Behind the imperial desk, George WashingtonGeorge Washington was seated upright, silently holding a memorial and reading it for a long time without speaking.

George Washington was tall and sturdy, his complexion somewhat dark, and his eyes, as they moved, carried a sharpness like an awl piercing a sack.

Accompanying George Washington was an old monk dressed in black robes, who appeared calm and composed, exuding a certain dignity.

Wenhua Hall was a side hall, so its layout was not large, but it was precisely where George Washington would privately meet trusted ministers and summon officials from the Hanlin Academy.

As for this old man, he was renowned throughout the land. He first became a monk, taking the Dharma name Richard, and later incited George Washington to rebel in Beiping, ultimately helping him seize the throne—this was Richard Young.

After George Washington became emperor, he appointed Richard Young as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and put him in charge of the Monastic Registry. Although the official rank was not high, because he was the trusted confidant of George WashingtonGeorge Washington, many of the empire’s major decisions bore the influence of Richard Young. Thus, among the people, this monk was called the “Black-robed Prime Minister.”

After picking up the memorial, George Washington glanced at it indifferently, but his face suddenly darkened, and his sharp gaze was tinged with anger.

This anger quickly vanished, and then he tossed the memorial onto the imperial desk: “The Crown Prince is soft-hearted like a woman; the son is not like the father.”

The composed Richard Young immediately caught the hidden meaning in these words. George Washington had just seized the empire, and like the founding emperor, his temperament was fierce and resolute.

But his assessment of the Crown Prince John Grant as soft-hearted clearly showed great dissatisfaction.

As for the phrase “the son is not like the father,” it was even more serious, for its original meaning was: this child is not like me...

Richard Young smiled faintly, but faced with George Washington’s complaints, he remained indifferent.

The affairs between father and son were not for a monk like him to comment on.

But George Washington raised his head, fixing his gaze on Richard Young and said, “A soft-hearted man, someone who cannot even discipline his own kin—how can he rule the world?”

If the earlier “the son is not like the father” was merely a personal complaint, then the question of how to rule the world concerned the fate of the nation.

Richard Young said, “May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the matter mentioned in the memorial?”

Seeing that he finally spoke, George Washington seemed to find resonance and snorted coldly: “The Embroidered Uniform Guard reports that the Crown Prince indulges his wife’s younger brother, and this person not only has no intention of studying, is stubborn and ignorant, but is also arrogant and domineering. Relying on the power of the Eastern Palace, everyone avoids him like a viper.”

A young man causing trouble... In fact, Richard Young did not care much, for he was merely a royal relative. How many royal relatives in the world are ever spoken of as good people?

What Richard Young cared more about was the information in the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Clearly, most of the military officers in the Guard were originally George Washington’s personal soldiers and deeply trusted by him. Back then, these personal soldiers had also followed Prince Han Thomas Grant into battle—they had risked their lives together.

Now, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly reporting the Crown Prince’s relatives’ misconduct, there was certainly more to it.

But Richard Young was extremely clever and did not wish to get involved. He said, “It is indeed unacceptable for royal relatives to break the law and be indulged.”

George Washington nodded, his face cold and gray, and said lightly, “Issue an edict to admonish the Crown Prince, tell him he must strictly discipline them. If he cannot handle even such a trivial matter, then I will take care of it myself.”

Richard Young nodded.

But George Washington could not help but say, “I have never seen such a wicked youth!”

As he spoke, a eunuch hurried in from outside and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the Director of the Imperial Academy, Charles Howard, requests an audience.”

George Washington closed the memorial, his expression unreadable, but exchanged a glance with Richard Young, as if both were wondering what he had come for.

George Washington said, “Let him in.”

Previously, Charles Howard was a renowned Confucian scholar, known for his integrity and dignified conduct, and so George Washington held him in high regard.

After a moment, Charles Howard entered the hall at a brisk pace, no longer displaying his usual calm demeanor. Upon seeing George Washington, he immediately knelt and, panting, said, “Your servant Charles Howard greets Your Majesty.”

“Rise.” George Washington forced a smile, noticing that Charles Howard was somewhat different from before.

“Your Majesty, I have come to earnestly request Your Majesty’s mercy and to allow me to resign from the duty of teaching the sons of meritorious officials.”

George Washington’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately asked, “What’s the matter? Has something happened?”

Charles Howard could not hold it in any longer: “Your Majesty... I can’t teach them anymore. These sons are all unruly. A few days ago... the son of Duke of Chengguo, Samuel Grant, Edward Grant, actually came to my back residence... and stole my chickens...”

George Washington’s face grew a bit unpleasant, but he composed himself: “Children being mischievous—since you are a great scholar, there’s no need to take it to heart.”

Upon hearing this, Charles Howard felt utterly disheartened. After all, it wasn’t your chickens that were stolen, was it?

So he continued, “What’s even more infuriating is... that Henry Bolton...”

At the mention of Henry Bolton, George Washington’s expression changed again.

That boy... George Washington had always paid attention to him. Henry Bolton’s father was James Bolton. During the Jingnan campaign, when George Washington was surrounded by enemy forces, James Bolton disguised himself as George Washington to draw the enemy away and saved George Washington, but in that very battle, James Bolton was killed.