn’t the only power in the palace—there were undercurrents swirling right beside him.

But this didn’t help the emperor for now. He couldn’t control what was within ten paces, nor had he found any “favorable circumstances” for himself. It wasn’t until he was about to fall asleep that a small incident gave James Foster a bit of confidence.

He was nearly asleep when suddenly, from beneath the window, came the voice of the maid Sarah Carter: “I asked—they’ve been sent for treatment. They won’t die.”

James Foster’s drowsiness vanished. He cared about the fate of those two eunuchs, though not to the point of constant worry. What made him happy was that someone had finally answered his question directly—the stagnant waters within ten paces had finally stirred a little.

Chapter Nine: His Majesty Receives the Seal

“Thank you,” James Foster said to the maid. For now, he had no other wishes—he just hoped someone would talk to him, to create a friendlier atmosphere within ten paces, and make palace life a little more bearable.

“No need… If you really want to thank me, stop making conversation for no reason. You’re scaring everyone.”

Sarah Carter’s tone was blunt—not just with the emperor, but with other eunuchs and maids as well. Among a group of timid, submissive people, she was like a clueless country girl who’d wandered in by mistake. Yet she was the one who became the emperor’s personal attendant, sharing a room with him, with no one to replace her.