Leaping down from the wall, he suddenly heard someone shout, “Who is this little thief?”

William Bolton, still shaken, looked up in astonishment, only to see a small squad of men and horses patrolling just outside the wall.

The leader and his attendants were all riding tall horses.

The burly man atop the tall horse had slightly dark skin, a long beard, and eyes full of self-assurance beneath thick brows.

William Bolton immediately said, “What’s it to you?”

The man on horseback, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, swinging his riding whip. “Seize him!”

Several attendants behind him, all vigorous and fierce, were about to spur their horses forward.

William Bolton quickly said, “I’m not a thief. I’m a classmate of the young master in this residence. He’s fallen ill, and I came to visit him.”

The man on horseback narrowed his tiger-like eyes slightly, holding his whip horizontally to stop his attendants’ actions.

This man was none other than George Washington. George Washington felt somewhat uneasy; he had only intended to teach Henry Bolton a lesson, but upon hearing that the man had been beaten unconscious, he realized he might have gone too far.

He was an emperor who had won his throne on horseback and didn’t care much for etiquette. Anxious, he had donned plain clothes and left the palace to check on things himself.

As he passed by, he happened to see William Bolton jumping down from the wall.

Strictly speaking, George Washington and William Bolton were relatives, but George Washington didn’t much like John Grant, nor did he have much affection for William Bolton, so naturally, they had never met.

William Bolton’s appearance clearly didn’t match that of a thief. After all, he was climbing over the wall in broad daylight, and this young man had fair skin and wore fine silk—obviously a young noble, hardly the type to be a thief.

Though George Washington’s expression darkened slightly, he was patient for the moment.

This person was a friend of Henry Bolton, and had already inquired about his condition.

George Washington said, “You’re a friend of Henry Bolton? What’s your name?”

William Bolton wasn’t surprised that George Washington casually mentioned Henry Bolton’s name. The Zhang family had risen during the Jingnan campaign; though Zhang Ying had died in battle, many of the campaign’s meritorious nobles were close to the Zhangs. This man before him… was likely one of them.

William Bolton said, “Who else could I be? I don’t change my name or surname. Just call me Matthew Green.”

George Washington searched his mind for whether Henry Bolton had such a classmate, but soon lost interest in pursuing the matter. Instead, he asked, “How is Henry Bolton’s injury?”

“He’s my brother, and a tough one at that. He should survive.”

George Washington: “……”

Chapter Ten: Suddenly Sitting Up from a Deathbed Illness

William Bolton’s words did put George Washington a bit at ease—so long as he wouldn’t die.

George Washington suddenly recalled matters at the academy and, feigning nonchalance, said, “I’ve heard that Henry Bolton is always up to mischief at school. Oh, and there’s also Edward Grant and… someone named William Bolton. Since you’re their friend, is there any truth to these rumors?”

Sure enough, good news never leaves the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles!

William Bolton said, “It’s all just rumors. We classmates do play around sometimes, but as for mischief, where does that come from? They’re all sons of loyal and brave men—heroes beget heroes, as they say. I don’t know where such gossip comes from.”

George Washington, still on horseback, neither agreed nor disagreed, clearly not fully believing William Bolton’s words. “Whose descendant are you?”

“Well…” William Bolton hesitated for a moment. “I dare not say.”

“Why not?”

“I’m afraid you’ll tell my father.”

George Washington laughed heartily. “If I wanted to make things difficult for you, I’d just take you to the capital office right now and have your father come fetch you. Looks like you and those others—Henry Bolton, William Bolton—are all cut from the same cloth, a pack of troublemakers.”

William Bolton: “……”

George Washington then said, “For lawless types like you, there will always be someone in this world who can keep you in check.”

William Bolton, unconcerned, replied, “I have things to do, I won’t waste words with you.”

George Washington looked at William Bolton, his expression softening a little. As the emperor, he seemed unwilling to argue with a mere youngster.

Seeing George Washington hesitate, William Bolton grew anxious. If this stalemate continued and David Bolton noticed, things would get bad. That commander wouldn’t care if William Bolton was the crown prince’s brother-in-law. Gritting his teeth, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a few taels of silver. “Fine, since fate has brought us together, let’s not miss the chance. Here’s some silver—please, gentlemen, have some tea on me.”

Unexpectedly, when George Washington saw the silver, his face changed dramatically.

He suddenly shouted sternly, “Where did you get this silver?”

William Bolton replied suspiciously, “My sister gave it to me. She said a man should never be without money for self-protection when out and about.”

But George Washington’s expression grew colder and harsher. “That’s not what I mean. Don’t you know that when the Grand Progenitor Emperor was alive, he issued an edict: ‘Because of soaring prices and the worsening of the paper currency system, the Ministry of Revenue was ordered to collect all private money and exchange it for paper notes, forbidding the use of copper coins’?”

George Washington paused, then continued, “The current emperor follows the Grand Progenitor’s instructions. Just recently, another decree was issued: all transactions must use paper notes, and copper coins or silver are strictly forbidden. Don’t you know this?”

If he hadn’t mentioned it, William Bolton might not have remembered.

In the early Ming dynasty, there was indeed a period when the government strictly enforced the use of paper currency—namely, the ‘Great Ming Treasure Notes’—for all transactions.