The servants of The Bolton Family had long since been scared out of their wits, none daring to lift their heads. Only Henry Bolton’s chief attendant stammered, “Th-this... this medicine was sent by the young master’s friend.”

George Washington nodded, then suddenly asked, “Is that friend called Matthew Green? I just saw him climbing over the wall to leave.”

The servant was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.

At that moment, a medical miracle occurred: Henry Bolton, who had been lying motionless on the bed, suddenly sat up in alarm and immediately answered, “Yes, his name is Matthew Green.”

Henry Bolton was loyal—he couldn’t betray his big brother. Anyone could see that the person who could climb over walls and refused to reveal his identity could only be his big brother. That’s just how his big brother was—he never left his name after doing something.

Chapter Eleven: Divine Medicine

George Washington listened and shot Henry Bolton a sidelong glance.

Another miracle happened: Henry Bolton suddenly drooped his head like a chicken whose neck had been wrung.

Even someone as steady as David Bolton, standing nearby, was so angry his face turned slightly green.

The The Bolton Family could be considered a family of heroes. Not to mention James Bolton, even David Bolton had begun to show promise at a young age. Who would have thought the family would produce someone as foolish as Henry Bolton? It was truly a disgrace.

George Washington felt both exasperated and amused. After checking Henry Bolton’s condition, he had nothing more to say and returned to the palace that day.

Yet George Washington continued to pay attention to Henry Bolton’s illness.

Who would have thought that after a few days, the situation would worsen.

It had originally been just a flesh wound, but with the recent hot weather, George Washington summoned the imperial physicians to inquire about the illness, and they began to hem and haw.

George Washington sensed something was wrong and sternly said, “Speak frankly, do not hold back.”

The imperial physician knelt even lower, trembling as he said, “Y-Your Majesty, Young Master Bolton’s condition seems to be worsening. I see that at the site of the wound... an ulcer has formed... I fear... I fear...”

The so-called ulcer was actually just an inflamed wound. Because the injury was severe and the weather hot, if the inflammation didn’t heal, and if it couldn’t be treated immediately, in this era, it could be life-threatening.

At the mention of the word “ulcer,” George Washington’s expression changed slightly.

He clearly understood the gravity of the word. After all, as an emperor who had come from the military, during the Jingnan Campaign, countless soldiers had died from ulcers caused by sword wounds.

What stuck most in George Washington’s memory was his father-in-law, William Smith.

William Smith, a famous general of his generation, died from a poisonous sore. This so-called poisonous sore and carbuncle were, in fact, ulcers.

There was a popular rumor that when William Smith developed a poisonous sore and carbuncle, Abraham Lincoln ordered roast goose to be sent to him. Roast goose was considered a “trigger food,” and thus William Smith was killed by it.

Of course... this was pure nonsense. Not only is there no connection between eating roast goose and the worsening of such an illness, but more importantly... in this era, the mortality rate from carbuncles, poisonous sores, or ulcers was already high.

Moreover, at the time, William Smith was stationed in Beiping, while Abraham Lincoln was in Nanjing. To send roast goose from Nanjing to Beiping...

George Washington looked coldly at the imperial physician. “Does the Imperial Medical Institute have any effective remedies?”

The imperial physician wasn’t stupid. For this kind of illness, it all depended on luck. Frankly, it was up to Henry Bolton himself to pull through. If he made any guarantees and something went wrong, it would be courting death.

The imperial physician stammered, “I... I fear the poisonous sore may enter the body... then even a god could not save him.”

George Washington flew into a rage. “What use are you all to me?”

The imperial physician was so frightened he nearly lost his soul.

In truth, there were indeed skilled doctors in the world.

But the level of the imperial physicians in the Ming court was uneven.

This was not entirely their fault; it was due to a flawed system created by the founding emperor. For example, most of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Institute... inherited their positions.

That’s right... it was hereditary.

The imperial physician before him had become an imperial physician and entered the palace because his father had been one.

He could handle ordinary illnesses, but when it came to more complicated cases, he was often at a loss.

Still, an imperial physician was an imperial physician. They had family traditions. They might not be great at curing diseases, but they were well-versed in avoiding blame.

Some imperial physicians put their skill points into medicine, but such doctors rarely lasted long in the palace.

Those who truly survived long were usually experts at shirking responsibility.

“Your Majesty, Young Master Bolton suffered severe torture, the wound is too large, and he is still young and frail. Now that a poisonous sore has erupted, I dare not say it is incurable, but whether he lives or dies is up to fate.”

The first half of the sentence told George Washington that the executioners had been too harsh—it was their fault for being so ruthless.

The second half directly stated that it was up to heaven—whether he lived or died depended on heaven’s will.

George Washington took a deep breath and fell silent. After a long while, he finally said, “Do everything you can to save him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The imperial physician, as if granted amnesty, hurriedly withdrew.

……

William Bolton hid outside the The Bolton Family residence until the central gate opened and the Deputy Commander of the Five Armies, David Bolton, left the house with several personal guards on horseback. Only then did he shoot out like an arrow and dart into the The Bolton Residence.