However, Henry Bolton had no time to think before he let out another scream like a pig being slaughtered.

……

Michael Bolton was watching over the carriage, poking his head around outside, when he suddenly saw William Bolton dart out of the residence like a rabbit.

Michael Bolton let out a long sigh of relief and stepped forward in surprise and delight: “Young master… what’s wrong, has Master Hu really had his house searched?”

“The situation is more serious than we thought. I’m afraid a few of my brothers are trapped inside.”

“But young master, you…”

“I’ve done well in my studies, so naturally I won’t be punished.”

Michael Bolton hung his head, as if his mind was racing, pondering whether there was some other meaning in these words.

William Bolton said, “The best plan is to leave quickly, don’t dawdle here. My brothers have been beaten like this, I feel terrible for them, I need to get them some medicine.”

“Oh.” Michael Bolton nodded blankly.

……

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Recently I have heard that the relatives of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace have acted outrageously, and the imperial family and nobility cannot restrain themselves, behaving so wildly—this is truly improper. I have thought about it, and this must be due to the indulgence of the Eastern Palace. If the Crown Prince cannot discipline his own kin, how can he govern the world? Today I issue this decree to admonish you, so that you, the Crown Prince, may know right from wrong. You must not tolerate or indulge them any longer. If it happens again, I will not be lenient. Take heed!”

At this moment, in the Eastern Palace, a eunuch was raising his voice, chanting a decree from the palace.

The language of the decree was quite crude, but in fact, this had always been Zhu Di’s style in imperial edicts.

The Crown Prince John Grant knelt properly on the ground. After hearing the decree, he was filled with fear and trepidation, his face drained of color.

When the eunuch finished reading, he carefully smiled and said, “Your Highness…”

John Grant sighed, “I understand. Go and report back.”

The eunuch left.

John Grant could only sigh and returned to the inner court of the Eastern Palace.

At this moment, the Crown Princess The Bolton Family came to greet the Crown Prince.

John Grant held her hand, looking gloomy and unhappy.

The Bolton Family asked anxiously, “Has William caused trouble again?”

John Grant nodded and sighed, “This time is different. Now the matter has reached the Emperor’s ears, and Father has personally issued a decree to scold me… sigh…”

When The Bolton Family heard this, she immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and hurriedly said, “His Majesty has issued a decree—inevitably, in the eyes of the officials, this is a signal that His Majesty dislikes Your Highness. If someone with ulterior motives takes this opportunity to add insult to injury and digs up other faults of Your Highness, I’m afraid everyone will push the wall down once it starts to topple…”

Normally, the Emperor would not scold the Crown Prince. After all, the Crown Prince is the heir and needs to establish a certain authority, so any admonishment would be very tactful. But this time, the rebuke was so blunt—perhaps His Majesty is having other thoughts.

John Grant was silent for a moment, then said, “I am not worried about myself, but rather about William… Those with ill intentions may not dare to touch me, but they can use William as a pretext and act against him.”

The Bolton Family, like the unpredictable weather in Nanjing, suddenly had tears welling up in her eyes, falling like a string of pearls. She choked up, “My poor brother, he lost our father early on. As his elder sister, I married into the palace, but the palace is so strict, I can’t look after or guide him every day. He’s all alone outside, young and inexperienced, and I fear he’s surrounded by bad company who might lead him astray…”

John Grant was moved and quickly comforted her, “William has a good heart. Don’t cry, we can take our time to figure things out.”

The Bolton Family immediately stopped her tears, looked at the little eunuch beside her, and said, “Go and call my brother here.”

The eunuch hurried off.

This time, William Bolton was truly shaken, especially after seeing Henry Bolton’s buttocks beaten raw, which made him feel a sense of shared misfortune.

He was summoned to the Eastern Palace and entered the inner court.

He hurried into the hall and saw his elder sister The Bolton Family, so he grinned and said, “Sister.”

The Bolton Family put on a displeased look: “What have you done again? I really pity myself—my family has no one to rely on, and you, as my brother, not only can’t share my burdens, but keep causing trouble.”

John Grant interjected, “Alright, alright…”

The Bolton Family said, “Look at him, grinning like that… sigh…” With that, she reached out to wipe her tears and began to sob.

William Bolton couldn’t bear to see this, so he quickly stopped smiling, hung his head, and said, “What did I do wrong this time?”

The Bolton Family said, “Today His Majesty issued an edict, admonishing your brother-in-law, saying he failed to discipline you, and even accused him of shielding and indulging you. He’s the Crown Prince! The dignified Crown Prince, being scolded like this—every official in the court must be laughing at him!”

“You silly brother, don’t you know how hard your brother-in-law has it? His Majesty doesn’t like him, and who knows how many treacherous villains are around the throne, stirring up trouble every day. Just look at how worried your brother-in-law has become.”

William Bolton then looked at John Grant.

He saw that John Grant also looked worried and distressed, but forced himself to say, “I am a son, and if I cannot share my father’s burdens, then being scolded is what I deserve… William is still young, forget it… what’s the point of talking about this.”

Chapter Eight: Commendation

William Bolton said, “But I didn’t do anyth—”

His words were cut short.

A eunuch rushed in and said, “There is another decree from the palace.”

When John Grant heard this, his face changed dramatically. He had just been scolded—was he about to be berated again?